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 »

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 »

In addition to offering its customers free in-flight WiFi throughout the month of August,  AirTran just rolled out free $25 e-certificates on flights to and from Florida. Amazingly, it appears that there are no strings attached with this one – you simply enter your e-mail address and they will send you the voucher.  This offer is limited to one per e-mail address, though you can double your savings by simply entering a second e-mail address – and lets face it, who doesn’t have more than one e-mail account these days? Simply use the credits to book two one-way flights and voila! You now have $50 buckaroos back in your wallet.

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Sure, the temps outside may be downright frigid, but that doesn’t mean your travel calendar has to freeze up. In fact, this brief post-holiday period – when most people have just dished out for expensive holiday airfares and aren’t necessarily looking to travel anytime soon – is one of the best times of year to take advantage of gargantuan travel savings, especially when it comes to flights. We’ve dug up some exceptional fare sales – featuring rates from just $45 each-way – to help you kick off your 2009 travels to Florida beaches, US ski slopes, European cities, and beyond. Read the rest of this post »