Lobby Bar – A Somewhat Sarcastic Summary of FBT News and Views
Proper send off. With a series of his favorite pictures, Jonathan Spira mourns the scheduled death of US Airways, happening tomorrow. It was a tough and expensive choice to make, but rather than re-outfit the US Airways jets with American Airlines livery, the planes will be buried in a 1,300 acre plot in Arizona.
Autopilot 3.0. Jonathan Spira takes a look at the Ford Sync 3 in-car infotainment system. One of the more fun features of Sync 3 lets the computer take the wheel for a few minutes while you take care of other activities, such as shaving or finishing that novel you swear is almost done.
Bed of candy. Jesse Sokolow checks into the Red Roof Inn Plus+ in Rockville, Maryland while Paul Riegler visits the property in Garden City, New York. Drama struck Garden City when Riegler discovered that his complimentary snack box was nowhere to be found, and hotel staff refused to deliver it to his room. Riegler took revenge by snacking on his fluffy bed pillows instead.
Standard features. Paul Riegler investigates Airbnb’s business traveler hosting strategy in a chat with the business travel expert at the company, Marc McCabe. “Every apartment or home in our network is outfitted with the modern necessities as dictated by frequent travelers,” McCabe elucidated, “including a butler, liveried footman, and massage therapist.”
Just cause. In 2018, Singapore Airlines will once again have the privilege of offering the world’s longest flight, connecting Singapore and New York. Delta, however, is expected to announce new transpacific service linking Los Angeles and New York. The flight, which is counterintuitive and would cost substantially more, would also win the longest route trophy. “Some people just like to chill on a plane for 24 hours,” Delta’s CEO Richard H Anderson explained.
To bed with eating. United Airlines announced it will introduce new in-flight dining options in all of its cabins. One of the highly anticipated dishes borrows a newly discovered recipe from a nearby hotel: roasted pillows with down stuffing. Paul Riegler highly recommends adding a soft drizzle of conditioner, which tastes best out of a sample-size container.
Show off. The FAA issued a warning to flyers not to pack lithium batteries in checked bags to reduce the risk of fires, however the batteries are allowed in carry-on baggage. “If you’re going to start a fire,” the FAA said, “please do so in an area where we can all admire it.”
(Photo: Accura Media Group)