Travelling and spending are always relative. From an all inclusive holiday to Cancun to a backpacking adventure across Spain, variables tend to change quite a lot when you think about your perfect destination and the money you are about to spend. As with any general question however, the answers are also general but one thing always stays the same; despite spending, travelling is an investment. No matter where you choose to go or how, each destination is unique and provides ample opportunities to see a side of the world you never thought existed. Go on holidays to Santorini and witness the majestic volcanic landscape and its world famous sunsets or set sail for Ibiza and party until the morning. Travelling always comes with the best of experiences and memories and as such spending on travelling is always something guaranteed to return part of your investment.
Huge jumbo jet, tiny runway. Despite all the technology involved, some planes still land in the wrong place. This exact thing happened in November 2013, when a Boeing 747 Dreamlifter landed at a tiny airport in Kansas, 8 miles from its original destination. New pilots were brought in and the flight was (just about) able to take off the next day.
Predict the weather with plane trails. The little white lines in the sky that planes leave behind will tell you if it’s about to rain. If the con trails are thick, long last tails indicate a storm is on the way, while thin, short lasting tails suggest decent weather.
LAX was once shut down over a haircut. Los Angeles International Airport had two runways shutdown for an hour when a hair stylist was called to Air Force One, to give then President Bill Clinton a short, back and sides. That’s one of our absolute favourite facts about flying!
You don’t get drunk faster in the air. Contrary to popular belief, Mythbusters asked an ‘alcohol expert’ who said your alcohol level doesn’t increase, but you can get higher levels of hypoxi. That’s less oxygen in your blood. The symptoms are similar to drunkenness, but that’s no excuse!
Pilots don’t eat the same meals. It’s one of those just-in-case things. It’s not exactly forbidden by airlines, but it is discouraged.
Flying is incredibly safe. Even though aviophobia, fear of flying is very common, the risk of dying in a commercial flight varies, but it is well over 1 in 5 million. Safe enough if you ask us.
If you’re still scared.Statistics say the back of the airplane is safer than the front. In over half of 20 crashes surveyed, passengers at the back had a better rate of survival.
A plane lands somewhere in the world every 3 seconds. In the US alone, around 87,000 planes take off every single day. Don’t believe us? Take a look at flight tracker to see what’s in the air right now.
You can’t get stuck on an airplane toilet. The 2002 news story about a woman trapped on a toilet for two hours because of the vacuum suction was announced as a myth. In reality the flush button is behind the lid, so it’s not possible to push it while you’re doing your business.
Don’t bother with tea. Sorry, but it’s impossible to make a good cup of tea on a flight. Air pressure is reduced, so water boils at 90 degrees, so it’s never quite hot enough for a proper brew.
Do you have anymore facts about flying? We’d love to hear them in the comments below.
On the back of a complete overhaul of Ryanair’s website, the low cost Arline is introducing changes to its baggage and check in policies, in a bid to attract more customers.
The no-frills airline announce on 28th November it was to allow passengers to bring a second small carry-on bag for free. It’ll also see the Ryanair boarding card fee reduced from €70/£70 to €15/£15 for customers who are already checked in online. This will presumably come into play if a customer has already printed out their check in card and mislaid it.
It’s part of CEO Micheal O’Leary’s plan for a whole series of customer service improvements across the Ryanair network. It comes in addition to a grace period of 24 hours to correct minor booking mistakes and a selection of new quieter flights, (pre 8am and post 9pm.) There’ll be no more fighting over seats either, as fully allocated booking will be introduced on 1st February.
Maybe the most important part of the changes is Ryanair hand luggage size. In addition to a single 10kg cabin bag, te introduction of a second small bag, from this Sunday (Dec 1) means there’ll be less trying to wear all your clothes at once like Joey From Friends – or these girls… However don’t think you’ll be grabbing another big case, the dimensions of the second bag must be 35cm x 20cm x 20cm.
Ryanair’s head of communications Robin Kiely said: “We are actively listening and responding to our customers so that they can continue to expect low fares and on-time flights, but can now enjoy a second small carry-on bag and reduced boarding card reissue fees for those who have checked-in online, along with easier website access, 24 hour grace periods and quiet flights, with further improvements set to be rolled out over the coming months.”
