The new Star Wars themed Alaska Airlines Boeing 737, registration N538AS
I might as well get this out of the way right at the start: I am a Trekkie. I have tried to love Star Wars and I can appreciate it for what it is. But I have just never been able to get into it and I know not too much about the franchise (spoiler alert: I think Darth Vader is Luke’s father and Luke is Princess Layla’s sister which caused some family awkwardness all around).
However… when you put a nice looking Star Wars livery on a 737, I can sway my sci fi space nerd alliances for one morning. This week (on what was appropriately May 4th), Alaska Airlines unveiled their newest special Disney livery.
Live long and prosper! It is a positive saying, no matter what universe you are in.
It has an eye catching black background with many Star Wars-themed designs and a beautiful green Millennium Falcon “emblazoned” onto the tail. And this isn’t your rattle can paint job. It took 228 gallons of paint, 540 work hours, and over 27 days to complete.
This is the seventh Disney-themed aircraft for the airline; this one celebrates Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The aircraft’s official name is “Star Wars Transport to the Disneyland Resort,” but you can just call her “SWTttDR” for short.
Last week, without any fanfare, United Airlines updated its app. No big deal, right? Well this new update includes a flight simulator game! We played it. And while it’s no Microsoft Flight Simulator, for an app-within-an-app it’s pretty great.
Flying the friendly (virtual) skies
Once you get your app updated, you hit the “More” button on the bottom tab, go to the Game Center at the bottom of the “For your flight” section … and voila there it is, sitting next to Sudoku.
The game puts you in a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the skies above San Francisco — the only plane and setting the game offers (for now). But the terrain graphics are solid and the aircraft model itself looks great. The game starts with a set of tutorials, which get you used to the controls. You pitch and roll by tilting and angling your phone. As the tutorials progress you can take control of the throttle, flaps, and landing gear as well.
All of the simulations are landings, but the variety of approaches, times of day, and weather conditions including wind and fog provide some variety. The default view is from inside the cockpit through a HUD, though you can also station yourself outside the plane.
Three Royal Air Maroc Boeings caught while PlaneSpotting in Casablanca. Note the Mohammed V Airport sign atop the terminal in the background.
Last month I found myself with a full-day layover in Casablanca, Morocco. I was on my way to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire to cover Royal Air Maroc’s oneworld celebration. My flight from JFK arrived mid-morning and the ABJ flight wouldn’t depart until late evening. Armed with this knowledge, I had a jam-packed, prearranged agenda which included PlaneSpotting in Casablanca. For a relatively small airline like RAM, this was a chance to see all of the airline’s fleet types in the same place at the same time. Exciting!
PlaneSpotting in Casablanca, up close and air-side
CN-RGY, the 787-9 which brought me to Casablanca from New York
They take aviation security very seriously in Morocco, perhaps to an extreme. In order to get my planespotting in Casablanca tour arranged there was a lengthy vetting process. Required were a certificate of liability insurance, various forms of ID, and an inventory of my photography gear for consideration by various authorities to include the Moroccan Ministry of Communication. Even with various governmental pre-authorizations in hand it seemed a challenge to convince the airport’s badging office to issue my day credentials. After some back and forth between my various escorts and airport operations folks I received a temp badge in exchange for my passport. This collateral effectively ruled out any opportunity of an airport badge souvenir.
Tailwind uses a two-year-old Cessna 208B amphibious aircraft on the route from New York Skyports Seaplane Base to Boston Harbor
Tailwind Air isn’t an average commuter airline. There are definitely similarities to Seattle’s Kenmore Air, in that both fly seaplanes and do charters through some of the world’s busiest airspace, but Tailwind Air positions itself as a boutique service for the time-pressed Northeastern traveler.
Along with saving time, the flight offers some pretty amazing scenery – the Empire State Building is on the right
This is their math: it takes at least four hours to cover the 200 road miles between Manhattan and Boston by rail or car, depending on traffic or service delays. By air, it’s consistently less than 90 minutes. And far more comfortable and glamorous.
Our flight was on Friday, March 5, 2022, which marked the airline’s annual resumption of service on the route – the flight doesn’t operate in the winter months.
The flight from Manhattan to Boston took 70 minutes thanks to a helpful tailwind, although we paid for that by having to fight the corresponding headwind on the way back, so that leg took 90 minutes. Considering it’s taken me 90 minutes to drive the length of Manhattan in Friday afternoon traffic, this flight is a wonderful option.
Royal Air Maroc’s oneworld special liveried 737-800
Like many of us, Moroccan flag carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has had a rough few years due to the global pandemic. COVID’s first wave came just weeks after the airline’s ascension to membership in the oneworld alliance, and lockdowns have imposed significant disruptions to operations. Present-day RAM is smaller in terms of routes and fleet than when it entered the pandemic. As we detail below, the airline believes it is well-positioned for future success. Rightfully so, RAM has its eyes on a much brighter future.
