Where's Andy Now?

Takamatsu, Japan

andy — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:41:26 +0000

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Kurashiki, Japan

andy — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:44:10 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Okayama, Japan

andy — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:17:52 +0000

Record Number Of Americans Now Hold Passports

andy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:09:12 +0000

“More Americans have passports now than ever before,” says Ken Chavez, Public Affairs Officer in the Office of Policy Coordination and Public Affairs at the US State Department. Over one-third of the population to be exact, or nearly 110 million out of 313 million Americans. That’s more than double the number of US passports in circulation in 2000 (48 million) and around 15 times 1989’s 7 million.

Read the rest of the story on my Seat 1A blog on Forbes.com.

Los Angeles

andy — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:37:09 +0000

Houston, Texas

andy — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:50:38 +0000

The End of Bait-and-Switch Airfares?

andy — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:42:29 +0000

How many times has this happened to you? You reserve an airfare costing, say, $455, but when you go to ticket it 10 minutes later, the fare has suddenly spiked to $498 when taxes were figured in. Starting Thursday January 26th, such bait-and-switch pricing will no longer fly. It’s just one of several regulations being imposed this week by the US Department of Transportation, covering fares, baggage fees and more.

Read the full story on my Forbes Seat 1A blog.

Los Angeles

andy — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:46:50 +0000

Memphis

andy — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:38:05 +0000

I’ll Take Mainhattan – New York Chic

andy — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:58:28 +0000

Socrates Sculpture Park

Story and photos by Andrew Bender for SilverKris, in-flight magazine of Singapore Airlines

Just a decade ago, the industrial and gritty neighbourhood of Long Island City, Queens was terra incognita to Manhattanites. Then the Museum of Modern Art in New York City closed for renovation, set up a temporary location here in 2002, and culture vultures started taking notice of the area. Today, art – and reasonable rents – make Long Island City a storehouse of masterpieces lying alongside former factories, hipster hangouts, old-world ethnic eateries and au courant restaurants and pubs. To get here, take the subway from Manhattan, and travel between venues by taxi.

Read the rest of the story here.

Cakes On A Plane: Cupcakegate And You

andy — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:51:28 +0000

Photo Courtesy of Consumertraveler.com

By now you’ve heard of the Incident of the Confiscated Cupcake. It seems that one Rebecca Hains, of Peabody, Mass., was returning home from Las Vegas last month, when Transportation Security Administration agents confiscated her cupcake on the grounds of excessive frosting, which the TSA classifies as a gel.

On the one hand, dude, it’s a cupcake! On the other hand, the incident raises questions about both airport security and the American diet.

Read the rest of the post on my Seat 1A blog on Forbes.com.

12 Resolutions The Air Travel Industry Should Make (But Probably Won’t) – Forbes.com

andy — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:21:55 +0000

Resolution #10: Welcome tired travelers with speedy, friendly service.

When travel writers dream, it’s often of a better world for travelers. Sure enough, this New Year’s morning, I awoke from a blissful reverie that all the stakeholders in the air travel industry got together and made 12 resolutions for 2012. Here’s that list, to the best of my recollection…

Read all about it on my Forbes Seat 1A blog.