Move over Prague and put this secret Eastern European gem on your travel list
Staying there: Palace Apartments have apartments in the Old Town from about 98 euros per night ( $173.) palaceapartments.sk
Getting around: A Bratislava Card (from 30 euros) gives you free transport on buses, trams and trolleys, and free or discounted entry for many of the city's attractions. card.visitbratislava.com
Explore more: visitbratislava.com
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The Age
3 hours ago
- The Age
Jumbo jets have almost disappeared, but one airline is sticking with them
It was easy to spot the aviation geeks walking past gate B32 at Frankfurt Airport. Each slowed from their purposeful stride, or stopped entirely, transfixed. For parked on the apron in the near darkness, with twinkling navigation lights suggesting imminent distant adventures, was a Boeing 747-8. Huge, majestic – and very rare. There are 25,000 blue whales, an animal to which the jumbo jet is frequently compared, navigating the planet, but now only about 50 747s in active passenger service, the vast majority of top-tier carriers (including Qantas in 2020), having retired them in favour of newer models. Their decline has been long and drawn out, but was hastened by the COVID pandemic, which saw hundreds sold to cargo airlines or simply scrapped. It seems this four-engine behemoth, first flown commercially in 1970, is no longer financially viable in an era of increasingly-efficient twin-engined jets. The final passenger-configured jumbo was delivered eight years ago, and Boeing has no plans to restart the production line. But one European airline hasn't turned its back on the 747 just yet. Germany's Lufthansa, perceived by many to be aviation's kings of efficiency, still operates 27 jumbo jets – 19 of the newer 747-8s, and eight older, slightly smaller 747-400s – and is even upgrading some jumbo jet interiors with swanky new Allegris seats as part of a €2.5 billion ($A4.4 billion) Lufthansa fleet-wide refit. Why the lingering attachment? Part of the reason is simple and unromantic economics. According to aviation analysts, operations out of its Frankfurt and Munich hubs are each at take-off slot capacity. So, with flight numbers capped, Lufthansa really needs its biggest aircraft, and the 364-seat 747s-8s drop neatly between the Airbus A350 (293 seats) and A380 (455 seats). Furthermore, jumbos, despite their age, have a cracking range of nearly 13,000 kilometres and remain among the fastest passenger jets in the sky (reaching speeds of more than 1100 km/h).
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Jumbo jets have almost disappeared, but one airline is sticking with them
It was easy to spot the aviation geeks walking past gate B32 at Frankfurt Airport. Each slowed from their purposeful stride, or stopped entirely, transfixed. For parked on the apron in the near darkness, with twinkling navigation lights suggesting imminent distant adventures, was a Boeing 747-8. Huge, majestic – and very rare. There are 25,000 blue whales, an animal to which the jumbo jet is frequently compared, navigating the planet, but now only about 50 747s in active passenger service, the vast majority of top-tier carriers (including Qantas in 2020), having retired them in favour of newer models. Their decline has been long and drawn out, but was hastened by the COVID pandemic, which saw hundreds sold to cargo airlines or simply scrapped. It seems this four-engine behemoth, first flown commercially in 1970, is no longer financially viable in an era of increasingly-efficient twin-engined jets. The final passenger-configured jumbo was delivered eight years ago, and Boeing has no plans to restart the production line. But one European airline hasn't turned its back on the 747 just yet. Germany's Lufthansa, perceived by many to be aviation's kings of efficiency, still operates 27 jumbo jets – 19 of the newer 747-8s, and eight older, slightly smaller 747-400s – and is even upgrading some jumbo jet interiors with swanky new Allegris seats as part of a €2.5 billion ($A4.4 billion) Lufthansa fleet-wide refit. Why the lingering attachment? Part of the reason is simple and unromantic economics. According to aviation analysts, operations out of its Frankfurt and Munich hubs are each at take-off slot capacity. So, with flight numbers capped, Lufthansa really needs its biggest aircraft, and the 364-seat 747s-8s drop neatly between the Airbus A350 (293 seats) and A380 (455 seats). Furthermore, jumbos, despite their age, have a cracking range of nearly 13,000 kilometres and remain among the fastest passenger jets in the sky (reaching speeds of more than 1100 km/h).
ABC News
19 hours ago
- ABC News
Why I quit my 30-year career as a flight attendant and became a chauffeur for pets
Sandy Robson was a flight attendant for three decades before COVID presented her with the chance to switch careers. After taking a redundancy from the job that "defined her", Sandy came across a Facebook ad looking for drivers — for pets. The 58-year-old now works for a pet-sitting service, transporting animals between their homes and their sitters around Sydney/Gadigal Country. "I just potter around in my boss's car, talking nonsense to dogs and cats all day … Everyone is much more envious of that than when I was a flight attendant." We spoke to Sandy about her career switch, which also included a stint in retail and bartending on a vintage train. These are her words. I started [as a flight attendant] in 1992 when Qantas was recruiting for Japanese speakers. That's something I did at high school and in university. It was the peak of Japanese tourism in Australia. I started off as a flight attendant and made my way through the ranks to supervisor and eventually cabin manager. The best thing was we had lots of long trips and long time in various ports. But once Qantas was sold and they started to cut costs, they started making trips shorter. We called them slam-clickers — where you get off the flight, go to your hotel room, and only leave to come out for work. What kept me there was the fun and the great people I worked with. We had a laugh every single day. And the cheap travel. I was working in short-haul domestic flights for three years of COVID. It was all about the handwashing and the masks and people getting edgy on flights. They offered a redundancy, and I thought "the writing's on the wall now — get out while they're offering money to do so". I wasn't one of those people who were very upset to leave, or felt forced out. It was time. One of the first things I did was get a pet, then the second was book subscriptions, because I knew I was going to be home for shows, the theatre, birthdays. That was the first Christmas I knew I would be home in 30 years, and I got to spend it with my sister and her husband, and my beautiful 19-year-old niece. I had a good payout from Qantas, so had the financial stability to experiment with work a bit. I own my home. I don't have dependants, just the cats. I decided I needed to do something to get out of my house because it was [during] COVID, and a lot of retail was considered essential work. I worked in a homewares store, which was considered a vital industry. I don't know why, I guess people need sheets and towels! I found that very different to the airline. People really didn't treat you well in retail, even though it was a lovely shop. People were quite respectful to flight attendants. You had the odd drongo, but [most passengers] knew you were there doing a hard job, looking after their safety. Do you have a unique job you often get questions about? We'd love to hear about it lifestyle@ After a couple of years in retail, I was offered work on a vintage train. It was the old Southern Aurora, a stainless-steel diesel from 1962. The owners knew someone from Qantas and he recruited his friends to work on it — it was taken over by Qantas people. The owners of the train were delighted because they had this pre-trained … workforce. We all knew the way each other worked, and how to move around each other in confined spaces. I was the bartender. I absolutely loved it and would be doing it now if it didn't change hands. For the pet-sitting company, I pick up the pets from the owners and take them to the pet sitter's home with their belongings. And reverse when the owners get back from holiday. After 30 years of working with people, it's really nice to have customers that can't talk. I've lived in Sydney all my life, so I'm not daunted by traffic or parking. You have some hysterical moments. I have this golden retriever who gets car sick ... Throws up, tries to eat it, and then sits in it. Then I have a Maine coon [cat] who lives in the poshest house imaginable and gets sent to quite a small apartment. He yells at me the whole way. People comment about how wonderful it must be. I say, 'It's not well paid, but it's hugely emotionally rewarding'. I just love animals. I get so much out of it when I see the dogs reunited with their owners.
