Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for February 2024.

The Children’s Toy That Was Banned From Planes By The FAA

Feb 11 2024

1999’s big toy innovation was Furby, a robot toy that was kind of like a furry, colorful owl. 14 million were sold that one year alone. As long as it had batteries, Furby was on and talking. It began by speaking its own Furbish language, but as it listened to its owner it would learn English. Tickle the Furby and it might kiss you. If you rewarded that behavior with pets, the frequency of kisses would increase. If you had two Furby (Furbies?) they would talk to each other.

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Gratuities Gone Wild: You’re Now Expected To Tip When An Agent Rebooks Your Flight

Feb 10 2024

Tipping is out of control. We now get presented with an option to tip even at self-checkout. At the Austin airport I was asked to tip when buying a water from a machine that was programmed not to accept $0 as an input.

The U.S. tipping culture always seemed strange, with customers supplementing worker wages, but this used to be limited to personal services provided by low wage workers. Now it’s everywhere.

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Taylor Swift’s Race Against Time: The Two Unique Strategies That Made Her Tokyo-To-Super Bowl Flight Possible

Feb 10 2024

VistaJet’s flight VJT993, a Bombardier Global Express,, is operating as “The Football Era.” It is currently estimated in over an hour early, at 3:07 p.m. Pacific time.

Reportedly charter provider VistaJet made two unique preparations, besides having the plane ready for Ms. Swift’s swift departure following her Tokyo show.

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Skeptic Turned Believer? Unpacking Beond’s Luxury Airline Ambitions

Feb 10 2024

I love premium products, and innovative ideas. So I’m rooting for Beond to succeed. But I’ve been skeptical of filling an all business class plane (most airlines go with a mix of products for a reason), based in a highly seasonal destination, operating only a few flights a week to each destination.

Fortunately on Thursday I had the opportunity to speak with the airline’s Chairman and CEO, Tero Taskila, to see whether he could turn around my skepticism.

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No Lights, No Food, No Recline: The 5 Hour American Airlines Flight Where Even The Toilets Were Shut Off

american plane
Feb 10 2024

American Airlines sent a redeye flight from Los Angeles to New York on February 2 without working electrical systems. There was only emergency lighting in the cabin. Flight attendants couldn’t prepare food in the galley of the cross country flight, and business and first class seats didn’t have power so could not recline. Toilets did not flush.

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