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Tagged With "Bar Flying U Ranch"

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Re: New airport scanners may end all that unpacking

DrFumblefinger ·
This would be very welcome news for travelers, especially those who don't fly very often.
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Re: Casa Bacardi Rum Plant, San Juan, Puerto Rico

DrFumblefinger ·
I've visited the Bacardi plant too, and remember being quite impressed by it. As I recall, the original was in Cuba and the family moved to P.R. to escape Castro. And I'm proud to see you standing after those free samples! Thanks for the post.
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Re: Crowded Sky: Boeing finds more room overhead

DrFumblefinger ·
I was aware that Boeing was working on this idea and it sounds like a real winner. A carry-on bag is almost a necessity for people who fly. Boeing deserves full credit and thanks from consumers for this innovation.
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Re: London's Fabled Soho...with Food

GarryRF ·
Very interesting blog Paul. Well presented and colourful.
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Re: A visit to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

Hank ·
I visited Monticello as a kid and enjoyed the views. I need to go back now and look at the architecture here and especially at the U of V in more detail. My favorite John Kennedy quote (to his staff at a dinner in the White HOuse) I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House - with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone. Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quo...#G4wQ5S4SazWSs0dq.99
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Re: Whom did you say was flying this plane?

DrFumblefinger ·
I don't mind autopilot and I don't mind a second opinion from a computer, but I don't like the computer deciding when to "fly" and override the humans, unless with very clear program instructions (eg. If plane is clearly out of control. JFK Jr could have used such a system to prevent his plane crash because he was completely disoriented when he crashed his private plane)
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? 21.0

DrFumblefinger ·
Here's tonight's clues: 1) Gumbo is not in Hawaii 2) Gumbo did not fly the polar route to get to this destination.
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Re: Delta Hangs Up on Inflight Calling

PortMoresby ·
Times change and along the way, behavior once deemed unacceptable, often becomes the norm. I've noticed this principle at work especially where phones are concerned. I'm so pleased to see a CEO take a stand for simple courtesy, even when it seems to fly in the face of popular notions of what's acceptable. I hope now other airlines' managements have the gumption to follow Delta's lead.
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

GarryRF ·
Starting to get things planned now Hank ! You have the choice of flying into Edinburgh in Scotland. Manchester in the North of England. Or Gatwick / Heathrow which both serve the London area in the South of England. You can get a Train to Paris to end your tour with a few days of Culture in a foreign language ! Fly back to the US from Paris will save you hundreds of Dollars because you wont pay the UK "Departure Tax" but not vital ! Liverpool is less than an hour on the Train from...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

GarryRF ·
I frequently fly from NY JFK to Manchester UK. With Delta ! I know you are in Chicago but will Delta do you a thru Ticket ? We'll sort your Visit to Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields and The Cavern Club nearer the time!
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

Hank ·
Wow, this is turning into a real education!! I checked with my uncle and yes, I can fly Chicago to Manchester and return from either London or Paris to Chicago. The ticket is free to him and he said he would cover any fees as a "graduation gift to me" (he's a pretty cool dude!), but I don't want to burden him with a heavy departure fee, so maybe Paris would be the way to go. I'd like to leave about Friday, May 9th and return 4 weeks later, June 6th. A few days later and returning a few days...
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Re: Spring Honeymoon Help

DrFumblefinger ·
Congratulations SueZee! We're delighted in your marriage, and you've picked a great country in which to honeymoon. May is not too early to go to Italy, although pack a light jacket just in case. The crowds won't be there yet and you'll save some money when compared to the peak summer season. Where to go is very much a matter of taste. Most definitely you need to go to Venice and I'd say spend at least 5 days here, maybe with a day trip or two (such as to the glass making island of Murano or...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

Hank ·
That's helpful too, Rob. So with your guys advice, I'm thinking of the following plan, which still has holes I need to fill. I actually like the idea of Paris more than Scotland for this trip, plus I worry about the cost of travel to Scotland back so unless I can get a really cheap plane ticket or train ticket to Edinburgh, I think I'll drop that and focus on eastern UK and then on to Paris. So this is where I'm at now: 1) Arrive in Manchester. Maybe ??2 days 2) Travel Liverpool. 3 days 3)...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

Hank ·
Everyone's been very helpful! I can't tell you what a great welcoming and helpful group of people you are. My uncle is an employee of Delta, so he has some kind of free ticket that requires me to fly on Delta only (no partners). I will have him check into the dates. I like the idea of flying up to Manchester, slowly working my way to London then returning from Paris. I think going to Amsterdam is more than I can bite off now, plus I want to spend the time seeing stuff, not traveling all the...
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other. (Part 5) The Elephants of Pinnawala

DrFumblefinger ·
Thanks, PortMoresby! And we've not even been to the sacred tooth relic in Kandy, the medieval ruins of Polonnaruwa, the beautiful hill country filled with tea plantations and "The World's End", a wildlife safari at Yala National Park, nor any of the nice beaches (but keep reading -- reports on these are coming). Sri Lanka is a great destination, especially now that the civil war is over. I was doubly lucky to not only be able to visit a dear friend there but to have time to leisurely explore...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

GarryRF ·
England is only as big as Florida ! I haven't seen a Guide book that sub-divides us! Wales is full of Castles, Mountains and Lakes. Tourists often divide England between the North and South. The North is often cooler and wetter than further South. But your Dollar will go twice as far up here in the North! And we're much friendlier. Have a look at places you'd like to visit. York (the old one) will keep you busy for 2 days. Train or Bus from Liverpool. Or a day or two in Europe from Liverpool...
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,

Hank ·
Hi guys, hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It was good to be with my family again. Visiting and catching up with everyone took longer than I'd thought, but did do a little research into the trip and came out with this plan. Basically, with GarryRF's advice, I think I'll focus my time in the north to save money cause my budget is limited. After that I'll finish my vacation in London and Paris. I need to find places to stay but more important now just to frame the trip. The details I...
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Re: Share Your Budget Tablet and Laptop Picks

Hank ·
I have a high power PC for my hardcore work, but for getting around I like the Google Nexus 7. Nice tablet, slick, fast, less than $200 bucks. Great for using when you fly.
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? #36

DrFumblefinger ·
Time for a little more information. 1) GarryRF, it is not a theme park in the sense of Disneyland or SeaWorld. But it is part of a park that covers over 1000 acres 2) I was teasing about the flag. It is a Canadian flag, and it is flying in Canada (although I've seem them fly in embassies and theme parks (Epcot for example) in other countries. Does this help us figure out where Gumbo is?
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Re: Whom did you say was flying this plane?

FlashFlyer ·
Anyone remember the movie Westworld? Where nothing can go wrong...go wrong....go wrong... I'm okay with the pilot using automation, but the idea of automation REPLACING the pilot....nah... I want someone who can grab the controls and fly by the seat of his or her pants, not have the plane crash because some tiny part shorted out. Same goes for robot cars on the highway. I don't wanna get killed head-on by a car reacting to a sunspot in GPS. OTOH if you could get government on autopilot...oh,...
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Re: Whom did you say was flying this plane?

Former Member ·
Wouldn't the self fly plane sense the heat or something from the nasty intruder aircraft long before that near collision ? In that case, the self fly plane would take evasive maneuvers. Then again, if it were also a self fly plane on the runway, it would "know better" than to be there in the first place, yes ?
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 4, 2013: Patterns from the Air

Former Member ·
These photographs are just phenomenal. Thank you for sharing these. The how to link is very helpful. I always try to take pictures when I fly. A few times, when I have had my camera out mid-flight, flight attendants have asked me to put it away. When I have questioned this, they have insisted that this is covered in their training. I do not remember clearly, but I think that this has happened on British Airways flights. Has anyone else run into this ? Love the inflight pictures.
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Re: Hi Everybody! I'm new here.

Former Member ·
Hi, Ted... Me and my family like to do road trips...we're planning one now from Atlanta to Denver...but we've never gone to California that way...too far. So if we wanted to fly somewhere in California and have a 10-day or so road trip with a few days stop at the end, where should we start and what should we see?
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Re: Ryanair: Sell the Extras, Give Away the Tickets?

Paul Heymont ·
I certainly remember People Express...the only reason I became familiar with Newark Airport. We used to fly to Buffalo ($19, $29, $39) and then rent a car to visit family in Toronto. Then we snagged $49 specials from NY to SFO...and while we were sitting on the plane realized we could have gone to London for the same price! Which we did the next year, but it cost us a bit more. PE didn't always make its schedule, and other things could go wrong, but the staff were unfailingly friendly and...
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Re: Up, Up and Away: Airline miles cards with big bonuses

rbciao ·
I have a Delta American Express Platinum card that has served us well. The fee is higher than the gold card, but we can check two bags free, priority boarding, and a free companion pass yearly. We fly two or three times a year and the value of the waived baggage fee and the companion pass far exceed the $150 annual fee. The card also accrues one mile for each dollar spent and lately has offered cash back incentives. For example: spend $15 at Panera's using the card and receive $5 credit on...
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Re: Cheapest airfare to Portugal and Spain

Paul Heymont ·
Can't speak too much about SEA-TAC strategies, but I'm sure you'll have to change planes at least once! Try to avoid any that change at London, because of the British Air Passenger Duty on the way home, and the huge hassle of Heathrow. I did a little random searching for next July, using an open-jaw plan: Fly to Lisbon, train to Porto, fly to Barcelona, fly home, and found fares around $1600 on offer. Lisbon is not that competitive a city, so one strategy would be to keep an eye out for...
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Re: Denver airport leads the charge for your phones

DrFumblefinger ·
Having traveled to Denver in the past month, I'll vouch for that fact there a lot of places to charge your devices. And there are still lots of gates that completely lack chargers, so they still have a long way to go. The free wifi at Denver is quite fast and widely available. Much appreciate! I think this should be a top priority for all airlines -- places to charge that phone and iPad before you fly. It would be good if the consumer organizations provided comparative scores.
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Re: Watch the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in flight

Mac ·
Very interesting and what a wing shape! Have a look at this shorter clip (3mins) which appears to show a vertical initial climb - wow. We are scheduled to fly on one in October https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KYbM-3E11Qo
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Re: It's a loooong way to the tip of the wing!

Mac ·
The A380 is just SO nice to fly in!! Welcome home Paul
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Re: Welcome to The Golden State.

PortMoresby ·
Later today, after I'd posted this photo, I was watching the local 6:00 news, Sacramento. A fire had started in Lincoln, NE of Sacramento, a yard full of trucks engulfed and spreading into grass, moving toward a subdivision. A spotter plane left the Grass Valley Base, flew over my house and I looked to see what it was. About 10 minutes later the news helicopter showed it arriving low over the fire to inspect it. I went out again to watch the next plane, a retardant tanker, possibly the one...
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Re: Airbus opens new Factory in the USA

GarryRF ·
On my frequent visits to Philadelphia from England I always fly with US Airways. Not an exciting experience - just a reliable journey with convenient times. But my last round trip was an amazing transformation. AMERICAN AIRLINES and US Airways have merged and the staff were amazing. The plane was a new Airbus 330 both times. The legroom was more than enough. I usually purchase extra legroom and this time I'm glad I didn't. The food was good and served hot. Free cans of Cola and orange etc.
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Re: Airbus opens new Factory in the USA

DrFumblefinger ·
There's a lot of competition on the TransAtlantic routes, so airlines need to put their best effort into drawing in customers. Just so you know, that's not usually what American is like when you fly it domestically. But I'm glad you had a great experience with them.
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Re: Finnair adds weigh-in to check-in

DrFumblefinger ·
Yet another step in the complete dehumanization of the flying experience. Every airline faces this challenge and deals with it successfully, yet only Finnair and Hawaiian Air need to weight people like they're freight. Shame on them. I had no plans to fly Finnair, all the more now when I read of their corporate mentality.
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Re: Ryanair on Alitalia: 'we want it and want it whole'

GarryRF ·
This man O'Leary is a Saint - not a sinner. When he gets access to the cross Atlantic routes he'll have the Big Boys quaking in their boots ! I can fly anywhere in Europe and have change from $30 bucks !!
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Re: Museum Island, Berlin (Where Gumbo was #271)

GarryRF ·
An amazing collection of sculpture. Worth a few days exploring the Museums alone. Fly Liverpool to Berlin with Ryanair return ticket for a 2 day trip. £105. Serious thoughts ......
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Re: Do traveling Brits hate kids?

DrFumblefinger ·
Having traveled with children myself, I'm quite sympathetic to folks on the road with their tots. It's hard to do and difficult to keep them entertained and sitting still for such long periods of time. I feel sorry for parents who are trying to comfort their children -- some in obvious distress from ear pain -- without success. A lot of poorly behaved kids (eg. kicking seats) are poorly parented. I'm far more upset with the parent than with the child. the kid needs to be instructed not to do...
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Re: Is it time to regulate airplane seats? Chris Elliott thinks so!

Paul Heymont ·
I'm not sure it's the case that mandating a decent space would raise fares...in the past, we've certainly seen that fares have a resistance point, and airlines have backed down from increases at times. Also worth noting that fares seem largely based on competition rather than actual expense involved; that's why it's often cheaper to fly NY to LA than NY to Kansas City! And, as Chris Elliott points out, having people fighting over seat space has led to expensive consequences, too...
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Re: Is it time to regulate airplane seats? Chris Elliott thinks so!

DrFumblefinger ·
The trouble with a mandate is that it has deadlines and airlines who fly to the US would have to go through an expensive seat replacement program. That cost is one we share, or that puts the airlines in the red and in jeopardy. Makes sense to pressure them to improve, but that's just my opinion. But I do like the idea of "grading" seats. Helps me know what I'm buying. For example, Canadian airlines definitely have larger seats that American carriers. I'll preferentially fly Air Canada to...
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Re: Popularity of POD hotels grows

Paul Heymont ·
Funny seeing this come back...50 years ago, there was something like this at Washington: A pair of what looked like trailers, mounted above stairs with a small office at the bottom to rent resting places by the hour or afternoon. And the next size up is the very spartan motels like Premiere Classe and Formule One...we call them "a bed in a box," which is about what they are. Great for when you fly in late at night and just want to sleep and then go in the morning!
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Re: Route 66 - Pasadena to Needles

NonstopFromJFK ·
The bottle tree ranch is so awesome! I love the whimsical western town charm - I hope I'll get to do a road trip like that one day.
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Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop

GarryRF ·
The cost of an Airline Ticket has little to do with the cost of a barrel of oil. That's why I can fly to Sydney Australia for the same price as I can to New York. That's 3500 miles to New York or 10,500 miles to Sydney. Same price. It's solely based on the principle of how much juice you can squeeze from an orange.
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Re: The Nose Knows: Passengers against smelly food on planes

PortMoresby ·
One person's "smelly" is another's aromatic. I hadn't given this any thought whatever until now, but I think next time I fly I'll pack some of my favorite ripe and satisfying "aromatic" cheese and maybe some good garlic crackers. We might all want to push the limits and rile the masses until the airlines relent and offer decent snacks, and pig's fly.
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Re: The Nose Knows: Passengers against smelly food on planes

Paul Heymont ·
I'm not certain I want to be offered pig's fly...but maybe some pretzels would help...
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Re: Marriott to offer free wi-fi to all its Rewards member

DrFumblefinger ·
The main clients of larger upscale hotels are business travelers, not mom and pop travelers. These are the same travelers that pay 10x what we pay to fly at the back of the plane for the privilege of a slightly larger seat and being able to get out 4 minutes before I do. Most don't care about wifi charges because their businesses pick them up. I think Marriott's action is a step in the right direction and they should be applauded for it. I've been a premier Marriott member for years so I get...
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Re: High Tech Goes Low Tech

DrFumblefinger ·
Interesting piece. Printed color is expensive. Color photos on line are not. And I doubt any printed piece could compete with the W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L photos we have on TravelGumbo, right?
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Re: New Eurostar Service, London - Provence

Paul Heymont ·
And if you fly to Marseille and take the train to London, you avoid Heathrow and the British APD!
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Re: New Eurostar Service, London - Provence

GarryRF ·
Sorry Paul but you've lost me ! If you fly to Marseilles and take the 760 mile train journey to London you'll avoid the APD. True. But that will cost you more than the APD and you'll waste a day. You dont see much from the window on a train doing 186 MPH. Be aware that the nation with the most heavily taxed European passengers is France, where over 60% of airport and passenger charges are in the form of state taxes to be paid by the passenger.
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Re: Coming soon: Adjustable-width airline seats?

Paul Heymont ·
Keep in mind that the picture is the patent model...tricked out with real upholstery it may look very different. Other than fitting big people better, I think this may mainly be used on smaller airliners that fly as one- or two-class, as British Air does on a lot of European flights....business class there is pretty much just empty middle. This would allow flexibility. Be my guess...
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Re: Contemporary philosophers

GarryRF ·
“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote, To travel is to live.” Hans Christian Anderson
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Re: AA gets its first Dreamliner

DrFumblefinger ·
I like the image of Boeing handing over a set of keys to AA executives for a jumbo jet. I'm glad to see more of these planes come in to service and hope within the next year or so to have the opportunity to fly one.
 
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