Another topic of conversation at dinner last night: planes. Specifically, airlines.
- Aerflot is a member of the SkyTeam frequent flyer miles alliance (that’s Delta, Air France, AeroMexico, and some smaller airlines).
- There were press reports that Tupolev was planning to restore a TU-144 to flying condition, and use it “to transport the Olympic flame and take part in an air show” for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Wikipedia is appropriately skeptical, as am I, but it would be darned awesome if they actually did it.
- North Korea has a national airline, Air Koryo. “According to Skytrax airline rating services, among all worldwide carriers, it is the only one-star rated airline in the world.” This actually makes sense, in a weird sort of way; I’m sure there are officials of the North Korean government who need to travel to Japan, China, Europe, and such on business. And if your country doesn’t have hard currency to buy seats on KLM, what else can you do but start your own airline? (However, Air Koryo can only fly their two new TU-204 aircraft to Europe; all their other aircraft are banned.)
- I’m going to miss Continental.
- I kind of wish I still had this. There was a great fold-out chart in that issue showing the history of commercial airlines up to that point; which ones had folded, which ones had merged, which ones were still operational…
- This is only tangentially related to airlines, but my friend also showed me two Justin Van Genderen prints he’d purchased that I absolutely love (being, as I am, a huge fan of “2001: A Space Odyssey”): number one. number two. The other stuff in Van Genderen’s gallery impresses me, too, especially these mock Soviet space program posters. I think this is a guy who deserves wider notice.