Top Airline Safety Questions- PART 2

The most important questions about airline safety answered in this easy-to-follow run-down:

3.      What kind of emergency am I most likely to face?

For every accident, there are dozens, even hundreds of unusual circumstances that can happen during a flight.

For a passenger, the most likely emergencies that you will face where you will have to do something is an evacuation of the aircraft using the emergency slides or using the emergency oxygen system. In most cases, the evacuation is ordered as a precautionary measure, not because the passengers face imminent danger.

Emergency oxygen masks may be deployed automatically or be deployed manually by the flight crew. In most cases, deployment of the masks does not indicate that the passengers are in imminent danger.

An example of an emergency evacuation that went very well, was the 2005 Air France crash in Toronto. The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Paris to Toronto. The aircraft encountered heavy thunderstorms upon arrival in Toronto. The crew was able to land, but was unable to stop the aircraft on the runway. The aircraft departed the runway and rolled into a gully where the aircraft broke up and caught fire. All passengers and crew were able to successfully escape the burning plane. None of the 12 crew members and or 297 passengers were killed.

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Top Airline Safety Questions- PART 1

The most important questions about airline safety answered in this easy-to-follow run-down:

1.      Where is the safest place to sit on an airplane?

The short answer is there is no safest seat.

In an aircraft accident where the plane is seriously damaged or one or more occupants are injured or killed, the severity of the injuries depends on many factors, some of which may not be apparent until an accident occurs.

For example, there have been many accidents involving heavy smoke or fire where survival depended on the ability of the passengers to not panic and to quickly remove themselves and others from the aircraft after landing.

2.      Which aircraft model is the safest?

In general, all aircraft in a particular class have to adhere to the same set of standards. When safety concerns arise because of one or more accidents associated with a particular model, the civil aviation authorities of the major industrialized countries will usually require that the issue be addressed in all relevant aircraft models.

For example, fatal airline accidents due to wind shear in the 1970s and 1980s in the U.S. led to a number of innovations in aircraft and ground wind shear detection systems and also in flight crew training which has led to a reduction in the risk of accidents from that weather issue.

While accidents of any kind are rare, you can get a better idea of how safe an aircraft model is by comparing how often passengers die in a plane crash involving that particular aircraft model.

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The World’s Top Ten Party Hotels – PART 10

The lightning bolt motif that traverses this party hotel’s sleek 27-story glass facade is just the first indication that theWit is positively sizzling.

The ROOF lounge, its year-round indoor/outdoor crowning glory, has been Chicago’s reigning “it” spot since its May 2009 debut, granting skyline and starry views; roaring fire pits; a menu of signature cocktails and small plates; and danceable beats doled out by weekend DJs or via the live rock and pop bands showcased in the June 2010-debuted concert series, ROOFLIVE (held twice monthly in summer/early fall).

Add to that theWit’s bustling Loop location (just a stone’s throw from top theatres and eateries); duo of popular on-site restaurants; tricked-out movie theatre available for private party screenings; and some 300 stylish guest rooms to harbour your hangover in and you have just the energy-infused, merry-making recipe to whip up a regular roster of party-minded patrons.

And theWit isn’t about to gather any moss on its primo party-circuit status: Though they say lightning doesn’t strike twice, its newly debuted second-floor Phoenix Lounge is already creating some sparks, with a menu of classic cocktails, a reader-friendly wine-list (“Lush Red”, “Buttery White”), and Mediterranean-inspired small plates rounded out by chic décor (black velvet chairs, silver leather banquets, modern sculpture) and live evening acoustic sets from local artists (Thursdays through Saturdays). Summer rates go for $229/night.

The World’s Top Ten Party Hotels – PART 6

Checking out your room at the Metropolitan London — with its minimalist sophistication, COMO Shambhala bath products, Egyptian cotton sheets, and yoga mat, and sweeping views of Hyde Park from some — you may not feel like you’ve just checked into the biggest party hotel in London, but you have.

After lunch or dinner at the hotel’s Michelin-starred Nobu outpost, head over to the Met Bar. The party starts during Afternoon De-Light (Monday–Saturday, 3pm to 6pm), an alternatively alcoholic take on English teatime where alcohol-optional mar-tea-nis are served alongside healthier versions of traditional scones and sandwiches.

Things really heat up at night when the bar hosts the latest London DJs, music acts, and entertainers; past performers include bands Oasis and Kings of Leon. The regular monthly schedule features themed events like “Rockaoke” (karaoke with a live band) and an electronica club night. The exclusive Met Bar is open to hotel guests and Met members only (aside from a small, impossible to penetrate, guest list) which makes booking a room here all the more appealing.

True revellers will want to book the hotel’s Party Like a Rock Star – Sleep Like a Baby package (from £309/night; subject to availability), which includes such essential amenities as Purple Haze shots (champagne-topped passionfruit vodka concoctions) on arrival, VIP access to several London nightclubs, and a “Party Box” with an inflatable guitar and hangover-hiding eye mask. Published rates start at £390/night.

PART FOUR:

Everywhere you look at Fasano Rio de Janeiro, it’s a feast for the eyes. The hotel nods to the Rio of yesteryear with details such as 1960s-style furniture and vintage uniforms. A visual treat awaits on Fasano Rio de Janeiro’s rooftop deck, whose pool overlooks the delicious curve of Ipanema Beach.

The 3-year-old Fasano — a from-scratch concept of celebrated hotel design architect Philippe Starck — has made the fashionable Ipanema beachfront of Rio de Janeiro an even more desirable place-to-be–seen.

The Fasano’s charisma stems from its storied public spaces — lounge/bar Baretto-Londra (an edgy yet elegant homage to London, owner Rogério Fasano’s favourite city); see-and-be-seen Mediterranean-inspired seafood restaurant Fasano Al Mare (helmed by the former chef of a three-star Michelin Florentine eatery); and a rooftop swimming pool, steam room, and January 2010-debuted spa.

Together, they serve as a superlative microcosm of the Brazilian party capital’s legendary and seductive revelry. Party hotel den Baretto-Londra’s leather-clad aesthetic and exposed red-brick walls provide a glam-packed haven for chic Cariocas (Rio residents) and jet-setters, where classic rock tunes, weekend DJs, and the occasional live show supply the beats.

It’s the exclusive, guests-only rooftop scene that is Fasano’s coup de grace, though, where free-flowing bar service and a sexy infinity pool overlooking Rio’s iconic beachfront landscape define the city’s most coveted perch for sunsets and stargazing — of both kinds (P. Diddy, Madonna, and Beyoncé count among past patrons).