Tag: airlines

Categories
Travel

Lufthansa vs Ryanair

Chocolate Snack

The difference is REAL! Lufthansa and Ryanair are completely different flying experiences. You pay a low fare to get to a destination. One is basically a cattle wagon while the other has a customer service dimension.

Don’t complain, sit back and tolerate what paying pennies can buy. I took a flight to Milan on Ryanair. High blood pressure angsts from the start. Yes, the airline is reliable to a point. A bearable bus with wings carrying passengers from point A to point B, no more, no less.

Boarding is always an adventure. I paid for speedy boarding, but in the chaos of the new Berlin airport (upcoming story) this did not make a difference. The mass chaos of trying to figure out a sibilance of an organized line got lost after the overwhelmed gate attendant turned his head away in fear. Getting on airlines stripped down standard Boeing 737 was all that matter. Boarding a train in Delhi left me with less trauma. The positive, Ryanair states on ticket: front or rear boarding. 

Ryanair

While on board a Ryanair flight passengers are bombarded with announcements of one for or another to buy something. Relaxation is not an option built in this low coast flying model. Can anyone explain Ryanair’s Scratch Card lottery?

Lufthansa

Contrast this with mega carrier Lufthansa. I took the German airline five days later from Milan. I paid more for the return ticket. What a difference a few euros make. The boarding experience is saner, not a mad dash. In Covid Times airlines boardings are made by sections. The regional Bombardier jet took me to Frankfurt for a transit to Berlin. The crew handed out water and small chocolates.

Lufthansa

The second leg of my journey, off to Berlin on an Airbus 320 for a 55 minute flight. A bit of chaos getting onboard this time from the rear and back at the same time. The plane was parked on the tarmac.

On the tarmac
On the tarmac.

Once again, water and chocolate handed out to passengers. The captain made two announcements before landing. I managed to grab a quick nap. I was even more amazed the airline used an air bridge to the terminal.

Will I take Ryanair over Lufthansa in the future? Ryanair’s advantage is point to point flights and price. How do you complain about a 19.99 euro ticket to Italy?

Lufthansa’s hub and spoke system carries a risk of getting stuck in a location.

Categories
Travel

Not So Outrageous Now,,

I received a press release of the product ViraShield by tech start up Pictar. If I had gotten this mail 18 months ago I would have laughed. Or thought to myself, “an EasyJet Safety Bag”. For those moments during budget traveling when you need to have a tight happy zone. Outrageous!

2020 has made me rethink about life, especially travel. Sooner or later I have to get on a train or plane again. My worry is real. Newspaper stories about travellers infected during travel then isolated on arrival became common.

At $89.00 the ViraShield could be money well spent. A way to prevent an expensive unintended 10 to 14 day quarantine.

It’s light, reusable and adjustable. Producers claim it is resistant to droplets. Because of the 360° design, the users body is protected at all times.

Is this future of travel? Would I travel with the ViraShield? This year proved not ruling out anything.

  • Covered on an airplane
  • Portable for easy travel

The writer has not taken a train, bus or plane in months.

Categories
Fashion

Travel Longing,,,

I was looking over vintage airline posters longing. Back in the old days traveling was alluring, fun, easy, a bit of glam. 

.  As vacation season starts in the New Normal, the surreal sensation stays with me. I have been planning on another staycation.  The thought of getting on a plane in the near future makes me a bit nervous. The same felling as going to a dentist appointment.   Back in the say heading to the airport meant embarking  a new exciting adventure. Even before 2020, the travel experience got stressful. Now, more time for checking in and screenings, face masks.  How do you social distance in a terminal? Boarding an airplane? Taking an overcrowded train to the city centre? Travelling has become, if you can believe it, more complicated.  My holiday involves a car drive within a few hours of where I live. 

Stay safe wherever you go this summer.  

Categories
Feature Travel

Moth Balled, Nowhere to Go

Black and Paper covers travel features. We were saddened by the cancellation the ITB a few weeks ago.  The tourism industry affected by the Coronavirus outbreak.The impact lasting for many seasons to come.  

The airline industry will not be the same.   Today IATA announced airlines will lose a combined $252 billion this year, revised from an earlier estimate of $115 billion.  As carriers ground fleets indefinitely,  many will go bankrupt.  

  • Parked
  • Berlin’s BER
  • Moth Balled 

I wanted to see the damage for myself.  Travelling to the BER Airport I photographed Moth Balled planes on the tarmac from EasyJet, Ryanair, and Lufthansa.   The jobs lost, an industry crashing to the ground. I felt despair.  

Grounded 

However,  I think this should be a time of reflection for airlines.  Many treat customers as a necessary inconvenience.   Customer service and the travel experience have the feel of a cattle drive.  Round Them Up!  Let’s have optimism out of this crisis some positive changes occur in the future. 

Categories
Travel

Inspired Travel

Clipper Inspired is a media project covering travel. I was inspired by two things: vintage travel posters to locations such as: Rio, Hong Kong, and Paris. Clippers were Pan Am flights to different destinations around the world, a feeling of adventure combined with the experience of getting there. The second inspiration came in the form an Aunt who packed up to travel to Africa in  the 1970’s. One day she announced, “I  am packing my bags, flying to the Ivory Coast to explore Western Africa.  See you in a year.”  Off she went, alone, traveled on Pan Am. 

The questions covered: Where to eat? Where to go? Where to shop? What to do? How to go? When to go? 

Clipper Inspired 

An original podcast and webcast featuring travel locations of all sizes. Stay Tuned.