The United States space agency, NASA, retired its space shuttles last year following the completion of the construction of the $100 billion International Space Station, a project of 15 countries. Andrew Rivkin notes that the end of the space shuttle program, opens a new chapter for NASA. The space agency is now focusing on creating spaceships that can carry astronauts to destinations beyond the stations 384-km-high orbit.

Discovery, which first flew in August 1984, will replace Enterprise, a prototype orbiter on display at the museum that was used for atmospheric test flights in the 1970s. According to Andrew Rivkin, Enterprise is being transferred to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City later this month. Sisterships Endeavour and Atlantis will go on exhibit at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, and at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, respectively, later this year.

Andrew Rivkin, who was extremely intrigued when the current fleet of space shuttles launched for the first time in the late 1970s and early 80s, is excited to see what the next generation of space shuttles will allow NASA to accomplish.

Check out some amazing pictures of Space Shuttle Discovery’s scenic route over Washington D.C.:

The space shuttle Discovery, riding atop a NASA 747 does a fly-by over Washington

Discovery flies past the US Capitol

Space Shuttle Discovery arrives at Washington Dulles International Airport ontop a Boeing 747 aircraft

Part of the excitement is finding a place to stay. A hotel in Vegas is unlike a hotel in any other city. While finding one on a regular vacation is secondary to deciding where to go, finding the right hotel in Vegas is essential to the success of the trip. The best are simply not just hotels, but restaurants, bars, and of course casinos. Whereas in other cities you often don’t expect or want to spend lots of time in the hotel; in Vegas, it’s part of the fun.

The magnificent exterior of the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas

Andrew’s favourite place to stay is undoubtedly the Wynn Resort. It is not simply a place to sleep at night, but a place to spend nearly your entire trip. The Wynn is a five-star hotel and five diamond resort in the heart of Las Vegas, offering world class dining, entertainment, and relaxation. The resort has a giant casino offering a wide selection of table games including Baccarat, Roulette, Pai Gow, and even Casino War. Moreover, there is always a place to sit down at one of the 1,900 slots, as well as at the 26-table poker room.

A night at the Wynn continues with plenty of entertainment in the resort with musicals and concerts featuring some of the best talents around the world. If sitting down watching a show isn’t for you, Andrew recommends checking out the club scene where you can dance to the hottest hits and meet equally sociable people.

While the nightlife can be chaotic, in the day time the weather is warm, and thus relaxing, and maybe even recovering, is necessary. It’s important to find a hotel that can help you ease into your day with a quiet and peaceful afternoon. The Wynn is just that place according to Rivkin.

The heated pools are located in the heart of the resort, surrounded by perfectly manicured gardens, and offering poolside refreshments. There is also a secluded, European-style pool adjacent to the main for a quieter, more adult atmosphere. When you’re done with the pool, relax at a private cabana, featuring plasma televisions, sofas, ceiling fans, and misting systems.

For an even more relaxing stay, the Spa at Wynn Las Vegas offers 45 treatment rooms for massage, body treatment, and facials for both men and women. Moreover, steam rooms, saunas, and hot and cold plunges make the stay complete.

At the Wynn, you really don’t need to travel far for anything. Rivkin likes to take in an early game of golf, and the greens couldn’t be located any closer. The 18-hole course is surrounded by a landscape of waterfalls, streams, and forests in which you forget that you are actually in Las Vegas. If golf isn’t your thing, there are plenty of boutiques and shops to occupy your time during the day located in and around the luxurious resort.

Andrew Rivkin loves every trip to Vegas for the entertainment and the relaxation. And the great thing about Vegas is that you never know when you will instantly win big and suddenly you have yourself a free trip out west.

Abony was born in Toronto to immigrant parents, and was raised by a single mom in subsidized housing. His attitude of a Type A achiever along with hard work have made him one of Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs. Over the course of the years, Abony has acquired some notable claims to fame including being the youngest CEO of a TSX-listed company.

Several of Mood Media’s top people built earlier businesses with Abony-most notably, Andrew Rivkin. Friends since high school, the two have worked together since the mid-’90s, when Abony co-founded online pet supplies retailer Petopia and Rivkin launched Cryptologic, a developer of online gaming software that topped the PROFIT 200 in 2002. They helped each other with those ventures, and when Abony sold Petopia to Petco, he joined Rivkin at Cryptologic. “Whatever our titles, we’re partners,” says Rivkin, who’s officially a consultant to Mood Media but is intimately involved in the business. “Lorne does a better job at the external-facing functions. The numbers-related stuff, I do better.”

Back in 2002, after stepping away from Cryptologic’s management, Abony and Rivkin started a new company developing online card, arcade and other casual games. Five years, five rounds of equity financing and seven acquisitions later, FUN Technologies was the dominant player in the industry, worth almost $500 million when U.S. giant Liberty Media acquired it in 2007.

Throughout the years both Abony and Rivkin have partnered to create multiple successful enterprises.

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The airlines loyalty program, Aeroplan, is what positions it over its rivals. Air Canada is also a member of Star Alliance, the world’s first and largest airline alliance. Passengers are able to use their Aeroplan points to book tickets on Star Alliance member airlines including United and Lufthansa. This gives Canadian’s the ability to travel on reward points to destinations around the world.

Air Canada Boeing 777-300 Landing in Toronto

Air Canada’s fleet consists of over 340 airplanes. The most recent addition to the airline’s fleet is the 350 passenger Boeing 777-300. The airline also operates smaller, propellor-driven, aircraft. These airplanes are used for the airlines regional routes. As the airline continues to expand and modernize its fleet they have placed an order for fourteen Boeing 787’s to be delivered in 2013.

Air Canada provides the most frequent service between Canada’s largest municipalities. Through a service called Rapidair, Air Canada operates a flight between Toronto and Montreal every hour. Andrew Rivkin enjoys the frequent service, as he sometimes has to fly on very short notice. Air Canada allows you to travel worry-free. If a flight is canceled, you know there is one an hour later.

Andrew Rivkin points out the recent upgrades to the interior of Air Canada’s fleet. When traveling to Frankfurt, Germany last month I noticed a significant improvement to the interior of the Boeing 777-300. Every seat in both economy and business class have personal televisions that offer an array of recent and classic movies along with hours of television shows. With this new feature, the flight goes by that much faster. In business class, each seat is designed as a pod, giving you the utmost privacy. All the seats in business class are lie-flat seats, allowing you to enjoy a good sleep. When traveling overseas this should be a requirement!

The cuisine offered on the flight to Frankfurt was much better than what I would have expected on a flight. It was prepared right on the plane so you know its fresh. If you are not a fan of airline food, you can grab some food and drinks in Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge before the flight. These lounges are located at the primary airports Air Canada flies to. If you are traveling in business class or have an American Express credit card this service is included. If traveling in economy class, you can purchase a pass to gain access to the lounge.

Air Canada’s continued success and the reason why Andrew Rivkin enjoys flying with them is their high level of service and their modern fleet of aircraft.

Recently merged with Northwest Airlines, Delta Airlines is the primary operator at the airport flying 60% of the 89 million passengers that fly in and out of Hartsfield International every year. Delta’s hub at the airport is the world’s largest airline hub. A large percentage of the 89 million passengers traversing Hartsfield International annually use the airport as a connection point between their origin and final destination.

With 200 gates being constantly operated at the airport, the layout of the land plays a critical part in ensuring smooth travel for the 89 million passengers that pass through the airport each year. All passengers departing the airport check-in at a primary concourse and from there travel to one of five parallel concourses that are connected by an underground “Transportation Mall”.

One of the five concourses at Atlanta's International Airport

In terms of the taxiway and runway layout of the airport, there are five parallel east-west runways that are in constant, simultaneous, use to ensure minimal delays. Andrew Rivkin points out the efficient use of the runways at Hartsfield International. The outer two runways are used for arrivals while the inner two are used for departures and the fifth runway alternates between arrivals and departures depending on current air traffic demand.

It is almost inevitable that Andrew Rivkin will find himself either connecting through or reaching his final destination in Atlanta in his travels in the near future.

An avid traveler and a very busy businessman, Andrew Rivkin is always has some place to go, either for work or pleasure. Living in downtown Toronto, Rivkin has wholly embraced the very young yet very impressive downtown airport.

The Billy Bishop Airport, located just at the foot of Bathurst Street on the water, the $50 million passenger terminal enhances passenger services, and further improving the travel experience at this revitalized facility. The new lounges triple previous capacity and include standard complimentary Porter amenities such as a business centre, modern lounge-style seating, beverages, snacks and Wi-Fi. Porter projects over 1.3 million passengers using the airport in 2011.

Andrew Rivkin finds great service at Billy Bishop Airport

Porter Airlines offers you convenience, speed and seamless service in your short-haul air travel. The Porter travel experience is simple, hassle-free and dignified, reflecting the days when flying was fun, exciting and a part of the journey to look forward to.

Porter sets the standard for service, bringing an uncompromising commitment to delivering on its “flying refined” brand promise.

Porter’s philosophy is to make travel easier by lightening the load. Andrew Rivkin can check in online, and head right to security when arriving at the airport, without waiting in any lines. Porter embodies this philosophy by reintroducing convenience, speed and service to air travel.

As the airline of choice for discerning short-haul passengers, our warm and effortless approach to hospitality, combined with our spotless service brings dignity and refinement back to flying.

This extends throughout the travel experience, beginning on the ground with our modern, comfortable airport lounges, and service-oriented team members, continuing seamlessly aboard aircraft with spacious interiors and well-appointed crew.

Andrew Rivkin has traveled much of his adult life, and knows it can be stressful. However, the lounge at the downtown Toronto airport is something to truly enjoy. These state-of-the-art lounges are free of charge, and open to all departing passengers with a valid boarding pass. All Porter lounges feature an array of free amenities, including wireless internet access, coffee, tea, soft drinks, premium snacks and business work stations equipped with iMac computers.

Porter is pleased to bring this stylish and comfortable concept to short-haul flying with two lounges at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, and one lounge located between Gates 18 and 20 at Ottawa International Airport.

Just steps from airport security and the departure gates, each lounge is a great place to catch up on a few phone calls and emails, or to read the day’s papers before a flight. Andrew Rivkin happily patronizes the downtown Toronto airport, enjoying it’s convenience, perks, and excellent customer service.

Over 75 airlines fly into and out of Pearson airport. Andrew Rivkin has had the privilege of travelling on several of them including Lufthansa, British Airways and American Airlines. Being situated on acres of land allows for the operation of multiple runways at once to minimize delays. Andrew Rivkin has rarely had to sit on the tarmac waiting to depart due to airport congestion.

An aerial view of Toronto Pearson International Airport

The Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) has been working on a project to update the terminal layout. In April of 2004 the airport authority opened a new Terminal to replace the original Terminal 1. When it opened in 2004 the newly constructed Terminal 1 had one pier. Since then, Terminal 2 has been demolished and two new piers have been built off of Terminal 1. Currently the Terminal has 58 gates. These gates are used primarily by Air Canada and it’s Star Alliance affiliate airlines.

The second terminal, Terminal 3 has 39 gates. These gates are operated primarily by WestJet, Canada’s second largest airline. Other airlines operating out of Terminal 3 include American Airlines and British Airways. Terminal 3 is older than Terminal 1 and is not as spread-out. For those early-morning flights it is nice to not have to walk that far to get to the gate. When departing early in the morning Andrew Rivkin prefers flying out of Terminal 3.

Pearson airport has the largest central de-icing facility out of any airport in the world.
The airport was also one of the first to be certified to accommodate the Airbus 380 aircraft. Emirates airline currently operates their A380 between Toronto and Dubai.
Andrew Rivkin can’t wait to travel on this double-decker plane!