AirFares

International Checked Baggage Fees - You Knew It Was Coming

2009-12-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

You had to know it was coming – just a matter of time. That’s right. The dominoes are falling on checked bag charges for international flights. Exempt heretofore, checked baggage is no longer off limits when it comes to those ubiquitous add-on fees.

The overhead bin real estate just went up in value.

Delta Airlines started the trend by imposing a $50 fee for the second checked bag on flights between the U.S. and Europe.

Next onboard was American Airlines who announced last week that they too would begin charging $50 for the second checked bag for some trans-Atlantic tickets purchased after September 14. The fee applies to American flights between the U.S. and India, plus Belgium, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

Not to be out done, US Airways is also charging $50 for the second checked bag on flights between the U.S. and Europe as of August 26 for travel on or after October 7.

Continental Airlines quickly reacted by announcing their own $50 fee for the second checked bag for certain international flights on tickets purchased as of August 26 for travel on or after September 15.

So far, United Airlines hasn’t fallen yet, but I’ll bet they’ve gotten the memo by now. Stay tuned and don’t be surprised if they also match fee for fee.

Important Information About Transporting Animals by Air

2009-12-28T10:42:00.001-08:00

Pet Airways, a new start-up airlines devoted to passengers with paws only, is booked through November. That would definitely confirm there is a need for alternatives to the cargo compartment for transporting our pets via air.

The U.S. Department of Transportation started releasing monthly consumer reports in May 2005 that shed light on the problems with transporting animals in the cargo holds of commercial airliners. The DOT now requires that all U.S scheduled passenger airlines report the loss, injury or death of any pets transported. These monthly reports can be downloaded at airconsumer.dot.gov/reports.

USA Today reports that such incidents are relatively rare based on the last 12 months ending June 2009 considering that an estimated 2 million animals travel by air in the U.S. each year.

“It's difficult to formulate meaningful rankings since these incidents are reported without the context of total number of pets flown, let alone total distance of pets flown. That said, here's a rundown of the 32 incidents that were recorded over the last 12 months, with commuter airlines listed alongside their major carrier partners:”

Deaths (21 total)
Alaska: 4
American: 4
Continental: 4
Delta: 4
Northwest: 2
Trans States/United: 1
United: 2

Injuries (7 total)
Alaska: 1
American: 2
Horizon/Alaska: 1
Northwest: 3

Losses (4 total)
American Eagle/American: 1
Delta: 1
Horizon/Alaska: 1
United: 1

Each incident is linked to the airline’s actual report for more information. Causes were owner-based in some cases and in others airline personnel (or their sub-contractors) mishandled the animals.

If you must send your pet via air consider the following advice from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: "The ASPCA urges pet owners to think twice about flying their pets on commercial airlines, especially if they plan on checking them in as cargo. Unless your animal is small enough to fit under your seat and you can bring him or her in the cabin, the ASPCA recommends pet owners to not fly their animal."

Such decisions can be tough, particularly because neither Amtrak nor Greyhound allow pets on board. If you do decide to transport your furry friend by air, first realize there are three options, though all three are not available for all pets. Some airlines allow pets in the cabin, though they must travel in a container and there are extensive restrictions on the size and weight of such a carrier. In other cases, an animal may travel as checked baggage, though there are size and weight restrictions for this as well. Finally there is the option to ship your pet as air cargo. Service animals such as seeing-eye dogs are exempt from airline prohibitions under DOT rules.

Each airline determines what type of pets to allow, with nearly all permitting dogs and cats. Policies for other species—ranging from birds to gerbils—are specific to that carrier. United, for example, allows dogs, cats and household birds in the cabin, and rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs as checked baggage only.

With U.S. airlines, the rules and regulations for pets as carry-ons vary widely. The Federal Aviation Administration sums up the industry's "general procedures" by noting that most airlines limit the total number of pets, restrict them to their containers for the entire flight, and require that animals be "harmless, inoffensive, and odorless." You may also need to produce a recently issued health certificate.

Among the majors, fees for bringing aboard a pet as a carry-on range from $75 (Southwest) to $100 (Alaska, American, Delta, Northwest, US Airways) to $125 (Continental, United) for a one-way domestic flight. Such fees can be higher under certain circumstances and for international flights.

There also can be additional fees for pets carried as checked baggage and/or air cargo. Delta, for example, spells out your choices on its Pet Travel Options page.

Sorting through these policies can get tricky. AirTran allows pets in the cabin, but not as checked baggage; conversely, Frontier accepts pets as checked baggage but not in the cabin. And because of the heat at its Phoenix and Las Vegas hubs, US Airways bans pets in the cargo compartment, except on its Shuttle flights between New York, Boston and Washington (it's worth noting that US Airways reported no incidents during the last year).

Continental allows pets in the cabin, but bans them as checked baggage. Instead, they can be transported as cargo under the carrier's PetSafe program, which provides a 24-hour Live Animal Desk. Also, your furry friends earn you one OnePass mile for every dollar spent on pet transport, as part of Continental's PetPass initiative. JetBlue also awards TrueBlue points for pets under its JetPaws program.

Southwest previously banned carrying pets, but that changed on June 17th when the airline began accepting "small vaccinated domestic cats and dogs" for transport in the cabin only, in carriers that can be stowed under your seat. In fact, Southwest says "under no circumstances" will it accept pets in the cargo bin. USA Today

Here are some other important considerations and helpful links from USA Today:

Consider all the options before you decide to put your pet on an airplane. Here are some general guidelines:

• Ask your veterinarian if your pet is healthy enough to fly safely, as well as what precautions you should take. Compile specific questions about feeding.

• Experts advise that puppies and kittens, sick animals, animals in heat, and frail or pregnant animals should not travel by air, and that "pug-nosed" animals should not fly in an aircraft's cargo area.

• The American Humane Association recommends that pet owners do not sedate animals prior to air travel: "Whether flying in the cabin or with cargo, animals are exposed to increased altitude pressures of approximately 8,000 feet. Increased altitude ... can create respiratory and cardiovascular problems for dogs and cats who are sedated or tranquilized."

• Despite marketing claims to the contrary, the Agriculture Department states there are no USDA-approved transport kennels: "Airlines or air transport organizations [such as the International Air Transport Association] do not certify containers. Statements such as 'airline accepted' or 'IATA Approved' are misleading." Instead, the USDA suggests you select a container that is "put together securely" (e.g., with locking bolts); contains metal doors rather than plastic, especially those fastened by four metal rods; and offers a "strong and effective" door lock mechanism.

• Make sure the container is the proper size. Also, note that many airlines will not accept a container with wheels. There are many other considerations concerning containers, so visit the sites linked at left to learn more.

• Properly label all containers and make sure your pet has identification, such as a collar, ID tag, and/or microchip. Affix a photo to the container in case the animal escapes.

• Acclimate the animal to the container prior to the day of travel.

• Bring along copies of vaccination and health records.

• International air travel can be quite complex. As the USDA states: "Each country has their own set of rules, some simple, some complex, and some require quarantine." For an extensive list of nations, visit the USDA's Regulations and Assessments page.

• Speaking of animal quarantine policies, they exist not only in many foreign destinations, but also in the state of Hawaii. Further information is available at hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/info.

• Book as early as possible, since some airlines limit the number of animals onboard each flight. Reconfirm prior to departure.

• Always choose nonstops over connecting flights whenever possible. I found that several recent DOT Airline Animal Incident Reports concerned pets routed on domestic itineraries that contained multiple connections and three or even four flight legs each way.

• Consider the time of year and the time of day, particularly midday flights in the summer and late night flights in the winter, and how extreme temperatures might affect your pet. Some airlines impose embargoes at certain destinations and/or during certain times, or when ground temperatures exceed specified limitations.

The bottom line: There are dozens of restrictions and caveats about transporting pets by air, and all sorts of embargoes on specific destinations as well as certain times of the year. In addition, space is limited and usually subject to a first-come reservation basis. So never make a booking until you're clear what the rules are for that airline.

Travel Insurance Tips & Sources

2009-12-28T10:39:00.000-08:00

The burgeoning travel insurance business booked $1.6 billion last year. While once a small industry with limited coverage options, it now offers up a plethora of insurance menu items from à la carte to carte blanche.

Over the past 10 years, the industry has evolved and diversified, and thereby grown considerably. The US Travel Insurance Association quotes a 13 percent surge in business in the last two years alone.

“Back in 2001 the industry was probably $500 or $600 million in size,” says Peter Evans, executive vice president of online travel insurance retailer InsureMyTrip.com. “The industry has had triple-digit growth in the span of eight years, and along the way you’ve seen the companies continue to innovate.” T&L

The September 11 attacks marked a millstone in the travel insurance business when travelers were stranded across the world with all US flights were grounded. Travel & Leisure quotes Nancy Cutter, president of Court Travel in Charlotte, N.C., “We had people stuck in Europe when all U.S. flights were grounded. Insurers looked at that and decided to make sure people were covered for out-of-pocket expenses. So a lot of the per diems increased, and they lengthened the time you could claim them if you got delayed.”

Weather was once an across-the-board exclusion under travel policies, but Hurricane Katrina and the rash of other hurricanes from 2002 to 2005 caused insurers to reconsider their position. Now you can get coverage that insures for a habitable destination devastated by weather.

Coverage for H1N1 is the latest wave. “There are a number of carriers that, up until last year, excluded pandemics,” Evans says, “but now you see some of those carriers provide coverage for that.”

Access America recently expanded its “cancel for any reason” plan, originally launched in 2008, to offer 100 percent coverage in case of job loss to the travel supplier going out of business.

Coverage for medical emergencies and medical evacuation has been insurable for years. Coverage that will get you to a good hospital if you fall ill or get injured on a vacation, particularly in a foreign country, could save your life.

Various plans may cost between four and eight percent of the cost of a trip.

Here are some pointers from the experts for travelers considering an insurance plan:

Make sure you know about coverage you might already have before you buy a plan,

Gather as much documentation as possible when filing a claim,

Buy a plan when you book (in order to dodge huge exclusions).

Travel agents can be good resources for discussing the pros and cons of various plans. Also, USTIA.org posts a list of travel insurance companies in good standing in terms of business and ethical standards.

Travel insurance is not perfect but if you book a trip with stiff cancellation penalties, it could save you lots and lots of money and angst when circumstances force you to miss the trip of your life.

IATA Projecting Improvements In Air Traffic

2009-12-28T10:33:00.000-08:00

The International Air Transport Association reports international traffic for October shows improving conditions, although the industry is still on target for an $11 billion net loss for 2009.

IATA reports:

Passenger demand was up 0.5% compared to October 2008. Demand for international cargo rose to 0.5% below previous year levels. This is significantly better than the 5.4% decline recorded in September. Load factors for passenger and cargo continue at pre-recession levels of 78.0% and 54.1% respectively.

The improvement that started since passenger traffic hit bottom in March is similar to the pace of growth in 2006 and 2007. Without an exaggerated rebound from pent-up demand, there will be no rapid catch-up to the growth trend established in the 2005 to early-2008 period. “The crisis has cost the industry two years of growth. Adjusting costs and capacity to meet that reality will be challenging,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

The improvement in load factors to pre-recession levels is largely the result of careful capacity management. Compared to October 2008, overall passenger capacity on offer was down 3.3%. Stripping out seasonal fluctuations, passenger capacity has been essentially flat throughout 2009. Responding to the precipitous fall in cargo demand, October cargo capacity was 7.4% below the previous year’s levels.

Cargo capacity adjustments have come with many freighters being put into storage or retired, resulting in a fleet reduction of 4.9%. In contrast, the passenger fleet continues to expand by 1.8% as new deliveries more than offset those being stored or retired. Aircraft utilization for both wide and narrow-body aircraft is now 6% below early 2008 levels. This low asset utilization is increasing operating costs.

Yields remain under severe pressure. Although there has been a modest rise in air fares since mid-year, it remains around 20% less expensive to fly in real terms today than it was a year ago.

International Scheduled Passenger Demand:
Passenger demand is now 6% better than the low point reached in March 2009, but 5% below the peak recorded in early 2008.
Compared to September, seasonally adjusted passenger volumes rose by 0.8%. Carriers in all regions except the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North America saw improved demand in October compared to September.
Asia-Pacific carriers saw demand grow 0.9%, lower than the 2.1% recorded in September. The carriers in this region, together with the European carriers, have seen demand rise the most from their low points.
While European carriers saw a demand decline of 3% in October, it is an improvement from the -4.2% in September. European carriers demand is still below the levels from last year due to weakness across the Atlantic and within Europe.
North American carriers saw significant growth in international traffic through the middle of 2009. Very significant capacity cuts across both the Atlantic and Pacific have reduced traffic carried in October to -2.6% below 2008 levels.
Middle Eastern carriers saw demand grow 14.3% (compared to 18.2% in September), the highest among the regions. The region’s carriers continue to add capacity, increasing 15.3% in October and outpacing the growth in demand.
Latin American carriers saw significant increases in the demand for air travel, growing 9% compared to 3.4% in September. The region’s carriers continue to add capacity, growing 3.7% compared to 2008

Looking Ahead to Travel in 2010: New Rules and Regs

2009-12-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

The unofficial guide to traveling in 2010

Three new rules and regulations that will affect your trips in the new year

Steph Ulyett’s airline ticket should have said “Stephanie” of course, but she’s always gone by Steph, so that’s the name her partner typed into Expedia when he reserved their flights to Chicago.

Unfortunately, a commonly misunderstood Transportation Security Administration initiative called Secure Flight, almost made her miss her plane. At least that’s what she thought. A new government rule says the name you use when buying your ticket must match your ID — which Ulyett’s did not.

There’s good news for travelers like her in 2010. Several new laws and policies are scheduled to take effect next year that might upgrade the quality of your trip. Among them are Secure Flight, with its lofty promise to “improve the travel experience for all passengers,” a new credit card bill and stricter disability rules for airlines.

But back to Ulyett. The Derbyshire, England-based factory manager, whose partner had made her reservation on the Expedia.uk Web site, was told she couldn’t fix the name on her ticket. “The only alternative is to cancel your original booking and rebook your flights in the correct name,” Expedia told her in an e-mail. “In this case, I regret to advise you that your ticket is completely non-refundable, including taxes.”

That’s nonsense. Under Secure Flight, she might have been allowed to board her flight — TSA says it’s built “some flexibility” into the program (and hopefully, a little common sense) that would have allowed her to travel without any trouble. More to the point, United routinely makes notations on ticket records to clarify typographical errors or nicknames that inadvertently ended up in reservations.

United agreed. I helped Ulyett get in touch with a manager at the airline, and after explaining her situation, United let her change her ticket at no extra charge.

Which new rules and regulations will affect your trip in 2010?

Credit card bill (February 2010)
Remember the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act signed into law last May? The full rules takes effect late this winter. Already, credit card companies are required to improve disclosure of changes in terms and conditions and they must also give customers a minimum of 21 days to make a payment. But in February, a few new rules kick in

What does any of this have to do with travel? Plenty. One of the provisions of the law is that Congress will have better credit card industry oversight. Most travel purchases are made by credit card. On a related note, my colleague Bob Sullivan recently reported on the emergence of a new consumer protection agency that could also help credit card customers.

This law can’t happen soon enough. Credit card companies are raising rates in advance of February, and they’ve been imposing ridiculous fees, including ones for purchases made with overseas companies (even if the transactions take place in the United States, and in dollars). That’s what happened to Dickerson Moreno when he charged a hotel room in Atlanta to his credit card. His credit card, Citibank, added a 31 cent foreign transaction fee, “because the money that I paid in dollars was later exchanged to some foreign frequency, which is tantamount to a foreign transaction,” he says. “I was never made aware of this.”

But Curtis Arnold, author of the book “How You Can Profit from Credit Cards: Using Credit to Improve Your Financial Life and Bottom Line”, warns that credit cards may raise these transaction charges in the near-term. “Many of these fees now are currently in the three percent range, but are likely to go higher as credit card issuers search for additional sources of revenue in the months to come,” he told me. Arnold recommends checking with your card company before an overseas trip, just to make sure you won’t get socked.

Secure Flight (March 2010)
The stated goal of this government program is to “shift” pre-departure watch list matching responsibilities from individual aircraft operators to the TSA. But by far the biggest effect on passengers is that the names on their airline ticket and government ID now have to match. Secure Flight also requires airlines and agents to collect a passenger’s full name, date of birth and gender. Domestic airlines are expected to introduce Secure Flight through this spring. By then it will expect travel agents like Expedia to begin collecting the necessary data, according to the TSA.

Having a uniform — and uniformly-enforced — policy in place by next spring could be a positive development for airline passengers, who are mostly just confused at this point. But TSA-watchers like Edward Hasbrouck have their doubts. He’s unsure of the March deadline, for starters. “The actual deadlines will be contained in secret security directives from TSA to airlines,” he says. And even if the early 2010 deadline is met, reservation data can be made up to 11 months in advance, meaning that the program won’t be fully implemented until almost a year after the last airline starts collecting Secure Flight data. Hasbrouck has a more complete assessment of the program on a privacy blog.

Air Carrier Access Act (May 2010)
Another important rule that promises to make air travel easier for those with disabilities will take effect in late spring, making flights accessible, even if they’re on foreign carriers. (Many of the provisions of this rule were put in place this year, but extend to international airlines in 2010.) You can read the full rule here (PDF). The Air Carrier Access Act would allow passengers to carry FAA-approved portable oxygen concentrators aboard, as well as other medical devices, according to Candy Harrington, the editor of the magazine Emerging Horizons. “Basically because it will open up air travel to a lot more people, depending of course on their disability,” she says.

These rules are a long time coming. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard from passengers who wanted to carry oxygen onboard, but couldn’t. Hopefully, this will bring much-needed change to the system, not just for domestic air travelers, but also international travelers with disabilities.

Of course, we can have a revised Air Carrier Access Act, Secure Flight and a credit card bill, but what good are any of them without enforcement? In the next year, travelers are likely to learn the answer to that question.

Can a new regulatory agency stop credit cards from bilking us with foreign exchange fees? Can the TSA pull off Secure Flight without compromising our privacy — or, God forbid, forcing us to buy new airline tickets? And what happens when Grandma tries to bring her medical oxygen on board, and is denied?

I hope travel companies will do the right thing. But I’ve been around long enough to know otherwise.

Holiday Shopping Earns Frequent Flyer Miles

2009-12-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

Did you know ….

I didn’t, but thanks to airfarewatchdog.com I am now a wizened internet shopper. No longer will I leave thousands of unearned frequent flyer miles on the seat back tray. I will go forth and shop my very fav shops and stores via links at the airlines’ Web sites.

I will upgrade to first class or fly to Paris with my airline flyer miles earned from my holiday shopping because, I am now a savvy consumer!

Let’s say I plan to buy a $3,000 iMac from Apple.com. Think twice, I tell myself. If I go to Continental Airline’s shopping site, I can earn four OnePass miles for each dollar spent at Apple.com (make that five miles if I charge the purchase using a frequent flyer credit card). That would mean I just earned 15,000 miles or a half a free round-trip domestic flight. A $5,000 purchase might get you enough miles for a free flight.

Hundreds of online merchants participate in these mileage offers. Here are some current deals from various merchants and airlines from airfarewatchdog.com. Just remember these offerings are subject to change so check the individual airline websites.

Delta Airlines
• 2 miles/$1 at Crate and Barrel
• 2 miles/$1 at the Container Store
• 3 miles/$1 at Starbucksstore.com
• 2 miles/$1 at iTunes.com
• 7 miles/$1 at Drugstore.com plus new customers get $10 off their first purchase of $50 or more
• 4 miles/$1 at Overstock.com
• 100 miles for a Costco membership

United Airlines
• 9 miles/$2 at Nordstrom
• 7 miles/$2 at Sephora
• 3 miles/$2 at Apple
• 4 miles/$1 at Avon
• 3 miles/$1 at Circuit City
• 9 miles/$2 at Brookstone

American Airlines
• 4 miles/$1 at Old Navy
• 2 miles/$1 at Walmart
• 10 miles/$1 at 800Flowers.com or 11 at FTD
• 5 miles/$1 at Drugstore.com

Continental Airlines
• 4 miles/$1 at Apple.com
• 8 miles/$1 at Target
• 20 miles/$1 at Godiva
• 6 miles/$1 at Gap
• 30 miles/$1 at Magazines.com

Everyday purchases, not just holiday gifts , qualify for miles, too. Do you regularly buy your contacts from 1800Contacts.com? Why not get 10 miles for every dollar spent? Are you a frequent buyer at Drugstore.com? If you buy via their site directly, you get no miles; get there via an airline shopping mall page and you might get as many as 10 miles per $1 spent. Same thing with purchases at Petco.com. And keep in mind that airline mall shopping is a painless way to keep your frequent flyer miles from going stale, since each purchase, even a 99-cent song at iTunes.com, extends your miles’ expiration date. MSNBC

I love this stuff! Now for a little shopping for this frequent flyer …

Best Advise For Flying Regional Carries

2009-12-28T10:07:00.000-08:00

With smaller, regional carriers making up half the air traffic at some of the largest U.S. airports, domestic flyers need to update their regional airline acumen. Best to be prepared when planning a flight, especially during the busy holiday travel season.

Condé Nast has the information you need to know and the new rules for flying on regional carriers:
1. Bring food
Regional flights can be as long as four hours, and food isn't sold on most of them.

2. Leave nothing to chance
To avoid surprises, always find out what type of plane you'll be flying before you buy your ticket. An airline reservations agent or travel agent can tell you what aircraft you'll be on, but it's not always easily apparent when booking on the Web. Most online travel sites list the aircraft type after you've selected a flight but before you've entered your payment information. If you can't find the type of plane or aren't familiar with the model, call the airline directly.

3. Don't assume that you can bring aboard a carry-on
A wheelie that would fit easily into the overhead bin on a major airline probably won't get past the gate agent at a regional carrier whose bins are too small for anything other than a glorified purse. You'll have to check it at the gate (but won't be charged).

4. Consult seatguru.com before selecting your seat
The standard seating rules don't apply on regional jets. For instance, don't assume that a C or D seat is on the aisle. Choice spots on an Embraer 145 are the A seats—single seats on the left side. Some of the smallest planes don't even have exit rows—the escape route is through the front door.

5. You can usually avoid flying a regional, but it might not be easy
On many routes, airlines offer a mix of code-share regional services as well as flights on their own full-size jets. If there's no way to avoid regional service, try to book the largest aircraft. It's trite but true: The bigger planes do provide a smoother ride

Airport News Stories

2009-12-28T09:39:00.000-08:00

US Boosts Airline Precautions Amid Recriminations

December 28, 2009

The United States tightened airline security amid growing questions about how a Nigerian man with alleged ties to militants smuggled explosives aboard a transatlantic flight and attempted to blow it up.
Read story

Plane Overshoots Jamaica Runway, Dozens Hurt

December 23, 2009

An American Airlines Boeing 737 carrying more than 150 passengers and crew overshot the runway while landing in torrential rain in Jamaica late on Tuesday, cracking open its fuselage and halting just short of the Caribbean sea, autho

rities and eyewitnesses said.
Read story

China Eastern To Invest USD$52 Mln In Hefei Airport

December 22, 2009

China Eastern Airlines has agreed to inv

est up to CNY352 million yuan (USD$52 million) into the construction of Hefei airport in China's eastern province of Anhui, the carrier said in a statement on Tuesday.
Read story

Ruling Buys BAA Time On Airport Sales

December 21, 2009

Airport operator BAA has won an appeal against the Competition Commission on Monday, opening the door for fresh talks on a ruling that its control of Britain's airports should be broken up within two years.
Read story

Thailand Holds Crew A

fter Arms Found On Plane

December 14, 2009

Thai security forces seized more than 35 tonnes of arms and arrested five crew members after a cargo plane made an emergency landing to refuel at a Bangkok airport, officials said.

Read story

EU Clears Macquarie/OTTP Bristol Airport Deal

December 12, 2009

Australia's Macquarie Group and the Ontario

Teachers' Pension Plan Board won approval from EU competition regulators on Friday to take joint control of Britain's Bristol Airport.
Read story

US To Investigate Leak Of Airport Security Manual

December 10, 2009

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has sought disciplinary action against people responsible for posting online a manual of security measures at US airports, and has called for a probe into the leak.
Read story

Thai Airport Operator T

o Spend USD$2.3 Bln

December 9, 2009

Airports of Thailand, the country's main airport operator, said it planned to spend THB76.5 billion baht (USD$2.3 billion) in 2010-2016 to expand the capacity of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport

Read story

US Airport Screening Secrets Posted Online

December 9, 2009

The US Transportation Security Adm

inistration accidentally posted a document online containing secrets related to airport passenger screening practices, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
Read story

Celebi Bids For Newco Airport Services

December 8, 2009

Turkish ground-handling services company Celebi said on Monday it had submitted a non-binding bid for Spain's Newco Airport Services.
Read story

Lawmakers Back New Lo

ndon Gatwick Runway

December 7, 2009

The British Government should consider building an extra runway at London's Gatwick Airport rather than at the city's Stansted Airport, according to a report from a group of UK lawmakers.
Read story

Emirates Unit To Buy Two UK Ground Handling Ops

December 3, 2009

Dubai's Dnata, a unit of the Emirates G

roup said on Thursday it was acquiring two British ground handling operations.
Read story

Vancouver Airport Wor

kers Threaten Strike

December 2, 2009

Union members who sort baggage at Vancouver Airport warned on Tuesday they may walk off the job during the busy Christmas holiday season.
Read story

Airports Of Thailand Has Q4 Loss, Hit By Forex

November 30, 2009

Airports of Thailand, the country's main airport operator, reported a worse-than-expected fourth-quarter net loss on Monday, hit by foreign exchange losses and higher operating costs.
Read story

Cargo Plane Crashes At Shanghai Airport

November 29, 2009

A Zimbabwean-registered cargo plane crashed on take-off at a Shanghai airport on Saturday, injuring four people on board, state media said.
Read story

Airline News Stories

2009-12-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

New US Security Restrictions Could Hurt Airlines

December 28, 2009

Tighter security measures at US airports following an attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound jet could dampen enthusiasm for air travel, hurting the airline industry just as it seemed poised to recover from a period of bruising losses, some industry experts say.
Read story

JAL Bankruptcy Proposed As Option To Banks

December 28, 2009

A state-backed turnaround fund may seek to put Japan Airlines through bankruptcy court if it decides to support the struggling carrier, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Read story

US Boosts Airline Precautions Amid Recriminations

December 28, 2009

US Says No Sign Jet Incident Part Of Bigger Plot

December 28, 2009

There are no signs that the incident in which a Nigerian man has been charged with trying to blow up a US passenger jet bound from Amsterdam to Detroit was part of a larger plot, a senior US official said on Sunday.
Read story

Second Detroit Plane Scare Draws Tough Response

December 28, 2009

Northwest Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam was involved in an emergency incident on its approach to Detroit on Sunday, CNN reported.
Read story

3 Years On, Still No Let-Up In Flight Bomb Risk

December 26, 2009

Is air travel any safer from militant attacks, three years after a group of men tried to blow up transatlantic airliners using liquid explosives?
Read story

US Says Al Qaeda-Linked Man Tried To Blow Up Plane

December 26, 2009

A Nigerian man linked to al Qaeda tried to set off an explosive device aboard a Delta Air Lines plane as it approached Detroit on Friday, but was overpowered by passengers and crew and the aircraft landed safely, officials said.
Read story

United, Continental, ANA Seek US Antitrust Waiver

December 24, 2009

United Airlines, Continental Airlines and Japan's All Nippon Airways said on Wednesday they are seeking a waiver of antitrust rules from the United States to allow them to coordinate flights and fares across the Pacific.
Read story

JAL Seeks Bailout, Juggles Delta, American Offers

December 24, 2009

A decision on whether Japan Airlines will be kept afloat with taxpayers' money or allowed to go bankrupt will be made over the next few weeks.
Read story

LAN To Buy 30 Airbus A320s For USD$1.97 Bln

December 23, 2009

Chile's flagship airline LAN said on Wednesday it has signed a contract to buy 30 Airbus A320 short-haul planes worth around USD$1.97 billion as part of its fleet renewal.
Read story

Plane Overshoots Jamaica Runway, Dozens Hurt

December 23, 2009

Belgium Takes Sabena Dispute To UN Court

December 22, 2009

Belgium said on Tuesday it would take Switzerland to the World Court in The Hague as it seeks damages over a dispute regarding the bankruptcy of Belgian airline Sabena.
Read story

Aeroflot 9 Month Profit Rises 20.7 Percent

December 22, 2009

Russian airline Aeroflot said on Tuesday nine-month net profit reached USD$170.4 million, up 20.7 percent from the year-earlier period, thanks to the company's anti-crisis cost-cutting measures.
Read story

China Eastern To Invest USD$52 Mln In Hefei Airport

December 22, 2009

China Eastern Airlines has agreed to invest up to CNY352 million yuan (USD$52 million) into the construction of Hefei airport in China's eastern province of Anhui, the carrier said in a statement on Tuesday.
Read story

No Japanese Guarantees For Struggling JAL

December 22, 2009

Japan's government will not offer guarantees on funding to Japan Airlines, Finance Minister Hirohisa Fujii said on Tuesday, eliminating one potential source of support for the carrier as it struggles for survival.
Read story

2009-09-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

British Airways to Charge for Early Seat Selection

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- British Airways PLC (BAY.LN) Friday said it will start charging passengers for choosing their seats in advance, in the U.K. carrier's latest move to boost revenue by un bundling its service.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/38b6/3/0/%2a/l%3B216491502%3B0-0%3B24%3B30826980%3B4307-300/250%3B32423413/32441289/1%3B%3B%7Eaopt%3D2/1/d/0%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp://clk.atdmt.com/SOH/go/158484709/direct/01/1690065" target="_blank"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;img src="http://view.atdmt.com/SOH/view/158484709/direct/01/1690065"/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;noscript&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/38b6/3/0/%2a/l%3B216491502%3B0-0%3B24%3B30826980%3B4307-300/250%3B32423413/32441289/1%3B%3B%7Eaopt%3D2/1/d/0%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp://clk.atdmt.com/SOH/go/158484709/direct/01/1690065" target="_blank"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;img border="0" src="http://view.atdmt.com/SOH/view/158484709/direct/01/1690065" /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/noscript&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

From Oct. 7, BA will charge economy travelers GBP10 each for selecting their preferred seat up to 24 hours before departure on domestic flights or flights within Europe. Travelers flying short-haul business within Europe or long-haul economy trips will be charged GBP20 each, and those traveling long-haul business will be charged GBP60.

Seats in the emergency exit row, which are popular given the extra leg room, will cost more.

"We will continue to offer customers the option to pre-allocate their seats for free in the 24 hours prior to departure. However, customers frequently request specific seats further in advance. This will allow them to do that," said a BA spokesman.

The carrier's decision to introduce such charges mirrors budget carrier Ryanair Holdings' PLC (RYA.DB) "priority boarding," which charges passengers extra to board the plane first and have first choice of the seats.

Company Web site : http://www.britishairways.com

Airlines add $10 surcharge for holiday travel

MINNEAPOLIS – Several big airlines this week added $10 surcharges for most of their tickets for travel on three busy days around Thanksgiving and New Year’s holidays.

American and United airlines added the charge for most of their fares for travel on Nov. 29, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, as well as Jan. 2 and 3. On Friday US Airways Group Inc. matched the surcharge, and FareCompare.com said Delta Air Lines Inc. added it, too.

Spokespersons for Southwest Airlines Co. and Continental Airlines Inc. both said they had not added the surcharge.

Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com noted that the Sunday after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel days of the year, and that the two dates in January are heavily traveled as well.

He said the airlines probably added the charge rather than raise base fares because it was a quick, targeted way to charge more on busy travel days.

"The bottom line this year for consumers is that it’s pretty clear that if you procrastinate on your holiday travel, you’re going to get stung," he said.

He said holiday fares are still running 15 percent to 20 percent lower than last year, with prices to bigger cities carrying the bigger discount from a year ago.

American added the charge on Wednesday and United matched on Thursday.

Shares of American parent AMR Corp. rose 26 cents, or 3.4 percent, to $8 in afternoon trading. United parent UAL Corp. added 50 cents, or 5.7 percent, rising to $9.33, and US Airways Group Inc. was up 9 cents to $5. Delta Air Lines Inc. rose 22 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $9.14.

Airline Advertisement

2009-09-25T22:01:00.001-07:00

Last Minute Cheap Airfares

2009-09-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

If you have to travel at the last minute, then it's possible to find some amazing deals online. It doesn't matter what your reason is for traveling at the last minute, whether a death in the family, wanting to surprise someone or just for fun - spend some time online and you might just score yourself an amazing airfare deal.

First, let's define last minute. Generally, last minute airfares are available between 3 and 14 days before the flight is scheduled. They don't tend to stick around for long, so you need to grab a good deal very quickly. So why do airlines offer such cheap prices? Mostly it's because they've got enough passengers to schedule the flight, but not enough to fill the plane. So rather than fly half full, they'll offer cheap airfares at the last minute to fill up the seats. Because they're so cheap, they are usually purchased immediately, so the airline can relax, knowing the plane is full. Better to sell a seat for a cheap fare than earn nothing at all from an empty one.

The good news is that it's easy to find last minute cheap airfares online. The main problem is finding them for the dates you want to travel, or for flights to your destination. So if you have very specific travel plans, you may not find a last minute cheap airfares. But if you can be a little bit flexible with your travel details, perhaps moving your travel plans forward or backwards by a day, then you might just get lucky.

There are plenty of sites to choose from, with Site59.com and 11thhoursvacations.com being two of the most popular. It's a perfect match - airlines who want to get rid of spare seats at the last minute, and travelers who want to grab a bargain.

So, what do you do if you can't find a cheap flight that suits your plans? Well, one option is to try flying to another airport close by. There's likely to be another airport within a couple of hours drive of home, so try looking for flights from that airport instead. It might take you a couple of hours extra to get to the airport, but if you save yourself hundreds of dollars on the airfare, it's worth it.

You can also try bidding for a last minute airfare at a website like Priceline.com. They take your offer, and then try to match it up with an offer from an airline offloading empty seats. The only problem is that there's no guarantee they'll find anything, so you may not end up with a flight. Also, be aware that if you make a big and an airline accepts it, you have to pay the fee, whether you've found a better airfare elsewhere or not. Still, it's another option you can try in the quest for last minute cheap airfaress.

Finally, check out the websites of some discount airlines that fly to your destination. They often have last minute airfare deals, and are worth a look. Make sure you read their fine print carefully, though, in case they have conditions such as a no refund policy. Good luck with your search for last minute cheap airfares, and happy traveling!

Airline meal

2009-09-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

An airline meal or in-flight meal is a meal served to passengers on board a commercial airliner. These meals are prepared by airline catering services.

The first kitchens preparing meals in-flight were established by United Airlines in 1936.

These meals vary widely in quality and quantity across different airline companies and classes of travel. They range from a simple beverage in short-haul economy class to a seven-course gourmet meal in long-haul first class

The type of food varies depending upon the airline company and class of travel. Meals may be served as "one tray" or in multiple courses with no tray and with a tablecloth, metal cutlery, and glassware (generally in first and business classes).

The airline dinner typically includes meat (most commonly chicken or beef) or fish, a salad or vegetable, a small bread roll, and a dessert.

Caterers usually produce alternative meals for passengers with restrictive diets. These must usually be ordered in advance, sometimes when buying the ticket. Some of the more common examples include:

Cultural diets, such as French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese or Indian style.
Infant and baby meals. Some airlines also offer childrens' meals, containing foods that picky children will enjoy such as baked beans, mini-hamburgers and hot dogs.
Medical diets, including low/high fiber, low fat/cholesterol, diabetic, peanut free, non-lactose, low salt/sodium, low-purine, low-calorie, low-protein, bland (non-spicy) and gluten-free meals.
Religious diets, including Kosher, Halal and Hindu, Buddhist and Jain vegetarian (sometimes termed Asian vegetarian) meals.
Vegetarian and vegan meals. Some airlines do not offer a specific meal for vegetarians; instead, they are given a vegan meal.

Fly Emirates Meal

In-flight meal Garuda Indonesia Air Lines

Short-haul meal of Austrian Airlines

Aeroflot meal

Dinner served in domestic first class on Northwest Airlines

Cutlery

Before the September 11th attacks in 2001, first class passengers were often provided with full sets of metal cutlery. Afterward, common household items were evaluated more closely for their potential use as weapons on aircraft, and both first class and coach class passengers were restricted to plastic utensils (also known as "Sporks"). This restriction has since been relaxed in many countries.

Other non-food items

Condiments (typically salt, pepper, and sugar) are supplied in small sachets. For cleanliness most meals come with a napkin and a moist towelette. First and business class passengers are often provided with hot towels, proper salt and pepper shakers, and other items typically seen in a restaurant.

Breakfast

During morning flights a cooked breakfast or smaller continental-style may be served. On long haul flights and (short/medium haul flights within Asia) breakfast normally includes an entrée of pancakes or eggs, traditional fried breakfast foods such as sausages and grilled tomatoes, and often muffins or pastry, fruits and breakfast cereal on the side. On shorter flights a continental-style breakfast, generally including a miniature box of breakfast cereal, fruits and either a muffin, pastry, or bagel. Coffee and tea are offered as well, and sometimes hot chocolate.

China Eastern Snack box

Quality

Prices charged to the passengers for food on board the flight ranges in price from free (many airlines, especially those in Asia and all airlines on long haul flights offer free meals) to as much as ten dollars^{[citation needed]} (Midwest Airlines). Quality may also fluctuate due to shifts in the economics of the airline industry, with private jet passengers receiving the equivalent of five-star food service.^[1]

On the longest flights in first class and business class, most Asian and European airlines serve multicourse gourmet meals, while airlines based in the US tend to serve large, hearty, meals including a salad, steak or chicken, potatoes, and ice cream. Some long-haul flights in first class (from mostly Asian carriers) offer such delicacies as caviar, champagne, and sorbet. The cost and availability of meals on US airlines has changed considerably in recent years, as financial pressures have inspired some airlines to either begin charging for meals or abandon them altogether in favor of small snacks (Southwest Airlines). Eliminating free pretzels saved Northwest $2 million annually. The carrier lost nearly $3.3 billion since 2001.

British Airways lunch

Taste
Meals must generally be frozen and heated on the ground before takeoff, rather than prepared fresh. Guillaume de Syon, a history professor at Albright College who wrote about the history of airline meals, said that the higher altitudes alter the taste of the food and the function of the taste buds; according to de Syon the food may taste "dry and flavorless" as a result of the pressurization and passengers, feeling thirsty due to pressurization, many drink alcohol when they ought to drink water.^[2]

Domestic airport &International airport&Regional airport

2009-09-24T15:31:00.001-07:00

Domestic Airport

A domestic airport is an airport which handles only domestic flights or flights within the same country. Domestic airports don't have customs and immigration facilities and are therefore incapable of handling flights to or from a foreign airport.

These airports normally have short runways which are sufficient to handle short/medium haul aircraft and regional air traffic. They have in many countries not had any security check / metal detector, but such checks have been added in recent years.

Most municipal airports in Canada and the United States are of this classification. At international airports in Canada, there are domestic terminals that handle flights within Canada (flying from one Canadian city to another).

Several small countries do not have any public domestic airports, or even public domestic flights, e.g. Belgium.

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International Airport

An international airport is an airport typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle international flights to and from other countries. Such airports are usually larger, and often feature longer runways and facilities to accommodate the large aircraft commonly used for international or intercontinental travel. International airports often host domestic flights (flights which occur within the country) in addition to international flights. In many smaller countries most airports are international airports, so the concept of an "international airport" has little meaning. In certain countries however, there is a sub-category

of limited international airports which handle international flights, but are limited to short-haul destinations (often due to geographical factors) or are mixed civilian/military airports.

Many airports with regularly scheduled international service have the word "International" in their official names, but others, including such major airports as London Heathrow Airport, do not. Conversely, some airports which call themselves international airports, especially in smaller United States cities, in fact have no scheduled international airline passenger service but do have customs and immigration facilities serving charter, cargo and general aviation flights. At many of these airports customs and immigration services are only available with several hours advance

notice. One example of such an airport is Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A few, such as Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary, Indiana, are in fact not international airports at all; they are not designated as airports of entry but aspire to become such in the future and added "international airport" to their names as a marketing tool.

Other airports which previously served international flights now serve primarily domestic flights (international traffic having been redirected to a newer, larger airport in the area), but retain the "international" designation in their name. Examples of these are:

Don Mueang International Airport (Old Bangkok Int'l), in Bangkok, Thailand, relieved by Suvarnabhumi Airport
Tokyo International Airport (Haneda), in Tokyo, Japan, relieved by Narita International Airport(although Japan Airlines drops some routes between Haneda and Seoul, Shanghai and Hong Kong)
Taipei Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan (which retains its name as "Taipei International Airport" in Chinese), relieved by Taoyuan International Airport.
Gimpo International Airport in Seoul , South Korea, relieved by Incheon International Airport
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai, People's Republic of China, relieved by Pudong International Airport.
Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, relieved by Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Many international airports also serve as "hubs", or places where non-direct flights may land and passengers switch planes. International airports often have many airlines represented, and many of these are often foreign.

Passengers connecting to domestic fl

ights from an international flight generally must take their checked luggage through customs and re-check their luggage at the domestic airline counter, requiring extra time in the process. In some cases in Europe luggage can be transferred to the final destination even if it is a domestic connection.

In some cases, travelers and the aircraft can clear customs and immigration at the departure airport. As one example of this, are airports in Canada with United States border preclearance facilities. This allows flights from those airports to fly into US airports that do not have customs and immigration facilities. Luggage from such flights can also be transferred to a final destination in the U.S. through the airp

ort of entry.

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Regional Airport

A regional airport is an airport serving traffic within a relatively small or lightly populated geographical area. A regional airport usually does not have customs and immigration facilities to process traffic between countries. In Canada regional airports usually service connections within Canada and some flights to the United States. A few U.S. regional airports, some of which actually call themselves international airports, may have customs and immigration facilities staffed on an as-needed basis, but the vast majority serve domestic traffic only.

Aircraft using these airports tend to be smaller business jets, private aircraft and regional airliners of both turboprop propelled or regional jetliner varieties. These flight usually go a shorter distance to a larger regional hub. For medium-size countries like France, Germany and Sweden, a regional airport is an airport used with smaller planes, even though they go to the national hub, just like flight from larger domestic airports.

Boarding pass

2009-09-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

A boarding pass is a document provided by an airline during check-in, giving a passenger the authority to board an aircraft. As a minimum, it identifies the passenger, the flight number, and the date and scheduled time for departure. In some cases, flyers can check in "on-line" and print the boarding passes themselves.

Generally a passenger with an electronic ticket will only need a boarding pass. If a passenger has a paper airline ticket, that ticket (or flight coupon) may be required to be attached to the boarding pass for him or her to board the aircraft. The paper boarding pass (and ticket, if any), or portions, are sometimes collected and counted for cross-check of passenger counts by gate agents, but more frequently are scanned (via barcode or magnetic stripe). The standards for bar codes and magnetic stripes on boarding passes are published by IATA. The bar code standard (BCBP) defines the 2D bar code printed on paper boarding passes or sent to mobile phones for electronic boarding passes. The magnetic stripe standard (ATB2) will expire in 2010. For "connecting flights" there will be a boarding pass needed for each new flight (distinguished by a different flight number) regardless of whether a different aircraft is boarded.

Most airports and airlines have automatic readers that will verify the validity of the boarding pass at the jetway door or boarding gate. This also automatically updates the airline's database that shows the passenger has boarded and the seat is used, and that the checked baggage for that passenger may stay aboard. This speeds up the paperwork process at the gate, but requires passengers with paper tickets to check in, surrender the ticket and receive the digitized boarding pass.

Many airlines have moved to issuing electronic boarding passes, whereby the passenger checks in either online or on a mobile device, and the boarding pass is then sent to the mobile device as a SMS or e-mail; airlines that issue electronic boarding passes include AirAsia (The first airline to introduce SMS boarding passes), Air Canada, WestJet (the first in North America to do so), Cathay Pacific Airways, JetBlue Airways, American Airlines and Lufthansa.

Electronic ticket

2009-09-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

Checking in with an E-Ticket

To check in with an e-ticket, the passenger usually comes to the check-in counter and presents the e-ticket itinerary receipt which contains a confirmation or reservation code. In some airports and airlines it's not even necessary to present this document or quote the confirmation code or e-ticket number as the reservation is confirmed solely on the basis of the passenger's identity, which may be proven by a passport or the matching credit card. After confirming the reservation, the passenger checks-in his/her luggage and is given a boarding pass which usually says "Electronic Ticket" or "E-ticket."

Replacement of paper tickets

It is now common for a traveler to pay a fee, assessed by the airline company, for a paper ticket. In fact, many airlines no longer issue paper tickets. IATA has announced, that as of June 1, 2008, IATA-member airlines will no longer issue any paper tickets.

A ticket is generally only good on the airline for which it was purchased. However, an airline can endorse the ticket, so that it may be accepted by other airlines, sometimes on standby basis or with a confirmed seat. Usually the ticket is for a specific flight. It is also possible to purchase an 'open' ticket, which allows travel on any flight between the destinations listed on the ticket. The cost for doing this is greater than a ticket for a specific flight. Some tickets are refundable. However, the lower cost tickets are usually not refundable and may carry many additional restrictions. A ticket is made up of one or more flight coupons. In the old paper ticket system, these flight coupons were the actual tickets that were used for travel. One flight coupon was used for each leg of the flight.

The carrier is represented by a standardized 2-letter code. In the example above, Thai Airways is TG. The departure and destination cities are represented by International Air Transport Association airport codes. In the example above, Munich is MUC and Bangkok is BKK. The International Air Transport Association is the standard setting organization.

Only one person can use a ticket. If multiple people are traveling together, the tickets are linked together by the same record locator or reservation number, which are assigned, if the tickets were purchased at the same time. If not, most airlines can connect the tickets together in their reservation systems. This allows all members in a party to be processed in a group, allowing seat assignments to be together (if available at the time of the assignment).

Lufthansa to cut about 270 staff at headquarters

2009-09-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

FRANKFURT

Deutsche Lufthansa AG said Monday it needs to save money at its headquarters' administration and will cut about 270 of about 1,800 administrative jobs over the next three years.

The Cologne-based company initially said in July it had to react to lower demand for passenger and freight service and that it would cut about 400 jobs at the passenger airlines' administration.

Furthermore, the company wants to initiate widespread cost savings programs across the passenger division. As a result, Lufthansa said it will probably cut some short-haul flights at its Cityline and Eurowings subsidiaries next year.

Shares of Lufthansa were about 1 percent lower at euro12 ($18) in Frankfurt afternoon trading.

United Adds Bag Fee For Some Int'l Routes

2009-09-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

United Adds Bag Fee For Some Int'l Routes

United Airlines on Thursday unveiled a second-bag fee for passengers on some international routes, following a trend set by US Airways and Continental Airlines.

Passengers flying trans-Atlantic routes will pay USD$50 for a second bag at the airport or USD$45 if purchased on the carrier's website. This applies on routes going from the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean to Europe and back.

Travellers going from the United States to Mexico or the Caribbean will pay slightly less -- USD$30 at the airport and USD$27 online.

"With the implementation of this new policy, United is matching other US airlines who have previously announced a fee for checking a second bag for trans-Atlantic travel," the carrier said in a note to employees on Thursday.

In late August, US Airways added a USD$50 fee for a second checked bag, while Continental added a USD$50 fee for some economy ticket holders.

Bag fees have been one source of cash for US airlines as they attempt to counter the decline in passenger traffic in recent months. United Airlines reported a nearly 6 percent drop in traffic last month.

(Reuters)

Airline Toll-Free Numbers and Websites

2009-09-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

	Airline Toll-Free Numbers and Websites
African Safari Airways
Aer Lingus	800-223-6537
Aero California	800-237-6225
Aeroejecutivos
Aeroflot	888-340-6400
Aerolineas Argentinas	800-333-0276
Aeromexico	800-237-6639
Aeropostal	888-912-8466
Air Aruba	800-882-7822
Air Aurora	800-443-0478
Air Berlin
Air Botswana	800-518-7781
Air Caledonia	800-677-4277
Air Canada	888-247-2262
Air China	800-982-8802
Air Europa	888-238-7672
Air Fiji	877-air-fiji
Air France	800-237-2747
Air India	800-223-7776
Air Jamaica	800-523-5585
Air Kenya
Air Madagascar	800-821-3388
Air Malta	800-756-2582
Air Mauritius	800-537-1182
Air Moldova
Air Namibia	800-626-4242
Air New Zealand	800-262-1234
Air North Airlines	800-764-0407
Air Pacific	800-227-4446
Air Portugal	800-221-7370
Air Sahara	877-572-4272
Air Sunshine	800-327-8900
Air Tahiti Nui	877-824-4846
Air Transat	800-388-5836
AirTran Airways	800-AIR-TRAN
Air Vanuatu	800-677-4277
Air Vegas	800-255-7474
Air Zimbabwe	800-742-3006
Alaska Airlines	800-426-0333
Alitalia	800-223-5730
All Nippon Airways	800-235-9262
Allegiant Air	888-594-6937
Aloha Air	800-367-5250
Ambassadair	800-225-9919
America West Airlines	800-235-9292
American Airlines	800-433-7300
American Trans Air	800-225-2995
Amerijet International Inc.	800-927-6059
Arizona Express Airlines	866-435-9872
Asiana Airlines	800-227-4262
Atkin Air	800-924-2471
Atlantic Airlines	800-879-0000
Atlas Air	800-462-2012
Austrian Airlines	800-843-0002
AviaCSA	888-528-4227
Avianca	800-284-2622
Avioimpex - Interimpex	800-713-2622
Bahamas Air	800-222-4262
Balair/CTA	800-322-5247
Baltic Intl Airlines	800-548-8181
Bangkok Airways	866-226-4565
Bemidji Airlines	800-332-7133
Big Sky Airlines	800-237-7788
Bouraq Indonesia Airlines
British Airways	800-247-9297
British Midland	800-788-0555
Bulgaria Air
BWIA International	800-538-2942
CanJet Airlines	800-809-7777
Cape Air	800-352-0714
Caribbean Star Airlines	866-864-6272
Cathay Pacific Airways	800-233-2742
Cayman Airways	800-441-3003
Century Airlines	800-541-0410
Chalk's Ocean Airways	800-4-CHALKS
China Airlines	800-227-5118
China Eastern Airlines	800-200-5118
China Southern	888-338-8988
Colgan Air	800-428-4322
Comair	800-354-9822
Condor	800-524-6975
Continental Airlines	800-525-0280
Copa Airlines	800-359-2672
Corporate Express Airlines	800-661-8151
Corsair	800-677-0720
Croatia Airlines	888-462-7628
Cyprus Airways
Czech Airlines	(east coast) 800-223-2365
Czech Airlines	(west,mw) 800-628-6107
Delta Air Lines	800-221-1212
DAC Air Romanian Airlines
DHL WorldWide Express	800-225-5345
Dragon Air	800-842-9911
Dutch Caribbean Airlines	800-327-7230
East African Safari Air
East Coast Flight Services	800-554-0550
EasyJet.com
Egyptair	800-334-6787
El Al Israel Airlines	800-223-6700
Emery Worldwide	800-367-3592
Emirates Air	800-777-3999
Ethiopian Airlines	800-445-2733
Estonian Air	800-397-1354
EVA Airways	800-695-1188
Evergreen International	800-345-5556
Fine Airlines	800-923-9222
Finnair	800-950-5000
First Air	800-267-1247
Florida Coastal Airlines	888-435-9322
Frontier Airlines	800-432-1359
Garuda Indonesia	800-342-7832
German Wings
Germania Express
Ghana Airways	800-404-4262
Grand Aire Express	800-70-GRAND
Great Lakes Airlines	800-554-5111
Great Plains Airlines	866-929-8646
Gulf Air	888-359-4853
Gulfstream Intl Airlines	800-992-8532
Hapag-Lloyd Express
Hawaiian Airlines	800-367-5320
Hewa Bora Airways
Hooters Air	888-359-4668
Horizon Air	800-547-9308
Iberia	800-772-4642
Icelandair	800-223-5500
Independence Air	800-359-3594
Indian Airlines
Interstate Jet	877-359-4538
Israir Airlines
Island Air	800-323-3345
Japan Airlines	800-525-3663
Jet Airways (India)	866-835-9538
JetBlue Airways	800-538-2583
Jet Express	800-806-8833
JetsGo Airlines	866-440-0441
Kenmore Air	800-543-9595
Kenya Airways	866-536-9224
KLM	800-374-7747
Knight Air
Korean Air	800-438-5000
Kulula Airlines
Kuwait Airways	800-458-9248
Lacsa Costa Rica	800-225-2272
LanChile Airlines	800-735-5526
Lauda Airlines	800-588-8399
Leading Edge Air Logistics	800-552-5323
Lithuanian Airlines	877-454-8482
Lloyd Aereo Boliviano	800-327-3098
LOT Polish Airlines	800-223-0593
LTU International	866-266-5588
Lufthansa	800-645-3880
Lynx Air International	888-LYNX-AIR
Malaysia Airlines	800-552-9264
Malev Hungarian	800-223-6884
Martinair Holland	800-627-8462
Mesa Airlines	800-637-2247
Mesaba Airlines	800-225-2525
Mexicana	800-531-7921
Middle East
Midway Airlines	800-446-4392
Midwest Airlines	800-452-2022
Miles Above	800-469-6453
Monarch Airlines
Mongolian Airlines	800-642-8768
Nantucket Airlines	800-635-8787
Nature Air	800-235-9272
New England Airlines	800-243-2460
North American Airlines
North Vancouver Air	800-228-6608
Northwest Airlines	800-225-2525
Norwegian Air Shuttle
Olympic Airways	800-223-1226
Pacific Coastal Airlines	800-663-2872
Pakistan Intl Airline	800-221-2552
Pan Am	800-359-7262
Pelita Air Service
Penair	800-448-4226
Philippine Airlines	800-435-9725
Polynesian Airlines	800-644-7659
Phnom Penh Airways
Qantas Airways	800-227-4500
Rover Airways Intl	800-828-4668
Royal Air Maroc	800-344-6726
Royal Jordanian Airlines	800-223-0470
Royal Nepal	800-266-3725
Royal Tongan Airlines	800-486-6426
Ryanair.com
Ryan International Airlines	800-727-0457
SAS Scandinavian Airlines	800-221-2350
Saudia Arabian Airlines	800-472-8342
Scenic Airlines	800-634-6801
Shuttle America	888-999-3273
Silk Air
Singapore Airlines	800-742-3333
SN Brussels Airlines
Sol Air	866-476-5247
Solomon Airlines	800-677-4277
Song Delta Air	800-359-7664
South African	800-722-9675
Southeast Airlines	800-359-7325
Southwest Airlines	800-435-9792
Spanair	888-545-5757
Spirit Airline	800-772-7117
SriLankan	877-915-2652
Sun Country Airlines	800-752-1218
Sunflower Airlines, Fiji	800-707-3454
Suriname Airways	800-327-6864
SWISS	877-359-7947
TACA Airlines	800-535-8780
TAM - Brazilian Airlines	888-235-9826
TAME (Ecuadorian/Galapagos)
TAP Air Portugal	800-221-7370
Ted Airlines	800-225-5833
Tarom Romanian Air Transpt
Thai Air	800-426-5204
Tower Air Greece
Transavia Airlines
Transbrasil	800-872-3153
TransMeridian Airlines	866-435-9862
Trans International Express	888-244-8922
Tropic Air	800-422-3435
Turkish Airlines	800-874-8875
Ukraine Intl Airlines	800-876-0114
United Airlines	800-241-6522
US Airways	800-428-4322
USAir Shuttle	800-428-4322
USA 3000 Airlines	877-872-3000
Varig	800-468-2744
Vasp Brazilian Airlines	866-776-3869
Virgin Atlantic	800-862-8621
Virgin Blue
Virgin Express
VLM Airlines
WestJet Airlines	800-538-5696
Wind Jet
World Airways	800-967-5350
Yemen Airways	800-936-8300
Yugoslav Airlines

The Airlines And H1N1

2009-09-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

Airline Workers May Spread H1N1, Expert Says

Airline employees who report to work ill are more likely than sick passengers to spread infections such as the H1N1 swine flu virus aboard planes, with low-paid workers posing the greatest danger, a US government expert said on Thursday.

Dr. Michael Bell, an expert on infectious disease with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said flight attendants and other employees who move through aircraft can leave germs on any number of surfaces, while sick passengers could be more likely to remain stationary.

But the greatest threat could come from a low-paid airline contractors, such as cleaners, if slim wages and poor benefits make it difficult for them to take a sick day.

"That individual may be just as effective at spreading infection as anybody else," Bell told a meeting sponsored by the independent National Research Council on the role that airports and aircraft play in transmitting disease.

Public health officials ask sick people not to travel and risk spreading infection to others and advise ill workers to stay home as well.

"The way we help employees not to be sources of transmission is pretty complex because there's such a variation between the resources those people have," said Bell, who is an associate director for infection control at the CDC.

"With contract staff in many ways being a larger part of the workforce, it becomes tricky," he added.

The question of infection aboard airliners and in airports has become a major concern in the United States, where public health officials are bracing for a surge of H1N1 swine flu cases as cooler autumn temperatures take hold in the Northern Hemisphere.

The US Department of Homeland Security is urging air carriers to emphasise personal hygiene among workers and passengers, particularly hand-washing, as health officials await the first delivery of H1N1 flu vaccine later this month.

Commercial airliners have air filters that can trap pathogens and prevent them from spreading through the plane's ventilation system.

2009-09-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

How to Get Cheap Flights

Booking Strategies Large Internet Sites Student and Budget Specialists Domestic Bucket Shops Ethnic and Foreign Bucket Shops Courier Flying Round-the-World Tickets Charters Bumping To Gateways Glossary

TWO HUNDRED YEARS ago the cost was seven years to a lifetime of servitude for average people making a one-way crossing of the Atlantic. Now it can be funded by a few days of waiting tables.

When booking through an agent, always specify you want the "lowest possible fare," as there may be specials which do not fall under "economy" or "APEX." Moreover, not every agent--even with the budget specialists listed below--will be equally competent or motivated to find the cheapest ticket. They may not know about a great deal the next cubicle has been selling all week, or the commission may not merit bothering much.

Likewise, buying a ticket on the Internet is not the same as getting the cheapest price. As with any travel agent, you may be offered the lowest price, an average price, or a test price. You still have to make comparisons and move boldly when a deal presents itself. A good strategy is to book the best-value, fully-refundable fare early, then continue looking for something better to pop up.

You may find an attractive price on the main leg, but a high one on the connect. Try reversing the search, or book one leg at a time. Allow at least three hours between flights for international departures/changeovers.

Often the best deals are offered directly by airline websites. In some cases you sign-up with the airline and they notify you via email of hugely-restricted but incredibly cheap specials a few days before the flight. These include American, United, Continental, Northwest, Southwest (the U.S. low-fare and efficiency leader), U.S. Airways, TWA, Delta, Alaska, Canadian, Carnival, and Cathay Pacific (which periodically auctions--with minimum bid--several hundred seats on New York and Los Angeles to Hong Kong runs.)

Large Internet Travel Sites

All listings are the result of experience, general budget travel knowledge, or research. The only contract is between author and reader.
travelocity.com
The biggest, from AMR, the parent of SABRE and American Airlines.

expedia.com
Microsoft's successful (in the black) travel site.

priceline.com
A reverse-auction website where you decide how much you're willing to pay, then software searches for an airline willing to release a seat for that amount. You choose the date but not the time, if an airline agrees your credit card is billed, and you are permitted only one bid per route. While Priceline recommends bidding at the lowest published fare for the route, some success is reported at thirty percent below.

previewtravel.com
Closely linked with AOL, owned by Travelocity.

itn.net
The Palo Alto engine behind many "front" travel agencies such as CNN. ITN works with local travel agents.

americanexpress.com/travel
American Express travel agency.

travelweb.com
From Dallas-based Pegasus Systems.

hotwire.com
Hotwire is an airline, hotel, and rental car partnership discounting oversupply (including 500,000 daily seats) directly to consumers. Buyers do not know airline names, flight times, or hotel locations until after purchase, and refunds or changes are not permitted.

orbitz.com
An airline alliance designed to bypass traditional reservation networks and return a few extra percent of revenue to the companies flying the airplanes. It provides comprehensive route and fare information, and has attracted a million-dollar CEO and Justice Department interest.

Student and Budget Specialists

While a few tickets require student or youth status, most do not. The following serve customers requiring cheap fares, and have access to discounted tickets. To be certain of any true low-market price you must make at least a few inquiries. (See Bargaining in Chapter 8.)

sta-travel.com
Formerly Student Travel Australia, and certainly partly responsible for the legions of Aussies carousing the world. STA has nearly 200 offices in ten countries, including twenty in the States. Main U.S. office is 10 Downing St., New York, NY 10014. tel. 212-627-3111. National service desk 800-777-0112.

ciee.org
Council Travel. Has several dozen offices in the U.S. specializing in student and budget travel. Operates charter flights to Europe in the summer (Council Charter tel. 800-800-8222). Main office is 205 E. 42 St., New York, NY 10017. tel. 212-661-1414 or 212-661-0311. Sells ISIC cards, Eurail passes, and the most excellent Work, Study, and Travel Abroad: The Whole World Handbook.

travelcuts.com
Canadian Universities Travel Service. Has twenty offices in Canada and one in London. Main office is at 187 College St., Toronto, Ontario M5T1P7. tel. 416-979-2406.

acotra.com
Belgium-based student travel organization with good connections to Africa. ACOTRA World USA, 29777 Telegraph Road, Suite 2432, Southfield, Michigan 48034 and ACOTRA World Ltd., rue de la Madeleine 51, 100 Brussels, Belgium tel. 32.2.512.70.79 fax 32.512.39.74

Domestic Bucket Shops

Air Brokers International
323 Geary, Suite 411, San Francisco, CA 94102 tel. 800-883-3273 fax: 415-397-4767. Sells around-the-world and circle-Pacific tickets. airbrokers.com

Air Hitch
2790 Broadway, Suite 100, New York, NY 10025 tel. 212-864-2000 or 800-326-2009. Air Hitch provides one-way rides across the Atlantic for $169 from the East Coast, $269 from the West Coast, and $229 from in-between. You send the money, a five-day "window" when you would like to leave, and your top three destinations in Europe. While they don't guarantee the destination, according to AirHitch 95% fly within their date range. Several travelers have indicated a regular reserved seat for a few bucks more is less risky and a superior value.

Cheap Tickets, Inc.
1247 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10021 tel. 212-570-1179 Also has offices in L.A., San Francisco, and Honolulu. National tel. is 800-377-1000 (español: 800-991-6199) and fax 800-454-2555. Formerly a U.S. domestic specialist, Cheap Tickets now sells international tickets. cheaptickets.com

Cut Throat Travel Outlet
731 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 tel. 800-642-TRIP (California only) and 415-989-TRIP. A clever agent from this company saved me $150 on a one-way by having it issued from Dubai.

Global Discount Travel Services
980 Kelly Johnson Drive, Clark County, NV 89119 888-777-2222. Regularly advertises in the The New York Times. lowestfare.com

High Adventure Travel
San Francisco, 800-350-0636. Advertises around-the-world, circle-Pacific, and multi-continent fares in the New York Times. highadv.com

TicketPlanet
800-799-8888 and fax 415-288-9839. Advertises around-the-world and circle-Pacific fares in the The New York Times. ticketplanet.com

Sunco Travel International
690 Market Street, #1501, San Francisco, CA 94104 tel. 800-989-6017 or 415-291-9960. More around-the-world tickets.

TRAVAC
989 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10018 tel. 800-TRAV-800 or 212-563-3303. Travac specializes in tickets to Europe on scheduled airlines and charters.

Up & Away Travel
347 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 212-889-2345. Claims lowest prices in town.

yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Companies/Travel/Agents/
A list of hundreds of travel agencies.

Ethnic Bucket Shops

Foreign airlines usually sell the bulk of their discounted tickets to bucket shops in ethnic neighborhoods which mostly serve their own nationality. A travel agency in Koreatown in Los Angeles may have good deals on Korea Air to Seoul. Chinatown in San Francisco has a dozen competitive travel agencies with specials to all over Asia.

Sometimes these ethnic agencies only advertise in local ethnic-language newspapers, and they may not be able to speak clear English over the phone, but they should be considered if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

Foreign Bucket Shops

If you become a one-way flier you will probably use bucket shops in other countries. Competitive bucket shops are found in London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Athens, Istanbul, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Delhi, Bombay, Bangkok, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Sydney, and many other cities.

Since unscrupulous dealers exist, you must be careful. Favor shops recommended by your guidebook, that are busy, or at least have an air of history.

Before dispensing funds determine terms exactly, including airline, times, and cancellation and date-change fees. Sometimes it takes a day or two to actually get the ticket, and they may want all the money up front, but try to limit this to a deposit of twenty percent, which is fair. Get a receipt, of course.

Photo: Typical international travel agency

Courier Flying

Courier companies sell cheap airfares in exchange for using your checked luggage allotment for business items such as documents and computer parts which need to get somewhere fast. Therefore your pack should be small enough to carry on. Your job is to show up at the airport on time, meet someone with the ticket, and board the airplane. You do not usually ever handle the checked baggage.

Courier flights are best if you only have a short amount of time, as return flights are scheduled two to thirty days later. Courier companies usually require your presence for the return flight, but sometimes you can get "no return service required." It's also very unlikely that two people can fly courier on the same flight. Approximate sample fares, all round-trip: L.A. to Sydney, $400; L.A. to Hong Kong, $450; New York to Paris, $250; New York to Buenos Aries, $500.

Only when courier companies become desperate at the last minute do they offer free flights. If offered a flight that evening Chicago to London for $200, you can counter, "Okay, but I'll only do it for free." There's a chance they'll agree or come down on the price, especially if you've flown with them previously.

The big negative about flying courier is a more-limited-than-usual command of fate. Indeed the courier company has complete dominion over the ticket until it's placed in your hand, regardless of fronted fees. Your contact may be delayed by traffic or become ill on bad fondue, or your shipment may be canceled at the last minute, and you left without a ticket to anywhere.

Moreover, and most importantly, there are many thousands more people wanting to fly freely or cheaply than there are opportunities, so beware fee-based courier information providers and "clubs". Their likely products are conveniently outdated information and membership cards.

I have never given courier-flying much consideration. With so many bargain fares available from so many legitimate sources, courier-flying rhymes in my mind with ding dong. It seems far more efficient to schedule a few extra shifts and purchase a legitimate bargain fare on a guaranteed flight, than try to get something for nothing by entering a possibly endless loop of frustration.

On the other hand some travelers reportedly fly courier regularly, learn the ins-and-outs of the companies they work with, and become favored regulars.

Round-the-World and Circle-Pacific Tickets

These are a series of tickets on one or several airlines pieced together by a travel agent, offering multiple stops. Usually only the first leg must be booked in advance. Travel must be completed within one year from departure. Any route can be configured, but bucket shops advertise the especially good deals, which often include carriers such as Garuda Indonesia and Air India that allow free or cheap stopovers.

Following are low-season examples. Expect to pay $200 more for travel beginning June 1 to August 31, and various airport and departure taxes of $7 to $20 per stop. Check the Sunday travel sections of the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Examiner, London Times, etc. for similar deals.
L.A.--Honolulu--Bangkok--Singapore--Tokyo--L.A. for $1000.
L.A.--Hong Kong--Bangkok--Bombay--Delhi--London--New York for $1200.
New York--Hong Kong--Bangkok--Jakarta--Bali--Sydney--Auckland-- Tahiti--L.A.--New York for $1800.
New York--London--Moscow--Nairobi--Bombay--Delhi--Katmandu-- Seoul--New York for $1900.

Charter Flights

Charter companies lease an airplane for a certain date and route, say New York to Paris, and then try to sell the seats. Usually they charge a low price (which may go lower as flight time approaches and seats remain unsold), and do not require advance purchase. However, if they don't sell enough seats to make money, the flight may be canceled at the last minute. Other airlines have no obligation to honor your ticket, and it may take a few days to get your money back.

Reputable charter companies hold your money in escrow until the flight. Some charter companies are well-established and fly regularly. These include Council Travel, Martin Air, Lauda, and Tower.

Bumping

Because airlines know a certain percentage of passengers aren't going to make their flight, they slightly overbook to maximize revenue and efficiency. Since sometimes there are more passengers at the gate than seats in the airplane, the airlines must deny boarding to some. Civilized airlines first ask for volunteers who, from the goodness of their hearts, are willing to give up their current seat for one on the next available flight. Since no one responds, they then offer a voucher for a free flight in addition to a seat on the next flight. They may also offer up to $500 cash.

Bumping is more likely during high season, busy holidays, and on Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays. If you want to be bumped, arrive early to place your name at the top of the volunteer list, and don't check your bag. While I haven't been lucky yet, I usually ask at check-in if the flight is going to be full, and if so I wait near the desk just before flight time. I fully expect a stampede, at least of one.

To Gateways and Greyhound USA

While Greyhound only transports passengers seventy miles per hour four feet off the ground, this U.S. nationwide bus service offers low long-distance prices, good buses, excellent drivers, clean air, and superb overall efficiency. With advance purchase you can sometimes travel coast to coast--stopping anywhere along the way and continuing whenever on the same ticket--for as little as $99.

As with all bus services, it's much better if your pack is small enough to carry on rather than stowed underneath. Once on a Texas-New York run I was separated from bus and pack in a small North Carolina town (not Greyhound's fault), but happily re-united a day later.

When taking any long-distance service (bus, train, ferry, thumb) to a gateway airport, it's wise to schedule your arrival a full day before your flight, perhaps two. A morning arrival for an afternoon flight means everything (including yourself) will have to go perfectly.
greyhound.com
Greyhound USA tel. 800-231-2222. Excellent fare and schedule information, including Ameripasses.

Ticket and Flying Glossary

APEX: Advance Purchase EXcursion. This is the standard discount ticket available from airlines and most regular travel agents. Depending on the airline, these tickets require a seven to thirty day advance purchase, a minimum stay of usually seven days, and a maximum stay of thirty or sixty days, sometimes longer. Round trip is required, and fees are usually charged for date changes or cancellation.

Open jaw: A ticket which allows you to fly into one city and return from another. For example, you might fly into London, travel Europe by train, and then return to the U.S. from Athens. Open-jaw tickets usually cost more than a regular return ticket from one city, but convenience makes up for that. Not every travel agent or airline sells open-jaw tickets for a reasonable price, but some budget agencies specialize in them.

Open return: A round-trip ticket which allows you to make the return flight at any time--providing there is space--during the period the ticket is valid.

One-year ticket: This Cadillac of tickets is generally a full-fare that allows changes and cancellations without penalty for up to one-year. It should also be fully-refundable. While you usually cannot get a discounted one-year ticket directly from the airline or most mom-and-pop travel agents, they are sometimes available from bucket shops.

One-way ticket: Usually costs more than half of a round-trip, but sometimes the same or even twice as much. The great risk with one-ways is the return may be astronomically priced or unavailable when you desperately need it. Nevertheless this is my preferred ticket (when cheap enough) since I like the feeling of being uncommitted to place and date, and because my travel is mostly limited by money, not time.

Confirmations: For international flights, but especially those originating outside the United States, call the airline to confirm your reservation at least 72 hours before the flight regardless of what your ticket says. Otherwise your seat may be given to someone's cousin on the waiting list.

Bucket shops: Experience tells the airlines that a certain number of seats are going to be empty on certain flights, so they discount that space--sometimes heavily--to travel agencies variously known as bucket shops, consolidators, and discounters. These agencies mostly serve individuals who are only going to fly cheaply or not at all. This maximizes airline revenue by forcing customers of regular travel agencies to pay non-discounted prices. Some regular travel agents may be able to get discounted tickets from wholesalers.

Wholesalers: A middle-man who handles discounted tickets between airlines and bucket shops.

Newspapers: One of the best ways to find discounted tickets is to check the Sunday travel sections of major newspapers, such as (for the U.S.) The New York Times, San Francisco Examiner, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, and Miami Herald. (The latter three are good for flights to Latin America.) USA Today, The L.A. Weekly, and The Village Voice also have bucket shop advertisements. Some agencies clearly label one-way and round-trip fares, while others list "half-round-trip" to make prices seem lower.

Throughout the world low market prices are easily determined from competitive advertising in major newspapers. Since the ads are costly some level of legitimacy may be assured.

Onward ticket requirement: Many countries, such as the U.S., New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, and Thailand, require visitors to have in their possession upon arrival a valid airline ticket out of the country. Bus or train tickets are usually not acceptable. Most airlines will check that you have an onward ticket before allowing you to board, as they are responsible should you not be admitted. See Chapter 5 Passports and Visas for more information.

IATA: International Air Transport Association. Organization of most (270) of the world's major airlines.

MCO: Miscellaneous Charges Order. Can be bought in any denomination and traded for tickets or cash with IATA airlines. MCO's look like airline tickets, so they may meet the onward ticket requirement for some countries.

Stopovers: Some airlines allow you to disembark when the plane stops along the way to somewhere, and then continue your journey up to one year later. On some routes on some airlines there is no charge for this valuable privilege, while others charge $50 to $100, or much more.; If you can find an airline with free or cheap stopovers you can create a great ticket for not much money. On Air India you could stopover in Bangkok on your way from Los Angeles to Delhi, and in Hong Kong or Singapore on your way back. For thirty years IcelandAir lured backpackers with free Reykjavík stopovers on a New York to Luxembourg run, but that market fizzled.

Carry-on allotment: Officially this is limited to one bag with a total of three sides length of 45 inches (115 cm.) This is length + width + height, for example: 22x14x9 inches (55x35x25 cm.), or 2900 cubic inches (50 liters). You may get by with a little more.

Bicycles: Can be shipped on most airlines as long as they are boxed, and count as your second piece of checked luggage. This policy may vary.

Routing tags: Remove old routing tags that may confuse baggage handlers, and be sure your name, address, and phone number is on and inside your luggage in at least two places. For preparing a pack for airline baggage handling, see Chapter 14 Walking and Backpacks.

As Featured on Bloggermania I at CenterNetworks » How to Get the Cheapest Flight Every Single Time

2009-09-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

Over the last year or two I’ve done my fair share of flying and have refined my methodology of making sure that I always get the cheapest airfare available. I wish I could tell you “use this one service,” but in reality it doesn’t work that way. Since there are so many variables at play, you have to run searches at a number of sites. So how do you get the best airfare

Aggregators:

Independent:

Southwest

Booking Engines:

Major Airlines:

International:

There are basically three types of airfare websites: 1. Aggregators (ex: Kayak) that check airfares for many different airlines. They do not charge a fee but instead rely on affiliate hotel deals and on-site advertising like Adsense to make their money. These are historically the best bets. 2. Traditional booking engines (ex: Orbitz) that check multiple websites and take a small fee ~$6 in addition to the price of the flight. They process the sale on behalf of the airline and keep the fee. 3. Airline’s own websites (ex: JetBlue). If you find a flight on booking engines, check the airline’s own site so see if you can get it for the same price minus the booking fee. The important subset of this are airlines who do not play nice and do not offer their fares up to aggregators (ex: Southwest). You have to check their sites individually.

In my experience there is no ONE website that you can use to get the lowest airfare every single time. It fluctuates quite a bit because there a LOT of variables involved. Don’t ask me why – it’s just how it is.

My recommendation to get lowest airfare:

Start with Kayak, Farechase, Sidestep, Farecast.
Search Southwest and Jet Blue.
Check the old-schoolers: Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia.
For good measure (and to be sure) check Cheaptickets, Hotwire, Priceline, Mobissimo, and Trabber.

You can also dig deeper using the quick list on the right. Try different days if you can (one day before/after), nearby airports (usually there’s a checkbox for that), and also check out building the flight with one-ways instead of round trip. This works especially if you have a 3-way flight or find that Southwest has a great 1-way price, but not roundtrip – then you can just use the other engines to get a cheap 1-way flight back.

If you feel really ambitious, check the airline’s own websites – list on the right (sometimes they’ll have unpublished deals).

When you find the cheapest flight that suits your needs, go ahead and book it. One of the things you’ll eventually run into is “oops, that $280 flight is now $320? messages. It will annoy the hell out of you. But that’s just how it is. You might want to check the other aggregators – sometimes you can catch what you just missed on and one and find it on the other.

Since travel is a big industry, there are a lot of shady websites/clubs/etc. that try to get your email address or try to get you subscribed to some service. I’ve never found those very useful for actually finding cheap flighs. The only exception is TravelZoo. I’ve signed up for their weekly Top 20 Travel deals email and I can say I’ve seen some impressive deals there.

Note: The above is mostly for US flights. If you’re looking for International, check out skyscanner.net, momondo.com, and trabber.com (non US). I haven’t tried them myself but I hear they’re good.

Feel free to share your flight booking strategies in the comments or give some travel tips of your own.

Best Sites for Cheap Flights : Tips for Finding the Lowest Airfare

Update: To always have the latest airfare strategies at your fingertips, bookmark this guide to cheap flights: Tips to Find Cheap Airfare.

Domestic Flights

1. Start with these airfare aggregators: Kayak, Farechase, Sidestep, and Farecast. Each one searches multiple airlines, but they tend to return slightly different results. They're usually best bets for cheap flights. Farecast gives you a fare prediction (only accurate about 50-75% of the time).

2.
Check the traditional discount search engines: Cheaptickets, Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline, and Travelocity. These too will return different prices for different flights. Most charge a small booking fee (see tips on your right).

3. Check Southwest (they do not share prices with above sites). Also check JetBlue, Delta, and US Airways to see if they have any site-exclusive specials.

4. Book the cheapest flight you can find above that matches your criteria. (See additional tips on this page). Enjoy your flight!

International Flights

International fares are a bit more complicated, but here are some shortcuts:

1. Check Mobissimo, Skyscanner, and Do Hop

2. Check the discount search engines that offer international fares: Cheaptickets, Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline, and Travelocity.

3. Delta tends to return cheap airfare to international destinations. Since US Airways is part of the international Star Alliance, they also have many international airlines included in their search:

4. Check which airlines serve your destination country at WhichBudget.com and run searches on individual airline sites.

5. Optional: call a local travel agent to see if they can beat any of the fares you found online. Sometimes travel agents will have access to international deals that are not available online.

Travel Deals

If you are a frequent flyer or are often looking for great deals on travel, there are a few good services that let you subscribe and get updates on current travel deals.

Many airfare websites mentioned above offer personalized travel deal updates by email and/or RSS, often by airport or favorite destination. Results are sometimes mixed and are often based on your location - many are nothing more than an automated flight price updates (and not necessarily "cheap travel deals").

Travelzoo Top 20 is a weekly email alert that includes some of the best handpicked travel deals available during any given week. Often these offers sell out fast, so it's a good idea to subscribe and check your email every Wednesday.

Sidestep allows you to subscribe to either domestic or international flight deals via RSS. They also have a Toolbar that you can download to automatically get notified about travel deals, but we have not tested this feature - user reviews are generally mixed about whether or not the toolbar is useful.

After running a search on Orbitz, you can signup for a service that will notify you once a flight that meets your target price becomes available. While in practice it doesn't always perform as well as in theory, it's still a pretty good option if you have some time to book your flight and are willing to wait.

"Southwest Ding!" is a downloadable application that places an icon in your taskbar and notifies you of special travel deals by playing a "Ding" sound anytime a special flight deal is released (usually for a limited time). Much like the Sidestep toolbar, some people find it useful while others find it rather annoying. Results tend to vary according to your location.

We want you to feel safe and secure booking your travel with us online. For this reason, we use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt your credit card and other sensitive information when you make reservations. The process of encryption prevents unauthorized individuals from viewing your information as it is securely transmitted over the Internet. Once received, your credit card information is not transmitted over the Internet again.

World's largest airlines

2009-09-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

By scheduled passengers

Scheduled passengers carried

Southwest B737

Rank	Airline	2008 (thousands)^[1]	2007 (thousands)^[2]	2006 (thousands)^[3]	2005 (thousands)
1	Southwest Airlines	101,921	101,911	96,277	88,380
2	American Airlines	92,772	98,162	99,835	98,038
3	Delta Air Lines¹	71,843	72,900	73,584	86,007
4	United Airlines	63,070	68,400	69,265	66,717
5	China Southern Airlines	57,961	56,900	48,512	43,228
6	Ryanair	57,647
7	USAirways	54,776
8	Lufthansa	54,699	62,900	53,400	51,300
9	Air France	50,449	74,795	73,484	70,015
10	Northwest Airlines	49,671
	Continental Airlines		53,700	55,925	57,547
	Japan Airlines		50,442	48,911	50,884
	All Nippon Airways		50,384	49,226	48,315

Based on International Air Transport Association published figures
Note 1: Delta will become the world's largest carrier once Delta and Northwest have combined into one airline, which will be called "Delta".

Scheduled international passengers carried

Ryanair Boeing 737-800 shortly after takeoff

Rank	Airline	2008 (thousands)^[2]	2007 (thousands)^[3]	2006 (thousands)
1	Ryanair	57,647	49,030	40,532
2	Lufthansa¹	42,151	41,322	38,236
3	EasyJet	35,417	30,173	21,917
4	Air France	32,508	31,549	30,417
5	British Airways	29,054	28,302	29,498
6	KLM	23,808	23,165	22,322
7	Emirates Airline	22, 444	20,448	16,748
8	American Airlines	21,154	21,479	21,228
9	Singapore Airlines²	19,142	18,957	18,022
10	Cathay Pacific³	23,253

Notes

Based on International Air Transport Association published figures
Note 1: Excludes figures for Swiss International Air Lines and Germanwings
Note 2: Excludes figures for SilkAir

Scheduled domestic passengers carried

A Southwest Airlines 737 landing at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Rank	Airline	2008 (thousands)^[1]	2007 (thousands)^[2]	2006 (thousands)^[3]
1	Southwest Airlines	101,921	101,911	96,277
2	American Airlines	71,618	76,687	78,607
3	Delta Air Lines	59,499	61,651	63,446
4	China Southern Airlines¹	54,154	52,505	45,249
5	United Airlines	53,307	58,162	58,801
6	US Airways	49,208	37,560	32,094
7	All Nippon Airways	42,854	44,792	45,328
8	Northwest Airlines	38,890	37,175	35,852
9	Japan Airlines	35,068	35,583	37,154
10	Continental Airlines	34,578	44,337	45,743

Notes

Based on International Air Transport Association published figures
Note 1: Includes figures for flights between Hong Kong from the rest of the People's Republic of China.

[ By scheduled passenger-kilometres

Scheduled passenger-kilometres flown

An American Boeing 757

Rank	Airline	2008 (millions)^[10]	2006 (millions)	2005 (millions)
1	American Airlines	211,987	224,330	222,761
2	United Airlines	176,706	188,684	191,933
3	Delta Air Lines³	169,895	158,952	166,209
4	Continental Airlines	131,845	122,712	130,965
5	Air France¹	129,433	123,458	128,914
6	Lufthansa²	126,267	114,672	122,091
7	Northwest Airlines	118,272	116,845	117,357
8	Southwest Airlines	115,734	116,845	116,385
9	British Airways	114,608	113,275	114,896
10	Emirates Airline	100,672

Notes

Based on International Air Transport Association published figures
Note 1: Excludes figures for KLM
Note 2: Excludes figures for Swiss International Air Lines and Germanwings
Note 3: Delta will become the world's largest carrier once operations with Northwest Airlines have combined.

Scheduled international passenger-kilometres flown

Air France Airbus A320-200

Rank	Airline	2008^[10] (millions)	2007 (millions)
1	Air France¹	121,498	118,112
2	Lufthansa²	121,101	211,987
3	British Airways	113,075	211,987
4	Emirates Airline	100,672	90,530
5	Singapore Airlines³	93,626	90,901
6	Cathay Pacific⁴	83,542	74,987
7	American Airlines	80,809	81,324
8	KLM	77,550
9	United Airlines	73,927	77,709
10	Delta Air Lines	71,972	63,202

Notes

Based on International Air Transport Association published figures
Note 1: Excludes figures for KLM
Note 2: Excludes figures for Swiss International Air Lines and Germanwings
Note 3: Excludes figures for SilkAir
Note 4: Includes figures for flights between Hong Kong and the rest of the People's Republic of China

Scheduled domestic passenger-kilometres flown

American Airlines Airbus A300

Rank	Airline	2008 (millions)^[10]	2007 (millions)^[10]	2006 (millions)
1	American Airlines	131,178	141,437	143,201
2	Southwest Airlines	118,272	116,385	108,935
3	United Airlines	102,779	114,224	114,106
4	Delta Air Lines	97,923	103,008	104,626
5	US Airways	77,054	52,018	43,606
6	China Southern Airlines¹	71,584	69,367	59,006
7	Continental Airlines	69,814	74,126	70,810
8	Northwest Airlines	58,501	63,872	64,979
9	JetBlue Airways	41,953	41,395	37,513
10	Air China	38,761

Notes

Based on International Air Transport Association published figures
Note 1: Includes figures for flights to Hong Kong from the rest of the People's Republic of China.

By scheduled freight

Scheduled freight tonne-kilometres flown

A FedEx Express Airbus A310 taxis for takeoff at the Royal International Air Tattoo, Fairford, Gloucestershire, England.

Rank	Airline	2008 (millions)^[11]	2007 (millions)^[11]	2006 (millions)	2005 (millions)
1	FedEx Express	15,122	15,710	15,145	14,408
2	UPS Airlines	10,977	10,968	9,341	9,075
3	Korean Air Cargo	8,890	9,568	8,764	8,072
4	Cathay Pacific	8,245	8,225	6,914	6,458
5	Lufthansa Cargo¹	8,206	8,348	8,091	7,680
6	Singapore Airlines Cargo²	7,486	7,945	7,991	7,603
7	Emirates Airline	6,013	5,497
8	Air France³	5,820	6,126	5,868	5,532
9	Cargolux	5,334	5,482	5,237	5,149
10	China Airlines	5,261	6,301	6,099	6,037

Notes

Based on International Air Transport Association published figures
Note 1: Includes figures for Lufthansa
Note 2: Includes figures for Singapore Airlines
Note 3: Excludes figures for KLM

Scheduled international freight tonne-kilometres flown

Korean Air Boeing 747, one of the passenger aircraft with the cargo hold managed by Korean Air Cargo

Rank	Airline	2008 (millions)^[11]	2007 (millions)	2006 (millions)
1	Korean Air Cargo	8,822	9,498	8,680
2	Cathay Pacific³	8,245	8,225	6,914
3	Lufthansa Cargo¹	8,194	8,336	8,077
4	Singapore Airlines Cargo²	7,486	7,945	7,991
5	FedEx Express	6,582	6,470	6,136
6	Emirates Airline	6,013	5,497	5,027
7	Air France⁴	6,013	6,123	5,864
8	Cargolux	5,334	5,482	5,237
9	UPS Airlines	5,289	5,077
10	China Airlines	5,261	6,301	6,099

Notes

Based on International Air Transport Association published figures
Note 1: Includes figures for Lufthansa
Note 2: Includes figures for Singapore Airlines
Note 3: Includes figures for flights between Hong Kong and the rest of the People's Republic of China
Note 4: Excludes figures for KLM

Scheduled domestic freight tonne-kilometres flown

FedEx Express McDonnell Douglas MD-11

Rank	Airline	2007 (millions)^[11]	2006 (millions)
1	FedEx Express	9,239	9,009
2	UPS Airlines	5,892	5,315
3	China Southern Airlines¹	1,101	1,027
4	Northwest Airlines	773	890
5	Air China¹	757	706
6	China Eastern Airlines¹	590	560
7	United Airlines	507	417
8	American Airlines	469	493
9	All Nippon Airways	407	404
10	Japan Airlines	399

Notes

Based on International Air Transport Association published figures
Note 1: Excludes figures for flights to Hong Kong and/or Macau from the rest of the People's Republic of China.

By fleet size

Passenger airlines

Rank	Airline	Fleet size
1	Delta Air Lines	701^[12]
2	American Airlines	607^[13]
3	Southwest Airlines	546^[14]
4	United Airlines	396^[15]
5	Continental Airlines	380^[16]
6	Air France-KLM	378^[17]
7	US Airways	354^[18]
8	Air Canada	334^[19]
9	China Southern Airlines	318^[20]
10	SkyWest Airlines	277^[21]
11	American Eagle Airlines	270^[22]
12	Lufthansa	252^[23]
13	ExpressJet Airlines	244^[24]
14	Air China	234^[25]
15	British Airways	230^[26]

Cargo airlines

Rank	Airline	Fleet size
1	FedEx Express	672^[27]
2	UPS Airlines	262^[28]
3	DHL Aviation	77

[edit] By number of destinations

Current Destination Number

This list comprises the airlines with over 100 destinations. These destinations include subsidiaries airlines of each company, but exclude codeshare agreements.

Rank	Airline	Country	Destination Number
1	Delta Air Lines	United States	375
2	Continental Airlines	United States	351
3	Northwest Airlines	United States	254
4	US Airways	United States	231
5	Lufthansa	Germany	201
6	Air China	China	185
7	Air France	France	170
8	SkyWest Airlines	United States	160
9	Turkish Airlines	Turkey	158
10	American Airlines	United States	157
11	British Airways	United Kingdom	150
12	Ryanair	Ireland	143
13	Japan Airlines	Japan	125
13	KLM	Netherlands	125
15	Air Berlin	Germany	123
16	China Southern Airlines	China	121
17	Iberia Airlines	Spain	118
18	Korean Air	South Korea	116
19	United Airlines	United States	114
20	easyJet	United Kingdom	106
21	Emirates Airline	United Arab Emirates	101

By region

Scheduled passengers carried

Continent/ region	Airline	Passengers carried	Full list
Africa	South African Airways	8,050,000 (2006/2007)^[29]	List of largest airlines in Africa
Asia	China Southern Airlines	58,237,000 (2008)^[30]	List of largest airlines in Asia
Europe	Air France-KLM	74,795,000 (2007)^[2]	List of largest airlines in Europe
North America	Southwest Airlines	101,911,000 (2007)^[2]	List of largest airlines in North America
Oceania	Qantas	25,950,000 (2007)^[31]	List of largest airlines in Oceania
South America	TAM Airlines (TAM Linhas Aéreas)	24,002,620 (2008)^[32]	List of largest airlines in South America

The Major Airline All over the world

2009-09-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

Seating - Airline seat · First class · Business class · Premium Economy class · Economy class · Travel class

2009-09-14T22:19:00.001-07:00

A typical wide-body jet plane seat plan Asiana Boeing 747-400

Economy class codes

Full fare: Y, B
Standard fare: M, H, N
Special or discount fares: G, K, L, O, Q, S, T, U, V, W, X

On most airlines, unrestricted economy ticket is booked as a Y fare. Full fare tickets with restrictions on travel dates, refunds, or advance reservations are commonly classed as B, H, or M, although some airlines may use S, W, or others. Heavily discounted fares, commonly O, T, Q or W, will not permit cabin upgrades, refunds, or reservation changes, may restrict frequent flyer program eligibility, and/or impose other restrictions. Other fare codes such as X are restricted for use by consolidators, group charters, or travel industry professionals. However on some airlines W or X is used for frequent flier program award redemptions.

Most low-cost carriers have greatly simplified the fare classes they use to a handful of cases, unlike the dozens employed by a traditional airline. While some traditional carriers have followed, others continue to utilise price discrimination over commoditisation.

The codes in short:

B = Economy/Coach
E = Economy/Coach Discounted
G = Economy/Coach Discounted
H = Economy/Coach Discounted
K = Economy/Coach Discounted
L = Economy/Coach Discounted
M = Economy/Coach Discounted
N = Economy/Coach Discounted
O = Economy/Coach Discounted
Q = Economy/Coach Discounted
S = Economy/Coach; On some airlines it can also stand for 'Super Comfort' (Premium Economy)
T = Economy/Coach Discounted, or Premium
U = Economy/Coach Discounted
V = Economy/Coach Discounted
W = Economy/Coach Discounted, or Premium, or award
X = Economy/Coach Award
Y = Economy/Coach
(a lowercase "n" after any class code indicates Night Service)

Canada

In Canada, VIA Rail's train classes are sometimes a bit different than what we're used to with the airline codes. A full fare Comfort (economy) class ticket uses the Y code, but if you're traveling on a 'Special Fare' the code is YS, and does not permit changes or refunds. Sleeper fares use codes like FS (Single Bedroom, HEP Cars), or PD (Double bedroom, double occupancy).

The codes in short:

Y = Comfort (Economy) Full Fare
Q = Comfort (Economy) Discount Fare
V = Comfort (Economy) Supersaver Fare
YS= Comfort (Economy) Special Fare

J = VIA 1 Regular Fare
JS= VIA 1 Discount Fare
JX= VIA 1 Supersaver Fare (Sometimes called the 'Value Fare')

SLEEPER CLASSES (Another letter usually follows the class code depending on the occupancy)

D = Renaissance Double Bedroom (Standard)
Z = Renaissance Double Bedroom (Deluxe

W = HEP Car Berth (Upper)
S = HEP Car Berth (Lower)

F = HEP Car Single Bedroom
P = HEP Car Double Bedroom
R = HEP Car Triple Bedroom

Airline seats are chairs on an airliner in which passengers are accommodated for the duration of the journey. Such seats are usually arranged in rows running across the airplane's fuselage. A diagram of such seats in an aircraft is called an airline seat map.

Business class seat in a Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 Control screen fixed to an economy class airline seat (Thai Airways International Airbus A340), the tray is stowed

Seating layout

2+4+2 seating layout on an Aerolineas Argentinas wide body jet (Airbus A340-200)

3+3 seating layout on a Delta Airlines narrow body jet (Boeing 737-800) with Weber slimline seats

Airline cabins are frequently classified as narrow-body if there is a single aisle with seats on either side, or wide-body if there are two aisles with a block of seats between them in addition to the seats on the side.

The number of seats abreast is affected by the aircraft width. On very small aircraft such as the Beechcraft 1900 there are only individual seats on each side of the aisle (1+1 seating). The widest narrow body aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 have six abreast seating in a 3+3 layout. Asymmetrical layouts also exist, the Embraer Regional Jets have 1+2 seating while the Douglas DC-9 aircraft typically feature 2+3 seating.

On wide body-aircraft the center block of seats between the aisles can have as many as 5 seats on planes like the layout on some McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Boeing 777 aircraft, although Boeing recommends the 3+3+3 over the 2+5+2 layout.^[4] Very wide planes such as the Boeing 747 or the Airbus A380 have ten seats abreast, typically in a 3+4+3 layout, although this layout is also sometimes used as a high density layout on aircraft normally seating nine abreast, such as the 777 or DC-10.

Window seats are located at the sides of the aircraft, and usually next to a window, although some aircraft have seat rows where there is a window missing. Window seats are preferred by passengers who want to have a view, or a wall which they can lean against. Passengers in seats adjacent to the aisle have the advantage of being able to leave the seat without having to clamber over the other passengers, and having an aisle they can stretch their legs into. If a seat block has three or more seats, there will also be middle seats which are unpopular because the passenger is sandwiched between two other passengers without advantages of either window or aisle seats.^[5] Middle seats are typically booked last.^[6]

On most commercial aircraft, seats are forward facing. There are exceptions. On military aircraft seats are frequently rearward facing. Southwest Airlines previously offered a few such seats on some aircraft, rearward facing seats are also common on business jets to provide a "conference" type layout. British Airways also has rearward-facing seats in its Club World (Intercontinental Business Class) Cabin. It has been argued that rearward facing seats are safer because in the event of a crash, the sudden deceleration will propel the passenger into a rearward facing seat instead of out of it. The force is therefore distributed over the entire seat back, instead of the straps of the seat belt. The argument against such seats has been based on passenger comfort, safety and cost. An argument against rearward seats has been that passengers who desire the natural layout of forward facing seats may be uncomfortable with a rearward layout. On the safety aspect, the argument has been that during a plane crash, debris such as luggage, will fly forward in the cabin, quite possibly into the passengers in rearward facing seats. On the cost aspect, rearward facing seats need additional strengthening which adds extra weight and therefore higher costs.^[7]

Additional Benefits

Lufthansa's exclusive "First Class Terminal."

Emirates Airline First Class suites on the Boeing 777-200LR

First Class seats vary from large reclining seats with more legroom and width than other classes to suites with a fully reclining seat, workstation and TV surrounded by privacy dividers. International First Class seats usually have between 58 and 94 inches (147 - 239 cm) of seat pitch and between 19 and 35 inches (48 - 89 cm) of width while domestic flights may have between 34 and 68 inches (86 - 173 cm) of pitch and between 18 - 22 inches (46 - 56 cm) in width.

On the ground, First Class passengers are offered complimentary limousine service and usually have special check-in and security zones at the airport while some airlines operate private terminals. First Class passengers are often able to board the aircraft before other passengers, sometimes through their own jetbridge.

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are complimentary and gourmet meals are usually served with a choice of wine, dessert, and aperitifs. Often these meals have been designed by leading chefs and are served on white linen table cloths and with real cutlery (often with the exception of knives for security reasons).

First Class passengers usually have at least one lavatory reserved for their exclusive use, with more than one on larger planes. Business and Economy Class passengers are not normally permitted into the First Class cabin. Normally AVOD (AudioVisual On Demand) entertainment is offered, although sometimes normal films, television programs and interactive games are provided on medium-large seat-back or armrest-mounted flat panel monitors.

Historically, First Class air travel has been very expensive. More recently, passengers have been able to upgrade their Business Class or Economy Class tickets through membership in elite frequent flyer programs and through the policies of some airlines that allow Business Class or Economy Class passengers to purchase upgrades on a space-available basis. First Class long haul fares regularly exceed $10,000 per person round trip, as opposed to $3,000-4,500 international business class tickets and $1,000 economy class tickets.

Cabin separation

First class seats on a Cathay Pacific 747-400.

Access to the First Class portion of the plane is usually restricted from those traveling in Business Class and Economy Class by curtains, although for security reasons, US-based airlines are increasingly removing these cabin dividers or installing transparent cabin dividers. Even though Business Class passengers are restricted from the First Class Cabin and Economy Class passengers are restricted from both the First and Business Class Cabin, airlines generally will allow a group of people traveling on the same flight in different Cabins to convene together in the lowest ticketed cabin amongst the group.

US Domestic First Class

On most domestic flights within the United States, what is normally Regional Business Class in the rest of the world is branded as "Domestic First Class" by the US Airlines. The service is generally a step below Long Haul International Business Class.

However, Domestic First Class does have two very different meanings on certain transcontinental routes such as LAX-JFK, SFO-JFK, and others. American Airlines and United Airlines both operate a special service on the JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO routes known as "American Flagship Service" and "United p.s." (p.s. stands for premium service) respectively. In these cases, First Class is actually a three cabin First Class which is different from two cabin First Class, both in comfort and price. In these cases, Domestic Business Class is generally equivalent in pricing to Two cabin Domestic First Class. The Three Cabin First Class is more of a true First Class rather than a rebranded First Class.

Occasionally, an airline will have an Internationally configured aircraft operating on a domestic route (usually to increase utilization or simply to reposition the aircraft) where the Domestic First Class customers will get to enjoy the nicer International Premium cabins as a free unexpected bonus.

For example, American Airlines operates a single Boeing 777 between Dallas Ft. Worth and Chicago every day in addition to the rest of the flights which are on the domestic MD-80 aircraft. The bonus for First Class customers on that particular flight is that they get treated to the International First Class Flagship Suites for no additional premium. Further sweetening the deal, AA only sells the particular flight as 2 class service, in which case, the International Business Class Cabin is sold as Economy, which means a few lucky Domestic Economy class customers will get to sit in an International Business Class product, though the service will still be standard Economy service.

Business class

Amenities

Business Class seats of Air India's Boeing 777-300ER.

Emirates Airline Business Class lie-flat seats on the Boeing 777-300ER

Long haul business class seats are substantially different from economy class seats and many airlines have installed "lie flat" seats into business class, whereas previously seats with such a recline were only available in international first class. There are essentially three types of long haul business class seats today. These are listed in ascending order of perceived "quality".

Cradle seats are seats with around 160 degrees of recline. The seat pitch of business class seats range from 33–79.5 in (84–200 cm) (usually 55–62 in (140–160 cm)), and the seat size of business class seats range from 17.5–34 in (44–86 cm) (usually 20–22 in (51–56 cm)).
Angled lie flat seats recline 180 degrees to provide a flat sleeping surface, but are not parallel to the floor of the aircraft when reclined, making them less comfortable than a bed. Seat pitch typically ranges from 55 to 65 in (140 to 170 cm), and seat width usually varies between 18.0 to 23.0 in (46 to 58 cm).
Fully flat seats recline into a flat sleeping surface which is parallel to the floor. Many airlines offer such seats in international first class but retain inferior seating in business class to differentiate the two products and fares.

Business class on the Singapore Airlines Airbus A380

Herringbone seating is used in some widebody cabins, in which seats are positioned on an angle in order for all seats to have access to an aisle.

Even airlines that do not offer lie flat business class seats offer substantially more leg room in long haul business class compared to the economy section. The appearance of lie-flat seats in business class has made it increasingly difficult for many passengers to justify, either to their employers or themselves, the added expense of an international first class fare. As with first class, all Alcoholic beverages are complimentary and meals are of higher quality than coach class. Coach class passengers are usually not permitted in the business class cabin.

Economy class in rail travel

Some railways have renamed their economy class for marketing purposes. Such names include VIA Rail's Comfort class, although Amtrak still refers to such seating as coach class. It is called second class on most European railways or standard class in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

An economy class seat in a train usually consists of a seat, sometimes with a fold-down tray for use as a work surface or for food service. The chair sometimes will recline, particularly on overnight trains, where it will permit more leg room for sleeping in a semi-upright position. The seat may also include a pocket attached to the back of the seat in front for storage of small items such as magazines. Depending on the configuration of the passenger compartment, luggage might be stowed in overhead racks or at each end of the coach.

Economy seats in North American intercity passenger trains are found almost exclusively in Coach cars, with other class fares on the train separated by the type of car (ie. sleepers, etc.). Economy seating on North American passenger trains typically does not include meal service in the fare.

On British intercity trains it is common to find some standard class seating arranged around permanent tables - offering plenty of space to work. Power sockets for laptops are common and some trains offer (chargeable) Wi-Fi Internet access in standard.

Economy class in air travel

SilkAir Airbus A320-200 economy class cabin

Economy Class on an Emirates Airline Airbus A380-800

A typical economy seat on aircraft. Note the very limited leg room

Some airlines have renamed their economy class for marketing purposes. Such names include British Airways' World Traveller, Air Canada's Hospitality/Hospitalité, Philippine Airlines' Fiesta Class (although Economy Class is widely used), LAN Tourist Class, and Air France's Tempo. The seat pitch of domestic economy class seats range from 29 to 36 inches (74 to 91 cm), usually 30–32 in (76–81 cm), and 30 to 36 in (76 to 91 cm) for international economy class seats. The seat size of domestic economy class seats range from 17 to 18.25 in (43 to 46 cm), usually 17 in (43 cm), and 17 to 19 in (43 to 48 cm) for international economy class seats.

In addition to a fold-down tray table, an economy class seat usually also includes a pocket of items attached to the seat in the next forward row, containing such things as:

An airsickness bag
An airline magazine
A Duty-Free shopping catalogue
A safety and evacuation procedure card
Headphones (if inflight entertainment is available)

In-flight entertainment^[1] may be available. Some video screens, especially on older planes, are mounted on the ceiling of the aircraft or on a bulkhead so that all passengers in the cabin watch the same film. If there is an individual screen for each seat or partial row of seats, it may be smaller than first and business class screens, or there may be fewer video channels available. Headphones must be purchased on some carriers. This is often called an "entertainment fee". Airlines usually attribute this to being hygienic by not reusing and recleaning headphones. On some carriers, the headphones come in a pack with other amenities such as earplugs, eye mask etc.

Low-cost carriers often offer only economy class. These airlines are often associated with short-pitch seats, no free food or drink, and little or no reading material, but also lower fares. Such airlines include EasyJet, Ryanair, and Bmibaby. Most charter airlines also offer only economy class but some are introducing 'Economy Plus' Virgin Blue and Air Transat is now offering Club class. This class is also referred to as 'cattle class' by some people, in a somewhat insulting manner.

Meals are usually provided on longer flights, although, due to drastic cost-cutting, even some mainline airlines have ceased to serve meals except on very long and international flights.^[1] Short flights usually include a soft drink and a snack such as pretzels or peanuts. Many airlines, particularly low-cost carriers charge for snacks on short flights and even on flights of a duration of more than 6 hours or more en route. Skybus went as far as to institute a "no outside food" policy, which would force passengers to buy their refreshments. Many, such as Aer Lingus and Ryanair, no longer provide complimentary soft drinks on flights that are under two hours long.

The quality of the food varies depending on a number of factors. Airlines have now introduced a variety of special meals, such as vegetarian or kosher meals, as well as dishes suited for particular nationalities. All of these requests should be ordered well before departure. Generally, domestic airlines in the United States are known for poor quality food. Therefore, economy class food is a frequent butt of comedians' jokes.

Because of the reputed low quality and frequent unavailability of airline food on domestic U.S. flights, some airport vendors have started to offer meals packaged so that they can be carried on to the flight.^[2]

Carriers such as Qantas and Cathay Pacific offer inflight audio and visual entertainment on demand as well as a choice of meals across their international and selected domestic routes. On Qantas' new Airbus A380's wireless connectivity is available to all of its passengers (including economy).

links

2009-09-14T19:36:00.001-07:00

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Lost luggage & Checked baggage

2009-09-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

Lost luggage

Lost luggage is the phenomenon in which a public carrier, airline, ship, or train does not send a passenger's luggage to the correct destination to arrive with the passenger. In the United States, an average of 1 of 150 people have their checked baggage misdirected or left behind each year.

Lost or misdirected luggage becomes more common the more elaborate a flight plan is. International flights, or flights with connections are far more likely to see luggage get lost. There are many causes of lost luggage. If a passenger arrives late for a flight, their luggage will sometimes not have enough time to be loaded on the plane. If tags are accidentally torn off airport workers may not know where to send the luggage. Human error is also common as tags are misread or luggage is placed in the wrong location. Sometimes there is no room in the plane or weight problems. Security delays can also cause bags to arrive on a later flight than their owner. Customs processing is normally handled after luggage is picked up.

Most lost luggage is quickly sent by the airline to the correct destination. For the inconvenience airlines will often reimburse passengers for toiletries, clothing, and other essentials if the arrival airport is away from the passenger's home area. In most cases, upon the arrival of delayed luggage, a courier service will deliver it from the arrival airport to the passenger at his or her home or hotel. Delivery charges are paid by the airline except in rare cases.

On some occasions luggage is completely lost and cannot be recovered. The airline will then normally compensate the owner. The passengers must then list the contents of their baggage and file a claim. Most airlines maintain stores where they sell the contents of lost or abandoned luggage. If a bag is never recovered it is usually because it has been stolen or mistaken by another passenger or stolen by an airport employee.

To deal with lost luggage travelers are advised to carry all essentials in a carry-on bag, including a change of clothes and anything they would be greatly troubled to lose because of monetary or emotional value.

Bags can also be damaged during travel, but most damage (such as broken wheels and handles) is not covered under the airlines' contract of carriage. Some airlines, however, will still repair such damage as a good-faith gesture to the customer, or offer a discount voucher for a future flight. In general airlines regard the purpose of luggage to be the protection of its contents during transit. If the luggage is damaged, even severely, but the contents remain unharmed then airlines regard the luggage as having fulfilled its purpose and will not compensate owners.

The majority of unclaimed baggage in the United States, whether by being lost or misdirected, or simply forgotten by travelers, is handled by the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama, which has contracts with most major airlines. The luggage sent to UBC is eventually resold for a profit.

Passenger-baggage reconciliation

According to the rules of most air transportation authorities, such as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and European Union's Joint Aviation Authorities, should passengers flying internationally with checked baggage fail to arrive at the departure gate before the flight is closed, that person's baggage must be retrieved from the aircraft hold before the flight is permitted to take off. In the United States this does not apply to domestic flights since all bags are required to go through bomb detection machines prior to being loaded. Making sure passengers board flights onto which they have checked baggage is called "passenger-baggage reconciliation" and is accomplished automatically through various commercially available systems. The security presumption of passenger-baggage reconciliation is that bombers will not want to kill themselves, and will not board an aircraft if they have caused a bomb to be placed in its hold. This presumption does not hold true of suicide bombers.

Unaccompanied suitcases led to the downing of two flights, when a bomb inside the suitcase exploded:

Baggage Allowance WITH THE AILINES

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General Overview

The general allowance per passenger depends on the policies of the particular airline. On U.S. domestic flights, it was typical for an airline to allow passengers to check up to 2 pieces of luggage that are up to 50 pounds (22.7 kg) each free of charge (total 100 pounds = 45.4 kg), and this can be exceeded for a fee. This changed during 2007 with most airlines now charging for both the first and second bag. However, within Europe, and often on flights between the United States and Europe, the limit is as low as 40 pounds (18 kilograms) total per passenger, and many airlines do not allow passengers to exceed this amount, even with payment of a fee. Many passengers complain about this limit, because after the typical 15-20 pounds (7–8 kg) of the suitcase itself, little room remains for any other items.

Checked luggage is usually measured by weight. All checked items are generally weighed by the airline, and if they exceed the limit, the passenger is informed by the airline. To avoid any fees, the passenger often must switch some of the items found in the suitcase to another suitcase, or else carry it on.

Carry-on luggage tends to be measured more in dimensions. Passengers can thereby skip weight restrictions by carrying on the item. However, there are more restrictions on the types of belongings that can be carried on the plane.

Piece Concept

On flights to and from the United States, as well as flights to and from Canada (and on selected flights which vary by airline), passenger baggage is controlled by the so-called Piece Concept. Under the Piece Concept, passengers are permitted to check two bags with a per-bag weight of up to 50 pounds (23 kilograms) for Economy Class, and up to 70 pounds (32 kilograms) for Business or First Class. Certain airlines operating under the Piece Concept may add additional checked baggage allowance for their Elite Level fliers (see below sections). Weight restrictions are per bag, unlike the Weight Concept (described below).

Weight Concept

On flights not serving the United States or Canada (or other locations specified by the airline where the Piece Concept does not apply), passenger baggage is controlled by the so-called Weight Concept. Under the Weight Concept, each passenger is permitted to check a total bag weight in however many bags they have. Typically, Economy Class is permitted to check in up to 44 pounds (20 kilograms), Business Class is permitted to check in 66 pounds (30 kilograms), and First Class is permitted 88 pounds (40 kilograms). Unlike the Piece Concept, in which weight restrictions are per bag, the Weight Concept allows passengers to combine their bag weight into fewer bags which would otherwise be too heavy to travel under the Piece Concept.

List of cities with more than one airport

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Airport	Location	Within city limits?	Distance and Direction from city center	Passengers	Usage
Seven Airports
Canada, British Columbia, Metro Vancouver, Vancouver
Abbotsford International Airport	Abbotsford, British Columbia	No	59 km (37 mi) southeast	508,464 (2007)	Mixed
Boundary Bay Airport	Boundary Bay	No	20.7 km (12.9 mi) south southwest		Mixed
Langley Regional Airport	Langley, British Columbia	No	37 km southeast		Domestic
Vancouver Harbour Water Airport	Coal Harbour, Burrard Inlet	Yes	adjacent		Domestic, seaplane only
Vancouver International Airport	Sea Island, Richmond	Yes	adjacent	17,495,049 (2007)	Mixed, primary
Vancouver International Water Airport	Sea Island, Richmond	Yes	adjacent		Domestic, seaplane only
Vancouver/Harbour (Public) Heliport	Coal Harbour, Burrard Inlet	Yes	adjacent		Domestic^[1]
Six Airports
United States, California, Greater Los Angeles Area, Los Angeles

Bob Hope Airport	San Fernando Valley	Yes	25 km (16 mi) north	5,689,291 (2006)	Mixed
John Wayne Airport	Orange County	No	70 km (43 mi) southeast	9,613,480 (2006)	Mixed
LA/Ontario International Airport	Inland Empire	No	61 km (38 mi) east	7,049,904 (2006)	Mixed
LA/Palmdale Regional Airport	Palmdale	No	90 km (56 mi) northeast	22,500 (2007 exp.)	Scheduled
Long Beach Airport	Long Beach	Yes	58 km (36 mi) south	3,004,005 (2006)	Mixed
Los Angeles International Airport	Los Angeles	Yes	27 km (17 mi) southwest	61,041,066 (2006)	Mixed, primary
United States, New York, New York metropolitan area, New York City
John F. Kennedy International Airport	Queens	Yes	19 km (12 mi) southeast	47,810,630 (2007)	Mixed, primary
LaGuardia Airport	Queens	Yes	Adjacent	25,300,000 (2007)	Mixed
Long Island MacArthur Airport	Islip, New York	No	81 km (50 mi) east	2,000,000	Mixed
Newark Liberty International Airport	Newark, New Jersey	No	8 km (5.0 mi) west	36,300,000 (2007)	Mixed
Stewart International Airport	Newburgh, New York	No	88 km (55 mi) north	970,000 (2007 Est.)	Mixed
Westchester County Airport	White Plains, New York	No	53 km (33 mi) north	511,559 (2006)	Mixed
Five Airports
United Kingdom, England, Greater London, London
London City Airport	London Docklands	Yes		2,358,184 (2006)	Commuter
London Gatwick Airport	Crawley, West Sussex	No	46 km (29 mi) south	34,163,579 (2006)	Mixed
London Heathrow Airport	London Borough of Hillingdon	Yes	24 km (15 mi) west	67,527,923 (2006)	Scheduled, primary
London Luton Airport	Luton	No	48 km (30 mi) north	9,425,908 (2006)	Mixed
London Stansted Airport	Uttlesford	No	48 km (30 mi) northeast	23,687,013 (2006)	Mixed
Four Airports
Australia, Victoria, Melbourne
Avalon Airport	Avalon, Victoria	No	50 km (31 mi) southwest	1,400,000 ^[2]	Low cost carrier, domestic
Essendon Airport	Essendon, Victoria	Yes	11 km (6.8 mi) northwest		Freight, regional
Melbourne Airport	Tullamarine, Victoria	Yes	20 km (12 mi) northwest	24,260,000 ^[3]	Mixed, primary
Moorabbin Airport	Mentone, Victoria	Yes	22 km (14 mi) southeast		Regional
Canada, British Columbia, Victoria
Victoria Airport Water Aerodrome	North Saanich, British Columbia	No	22 km (14 mi) northwest		Domestic, seaplane only
Victoria Harbour (Camel Point) Heliport	Victoria, British Columbia	Yes	adjacent		Domestic^[1]
Victoria Inner Harbour Airport	Victoria, British Columbia	Yes	adjacent		Domestic, seaplane only
Victoria International Airport	North Saanich, British Columbia	No	22 km (14 mi) northwest		Mixed, primary
Japan, Osaka, Greater Osaka, Osaka
Kansai International Airport	Izumisano	No		16,689,658 (2006)	Mixed, primary
Osaka International Airport	Itami	No		18,948,300 (2005)	Domestic, primary
Kobe Airport	Kobe	No			Reliever, domestic
Yao Airport	Yao	No			General
Sweden, Stockholm County, Stockholm
Stockholm-Arlanda Airport	Sigtuna Municipality	Yes	42 km (26 mi) north		Mixed, primary
Stockholm-Bromma Airport	Bromma borough	Yes			Mixed
Stockholm-Skavsta Airport	Nyköping Municipality	No	100 km (62 mi) south		Low-cost, cargo
Stockholm-Västerås Airport	Västerås Municipality	No	100 km (62 mi) west		General
United States, Illinois, Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago
Chicago Midway International Airport	Chicago	Yes	Southwest	18,868,388 (2006)	Mixed
Chicago Rockford International Airport	Winnebago County	No			General
Gary/Chicago International Airport	Lake County	No	40 km (25 mi) southeast		General
O'Hare International Airport	Chicago	Yes	27 km (17 mi) northwest	76,282,212 (2006)	Mixed, primary
United States, Florida, Greater Orlando, Orlando
Orlando International Airport	Orange County	No	11 km (6.8 mi) southeast	16,194,277 (2007)	International, Primary
Orlando Sanford International Airport	Sanford	Yes	30 km (19 mi) northeast	985,661 (2007)	International, Primary
Orlando Executive Airport	Orlando	Yes	6 km (3.7 mi) east	279 (2007)	Reliever, General
Kissimmee Gateway Airport	Kissimmee	Yes	30 km (19 mi) southwest	118 (2007)	Reliever, General

Before dispensing funds determine terms exactly, including airline, times, and cancellation and date-change fees. Sometimes it takes a day or two to actually get the ticket, and they may want all the money up front, but try to limit this to a deposit of twenty percent, which is fair. Get a receipt, of course.
Photo: Typical international travel agency