Apolo Ohno taking a photo of his image on an Alaska Airline's Boeing 737...how surreal. Photo by me.
Back in March I blogged how you could win a trip to Hawaii for five days with Apolo Ohno on Alaska Airlines. Well, Alaska received almost 30,000 entries (one was mine) and four lucky people were selected (none of those were me, but I did get to be there…bonus). I always wonder, “does anyone ever win these things?” and sure enough they do.
Yesterday morning I got up at about 3:45am to head down to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to meet the lucky winners and of course Apolo Ohno. You know Mr. Ohno right? He is the most decorated American Winter Olympic athlete of all time and he is also a cool dude. For some, being that talented has a way of going to someone’s head, but not for Ohno. He was more than happy to take photos with fans.
I spoke with one of the winners and his guest; Kevin LaChapelle and his new fianc Whittnee Chen. Even though they have known each other for years, Kevin just proposed and Whittnee said yes. What better way to celebrate than a free trip to Hawaii, with Apolo?
Apolo after he arrived in Maui. Photo by Alaska Airlines
Kevin told me he almost missed winning this trip. He saw the email and sent it to his spam folder. He then remembered signing up for the contest and took a second look. He had won! Kevin said if Whittnee didn’t say yes to his proposal, he had many friends saying they would take her slot to Hawaii.
I was also able to interview Apolo on video about his thoughts on having his image on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737. Well, long story short, I lost the video. Lame. It was really good too. Anyhow he told me it was very surreal. He explained how much he loves Alaska Airlines and is so happy they sponsored him. The silver lining of all this, I was Tweeting my frustrations on losing the video and Apolo responded over Twitter he would like to re-do it. Now, that is awesome!
Their special flight took off from Seattle at about 8:30am yesterday and arrived in Maui in the afternoon. When they arrived, they were greeted by the Lt Governor of Hawaii, James R. “Duke” Aiona Jr, the Maui Mayor Charmain Tavares and the Maui Surf Groms.
The groms are a group of young surfers who are looking to make surfing an official Olympic sport. The group helps disadvantage kids fly around the Hawaiian islands to compete and they were all very excited to meet Ohno.
It was fun to watch them all leave, but I wish I was going with them. Oh well, at least I can blog about it.
Yesterday I headed over to the Future of Flight and designed my own airplane. You have until June 7th to design your own airplane and submit it to the Future of Flight and have it displayed. Obviously you don’t need hardcore skills, just a little imagination and some crayons work! Make me proud, submit your airplane design.
Hawiian Airlines brand new Airbus A330 next to their first plane, a 1929 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker
GUESSING HAS BEEN CLOSED. I WILL POST THE ANSWERS TOMORROW (JUNE 8th) MORNING. I have locked it down so no more comments can be made.
Hawaiian Airlines is making a big change. They are adding an Airbus A330 to their fleet. On Friday June 4th the first passenger flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles will commence, starting a new era.
The new A330 is named Makali’˜i for the constellation Pleiades that helped guide ancient Polynesian voyagers across the Pacific.
This is one amazing photo and quite a few things are impressive. What got my attention (besides the fact this is Hawaiian’s newest and oldest aircraft together), is the Airbus A330 has a lei on it.
See it? Those purple/pink flowers right behind the cockpit? I wrote to Hawaiian PR guy Patrick Dugan and asked, “How many flowers does it take to lei an Airbus A330?” Guess what he told me? No, seriously guess…
CONTEST: How many flowers (they are dendrobium orchids, if that matters) did it take to create the lei (just the lei on the A330, not the stairs or other flowers) seen in the photo (bigger version) on the Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330?
The closest person(s) to the correct answer will win a prize (I have a few you can choose from). You can leave a comment or you can email me at da***@ai*************.com (don’t worry I am not collecting emails in any fashion). I will give you until Monday June 7th at 5pm PST, then I will give the answer and announce the winner(s)!
Capt. Ishii and Capt. Carriker relax in the flight deck between missions. From Boeing.
To be one of the lucky few that get to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Until recently, only Boeing folks got the opportunity to fly the airplane. Two All Nippon Airways, who will be the Dreamliner’s first customer, pilots got to take the Dreamliner for a spin.
The flight lasted about two and a half hours, but won’t count towards the Dreamliner’s certification.
This also we are one step closer for the first Boeing 787 to be delivered and the general public gets to start flying in them!
Air New Zealand Boeing 777 at Auckland, New Zealand
The idea of being able to access the internet on a flight is almost not newsworthy anymore, since it is so common (I love that). But a recent press release from Air New Zealand did catch my interest.
The airline will offer mobile phone and data capabilities with new Boeing 777-300’s to be delivered in November. In connection with AeroMobile, passengers will be able to text message and email on GSM phones. You will not be able to talk on your cell phone (thank goodness) and Air New Zealand does not plan to allow it. AeroMobile does have the ability to allow passengers to talk, but Air New Zealand decided not to offer that service (thank you).
’œFeedback from our customers has shown they wish to be able to text, and check emails, to stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues during their long-haul flights,’ said Ed Sims, Air New Zealand Group General Manager, International Airline.
You will still have to wait until you reach cruising altitude and your phone must remain on silent mode (good thinking). There is no additional fee except for standard roaming and text charges. Don’t go texting like crazy on your seven hour flight until you confirm your cell phone’s international roaming plan.
How does this work? AeroMobile installs a small base station (called a Picocell) on the aircraft, which relates data on board the airplane to a satellite, then back down to the ground. since there is very little needed to install the Picocell, there is no downtime for the aircraft, since it can be installed during normal maintenance.
Another great step towards being fully connected, even while flying!
