Sam Chui gets Starlux into trouble

[Quickstatus]

Sam chui gets Starlux into trouble.

He managed to get an invite into flight deck. Potential fine for Starlux. Aircraft was on the ground but Taiwan regulation forbids anyone access to flight deck other than authorised personnel of the operator.

 

[WilsonM]

Apparently not the only thing he's in hot water for, as he's accused of flying while fatigued - Starlux Chairman Being Investigated For Flying Fatigued

 

[kpc]

Good! Sam gets access to lots of places that seem off limits to the general public / passenger!

 

[Virgin Bart]

What is Sam's story by the way? I like his videos but always wonder how he gets the extraordinary recognition and funds required to do what he does

 

[Quickstatus]

always wonder how he gets the extraordinary recognition and funds required to do what he does

Maybe something to do with his 3.2M YouTube subscriber base. Passive income there and gives him a certain amount of cachet.

Maybe he should refund the fine?

 

[Virgin Bart]

Maybe something to do with his 3.2M YouTube subscriber base. Passive income there and gives him a certain amount of cachet.

Maybe he s

hould refund the fine?

Extraordinary passive income.

No I disagree about the fine he was [presumably] let in by someone who should have known the rules (and almost certainly did).

 

[Melburnian1]

Maybe something to do with his 3.2M YouTube subscriber base. Passive income there and gives him a certain amount of cachet.

Maybe he should refund the fine?

They sometimes provide useful information, although it varies widely, but some 'YouTube aviation influencers' seem to have big egos.
A subjective call, but the best videos show all the features on board without annoying music and especially without constant sequences of the cheesily smiling individual(s) taking/featuring in the video.

And then there's whether they disclose if they're receiving free travel or other incentives such as free FF points, an upgrade or anything else.

The worst are those who use words like 'sensational'/'100 per cent great' and so on. There's one (part?) European fellow who comes to mind, but he's not Robinson Crusoe.

 

[Scr77]

This thread makes me feel old! I didn’t know what a starlux was!

 

[lovestotravel]

They sometimes provide useful information, although it varies widely, but some 'YouTube aviation influencers' seem to have big egos.

Correct - Trek Trendy I like, but his latest QF Video smells of a "paid presentation"

 

[Dec1971]

Out of all of them I find Noel Philips to be pretty honest without the paid for bells and whistles.

 

[WilsonM]

They sometimes provide useful information, although it varies widely, but some 'YouTube aviation influencers' seem to have big egos.
A subjective call, but the best videos show all the features on board without annoying music and especially without constant sequences of the cheesily smiling individual(s) taking/featuring in the video.

And then there's whether they disclose if they're receiving free travel or other incentives such as free FF points, an upgrade or anything else.

The worst are those who use words like 'sensational'/'100 per cent great' and so on. There's one (part?) European fellow who comes to mind, but he's not Robinson Crusoe.

To me it doesn't necessarily seem like they have big ego's, but rather they're 1. projecting confidence for entertainment and 2. appealing to the masses. The community here is definitely not the average 12-45 year old on YT who wants to see someone having a shower in EK F over and over and over, but that's the majority of the viewership that many of these YT influencers target. And while many often don't disclose how they get their flights (or atleast hide it), the advertisement of the product which is seemingly achievable for the 'ordinary person' (which these Youtubers aren't, but will appear to be), does encourage more and more everyday people to get into the points & miles game. Of course, it hurts in the regard there is more competition for reward seats, but educating more people about the possibilities of their points is a decent thing to do, even in a roundabout way.

 

[rocket256]

loungeindex is my favorite in terms of entertainment value, good dry humor from a seasoned traveler. No sponsor cough.

 

[Scarlett]

Sam Chui is just an extension of airline PR departments. @Virgin Bart He gets access, support for content and (probably) everything for free from airline companies because they know they’re getting positive ‘reviews’ to his large follower base.

Good luck to him for being a constantly smiling guy cosseted in J and F seats for his chosen career. However, I’m personally not watching or listening to anything he says.

I agree with @Quickstatus, Sam should pay the fine to show how much of a good guy he is…. Mind you, I’m sure the Starlux chairman isn’t short of a quid either and any fine will probably be paid by the company and then expensed against income or tax or whatever financial shystery is allowed under Taiwanese laws.

 

[#flying]

Not a fan of Sam Chui for the reasons outlined above. I find that Noel Phillips, Nonstop Dan, DoorsToAuto and Jayden Wong generally provide a far more informative and balanced perspective (and are much less awkward).

 

[justinbrett]

The main people I watch on YouTube (Josh Cahill, Noel Philips & Non Stop Dan) all travel unannounced. You can't get an authentic review if the airline knows you're there (let alone pays for you to be there). That said, once they get popular, it doesn't stop them being identified by cabin crew.

I used to be a Patreon of Josh Cahill and in a live chat he was saying most of them are good friends and sometimes fly together - but Sam allegedly is quite a rude person. That might be jealousy because he has a lot more subscribers than them, but then you can find countless reports on places like Reddit referring to him that suggests that might be the case.

A subjective call, but the best videos show all the features on board without annoying music and especially without constant sequences of the cheesily smiling individual(s) taking/featuring in the video.

It's a balance. I can't watch the reviews that are just text with no faces or spoken audio.

 

[dajop]

I prefer a local view point, and perhaps because he’s closer to my age and also obviously he does more than just vlogging, I don’t mind Dennis Bunnik’s reviews.

 

[Quickstatus]

Noel Phillips

Noel's channel I follow but don't know about the others - thanks for the heads up
Anyone who can do a 14hr Rex multisector trip in Y through the Queensland outback is worth watching

Bunnik’s

I reckon Bunnik is a mini Chui

I agree that a some/most of these "influencers" are just mouthpieces for the industry

It's a 2 way though. No influencer will get access if they provided a critical review (unless a politician or Alan Jones)

Would be interesting if Chui knew about the Taiwanese flight deck restrictions beforehand?. He has done lots of flightdeck visits on other airlines so maybe he didn't know that Taiwan was different?
What other countries have similar regulations?

 

[Andrew Curran]

Chui spent the day at Tullamarine recently filming.

 

[Guvner]

An AUD$3000 fine? That Chairman isn't stupid, he'll get $100,000's of publicity.

 

[Austman]

Maybe minus $100,000s due to the publicity?

If others, like me, see it as Starlux flaunting safety requirements?

Simply to get publicity?