Airline Passengers Willing to Pay to Exit Planes Faster

Travelling can get pretty stressful if you let the little things get to you: losing luggage, an intoxicated passenger in the adjacent seat, and said adjacent passenger getting “motion sickness” halfway through the flight.

We here at POTHOS encourage travelers to relax and take all of annoying little nuances of air travel in stride.

For example, be thankful for when your plane lands safely. When the seatbelt light goes off, enjoy the fact that you can turn on your smart phone and check your emails. As the plane finishes taxiing, gleefully watch as the uptight passengers frantically jockey for position in line for exiting the plane.

Alas, we are not here to judge, and the 2 minutes or so that a frequent flier gains by exiting the plane before everyone else could be potentially valuable to that person. How valuable, you ask?

Roughly $20 dollars. 

In polls by Airfarewatchdog.com, some fliers were willing to pay extra to not only board the plane before everyone else, but also exit the plane with priority. The polls declared about 10 percent of passengers were willing to pay $10 while 3 percent would pay up to $20.

This might seem fairly bizarre to some. Interestingly enough, the same travelers that are willing to pay extra to get into those cramped seating quarters before everyone else are the same ones that are willing to pay even more to get out of them before everyone else. 

“To each their own,” we suppose. We do not doubt that there are frequent fliers with deep pockets who have strict deadlines to meet that exiting the plane as soon as possible can give them a competitive business advantage. Besides, the poll only showed that %3 percent were willing to pay that extra $20 dollars.

Surely this would not benefit airlines enough to institute a new fare. Surely. 

Opus Hotel Upgrades Their Phone system with iPhones

During our most recent stay in the Grand Hyatt in downtown Seattle, we were impressed that an iPhone and iPod compatible “iHome” mini stereo system and alarm clock was provided standard our hotel rooms. Unfortunately, the hotel did not provide a smart phone or even an mp3 player.

At the Opus hotel in Yaletown, Vancouver, they appear to be taking it up a notch.

The hotel is offering one iPhone smart phone per room, with data coverage connected to the hotel’s internet and will have the ability to send and receive phone calls internationally, as to avoid roaming charges.

These iPhones will replace the obsolete touch tone wireless phones found in every hotel of the past and marks the start of a new era of technology – one where the normal traveler is expected to be knowledgeable on smart phone usage and touch-screen technology.

Obviously, if you don’t know how to use an iPhone, don’t want to, or already have a smart phone of your own, you can leave the iPhone docked in its iHome. The iPhone is customized with applications that will keep the guest connected to the hotel, offering concierge services and contact information to all of the hotel departments, so the phone can prove as a valuable tool to any guest entering the city for sightseeing or business related events.

Nicholas Gandossi, Opus Vancouver’s general manager, explains that these technologies are a part of life today, and are not so much perks as they are necessities.

Opus was also the first hotel in Canada to offer and iPad 2 in every room.

Opus Vancouver has stepped up their game, topping iHomes with iPads and iPhones. The only question that remains is a simple one: will we be able to keep up?

Zesty Condiment Creations for your Summertime BBQs

We here at POTHOS are sure that many of you spent your 4^th of July outside in the sun, grilling up something delicious.

However, in addition to your Independence Day delicacies, we’ve decided that this blog will be dedicated to continuing your culinary adventures with a couple recipes from our residential foodie, CEO of POTHOS, Michael Patton.

Always keep cooking and always try something new. Remember, we’ve got a whole summer of sunshine and great food ahead of us!

Try these homemade variations on common condiments to spice up any barbeque or dinner party.

Homemade Ketchup

Ingredients

4 pints ripe grape tomatoes, cut in half

2 cups red wine vinegar

2/3 cup brown sugar

4 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

¾ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

(remember, quality of ingredients make a big difference in final product so use the best quality)

Preparation

In skillet, simmer tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt & pepper until thick (20 – 25 minutes)

Puree until smooth, strain, stir in Worcestershire sauce, chill completely overnight

Yields about 2 cups of your own brand of ketchup!

Homemade grainy mustard

Ingredients

¼ cup brown mustard seeds

¼ cup yellow mustard seeds

½ cup white wine

1 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation

Please seeds in medium bowl, stir in wine and ½ cold water. Cover and let stand overnight

Puree mixture until you reach desired consistency and refrigerate again for 24 hours.

Yields 1 ½ cups

So the next time your wise guy uncle asks if anyone remembered to bring the condiments for his 4^th of July frankfurter, break out these lip smacking flavor enhancers and impress the family!

Tips from MSNBC on How to Get Some Sleep on a Flight

Here are some tips on how to capture some too-often elusive sleep on an airplane (not that any of them are exceptionally mind-blowing... but still worth a look).

1.) Don’t drink caffeinated coffee, tea, soda or eat chocolate (or anything else with caffeine) for six to eight hours before a flight or during one.

2.) Bring earplugs and an eye shade to block out light and sound (some airlines hand these out). Pack a pillow and a blanket- or use the airline provided ones, though they are definitely not as comfy- in order to stay warm, as your body temperature naturally drops when you sleep.

3.) Don't take a sleeping pill- it doesn't do much good, and doctors advise against it on flights due to its potentially adverse effects on your health.

4.) Take advantage of airline services that promote friendlier sleeping conditions (they vary by airline/ flight). For example- some airlines offer a variety of on board sleep aids, including mood lighting, “do not disturb” stickers, and other amenities,

or upgrade to business or first class- many of these seats can now be turned into flat, horizontal beds and make you feel less like a sardine,

(or check out something like Air New Zealand's "Skycouch," in economy which lets three adjoining seats morph into one giant couch-like seat).

5.) Trick yourself- do things you would normally do at home before bed like: brush your teeth, change your clothes (into something more like pajamas if you really want to mimic your home routine) or whatever else you typically do (so long as it is legal to do on a crowded airplane of course!).

Find the original story here: http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/28/8014756-cant-sleep-on-a-plane-tips-to-help-you-catch-a-few-zzzs