Advice

In-Flight Exercise and Relaxation

We were recently prompted to think about issues of health and relaxation and wondered what had happened to Jetblue’s attempt to improve our inflight experience. In this press release from 2002, Jetblue announced the launching of their Airplane Yoga program.…

Bereavement and Compassionate Fares

The LA Daily News had an article last week about a mother and her difficulty in getting understanding from Delta Airlines in a death situation. Betty Haack made arrangements in April to visit her son in July, and ended up…

Baggage Roundup

As Gotta Go! comments, the Hyatt Hotel is partnering with Baggage Airline Guest Services, an Orlando-based organization, to provide service at some locations. Baggage Airline Guest Services(BAGS), is an organization that is authorized to issue boarding passes for some carriers…

The Telephone Game

In a recent article entitled, 1-800-I-am-truly-fed-up, the LA Times addressed the issues of airline call center outsourcing. We were inspired to address it ourselves. When calling any company, airline or not now, you are brought through a menu of options,…

More People are Checking Luggage

Fear is a great motivator. As Threatwatch.org comments, ever since the thwarted liquid plot in London, checked baggage has increased by 20%. While this is having the positive effect of speeding some through security checkpoints and speeding up aircraft boarding,…

5 Dirty Secrets of Airfares as Told by CNN

We recently reviewed CNN Money‘s ’5 dirty secrets of airfares’. We have added our own commentary. 1. Low cost carriers don’t always have the lowest fares – Remember, the legacy carriers are competing with them. If their fares were not…

Confirmed Standby

Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines announced today the introduction of confirmed standby for its passengers. Confirmed Standby is a newer concept in the airline industry. Previously, airline policy was very black and white. Either standby was not permitted for earlier flights or…

The Printed Timetable

When was the last time you saw a printed timetable? Fewer and fewer of these timetables are being printed by the airlines that still print them, relying on electronic means to do so. Their websites will often still offer printable…

Airlines to Resume Charging for Luggage

To allow passengers to adjust to new security restrictions, many carriers relaxed their luggage restrictions. Today, it was reported that Northwest Airlines resumed its charge of $80 for passengers who wish to check a third bag. American and United have…

Disconnexxioned

In a recent post, Staying in Touch In Flight, we commented on the loss of Boeing Connexion. As Airwise news reports here, part of the problem was that the Boeing equipment, which was satellite based, was large, heavy, and expensive.…

Security Baggage

The Detroit News reports here that screeners are handling 30 percent more checked luggage at Detroit Metropolitan Airport since the increased security began. To some degree, as we’ve previously mentioned, the media has confused people or failed to educate them…

The Roaming Gnome

Travelocity is one of the most popular of the online travel sites, having been around since the beginning of these types of sites. Travelocity is known for its commercials featuring the Roaming Gnome, enforcer of the Travelocity Guarantee. The provisions…

Followup on Best Time to Purchase Airfares

As a followup to last week’s mention of the best time to purchase, we have this article from USA Today, written by Jessica Labrencis of Smartertravel.com. We have yet to give our thought on the best time to buy. We…

Laptop Checkin

Blaptops.com offers these tips for how to protect yourself if you are required to check your laptop. In addition to their tips, there are special padded slipcases, as suggested by Roadgladiator.com. But in the end, remember that the Montreal Convention,…

The Best Place to Buy

Let’s talk about Kayak. Kayak is a travel search engine that searches other travel sites. They are our preferred travel partner. Why do we endorse them? It is very simple. They do not actually sell anything. They refer you to…

Security Update

Our contacts at various airlines report individuals have been misinformed about the current security restrictions put in place effective this morning. So, a quick review. 1. You are advised to minimize the amount of carry-on luggage you carry with you.…

The Best Time to Buy

Airline fares are a hot topic with rising prices. Here’s a tip on saving money that was instantly seized upon by many. Tip for the Best Purchase Time of Airline Tickets And debunking the tip. Is Wednesday at midnight the…