I am passionate about airlines and especially airline food. I was
fortunate enough to spend the last 8 years working in the airline
industry. The idea for the website came about whilst working at
an airline, passengers would complain about the lack of food items on the menu, their complaints went unheard. So the idea was born, a platform for passengers to review their experiences with airline buy on board options, as well as an information source for future travelers to stay informed about their dining options.
I
hope to fly anywhere from 3 to 5 sectors per day with different
airlines, sampling their menu options, sleeping at airport hotels, or
sometimes returning home the same day if possible. The flights would be split up into mini trips covering vast
areas over a period of time. Flights should take place March/April
2012. The trip will see me stopping in
Hamburg on the 27th March for 3 days to coincide, and visit, the World Travel Catering & Onboard services expo.
http://www.worldtravelcateringexpo.com
The Journey
A
27,883km (approx) airline flying journey across Europe flying with 23 of the following 30 airlines: Aer
Lingus, Air Baltic, Air Berlin, Air Europa, Blue1, bmibaby, Brussels
Airlines, Cimber Sterling, Condor, easyJet, Finnair, NIKI, Flybe,
Germanwings, Helvetic Airways, Iberia, Icelandair, Iceland Express, Jet2, KLM, Monarch Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Ryanair, SAS,Thomson Airways, Transavia.com, TUIfly, Condor, Vueling and Wizz Air.
Note the original idea included flying onto North America and conducting a further 15 flights with airlines in Canada and the USA, meaning the trip would be around 60,000km! I felt it was more realistic to try and raise funds for the European portion at least!
Why?
Our friends at Branding Aero in New York (picture above) conducted some of the very first inflight reviews on our behalf, highlighting dining options for passengers on several US based airlines. With funding the project will be able to review many more airlines, these reviews are then used to provide passengers with information, tips, reviews, and premium dining options. I
am not worried about the destinations I will fly to, that's not
important. What is important is to fly on as many different airlines
as possible.
The
Impact
On Airlines
I believe this will have an impact on airlines, raise more awareness of their menus, and hopefully show that not all airline meals are the same. I want to show passengers that there are great options out there to choose from.
I don't believe that anyone has ever completed a trip such as this before, so it would be the first of its kind.
Charity
Just like your local fun run, I am trying to raise awareness of my flying trip. Ideally I would like to be able to donate some serious money (through a sponsor) from this event to a charity that possibly deals with hunger.
If I fly 27,000km and ask a sponsor to sponsor me anywhere from 0.25 cents to 0.50cents per kilometer flown, this could be a nice donation of anywhere between $6,500 to $13,500 for a charity. Just need the sponsor first!! I have made a few submissions already.
I am open to suggestions from my community, so talk to me and let me know what you think!
What I need
The
funds are to cover most of the cost of flights, inflight meal purchases, and
travel expenses incurred during the project. Approximate figures are
below, I have conducted research into flight sectors and approximate
costings. If full funding is not reached, only part of the project can be completed. Depending on the funds donated I may be able to sample a few different airlines only.
Approximate
cost breakdowns
Europe
23 flights to purchase approximate cost € 1872. Average ticket
price €78 per flight.
Hotel
costs: Will require airport accommodation for up to 8 nights €560.
Inflight
Meal Purchases: €483 euro, average flight spend €21.
I plan
to also purchase a meal for the person sitting next to me on some
flights, surprise and delight them!
Reward
costs: To come out of own pocket.
Misc Travel Costs: To come out of own pocket.
Total
approximate cost of project: €2915/USD$3695.
What
you get?
A
chance to help fund this amazing research project, and a reward for
you based on your donation!
By donating, you are making this dream happen for me.
Access to videos and photos well before anyone sees them on the website!
The chance to follow me in my travels, and learn about the various options these airlines offer.
A behind the scenes look at how this trip will come about, regular updates for all that donate.
A new friend, who will be forever thankful & grateful to you, and don't forget your rewards!!
Please
don't forget to share the love and promote this project with your friends on Facebook & Twitter, thanks in advance :)