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“Disappointing”: New inflight Qantas video slammed for “missing the mark”

A new inflight safety video from Qantas has been widely panned for being “elitist” and “sexist”, while skimming over vital safety information. The new video, which is set to replace an earlier retro video released in 2020 that marked the airline’s 100th birthday, features frequent flyers and Qantas staff delivering the pre-flight safety announcement from their favourite “magic places” around the world. The video features destinations such as Litchfield National Park near Darwin and Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, as well as international places such as Lapland in Finland and Marrakesh in Morocco. After the video was shared by the airline, members of the Flight Attendants Association of Australia were quick to express their feelings. Flight Attendants Association of Australia national secretary Teri O-Toole told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/health-safety/new-qantas-safety-video-panned-as-sexist-and-elitist/news-story/078aa2c55cf48e6551a40ad4c0c56011">news.com.au</a> the video was “disappointing” for a lot of different reasons. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2dPrw_BNqf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2dPrw_BNqf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Qantas (@qantas)</a> </div> </blockquote> “Not one Australian-based international crew member was used,” she said. “There are no cabin crew in uniform and there are no shots of the interior of an aircraft which are all important factors for non-English speaking passengers and those that need to know who is in charge.” “Not once does it say ‘follow the directions of your crew member’, which you would’ve thought would be the focus of a safety video.” She also questioned why a female pilot appeared in a swimsuit, suggesting that sort of depiction took women in the workplace took the airline “back 20 years” “I didn’t see a male pilot in a pair of budgie smugglers,” she said. She went on to describe the video as “great marketing”, but totally “misses the mark” in terms of a safety video, while also adding “elitist” to focus on frequent flyers during a cost of living crisis. Social media users were equally scathing. “I’d prefer just focus on, oh I dunno, in flight safety during the in-flight safety video?,” one wrote. “Why do we need a long video with all this added stuff?” Another described it as “slow, long, tedious and boring. I couldn't make it through the entire thing”, while a third person labelled it “absolutely awful”. Qantas chief customer officer Catriona Larritt defended the video insisting safety was the number one priority across the Qantas Group, and the in-flight video together with cabin crew, plays a key role in capturing the attention of travellers to watch and listen to the critical information. “First and foremost, the video is about familiarising our customers with safety procedures and we try to make it as engaging as possible, in particular for regular flyers who might otherwise tune out,” she said. Image credits: Qantas

Travel Trouble

“No justification for this ever”: Outrage over one husband’s selfish inflight arrangement

A couple in the United States have landed themselves at the centre of the internet’s attention after the wife made the shocking admission that her husband flies first class when they travel, leaving her behind in economy with their two children. Writing to The New York Times’ ethics column, she wanted to know if she was selfish for thinking their ‘arrangement’ was unfair, noting that while he had offered a compromise of sorts, it did “not really address or solve the problem of the inherent selfishness in his thinking.” As she explained in her message, she and her husband are avid travellers, and he “either pays for, or gets an upgrade into, the first-class cabin”. Even when they travel with their two children - who are 12 and 16 years old - he takes himself off to first class, while they remain in economy. According to her, he justifies it to himself by explaining that it’s “because of the cost”, and that their children “might feel alone” if she were to travel up front with him. “I feel that this is unfair,” she said. “ I don’t think our kids would mind if they were in economy plus and my husband and I sat together in first class. Is that unfair of me to want? “My husband has suggested travelling alone on a different flight ahead of us so that we don’t feel badly about the disparity, but this does not really address or solve the problem of the inherent selfishness in his thinking. Am I wrong?” Kwame Anthony Appiah, the ethicist who responded to her for The New York Times, was of the opinion that “a modern marriage is meant to be a pairing of equals”, with partners treating each other with respect and having equal say in the decision making process. “Your husband has another view,” he said. “He evidently thinks that because he’s the ticket-buyer in the family, his own preferences get priority.” And when the article was shared to social media, people from all over were quick to get in on the discussion, with most leaping to the defence of the wife. “I’d divorce him so fast he’d never get to fly first class again until our kids were grown and through college,” one said. “There is no justification for this ever.” “I'd be calling a divorce lawyer rather than a travel agent,” one agreed. “Wow. And you’re still married to him?! I’d recommend booking your own flights,” came a similar response. Meanwhile, another noted that she “just might be married to a narcissist.” “Oooph BIG YIKES. It’s not about the flight, I’m sure this imbalance trickles into other parts of the relationship,” someone wrote. And as another shared, “recently, my husband was offered the upgrade to first class but declined it because I couldn’t go too. We’ve been married 30 years.” Some, however, took issue with the idea of both parents lounging in first while their children were still left behind, with one noting “she wants to upgrade but still leave the kids in economy? The pair of them sound like terrible parents.” “Frankly, I’m blown away that this mother sees the disparity for herself,” another said, “but is perfectly comfortable experiencing privilege while treating her own children disparately.” Images: Getty

Travel Trouble

"Holy crap that's rude": Inflight act sparks outrage

A woman’s “selfish” act has sparked outrage online after a Reddit user shared a picture of her mid manicure on a three-hour flight. The Reddit user who posted the photo also claimed that the strong smell of nail polish remover filled the cabin and many other passengers had asked her to stop, but she refused. “The flight attendant asked her after four of us asked her to stop and she didn’t, because by the time the flight attendant got involved she was doing the top coat,” the Reddit user wrote. Initially, the Reddit user said they did “the British thing” by glaring at the back of the woman’s head and “tutting loudly” in hopes that she would put it away. But eventually the passenger had enough of the overpowering smell of acetone and asked a flight attendant to intervene. Many other travellers replied to the Reddit post condemning the woman’s actions. “My brain can’t comprehend this level of entitlement and selfishness,” wrote one user. I love doing my nails, but I would never do them in such an enclosed space where people can't escape the fumes. Holy crap that's rude,” commented another user. “I would have been SEETHING. Imagine if people near her had asthma,” wrote a third. “I detest the smell of acetone and other chemicals used for the process of finger nail decoration. Headache within seconds,” commented a fourth. “Happened on a flight I was on; a flight attendant came over and shut that down within a minute for degrading the air quality,” commented another traveller. Another user questioned whether nail polish was even allowed in cabin luggage. “How is nail polish and nail polish remover allowed on a carry on bag??? Both are highly flammable and both give off ridiculous amounts of fumes,” they commented. A few other Reddit users didn’t see a problem with it and wondered why it would bother other people. “I didn’t see the issue at first ... I think nail varnish smells lovely, I’m just now learning that most people do not share my opinion,” commented one user. “I still don’t personally see the big deal, but I’m not particularly sensitive to chemical scents,” commented another. Image: Reddit

Travel Trouble

"Fiddle is good anywhere": Impromptu inflight concert divides opinion

A debate has erupted over what’s considered appropriate when flying - but this time, it has nothing to do with reclining seats or overhead bins. On a flight from Dublin to New York’s JFK airport - a trip typically just shy of eight hours long - a live and impromptu fiddle music session has taken place, a handful of days before St Patrick’s Day. In a clip that has taken Twitter by storm, a woman can be seen - and heard - playing a lively jig on the fiddle, with accompaniment from both a man on an accordion and one with a whistle. They are surrounded by their fellow passengers, many who appear to be lined up trying to leave the plane. “Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to JFK yesterday,” Adam Singer captioned the video. “I mean, I understand it's done from a good place, but also feel like you don't play music (or much worse, sing) in an enclosed space there's no escape from.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to JFK yesterday. I mean, I understand it's done from a good place, but also feel like you don't play music (or much worse, sing) in an enclosed space there's no escape from <a href="https://t.co/UlqmHAqj03">pic.twitter.com/UlqmHAqj03</a> — Adam Singer (@AdamSinger) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSinger/status/1634930242371592192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2023</a></blockquote> While many commented to say that it had been a bit of fun, and good music no less, the original poster - and swarms of others - didn’t have the patience to humour them. “Nah, that music was totally cool. And it looks like people were deplaning. Not like it was during the flight,” reasoned one. “My nightmare,” vented another. “Not because they're bad but, as you say, there's no escape. I'm not sure what it is about musicians that make them feel like they can just crank a tune out when no-one asked.” “This would be a nightmare for me,” came another agreement that was echoed from there in at least a dozen like-minded comments. “'Fiddle is good anywhere,” someone else argued. “But it may be my roots. This kind of music makes ya happy.” “So beautiful. That's what humanity is all about if you ask me,” one commenter said. Adam, who wasn’t about to budge on his hard fiddle stance, fired back “sure, just not on a plane!” When another suggested that it sounded like a good time to them, Adam responded with a gif reading “is it though?” and left it at that. “Depends on how long it lasts and how good they are,” mused one viewer. “If they're good, they get 5-7 minutes. If they're not, 90 seconds tops.” Meanwhile, one fan of the fun wrote that “this fulfils every fantasy I have about travelling to Ireland. I love it.” “I've been on thousands of flights and never had anything this awesome happen,” said another, “obviously I've never flown Aer Lingus.” “I love traditional Irish music, but I can understand how it might bother others,” someone allowed. The one thing most of them could agree on? They’d be okay with it, as long as “there’s free Guinness flowing.” Images: Twitter

Travel Trouble

Air travel spreads infections globally, but health advice from inflight magazines can limit that

“Travel safe, travel far, travel wide, and travel often,” <a href="https://thoughtcatalog.com/matthew-kepnes/2014/01/53-travel-quotes-to-inspire-you-to-see-the-world/">says</a> <a href="https://www.nomadicmatt.com/">Nomadic Matt</a>, the American who quit his job to travel the world, write about it and coach others to do the same. But there’s a downside to all this travel, with its unprecedented volume of passengers moving from one side of the world to the other, largely by plane. There’s the risk of those passengers spreading infectious diseases and microorganisms resistant to multiple drugs (superbugs) around the world. Yet, our recently published <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893919301218">research</a> into health advice provided by inflight magazines shows plane passengers are given practically no advice on how to limit the spread of infectious diseases. Should we be worried about the part air travel plays in spreading infectious diseases? And what can we do about it? How big is the risk? Low airfares and a series of social and economic factors have made global air travel more common than ever. According to the Australian government department of infrastructure, transport, cities and regional development the <a href="https://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/ongoing/files/International_airline_activity_CY2018.pdf">number of passengers taking international scheduled flights in 2018 was 41.575 million</a>. But the International Air Transport Association projects passenger demand will <a href="https://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/Pages/2019-02-27-02.aspx">reach 8.2 billion by 2037</a>. There are many examples of infectious diseases spread via international flying. The World Health Organization documented <a href="https://www.who.int/ith/mode_of_travel/tcd_aircraft/en/">transmission of tuberculosis</a> (TB) on board commercial aircraft during long-haul flights during the 1980s. Research published in 2011 documents the <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/17/7/10-1135_article">transmission of influenza</a> on two transcontinental international flights in May 2009. More recently, the current <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-people-born-between-1966-and-1994-are-at-greater-risk-of-measles-and-what-to-do-about-it-110167">global outbreak of measles</a> in many countries, including the Philippines and the United States, gave rise to the risk of transmission during international travel. In a recent case a <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/alerts/Pages/measles-alert-january.aspx">baby</a> too young to be vaccinated who had <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/measles-alert-after-infectious-baby-flew-from-manila-went-to-central-coast-20190603-p51tzs.html">measles</a> returned from Manilla in the Philippines to Sydney, exposing travellers on that flight to infection. Then there is the risk of transmitting antimicrobial-resistant organisms that cause disease, such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-tb-and-am-i-at-risk-of-getting-it-in-australia-75290">multi-drug resistant TB</a>. Recently, patients in Victoria and New South Wales were identified as carrying the drug-resistant fungus <a href="https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/about/news-and-events/healthalerts/candida-auris-case-detected-in-victoria">Candida auris</a>, which they acquired overseas. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27890665">One study</a> estimates that over 300 million travellers visit high-risk areas, such as the western Pacific, Southeast Asia and Eastern Mediterranean, each year worldwide, and more than 20% return as new carriers of resistant organisms. These popular destinations, as well as the Middle East, have high rates of drug resistant organisms. How is this happening? Aircraft move large volumes of people around the world swiftly. But what sets them apart from buses and trains is that passengers are close together, in confined spaces, for a long time. This increases the risk of transmitting infections. Passengers interact with high-touch surfaces, such as tray tables, headsets, seats and handles. We cough, sneeze and touch multiple surfaces multiple times during a flight, with limited opportunities to clean our hands with soap and water. Many infections, such as gastroenteritis and diarrhoea, are spread and contracted by touch and contact. What can we do about it? Providing plane travellers with relevant health advice is one way to limit the spread of infectious diseases via air travel. This would include information and advice on routine hand washing with soap and water, or using alcohol-based hand rubs, and other basic measures including cough etiquette, such as coughing into your elbow and covering your nose and face. <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jtm/article/4/2/102/1847252">Researchers</a> have looked at the role commercial websites and travel agencies might play in providing that advice. And since the 1990s, airline magazines have been <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jtm/article/4/2/102/1847252">highlighted</a> as an underused source of traveller health advice. More than 20 years on, we discovered little has changed. In our recent study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893919301218">Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease</a>, we looked at the content of inflight magazines from 103 airlines issued during January 2019. Of the 47 available online, only a quarter (11) included an official section on passengers’ general health and well-being, of which only two contained information related to infection control and the preventing infectious diseases. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284424/original/file-20190717-173366-w48bmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284424/original/file-20190717-173366-w48bmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284424/original/file-20190717-173366-w48bmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284424/original/file-20190717-173366-w48bmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284424/original/file-20190717-173366-w48bmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284424/original/file-20190717-173366-w48bmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284424/original/file-20190717-173366-w48bmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284424/original/file-20190717-173366-w48bmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>Inflight magazines have a potential audience of billions. So why not include advice on hand hygiene and coughing etiquette? <a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/1424594042?src=vUDfEziJwFDV7GZr5OYMRA-1-2&studio=1&size=medium_jpg">from www.shutterstock.com</a></figcaption></figure> The first magazine, from a UAE-based airline, had an official section on passenger health and well-being that included very limited relevant content. It advised passengers “with blood diseases or ear, nose and sinus infections should seek medical advice before flying”. There was no further explanation or information, nor were there any strategies to prevent these or other infections. The second magazine, from a USA-based airline, contained general travel health advice, but none specifically about infectious diseases. However there was a full-page, colour advertisement next to the health section. This contained images of many disease causing microorganisms on passengers’ tray tables and advocated the use of a disinfectant wipe for hands and other inflight surfaces. The slogan “because germs are frequent fliers” was displayed across the tray table. This was accompanied by information about the use and effectiveness of disinfectant wipes for hand hygiene and disinfecting surfaces during air travel, public transport use, and in hotels and restaurants. Inflight magazines are valuable assets for airlines and are the source of considerable advertising revenue. They are read by potentially billions of passengers every year. The results of this study show that they are a greatly underused source of information about infection control and measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Airlines should also provide health advice to passengers in other media, in particular video screens, about infection prevention and basic control measures such as hand hygiene, cough etiquette and personal hygiene. Such advice should be provided before, during and after the flight. It could also include destination-related advice for particularly risky travel routes and destinations. More information for passengers Airlines providing health advice to passengers is just one way to limit the spread of infectious diseases and antimicrobial-resistant organisms around the world via air travel. This would need to sit alongside other measures, such as <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/travel-industry-information-center">information and guidelines</a> provided to those who travel via the sea. The simple, low-cost measures highlighted in our research could go a long way to help passengers stay healthy and avoid illness from infectious diseases. At the same time, these measures could reduce the impact of outbreaks of infectious diseases for airlines and society as a whole.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120283/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Writen by Ramon Zenel Shaban and Cristina Sotomayor-Castillo. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/air-travel-spreads-infections-globally-but-health-advice-from-inflight-magazines-can-limit-that-120283" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Getty Images

International Travel

“Worst food ever”: Man slams inflight sandwich with sky-high price

A man who paid for a sandwich on a plane has called out the airline for the “worst food ever”. Alex was on an easyJet flight from Paris to London Gatwick when he ordered the $9.80 Roasted Vegetable and Hummus Baguette for his trip. The image on the flight’s menu showed a delicious looking seeded baguette, filled with dozens of pieces of zucchini and red capsicums on a thick layer of hummus. He was however shocked when the stewardess served him the sandwich which had only a handful of vegetables in the middle of the bread. Alex shared a video of the sandwich with the caption: “Is this the worst airline food and advertising you’ve ever seen? I then sent the sandwich back, and got me a new one. Is this any better? “A crew member then told me, ‘You know, the food and the picture are not the same. We were given three minutes to eat before landing, and never got our water.” A spokesperson for the airline said they were aware of the footage and were investigating the incident. “We’re aware of this footage and will be looking into this with our in-flight retail supplier as it appears that the item served falls short of the high standards we expect from our in-flight food and drink range for our customers,” they said. “We will be in touch with the customer to apologise for their experience and provide a gesture of goodwill.”

Travel Trouble

"Would this piss you off?" Gross inflight conduct captured

A plane passenger has sparked outrage online after a photo surfaced of her draping her long hair over the back of the plane seat and into a fellow traveller's face. The picture was shared to Twitter, and shows the woman's long hair draped down over the other passenger's tray table. Twitter user Anthony shared the image, asking his followers "Would this piss you off?" The post has racked up thousands of likes and comments, with social media users all chiming in to decide how they would deal with the entitled traveller. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Would this piss you off? <a href="https://t.co/79Xlz0stcK">pic.twitter.com/79Xlz0stcK</a> — Anthony 🇺🇸🇮🇹 (@Antman0528) <a href="https://twitter.com/Antman0528/status/1450846505896714241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2021</a></blockquote> One critic even came up with a way to get their own back on the passenger, saying, “I would quietly lower the tray, let her hair fall in and then close it up again." “It would piss me off and I’d tell her to keep it in her seat. If she gets pissy, offer to cut it.” Another offered a revenge strategy, saying "I'd start braiding that s***". Another critic added, “I totally agree with you, absolutely unnecessary and kind of gross for that matter, how would she like it if the person behind her sneezed into her hair instead of their tissue. That might teach her!” This is not the first instance of long-haired travellers making the journey difficult for others. In November last year, a TikTok video went viral of a plane passenger obscuring the person behind's TV screen with her long hair. In an act of revenge, the irritated passenger put chewing gum, a lollipop and coffee into her now-tangled locks. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845057/plane-hair-hero.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/089ea2af0f40439494d147f20620684f" /> Image credits: TikTok / Twitter

Travel Trouble

Unbelievable: Man's messy response to in-flight meal

Clearly not happy with the inflight meal he'd been served, this "entitled" passenger provoked widespread disbelief as to how he dealt with it. While most of us can’t even think of when we’ll be able to take a plane trip next, a man has behaved so badly on a plane trip there are calls on social media for him to be banned from flying. The man had just been served his inflight meal and he wasn’t happy with it so he dumped most of the food, the tray, utensils and rubbish in the aisle. A <a rel="noopener" href="mailto:https://www.reddit.com/" target="_blank">Reddit</a> user was sitting right behind the messy man on the flight so they took photos of the mess and then posted them on the social media site under the heading: “Man dumps his food into the aisle after he ate what he wants.” <img style="width: 24px; height: 24px;" src="/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/620bbca921de44c1b2610625d1b077fe" /><img style="width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843060/plane-passenger-rubbish-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/620bbca921de44c1b2610625d1b077fe" /> Many readers were appalled by the man’s actions, with one saying it would have been a hazard if there’s been an emergency. “That’s literally an emergency hazard!” they wrote. “As someone who flies a lot, this makes me feel so angry. How can he be so entitled!?” Others thought he should be banned from flying, with one posting: “That should be an automatic add to the no-fly list.” Another added: “Unbelievable. That’s when you tap him on the shoulder and say, ‘Sir, I believe you dropped something’, or go with the nose-rub method.” In another post, the writer described the man as “trashy” and thought he must be a “nightmare” to deal with daily. They wrote: “Let’s forget for one moment how trashy this piece of s*** is and focus on his personality. Imagine working with him, imagine being the wife, imagine being a neighbour, or anybody who has to deal with him on a daily basis. What a f***ing nightmare of a f***ing attitude.” Image: Reddit

Travel Trouble

Woman’s bizarre inflight behaviour caught on camera

There’s something about being 36,000 feet in the air that makes people do strange things. First, there was the woman who decided to <a href="/travel/international/2018/01/woman-performs-yoga-routine-in-the-middle-of-packed-flight/" target="_blank">perform a yoga routine</a> in the middle of a packed flight. Then, there was the selfish man who <a href="/entertainment/technology/2017/11/internet-shames-plane-passengers-shocking-behaviour/" target="_blank">dumped all his rubbish</a> in the aisle next to him. Just yesterday, <a href="/travel/international/2018/02/bizarre-incident-forced-plane-to-make-emergency-landing/" target="_blank">we reported</a> on an Amsterdam-bound flight that was forced to make an emergency landing due to a flatulent passenger. But this one might just take the cake. A passenger onboard a Ural Airlines flight from Antalya in Turkey to Moscow in Russia filmed the bizarre moment a woman decided to literally air her dirty laundry using the air vent above her. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xBhL8fc451U" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> According to the woman’s fellow passengers, she didn’t seem remotely embarrassed, despite spending at least 20 minutes drying her undies. “Everybody was looking with interest and confusion, but everybody remained silent,” the person who captured the strange behaviour told Russian media. “Maybe the take-off was extreme,” one social media user joked. However, some jumped to the woman’s defence, suggesting the underwear may have belonged to her child. “Those [undies] aren’t an adult’s,” one person commented. “Looks like they belong to a kid.” But regardless of who they belonged to, most agreed that a plane isn’t the best place to air out dirty laundry. Tell us in the comments below, what’s the strangest thing you’ve seen someone do on a plane?

Travel Trouble

Unsettled child’s eight-hour inflight tantrum filmed by passenger

A passenger on a flight from Germany to New York has shared shocking footage of a toddler’s tantrum, which lasted the entirety of the eight-hour flight. Shane Townley, an artist from New York City, recorded the footage as the toddler climbed over seats and screamed at the top of his voice before the flight had taken off. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hv1aczlrMsk" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> The boy’s mother is not identified in the footage, but is heard asking the flight attending to, “Get the WiFi going so we can get the iPad going”. The footage cuts to different sections of the flight, where the nightmare child is running around the plane and doing what he wants as the hours drag by. Townley uploaded the footage to YouTube, writing, “Watch as this kid runs and screams throughout the entire flight while the mother does little to nothing to stop him. “3 years old on a 8 hour flight from Germany to Newark NJ. He never quits!” In a <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/" target="_blank">later interview with Daily Mail</a>, Townley explained he did not contact the airline, “but I’m certain someone did as the entire plane was affected the whole time.” Understandably, the video has attracted lots of commons online. “If this started before the plane took off, the plane should have taxied back to the terminal and kicked the kid and his parents off. This kind of behaviour is just unacceptable,” one wrote. “Call an exorcist,” another added. What are your thoughts? Do you think the mother did everything she could? Or is it just one of those things that’s going to happen when you’re travelling with toddlers?

Travel Tips

This is the most disgusting inflight meal ever

Travel blogger Ben Schlappig has shared a photo of a dish he was served on a flight from Los Angeles to New York City that might be the most disgusting inflight meal ever. Schlappig, who was flying business class with American Airlines, reportedly ordered a lobster roll as his meal on the cross-country flight and received this instead: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> American's "Lobster Roll" -- The Worst Airline Meal Ever? - <a href="https://t.co/Oy0cD4Hvbd">https://t.co/Oy0cD4Hvbd</a> <a href="https://t.co/HRCBLoNteZ">pic.twitter.com/HRCBLoNteZ</a> — Ben Schlappig (@OneMileataTime) <a href="https://twitter.com/OneMileataTime/status/895603838950014976">August 10, 2017</a></blockquote> Schlappig posted a photo of the abomination he had been served, saying it, “might just be the worst meal I’ve ever been offered in a premium cabin”. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> An Update On My American Airlines Lobster Roll - <a href="https://t.co/VM8EB8tqJS">https://t.co/VM8EB8tqJS</a> <a href="https://t.co/C0yQZJaZIc">pic.twitter.com/C0yQZJaZIc</a> — Ben Schlappig (@OneMileataTime) <a href="https://twitter.com/OneMileataTime/status/896001976088920065">August 11, 2017</a></blockquote> In case you’re wondering, this is what a lobster roll is supposed to look like: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> I need this lobster roll in my life right now <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lobsterroll?src=hash">#lobsterroll</a> <a href="https://t.co/CyAd5RNsS4">pic.twitter.com/CyAd5RNsS4</a> — feedthepudge (@feedthepudge) <a href="https://twitter.com/feedthepudge/status/894238159663267840">August 6, 2017</a></blockquote> Schlappig probably wishes he asked for a bag of peanuts instead! What’s the worst inflight meal you’ve ever been served?

International Travel

Should you be recording inflight altercations?

Chicago aviation police drag a bloodied man down the aisle of a United plane. A mother clutching her baby weeps after a scuffle with an American Airlines flight attendant. A Transportation Safety Administration officer prods a teenage boy during a security patdown in Texas. Fists fly at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood after Spirit cancels dozens of flights. Since the start of the year, the collection of videos documenting altercations between airline personnel and customers has surpassed the number of movies in the Rocky franchise. The most recent addition: Navang Oza's 13-minute reel of his spat with a United ticketing agent in New Orleans. "We're in the midst of a social revolution driven by the fact that everyone has a camera phone in their pocket," said Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union. "People are challenging authority in new ways." Not so long ago, only immediate bystanders would have witnessed these alarming events. Today, millions of eyes are watching the incidents up close and on repeat. The critical question: Should you press the record button or duck behind the in-flight magazine? Many experts say "press." Amitai Etzioni, a sociology professor at George Washington University, says the public has a moral obligation to document injustices. "You cannot look away or ignore," he said. "At least record it and share it." Several recent passenger videos have spurred change. After the bumping incident, United and other carriers added consumer-friendly provisions to their overbooking policies. American suspended its belligerent crew member. The TSA worked with the mother of the teenager to update its online materials on travelling with children. "Technology is the new checks and balances against authority," Stanley said. "It can improve the situation." If you are worried about breaking the law by filming without permission, don't worry: If you are on public property. On its website, the ACLU explains the right to record: "Taking photographs and video of things that are plainly visible in public spaces is a constitutional right - and that includes transportation facilities." Publicly owned airports fall under this purview, though Stanley added that the courts have not fully tested the constitutionality of this rule, especially in relation to airports operated by public-private partnerships. On private property, the proprietor can prohibit photography and ask you to leave. The owner can also call the cops to escort you, the trespasser, off the premises. Planes are trickier beasts. The airlines own the aircraft, but Stanley explains that planes are "common carrier conveyances and otherwise highly regulated spaces." He said that he can't imagine the airlines prohibiting passengers from using their cellphones; administering such a ban, he said, would be a fruitless exercise. The carriers publish their guidelines on personal electronics in their in-flight magazines or on their websites. Since the recent spate of high-profile videos, the airlines have started to reexamine their guidelines. An American spokesman, for instance, said that the airline could loosen its stance on video. In addition, he said that the carrier expects passengers will share their experiences on social media, even ones that may ding the company's armor. "The rules are being reviewed in light of the fact that everyone has a camera," he said, "and they really can't be enforced." Stanley reminds would-be documentarians that neither an employee nor a law-enforcement officer can confiscate your device. An officer can only take your gadget with a warrant. And no one for any reason can delete your images. To safeguard your material, the ACLU created the free Mobile Justice app, which streams the footage from your phone to the nonprofit organisation's servers. If you happen to find yourself in the vicinity of a troubling situation, proceed with caution, experts advise: You do not want to escalate the situation or jeopardise your safety or the well-being of others. "Use the tool after careful consideration of the circumstances," said Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. "You could become a target of the violence." Witness.org, which trains citizens to use video to ignite change, offers an array of pointers and downloadable guides on its website, such as a blog post about obscuring identifiable features and the tip sheet, "Using Video for Human Rights Documentation." "Filming an incident of violence can put both the victim and the filmer at risk by exposing their location, identities and sensitive personal information," said Jackie Zammuto, US program manager at the site. "Put yourself in their shoes and think about what it might feel like to have this incident witnessed not only by people on the plane but by millions more online." In short, think before you share. "We're all publishers now and we have ethical responsibilities," Jaffer said, "even on social media." What’s your view? Written by Andrea Sachs. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Travel Tips

The secret trick that makes inflight wifi work

Traditionally, airplanes have been among the few places you can get away with avoiding your emails. But as in-flight wi-fi becomes more and more common, on flagship and budget airlines alike, planes are not the digitally challenged bubbles they once were. There's less, if no, excuse not to keep on top of the barrage of messages most of us receive on a daily basis. Of course, that means you get to use the internet for the fun stuff too. Air New Zealand plans to start rolling out wi-fi on its international jet services in the second half of the year and expects to do the same with domestic flights in 2018. Essentially, there are two ways for your device to pick up a wi-fi signal when you're cruising at 35,000 feet, <a href="http://www.traveller.com.au/how-wifi-works-on-a-plane-and-why-only-some-airlines-have-it-gu2d7o" target="_blank">The Telegraph reports</a>. The first is via mobile broadband towers which send signals up to an aircraft's antennas, which are usually on the base of the fuselage. As it travels, the plane automatically connects to signals from the nearest tower which, in theory, means there shouldn't be connectivity issues. If you're passing over a particularly remote area or large body of water, though, you could run into problems. The second method, which Air NZ intends to use, is satellite technology. Planes connect to satellites in orbit some 35,786 kilometres above earth - the same ones used for television signals, weather forecasts and secret military operations. Your device connects to an antenna on top of the aircraft which, in turn, connects to the closest satellite signal. Information is passed between the plane and the ground via the satellite and the wi-fi signal is distributed to passengers via an onboard router. The US has the most developed infrastructure for both mobile and satellite in-flight wi-fi connections, making it both faster and cheaper. Why is in-flight wi-fi so slow? Wi-fi technology is evolving quickly, but is struggling to keep up with the number and growing sophistication of mobile devices, the report states. When in-flight broadband company Gogo (then known as Aircell) launched its first on-board wi-fi service on a Virgin America plane in 2008, the three megabit a second connection speed was sufficient for a few laptops (streaming video was banned at the time). But these days, when most passengers carry at least one device to connect to numerous services, websites and apps, much higher speeds are needed. Satellite connections now offer speeds of about 12 Mbps but the technology is expensive to maintain and upgrade, which hampers development. The average UK household internet speed reached 28.9 Mbps in 2016, so in-flight wi-fi still lags a long way behind. Why is in-flight wi-fi so expensive? The technology used isn't cheap, and neither are the in-aircraft systems. Aircraft antennas also increase drag, pushing up the fuel bill. These and engineering and maintenance costs are typically passed on to passengers. The cost of connecting to wi-fi varies from airline to airline, but some, such as Emirates, offer free trials. Will it get better? In a word: yes. Although in this part of the world we may need to wait longer. In Europe, communications firm Immarsat is working with German telco Deutsche Telekom to develop a high-capacity satellite wi-fi network backed up by ground towers. The European Aviation Network (EAN), as it will be known, promises a "a reliable high bandwidth broadband service in the air" throughout Europe. The EAN is set to launch commercially in 2017. Immarsat has said over half the world's aircraft will be equipped for in-flight wi-fi within the next six years and that the sector will become a billion-dollar revenue earner by 2020. Gogo, which has a monopoly on in-flight wi-fi in the US, has come under flak for its slow upload and download speeds but its new 2Ku service promises speeds of up to 70 Mbps thanks to upgraded antennas and satellite services. Air NZ's wi-fi connection will be supplied by Immarsat's new global GX satellite constellation and integrated with in-cabin Panasonic Avionics technology. "Given Air NZ operates some of the longest flights in the world, and in oceanic areas where there has historically been poor quality satellite service, we have patiently worked with partners until comfortable that a service which meets the high expectations of our customers is available," Air NZ chief executive Christopher Luxon said last October. "Proving flights on a partner company test aircraft have now given us the confidence to introduce what we believe will be the world's most reliable inflight connectivity. Customers will be able to use their social media channels, stay on top of emails and browse the internet." Do you think inflight wifi is it a good thing? Or is it unnecessary? Let us know what you think!

Travel Tips

Most-shocking inflight meals

Unless you’re hobnobbing up in first class, fine dining probably isn’t the first word that comes to mind when you think of air travel. That being said, these days most carriers are able to provide meals that are at the very least “digestible”. And then there’s everyone else. <a href="http://www.airlinemeals.net/" target="_blank">Airlinemeals</a> is a website that’s been designed to showcase the sometimes-grim state of mile-high dining, featuring a plethora of dishes that would’ve destroyed the appetite of even the hungriest flyer. To see 10 of the worst examples, scroll through the gallery above. What’s the worst inflight meal you’ve ever had? Image credit: <a href="http://www.airlinemeals.net/" target="_blank">Airlinemeals.net</a>

Travel Tips

10 inflight meals that taste rather yummy

As you can probably imagine, serving food at 40,000 feet isn’t exactly a piece of cake, but airlines have worked hard to lift their culinary game considerably in recent years. We’ve put together a gallery containing 10 of the most-delicious inflight meals you can enjoy when you’re travelling. Featured in the gallery are meals from carriers like United Airlines, Air France, Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines that actually look pretty decent. To see the meals, scroll through the gallery above. 1. Malaysia Airlines 2. Thai Airways 3. Air France 4. Iberia Airlines 5. Japan Airlines 6. Singapore Airlines 7. CityJet 8. United Airlines 9. American Airlines 10. Garuda Indonesia What’s the best/worst inflight meal you’ve ever had? Let us know in the comments below. Image credit: Instagram / Inflight Meals Related links: <a href="/travel/travel-tips/2016/07/the-real-reason-your-luggage-is-lost-in-transit/">The real reason your luggage is lost in transit</a> <a href="/travel/travel-insurance/2016/06/5-tips-to-get-through-airport-security-quickly/">5 tips to get through airport security quickly</a> <a href="/travel/travel-tips/2016/06/10-tips-to-save-your-holiday-from-jet-lag/">10 tips to save your holiday from jet lag</a>

International Travel

Qantas to launch free high-speed inflight Wi-Fi

The days of being unable to stream cat videos on long haul flights across Australia seem to be coming to an end, with Qantas announcing a free inflight wifi service with speeds comparable to broadband connections. Delivered under a partnership with US internet provider ViaSat, the deal will see Qantas introduce the service on a trial basis on a Boeing 737 this year, before rolling it out to the rest of the Flying Kangaroo’s domestic fleet of A330s and B737s from early 2017. "The sheer size of the Australian landmass creates some significant challenges for inflight connectivity but the recent launch of [the National Broadband Network's] satellite has opened up new opportunities that we plan to take advantage of with ViaSat's help," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said in the statement. "You won't be limited to checking your email or Facebook — it's going to be about watching the football live, streaming your favourite TV show or movie, catching up on the latest YouTube videos, or shopping online." Qantas is reportedly exploring wifi options for its international and regional fleet and have flagged plans to roll out a similar service on the Jetstar aircraft. Image credit: Shutterstock / TK Kurikawa Related links: <a href="/news/news/2016/02/adorable-joey-is-desperate-for-food/">This adorable joey is desperate for food</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/02/baby-monkey-casual-bath-sink/">Baby monkey has casual bath in sink</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/02/squirrel-family-cat-wrestle-roof/">Sassy squirrel and family cat wrestle on roof</a>

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