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 »

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 mid-2008, when airlines across the country began tacking on extraneous fees to compensate for lower ticket sales and spikes in fuel prices (like charging upwards of $25 each way for the first checked bag on domestic flights), they created an uproar among flyers who felt like they were being flown for all they’re worth. Since then, said fees have been evolving exponentially, leaving the days of the all-inclusive ticket price to memory – with no proverbial “ceiling” in sight. Now, the revolution in luggage rates can no longer be contained by borders: late last month, overseas operators American, US Airways, and Continental announced they’ll be applying the checked-bag charges to all transatlantic flights (Delta was the first in July) – with the only straggler, United, finally joining the ranks last week. Read the rest of this post »

Delta, US Airways, Continental, American, United, and even budget airline Southwest have all jumped on the fare-hike bandwagon over the course of the past several weeks, bringing about a $10 fare increase (each way) for their domestic routes. Delta has also announced a $10 to $40 rate increase (each way) for select international flights. While consumers had been enjoying significantly reduced fares compared to the highs seen in 2008, airlines’ battle with rising jet fuel prices and drops in business travel have led to this response.

What would you suggest airlines do to cut costs without raising fares?

The Deal: We’re currently in the midst of a major summer fare war between a handful of U.S. carriers – United, Alaska Airlines, and Southwest among them – that is slated to wind down as soon as May 14. That’s what makes us particularly keen on Delta’s likeminded summer promo, which is valid well into next week, and features discounted rates to practically every U.S. city that the carrier flies to.  

Sample One-Way Fares: Detroit–Baltimore $49; Portland–Salt Lake City $71; New Orleans–NYC $89; Dallas/Fort Worth–Atlanta $84; San Francisco–NYC $109; and more

The Catch: The lowest fares are valid on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and blackout dates apply around the Memorial Day and 4th of July holidays. 

Travel By: September 14

Book By: May 18

ROUTE                  AIRLINE      STARTS
Denver to Mexico City                                  AeroMexico                    2-1-09
San Francisco to Mexico City                       AeroMexico                    2-2-09
Los Angeles to Boston                                 Virgin America                2-12-09
San Francisco to Boston                              Virgin America                2-12-09
Toronto to Mexico City                                 AeroMexico                    3-2-09
Dallas/Fort Worth to Madrid                          American                       5-1-09
Atlanta to Tokyo-Narita                                 Delta                             5-4-09
San Francisco to Orange County, CA            Southwest                      5-9-09
Atlanta to Johannesburg                               Delta                             6-1-09
Tokyo-Narita to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam    Delta                              6-1-09
Salt Lake City to Tokyo-Narita                      Delta                              6-3-09
Detroit to Rome                                           Delta                             6-4-09
New York to Valencia, Spain                        Delta                              6-5-09

From the February/March issue of Sherman’s Travel magazine.