I. Hate. Frontier. Airlines.
-RD (not happy that our bags decided to stay the night in Denver)
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Green Flying with Frontier Airlines or Look, We have CUTE TREE HUGGING BEAVERS on our wings
Let me preface this by saying I love Frontier airlines. I love them even though I am in one of their planes that is going through turbulance that will likely kill me. They have a fantastic frequent flyer mile program, their seats are comfortable, their staff is chipper, AND they give the WHOLE CAN of apple juice. Whole can! Can an airlines be mensch? Why not! I have flown with them many times before. I truly hope they pull through the bankruptcy and would like to fly them again. If I don't die on this flight. That being said....
Well, for those that haven't flown Frontier, their schtick (which I like) is putting cuddly animals that are found roaming the streets of downtown Denver onto their plane exteriors... kinda like Southwest Airlines used to do when they painted the the plane and made it appear as though you're in the guts of a flying giant magical aero-orka. But, ya know, more subtle like. As I look out the window (to my death), despite being pumbelled by by 450 mile per hour sub-zero winds at an altitude of 37,000 feet, I am greetied by a cute, wee little deer in a patch of wildflowers. His name is "Clover", and, according the Frontier website, his other Frontier animal friends have hobbies and pet peeves. I kid you not. The animals have names and hobbies. Hobbies!
Okay. Let's take stock. Beyond the animals incorporated into plane and ad design, the Frontier website is green colored. Their magazine has a green color theme. On the plane the restroom soap is green, as are the seats and seatbelts (one of which is currently cutting of the circulation to my lower extremities because I really think I'm about to die especially now that my Xanax wore off). Even (God bless 'em!) the barf bags are green.
Moving behind the barf bag, thumbing through pages of their May/June in-flight magazine, W!LD Blue Yonder, in the May/June of issues consisting of 100 pages, I counted over two dozen images fearturing breathtaking scenes of nature in ads and article layouts. I saw a stunning cover with a vast wilderness landscape containing a luscious field beckoning you to have a DEET covered naked run through it. BUT going through the magazine there is not one mention of anything relating to conveservation in the entire magazine save for a page with three half columns talking about Costa Rica travel, most of which relates to a chi chi resort.
Call me programmed/brainwashed, but when I think green color schemes, cute animals, and nature pictures, I think, environment. And when I think of a company that embraces this animal/color scheme, I wonder, what is Frontier doing?
Unfortunately, I have no answer yet. I spent a few hours last week perusing their website (customer and corporate), and found no mention of anything relating to the environment, the green movement, or the cute cuddly animals beyond their hobbies.
I'm thinking I should ask the lovely flight attendant. Before we crash.
-RD (Row 19, Window Seat A, about to crap his pants as I think we've hit the predicted turbulance over the Rockies)
Well, for those that haven't flown Frontier, their schtick (which I like) is putting cuddly animals that are found roaming the streets of downtown Denver onto their plane exteriors... kinda like Southwest Airlines used to do when they painted the the plane and made it appear as though you're in the guts of a flying giant magical aero-orka. But, ya know, more subtle like. As I look out the window (to my death), despite being pumbelled by by 450 mile per hour sub-zero winds at an altitude of 37,000 feet, I am greetied by a cute, wee little deer in a patch of wildflowers. His name is "Clover", and, according the Frontier website, his other Frontier animal friends have hobbies and pet peeves. I kid you not. The animals have names and hobbies. Hobbies!
Okay. Let's take stock. Beyond the animals incorporated into plane and ad design, the Frontier website is green colored. Their magazine has a green color theme. On the plane the restroom soap is green, as are the seats and seatbelts (one of which is currently cutting of the circulation to my lower extremities because I really think I'm about to die especially now that my Xanax wore off). Even (God bless 'em!) the barf bags are green.
Moving behind the barf bag, thumbing through pages of their May/June in-flight magazine, W!LD Blue Yonder, in the May/June of issues consisting of 100 pages, I counted over two dozen images fearturing breathtaking scenes of nature in ads and article layouts. I saw a stunning cover with a vast wilderness landscape containing a luscious field beckoning you to have a DEET covered naked run through it. BUT going through the magazine there is not one mention of anything relating to conveservation in the entire magazine save for a page with three half columns talking about Costa Rica travel, most of which relates to a chi chi resort.
Call me programmed/brainwashed, but when I think green color schemes, cute animals, and nature pictures, I think, environment. And when I think of a company that embraces this animal/color scheme, I wonder, what is Frontier doing?
Unfortunately, I have no answer yet. I spent a few hours last week perusing their website (customer and corporate), and found no mention of anything relating to the environment, the green movement, or the cute cuddly animals beyond their hobbies.
I'm thinking I should ask the lovely flight attendant. Before we crash.
-RD (Row 19, Window Seat A, about to crap his pants as I think we've hit the predicted turbulance over the Rockies)
Observations of a former home state…and weak arguments for burning jet fuel
May 27, 7:50pm
Hey folks, Jeff here. I’m currently 36,837 feet above ground, soaring across the early Midwest en route to Orange County—John Wayne Airport—at about 450 miles per hour. Our layover is over three hours away in Denver. Let me give a brief plug for Frontier Airlines: the live sky map is kick ass. If you can forgive the intermittent ads that interrupt an otherwise steady charting of your course, channel 13 may just suit you fine. However, Frontier is a working example of the tight financial reality in which airlines operate. Not only must passengers foot the bill for unappetizing snacks, but in-flight movies and TV are no longer complimentary. It’s a sad day when stale peanuts and crappy movies no longer define the air travel experience.
We just left Philadelphia fifty minutes ago (45 minutes late due to some runway logjam). Although based in Washington, DC, Philly had the only flight to California compatible with our schedule. (Oh, the sacrifices made for 9 a.m. staff meetings.) I grew up in Pennsylvania, near Hershey, about 90 miles from center city Philly where I went to college. But I’ve never flown over the Commonwealth in this direction. A few observations from cloud level:
1). The Appalachians resemble anything but mountains; their long, deep grooves appear more like a wrinkled pair of chinos lying flat on an ironing board than the dominant range of the eastern seaboard. Interesting to see, but wholly unimpressive.
2). The center of PA near State College is emptiness at its most obvious. If there’s a place on Earth where Mother Nature decided to bubble wrap boring, green terrain, this is it. Its varying tones of auburn and olive swell and deflate as though you’re peering into a FedEx package.
3). This flying hallway just passed over Cleveland, which is practically submerged into Lake Erie. Lake Erie is big—as in there are city-sized islands protruding from its waters big. This fact is remarkable considering it’s one of the smaller Great Lakes.
OK…so the BioBlitz.
One question that has not been lost on me, or Ruben, is how do we justify flying 3,000 miles, and renting a car, just to help the environment? Well, a few ways.
First, it’s bit of a vacation; we can’t always abide by our environmental ethos in the name of fun. Secondly, we tried to rent a hybrid car, which was virtually impossible for our budgets. So, we’ll be purchasing carbon offsets for the mileage we accrue both by flight and car. TerraPass is a great organization that specializes in varying methods of carbon offsetting, and allows users to tailor to their own objectives (i.e. – traveling, commuting, lifestyle, etc.). It’s worth scoping out. Sure, offsets may be overrated, but they're the best option for now.
We understand that thoughtful individual efforts lead to positive collective effects on the environment. Yes, we’re culpable in leaving a size-737 carbon footprint on the planet below. We’re also guilty of wanting to travel this globe we so fervently strive to protect. Occasionally, sacrifices may be made. This is one of them; that simply means we’ll operate in ways to help right our voyaging wrongs. The first step: personal accountability.
We’ll be back later on with more details on our game plan once we get in to Cali. But, now it’s time to stop that damn “battery low” indicator from blinking.
Be well~
-j/d
Hey folks, Jeff here. I’m currently 36,837 feet above ground, soaring across the early Midwest en route to Orange County—John Wayne Airport—at about 450 miles per hour. Our layover is over three hours away in Denver. Let me give a brief plug for Frontier Airlines: the live sky map is kick ass. If you can forgive the intermittent ads that interrupt an otherwise steady charting of your course, channel 13 may just suit you fine. However, Frontier is a working example of the tight financial reality in which airlines operate. Not only must passengers foot the bill for unappetizing snacks, but in-flight movies and TV are no longer complimentary. It’s a sad day when stale peanuts and crappy movies no longer define the air travel experience.
We just left Philadelphia fifty minutes ago (45 minutes late due to some runway logjam). Although based in Washington, DC, Philly had the only flight to California compatible with our schedule. (Oh, the sacrifices made for 9 a.m. staff meetings.) I grew up in Pennsylvania, near Hershey, about 90 miles from center city Philly where I went to college. But I’ve never flown over the Commonwealth in this direction. A few observations from cloud level:
1). The Appalachians resemble anything but mountains; their long, deep grooves appear more like a wrinkled pair of chinos lying flat on an ironing board than the dominant range of the eastern seaboard. Interesting to see, but wholly unimpressive.
2). The center of PA near State College is emptiness at its most obvious. If there’s a place on Earth where Mother Nature decided to bubble wrap boring, green terrain, this is it. Its varying tones of auburn and olive swell and deflate as though you’re peering into a FedEx package.
3). This flying hallway just passed over Cleveland, which is practically submerged into Lake Erie. Lake Erie is big—as in there are city-sized islands protruding from its waters big. This fact is remarkable considering it’s one of the smaller Great Lakes.
OK…so the BioBlitz.
One question that has not been lost on me, or Ruben, is how do we justify flying 3,000 miles, and renting a car, just to help the environment? Well, a few ways.
First, it’s bit of a vacation; we can’t always abide by our environmental ethos in the name of fun. Secondly, we tried to rent a hybrid car, which was virtually impossible for our budgets. So, we’ll be purchasing carbon offsets for the mileage we accrue both by flight and car. TerraPass is a great organization that specializes in varying methods of carbon offsetting, and allows users to tailor to their own objectives (i.e. – traveling, commuting, lifestyle, etc.). It’s worth scoping out. Sure, offsets may be overrated, but they're the best option for now.
We understand that thoughtful individual efforts lead to positive collective effects on the environment. Yes, we’re culpable in leaving a size-737 carbon footprint on the planet below. We’re also guilty of wanting to travel this globe we so fervently strive to protect. Occasionally, sacrifices may be made. This is one of them; that simply means we’ll operate in ways to help right our voyaging wrongs. The first step: personal accountability.
We’ll be back later on with more details on our game plan once we get in to Cali. But, now it’s time to stop that damn “battery low” indicator from blinking.
Be well~
-j/d
Environmentally (Un)Concious Flying or, Wait, How Much Bad Stuff Is This Plane Currently Crapping Out Over Indiana?
From what's been pounded into my noggin, flying makes Mother Nature pissed. Booking our California flights last month, I entered our impending mileage into one of those calculators you can find on the interwebs that computes your carbon footprint. Not pretty. Knowing that I have logged well over hundreds of thousands of air miles since my first flight from the farm at 18, I've come to the conclusion that no matter how often I can avoid plastic water bottles, eat organic granola, or blow my nose into recycled sand paper based tissues, I pretty much negate any "good" that I do with my history of flying.
This brings to mind two things:
1) Ruling out a thousand mile bike ride to California, what can I do to make my travelling (specifically flying) more green?
2) What steps are the airlines taking to reduce their environmental impact...aside from, well, the uncanny ability of going bankrupt and shutting down?
As luck would have it, question two was partially answered at work today while I thumbed through the the current issue of the journal Nature. It features an infographic article entitled, "Flights of Green Fancy" by Katharine Sanderson. She evironmentally dissects a plane (not unlike the Airbus A318 I'm tightly but comfortably nestled into) and highlights new approaches to current and future airplane technology as it relates to construction materials, flight logistics, craft sizes, fuels, and engine and wing design.
Of note, Ms. Sanderson discusses a possible source of fuel that is cultivated by high-fat-content algae. Algae, of course, being an alternative to our current "box of Wheaties is now $8.59, oops, our bad" issue with biofuels normally eaten by humans. Unless I'm forgetting a human culture that is algae based. Anyone? Anyway, a rep with Airbus mentions in the article that "commercial flights will be powered by 25% biofuel by 2025." Which is a good amount of time for the Algae eating peoples of Patagonia to adapt.
Also mentioned is the future of new plane design. From what I gather, it will be a move away from a "tube with wing" composite construction to, well, just a ginormous wing. I remember seeing some schematics like these years ago for a civilian craft. Great for aerodynamics I'm sure. But let's see how my fear of flying goes when I'm just in a giant flying wing.
Finally, she illustrates how they'll replace metal in with lightweight composite materials incorporated into the structure of the plane. Less weight = less fuel consumption. Boeing is doing this with their new sexy lookin' Dreamliners with sexy lookin' windows and cabins.
Okay. So our future is giant wings made of sexy plastics that feed off algae. Hot. BUT, going back to my earlier two questions, until that time comes, what can I do to make flying more green? Well for now, I can do carbon offsets (do they really work?), patronize greener airlines (is there such a thing?), and, uh, not flying so damn much. Next up, greener airlines. Or is it green colored airlines?
-RD (Row 19, Window Seat A)
This brings to mind two things:
1) Ruling out a thousand mile bike ride to California, what can I do to make my travelling (specifically flying) more green?
2) What steps are the airlines taking to reduce their environmental impact...aside from, well, the uncanny ability of going bankrupt and shutting down?
As luck would have it, question two was partially answered at work today while I thumbed through the the current issue of the journal Nature. It features an infographic article entitled, "Flights of Green Fancy" by Katharine Sanderson. She evironmentally dissects a plane (not unlike the Airbus A318 I'm tightly but comfortably nestled into) and highlights new approaches to current and future airplane technology as it relates to construction materials, flight logistics, craft sizes, fuels, and engine and wing design.
Of note, Ms. Sanderson discusses a possible source of fuel that is cultivated by high-fat-content algae. Algae, of course, being an alternative to our current "box of Wheaties is now $8.59, oops, our bad" issue with biofuels normally eaten by humans. Unless I'm forgetting a human culture that is algae based. Anyone? Anyway, a rep with Airbus mentions in the article that "commercial flights will be powered by 25% biofuel by 2025." Which is a good amount of time for the Algae eating peoples of Patagonia to adapt.
Also mentioned is the future of new plane design. From what I gather, it will be a move away from a "tube with wing" composite construction to, well, just a ginormous wing. I remember seeing some schematics like these years ago for a civilian craft. Great for aerodynamics I'm sure. But let's see how my fear of flying goes when I'm just in a giant flying wing.
Finally, she illustrates how they'll replace metal in with lightweight composite materials incorporated into the structure of the plane. Less weight = less fuel consumption. Boeing is doing this with their new sexy lookin' Dreamliners with sexy lookin' windows and cabins.
Okay. So our future is giant wings made of sexy plastics that feed off algae. Hot. BUT, going back to my earlier two questions, until that time comes, what can I do to make flying more green? Well for now, I can do carbon offsets (do they really work?), patronize greener airlines (is there such a thing?), and, uh, not flying so damn much. Next up, greener airlines. Or is it green colored airlines?
-RD (Row 19, Window Seat A)
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