Raphael Cockx
@raphael
Newsroom developer and datajournalist at @tijd.be in Brussels Into trains, planes, not so much automobiles Lover of most things 🇨🇦 Possibly addicted to 🧀 Talk to me on Threema:
Iemand nog op zoek naar een hotelkamer in New York voor 13 euro per nach? 😀
Ok, this looks very cool but what I really want to know is why it says 'Antwerpen'.
I wish these maps had city labels so I could find out where in Germany to go to enjoy those 26 degrees 😀
Ofwel heeft de site van Coolblue een klein probleempje, ofwel ben ik vergeten dat ik 14 JAAR GELEDEN iets besteld heb dat nog steeds niet toegekomen is.
And while PopulAir has some longer routes in Sweden, I picked a 86 mile / 30 minute hop across the Baltic Sea (which should be lovely) between Mariehamn (MHQ) and Turku (TKU). Technically a domestic Finnish flight although MHQ is in the automomous and Swedish speaking region of Åland. (2/3)
Almost 8 years after the final demise of VLM, most of its former Fokker 50's are still flying. Some in places like Somalia or Kenya, but quite a few with PopulAir in Sweden. Given how some are almost 40 years old by now, I decided it was time for what could very well be one last Fokker flight. (1/3)
In my ongoing fascination for islands and (semi-)autonomous regions, I've once again planned a trip to a part of a part of Europe that I wasn't even sure belongs to the EU. Wikipedia tells me it does.
I've always thought that 'acqua' is the Italian word for 'water' but apparently it means - checks notes - something that else entirely.
It's such a pleasure to take a train in Italy. Yesterday, the high speed Frecciarossa brought me from Bologna to Milan in just 1h14, perfectly on time - even though the train was coming from Naples already - and for just 27 EUR. Today I'm on a regional train with lots of space and huge windows.
Actually, I'm pretty sure nobody with a basic command of the English language ever said that. 🙄
What happened to the prices of the Barra flights? It's been a while since I looked at this route, but I don't remember them being THIS high. And I didn't cherry pick a specific day either, it's these kind of prices on every single day of the next few months. #AvGeek
Of course, just looking at the prices on their site would give you a good indication as well. The 07:56 and 17:56 departures must have the lightest loads.
Essentially, they make you pick one of two VERY broad time blocks - up to 7 hours. But surely, they'll put you on whatever train has the most empty seats and set the fare based on the number of unsold seats? And yes, it turns out that their API shows the exact train already 😂 (2/2)
Somewhat unsurprisingly, there are big price differences between Train + Flight itineraries and that same route without the first and last legs. This, for example, is Cologne-Kinshasa vs Brussels-Kinshasa. (But 5h14 between plane and train? Ouch)
Serving Antwerp as well and, at least between Cologne and BRU, sold as a codeshare with Brussels Airlines.
Lol, WestJet will happily sell you a one way flight from Dublin to London - via St. John's. #AvGeek
"Vietnam’s Sun PhuQuoc Airways orders ‘up to’ 40 787s". Got to admit I had to look them (or at least their parent company) up on Wikipedia and couldn't help but find that whole company history quite peculiar. #AvGeek
They did eventually send me a mail. Including a very clear explanation (including contact information for their Head of Legal should I want to reach out 🤔), a discount code for 10% and a good part about not linking to their site to avoid looking like a phishing scan. All very classy!
Gotta (somehow) love these 'pie in the sky' airline startups. Like AIRIDEA, from Italy but operated by Dutch AIS. They plan flights from Genoa to 11 destinations, 3 of which don't have any scheduled operations yet. With 19-seaters, a 65% load and somehow profitability within the year. #AvGeek
For a second there, I thought Westjet had launched another transatlantic route. But of course Saint John in New Brunswick isn't (anywhere near) St. John's in Newfoundland. But I hear that if you fly to Halifax you can actually drive to Australia. Or was it Austria? #AvGeek
Feed cleanser - the oldest airplane photo(s) on my phone Air Jamaica, March 2013 at Toronto Pearson. Or, if I'm cheating just a bit because the photo is obviously downloaded but on my phone: a Sabena DC-3 on its first flight between Antwerp and London (LHR).
Dat en de 'u woont niet in Brussel en moet dus eerst nog op de NMBS rekenen om absoluut zeker 75 minuten op voorhand in Zuid te zijn' taks 😉
I can't wait to see some competition for Eurostar in the Brussels to London route. The timings on these 'lowest fares' are truly awful, because god forbid that you'd continue your journey beyond London. Want more decent hours? That'll be almost 50% extra.
Seems like they got their act in order, no free trips anymore. Still a steal though, even in peak summer months.