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Free Extra Seat for Obese Air Passengers

Warning about Paris Metro Gangs

Skip On Over Highlights - March 23 - April 4 2008

Creative Route Planning - Make Stopovers Fun

ExitNow.ca - Budget Travel Deals

Obesity as a Disability - Extra Room on the Plane at No Extra Charge

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Corner Gas Invented the Staycation

July 24th 2008 07:35

On the TV show Corner Gas (I just took the Corner Gas tour), new girl in town Lacey had some trouble with the way Brent (owner of Corner Gas) spent his vacation - sitting on a chair, 100 yards from the gas station, pretending to be far away.

Beautiful.

We Canadians may sometimes be criticized for a lack of innovation, but we were ahead of the curve on the staycation.

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Heading for the Corner Gas Experience

July 6th 2008 05:16

Corner Gas is one of Canada's funniest TV shows.

Tomorrow I'm going to Dog River - well, Rouleau, Saskatchewan, the town that plays fictitious Dog River on television. I'll let you know about the Corner Gas Experience once I come down off my cloud.

Livin' the dream.

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Free Extra Seat for Obese Air Passengers

May 3rd 2008 02:20

The topic of fat people flying turns out to be provocative and emotional. In Canada, a recent ruling is going to allow extremely obese people to have an extra seat without paying more.

Why does this upset people?

I have read the ruling in detail and written three articles about it. The ruling is about what's called the "One Person, One Fare" policy, or 1P1F. It applies to anyone who because of disability (severe enough to be a barrier to travel) needs extra seating for themselves or their attendant on a domestic flight in Canada. Technically only three airlines, Air Canada, Jazz (part of Air Canada), and WestJet were named but for practical purposes, it covers all Canadian domestic flights starting in early 2009.

People get sidetracked when they discuss the 1P1F policy, especially as it applies to obese air travellers. Here are some points to consider:

1. The flight is not comfortable for the fat person crammed into a single seat, nor for the person beside them.

2. The fat person does not want to cause discomfort.

3. If the fat person has an extra seat, everyone will be more comfortable.

4. The estimated additional cost will be a dollar or two on everyone's ticket.

So, why argue about how people get fat, whether fat people should fly, and how unfair it is to have to sit beside a large person? All that matters is that everyone on the plane be as comfortable as possible.

Here are my articles explaining more about the Canadian ruling.

One Person, One Fare Policy

Obese Air Passengers Win

Airlines and Disabled Passengers

Here's a very ironic thing. The obesity ruling came about because one passenger tried to purchase extra seating for herself, knowing she would not fit comfortably into the standard seat. The airline did not accommodate her - even though she offered to buy an extra seat. To make matters worse, at least one airline representative was rude and mocking.

If the airline had sold the lady the extra seat she wanted, the whole issue of obesity as a barrier to travel may never have come before the Canadian courts and the Canadian Transportation Agency.

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Warning about Paris Metro Gangs

April 13th 2008 04:14

True story.

About three weeks ago my (Canadian) friend and her 20 year old daughter were the victims of a so-called Metro Gang in Paris

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Skip On Over Highlights - March 23 - April 4 2008

April 6th 2008 03:04

What have you been missing? Travel notes from Canada, England, London and a few general tips to make it all go more smoothly.

The latest on Skip On Over

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Creative Route Planning - Make Stopovers Fun

March 30th 2008 19:31

Usually, a direct flight from A to B is best for me. But, not always.

Travelling from Calgary, Canada (home) to Melbourne, Australia involves flying to Los Angeles or San Francisco, about 3.5 hours, and then the long leg of the trip - about 14 hours. I have had touchdowns - wastes of time - in Sydney and Auckland, going both ways. They were simply irritating delays

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ExitNow.ca - Budget Travel Deals

March 29th 2008 16:57

A friend just tipped me off to exitnow.ca, a discount travel site for Canadian travel.

Affiliated with charter airline Air Transat, exitnow.ca offers low-cost flights and vacation packages. Air Transat has been around in the charter business long enough to have a following. I flew with them to Manchester in 1996, with a very pleasant refueling stop in Iceland. (Hey, it may be the only time I get to Iceland, and it was very beautiful to see

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Obesity as a Disability - Extra Room on the Plane at No Extra Charge

March 29th 2008 03:02

Air Canada Airbus A330-300 by Arpingstone, Public Domain on Wikimedia Commons

Air Canada Airbus A330-300 by Arpingstone. Thank you for putting this into the public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

In January 2008, the Canadian Transportation Agency ruled that people who are so obese they cannot fit into a standard airplane seat will be entitled to more room at no extra charge

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Rado Interview - The Truth About Travel Writing

March 26th 2008 03:25

Elsewhere in the blogosphere, I have just posted a short review of an interview with Chuck Thompson, author of Smile When You're Lying, Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer. The interviewer, Jian Ghomeshi, is one of my favourites these days.

If you like radio, or ever secretly wanted to be a travel writer, you might find it fun to listen. There's a link on that other blog (which is called Explore Radio, the Voice in the Dark) that should get you to the website for Jian's program on CBC Radio, called Q. From there you will find download instructions for the March 25, 2008 interview I'm talking about

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Skip On Over's Latest: Classic Places to Visit in Canada and England

March 22nd 2008 15:53

Kicking off the new site, skiponover.com, I've posted some pieces about classic destinations. There's a reason so many people want to see these places.