Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for airlines
Birthing Pains at Heathrow
By Linda Tancs
No one ever said it would be easy. Apparently, last month’s massive move of British Airways’ operations to the brand spanking new Terminal 5 was not without a hitch–or a glitch. Flight delays and baggage loss again wreak havoc on unsuspecting travelers using the newest digs at Heathrow–eerily reminiscent of the baggage belt debacle of December 2006. Over 300 flights have been cancelled, and more are projected at least until tomorrow. Ouch.
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Passenger Bill of Rights Gets Tossed
By Linda Tancs
A New York appellate court has invalidated the nation’s first passenger bill of rights passed in that state, declaring that it conflicts with federal law designed to establish airlines’ rights and obligations regarding service. As travelers increasingly suffered the indignity of lengthy confinement on the tarmac sans food or drink, the idea of a passenger bill of rights gained ground around the nation among legislators. These bills intended to guarantee delayed passengers certain amenities such as food, water, clean toilets and fresh air. Now, unless Congress decides to legislate airline service in such circumstances, the treatment accorded New York’s bill doesn’t bode well for similar legislation proposed in states such as New Jersey and Washington.
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Cheap Flights to Germany
By Linda Tancs
Hamburg, anyone? Air Berlin offers a one-way ticket to Hamburg (via Dusseldorf) from JFK for $338, including all taxes and fees–a rare find these days. Flights within Germany start at 29 euros. Find out more at www.airberlin.com.
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Airlines Shuffle in Response to Rising Costs
By Linda Tancs
It’s been no secret that the airlines are feeling the pain of rising fuel costs. Now, in a move attributed to those costs, Delta has announced a buy-out package for a whopping 30,000 employees. U.S. carriers aren’t the only ones reeling from expenses, however. Alitalia has a deal in the works to combine with Air France-KLM. The billion dollar deal is being hailed by Alitalia’s board as a means to achieve higher critical mass and create synergies that cannot be otherwise accomplished through traditional alliances, particularly in this cyclical downturn worsened by rising fuel costs. Of course, tour and cruise operators have likewise responded to fuel costs by raising or implementing surcharges on customers. And, as any visit to the gas pump shows, the end is nowhere in sight.
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Best Travel Deals Just a Click Away
By Linda Tancs
Want that in-the-know ability that your travel agent has? Well, at least with respect to airfares, you can get it with Yapta. Yapta is your online 24/7 travel consultant, offering a watch service for airfares on several major carriers. And you can enter your confirmation number to watch that fare that you booked two weeks earlier. If the price drops, you’ll be notified. Then, of course, you’ll be notifying the carrier about that refund for the difference. You know, the one they’d never tell you about unless you asked. Yapta requires a download of their software (for free), available in Explorer and Firefox versions. Visit them at www.yapta.com.
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New Era in Flight Sharing
By Linda Tancs
Okay, Virgin really needs to stop pioneering everything or else we’ll need to rename the blog Virgin Travelrific. In his latest endeavor, Branson has unveiled Virgin Charter, a flight charter company offering a less pricey alternative to private flying–those selections being plane ownership (yes, that could get expensive), timesharing (you might lose control over your selections), or jet cards (you prepay for miles you expect to fly). So if you’re looking to fly 20 or so of your closest friends to the pistes in Aspen, VC will find you the charter that puts the smallest dent in your wallet. You could even bid on an empty leg and get a bargain. Check it out at www.virgincharter.com.
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Airline Offers Online Booking Guarantee
By Linda Tancs
Delta Airlines is luring online travel junkies with an offer of a refund or a voucher if another online travel operator offers passengers an identical ticket at a lower fare than that found on the airline’s website. Read the fine print (yes, you knew that was coming!)at www.delta.com.
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Travel and Hospitality Take Hold of Environmental Protection
By Linda Tancs
Following last week’s report on Virgin’s maiden biofuel flight comes news that the airline is furthering its environmental protection initiatives by testing out zero-emissions vehicles on business traveler shuttle services. Virgin also plans on equipping planes with Rolls Royce engines to cut emissions by thirty percent. Not to be outdone, the hospitality industry is likewise jumping into the fray with Sofitel’s announcement that it will use windmills at its U.S. properties to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by two million pounds. Rock Resorts is also promoting green travel through recycling, water conservation, organic foods and a host of other policies. We’ve come a long way since the mere reuse of towels and linens.
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First Flight Flies on Green Fuel
By Linda Tancs
Acting on its environmental manifesto, Virgin Atlantic’s maiden voyage using alternative fuel took place over the weekend. Powered by a fuel derived from coconut oil, a plane set off from Heathrow to Amsterdam. Some have deemed the initiative a stunt, perhaps because some reports place airline emissions at 1.6% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Whatever the case, the effort fulfills part of Branson’s $3 billion climate pledge–a worthy goal, indeed.
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GAO Reports on Runway Safety
By Linda Tancs
The U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a report recently on the status of runway and ramp safety measures deployed by the FAA. As any traveler knows, runway incidents are relatively infrequent, but increasingly crowded skies pose growing concerns over traffic management. In fact, according to the GAO, runway incursions have not decreased in the same manner as runway overruns since the FAA’s last runway safety plan was implemented in 2002. Among other things, the GAO recommends that the FAA revise its 2002 plan to conform to its own policy, which mandates revisions every 2 or 3 years. Go to http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0829high.pdf to read more about the report.
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