The US Travel Insurance Association issued a press release reporting the results of a new consumer survey. This survey reveals that people who buy travel insurance tend to be more well-educated, travel more frequently and have higher household incomes than those who don’t. Travellers going overseas are three times more likely to buy insurance than…
The Cranky Flier blog focuses on the customer service experience of air travel, among other things. On Sunday, he posted a story about fighting USAirways on a fare downgrade. A fare downgrade is the situation in which, after a fare is purchased, a lower fare becomes available, and you downgrade to that fare on your…
When the ban on liquids and gels came out, we wondered what ever had happened to tooth powder and if it would make a comeback. Some research indicated Arm and Hammer had discontinued a tooth powder product not long before due to lack of sales. Yesterday, Harriet Baskas of USA Today commented on alternatives for…
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. A special card, available in PDF format here, would be available in the seatback pocket…
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 moving them back a week…not to visit her son, but to bury him after he…
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 and will, as part of their service, take your bags from the hotel to the…
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, or an Interactive Voice Response system(IVR) designed to automate your experence and eliminate the need…
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, the gains made there are losses elsewhere, as the time it takes to load the…
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 comparable to their competiition, they’d lose all business. Revenue or yield management, which determines how…
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 airlines would allow you to standby for earlier flights that day for free, and get…
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 versions in PDF format and other downloadable options. But as David Grossman of USA Today…
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 resumed charging as well. For restrictions on your carriers, please consult their website. The average…
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. Aircell, which purchased part of Verizon Airfone’s bandwidth, plans to start service by the end…
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 about the new security measures. Watching the news, we saw story after story about people…
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 of this guarantee are found here. As Gridskipper reports here… the guarantee isn’t so much…
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 believe it is a bit more complicated than that, depending on the airline, the route,…
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, which replaced the earlier Warsaw convention, limits the liability of airlines for damaged luggage. Also,…
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 the places that do. We here at Flightwisdom believe in cutting out the middleman. Kayak…
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. Many carriers are allowing you to check your carry-on bags in addition to your normal…
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 best time to buy airline tickets?