Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for airlines
Travel Waiting Made Manageable
By Linda Tancs
So here’s the short story for this year’s Thanksgiving travel: rain and fog caused travel delays in the East; whereas, the Midwest and West fared better. Weather conditions are an unpredictable variable in airport delays, but other conditions, like security waiting times, are relatively manageable. Check your wait times ahead of time at www.flightstats.com. Wait times are approximate based on historical averages.
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Air France Crew Strike Affects Short Haulers
By Linda Tancs
Air France reports in its most recent press release that measures are underway to mitigate delays arising from a crew strike to take effect between 25 October and 29 October. The strike will reportedly only affect about 10% of flight schedules in and between France and Europe. Remedies include a full refund of airfare for those passengers who cannot be re-routed according to their wishes, free ticketing for other flights, or postponement of travel for up to one month. Air France has set up a special 800 number for passengers in France: 0800 240 260.
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Negative Air Fare is the Latest Gimmick in Fare Wars
By Linda Tancs
You may recall the words of the late Nobel economics laureate Milton Friedman, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Well, sort of. In a bid to distinguish itself from the competition, Spirit Airlines is offering “negative” fares on limited routes on limited dates for a limited time. So for those with limited funds, act today or be forced to pay.
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New Flying Handbooks Available
By Linda Tancs
For all those parachuters and pilots desiring a rating, take note: new handbooks are available at the FAA Web site. Study hard!
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Luggage Clearing in the UK
By Linda Tancs
As reports continue to show a distressingly high level of lost (and at times, irretrievable) baggage via Heathrow, the obvious query is what happens to all of those misguided, misplaced and mislaid parcels? Does anyone give a hoot? The answer lies in Tooting (south London), where each week an auction firm hosts happy treasure hunters sifting through your unclaimed shoes and knickers. Of course, electronics and other valuables are sold separately. Who knows, maybe you can buy back your own shirts. Catalogs and photos are available at www.greasbys.co.uk.
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Be One of the First to Fly A380
By Linda Tancs
There’s jumbo–and then there’s superjumbo. Jets, that is. A380, the largest passenger airplane in the world, is set to make its debut courtesy of Singapore Airlines in October. Starting on August 27, however, you can participate in a charity auction on Ebay sponsored by Singapore Airlines to win a seat on the historic maiden voyage, set to depart on October 25 from Singapore to Sydney. Return seating the next day will also be up for grabs. Visit www.singaporeair.com for details.
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Carry-On Rules Vary
By Linda Tancs
Is a monkey nestled in a hat an acceptable piece of carry-on luggage? Probably not, although it’s difficult to imagine how that one got by the Peruvian authorities. This incident does call to mind nonetheless the varying interpretations of what constitutes a piece of carry-on luggage. U.S. travelers know, or expect, that a carry-on means one piece of actual luggage, plus a purse, handbag or laptop bag or even a combination of them. Don’t try that in the UK, though. The UK Department of Transportation makes clear that one piece of cabin baggage means just that–one piece. A handbag can be stored within that one piece of baggage. The rules apply to flights departing from or transferring through the UK. So be warned, and watch out for those flying monkeys.
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Improved Airline Web Sites Seek to Enhance Customer Service
By Linda Tancs
In a bid no doubt to improve the customer service experience, several airlines have enhanced their Web sites to offer conveniences such as improved mileage reward retrieval and flight messaging services. For instance, Delta Airlines (www.delta.com) offers award ticket FAQs, award travel tips and updated seat availability. Also, American Airlines (www.aa.com) offers passengers the ability to download flight information to Palm organizers. And not to be outdone, Southwest Airlines (www.southwest.com) offers wireless check-in via web-enabled mobile devices. Southwest’s Travel Tools aren’t too bad, either. Check out their interactive route map. Will all these “virtual” improvements translate into higher airline satisfaction ratings? Probably not, so long as lines are long, baggage loss is up, fuel costs are high, and meals are reduced. Perhaps seating space is more important than cyberspace.
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Use of Cell Phones During U.S. Flights is Scrapped
By Linda Tancs
The FCC has abandoned its plans to initiate the use of cell phones during commercial flights in the U.S. But don’t put away those cell phones just yet. European regulators just might green-light the idea after airlines finish testing for interference. Why the difference in philosophy? Undoubtedly it has something to do with the mobile phone culture in Europe, about a billion or so users strong. How’s that for market penetration?
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Proposed Change in Overbooked Flights Comp Rule
By Linda Tancs
For the first time in 30 years, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation is considering upping the ante on compensation for stranded passengers. Current rules allow for compensation up to $200 for domestic flights delayed up to 2 hours and international flights delayed up to 4 hours. For delays past 2 hours and 4 hours, respectively, the ante is raised to $400.
Of course, these amounts are not indexed for inflation. That’s why one of the proposals on the table is to increase the $200 cap to $624 and the $400 cap to $1248. There are other proposals as well, such as eliminating all compensation limits and using the ticket’s value as a guide. What say you? Weigh in with your two cents by September 10, 2007. Go to http://dms.dot.gov and plug in docket number OST-01-9325-4 to read all of the proposals and instructions for public comment.
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