South Africa-Part I: How dangerous is traveling to South Africa?

Posted by Júlíana Björnsdóttir - 11/01/10 at 09:01:04 am

Now that 2010 is finally here, the world cup is only months away.  In recent years South Africa has been a place where tourists have been advised to be cautious, even warned entirely from visiting.

I have been to South Africa three times now, and so far so good.  My first time in South Africa, I only got to see the West coast and some of its inlands, such as Stellenbosch.  I spent about a week in Cape Town seeing the sights mostly on my own.  I went to Table Mountain and did an excursion to three of the townships with a company whose aim is to promote growth in South African society.  At the end of the day we got to see where our money went: They had organized a day out for some of the local kids.

I came back to Durban in South Africa to meet my fiancé’s family in late January of 2007.  We had our wedding in Durban in February that same year, and my family made their way over to participate.  Durban is located in the greenest region of them all, KwaZulu-Natal, usually referred to as Natal.

There have been many debates about the safety issue of visitors coming to SA for the world cup.  I have reached a very conclusive decision on the matter.  Whenever visiting South Africa it is essential to perhaps spend a little more on accommodation in order to feel safe.  My family stayed at a lovely B&B in Hillcrest, Durban where breakfast consisted of healthy choices such as fruit salad, yoghurts and porridge, as well as of the traditional egg and bacon on toast.  They had access to a small pool and a beautiful garden, often visited by the local monkey population.  They had no problems with safety issues, as they felt quite protected within the locked gates of the B&B.  The majority of middle-class South-Africans pay a monthly fee to a security company to be protected, and within the gates I feel safe.  For as long as you avoid the following you will have the time of your life in South Africa, whether it is for the World cup or anything else:

• Do not walk alone without consulting a local
• Do not take walks after dark, EVER
• Do not use local Taxis that are NOT registered
• Do not use the public transport system without consulting a local

And on a more personal note…

• Do not blame South Africa if you get too drunk and someone robs you as you wander the streets by yourself; I am afraid you asked for it.

South Africa is working hard to crack down on their crime problem and being here for the third time, I feel a change in the air.  There is hope for a better future. My personal recommendation is to visit Durban.  In my next blog I will write about my Christmas in the region of Christmas (Natal is Portuguese for Christmas)

The Dreamliner

Posted by Tihomir Rangelov - 21/12/09 at 11:12:51 am

The aviation industry is definitely undergoing rapid changes these days. Now that Airbus is producing more and more of its giant A380 Boeing successfully carried out the maiden flight of its newest aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, near its base in Seattle. The 787 has been the fastest selling wide-body airliner in history and that is obviously for a reason.

Boeing is aiming to set new standards in air travel with the Dreamliner. The plane will offer more comfort to passengers with a brand new interior design, larger windows, cleaner and better air, more storage space and internet connection.
Some of these conveniences are possible because of the new materials, which Boeing is using to build the aircraft. Instead of aluminium, Boeing uses composite materials for constructing the fuselage, which allows for higher internal pressure during flight (that means less dizziness for you) and higher air humidity, as the composite materials are not subject to corrosion as aluminium. Besides, with the 787 Boeing is introducing new systems to improve passenger experience during turbulence and heavily reduce noise from the engines. The new materials also make the aircraft lighter than comparable planes and Boeing promises that the 787 will use 20% less fuel than its current rivals.

The Dreamliner will be able to seat less than 300 passengers, which makes it tiny compared to Airbus’ A380 but the idea behind both planes is totally different. The A380 was designed with the belief that in the future people will prefer to fly long distances between hubs and then take smaller planes to their final destination. This is the so-called hub-and-spoke model, which is in active use at the moment. Boeing, on the other hand belives in the point-to-point model, that is that people will want to fly directly to their final destination rather than change planes at big airports. The Dreamliner is capable of doing that as it has a range of more than 8,000 miles (enough to fly from New York to Asia or between Dubai and Los Angeles).
The 787 starts regular service at the end of 2010 with All Nippon Airlines. Although only the future will show which industry model is more successful, the most important thing is that air carriers get a better selection of aircraft and passengers will get better service at competitive prices.

Will Ryanair take the lean business model too far?

Posted by David Gunnarsson - 22/04/09 at 03:04:49 pm

Several airlines, not surprisingly Ryanair among them, are reportedly thinking of charging overweight people more to fly. Ryanair just closed a poll on their website showing that 29% of the respondents thought overweight passengers should be charged extra. In fact, United Airlines are currently considering this, and reportedly five other carriers have already introduced such charges.

In a way, or even many ways, this makes sense. Airplane mileage is obviously in part based on the weight of the airplane, so with respect to jetfuel, it costs more to transport an overweight person as opposed to a person of normal weight. Also, overweight people take up more space and are thus in some case ill suited to the often cramped seats of an airplane – especially on low-cost carriers. To the extent that this affects the passenger sitting next to you, overweight people probably should be charged extra and given wider seats.

But regarding the weight and not the volume, there is also the consideration of baggage (actual, not emotional). Should an overweight person with only a carry-on pay more than a normal-weight person with two large bags? Should the normal-weight person have to pay extra for carrying baggage over allowance, when the total of bodyweight plus baggageweight is still less than one overweight person? The extra cost is based on weight, but paying extra for baggage and then sitting next to an obese person on the flight who paid the same as you did but takes up half your seat, probably does not a happy traveler make.

There is no easy or obvious solution really. There are many angles to how to charge and what for, there are of course feelings to be considered, as well as the invasion of privacy. Imagine having to input your weight when booking your ticket…or would you rather by appraised by the “Weight Control Officer” at check-in, and be asked to step over to the other line? Or how about being asked to move to a larger seat and pay extra by a 21 year-old, 98 pound, blond stewardess, who obviously doesn’t have a clue as to what you’re going through.

The Chicago Tribune likes Dohop

Posted by Eliza - 01/04/09 at 09:04:28 am

Wondering where to go to look at the cheapest fares to the most obscure places? According to the Chicago Tribune, you’re at the right place!

The popular newspaper’s “Online Traveler” column from 22 March dubs Dohop a site that’s a “must before hitting the road.”

According the Tribune, Dohop’s Flight Planner is “a nifty tool for those looking to arrange, and possibly save money on, complicated itineraries. The software that power this web site allegedly finds not only the most logical connections for distant travel but also searches more than 600 airlines to compile the lowest possible overall fare. For example, a business traveler [sic] heading to Khartoum from Chicago will get a ‘Destination Currently Unavailable’ message in response to a search at Expedia, whereas the same search at Dohop yields 57 results offering options through London, Dubai and other connecting cities.” (Little do the know we do the same thing for hotels too!)

What other web pages made the cut with the Online Traveler? Stuff Your Rucksack, a great idea we already blogged about; Simply Parking, a site for discounted parking garages throughout the US; and, VacationRoost, described as “the place to go to search for professionally managed vacation rentals worldwide.”

Traffic to Dohop increases nearly 50% month-to-month

Posted by Eliza - 23/02/09 at 10:02:16 am

Economic downturns don’t necessarily stop people from travelling; they just make them smarter travellers. While belts are tightened around the globe, passengers and tourists look for the best possible deals when planning a trip. Perhaps that’s why traffic to dohop.com increased almost 50% from December 2008 to January 2009.

“Dohop has always been a company which creates value for its users,” explains Dohop CEO and founder Frosti Sigurjonsson. “We search all the best airfares and hotel deals available online, not just certain package offers created for online retailers. When you search with Dohop, you can be sure to find the best possible fare.”

Have you tried to find great savings on flights and hotels using Dohop? Get started now!

Dohop provides Emirates with low-cost airline connection search tool

Posted by Eliza - 19/02/09 at 09:02:21 am

Dubai-based Emirates airlines has announced that it is now offering travellers an enhanced on-line travel planning tool. The tool builds itineraries by combining Emirates flights with low-cost airline connections outside the Emirates network.

The new tool, called Connection Search, and is available on the airline’s website, and is powered by travel search engine Dohop.

The new service is designed to make life easier for those travellers who have difficulty reaching their final nearest long-haul international airport or whose final destination is outside the Emirates network.

The current arrangements work with five low-cost airlines: AirAsia, easyJet, clickair, IndiGo, JetLite and WestJet, covering over 300 destinations throughout Europe, the Far East, India and Canada. Travellers can use the service in English, French, German or Italian.

Keith Longstaff, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide said: “We are delighted to unveil this latest innovation to our website, which will provide added information and convenience to our customers. Feedback from our customers has revealed the increased use of low cost carriers and Connection Search provides them with a simple tool to plan and book their perfect itinerary. After carrying out in-depth research and in partnership with Dohop, we believe we have successfully developed a seamless online experience which will greatly assist our customers.”

Frosti Sigurjonsson, Dohop’s CEO said: “Dohop is both pleased and honoured to provide a flight search solution for Emirates’ award-winning website. By offering information on onward flights with low-cost airlines, Emirates invites travellers to combine its comfortable long-haul flights with a vast choice of convenient low-cost connections.”

SAS – The Friendly Airline

Posted by Marcus - 14/01/09 at 11:01:50 am

The Scandinavian personality is often described as introvert and quiet. Well, SAS is certainly challenging stereotypes. The airline is now double dating at least Lufthansa AND KLM-Air France. 

We just found the SAS profile on match.com:

NordicWings-48

Punctual and responsible Airline looking for partner to coordinate services and share synergies.

Me: Likes to travel to 152 destinations. Currently reziding in Scandinavia. Have airplanes. 

You: Strong financial backing, good with union workers, interested in synergies.

Reply to “Buy-me-I’m-Your’s“

The Alitalia Garage Sale – Part 2

Posted by Marcus - 13/01/09 at 11:01:54 am

Alitalia isn’t just selling miniature pieces of contemporary art, they’re also selling 25% of the actual company to KLM-Air France.

The Alitalia Garage Sale

Posted by Marcus - 12/01/09 at 06:01:05 pm

If you like modern art, but have limited wall space at home – fear not, Alitalia is your friend. 

From the 1960’s, the Italian carrier bought specially produced works of art, specifically requested to be small enough to fit in suitable areas inside an aircraft. The idea was they were going to enrich the passenger experience when flying and boost customer satisfaction.

Now 163 of them are going to be auctioned out.  This might be your opportunity to own a small piece of art and airline history.

Other airlines, lacking Alitalias vision, seem to have focused their attention on baggage handling, timely departures and other, less artsy forms of customer satisfaction. One word: Liquidation Boring!

Predictions for 2009

Posted by Marcus - 09/01/09 at 02:01:54 pm

Jared Blank at OTR shares some thoughts about 2009 here.

Among his visions of the future is a 2009 where services launch and stop faster than before, meaning airlines will be willing/forced to test new services and schedules, and go with what works.

(Being completely biased of course) we are convinced that the more volatile the market becomes, the more important it is to have access to an intelligent travel search engine (that would be dohop.com) that can pull updated route maps from all carriers, and quickly present options to you as a traveler, options that may have been completely different only last week, and no longer valid again the next.

The same goes for finding the best fares, as new services often come hand in hand with aggressive campaigns and introductory offers. Old truths about how best to travel from A-B are becoming obsolete faster than you can keep up with, without a service like dohop.com to help.

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