Clipped-Wing Concorde May Head to Dubai

Grounded supersonic plane might be permanently parked in the Gulf region right near the QE2

I don't usually indulge in speculative news, but the headline, "Concorde jet may become tourist attraction," on a news-oriented UK travel blog called Travel House UK did intrigue me. According to Travel House which in turn cited The Times, "a consortium is reportedly bidding to turn one of British Airways’ seven remaining Concorde supersonic jets into a tourist attraction, while BA said it was mulling its options." If the supersonic plane travels to Dubai, it will literally be by slow boat, its wings removed in order to fit it onto a ship, presumably to pass through the Suez Canal.

The word from "a source close to the Dubai consortium" is the group would spend millions in whatever currency to restore the interior of the plane that is currently mothballed at Heathrow Airport in London. I never flew on the Concorde, alas, but I think I sort of saw the aircraft through thick hedges when driving to or from the airport. But I'm not sure. Britain's grounded Concorde fleet is dispersed around the country and open to visitors.

Four decades ago, the supersonic Concorde, a collaborative project between Great Britain and France, was herald as the future of air travel. Beginning in 1976, British Airways and Air France few them, mainly for elite transatlantic travel. Only 20 ever came off the assembly line in Toulouse, with six used for future developments for a future that didn't happen and 14 operated commercially and, safely until July 2000, when a crash Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport that killed 113 people was the beginning of the end for all Concordes. British and French planes were all taken out of service in 2003. Crash or not, this SST would most likely not have survived the huge fuel cost run-up of 2008 and the global economic crisis that followed.

I wonder whether it will be considered a psychological blow to the Brits to have this plane parked under the palm trees on a fake island in a Persian Gulf state. At one point, there was talk of moving it from wherever it was behind the hedges to new Terminal 5 (T5), but if the Dubai plan comes to pass, the plane would be the second British transportation icon to end up on one of Dubai's artificial islands, along with the "QE2" which was moved there in order to repurpose it as floating luxury hotel there. However, according to recent reports, that project might also be in financial jeopardy and might also be opened just as a tourist attraction. Stay tuned.

Flying the WiFi Skies

Alaska Airlines testing inflight WiFi

Thanks to Harriet Baskas' post on her Stuck at the Airport blog, I now wish I were flying on Alaska Airlines soon -- or at least on the single Boeing 737-700 aircraft where inflight WiFi is being tested. I visualize myself writing blog posts, checking Email and even wandering around the Internet since security regulations no longer let passengers wander around planes. And I could do it for free during the test period, Baskas reports, in exchange for filling out a survey about the service. The airline is even sending out a daily Tweet indicating which routes the WiFi testcraft is flying -- not that it matters too much, because you're either on that plane or not.

Baskas recently wrote "Flying the WiFi Skies" for MSNBC.com on the baby steps the airline industry has taken thus for into the WiFi world aloft.

Airlines' Food Costs Are Pretty Low

Inflight food costs predictors of lousy inflight fare

No domestic airline spends as much as $9, per passenger, for inflight food, according to Cranky Flier's post today called "What Airlines Spend on Food." The post, which I recommended reading, included a government chart (below) tracking key carriers' per-passenger food expenditures over the last decade.

Of course, nine bucks, which is about what Alaska Airlines used to spend, bought more and/or better food a decade ago than six dollars or less does today. What is unclear from this chart is whether it includes both Coach and the First Class. Free food and adult beverages are still offered in the front of the plane, but in steerage, passengers have to buy food other than perhaps a tiny little bag of free pretzels or peanuts. We have been doing so for nearly a decade, since carriers curtailed than eliminated free meals and phased in food fort purchase.


"United Airlines used to spend $100 million a year on coach-cabin food when serving free meals, but now spends $20 million and brings in $20 million in revenue," according to a Wall Street Journal report last September called "Pie in the Sky? Upgrading Food in Coach." I knew that carriers were spending less and earning more on inflight food, but I had no idea how much.

Cancun Tourism in Trouble

Hard times at popular Mexican travel destination

Mexican tourism has taken well-documented hit after hit in the last couple of years (drug gang violence, weather, swine flu, global economic woes, you name it), and now, Cancun in particular has been slammed by malfeasance on the part of local officials. As Mexico City-based Jimm Budd reported under the headline "Cancun Broke":

"Cancun – officially the Benito Juárez municipality – is technically bankrupt according to the governor on Quintana Roo, the state where Cancun is located. It seems the city treasurer, Carlos Trigo, has vanished and taken the treasury with him. His boss, Gregory Sanchez, resigned a few weeks ago in order to run for governor. Since then, Sanchez has been arrested and now is in prison awaiting trial on charges he was working with narcotics smugglers.

"Nor is Cancun doing well as a travel destination. The airport reports that the number of passengers served thus far this year is still nearly ten percent below the 2008 figure. Number for last year were so dismal as not to be considered."

Big Doings in Small Wine Country Town

Renewed Town Plaza to premiere in pocket-size Palisade, the unofficial capital of Grand River wine country

In Europe and in the longer established wine regions of North America, vineyards surround charming towns boasting a few lovely little inns and a handful of terrific local restaurants, cafes and bakeries. Rather than centuries or even decades old, Colorado's wine industry has mushroomed from virtually nothing to significance in just over 20 years. Of the state's two American Viticultural Areas, the Grand River AVA centers around the Town of Palisade.

Palisade is stunningly set between the signature Book Cliffs and the soaring Grand Mesa and with the Colorado River (originally called the Grand River) flowing by its doorstep. Surrounded on three sides by orchards and vineyards, it is working hard to retain its agricultural ambiance and also boosting the appeal of the town itself with much-needed visitor-pleasing amenities. The centerpiece is the renewed Town Plaza at Third and Main Streets. The dedication, which is open to the public, will be on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. and will include live music, food and refreshments.

Town-center improvements include more parking, landscaping, railroad buffering and most importantly, an inviting public gathering place for festivals, events, markets, or just meeting friends. The one-acre Plaza features new trees, shrubs, 15 planting beds, a two-tiered seating wall with a sandstone veneer and improved lighting and electrical service. The Plaza also is the venue for local artist Lyle Nichols's sculpture “Harley,” to be unveiled May 10, 2009. Eventually, a town clock will be located nearby, thanks to the generosity of the Palisade Lions Club.

Palisade has several appealing bed-and-breakfast inns (A DiVine Thyme, Dreamcatcher, Palisade Wine Valley Inn, The Orchard House and Vistas & Vineyards), an unremarkable motel (the Mesa View) and since last summer, a sizable inn set in the middle of vineyards. The 80-room Colorado Wine Country Inn has more rooms than all the B&B's combined and provides in-town lodging for visitors attending the town's myriad special events (see below) or creating their own special events (weddings being a specialty).

Among the upcoming events on the Palisade calendar are the Peach Blossom Art Show (next weekend, April 17-19), the Grand Valley Winery Association's Spring Barrel Tastings (April 25-26 and Mary 16-17), the Palisade Bike Festival (bicycles, not motorcycles, May 8-10), Palisade Bluegrass & Roots Music Festival (June 23-13), Parade of Roses (May 30-31), the 41st annual Palisade Peach Festival (August 13-16), Ravenshire Renissance & Pirate Faire (August 21-23) and the Colorado Mountain Winefest (September 17-20). For Coloradans and visitors alike, Palisade is easy to reach. It's right off I-70 and railroad tracks run right through town. Amtrak trains, of course, do not stop in Palisade (the old depot now houses the Peach Street Distillers, which makes vodka and Colorado's first bourbon in the middle of wine country), but the California Zephyr does serve Grand Junction, just a dozen miles away.

Palisade has scenery that won't quit, vineyards and wineries, orchards and fruit stands, a handful of neat shops, galleries and eateries, places to stay, easy access and terrific festivials other special events. All it needs now, IMO, is a few more really good restaurants -- and locals and visitors to patronize them.

Travel Babel Wins SATW Award

I'm thrilled that this blog has just been honored with a Bronze Award in the Travel Blog category from the Society of American Travel Writers Western Chapter, which has just wrapped up its meeting in Boise, Idaho.Writing awards have been presented for many years, but blogging honors were just added. I'm pleased that Travel Babel was in the freshman class.

Delta Offering Mileage Bonuses`

Delta + Northwest offer 2,500- to 50,000-mile bonuses on select flights

Flyers who play the mileage accumulation game are having a field day by flying the now-merged Delta and Northwest airlines' current bonus offers -- or by not flying at all but applying for an affiliated credit card. There are a few hoops to jump through, including online registration for each offer, and you do need to check the fine print. Thanks for Frequent Flyer Bonuses for the tip about these offers:

Transatlantic nonstop roundtrips between North America and Great Britain earn up to 50,000 bonus SkyMiles (BusinessElite/Business Class (fare classes, J,C,D,S and I on Delta-coded flights and J,C,I, and on Northwest-coded flights) and 25,000 bonus miles for paid Premium Economy Class (fare classes Y, B, M on Delta-coded flights and all Northwest-coded flights) to or from London (Heathrow or Gatwick), Manchester (MAN) or Edinburgh (EDI). Online registration is required), and then book online until June 30, 2009.

There don't seem to be a lot of strings attached to the new offer of 2,500 bonus SkyMiles on flights with Delta Northwest or their commuter partners Northwest Airlink (Mesaba, Pinnacle, and Compass) or Delta Connection. Online registration is required, and then bookonline online by June 4, 2009.

Up to Triple Elite Qualification Miles are being given for every Delta and Northwest flight through June 15, 2009. Premium fares (Delta fare classes J, C, D, S, I, F, A, Y, B and M) good toward Medallion qualification status. Discounted Economy fares (Delta fare classes H, Q and K) earn double miles Online registration is required, then book online until June 15, 2009.

Earn double SkyMiles by flying Delta or Northwest nonstop between Minneapolis (MSP) and Chicago O'Hare (ORD) or Chicago-Midway (MDW). Online registration is required, then book online until May 31, 2009.

Nonstop roundtrip travel between Cincinnati (CVG) and Atlanta (ATL) and Newark (EWR) , Baltimore (BWI), Philadelphia (PHL), Charlotte (CLT), Phoenix (PHX), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), San Diego (SAN), Denver (DEN), San Francisco (SFO), Kansas City (MCI), Seattle (SEA), Los Angeles (LAX), Washington National (DCA) or New York/LaGuardia (LGA) can earn up to 25,000 bonus miles if that make the entire series of five roundtrip flights, The first and second roundtrips net 3,000 each, the third 4,000, the fourth 5,000 and the fifth 10,000. Online registration is required, then book online.

And finally, sign up for the American Express platinum card affiliated with Delta and earn 20,000 SkyMiles, including 5,000 toward Medallion status.