Nov 19, 2009 by Amber Nolan - 1 comment
Elissa Richard brings you the week's best airfare deals, buzzworthy airline news, trends in air travel, and tips on making the most of your flight.
Publicized over intercoms by flight attendants, stuffed in seat-pocket magazines, painted on napkins, tray tables, and even barf bags . . . the recent barrage of on-board ads plugging products from Coca-Cola to credit cards has been difficult to ignore. As operating costs continue to rise, the money to be made in in-flight advertising (tens of millions of dollars a year) is tempting airlines as of late to offset expenses by plastering promotions into every available cabin cranny, transforming planes into virtual flying billboards. Flyers, feeling the creep, have criticized many of the in-flight blitzes for being too aggressive – cornering “captive customers” at cruising altitude when ad inundation is impossible to avoid. Read the rest of this post »
Earlier this week, police nabbed a Phoenix couple suspected of stealing over 1,000 pieces of luggage from airport carousels and selling the contents at yard sales and flea markets. The arrests come on the heels of October’s similarly startling admissions by a Northwest Airlines baggage supervisor in Oregon who pled guilty to stealing $10,000 worth of checked luggage (subsequently hocking the loot on eBay) and a Philadelphia TSA officer who heisted multiple laptops while screening passengers’ bags. With luggage theft cases involving everything from switched destination tags to underwear burglars hitting the news lately, concerned fliers are now questioning the security of their belongings from check-in to carousel. Read the rest of this post »
Aeromexico is taking a lesson from cell-phone companies by introducing its own version of a “Family Plan.” Buy three or four tickets on select routes between the U.S. and Mexico and receive one ticket – for an adult or a child – for free. Some destinations included in this offer are Los Cabos, Guadalajara, Cancun, Leon, Monterrey, and Mexico City. Fly from major U.S. cities like Las Vegas, Houston, New York, Miami, Seattle, and many more. Read the rest of this post »
The holidays are shaping up to be a bit more merry and bright for flyers this year, now that a number of major airlines have announced free in-flight WiFi deals. While 2009 has seen all the usual suspects (Delta, Virgin America, JetBlue, etc.) rolling out en-route service on most or all flights, the cost of upwards of $10 a pop on longer trips (half the price of my monthly at-home bill) has left only the most email-addicted passengers biting the bait. Thankfully, just in time for air travel’s busiest time of year, discounts seem to literally be falling from the skies, with many airlines offering Internet passes completely free of charge. Read the rest of this post »
I must admit, when I flew LAN Airlines from New York to Lima this past summer, I was paying more attention to the new full-recline seats in business class (i.e. sleeping very soundly) than I was to the rundown of newly offered comforts in neighboring economy class: more on-demand entertainment choices, increased seat pitch, power outlets, oversized overheads, tasty new meals, and complimentary booze. What really awakened me, though, were the surprisingly affordable fares on these retrofitted economy-class seats. Even heading into winter high season, flying LAN remains one of the most affordable ways to get from the U.S. (non-stop from New York, Los Angeles, and Miami) to South America and the Caribbean. See sample fares after the jump. Read the rest of this post »
If you’re one out of the every three Americans who break out in a nervous sweat before take-off, relax. Sir Richard Branson has come to your rescue! Virgin Atlantic’s valiant chief unveiled the company’s first iPhone app, Flying Without Fear, yesterday. Based on Branson’s own course of the same name (which boasts a near-perfect success rate – just ask spokeswoman Whoopi Goldberg), the $5 app is designed to help anxious fliers overcome their fears by providing in-flight video explanations and answers to frequently asked questions about flying, plus relaxation exercises (there’s even a panic button for emergency calming methods if you start to, say, hyperventilate during a bit of turbulence). Since every aerophobe’s nerves vary, a custom “My Program” section allows users to rate their personal fears and offers advice on how best to prepare for your next flight, based on your individual info.
Click here for our list of Essential iPhone Travel Apps.
Looking for a happy medium between coach’s sardine-can accommodations and first class’s hefty price on lengthy flights? Premium economy cabins, featuring cushier seats and more space to stretch your legs (and wallet), are emerging as a less extravagant, more comfortable option on a number of airlines (including jetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, and British Airways, to name a few). Still, said seats on many overseas flights can run upwards of five times the cost of a coach ticket, and transatlantic jaunts in particular see higher fares versus the standard economy class than do their Pacific counterparts. Read the rest of this post »
JetBlue added yet another colorful push-pin to its Caribbean route map earlier this week, when it kicked off service between New York City (JFK) and the island of St. Lucia. With a direct flight time of approximently 4 to 5 hours, this new route is bound to lure travelers on long-weekend retreats to pristine beaches, tropical rainforests, and one of the world’s few drive-in volcanoes. Read the rest of this post »
The year is almost over and if you’ve yet to sneak in a little vacation, now is the time to do it with Southwest Airlines’ irresistible 72-hour sale. From now until October 29, customers can take advantage of incredibly low one-way fares to all of Southwest Airlines’ destinations.
For travel up to 375 miles, fares are $25 one-way; destinations between 375 and 549 miles from originating city are just $50 one-way; for travel between 550 and 999 miles, fares are $75 one-way; and, just in case you want your dreams of traveling across the country to take flight, destinations more than 1,000 miles from the originating city are only $100 each way. Are your bags packed yet?
Just because you’re watching those nickels and dimes doesn’t mean you have to stay in the cold this winter. With Air Jamaica’s extension of its Winter Sale to October 26, it’s cheaper than ever to soak up some sand, surf, and sun – without the debt. Catch a plane and not a cold with incredible rates starting at just $188 round-trip. Fares are valid for economy class travel from January 1 through February 11, 2010. Enjoy great rates from major cities across the U.S. – not just from nearby Florida.
