Tuesday 31 May 2016

Some of the worst rooms on the globe

South Africans, most of all travellers on the globe, know how to cut expenses and live cheaply. 
It's common knowledge that travelling the globe requires some comforts of home to be disregarded, right? True, but some of the people listing "apartments" on the web take rental spaces to the edge of doom – literally!

WorstRoom.com, a blog about trying to find affordable housing in New York City - notorious for expensive rental spaces that aren't up to scratch - has encouraged travellers from across the globe to share the ridiculous offers for housing they've come across. 

Would you rent these teeny tiny nightmare rooms?
  •  “Not responsible for pre-existing spectral inhabitants.”

Where: Brooklyn
Rent: R4700.00/month

  •  “Also features a super convenient pole, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM.”


Where: Brooklyn
Rent: R7500.00/month

  •  “City living at its best.”


Where: Australia
Rent: R5500.00/week

  •  “Ideally it would suit someone less than 5'4 tall and with no history of claustrophobia.”


Where: London
Rent: R630.00/week

  •  “Good for one!”


Where: France
Rent: R9700.00/month

  •  "Are you sure it’s not solitary confinement? Oh, wait, no. It’s a room you can pay to live in. Got it."


Where: Brooklyn
Rent: R14 200.00/month

  •  “THE ROOM IS 4ft TALL so you can’t stand up inside it!, unless you happen to be shorter than 4ft.”


Where: Brooklyn
Rent: R11 800.00/month


Have you ever stayed in a room similar to these? How was the worst room you’ve ever stayed in?

Looking for a room that is actually okay for a human to live in? Well Cape Town is the place to visit this year - book a flight and contact Airport Shuttle to get you to and from the Cape Town International Airport!

Friday 20 May 2016

9 people you see in the airport security queue

You know the feeling. You check in online, drop your bag and head towards the security checkpoint at a leisurely pace, passport and smartphone boarding pass in hand. You have so much time to kill; you consider grabbing a coffee on your way but then change your mind after considering the pitfalls of having to down the whole cup when you start to queue.

You’re happy with your decision and then you see it. A massive barely moving hoard of people that resembles an extra casting call for “The Walking Dead”. All you can do to pass the time without draining your phone battery is people watch, but let’s be honest, it’s more entertaining than anything your Facebook friends have to offer.

Next time you find yourself lining up for your much awaited flight, keep an eye out for these 9 people you always see in the queue for airport security.

1. The person bound for a stag or hen do
You hear them before you see them. They’re the ones you give the side eye to, but secretly envy as they head to Prague for the weekend they’ll never remember. They are usually spotted with an alcoholic beverage glued to their hand wearing matching tops and embarrassing hats. Straight after security check they usually head off for more Sambuca shots and that’s usually the last you’ll see of them (you’ll hear them on the plane, that’s guaranteed).


2. The person who refuses to admit their hand baggage is WAY too big
They swear it’s regulation and they’ve taken it aboard planes before, but you’re convinced this is an old wives’ tale they’ve rehearsed in front of a mirror as they lug it through the winding queue, nearly taking out every pole they weave past. They can also be seen struggling to cram their bag into one of the hand baggage size receptacles, hoisting it onto the conveyor belt using all of their leg strength, or later, arms flailing as they argue over the need to gate check.


3. The person who forgot to separate their liquids and gels
We understand last-minute packing – who hasn’t been there? And it can be easy to forget you have eye drops or a tube of lip gloss in your pocket, but did they really think that a jug-sized Marmite was going to make it through? No one wants to be in the queue behind the person downing the 2-litres of spring water by the bins – and no one wants to be in the aisle seat of a row with that same person later.


4. The person wearing way too many layers
We understand paying extra for luggage is a bit annoying, but going to extreme measures of wearing five or more layers, looks just, well, stupid, and these people unwilling to cough up the cash unpack their bags and start to put all their clothes on just to save some pennies. And to the annoyance of us queuing behind them, they don’t usually stop until they have about 8 layers of clothing on them and they look like a yeti. We wish them good luck in the summer season.


5. The person who doesn’t have to take their shoes off
We all put our shoes on one foot at a time, and we all take them off the same way. Unless you’re over 75 or randomly selected, in which case you’ve earned that elusive right to mosey through security without dirtying up your socks. But, everyone’s seen the person who’s let the power go to their heads, turning their noses up at all those folks begrudgingly unlacing. Remember, you were there once, too.


6. The person who insists on using five plastic trays
Save some for the rest of us. We get that you need your laptop and it’s required that you give it its own plastic tray, and maybe you don’t want your shoes touching your hat, but are your sunglasses too cool to share a tray with your jumper and your plastic bag of liquids?


7. The person too hungover to follow directions
These are easily recognisable, they smell of whisky and they avoid everyone and everything, hence they’re not paying any attention. They can only handle one task at a time, and right now their only mission is to propel themselves forward in a timely fashion. Soon they’ll be able to doze off (or continue drinking) in the relative comfort of their economy seat but until then, they still have a job to do- just to get through that security check as swiftly as possible.


8. The person bound for a Spanish beach holiday
Everyone has seen these super-eager Spanish Costa travellers – these chipper beach-bound early morning flyers are usually at the airport two hours early and checked in with time to spare as they skip to security with passport, boarding pass and carefully separated baggy of liquids and gels in hand all ready for their two weeks all-inclusive holiday of a lifetime.


9. The person wrangling a small herd of children
This multi-tasker can be seen juggling three handbags, a few nappies and a new-born baby, while simultaneously keeping three kids wearing Mickey’s ears and arguing over who gets the window seat in check. You’re getting tired just trying to avoid tripping over the little one who is playing in-between queue barriers. Your best bet is to avoid eye contact and prepare for an interesting flight.



Looking for a reliable shuttle service to get you to or from Cape Town International Airport quickly and comfortably? Contact Airport Shuttle today!

Friday 13 May 2016

If you’ve spent the night at the airport you’ve probably had these thoughts

We’ve all been there. Desperate to save money, we book the cheapest flights we can find, only to realise that it will require you to spend a huge amount of time in an airport. You probably shrugged at the time. Whatever, I can spend a night in an airport to save a bit of cash, you think. But then the time comes. And it looms over your trip like a black cloud, because the airport at night is a horrible scary place. Like something out of a zombie movie, it’s dark, there are tired people everywhere and going to sleep is just not an option.

Brace yourself, because you’re in for a world of weird…

The first few hours are a breeze. Shops are open, beers are flowing, people everywhere – this is going to be great!


You’ll think you’re real suave wandering through the store for the sixth time and trying on your ninth perfume until you smell like a gym locker room.


You’ve finished your book. You’ve watched everything on your laptop. You’ve never been so bored in your entire life.


After succumbing to delirium, you buy ridiculous airport clothes that only appeal to the sleep deprived.


You’ve never envied anyone more than those lucky buggers who are queuing for their flights.


That guy in the red cap looks creepy. Please don’t come over…


At some point you’ll realise that shops actually do close at the airport.


You’ll stare at the airport departure board every ten minutes in the hope that your plane has been moved forward 14 hours.


Eventually, you’ll begin to feel like the airport is your domain.


That moment will pass and you’ll be left crying alone near an empty departure gate.


You’ll find others who share your plight.


But abandon them after becoming tribal over some sacred power outlets.


You’ll lie on the stinking carpet questioning every decision that got you to this low point.


As night settles, you’ll begin to question your sanity.


You’ll start to suspect that everyone’s out to steal your stuff…


Years of Tetris will prepare you for sleeping wedged on an awkward chair.


But every noise is someone sneaking up on you…


Which means sleep is not an option.


When you finally board your plane, you can’t help but cry tears of relief.


Don’t want to spend a ridiculous amount of time on a stopover? Just spend that tiny extra bit of money and arrive at the airport on time. Airport Shuttle can get you to or from Cape Town International Airport quickly and comfortably – all at an affordable price!

Friday 6 May 2016

10 things your pilot won’t tell you

Pilots from across the world have come forward to give straight answers about maddening safety rules, inexplicable delays, the air and attitudes up there, and what really happens behind the cockpit door. What they revealed will change the way you fly!


“I’ve been struck by lightning twice”
Most pilots have. Airplanes are built to take it. You hear a big boom and see a big flash and that's it. You're not going to fall out of the sky.

“You may not be getting the airline you paid for”
You may go to an airline website and buy a ticket, pull up to its desk at the curb, and get onto an airplane that has a similar name painted on it, but half the time, you're really on a regional airline. The regionals aren't held to the same safety standards as the majors: Their pilots aren't required to have as much training and experience, and the public doesn't know that.

“If you’re a nervous flier, book a morning flight”
The heating of the ground later causes bumpier air, and it's much more likely to thunderstorm in the afternoon.

“The smoothest place to sit is often over or near the wing”
The bumpiest place to sit is in the back. A plane is like a seesaw. If you're in the middle, you don't move as much. The general flow of air in any airplane is from front to back. So if you're really concerned about breathing the freshest possible air or not getting too hot, sit as close to the front as you can. Planes are generally warmest in the back.  There is no safest place to sit. In one accident, the people in the back are dead; in the next, it's the people up front.

“People don’t understand why they can’t use their cell phones”
Well, what can happen is 12 people will decide to call someone just before landing, and I can get a false reading on my instruments saying that we are higher than we really are.  We don't make you stow your laptop because we're worried about electronic interference. It's about having a projectile on your lap. I don't know about you, but I don't want to get hit in the head by a MacBook going 200 miles per hour. And we're not trying to ruin your fun by making you take off your headphones. We just want you to be able to hear us if there's an emergency.

“It's updrafts, not turbulence, we really worry about.”
A plane flies into a massive updraft, which you can't see on the radar at night, and it's like hitting a giant speed bump at 500 miles an hour. It throws everything up in the air and then down very violently. That's not the same as turbulence, which bounces everyone around for a while.

“You'll never hear, "One of our engines just failed."
What they'll say instead: "One of our engines is indicating improperly." (Or more likely, they'll say nothing, and you'll never know the difference. Most planes fly fine with one engine down.)

“There's no such thing as a water landing.”
It's called crashing into the ocean.


“It's one thing if the pilot puts the seat belt sign on for the passengers …”
But if he tells the flight attendants to sit down, you'd better listen. That means there's some serious turbulence ahead.

“There's a good reason for everything we ask you to do.”
We ask you to put up the window shade so the flight attendants can see outside in an emergency, to assess if one side is better for an evacuation. It also lets light into the cabin if it goes dark and helps passengers get oriented if the plane flips or rolls over. 


Visiting Cape Town? Why not get to where you need to be quickly and affordably? Contact Airport Shuttle today and our experienced drivers will transport you to or from Cape Town International Airport.