Gogo’s 737-500 N321GG, a.k.a. the “Jimmy Ray” – Come fly with us!
UPDATE: Entry for the contest ended on Wednesday, February 17th. Stay tuned for the announcement of winners and to follow along with us on the big flight!
This is big. Really big. The biggest giveaway we have offered at AirlineReporter. How would you like to fly on Gogo’s own private Boeing 737-500 (named “Jimmy Ray”) on March 13th? Oh heck yes you would!
Gogo uses the plane to test their awesome technology (many of you have probably seen/used their in-flight WiFi). It is decked out in a VIP configuration and two of our readers can see for themselves by winning a free trip from Chicago to Austin — where SXSW will be going down.
Our Johnny Nguyen got to fly on the plane a while back and I loved watching his experience — I wanted to fly on it too. Join me, JL Johnson, and Dave Delagarza on this very special SXSW party flight. Keep reading to learn more and enter our contest!
Air-to-air photo of the Boeing 727’s first flight – Photo: Boeing
Today is the 53rd anniversary of the Boeing 727’s first flight. What a day. At the time, the 727 was a risk and important to the success of Boeing. Luckily for everyone, not only was the first flight a huge success, but the aircraft would go on to help redefine domestic air travel.
Its three iconic engines also helped to build aviation fans around the world; it is still a favorite among AvGeeks today.
BONUS: An AvGeek in the left seat – flying the Boeing 727
727 Renton flight line in 1966 – Photo: Boeing
To help celebrate the first flight’s anniversary, we reached out to Boeing to see if we could get some photos, and they delivered! We were told that some “haven’t seen the light of day in 50 years.” Rock on!
BONUS: VIDEO – A tribute to the Boeing 727
There are so many travel-related websites out there, it can become a bit overwhelming — especially if you are looking to receive the best rewards possible. A new player to the field, TripStreak, is the only flight search that allows you to select and save your travel preferences, resulting in customized results that go beyond fare and schedule.
Many of you probably do not just care about schedule and pricing. You want to know how many Elite/Premier Qualifying Miles (EQM/PQM – to earn status) or Redeemable Miles (RDM – to get tickets/upgrades) you can get with each transaction.
With TripStreak®, you can rank your priorities among nine different aspects of travel: preferred airline/frequent flier program, miles/points type, type of aircraft, layover duration, fewest connections, lowest cost, prefer/avoid redeye flights, refundable flights, and WiFi onboard. Sweet!
And oh yeah… keep reading and you can end up winning a model of a Northwest Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Yes… they do exist!
The TSA PreCheck area at LAX Terminal 2
Let’s make one thing clear: TSA PreCheck is great. If you’ve flown anytime in the past few years, you’ve seen (or perhaps even been the beneficiaries of) the “PreCheck” lanes that some passengers use to zip past the general security lines, or even the premium lanes. Those who see others scoot all the way out of sight and/or get to keep their shoes on are envious; those who randomly received PreCheck access once are even more so.
For the low low price of $85, the Transportation Security Administration will grant a passenger the privilege of getting PreCheck most (not all) of the time. They’re in charge of keeping the flying public safe, and they’re not a for-profit institution, so we can trust them at their word, right?
NO! What they don’t tell you is that there are other ways to enroll in TSA’s PreCheck program without a) writing a check to TSA and b) paying less, or at least getting more out of what you pay.
Airnorth operates a fleet of Embraer E-170 jets on the longer regional routes – Photo: Jacob Pfleger | AirlineReporter
In a country as vast as Australia, it is no surprise that the population relies heavily on air transport, particularly in the more remote regions of the country. For the residents in these regions, these air services provide a vital lifeline. In many regions of Australia, these remote air routes are subsidised by the government. While the local residents view these services as an essential link to the outside world, for the AvGeek, it is a unique opportunity to experience some interesting aircraft types, airlines, and routes.
One such flight route that I was fortunate enough to experience recently was from Cairns to Darwin, via Gove. While there are at least three direct flights per day from Cairns to Darwin on the other carriers, I was very interested to try out the service offered by Airnorth.
Airnorth was established in 1978 and has always had a strong focus on providing air services within the remote regions of Australia’s top-end. In recent years, the company has been focusing in particular on the contract charter market, as well as FIFO operations.
