An Irreverent Look at a Reverent Airline

The president of the United States has Air Force One and Marine One at his disposal. Actually, any plane or helicopter carrying the president is so designated for the duration of the flight. When I read the headline, "The Pope Launches His Own Airline," I thought that perhaps the Vatican was planning to trump the White House and provide His Holiness with his own personal fleet. But that's not what this Travel Wire News headline was all about

According to a Reuters report, "Mistral Air plans to shuttle Catholic pilgrims around the globe to holy sites, including the shrine of Fatima in Portugal and the shrine of the Madonna of Guadalupe in Mexico. 'The spirit of this new initiative is to meet the growing demand by pilgrims to visit the most important sites for the faith,' Father Cesare Atuire at the Vatican pilgrimage office, the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, told La Repubblica daily.

"Repubblica said Mistral Air's slogan ["I'm Searching for Your Face, Lord"] will be emblazoned on material throughout the aircraft, which will be operated by Italy's postal service. The debut charter flight late this month will be to the shrine of Lourdes in France, and will lure pilgrims with one added bonus -- the guide will be Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the former head of the Italian Bishops Conference, Repubblica said."

Actually, Mistral Air has been around for some time, flying mail for the Italian post office and cargo. The Vatican-sanctioned pilgrimage flights are the new part. Three thoughts popped into my head. First, Middle Eastern and Asian airlines have been flying pilgrimage flights to Mecca for decades; it's only the Roman Catholic spin that's new. This, in turn, made me think of of CNN's current series by Christiane Amanpour called "God's Warriors," comparing ultra-faithful Christians, Moslems and Jews and the extreme lengths they go to for their beliefs.

Second, I thought that President George W. Bush, with his in-your-face Born Again Christianity would love to have a pilgrimage airline, if only evangelical Christians had pilgrimage places (Jerry Falwell's grave perhaps?). Finally, it occurred to me that while these Vatican charters will be bringing Catholic pilgrims to places where the Blessed Virgin miraculously appeared, tycoon Richard Branson launched Virgin Airlines years ago. I briefly wondered whether the Vatican considered chartering aircraft from Branson, but quickly concluded, probably not.

Free Electronics Charging Stations at LAX

Here's something to celebrate at the world's fifth-busiest airport: Samsung Mobile has installed charging stations for electronic devices in all terminals at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), allowing travelers to recharge mobile phones, laptops and other personal electronics -- free. Fifty-one pole-like stations have been installed at boarding areas in Terminals 1 through 8 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Each station has four outlets, designed to recharge personal electronics designed for U.S. voltage (i.e., 120 volts). A small shelf holds this electronic equipment.

Pete Skarzynski, Samsung Mobile's senior vice president, said “To celebrate Samsung’s 10th anniversary, we are sponsoring the Samsung Mobile Charging Stations for travelers’ use at LAX free of charge.” He did not indicate whether facility is free only for the anniversary period or will continue to be free.

These kiosks, identifiable by their 8 1/2-foot height and white lettering on a blue background, should be a great improvement over the need to wander around, looking for an outlet somewhere near the floor while waiting to board a flight.

Hawaii Superferry Debuts on August 28

When I first heard about a new fast ferry as an inter-island option, I was pretty excited, and when we were Hawaii in June (see June 15 to July 2 posts on this blog), I wished that the ferry was already in service. I would love to have traveled from O'ahu to Kaua'i and back by sea. However, while we were there, the Alakai was making her way through the Panama Canal (right) in a dramatic night-time passage. This poweful catamaran-style ferry will make her maiden voyage on August 28, offering one daily trip in each direction between O'ahu and Maui and one a day (except Saturday) between O'ahu and Kaua'i six days a week.

Each trip will take three hours and cost $44 Tuesday through Thursday and $54 Friday through Monday with a 14-day advance purchase. Without an advance purchase, fares are $52 and $62 respectively. There are discounts for ages 62 and over, youngsters 12 and under and retired military. An upgrade to lounge seating is $20, and at the moment, there is a fuel surcharge, which is recalculated each month and currently adds a whopping 30.8 percent to each ticket.

Even though travel is by sea rather than by air, airline-style procedures are in effect. Print your your own boarding pass if you wish. Arrive at least 30 minutes before departure. Carry a government-issued ID (ages 18 and older). Put an identification tag on each piece of checked baggage. Beward if the per-passenger allowance two checked bags weighing no more than 50 pounds each, plus only two personal carry-on bags or packs. Oversized or excess luggage will be subject to additional fees. Just like the airlines, as I said.

What is unlike the airlines is that the Alakai can carry vehicles, which makes it a wonderful option for island-hopping visitors who prefer to rent one car and only one car. The Superferry is also welcomes passengers with disabilities and is wheelchair-accessible throughout, with ramps that make ferry entrance, exit and movement on board easy; a lift for passengers with limited mobility and wheelchairs to get from deck to deck; and outlets for those who need a power supply for their medical equipment. Even passenger representatives on board and on land are trained to assist passengers.

A second Superferry is expected in 2009, when service to the Big Island of Hawai'i will begin.

A Cartoonist's View of Air Travel

The "Loose Parts" cartoon in today's paper shows the top of man's head popping out of a "PheddExx" shipping box with air holes in the lid, telling the clerk, "They don't feed you. You can't carry anything on. The seats are uncomfortable....What's the difference?" To see the drawing, go to the website, click on "Archives" and then click on 8-17-2007.

Peru Quake and Machu Picchu

A superstition in sports circles holds that a Sports Illustrated cover means that a favored team or athlete won't prevail in the next championship or big game. The most recent New York Times travel pages, published just four days ago, featured a piece called "Machu Picchu Without Roughing It." The report was of lodge-to-lodge trekking to this fabled Inca citadel (right) as an alternative to camping for those who wish to spend several days approaching on foot. Mountain Lodges of Peru now has four comfortable lodges en route that take the rough edge out of roughing it as travelers approach this fabled site.

Yesterday, Peru appeared on front pages and broadcast news all over the world following a major earthquake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter Scale and four lesser aftershocks. Casualty figures are revised as rescue efforts proceed and now, the death toll, tragically, stands at well over 300. But Machu Picchu appears in no major media reports thus far. ETN Travel News did report, "'The tourist and local people continue living his live,'" said an eTN reader from Cusco. 'Our monuments in the city and Machu Picchu are very well and we hope that the airport normally works tomorrow.'" I am presuming, or at least hoping, that this report is correct and that Machu Picchu remains intact. The quake's epicenter was off the coast, while Machu Picchu is far inland. It is some 725 miles from Lima to Cusco and another 70 miles farther to Machu Picchu.

Volunteers Sought for Upcoming National Public Lands Day

September 29 has been designated as the 14th annual National Public Lands Day, when more than 100,000 volunteers are sought to help organize cleanups, fix-ups and recreational events in country's parks, forests, rivers, lakes, wetlands, cultural and historic sites and neighborhood areas.

This year's theme is removing invasive species. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the U.S. spends $120 billion annually on the control and impact of more than 800 out-of-control invaders that pose a threat to the environment, human health, and/or the economy. Invasive species also crowd out native species, sometimes to the point of extinction, impacting precious biodiversity and aesthetics. Volunteer assistance can make a significant impact.

The goal is to increase from last year’s 100,000 volunteers by at least an additional 10,000 participants this year. Every 100,000 volunteers represent an additional $1.8 million worth of labor for American lands, if the value of volunteer time is calculated at $18.77 per hour.

Organizers remind us that one-third of America's land belongs to the public, and may be used for everything from recreation and to logging and mining for natural resources. The organizers note that "National Public Lands Day is a yearly chance for Americans to take ownership of these lands, which are constantly threatened by human causes such as deforestation and pollutants and natural causes like disasters and erosion." Those "human causes" include extractive uses that take their toll on public lands, especially in the West. It's not just the wide open spaces that can benefit from the work of National Public Lands Day volunteers, but also urban and suburban clean-up efforts make communities healthier, safer and more attractive.

The website includes a pull-down list of states and projects in each, as well as contacts for each and other resources.

Bargain Fares: Knowing Seat Availability

How many times have you trolled around the Internet seeking the best air fare, only to find that when you return to what turns out to be the most favorable combination of price and routing, what you would have wanted is gone? I know I've done it, comparing airlines' own web fares with those of discounters of various sorts.

Travelocity has a new feature which displays how many seats are left at a given price when that availability at that fare is running low. This feature is the subject of Travelocity's "Roamin' Gnome" TV ad campaign. I entered a Denver-Boston roundtrip starting a week from today and returning nine days from now. Sure enough, two of the flights showed as "Only 2 seats left at that price," so if I were really booking and not just looking, I'd have been able to jump on them.