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KK Lee

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if driving from Kota Kinabalu town area to Tawau Town by the shortest route, Via Keningau/Maliau Basin/Kalabakan, which is around 480km iirc, it took at least 7hrs non stop driving, within the speed of 90km/h. so if Pan Borneo is built, it might cut short the travelling time, BUT as a tourist, they wont wiling to spend 5hrs on the road, just to tawau for Semporna (which is another 1hr from tawau, or fastest 45mins). not to say all, but most.

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That road was previously used by timber companies to transport their logs. Only in recent year was the road "upgraded". Hardly a scenic route. I can imagine you sleep thru the 4 hours drive, but a flight from BKI takes 45 minutes.

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That road was previously used by timber companies to transport their logs. Only in recent year was the road "upgraded". Hardly a scenic route. I can imagine you sleep thru the 4 hours drive, but a flight from BKI takes 45 minutes.

 

indeed it's a logging road last time, and get better surfaced recent years. iirc it's open "officially" less than 8 years for full pavement. but the enjoyable part only from KK-some where Nabawan. further up you will need very alert, as might run into a pothole, rocky surface, or "air-pocket" out of sudden. due to high logging trucks moving around. all the way to Kalabakan. from Kalabakan to Tawau is better, but still anytime you will encounter some rocky surface or uneven, due to the Oil Palm plantation trucks movements.

 

plus, there's no signal on ur cellphones somewhere after Nabawan, up till Maliau Basin you can get some (if lucky enough), then continue the silent phones till kalabakan/ or close to tawau.

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Passenger blasts airline that served him raw chicken and didn’t replace it

 

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/health-safety/passenger-blasts-airline-that-served-him-raw-chicken-and-didnt-replace-it/news-story/efbe6396c1c80e1ef13f4a261a10535b

 

____________

 

Not to belittle his complaint, but could it be that the chicken skewer is really a satay? And the 'raw' and 'pink' as in the photos were exaggerated and interpreted as such by someone of different culture or background? Just my thought...

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Passenger blasts airline that served him raw chicken and didnt replace it

 

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/health-safety/passenger-blasts-airline-that-served-him-raw-chicken-and-didnt-replace-it/news-story/efbe6396c1c80e1ef13f4a261a10535b

 

____________

 

Not to belittle his complaint, but could it be that the chicken skewer is really a satay? And the 'raw' and 'pink' as in the photos were exaggerated and interpreted as such by someone of different culture or background? Just my thought...

Chicken looks raw. For food safety, chicken is not supposed to serve pink in mass produced airlines foods.

 

If mh or it's supplier couldn't find where was the failure in haccp mean it may happen again.

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Chicken looks raw. For food safety, chicken is not supposed to serve pink in mass produced airlines foods.

 

If mh or it's supplier couldn't find where was the failure in haccp mean it may happen again.

 

Ok, I see.

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Heard the paint job was done in China.

Could this be the simplified version of Cathay Pacific since China is using simplified Chinese characters ? 😊

Or it could be CXs obsession with removing F.

 

(Joke stolen from FlyerTalk)

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What do passengers steal from planes? Anything that isnt bolted down.

 

Among the items snatched from commercial flights: coffee mugs, cutlery, blankets and life jackets.

 

Life jackets? Yes, life jackets.

 

When Joyce Kirby worked as a flight attendant, she says, passengers routinely grabbed the emergency flotation devices under their seats before exiting the aircraft. We had to check each seat after each flight to make sure each one had a vest, recalls Kirby, who now runs a tour operation in Palm Coast, Fla.

 

But the what isnt as interesting as the why. If passengers are taking everything they can carry when they leave planes, it may say more about the airline industry than it does about them.

 

Not long ago, I took a hard look at the problem of disappearing hotel amenities. Experts suggested that hotel resort fees which leave guests with the impression that everything is included may be to blame for a rise in thefts. The airline problem is similar. Fees are everywhere, and travelers dont always have a choice about paying them. Theyre stealing stuff because theyre angry.

 

How much do passengers steal from planes? No one knows. There are no recent surveys on airline theft, and airlines dont publicly report thefts. But theres plenty of anecdotal evidence from my readers and from colleagues like Brian Sumers, a writer for the online trade publication Skift, who recently observed that passengers were stealing upgraded amenities such as pillows and blankets from first class.

 

United Airlines last year reportedly sent a memo to flight attendants noting some confusion about which amenities may be taken off the plane at the end of the flight. The pillows and blankets in first class, it said, dont come with the flight. Even if only a small number of these items are taken off each flight, that can quickly add up to millions of dollars across our network over the course of a year, the memo warned.

 

Lets quickly review the items people normally lift from planes.

 

Airsickness bags: Travelers like Clemens Sehi collect them. Its kind of a tradition for me to take the bags with me as a souvenir, he says. He has collected 250 bags from 50 countries, including some from airlines that now are defunct. His most prized barf bag is from Aero Lloyd, a German airline that shut down in 2003. Sehi, a creative director and writer from Berlin, doesnt consider taking these bags to be stealing.

 

Table settings: I spoke with several passengers who admitted to taking forks, knives, spoons, glassware and salt and pepper shakers. This is more of a gray area. Obviously, plastic dishware is fine to take, but regular table settings are normally a no-no. When it doubt, ask. Thats what Valerio Violo, a civil engineer from Copenhagen, did on a recent Lufthansa flight. When I asked the flight attendant if I could buy the coffee mugs, she gave me two, he recalls. Theyre actually very nice.

 

Pillows and blankets: Simah Etgar doesnt have a problem with taking the blankets on her flights. It is, she says, good thieving because she donates the blankets to her school in a low-income area of Raisinghnagar, India, where she teaches English. Indeed, some airlines, including JetBlue, sell the blankets to passengers outright rather than offering them for use during the flight. But as a general rule, you can keep the blankets unless a flight attendant tells you that you cant, either with a spoken notice (Flight attendants will now collect your pillows and blankets) or a written one, such as a card in your amenity kit.

 

These are hardly the only items passengers steal from planes. Some stolen items are surprising because its unclear what the passengers will do with them. That includes warning placards (Life Vest Under Your Seat), tray tables and, as one flight attendant told me, the wings right off my uniform blazer, which was in the aisle seat.

 

Okay, stealing a flight attendants wings that crosses a line.

 

So whats behind the in-flight thefts? Blame the increasingly frayed relationship between passenger and airline. A generation ago, when tickets were a little more expensive, they included a lot of things, like the ability to check a bag, reserve a seat and enjoy a decent meal. Today, everything is extra, and that irks some passengers, who feel that the airline is taking advantage of them. Stealing a cup or a life jacket is payback.

 

Passengers sometimes have a right to feel exploited. When the airline charges exorbitant prices for bland airline meals, its easy to justify pilfering a bag of pretzels from the galley. Likewise, when a carrier charges five figures for a premium seat, you might assume the pillows and blankets are included.

 

I think taking things from airplanes is more of a moral choice than anything, says Andrew Mondia, an actor based in Toronto. Like most passengers, he already knows what hes allowed to take, and what he isnt. Just in case: If its disposable, you can take it. If not, just ask.

 

Theres a way to stop airline passengers and hotel guests from stealing, but it could be expensive. Make the travel experience fair and as free of fees as possible. Dont hold your breath for that to happen, though. These are industries that became enormously profitable by bending the truth and inventing surcharges. Its unlikely theyll give that up.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/youll-never-believe-what-passengers-steal-from-planes/2018/10/11/d54e4eba-c820-11e8-b2b5-79270f9cce17_story.html?utm_term=.061b4e66cab9

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What do passengers steal from planes? Anything that isnt bolted down.

 

Among the items snatched from commercial flights: coffee mugs, cutlery, blankets and life jackets.

 

Life jackets? Yes, life jackets.

 

When Joyce Kirby worked as a flight attendant, she says, passengers routinely grabbed the emergency flotation devices under their seats before exiting the aircraft. We had to check each seat after each flight to make sure each one had a vest, recalls Kirby, who now runs a tour operation in Palm Coast, Fla.

 

But the what isnt as interesting as the why. If passengers are taking everything they can carry when they leave planes, it may say more about the airline industry than it does about them.

 

Not long ago, I took a hard look at the problem of disappearing hotel amenities. Experts suggested that hotel resort fees which leave guests with the impression that everything is included may be to blame for a rise in thefts. The airline problem is similar. Fees are everywhere, and travelers dont always have a choice about paying them. Theyre stealing stuff because theyre angry.

 

How much do passengers steal from planes? No one knows. There are no recent surveys on airline theft, and airlines dont publicly report thefts. But theres plenty of anecdotal evidence from my readers and from colleagues like Brian Sumers, a writer for the online trade publication Skift, who recently observed that passengers were stealing upgraded amenities such as pillows and blankets from first class.

 

United Airlines last year reportedly sent a memo to flight attendants noting some confusion about which amenities may be taken off the plane at the end of the flight. The pillows and blankets in first class, it said, dont come with the flight. Even if only a small number of these items are taken off each flight, that can quickly add up to millions of dollars across our network over the course of a year, the memo warned.

 

Lets quickly review the items people normally lift from planes.

 

Airsickness bags: Travelers like Clemens Sehi collect them. Its kind of a tradition for me to take the bags with me as a souvenir, he says. He has collected 250 bags from 50 countries, including some from airlines that now are defunct. His most prized barf bag is from Aero Lloyd, a German airline that shut down in 2003. Sehi, a creative director and writer from Berlin, doesnt consider taking these bags to be stealing.

 

Table settings: I spoke with several passengers who admitted to taking forks, knives, spoons, glassware and salt and pepper shakers. This is more of a gray area. Obviously, plastic dishware is fine to take, but regular table settings are normally a no-no. When it doubt, ask. Thats what Valerio Violo, a civil engineer from Copenhagen, did on a recent Lufthansa flight. When I asked the flight attendant if I could buy the coffee mugs, she gave me two, he recalls. Theyre actually very nice.

 

Pillows and blankets: Simah Etgar doesnt have a problem with taking the blankets on her flights. It is, she says, good thieving because she donates the blankets to her school in a low-income area of Raisinghnagar, India, where she teaches English. Indeed, some airlines, including JetBlue, sell the blankets to passengers outright rather than offering them for use during the flight. But as a general rule, you can keep the blankets unless a flight attendant tells you that you cant, either with a spoken notice (Flight attendants will now collect your pillows and blankets) or a written one, such as a card in your amenity kit.

 

These are hardly the only items passengers steal from planes. Some stolen items are surprising because its unclear what the passengers will do with them. That includes warning placards (Life Vest Under Your Seat), tray tables and, as one flight attendant told me, the wings right off my uniform blazer, which was in the aisle seat.

 

Okay, stealing a flight attendants wings that crosses a line.

 

So whats behind the in-flight thefts? Blame the increasingly frayed relationship between passenger and airline. A generation ago, when tickets were a little more expensive, they included a lot of things, like the ability to check a bag, reserve a seat and enjoy a decent meal. Today, everything is extra, and that irks some passengers, who feel that the airline is taking advantage of them. Stealing a cup or a life jacket is payback.

 

Passengers sometimes have a right to feel exploited. When the airline charges exorbitant prices for bland airline meals, its easy to justify pilfering a bag of pretzels from the galley. Likewise, when a carrier charges five figures for a premium seat, you might assume the pillows and blankets are included.

 

I think taking things from airplanes is more of a moral choice than anything, says Andrew Mondia, an actor based in Toronto. Like most passengers, he already knows what hes allowed to take, and what he isnt. Just in case: If its disposable, you can take it. If not, just ask.

 

Theres a way to stop airline passengers and hotel guests from stealing, but it could be expensive. Make the travel experience fair and as free of fees as possible. Dont hold your breath for that to happen, though. These are industries that became enormously profitable by bending the truth and inventing surcharges. Its unlikely theyll give that up.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/youll-never-believe-what-passengers-steal-from-planes/2018/10/11/d54e4eba-c820-11e8-b2b5-79270f9cce17_story.html?utm_term=.061b4e66cab9

Reminds me of those good years when you can get cool collection of playing cards, postcards, pen, etc for free, nowadays, you need to buy these items.

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Reminds me of those good years when you can get cool collection of playing cards, postcards, pen, etc for free, nowadays, you need to buy these items.

Hence, if you want to time-travel, fly on SQ.

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On airplanes, personal space is a vanishing commodity


Colder weather brings with it one certainty for air travelers: the start of space wars.


You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? Sweaters, jackets and bags overpacked with holiday presents make small economy seats feel even smaller. The disagreements start with the overhead luggage compartment and extend to the space under and between the seats.


It’s no secret that space is at a premium. The situation is so bad that the government decided to regulate the minimum size requirements for seats in the FAA Reauthorization Bill passed earlier this month.


A survey by the market research firm CivicScience finds that passengers are deeply divided about personal space on planes. For example, it reported that 78 percent of U.S. adults agree that the window seat has control of the window shade. Only 21 percent of adults surveyed said the middle seat has the right to both armrests; 53 percent said it does not. Interestingly, of the 21 percent who think the middle seat has the right to both, the majority are men. (The correct answer in just a moment.)



So how do you win the space war on a plane? The short answer is: You don’t. Go for a cease-fire instead. Many airlines have quietly stripped almost everything that once came with economy-class tickets, including a generous amount of personal space, a meal, a seat reservation, a checked bag, even a carry-on bag. That has left passengers fighting for what’s left.


Here’s what’s at stake:


Armrests: They only belong to you if you’re sitting in the middle seat. And who wants to sit in a middle seat? “The rule is, if you share an armrest, the person in the middle generally gets to use both,” says San Francisco-based etiquette consultant Lisa Grotts. If you’re in an aisle or window seat, yield to the passenger in between and be careful when you move your elbows,” she adds.


Overhead luggage bin: That’s community property, no matter where you’re sitting. But you can’t store whatever you want in one of them. “Jackets and oversized garments belong on the floor in front of the passenger on packed flights,” explains frequent flier Jawn Murray, a television host from the District. “It is totally inconsiderate to fill up limited overhead space with bulky coats when people are trying to keep from checking their carry-on bags and need the overhead space.”


Space in front of your seat: It’s yours, mostly. Airline insiders I’ve talked to describe it as a “shared” space that belongs to you by default until someone leans into it. “Leaning your seat back should include a quick ask of the person directly behind you,” says frequent air traveler Michael Alexis, a strategic consultant who regularly commutes between his home in New York and Beijing. But what comes next is a negotiation. How far back can you lean before the passenger behind you is wedged in?


Space under the seat in front of you: That’s yours, within limits. If your carry-on bag is so large that it pushes into the personal space of the person in front of you, then you’re back to negotiating with the passenger in that seat.


Window shade: If you’re sitting in the window seat, you control it — mostly. “For the window shade, you don’t own it as much as you are responsible for it,” says veteran business traveler Jeffrey Walsh of Delran, N.J., who founded a social network for travelers called Nomo FOMO. “If you are looking out of the window and trying to enjoy the sunset, then you can keep it up to enjoy. However, you should take into consideration others around you.” For example, if you’re not looking out the window on a long flight and the sun is low on the horizon, causing a glare, consider closing the shade. Also, follow the instructions of the flight attendants. When they ask you to close the shade, do so.


These rules may seem picayune, but frequent fliers take them seriously. Although they’re often unstated, they are nonetheless enforced by passengers or crew members.


Tres Roeder, who runs a consulting company in Cleveland and flies often, has adopted this exact definition of personal space: “It’s the space in front of you and next to you, the floor space beneath the seat in front of you, and the head space above you.” When someone invades it, he doesn’t immediately fight back but tries to negotiate a truce.


“We’re all smashed in economy class like sardines so we should work together,” he says.


It shouldn’t have to be that way. Passengers should have enough space in the overhead bins, in their seats and below their seats. But eliminating space is part of the airline business model, says Brent Bowen, an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University professor who publishes the Airline Quality Rating.


“They want to take the space away from you — and then sell it back,” he says.


Did passengers ask for any of this? If so, I haven’t heard from them. Airlines argue that the squeeze is a result of customer demand for cheaper seating.


But none of this would be happening if the U.S. airline industry actually competed for your business. With more than 80 percent of domestic traffic controlled by the four largest U.S. airlines, the big carriers can do whatever they please.


All of which brings us back to the upcoming space war. This fall, know your territory, negotiate a detente and never forget who is responsible for the guy who leans all the way back, squeezing you even tighter into an economy-class vise grip.





So, just who is this etiquette person anyway? What makes her an expert?


Etiquette is basically the rules of society. Those rules exist only because the majority of people agree that's how things should be done.


So, when she says the middle seat gets both armrests, and only 21% agree with her, she is by definition wrong.






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Singapore Airlines flight to Osaka delayed nearly 6 hours due to refuelling issue

 

SINGAPORE: Passengers on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from Singapore to Osaka were stranded for nearly six hours on Sunday morning (Nov 11) after the plane was delayed due to a refuelling issue.

Flight SQ618, which was an Airbus A380, was scheduled to depart Singapore at 1.30am local time.

 

The delay was due to an overfuelling of the aircraft, as well as the unavailability of a defuelling truck at Changi Airport, said an SIA spokesperson in response to Channel NewsAsia's queries. ​​​​​​​

The flight eventually took off at 7.13am after a replacement aircraft was deployed.

"Unfortunately, we are unable to provide specifics on the quantity of fuel uplifted or required for the flight," said the spokesperson.

All passengers were served light refreshments prior to boarding, he added.

 

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-airlines-flight-osaka-delayed-6-hours-refuelling-issue-10918286

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On some of the newer planes flown by American, Delta and United airlines, the bathrooms in coach are just 24 inches wide. For comparison, thats roughly the width of the average dishwasher or the size of Kim Kardashians waist.

 

By comparison, the average porta-potty is roughly 34 inches wide. Same with the stalls in the womens restrooms at Reagan National Airport.

 

According to the manufacturer, the new-style bathrooms free up enough space to fit six more passengers onboard.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/classic-apps/passengers-are-getting-bigger-but-airplane-bathrooms-are-shrinking/2018/11/16/5f30e28a-b1da-11e8-a20b-5f4f84429666_story.html?utm_term=.aef5bba2dfc0

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Airline loyalty schemes criticised as waste of money

 

Airline loyalty schemes are a waste of money and frequent fliers could save far more by shopping around for cheap flights, a travel expert has claimed.

 

Jack Sheldon said that schemes such as Avios, the frequent flier currency used by British Airways, attracted such a small monetary value that it was no longer worth passengers time.

 

He said a rise in competition between airlines meant that shopping around could result in larger savings than the benefits of frequent-flier programmes.

 

More from

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/airline-loyalty-schemes-frequent-flier-waste-of-money-british-airways-avios-xtsbxrh7k

Edited by KK Lee

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Cathay Pacific Airways sold first and business class tickets for as cheaply as it would cost to fly in economy, in what appears to have been an error by the airline.

 

The offer lit up the internet in the new year with frequent fliers and bargain hunters alike buying tickets quickly as word spread across social media and popular flight blogging websites and forums.

 

The carrier, one of Asias leading premium airlines, offered return business and first class seats from Vietnam to North America at the very low prices of HK$5,300 (US$678) and HK$6,600 respectively. The airfares have since been withdrawn from its website.

 

https://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/2180278/cathay-pacific-offers-first-and-business-class-tickets

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First-class tickets on Cathay Pacific Airways from Portugal to Hong Kong were sold for US$1,512 (HK$11,800) instead of US$16,000 on Sunday, less than two weeks after a similar incident on the carrier’s website sparked a frenzy among eagle-eyed buyers.

 

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2181853/cathay-pacific-sells-first-class-ticket-portugal

 

It seems lightning could strike twice.

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First-class tickets on Cathay Pacific Airways from Portugal to Hong Kong were sold for US$1,512 (HK$11,800) instead of US$16,000 on Sunday, less than two weeks after a similar incident on the carrier’s website sparked a frenzy among eagle-eyed buyers.

 

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2181853/cathay-pacific-sells-first-class-ticket-portugal

 

It seems lightning could strike twice.

It strikes Malaysia Airlines too on codeshare flights on Emirates to Dubai - only that MH cancelled the ticket and offer refund and free Y class ticket:

 

https://loyaltylobby.com/2019/01/14/reader-question-cancelled-emirates-first-class-error-fare-ex-kuala-lumpur-issued-by-malaysia-airlines-compensation-offered/?omhide=true

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