Showers at 35,000 feet

Don't forget your loofah sponge.

(Credit: G Patkar )

I've already raved about the prospect of relaxing in a posh first class on the new Airbus A380, but now Dubai-based Emirates Airlines seems to have raised the bar for in-flight amenities. As the Times of London reported Sunday, Emirates is promising first-class passengers the use of a shower. Details on the first-class cabin and the shower are sketchy, but with its "seven star" Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai knows true (and somewhat ridiculous) luxury.

It's certainly a novel idea, and it would give a new meaning to the idea of the mile-high club, but environmentalists are already attacking the scheme as irresponsible. According to the Times, a shower-equipped A380 would need to carry an extra ton of water for each flight, which is equal to 12 passengers. That would mean a carbon cost of 48,455 pounds for every round-trip flight. That's certainly a legitimate worry, but frankly, I'd be more concerned about showering during turbulence.

The shower service will be available on New York to Dubai flights starting in October, and Emirates says it will expand the treatment to its entire A380 fleet. But before you get too excited, you may want to check the fare. A first-class ticket could cost about $18,000.

[b_baggins]

Please, can we just start laughing

at global warming alarmists. Since a slight solar dip erased an entire century of
supposed man-made warming in one year (global temperatures dropped .75 C
in 2007), can we finally just have the ***** to stand up to these
environmentalists and their hoax?

[isykal]

You need to be informed!

You're basing your argument on a year-year change in temperature. When researchers and scientists measure global warming, they observe trends in temperature changes over a period of time (eg. every decade). If you had done any research (or gotten a non-biased education) you would have known that global temperature began to rise starting around the Industrial Revolution era. Of course there were fluctuations of temperature in betweens but that don't mean much. You have to look at the big picture and that picture shows that global temperature is rising. Those who use year to year changes to denounce global warming are sadly ill-informed.

[Nate265]

Dude...Seriously

A temperature drop for ONE year does not mean global warming is a hoax.

[JonTitor]

Dude...this aint a hoax

its not about Global Warming as about water consumption
like it or not earth has a limited supply of water, 15% of which is fresh
and with a rising population and economic growth in India and China, there will be supply problems in the future

[Mikeybabes]

Erm Global Warming is an established fact

Nobody has denied the Earth is getting warmer. One cooler year does not buck a trend of 50. I think what Bilbo here is trying to say is that he is one of those who say that man have contributed to this have fallen for a hoax.
I am surprised Bilbo has failed to make this distinction since most of those that say that global warming is not man-made typically purport to having a higher intelligence and degree of rationalization than the rest of us - i.e. they don't hear what people are saying, misinterpret it and take it for gospel truth, which seems to be exactly what Mr. Baggins has done here.

[AlanHub]

NEW! Credited scientists have proven the unprovabl

This just in: Leanardo DiCaprio, Al Gore, the common american man, solar panel
companies and the like have proven, using a new scientific medium called empirical without study, the unprovable, global warming. Armed with data accumulated over the massive span of 80 years, these scientists have proven,
not correlated, that we caused global warming--beating Antarctic climatologists
, who have data spanning over the past 1.5 million years, to the chase. Congratulations to all the believers and shame on all the skeptics.