Yes.
Yes it did.
Just look at these happy patrons over at Jack London Square’s Bocanova restaurant.
Thusly:
And thusly:
Man, if I had knowed, I would have loaded up the Land Cruiser with eight souls and headed on over there.
And then I’d have been off to Sud America to see Paradise Falls or to party like an impossible-to-fire BART spokesmodel or to do something, man.
Damn!
Well-played, LAN Airlines.
Well–played, Edelman PR
All the deets after the jump.
Yesterday, owing to the unusual winds what blew away* the fog, I saw jumbo jets above S.F. in places where I normally don’t, but I couldn’t really hear them. (I guess jets have gotten a lot quieter these days.)
Like this low-flying United Air 747-400 near the Ferry Building – you could hardly hear it:
Click to expand
*I suppose – cf. yesterday’s Blue Sky Red Bridge from Burrito Justice
Here are the bus ads around town these days.
See? “Terminal 2 has arrived. April, 2011“
Click to expand
Now, is this something to get excited about?
Well, as always, You Make The Call. Hey, why not show up for the FREE SFO T2 Community Open House on Saturday, April 9th, 2011 and decide for yourself.
But hurry, they’re running out of the tickets that you all will need to get in. Check it:
(As promised, there are 11 thin White People on the invite page. Count them for yourself, why not? Where’s Waldo ‘n stuff.)
As you might have expected, Inside Scoop’s Paolo Lucchesi is all over the food sitch at our new T2. All’s I can say is that it all should be pretty pricey, but, prove me wrong, SFO, prove me wrong.
Now, leaving aside the big picture of labeling anything to do with jet travel sustainable,* I’m a little baffled as to how a “cage-free” egg is a “sustainable” egg, but oh well.
All the deets:
As with other tenants, SFO’s concession tenants are encouraged to use green building materials for their facilities and will be required to recycle and compost.”
O.K. fine.
I don’t know, I’m used to hearing all this overblown stuff from SFO. So it’s like yes, SFO was ready for the long-delayed Airbus A380 superjumbo, but so what. And yes, Lufthansa will soon be using an A380 from Frankfurt daily, but it burns more fuel than the Boeing 747 it’s replacing, right? Well, the Mayor’s Office and SFO both reported that one wrong. Oh and then QANTAS was supposed to start flying A380s in and out of Millbrae, but, instead, they’re going to bug out of NorCal entirely due to a little corporate welfare (like 3 mil., something like that) from Texas, so maybe the Mayor’s Office and SFO were, once again, wrong/insanely optimistic about that as well?
Remembering when the T2 construction site was a vast ocean of free parking. Good times.
(Man, are they still flying three-decade-out-of-production DC9′s out of SFO? Or that’s a baby McDonnell Douglas MD-80 in the upper left? Can’t tell. No matter, flying dinosaurs they are regardless.)
So, we had a Terminal 2, then we shut it down, and now we’re opening it again. O.K.
Meh.
Make that super-meh.
*Cheap international air travel using relatively cheap dino-juice is “sustainable?” Really? And instead of bringing food to the people, ’cause that’s unsustainable ‘n stuff, we’re bringing people to the food?
All the deets here and after the jump.
SFO: Ask about our “recomposure zone!”**
**Srsly. (Call us when the shuttle lands, SFO.)
Anyway:
“SFO T2 Community Open House
Saturday, April 09, 2011 from 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM (PT)
San Francisco, CA
Ticket Information
TYPE ENDS QUANTITY
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Apr 09, 2011 Free Sold Out
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Apr 09, 2011 Free Sold Out
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Apr 09, 2011 Free
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Apr 09, 2011 Free
4:00 pm- 5:00 pm Apr 09, 2011 Free Sold Out
The City of San Francisco, Mayor Edwin M. Lee and the San Francisco Airport Commission invite you to a special Community Open House to celebrate the Grand Opening of Terminal 2, SFO’s dazzling new terminal that elevates air travel to a new level of comfort, relaxation, beauty and fun – and all with a commitment to sustainability.
The Community Open House will feature food and beverage specials from T2′s new tenants, activities and entertainment provided by T2 partners and sponsors and local organizations. Discover how T2 + U = a greener way to travel! Compete in the Skytracker Eco-Challenge and see if you can score enough points to win exciting prizes and gifts, including a fabulous trip for two.
12 noon to 5 pm: Public Admission
Bring the family — this is a FREE event, open to everyone.
FOR MORE DETAILS: flysfo.com/t2opening
Contact: Event Coordinators: Winslow & Associates, Inc.
Phone: (415) 551-5190, Fax: (415) 551-5195,
Email: info@winslowevents.com
From the 7×7 comes news of the Swiss International Air Lines Heidi Look-A-Like Contest coming to Justin Herman Plaza this Thursday, October 7th, 2010.
And when I say, All Are Welcome to Enter, I mean All are Welcome to Enter, if you know what I mean.* See you there!
What: Come celebrate all things Swiss at the first-ever Heidi Look-a-Like Contest at Justin Herman Plaza. Rent a goat (at your own risk 
) and pull out your Heidi Dirndl dress! Contestants will have chances to win fabulous prizes, including round-trip airfare in Business Class for 2 people on Swiss International Air Lines’ new nonstop service from San Francisco to Zurich, 3 nights deluxe accommodations in Zurich and 4-day Swiss Passes for unlimited travel on trains, buses and lake steamers in Switzerland. Don’t have access to a goat or Heidi dress? All are invited to come and enjoy Swiss giveaways and treats such as SWISS chocolates, Ricola candies, and others.
When: Thursday, October 7 at 11:00am – 1pm
Where: Justin Herman Plaza, San Francisco (near Market & Stuart Streets)
It’s Maria Heidi!
Now, is that the real Heidi?
Mmmm….
Oh, here she is, she’s got the goat, the enlivened hills, she’s got it all:
Benefit: The Heidi Look-A-Like Contest is brought to you by Swiss International Air Lines and benefits the Academy of Friends and Breast Cancer Emergency Fund.
MC: Fernando & Greg of MOViN 99.7
Judges:
Empress XXX Donna Sachet, Performer, TV Host and Columnist
Joe D’Alessandro, President, CEO, San Francisco Convention & Visitor’s Bureau
Alex Herrmann, Director of Switzerland Tourism, North America
Annette Reantragoon, Director Passenger Sales USA., Swiss International Air Lines
Hooman, Morning Show Personality with Sarah and Vinnie of Alice 97.3
Admission: Free! All are invited to join in the fun!
Registration: 11 am at Justin Herman Plaza.
*So Please don’t go around trying to rip off wigs yelling, “It’s a man, baby!”
Looks like LAN Airlines (let’s all welcome our newest arrival at SFO – “Latin American Network” is one way to remember it) is moving on from that whole “bareback today” ad controversy.
To review, here’s the original ad, as seen on the Streets of San Francisco. (Ignore that white oval, it’s vandalism, possibly from a Women’s Studies major, srsly.)
Photo by Brock Keeling / SFist
See? It went, “Boring bus ride today, bareback in Brazil tomorrow. SFO nonstop to South America.”
Which, I don’t know, if you’re trying to do the whole alliteration thing, that’s not too bad. (I mean what other words starting with the letter “B” can you think of?) Anyway, that bit of double entendre met with a bit of controversy. So LAN got all corporate and said they would set things right.
And here’s the result:
Traffic today. Tango tomorrow.”
See?
Click to expand
Meh.
Anyway, looks like this brouhaha has been put to bed.
So, all you can do is start saving your pennies to get your ticket. Then you grab your dollies…
…and put up your feet for the long trip south:
Popular Virgin America is still generally losing money, but they have some stuff to crow about. Check it, below.
Appears as if they’ll fly right through our Great Recession.
All the deets:
Virgin America Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2009 Financial Results
Start-up Airline Reports Strong Performance in Second Full Year of Operations
SAN FRANCISCO, April 22– Virgin America, the award-winning start-up airline, today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2009. While driving growth against the backdrop of a contracting industry, the start-up airline made significant top line progress in its second full year of operations. For full year 2009, Virgin America reported a $48 million operating loss on revenues of $548 million – a $140 million (or 74 percent) year-over-year improvement over 2008. In 2009, the Company also reported its first quarterly operating profit in the third quarter.
Although the revenue and demand environment remained challenging in the final quarter of 2009, Virgin America reported strong revenue performance, industry-leading load factors, and improved unit costs for the fourth quarter. The airline narrowed its operating loss by $11 million year-over-year in the fourth quarter, improving its operating margin by 10.9 points. Virgin America also reported a 47 percent increase in scheduled service capacity year-over-year.
Ever more deets, after the jump
You know the JetBlue and the Virgin America, right? Let’s review:
“JetBlue Airways is an American low-cost airline…”
“Virgin America, Inc. is a United States-based low-cost airline…”
Well, check out what the suits attending the American Association of Advertising Agencies’ Transformation 2010 convention at the Hilton San Francisco Union Sqaure are paying to fly in from and back to the Big Apple, assuming they’re stuck in the coach section during this Great Recession:
Click to expand
See that? United, Delta, American and Continental all were quoting airfares less than $300, and the ”low-cost airlines” were the most expensive.
Perhaps sexy new Virgin America and JetBlue should be called premium airlines these days?
Just asking…
San Francisco-based Virgin America Airlines has its own “docu-series” starting up on March 24th at 9:30 PM on the CW – it’s called Fly Girls (and it’s not to be confused with the In Living Color/Jennifer Lopez kind of Fly Girls from the 90′s).
Take a look. Meet Mandalay, a local “girl” who’s a Virgin America flight attendant based out of SFO in real life. Listen to her go on about the “romance of aviation” and the benefits of choosing Virgin America, the only California-based airline left by the way.
Barbie, Skipper, and the ”ethnic girlfriends of Barbie“ (or, more politely, a ”mini- United Nations of races and ethnicities“) are coming soon to KBCW-TV channel 44 / 45 and all the CW stations across America. Oh yes, their “real” names (or “reel” names) are Tasha, Louise, Mandy (or Mandi), Nikole and Farrah:
Doesn’t this promo shot from the CW Network of former beauty queen Nikole look just like a Virgin America ad?
This show is going to be something like eight half-hour Virgin America infomercials complete with 30-second commercials for shampoo and cosmetics. Nevertheless, it’s going to be better than NBC’s high-budget San Francisco-based Trauma serial, that’s a given from the get-go. (Wonder if cheeky Virgin Airlines founder Sir Richard Branson will make an appearance or two…)
Just discovered that my aging Trinitron (that could be older than you) actually receives channel 44 so I’ll be sure to tune in to check out the debut.
Excelsior, Ever Upward.
Now, meet the Fly Girls and get more deets after the jump.
Farrah Williams
Hometown Airport: LAX
Must Have Travel Accessories: Lip balm and a camera
Travel Tips: “Be nice to fellow travelers and flight attendants. It makes for a more pleasant experience all the way around.”
Security Checkpoint Tips: “Don’t make eye contact. Strip down quick so you’re not holding up the line.”
Years with Virgin America: 2 ½
Louise Nguyen
Hometown Airport: LAX (currently SFO)
Must Have Travel Accessories: Moisturizer and lip balm
Travel Tips: “While on the plane, always wear your shoes in the restroom!”
Security Checkpoint Tips: “Get in line behind someone who has already taken their shoes off, and who is not juggling a ton of things in their hands, and then do the same.”
Years with Virgin America: 2
Mandy Roberts
Hometown Airport: PHX (currently SFO)
Must Have Travel Accessory: A big, soft pashmina that can be used as a pillow or blanket.
Travel Tips: “Drink an endless amount of water.”
Security Checkpoint Tips: “Wear slip-on shoes with socks, if possible. It’s yucky to wait in line with bare feet on the dirty floor.”
Years with Virgin America: 2
Nikole Rubyn
Hometown Airport: SMF (Sacramento)
Must Have Travel Accessory: Visine
Travel Tips: “Always wear or bring socks with you to walk through security!”
Security Checkpoint Tips: “Don’t wear all of your jewelry to the airport, keep it in small bags and put it on after you get through security.”
Years with Virgin America: 2
Tasha Dunnigan
Hometown Airport: SMF (Sacramento)
Must Have Travel Accessory: Cell phone
Travel Tips: “Don’t forget your common sense at home.”
Security Checkpoint Tips: “Have all of your things in order and pay attention.”
Years with Virgin America: 2
“Fly Girls” is from Collins Avenue Productions, with executive producers Jeff Collins (“Bridezilla 3, 4 & 5,” “The Exterminators”) and Colin Nash (“The Hills,” “The City”) and co-executive producers Larry Bond and Porter Gale.
I don’t know, it seems like writer William Langewiesche, currently residing in France, wants to have it both ways with his new book, Fly by Wire: The Geese, the Glide, the Miracle on the Hudson. He wants to rip on Sully, thusly:
“His performance was a work of extraordinary concentration, which the public misread as coolness under fire. Some soldiers will recognize the distinction.”
“Like it or not, [French pilot Bernard Ziegler] reached out across the years and cradled them all the way to the water.”
But then when Langewiesche gets a little blowback, he folds up like a deck chair, talking about how he’s surprised by Sully’s reaction, and how he’s neither pro- nor anti- fly-by-wire, and how he thinks cockpit automation is merely ”a part of the story,” anyway, of Flight 1549. Well, duh, it’s a part of the story.
But that’s Langewiesche’s “Truth About the Miracle on the Hudson” – that’s it, that’s all there is?
Haven’t read Fly by Wire myself. Probably would rather read it more than Sully’s less-techy book (mostly about the his Search for What Really Matters), which I haven’t read either. Oh well.
Obviously, there are pros and cons to Die by Wire. If William Langewiesche is now going around saying that, as he is, then there’s not much of a dispute anymore, we’ll take solace in the certainly that the bruised egos of French Airbus execs (who want Sully to thank Gaia for Airbus every chance he gets) will heal over time.
I don’t know, pretty cheesy (fromagey?) Monsieur William Langewiesche.
Pretty cheesy.
