Qantas: Australian For ‘Oops?’

Two Qantas 747s being towed at a maintenance facility in Australia collided today, damaging both. (This sort of thing is also known, apparently, as a “prang.”)

One of the 747s was under repair because an oxygen canister exploded and blew a whacking big hole in the fuselage at 30,000 feet over the South China Sea in July. So it’s back to the hangar for a little touch-up on that baby.

I feel kind of bad bringing this up because Qantas has an excellent safety record, overall. But it’s hard to avoid noticing the recent run of unfortunate incidents, including the explosion and a strange, unexplained nosedive that injured 30 people last month.

Of course, this latest incident could have been worse. Commented one reader on the Herald Sun boards: “I’d rather they collide on the ground than 38,000ft in the air.”

That New Hotel Smell

Just stayed in a Boston hotel that’s less than a year old, and I realized there won’t be much of that for a while. New hotel projects aren’t exactly thick on the ground right now.

Delta Modifies ‘Choice’ Seating Program

Delta Air Lines has told its elite medallion fliers that they no longer have to pay extra for aisle seats and exit rows under a program it adopted just a few weeks ago.

The rest of us, not so lucky.

Christopher Elliott argues on Tripso that Delta should just do away with the program. I agree.

I hate this “unbundling” of seats and hotel rooms and cruise cabins. There are extra amenities that people are willing to pay for and there are the little rewards you get for planning ahead, booking early and doing your homework.

Charging for the latter takes the fun and the strategy out of travel.