This week we are heading over the “pond” to an amazing international blogger at BoardingArea. Kevin is such a joy to read. I am the sort who loves to wake up with a crisp cup of Twinings Earl Grey as I have a bit of international background in my blood as well. Now on to today’s fireside chat with Ghetto IFE.
Rene – Hello Kevin! It is so great to sit down and get to you know a bit better. So tell us, Ghetto IFE, what is that all about?
Kevin – Hi Rene! Ghetto IFE originally was set up as a blog to document my travels. Soon I started covering the miles/points and travel news game. Over time, it’s changed a bit as I’ve changed, so instead of just covering news, miles, points – I also cover aviation safety, safety videos and sometimes some blunt honest opinion pieces…. and I set out to prove that Economy ISN’T that bad (providing you know how to make life better!)
And for those of you who are confused what an iPhone does in a sickbag, and why I use it as a form of In Flight Entertainment (IFE), head here which explains a bit about IFE systems, and why an iPhone in a sickbag can make a great IFE system in the air.
Rene – That sounds so refreshing and fun. I love the way you write and I think other BoardingArea readers will as well. Your blog is for not just those who live in a Euro-zone time zone! So that is a bit of what your blog is. Now time for the personal touch. Who is Kevin and what got you into blogging and why did you “land” at BoardingArea?
Kevin – Being on the Internet, your audience is the world – I try to write to that audience. In the real world, I’m a simple IT Helpdesk Person who picks up the phone, deals with your query, and puts the phone down after. As well as being an IT support person (and a blogger), I am a Semi-Pro Photographer – so all my work feeds into each other.
I travel where the wind takes me, with my travels mainly focusing on the United States and Asia. These posts have resulted in some great trip reports for example – the ANA 787 when it was brand shiny and new or going behind the scenes at a major UK Airport .
I’ve covered other major aspects (such as the take over of BMI by British Airways and gave a blow by blow account how to transfer miles to Avios , as well as major safety incidents , the cramming of the Economy Passenger by Air Canada.
I started the blog up in 2009 when I was going to the USA on a trip… and wanted to share the experience in a way that was different to discussion forums – and thus I headed to Blogger and hit the create blog button. I landed over at Boarding Area in 2011, and I haven’t looked back, as I felt it would provide a platform to get people to look beyond points and miles – and look at the whole picture when they book their aeroplane ticket.
Rene – It is so great to get to know not just you Kevin but all the “BA” bloggers in this series week to week. The next thing I want to know is what we should expect over the next year or so from GhettoIFE and why we should add your blog to our daily read?
Kevin – There’s a lot ahead from GhettoIFE Towers this year – coming up, I’ve got a conference I’m attending, my autumn audit of the London-Chicago Route…. and maybe an end of year mileage run (which knowing me will be hilarious…). In-between this, will be my take on aviation route news (and how it could impact on your redemptions), New aircraft news (the Airbus A350, the ongoing pains of the Boeing 787 and the new Bombardier CSeries), and of course, the usual Safety Videos and Airplane Art.
It’s always worth keeping an eye out as I do sometimes promote offers that benefit EuroZone/UK visitors too – in terms of credit cards and point offers that sometimes are ignored by other blogs
Rene – Exciting and I personally can not wait to follow you and to see what is next at GhettoIFE! I also want to thank you so much for sitting down with me and for the chance to get to know Kevin better!
One of the amazing things about BoardingArea is the blogs appeal to a worldwide audience. I enjoy reading GhettoIFE and would do so even if I did not travel to Europe as often as I do. I hope you will have time to check out GhettoIFE on BoardingArea or on Twitter and add it to your daily blog reads! – Rene