FAQ: Air Traveler's Handbook 1/4 [Monthly posting]
Mark Kantrowitz
Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part1
Last-Modified: Tue Mar 19 14:26:32 1996 by Mark Kantrowitz
Version: 1.22
Size: 90743 bytes, 1794 lines
URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html
;;; ****************************************************************
;;; Airfare FAQ, Part 1 ********************************************
;;; ****************************************************************
;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz
This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The
focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are
also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to
Get Cheap Airtickets".
The information in this FAQ applies primarily to US domestic flights,
though some information may also apply to international flights.
Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms
and other information to mk...@cs.cmu.edu.
*** Copyright:
Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved.
This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without
modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed. It
may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents
(e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines,
or other print form) without the prior written permission of the
copyright holder. Permission is expressly granted for this document
to be made available for file transfer from installations offering
unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet.
If this FAQ is reproduced in offline media (e.g., CD-ROM, print form,
etc.), a complimentary copy should be sent to Mark Kantrowitz, School
of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue,
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891 USA.
This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty.
*** Recent Changes:
;;; 1.20:
;;; 31-MAY-95 mk Replaced all the URLs in [4-12] with a pointer to the FAQ's
;;; home page, which now includes a substantially greater
;;; number of links.
;;; 1.21:
;;; 20-DEC-95 mk Corrected several London numbers, thanks to Richard Relf.
;;; 19-MAR-96 mk Info about Jet Train provided by Srivathsan Narasimhan
*** Topics Covered:
Part 1:
[1-0] Obtaining the FAQ
[1-1a] Standard Tricks: Advance Booking Discounts
[1-1b] Advance Purchase Fares
[1-2] Nested/Overlapping Tickets Strategy
[1-x] Stopovers and Circle Trips
[1-3] Fare Classes
[1-4] Classes of Service
[1-5] Fare Types
[1-6] Special Fare Categories
[1-7] Children's Fares
[1-8] Clergy Fares
[1-9] Military Fares
[1-10] Senior Citizen Fares
[1-11] Student/Youth Fares
[1-12] Family Fares
[1-13] Conference Fares
[1-14] Sympathy Fares, Emergency Fares
[1-15] Refunds
[1-16] Flying Standby
[1-17] Getting Bumped
[1-18] Special Travel Dates/Fare Sales/Fare Wars
[1-19] Moving Up the Return Flight
[1-20] Hidden City Fares
[1-21] Buying Someone Else's Nonrefundable Ticket
[1-22] Discount Airlines
[1-23] Tour Desks
Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):
Travel Agents:
[2-1] Travel Agents
[2-2] Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters
[2-3] Consolidators
[2-4] Couriers
[2-5] Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students
[2-6] Visit USA
[2-7] Free Upgrades to First Class
[2-8] Companion Tickets
[2-9] Avoiding Travel Scams
[2-10] Missed Connections
[2-11] Getting There Faster
[2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier
[2-13] Hub Cities
Baggage:
[2-14] Lost Baggage
[2-15] Baggage Limits
[2-16] Pets
[2-17] Bicycles
[2-18] Restrictions on Electronics
[2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors
[2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist
Part 3 (Safety & Comfort, Frequent Flyers):
Travel Safety, Comfort, and Convenience:
[3-1] Travel Advisories/Health Information
[3-2] Travel Safety
[3-3] Air Quality
[3-4] Smoke-Free Flights
[3-4a] Air Pressure Problems (Colds)
[3-5] Special Meals
[3-6] Jetlag
[3-7] Pregnant Passengers
[3-8] Tips for Families Flying with Children
[3-9] Tips for Business Travelers
[3-9b] Best Seats
[3-10] Exchanging Currency
Frequent Flyers:
[3-11] Frequent Flyer Programs
[3-12] Premier FF Membership
[3-13] Hotel Frequent Flyer Plans
[3-14] Credit Card Voucher Offers
[3-15] Telephone Companies
[3-16] Discount Coupon Offers
Part 4 (Appendices, Miscellaneous):
Appendices:
[4-1] Airline Reservation Phone Numbers
[4-2] Flight Information
[4-3] On-line reservation services
[4-4] Complaints and Compliments
[4-5] Glossary
[4-6] Other Sources of Information
[4-7] Further Reading
[4-8] Phone Numbers Included in this FAQ
Miscellaneous:
[4-9] IRS Rules Change
[4-10] Airline Antitrust Litigation
[4-11] Miscellaneous Notes
[4-12] World-Wide Web (WWW) Resources
Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly.
*** Notes:
All dollar ($) amounts in this FAQ are in US dollars.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-0] Obtaining the FAQ
Certain questions and topics come up frequently in the rec.travel.air
newsgroup. This FAQ is intended to gather these questions and their
answers into a convenient and comprehensive reference. The hope is
that this will cut down on the user time and network bandwidth used to
post, read and respond to the same questions over and over, as well as
answering questions some readers may not even have thought to ask.
Posts of a commercial nature, such as the buying and selling of
airplane tickets, should be posted to rec.travel.marketplace and not
this newsgroup.
An updated version of this file is posted once a month on the 13th of
the month to the newsgroups rec.travel.air and news.answers. The
version date for the file is located in the header near the top of the
file.
In between postings, the latest version of this FAQ is available by
anonymous FTP from
ftp.cs.cmu.edu:/user/mkant/Travel/ [128.2.206.173]
using username "anonymous" and password "name@host" (substitute your
email address) or via AFS in the Andrew File System directory
/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mkant/Public/Travel/
as the files airfare1.faq, airfare2.faq, airfare3.faq, and airfare4.faq.
Other files available from this directory include:
bucket.faq Edward Hasbrouck's FAQ on Bucket Shops and Consolidators
classes.txt List of fare classes
discounts.txt Table of Airline Special Fare Discounts (29-JUL-92)
em_intrfrnc.txt Summary of EM Interference by Laurie Bechtler
ff.faq Joel Chan's Frequent Flyer FAQ
flt_attdnt.txt Description of the Job of a Flight Attendant
iata.tgz List of worldwide airport IATA codes by Peter Loibl
and Paulo Santos
jetlag.txt The ANL jet lag diet.
online.faq John Levine's FAQ on Online Computer Reservation Systems
tourism.faq Where to get tourist/travel information
The FAQ postings are also archived in the periodic posting archive on
rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/travel/air/handbook/ [18.181.0.24]
If you do not have anonymous ftp access, you can access the archive by
mail server as well. Send an E-mail message to mail-...@rtfm.mit.edu
with "help" and "index" in the body on separate lines for more
information.
A HTML version of the FAQ is available as
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/travel/air/handbook/top.html
If you need to cite the FAQ for some reason, use the following format:
Mark Kantrowitz, "Air Traveler's Handbook", rec.travel.air, <month>, <year>,
ftp.cs.cmu.edu:/user/mkant/Travel/airfare?.faq, mka...@cs.cmu.edu.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-1a] Standard Tricks: Advance Booking Discounts
Airlines give better fares to people who advance book because they are
trying to encourage people to book as early as possible. If the
airline were to lower fares just before flight time there would be a
flood of people (on random flights) at the last minute. Airlines need
an accurate estimate of the number of people and amount of baggage on
a flight so that they can load the proper amount of fuel. (Meals and
beverages also have to be loaded.)
Moreover, people who book at the last minute are usually flying on
business, and therefore the business is paying for it. People flying
for pleasure usually know weeks or months in advance, and can't afford
the prices that a business would pay. Thus it is to an airline's
advantage to set rates according to the major differences between
business and leisure travelers:
o Business travelers fly mostly between 9 and 5, whereas leisure
travelers can fly offpeak hours.
o Business travelers buy tickets on very short notice, whereas
leisure travelers plan trips well in advance.
o Business travelers do not stay over a weekend (= Saturday
night), whereas leisure travelers do.
So airlines typically give discounts for people who stay over a
weekend, flying offpeak hours, and purchasing tickets 7 days, 14 days,
21 days or 30 days in advance. Such fares are known as excursion,
discount, or supersaver fares.
For example, US domestic excursion fares require that you buy
your roundtrip ticket 7 days, 14 days, or 30 days in advance, and that
you stay over a weekend (usually Saturday night, though sometimes
Sunday night as well). Some may also restrict the travel to a
30-day maximum stay. Stopovers aren't allowed, except for the purpose
of connection (if you want a stopover, you'll have to pay extra).
Some fares may be limited to a particular routing (e.g., routes with
connections cost less than nonstop flights). You may also be limited
to flying during offpeak hours, with flights during the busiest times
of the day costing more. Tickets are usually non-refundable and
non-transferable, and may either be non-changeable or have a $35
change fee. The price is usually the average of the two one-way
tickets. (E.g., a 2-week advance PGH/BOS advance ticket is around
$200 this way.) Tickets must be purchased within 24 hours of the
reservation.
For international excursion fares, also known as apex fares, you must
book at least 21 days in advance of the flight, and you may have to
purchase the tickets at the time of the reservation. Minimum stay is
usually 7-10 days, and maximum stay can range from 3 months to a year.
Midweek travel (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) is usually cheaper.
Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Fares often depend on
the seasons.
Since a regular 1-way ticket is so much worse than a round-trip
excursion fare, it sometimes pays to buy a round-trip ticket and throw
away the other half (if you're only going one way). If you buy a round
trip ticket and throw away the other half, make the first leg of the
trip the destination, since some airlines will cancel the return trip
if you don't show up for the first leg. If you intend to skip ONE leg
of a multi-leg flight, tell this to your reservation agent in advance,
so that they can annotated your PNR to prevent subsequent legs from
being cancelled. (Note: You can't use this technique to exploit a
"hidden city" fare. You'll have to have a very good reason for
skipping a leg for the travel agent to allow it, and you may have to
pay a different fare to do so.)
For example, a round-trip to San Francisco from Pittsburgh with a
one-night stayover is $1,333. However, the cost of a Saturday night
stayover is only $479 if you order the ticket a week or two in
advance. Purchasing two round trip tickets, one originating from Pgh
and one from SF, and then using one half of each round trip ticket
saves you $375.
Note that for many airlines the discount fares depend solely on the
date of the first leg of the trip. The price does not vary no matter
when the return flight is (so long as you stay over a Saturday night).
You could buy a flight with one leg in March and the return in
November, and it would cost the same as if the return was in March.
For some of the lowest fares, however, there is now a 30-day maximum
stay. Staying more than 30 days often increases the fare by about 25%.
If you travel on offpeak hours and low volume days, the rates are
cheaper. Thus to guarrantee a low cost flight, you have to be very
flexible about where you are going, what time and day you are leaving,
and how long you want to stay. Offpeak hours typically include before
7am, between 10am and 2pm, and after 7pm, depending on the day of the week.
Also important is when you make the reservation. If you make the
reservation for an offpeak flight during the peak season (say, make a
reservation for February just before Thanksgiving), you may be charged
the peak rates. After the holidays some airlines lower their discount
fares to attract customers. So you may be able to get a better fare by
making your reservation right after the holidays.
If you notice that the fare for your flight has been lowered after you
bought the ticket, try calling the airline. Sometimes they will refund
the difference between the price you paid and the lower fare. (You may
have to go to the airport to get the ticket rewritten at the lower
fare.) You may have to pay a $35 to $50 reticketing fee to get the
refund, but some airlines have been known to waive the fee if you get
the money back in the form of a voucher (to be applied to future
travel) instead of cash. For example, USAir will refund the
difference less a service charge, or give a travel voucher (credit)
for the difference with no service charge.
According to a Wall Street Journal article by James S. Hirsch, (July
30, 1993) many airlines now test fare increases by raising prices on
the weekend (Friday night through Sunday night). If other airlines
don't match the increases, the fares return to normal on Monday. So
you should be careful when purchasing tickets on the weekend. (This
works around the Justice Department consent decree that prevents
airlines from signalling proposed fare increases in the computer
reservation systems. When the competitors didn't match the increase, the
airlines would cancel the increase before it took effect. With the new
method, since it affects current prices, it technically isn't price-fixing.)
Hirsch also reported that many airlines have increased the $25 charge
for changing advanced purchase tickets to $30 or $35. Note that this
is often a minimum fee -- you'll probably have to pay the full
difference in price if the new ticket price is much higher. Airlines
are using these measures to discourage passengers from buying tickets
during a fare war and later changing the time of flight or
destination. If you go to one of the airline's ticket agents (not a
travel agent), some airlines will reissue a ticket at the lower fare
without fee if the difference is refunded in the form of a voucher for
future travel.
In addition to the Saturday night stay requirement, many airlines now
give additional discounts for travel midweek (usually Tuesday and
Wednesday, sometimes Thursday) when a Saturday night stay is involved.
Some also provide discounts for travel on Saturdays. Flights usually
aren't fully booked on these days. For example, Northwest discount
coupons recently had this restriction. Most leisure travelers like to
travel Sunday-Sunday, or at least not miss a large part of the week.
Business travelers, of course, don't like to stay over the weekend.
When making your reservation through an airline ticket agent or
through a travel agent, always ask for the lowest possible fare. Don't
just give them specific dates/times and ask them for a low fare --
tell them that your plans are flexible, and you'd like to know what
the low fare is. If you're too specific on the flight details, and
don't say that you're looking for the cheapest possible fare, you
might not get the best price. Sometimes by departing on a different
day, you can get a much cheaper fare.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-1b] Advance Purchase Fares
[Note: This section to be merged into preceding section.]
Typically, tickets must be purchased 4, 7, 14, 21, or 30 days
in advance of the departure date. All require confirmed reservations.
Seats are always limited. Most do not permit changes/cancellations,
and those that do will usually charge you.
Some require a roundtrip ticket, though there are some that
give lower rates for one-way tickets. Most do not permit open-jaw
travel (most require circle-trip for excursion fares). Some permit
stopovers, and may or may not charge you for the privilege (typically
$15-30 per stopover). Fares are often seasonal.
For those that have a minimum and maximum stay period (e.g.,
stay over the weekend, must return 150 days after departure), the day
of departure is not included as part of the minimum and maximum stay period.
Children's rates are usually discounted against the applicable
fare. (Some airlines now apply children's discounts against the
highest fare only.) As usual, children must carry proof of age.
Note that fares are almost always not applicable to/from
intermediate points. This means a ticket from Boston to Chicago
passing through Pittsburgh could be cheaper than a ticket from Boston
to Pittsburgh! But, of course, you can get off at Pittsburgh so long
as you don't have checked bags nor have subsequent legs on the same
ticket.
Use the same carrier and flight class for all segments of your
itinerary. Changing airlines usually adds to the cost of your trip.
But sometimes you may be able to get a dirt cheap fare on one
airline to an airport 150 miles or so from your destination, and then
use another airline to get to your final destination. (This most often
happens when the first airline has no direct flights to your final
destination.)
Sometimes fares which involve a connection are cheaper than direct
flights. So if all the fares are non-stop, ask if flights that involve
a connection are cheaper. For example, flights from Pittsburgh to
Boston on TWA are often cheaper than flights on USAir, because USAir
offers non-stop service while TWA flights are routed through their JFK hub.
Other tips:
+ If all the fares are on one airline, ask your travel agent if
there are cheaper fares on other airlines. Be prepared to ask
for specific airlines. Don't run down a list of a dozen
airlines, but ask for two or three. If all show similar lowest
fares, you aren't likely to do better on another airline.
(Obviously, this advice doesn't apply if you're calling the
airlines directly. If so, call 2-3 airlines before purchasing tickets.)
+ If there are two airports near where you live (e.g., Washington
DC, New York), ask if fares from the other airport are cheaper.
It may pay to drive 40 miles to save $100 on airfare.
+ If you qualify for special discounts (youth, student, senior
citizen, etc.) ask about the availability of such discounts. If
you don't ask, they won't volunteer the information -- how are
they to know whether you qualify?
+ Tickets are generally cheapest for travel in late August and
from March (excluding Spring Break) through mid-June, when air
traffic is the lowest. Of course, this rule of thumb depends a
lot on the destination, since some destinations have strong
traffic year-round.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-2] Nested/Overlapping Tickets Strategy
If you travel regularly to a particular destination, but don't
stay over weekends, you can get the cheaper weekend rates by
staggering your tickets. I.e., if you're flying from A to B and back
Monday and Wednesday of Week 1, and the same Week 2, instead of buying
roundtrip tickets for each week, buy a roundtrip ticket leaving A
Monday of Week 1 and returning Wednesday of Week 2, and a second
roundtrip ticket leaving B Wednesday of Week 1 and returning to B
Monday of Week 2. This works out to be precisely the same flights, but
since both tickets are over a weekend, you get the cheaper rate. The
only problem is that you have to know your schedule in advance to make
this work. Using the Pittsburgh-San Francisco example from above, this
method would save you $1708 on a pair of midweek round trip flights.
If this seems confusing, perhaps the following diagram will make
things clearer.
--- ------
| A ----1----->>---MON---- B |
| --- |
| A ----2-----<<---FRI---- B | |
--- | |
| A ----3----->>---MON---- B | |
| --- |
| A ----4-----<<---FRI---- B |
--- ------
The two round trip flights consist of two outgoing flights (1, 3) and
two returning flights (2, 4). Normally these are grouped as on the
left, with flight #1 from A to B being paired with flight #2 from B to
A, and similarly for flights #3 and #4. The result is two midweek
flights, neither of which is over a Saturday night. But we could also
pair flight #1 with flight #4, and flight #2 with flight #3, as shown
on the right. Then the middle pair of flights (#2 and #3) becomes a
round trip with its origin at your destination, and both sets of round
trip tickets are over a Saturday night.
The 30-day maximum stay on discount fares prevents you from using this
overlapping round trip tickets trick if you travel to a destination
infrequently (say, every six months). If your trips are more than 30
days apart, here's a new trick to use. Buy two round trip discount
tickets (weekend stay) per trip, using one for the outgoing trip and
one for the return, and then turn in the return portion of each ticket
for credit towards your next trip. Even with the $25 or so processing
charge per ticket for crediting and reissuing the ticket, it is still
cheaper to do this than to buy a single round-trip ticket without a
weekend stay.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-x] Stopovers and Circle Trips
If you're flying to two destinations, ask your travel agent about the
rates for stopovers and circle trips. A stopover is useful when you
want to stay for one or two days at a connecting city, and costs only an
extra $20-50. A circle trip applies when your intermediate
destination isn't a connecting city, and costs less than a pair of
round trip tickets, even when your point of origin is a connecting
city for the middle leg of the circle trip. This is especially true
when one of the stays isn't over a Saturday night.
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Subject: [1-3] Fare Classes
When airlines set their fares, they divide their seating into
"classes", which are based on an analysis of past passenger purchases.
Suppose you have a 100 seat airliner going from DC to SF. The rates
might break down on a particular day as follows:
30 seats at $315 round trip, 30 days in advance
20 seats at $350 RT, 21 days in advance
20 seats at $375 RT, 14 days in advance
20 seats at $400 RT, 7 days in advance
10 seats at $450 RT, full fare, available until the last minute.
Now if the time has elapsed within a given price group, then the fare
will go up to the rate of the next price group. If they sell the quota
of tickets for a price group, even if the time has not elapsed, then
they can only sell you tickets at the next rate group price (which is
naturally higher). So it can pay to make your reservations way in
advance. (The number of seats available at each fare varies from day
to day, depending on the airline's yield management algorithm.)
Actually, it would be more accurate to say that airlines distinguish
between classes of service and types of fares. A discount ticket
(fare) for first class travel (service) could, in theory, be cheaper
than an advance purchase ticket (fare) for thrift travel in the first
class compartment (service). The best way to describe it is as a
series of overlapping tiers of fares.
There are five regular classes of service: First, Business, Standard,
Coach and Thrift. Standard is practically nonexistent these days.
Fares usually drop with lower class service. For each class except
Standard there are six main types of reduced-fare tickets: discounted,
night, offpeak, weekend, advance purchase, and excursion fare.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-4] Classes of Service
The following chart gives some of the letters used to designate each
class of service. Note that Fn means Night/Offpeak Coach in the First
Class compartment, and Yn means Night/Offpeak Coach in other than the
First Class compartment.
Regular Premium Discounted Night/Offpeak
First Class F P A Fn (Coach in FC seat)
Business Class C J D Cn
Standard S W Bn
Coach Economy Y B, H, M, Q, T Qn, Yn
Thrift K L, V Vn, Kn
Supersonic R
Shuttle Service U (No reservation needed, Seat guaranteed)
Shuttle Service E (No reservation allowed)
In reality there is no difference between classes F and P, nor between
classes C and J. The Q class is usually used for discounted student fares.
If you want the cheapest fares, look at the Thrift and Coach Economy
classes.
Airlines have started eliminating First Class, because many companies
now have policies that won't let their employees claim a first class
ticket on their travel expenses. Instead, the airlines have started
upgrading their Business Class as a marketing ploy (and, of course,
company policies are now requiring employees to travel coach).
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-5] Fare Types
The following lists some of the letters used to designate different
types of fares. This is distinct from class of service. A number
(e.g., 7 or 14) usually means how many days in advance the ticket must
be bought.
Miscellaneous
AP Advance Purchase
EX Excursion Fare
B Capacity-controlled Excursion Fares
SW Offpeak; Saturday or Sunday
W Weekend
X Midweek
US 48 contiguous states (not including alaska/hawaii)
Economy
KH Weekend
KL Midweek/Offpeak
MH Weekend (Discount Fare)
ML Midweek/Offpeak (Discount Fare)
L Capacity-controlled Inventory
Standard
SH Peak
SL Offpeak
V Offpeak
Coach
B Capacity-controlled Inventory
BN Night Coach
H Capacity-controlled Inventory, Coach/Night Coach
V Offpeak
YH Weekend
YL Midweek/Offpeak
Super Coach
QH Weekend; applies Fri-Sun
QL Midweek; applies Mon-Thur
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-6] Special Fare Categories
All airlines have special rate categories, but you have to ask for
them by name, since the agents are usually not familiar with them.
You may even have to talk to the agent's supervisor. Below is a brief
listing of different special fare categories, followed by a more in
depth discussion of standby fares.
Also, see preceding discussion of classes of service and fare types.
For example, on TWA, class K, V, YC, and M fares are the cheapest.
Note: Just because you qualify for a special fare category doesn't
mean that it is the cheapest fare possible. Shop around. By being
flexible with your travel plans, you may be able to save even more.
When the special fares are discounted against full fare coach prices,
you can often do better by purchasing a supersaver or other advance
booking fare. Of course, if your special fare discount may be
combined with other offers (e.g., 5% discount for using the official
airline of a conference to travel to the conference), you win both
ways.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-7] Children's Fares
Children under 2 years of age travel free on US domestic flights.
(That is, children who have not reached their second birthday at the
date of commencement of travel.) To be more accurate, the child must
not occupy a separate seat (sits on its parent's lap), and must be
accompanied by a fare paying adult passenger 12 years of age and over
(the lap in which it sits). If the flight isn't full, usually the kid
can sit in the seat next to the adult, but if the flight is full, the
child will have to sit in the parent's lap for the duration of the
flight. Such children do not get a baggage allowance. Ask for an
"infant ticket" when you make your reservations. Additional children
under 2 are subject to regular children's fares. On international
flights you need a "lap child" ticket which typically costs about $100
(10% of the regular fare).
Fares for children (age 2-12) accompanied by a fare paying adult
passenger and occupying a separate seat are cheaper than fares for
unaccompanied children. Some carriers will not accept unaccompanied
children under five years of age (some 8 years, some 12). Fares for
accompanied children range from 50% to 100% of an adult fare
(1/2 fare, 2/3 fare, 3/4 fare, 80%, 90%, full fare). Fares for
unaccompanied children range from 50% of adult fare to 125% of an
adult fare (1/2 fare, 2/3 fare, 3/4 fare, full fare, 1-1/4 fare).
Nowaways, 2/3 fare seems to be the most common children's fare.
Tell your travel agent before they start searching for discount fares
that you're traveling with children. Not all discount adult fares
allow discounts for children, so it may sometimes pay to buy a
slightly more expensive adult ticket that allows for much cheaper
children fares.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-8] Clergy Fares
Clergy have been entitled to discounts by various airlines in the
past, but as of May 1994, none were participating in such programs.
Qualified parties would be advised to check with airlines at the time
of their booking to see if these programs have been reinstated.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-9] Military Fares
US military personnel traveling at their own expense on
authorized leave or pass may get signicantly cheaper fares. Discharged
military personnel must complete all travel within 7 days of discharge
date. Valid active duty US green identification card or separation
orders must be presented. USAir has a 50% military discount.
Also, any military person who is on active duty and either on TDY
(temporary duty), emergency leave or regular leave, or any retired
military person may sign up for space available travel on
pre-scheduled military flights to any air force base (e.g., Hawaii,
Boston, Florida). Active duty personnel have priority over retired
personnel, and space is allocated in order of signup. Few flights,
however, are scheduled more than 24 hours in advance, and you may need
to go to your destination by a very roundabout route, since not every
base has a lot of space-available flights. The cost is free from most
bases, but some tack on a $10 or $20 charge for admin purposes. For
long flights, they will sell you a box-lunch for $2.40. The planes may
not be as comfortable as commercial flights. There are numerous books
on space-available flights that military people can pick up at their
PX/BX. They should also contact the PAX representative at their
nearest base for more specific information.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-10] Senior Citizen Fares
Certain airlines provide reduced fares for passengers 65 (sometimes
62) years of age and older. Passengers must carry proof of age
(passport, birth certificate, driver's license or medicare card). The
typical discount is 10 percent, though some discounts may be as high
as 75%. Some programs provided a booklet of discount coupons, or sell
several tickets at a sharply discounted rate. Seats are usually
limited, and off-peak travel may be required. The fares are sometimes
refundable and sometimes do not require advance purchase. In some cases,
membership in the AARP will qualify you for the reduced fares. (The
AARP's 10 percent discount deal with American Airlines ended in 1992
when the fare war broke out.) Call 1-202-872-4700 for information
about joining AARP. Airlines with special fares include:
American, America West, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Southwest
Airlines, TWA, United, and USAir.
Delta sells books of coupons for travel by retired senior citizens
(age 62 or higher). The cost is $596 for a book of four coupons,
$1,032 for eight coupons. Each coupon is good for a one-way flight in
the continental United States, with two coupons required for travel to
Alaska or Hawaii. The number of seats are limited, and reservations
must be made two weeks in advance of departure.
If buying a booklet of coupons, compare the prices against the
discounted excursion fares. Sometimes you can do better than the coupons.
Be sure to ask if there are any special fares for senior citizens, if
you qualify. Many travel agents are reluctant to ask a customer if
they are a senior citizen, because they are afraid the customer might
be offended.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-11] Student/Youth Fares
Some airlines give discounted fares to full-time students of an
accredited school, college or university who are at least 12 years of
age. Student ID card must be carried and displayed at the request of
the carrier. Some restrict the age of the student to under some age
(e.g., 22, 24, 26 years of age). Stopovers are not permitted, and some
require reservations at least 7 days before departure.
The status of such discounts varies considerably. For example, the
USAir student discount was cancelled on May 30, 1992, as a consequence
of the American fare restructuring. As of June 1993, the program was
reinstated on a limited scale, primarily on short-haul east-coast
flights, with an age limit of 24. On June 1, 1994, they cancelled the
program, and replaced it with a more restrictive youth fare. The
details of this program are as follows:
+ Maximum age 22.
+ Reservations must be made 7 days in advance.
+ Saturday night stay required.
+ Round trips only, must be a non-stop flight.
+ Not offered in all markets, and the amount of the discount
varies. The best discount seems to be 30% off.
+ The discount seems to not be combinable with supersaver fares.
+ You must show proof of age when making a reservation.
+ The discount is limited to US domestic travel.
Students may purchase discount books of 10 tickets on the Trump (now
USAir) shuttle for $499. Delta has a similar program for their shuttle.
Age restrictions can be as low as 18-22 on these tickets (Continental
18-22, USAir 18-24 some routes, 18-22 others, Delta is 18-24). Times are
restricted from 10am to 2:30 pm and after 7 pm.
TWA has established a student discount program. Membership costs $15
for one year, $25 for two years, and gets you 10% off most TWA
round-trip fares. You must be a full-time student, aged 16-26. The
fares must include a Saturday night stay-over and 14-day advance
purchase.
TWA has also offered a "Youth Travel Pak" which provides coupons for
four one-way trips in the continental US for $548 (coupons may be
doubled for travel to Hawaii). The Pak is restricted to students aged
14-24. This can be a good deal if you're traveling cross-country.
A variety of discounts are available if you have an International
Student Identity Card (or International Teacher Identity Card).
Besides offering proof of student status, the ID provides discounts on
museums and events, air fare, 24-hour traveler's assistance, and
health insurance. Ask your travel agent for details on how to get such
a card and what discounts are available. All Council Travel travel
agencies sell the International Student ID Cards. They are rather
cheap -- $17 for students aged 12 to 25 -- and well worth the price.
However, some people have found that their regular university ID or
American Youth Hostel Card works just as well for most of the
discounts. For an application and a free magazine, call the Council
on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) at 800-438-2643.
Youth fares: Passenger must be between 12 and 22 (25 for international
travel) years of age. Seats may be limited. Tickets must be purchased
from the point of origin. Some require picture identification such as
Youth Fare identification Card, birth certificate, government ID card
or drivers license. Southwest gives the offpeak rate for *all* flights
for youth (21 & under), although this is still more expensive than
their supersaver fares.
In short, when purchasing tickets ask if there is any youth/student discount.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-12] Family Fares
Some carriers offer discounts on family travel. For the purposes of
the discounts, a family is defined as a husband and wife with or
without accompanying children age 2-17, or one parent with one or more
accompanying children age 2-17. Age restrictions on children differ
from airline to airline (some set the maximum age at 20 or 21 years;
and some break children into two classes, 12 & under and 12-21). Some
include legal guardian and grandparents within the definition of
parent. It is usually not necessary for the family to travel under a
common surname. Proof of family relationship must be established to
the satisfaction of the carrier and all family members must travel
together for the entire trip. Fares are typically 100% for first
family member, 50% each additional. Some have further discounts.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-13] Conference Fares
If you're flying to a meeting or conference, airlines will often offer
a conference discount. This must be arranged ahead of time by the
conference organizers and only holds for one particular airline. This
airline is designated as the "official" airline of the conference, and
is advertised in the registration brochure. Discounts are generally
40% off of full coach or 5% off of the best supersaver fare, with
travel within 3 days of the meeting. The conference organizers receive
one free round trip ticket for every 20 conference attendees who use
the airline.
See also "Moving Up the Return Flight" [1-19].
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-14] Sympathy Fares, Emergency Fares
If you have to go to a funeral, most airlines will give you 50% off of
the discounted rate, at very short notice. They call this the sympathy
fare. Similarly for a medical emergency (e.g., a close relative is in
intensive care, or is likely to die). For example, Continental will
waive advance purchase requirements for cheap fares for an emergency.
This is their bereavement rate for people who have to attend funerals.
Other airlines that do this are United and USAir ("compassionate
fare"). American gives 50% off of the non-discounted rate, and will
ask you for the name, address and phone number of the funeral home.
(Some airlines will require a copy of the death certificate or an
obituary instead.) This is a tradition carried over from the "funeral
fare" of the railroad days. Airlines do this because it is simply good
PR, and doesn't cost them all that much. Some airlines will only allow
immediate relatives to get a sympathy fare.
[As of 4/30/93, American and United offered 17% discount on
unrestricted coach, USAir 50%.]
In any case you have to ask and sometimes be persistent as these are
nonstandard and not widely publicized policies. Many low level airline
workers are not aware of them or do not have the authority to allow them.
United "Rule 120" describes the rules governing sympathy fares.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-15] Refunds
In the same vein, many airlines will refund a ticket, even a
nonrefundable one, for good cause. Medical emergencies, jury duty, and
a death in the family generally qualify as a good cause for not using
a ticket. Some sort of proof must be provided (death certiicate, note
from doctor), and it is completely up to the airline as to whether or
not the particular instance warrants a refund. But it doesn't hurt to
ask, even multiple times. Some airlines may issue a new ticket or
provide a flight credit voucher instead of offering a refund.
If you don't have any luck in getting a refund when talking with the airline
ticket agent or their supervisor, try asking your travel agent for
help. Sometimes they can succeed where you can't. You can also try
talking to someone at the airline's downtown ticket office in person,
and writing to their national office. It never hurts to ask, even
multiple times. If you're making no headway at the airline's downtown
office, try turning on the tears. This is especially effective if the
person who is preventing you from getting a refund is of the opposite
sex. Nothing makes a person try harder to help than seeing someone
start crying because of them.
A useful trick for normal circumstances: When they ask for your name
for printing on the ticket, use your first initial instead of your
full first name. (Many airlines now require your full first name, even
if you purchase the ticket through a travel agent.) Thus if you can't
use your "non-transferrable non-refundable" ticket, your spouse or
some other member of your family might be able to.
[Airlines do not allow name changes on reservations and tickets, to
prevent travel agents from buying up cheap fares with dummy names in
anticipation of selling them to real people later. For this reason, it
is important when traveling overseas to make sure you give your name
to the travel agent exactly as it is listed on your passport. The name
on your tickets must match the name on your passport, and once the
reservations are made and the tickets issued, there's nothing you can
do to correct the name. The travel agent will have to cancel the
reservations and rebook the full itinerary using the correct name,
assuming the seats are still available at that fare. If the tickets were
non-refundable, there's nothing you can do.]
Another trick is to have your travel agent talk to the airline,
assuming you used him to purchase the ticket. Sometimes they will be
able to swing a deal.
Nontransferable tickets may still be useable by other people in your
organization, if the address listed on the ticket was your business
address, or if your organization's name appears on the ticket.
If the passenger named on the ticket died before the flight, most
airlines will allow a name change, and many will even refund a
nonrefundable ticket.
Unused nonrefundable tickets can often be applied as a credit toward
another nonrefundable ticket of equal or higher value on the same
airline, less a small reticketing fee of $35 to $50. You'll also have
to pay any difference in the fares, and you can do this for up to one
year after the date of purchase. (Note that if the new ticket costs
less than the old ticket, you probably won't be credited with the
difference.) So if you bought a non-refundable ticket and decided to
not use it, don't throw it away. If you only used part of the ticket
(e.g., the originating flight but not the return), you probably can't
do this; these policies are for completely unused tickets.
If you lose your tickets, most airlines will require you to buy new
tickets, and then issue a refund after 30 days, less a fee of $30 to
$50. Thus 'losing' your tickets is not an effective means of getting a
refund for non-refundable tickets.
Full fare tickets (e.g., unrestricted coach, business class, or first
class), of course, usually allow changes without charge.
Normally a reservation will cancel out automatically if you don't
purchase a ticket within 24 hours. However, if you ask the airline to
invoice you, usually this timeout is extended to 10 days to allow
enough time for the invoice to reach you. You can still pay the
invoice using a credit card. If you don't pay the invoice, the
reservation cancels out at the end of the 10 day period. I was once
able to get the 10 day period extended, but that was because the
airline had transposed digits in my zip code, causing the invoice to
arrive after the 10 day period had expired.
Being hostile to airline personnel is the one sure way to prevent you
from getting a refund or change. Be nice to them -- it doesn't hurt
you, and probably will help you get what you want.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-16] Flying Standby
Flying standby used to be one of the cheapest ways to travel. The idea
was that an empty seat doesn't earn the airline any money. So some
airlines would sell special fare "standby tickets". Using such a
ticket you were NOT guarranteed a seat on a particular flight, but on
the next flight with empty seats. You'd be enplaned on a flight
subject to the availability of space at departure time. This was only
after all passengers with reservations for the flight have been
boarded. Passengers from a previous flight who were bumped also had
priority. No stopovers were permitted on standby fares.
Since advance reservations were not accepted, you had to get to the
gate early to put yourself down on the standby list. If it was a busy
day and the flights are full, you would have to wait several hours to
get a seat, or maybe not get a seat at all. A standby ticket didn't
guarrantee you a seat, but if you did not absolutely, positively have
to be there tomorrow, you could get some good deals.
But the days when students could hang out at the airport and fly
standby for dirt cheap prices are long gone. The term "standby" is
still used, but doesn't mean what it used to:
1. Most airlines no longer sell standby tickets at a special
fare, but will sell you a standby ticket at regular fare. In
other words, if they have space on the flight, the gate agent or
ticket agent will sell you a ticket for the flight on the spot.
All this means is you can buy a full fare ticket on the spur of
the moment.
2. Nonrefundable, nonchangeable tickets can often be used for
standby travel on the same or similar route (sometimes with a
slight surcharge). This most often comes up if you missed your
flight (e.g., you arrive at the gate after the plane has left,
and catch another flight to the same destination later that day),
but you may be able to use unused flight coupons in
this manner. For example, if you bought a ticket but didn't go
for some reason (a reason that didn't entitle you to a refund), the
ticket may still be usable for standby travel on the same airline.
(Your best bet with such a ticket, however, is to have your
travel agent or airline credit it towards your next ticket.
You'll probably have to pay a fee, but it's better than throwing
away the ticket.) All this is often at the whim of the gate
agent, and is based on the notion that a ticket is often
designated as being good for travel on the airline for one year
from the date of issue. Your luck will vary by airline and gate agent.
3. If you're on a later flight but get to the airport early,
check with the attendant at the gate. You may be able to get on the
earlier flight is there's space available (but this may result in your
getting no "snack" or losing your special meal). This works even
for "non-changeable" tickets.
Airlines stopped the practice of selling standby tickets for a variety
of reasons:
1. Even if a seat isn't taken, putting somebody in the seat still
costs the airline some money (e.g., fuel).
2. Standby travel played havoc with airline load management programs.
Airlines were sometimes faced with having to unload fuel to
change the weight distribution of the aircraft because of a
sudden appearance of several standby passengers.
3. Some people would "ensure" the availability of standby seats by
making a large number of regular reservations, and then an hour
before the flight release the block of seats, virtually ensuring
that standby passengers will get aboard at cheap standby fares.
This caused airlines to overbook flights, and eliminated their
ability to schedule their flights accurately. Since the
elimination of standby tickets, overbooking errors have dropped
significantly. (Another result of this practice is the automatic
cancellation of unpaid reservations after 24 hours.)
4. Airlines felt that they were losing regular business to standby travel.
Flying standby, however, may be making a comeback. In 1993, some
airlines had special one-day fares for folks traveling on Christmas
and New Years. These holidays are the nadir of the travel season, so
by offering these fares, the airlines were able to increase their
business on flights they had to fly anyway. (Yes, airlines still have
to fly the routes, even with empty planes, because scheduling is so
complex. For example, the plane in Atlanta might need to fly to Boston
so that it can be used on the Boston-Washington route later in the
next day.) Now these holiday fares weren't true standby fares, but
the concept was similar. Since most flights these days fly at 85-95%
of capacity, one of these days an airline is going to get the bright
idea of reinstating standby fares in one variation or another. For
example, some airlines now sell discount flight coupon booklets to
senior citizens; the coupons may be used for standby travel. And of
course, US Air Force personnel can fly standby on some US Air Force
planes on a space available basis for dirt cheap prices, but with no
amenities (and maybe no real seat either, but strapped to webbing on
the wall).
Some foreign airlines still provide standby fares, sometimes limited
to youth.
If you are flying standby one way or another, here's some advice:
- Make sure you get to the gate EARLY. If several people are
flying standby, you want to make sure that your name is first on
the list. Note that connecting passengers, bumped passengers,
etc., get priority over local boarding standbys.
- Days which are bad for getting bumped are usually good days for
standby seats. Don't fly standby on the day before Thanksgiving
or the Sunday after, you won't get a seat. On Thanksgiving day
itself, you're likely to find a seat.
- On really busy days it might pay to show up early for the
*first* flight of the day, since standbys who don't make it can
"roll over" to the next flight.
Some airlines will only allow "same day" standby travel (i.e., you
overslept and missed your flight, and will take a flight on the same
route later that day). Others will not allow you to fly standby on a
flight if all the seats in your fare class have sold out, even if
there are empty seats available. If the agent at the check-in counter
gives you trouble, go directly to the gate and see what happens.
[Agents at the check-in counter are under more pressure to enforce the
rules than gate agents, who have some discretionary power. If you can
avoid dealing with the agents at the check-in counter, (e.g., no
checked baggage), so much the better.] If you want to try flying
standby on one airline using another airline's ticket, bypass the
check-in agent and go directly to the gate.
Most airline employees (and their spouses and dependents) can fly
standby on that airline for cheap or free (as "representatives" of the
airline). Crew who must reach their destination for work purposes have
priority over all non-revenue passengers. Active employees have
priority over retired employees and dependents of an employee. There
is a pretty strict dress code -- suit and ties for men, and similar
requirements for women -- so you can't fly wearing a jogging suit.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-17] Getting Bumped
[Note: Most of the comments in this section apply to US domestic flights
only. US Department of Transportation rules apply only to flights
between points in the US. Airlines do not need to give any
compensation for international flights, so what, if anything, you get
for an involuntary bump is entirely up to the airline.]
Airlines tend to overbook their flights in case of no-shows. (Airlines
also ignore the overbook limit when a customer is buing a full-fare
ticket, because the cost of bribing volunteers with a bump ticket is
usually less than the additional income derived from a full-fare
ticket.) Occasionally this will mean that more people show up with
confirmed reservations than there are seats on the plane. (Or if the
flight is a particularly full one, it may exceed the weight limit even
with empty seats.) The airline will ask if there's anyone willing to
be bumped from the flight in exchange for compensation (e.g., USAir
will give you a free round-trip ticket anywhere in North America). The
airline will then put you on the next available flight to your
destination, along with your free ticket.
Vouchers are typically valid for only a year from date of issue. But
if you ask *before you get the ticket*, you can sometimes get it
extended for a month or two beyond the year limitation. (Some folks
have reported success in getting vouchers extended a month or so
before expiration.) If your voucher is expiring you can also try using
it to get a ticket with a particular origin and destination
but no specific departure and return dates. Such tickets should be
good for 12 months. Many bump vouchers, however, prohibit exchanging them
for such "open" tickets. An alternative is to use the voucher to book
a flight to your favorite destination for some likely dates. If the
dates don't work out, you can usually rebook the tickets for different
dates for a small fee.
So another way to reduce the cost of flying is to volunteer to be
bumped. You can maximize your chances of being bumped by purchasing a
confirmed reservation on flights that are most likely to be full. A
good time is 7-10 am or 4-7 pm on a weekday (especially Monday morning
and Friday afternoon). These are the times most businessmen fly
(trying to make early morning meetings or to get home for dinner in
the evening), and hence when the airline is most likely to be
overbooked. Airlines are also likely to be overbooked on Sunday nights
(early evening) and the beginning and end of holidays, since that is
when non-businessmen typically fly. For example, right before
Thanksgiving and the Sunday or Monday after are prime bumping times.
The same is true of typical spring break destinations toward the end
of March and beginning of April. Receiving a free roundtrip ticket
effectively cuts your air travel costs in half. And if you get bumped
while using a previous free bump ticket, it gets even cheaper.
Even on the best days for being bumped, the likelihood is still rather
low. Airline yield software has been getting better and better, so it
is uncommon for bumping to occur. The DOT figures cited in [4-4]
show that American had an involuntary bump rate of 1 in 200,000 in 1993.
(These figures do NOT include voluntary bumps, which are more likely.
The DOT does not collect statistics on voluntary bumping. Note also
that American had the lowest involuntarily bump rate. The likelihood
of your being bumped voluntarily on an average carrier is probably
close to 1 in 10,000.)
If you want to be bumped and notice that the flight looks full, get to
the gate as early as possible (e.g., 1-2 hours before departure) and ask
the gate agent whether they are overbooked. If they are, they will
need volunteers. Ask them to put your name on the bump list (aka "bump
queue"). Bump tickets are offered on a first come/first served basis,
so you want to get your name near the top of the list. This will give
you priority if there are only a few bumps. Note, however, that by
pre-volunteering, you're only likely to get a free ticket in addition
to rebooking on a flight later that day. If nobody volunteers and you
wait until they ask for volunteers, you can sometimes up the ante,
depending on how desperate they get. (Some airlines give all
volunteers the same thing, no matter when they volunteered. Others
will process you as soon as you volunteer, so the later you volunteer,
the better the incentive.) In general, you should put your name on the
bump list, and don't wait until the airline calls for volunteers.
Enough people volunteer ahead of time these days that if you don't put
your name on the list, you won't have the opportunity to be bumped
(except on very rare occasions, when not enough people volunteer).
When you get your bump ticket and are being rebooked on a later
flight, if the delay is a few hours, ask the gate agent if they can
give you a meal voucher. This voucher, which is worth $5-$10, can be
used at airport restaurants to get something to eat. Not every airline
and not every gate agent will give you one, and they certainly won't
give you one if you don't ask for it, but sometimes they will. If you
have any other special requirements (e.g., you want extra frequent
flyer credits, you want the free ticket to be good for an extra month,
etc.) it doesn't hurt to ask.
If you have a confirmed reservation, and you notice the flight is
overbooked but first class is underbooked and you don't necessarily
want to be bumped, try being the last person on line. If you are lucky
the coach and business class will be full, and they will have to
upgrade you to first class at no charge. (Also, having a pre-issued
boarding pass will decrease your chances of an involuntary bump.) This
is risky, though, because you might wind up being bumped anyway, so
only do it if you don't care whether you'll be bumped.
It always pays to volunteer to be bumped, even if the flight isn't
overbooked. If the airline needs adjacent seating for a family, they
will sometimes bump you into first class if you are in a row by
yourself.
When you arrive at the airport, check the flight schedules to see
which flights (on the airline and its competitors) will be departing
for your destination, and when. Airlines are extremely reluctant to
book a volunteer on another carrier, so if you get bumped on the last
flight to your destination, you may have to stay overnight at a hotel.
Good days to get bumped include: Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Sunday
after; couple days before and after Christmas weekend; ditto with New Years.
Friday afternoons, evenings, and Sunday afternoons and evenings also
bump a lot.
Another trick is to ask your travel agent which flights are full or
nearly full and to purchase tickets for one of those flights. (Not
every travel agent will let you do this.) Note, however, that you
probably won't be able to get the discount rate for such a flight,
since all the seats in the discount coach fare class have probably
been sold. Also, if a flight has reached the overbook limit, you won't
be able to buy any ticket for the flight, except perhaps a full fare
ticket.
If the airline still has plenty of coach seats a day or so before the
flight, it is unlikely that they will bump.
Here's what some airlines usually give volunteers:
Delta, USAir: Open roundtrip
(Delta requires reservations three days before flight time on
bump tickets.)
United: Travel voucher in increments of $100 based on how long you have
to wait for your next flight (e.g., 2 hour wait is $200), up to
a maximum of $300. You can also ask for a food voucher.
Continental: US domestic roundtrip ticket. Sometimes offers a
dollar amount in credit to be used towards any Continental
flight (e.g., $300).
American, America West, Southwest, Northwest: $$ off another
ticket (usually $150 to $300; Northwest generally around $300;
American has been known to go as high as $1000.)
Dollar-denominated vouchers are not subject to tax, so they
stretch further. Amounts depend on the degree of overbooking of
the flight. United sometimes will also issue a
dollar-denominated voucher.
United bumps more than average, Delta less.
Air Canada offers $150 cash or $300 in travel vouchers.
If you are bumped and the next flight out is the next day, the airline
may offer you overnight accomodation in addition, especially if you
are bumped while away from home.
Most bump tickets (vouchers) are non-transferable, so you must use
them yourself. If the voucher must be exchanged for a ticket,
you may be able to have the ticket issued in someone else's name,
given a reasonable excuse (e.g., your girlfriend/boyfriend).
If you are bumped (voluntarily or involuntarily) and have checked
baggage, the airline will not remove your bags from the plane. The bags
will continue on to your destination and wait there until you arrive.
So if you're planning to be bumped, bring enough clean clothes in your
carry-on to last you a day or two just in case your bags are lost or
stolen by the time you arrive, or you get stuck at a connection.
If you get bumped or your flight is canceled and need to stay at a
hotel overnight, hotels near the airport will often give you
a substantial discount if you ask for it (50% discount is not unheard
of). Ask for the "Distressed Passenger Rate". Airlines also have
overnight kits they can give you.
A flight being cancelled is *not* the same as being bumped. Bumping
occurs only when the carrier has more passengers with confirmed
tickets on the flight than seats. You can get compensation if you are
bumped, but not if the flight is cancelled.
If airline delays cause you extra expense, the airlines may be willing
to help you out. For example, if the airline delay caused you to miss
the cheap bus shuttle service to downtown, the airline may be willing
to pay the difference between cab fare and shuttle fare. But in
general, there aren't any policies for compensation (e.g., meals, hotel,
etc.) that must be given to bumped and delayed passengers. Some
airlines are very nice and will give you food coupons if you ask, some
won't.
Under Department of Transportation rules, an involuntarily bumped
traveler who is delayed more than one hour but less than two on a
US domestic flight is entitled to $200 or 100 percent of the one-way
fare, whichever is less (the airline must also honor the original
ticket). For delays longer than two hours, the compensation doubles.
The calculation of delay is according to the time of arrival at the
destination. Airlines can offer you a travel voucher (for a free
US domestic round-trip ticket) in lieu of cash, but must give you the
cash if that's what you want. Airlines like bumped volunteers because
free travel vouchers cost them less than the cash compensation they're
required to offer involuntarily bumped passengers. Approximately 1 in
10,000 passengers is bumped involuntarily. (If the involuntarily
bumped passengers are put on a flight which brings them to their
destination within an hour of the original flight time, the airline
has met its requirement.) Anything more is strictly the policy of the
airline, which is stated in its Conditions of Carriage statement. (To
obtain this statement, get it either from your travel agent or by
writing to the customer affairs office of your airline. Be sure to ask
for the full copy of the conditions; otherwise they'll give you just a
three page summary of the limitations of liability sections.) Note
that these rules do NOT apply to delayed passengers in general, just
to involuntarily bumped passengers.
According to a 1994 Supreme Court ruling, passengers who are denied
boarding can sue the airline for compensatory damages, but not punitive
damages. So in most cases you are better off accepting the
compensation offered by the airlines.
Note that if you don't show up at the gate 15 minutes before
departure, the airline can involuntarily bump you and not owe you
anything.
There are no rules governing compensation for volunteers -- airlines
can offer as little or as much as it takes to bid you off the flight.
Delta restricts reservations using volunteer bumped vouchers
to two days in advance.
Re-booking: Most volunteers are routinely booked on another flight
within a few hours, but re-routing isn't a legal requirement. Before
giving up your seat, ask when the next flight leaves, whether you'll
have a confirmed or standby reservation and (if the flight is with
another carrier) whether you'll have to pay additional fare.
Negotiating: Most airline managers can escalate compensation offers in
an attempt to get enough volunteers. So you might get a better deal by
simply asking for one. American Airlines, which has the lowest rate of
involuntary bumpees in the industry, tends to be the most generous
with compensation for volunteers.
Sometimes, when all of the airline's flights are full, they will
reroute you on another airline. However, if you are flying on a free
ticket (e.g., frequent flyer ticket, previous bump ticket), they may
not be willing to endorse your ticket over to the other airline. (It
doesn't hurt to ask.) So they'll have to send you out on another
flight later that day. If this happens and "inconveniences" you (i.e.,
you have to wait another hour or so), you may be able to weasel
something else out of the airline -- a roll of quarters for the
pinball machine, use of their club facilities, first class
accomodations on the later flight, meal voucher, or something.
If you volunteer and they don't need to bump you, you don't lose your
seat. If you volunteer, they need you, and you change your mind, you
may lose your seat, and wind up in a random seat. That is, of course,
if the airline decides to accommodate you. Once you've volunteered and
they've accepted your offer, you can't really reneg on it.
If you are bumped on an international flight, the airline will reroute
you but generally not offer you any extra compensation. Involuntary
reroutings may involve upgrading your class of service (at no extra
cost to you) or putting you on a different carrier to your destination
at the same or higher class of service. If rerouting you requires an
overnight stay, the airline will provide you with vouchers for hotel
rooms and meals. But you won't get any free tickets, and writing a
letter of complaint to the airline probably won't get you anything.
(The only case where complaining will get you something is if you paid
for a first class ticket, and they rerouted you on a lower class of
service. If this occurs, ask the airline to refund the difference in
fares.) If you're traveling international and don't want to be bumped,
buy a first class ticket. Airlines rarely bump first class passengers.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-18] Special Travel Dates/Fare Sales/Fare Wars
This section describes several recent categories of fare sales.
When one airline announces a sale or promotion, many other airlines will match
it. But they may not match it in all markets. Some circumstances in
which the other airlines might not match the fare sale in a given
market include:
+ When the original airline's sale is for a flight that involves a
connection and the other airlines provide non-stop service.
+ When the market isn't a competitive market. For example, when the
airline holds a virtual monopoly on a particular airport (e.g.,
USAir in Pittsburgh). They may match the fare for flights through
the hub, but not for flights originating at the hub.
+ When the airline's bookings are already strong for the period
covered by the sale, and they don't feel the need to compete.
Not all the airlines that match a sale will necessarily impose the
same restrictions. So it may pay to shop around.
Fare sales are most likely during the early fall (mid-September
through mid-November), when airlines begin to worry about their
fourth-quarter financial performance. Other good times are late summer
and early spring. There are currently about 8 major fare sales a year,
and you can expect that airlines will start acting like department
stores with sales every month or two. When an airline gets
the jump on its competitors with the announcement of a fare sale --
even if by just half a day -- it gets a significant edge in terms of
the number of reservations.
The greatest discounts are usually on the most expensive routes.
Markets where prices are already low due to competition tend to have
lower discounts.
Fare Wars:
Except for the original airfare war during the summer of 1993,
media use of the term 'Fare War' for fare sales is a misnomer. To
some extent airlines try to stir up consumer excitement by using the
term.
The most common kind of fare sale has the following characteristics:
+ midweek flights (departure on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday)
or other offpeak times (e.g., Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving)
+ UP TO 50% off round-trip tickets (most discounts
substantially less, around 10% to 15%)
+ Saturday night stay, 14-day advance purchase
+ limited purchasing window (1-2 weeks); travel completed
during a large travel window (2 months)
+ restricted to competitive routes
+ limited number of seats available
+ nonrefundable
Some popular times for air fare sales:
+ Just after Labor Day, for travel between late September and
mid December, with blackout dates around the holidays.
+ From mid-July to late July for early fall travel.
(e.g., Continental July 17, 1994)
+ Early August for fall travel. (e.g., America West on 3-AUG-94
and Continental on 19-AUG-94)
+ Winter, from early December through mid-February, with blackout days
around Christmas and New Years. (e.g., Continental on 25-NOV-94)
One-way Sales:
These sales offer one-way fares for up to 50% off of the usual
fare. Since round-trip fares are already 50% off the price of the
equivalent pair of one-way tickets, such sales do not affect the
consumer much (but do generate consumer sales anyway due to the
excitement of a "Fare War!!!").
Southwest routinely offers $25 fares (per non-stop flight segment) on
flights that leave after 7pm local time on Monday nights, September 12
through December 26, 1994. The restrictions eliminate many of the
airline's flights, but it is still a good deal if your schedule and
destination happens to meet the restrictions. The promotion is part of
Southwest's sponsorship of ABC's Monday night football.
Two-For-One Sales:
Two-for-one sales, also known as companion fares ("Friend Flies
Free" or "Add a Pal for a Penny"), offer passengers
traveling together two tickets for the price of one. However, the
seats are usually limited, and may not apply to the cheapest coach
class tickets. So for folks who were traveling in pairs anyway, the
discounts come closer to 25% off than the "up to 50% off"
advertised by the airlines, when you take everything into account.
(Sure, you're saving 50% off the price of the ticket, but if you were
buying a single ticket, you'd get a cheaper ticket.) Both passengers
must travel together on all legs of the itinerary. There must also
be two passengers -- you can't claim a free ticket for a fictitious
friend just to have an empty seat next to you.
Nadir Days Fare Sales:
There are several days of the year when air travel hits rock bottom,
like December 25, January 1, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the 4th of July.
Airlines can't simply reduce their operations on these days, because
of scheduling difficulties. A flight from San Jose to Boston must
still fly on schedule, even if there are no passengers on board,
because that plane must be in Boston the next day when the normal load
resumes.
An empty seat doesn't earn the airline any money. So several airlines
have started special one-day fare sales on peak-minimum days. For
example, a round trip ticket from Pittsburgh to Boston on the Sunday
before the 4th of July cost only $100. The catch was that you had to fly
out after noon on Saturday and return by midnight Sunday.
Whiteout Fare Sales:
In an unusual twist, Delta cut fares about 30-40% on some of the least
popular travel days around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.
Travel (both departure and return flights) must occur on November 17,
21, 24, or 25; December 15, 19, 20, 28; or January 4, 5 or 6. The
tickets are non-refundable and apply only to the 48 contiguous states.
Although Delta initially included the usual 14-day advance purchase and a
November 10, 1994 deadline to buy tickets, USAir and Continental have waived
those restrictions. (Note that the more popular travel days, such as
the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, have been excluded.) For
example, a round trip ticket from Pittsburgh to Boston flying on 11/21
and 11/25 costs $137, compare to the usual $200-$250.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-19] Moving Up the Return Flight
Departure dates on non-changeable tickers are inviolable -- you can't
change them without running into major obstacles. Return flights,
however, are sometimes a bit more flexible. You probably can't change
them before the departure, but sometimes you can change them afterwards.
For example, suppose you're flying to a conference that takes place
mid-week, but have to buy tickets that include a Saturday night stay.
Paying for an extra one or two day stay in a hotel (or student
housing) is cheaper than paying a full-price midweek fare. So you
need to pick a Saturday night, either the one before the conference or
the one after. To take advantage of the flexibility on return flights,
book the flight to include the Saturday night *after* the conference.
On the night before you want to leave, call the airline and tell them
you'd like to return early. If they have space available, they'll let
you return early (possibly with a $35 change fee). For example, if you
want to fly out on Friday, call them Thursday night. This isn't flying
standby, because they'll actually give you a reservation for the
earlier return.
Some travel agents use a similar trick to obtain inexpensive tickets
for their business customers. They'll issue a ticket with a Saturday
night stay at the discount rate, and provide the passenger with a
sticker to put on the return ticket after the outbound ticket has been
removed. The sticker reflects the earlier return flight. The travel
agent also changes the return date on the reservation after the
outbound ticket has been used. Since this is a slightly shady
practice, any other changes in the itinerary must also be made through
the travel agent, not the airline. Not all travel agents are willing
to do this, and then only for expensive tickets and their best
customers.
If you want to try moving up the departure date, go to the airport a
few hours before departure and ask. If they have room, they may let
you on. You will have more success asking at the gate; airport
ticketing/checkin agents tend to be sticklers for the rules.
If you ask before the day of departure, or try to get it
changed by calling the toll free number, the answer will almost
certainly be no (or involve additional fees).
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-20] Hidden City Fares
A hidden city fare occurs when a flight from point A to point B
happens to make a connection in point C and is cheaper than a direct
flight from point A to point C. This is a quirk of the way in which
airlines price their routes, which has little to do with the distance
flown. The prices are driven by market conditions. Prices drop when
there is a lot of competition on a route. The flight from A to B might
be a very busy route, with several airlines serving that market, while
the A-C and C-B routes might be not as busy. Usually such hidden city
fares occur when A and C aren't hubs for the carrier in question, but
B is, and B is dominated by the airline. So the airline routes you
through B, but charges you less than if you were to purchase two
round-trip tickets..
Theoretically, you could buy a ticket from A to B, get off at
point C, and throw away the B to C portion, saving some money, if
point C was your ultimate destination. Airlines frown on this
practice, and taking advantage of a hidden city fare is explicitly
forbidden by their rules. If you happen to skip a leg of your flight
(e.g., logged as a no-show on the airline's computer), the airline has
the right to cancel all subsequent legs, and will do so to discourage
folks from using hidden-city fares. So the only case in which you can
"safely" take advantage of a hidden-city fare is when you're taking a
one-way flight. If you buy a round-trip ticket from A to B through C,
skip the C to B leg, and try to board the return flight at B or C,
you'll find that your reservation has been cancelled and you'll be
required to buy a new ticket at the full-price one-way fare.
You also can't take advantage of a hidden city fare if you've checked any
baggage, as your baggage will be sent through to your ultimate
destination.
Airlines have started to really crack down on the use of hidden city
fares. They can not only cancel subsequent flights on their own lines,
but also recommend cancellation of subsequent flights on other
carriers. They've programmed their airline reservation systems to
watch out for hidden-city reservations, flagging potential violations
in the passenger's record, and in some cases will automatically cancel
all subsequent legs if one leg is skipped. Even if the reservation
system doesn't automatically cancel the subsequent legs, the agent at
check-in will see the warning flag and will be very suspicious of any
skipped legs.
Some airlines (e.g., Delta) have a practice of checking you in for all
outbound flights at the point of origin. But this doesn't make them any
more susceptible to folks who use hidden city fares, because if you
don't show up for the return flight at B, they'll still cancel all
your remaining legs. Also, sometimes the boarding passes are marked
"check-in required".
Hidden city fares happen most often when the connecting point is
dominated by one airline (the carrier of your flight) and the ultimate
destination is a competitive market.
If you happen to catch an earlier flight than your scheduled one, be
sure to reconfirm your subsequent flight segments. Any departure from
your ticketed reservation can potentially cause your itinerary to be
flagged as a hidden-city violation (e.g., "NOSH" for no-show), if the
gate agent didn't record the earlier flight properly.
If you're the dishonest type and are going to lie about actually
having taken the skipped segments, at least have the intelligence to
remove the ticket and boarding pass (keeping the stub of the boarding
pass) from the ticket packet. [I once saw a couple try this stunt in
New York, and the gate agent caught them at it. The wife had removed
her ticket and boarding pass; the husband hadn't. The husband claimed
that the gate agent at the hidden city had forgotten to remove the
ticket. The gate agent didn't let them on the flight because the
computer showed that they had missed TWO segments of their flight --
from the hidden city to their ultimate destination and back. In
addition, the gate agent had been on duty the last time they passed
through, and didn't remember seeing them board. The agent's supervisor
concurred.]
If you know in advance that you want to skip a segment of your flight
(e.g., you're flying from A to C via B, but want to get off in C,
visit with some friends, then drive up to B to visit some more friends
and return home), tell this to the travel agent when you buy the
ticket. They can make a note about it in the record so that your
return flight won't be automatically cancelled when you miss the B to
C leg.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-21] Buying Someone Else's Nonrefundable Ticket
Many people, when they can't use their nonrefundable ticket (or the
return leg of a round trip ticket), try to sell their tickets through
classified advertisements. This can be a source of cheap air tickets.
However, you'll be traveling under someone else's name, and the
airlines frown on this practice. If they catch you doing this, you'll
be forced to pay full fare for the return flight (typically twice the
face value of the round-trip ticket), and the airline will cancel all
your frequent traveler miles and all the frequent flyer miles of the
person who originally bought the ticket. They may also terminate your
membership in their frequent flyer program. Their contract is with the
person named on the ticket, not with you. If the tickets are actually
stolen tickets, they will definitely catch you. Many airlines offer a
bounty to employees who confiscate such tickets.
Most airlines only check IDs on full flights or on fares that require
a special ID, such as a student ID. But more are checking IDs on
randomly selected tickets in an effort to discourage this practice.
All carriers reserve the right to require identification and to refuse
transportation if identification cannot be provided. For example
Northwest prints the following warning on the inside flap of the
ticket jacket:
"Photo identification is required for all passengers. Boarding may
be denied and ticket confiscated if passenger's identification does
not match the name on the ticket."
If the person named on the ticket checks in for you at the baggage
check-in counter, you'll probably run into trouble on the return trip.
If the airline catches you, you'll have to pay for a full fare one-way
ticket, which will negate any savings (and probably cost you more than
a round-trip would have). Plus, many airlines now check IDs on
boarding at the gate, to discourage this practice.
If the airplane should crash and you die, the airline won't have your
real name (which can affect life insurance policies), and this is just
plain unethical. Moreover, your legal rights are extended only to the
person named on the ticket (or their estate), so in the event of a
loss or claim against the carrier, you will have no legal recourse
whatsoever.
But given that the airline pricing strategies try to game
the consumer market, some consumers feel they are entitled to game the
system right back. I NEITHER ADVISE NOR CONDONE USING THIS PRACTICE AS
A MEANS OF OBTAINING CHEAP AIR TRAVEL. This practice constitutes
fraud, and hence is illegal.
One thing, however, cannot be stressed enough: Never purchase such a
ticket for international travel. If the name on your ticket does not
match the name on your passport, you can get into a lot of trouble,
not just with the airline, but with Immigration, Customs, and the
police at your destination. The airlines are required to check your
travel documents before you are allowed to board the aircraft, so they
will compare the name on your ticket with the name on your passport.
Many countries require airlines to return passengers to their country
of origin (at airline expense) if the passenger is denied entrance
into the country. So airlines have some incentive to be careful. If,
by some fluke, they don't catch you, Immigration and Customs will also
inspect your travel documents. They also tend to compare the name on
the passport with the name on the bags. When they catch you, the
consequences can be a lot more serious than having to pay for a
full-fare ticket. Since traveling under false documents is often a
crime under the laws of the destination country, you will be subject
to the courts and punishments of the destination country, and there
will be little your embassy can do to help you.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-22] Discount Airlines
Regional airlines have started eating into the larger airlines by
offering discount travel on short and medium haul flights in high
demand routes. Advance purchase fares during off-peak hours on these
carriers can be dirt cheap. This section describes some of these carriers.
Note that some discount airlines are not full participants in the
computerized reservation systems, so you may have to call the airline
direct to purchase tickets. If you're connecting with another airline,
you may have to transfer your luggage yourself to the other carrier.
But if you can fit into their limited schedules, you can save a bundle.
Many discount airlines also provide "ticketless travel", where you
receive a receipt and a confirmation number instead of a ticket, just
like with rental cars. This reduces the amount of paper the airlines
must ship around.
The low-cost travel may also involve an elimination of many of the
frills common on larger airlines, such as meal service. Instead, you
may just get peanuts, or no food at all.
These discount airlines are expanding rapidly and are adding new
cities all the time.
MarkAir:
MarkAir was founded in 1947 as Interior Airways, carrying cargo
within the state of Alaska. In 1984 they took on the name MarkAir
and began carrying passengers as a regional carrier. Beginning in
November of 1991, they started a major expansion to the lower 48
states, and now offer jet (737) service to 16 cities in the lower 48
states and 13 cities in the State of Alaska. Through MarkAir Express,
their commuter service, they provide transportation to 144 Alaskan
communities. Their service is low cost, with peanuts and drinks as
the main sustenance. Snacks meals are available only on longer haul
flights. Reservations 1-800-MARKAIR.
Southwest:
Need to write a description.
800-IFLY-SWA (800-435-9792) or 800-531-5601.
Flights to 41 cities in 19 states.
Others include:
American Trans Air 800-382-5892, 800-225-2995
Flights between AZ, CA, FL, NY, Chicago and Indianapolis.
Serves different cities during different times of the year. During
the summer they have flights to Europe and Israel; in the winter,
they have flights to the Carribean. Some of these operate as
charter flights and some as regularly scheduled flights.
Carnival Airlines 800-437-2110, 800-8-AIR-FUN
Flights to FL, LA, and the Caribbean from the Northeast.
Jet Train 800-FLY-4-YOU
Their daily route is
Pittsburgh - New York (Newark) 7:45 am - 9:05 am
New York (Newark) - Orlando 9:45 am - 12:20 pm
Orlando - New York (Newark) 1:20 pm - 3:55 pm
New York (Newark) - Pittsburgh 4:35 pm - 5:55 pm
Kiwi International 800-538-5494, 908-353-3232
Flights between Chicago, Atlanta, Newark, and FL.
Midway Airlines 800-446-4392
Flights from Chicago's Midway Airport to eastern cities.
National Airlines 800-949-9400
Flights from Atlanta.
Reno Air 800-736-6247
Flights between AZ, CA, OR, NV, and WA.
Tower Air 800-221-2500
800-34TOWER (800-348-6937)
Flights between NY and Miami, LA, and San Francisco.
ValuJet 800-825-8538 (404-994-8258)
Flights via Atlanta to Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Georgia, and Washington DC (Dulles).
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [1-23] Tour Desks
Airline "tour" desks (e.g., Flyaway Vacations on American) are
excellent sources of good fares on relatively short notice. For
example, "bulk" or unpublished fares are available with as little as
four days notice (and a $15 late booking fee if the reservation is
made less than 14 days prior to arrival) to many popular destinations.
The only catch is that a minimum land package must be booked; after
all, it is a "tour" package. But for some destinations (e.g., Hawaii
from the west coast), that's only a minimum two-day rental car. Other
embarkation points require a three-day minimum hotel stay, but the
rates are very attractive.
Other cities require a two-day minimum hotel stay, but this can be in
connection with the Holiday Inn voucher program (runs as little as $79
per room per night depending on the hotel category). The passenger
must book a "tour room" directly with a participating Holiday Inn --
and the airline rarely checks if the passenger actually made the
reservations. Also, the vouchers do not have to be used in connection
with a flight, and can be used anytime within a year from the date of
the trip.
To combat fraud, such as folks cancelling the car rental and applying
for a refund, the land segment is usually non-refundable. Bulk fares
are also often blacked out during holidays, but this can vary by the
destination.
In essence, a tour package combines airfare with a minimum hotel stay
and/or car rental. Requirements vary with the destination and
embarkation point, but if you can meet the requirements, you may find
yourself saving some money.
These tour packages can be particularly useful to business folks who
don't want to stay over a Saturday night. The savings on the flight
can more than make up the cost of the hotel stay, especially when
compared with the cost of a last-minute non-supersaver fare.
Many airlines are starting to outsource their tour calls to
contractors, as they aren't very profitable to the airlines. How this
will affect the availability of such deals is unknown.
----------------------------------------------------------------
;;; *EOF*
Mark Kantrowitz
Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part2
Last-Modified: Wed Oct 9 15:43:34 1996 by Mark Kantrowitz
Version: 1.26
Size: 83241 bytes, 1685 lines
URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html
;;; ****************************************************************
;;; Airfare FAQ, Part 2 ********************************************
;;; ****************************************************************
;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz
This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The
focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are
also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to
Get Cheap Airtickets".
Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms
and other information to mk...@cs.cmu.edu.
*** Copyright:
Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved.
This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without
modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed. It
may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents
(e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines,
or other print form) without the prior written permission of the
copyright holder. Permission is expressly granted for this document
to be made available for file transfer from installations offering
unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet.
This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty.
*** Topics Covered:
Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):
Travel Agents:
[2-1] Travel Agents
[2-2] Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters
[2-3] Consolidators
[2-4] Couriers
[2-5] Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students
[2-6] Visit USA
[2-7] Free Upgrades to First Class
[2-8] Companion Tickets
[2-9] Avoiding Travel Scams
[2-10] Missed Connections
[2-11] Getting There Faster
[2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier
[2-13] Hub Cities
Baggage:
[2-14] Lost Baggage
[2-15] Baggage Limits
[2-16] Pets
[2-17] Bicycles
[2-18] Restrictions on Electronics
[2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors
[2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist
Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-1] Travel Agents
It pays to use a travel agent only if you know a *good* one. A
good travel agent will know when a small change in your schedule can
save you a lot of money. If you buy direct from the airline, you may
not find out such information, since they will only quote you the
rates for the times you ask. So if you're going to use a travel agent,
make sure that you find one who is willing (and able) to search
through the morass of fares and restrictions to find a good deal for
you. A travel agent who just punches your data into the computer and
tells you the prices is no better than the airline's 800 number. A
good travel agent can probably save you about 10-15%.
[Actually, if the airline goes bankrupt between ticket purchase and
flight time, and you bought your ticket from a travel agent, you may
be able to get a refund, especially from some of the larger agencies.
If the airlines goes bankrupt within 10 days of the purchase of the
ticket, the agency may not have paid the airline yet (they are allowed
10 days to do so), so you can ask them for a refund. Better yet, buy
your airtickets with a credit card, and the federal credit protection
act will allow you to get a refund from your credit card company.]
There are several major differences between using a travel agency and
using the airport (airline) ticket agents:
1. A travel agent can look at all the airline fares, not just
those of a single carrier. A good travel agent will check fares
on at least three carriers. Airlines can only give you their own
best fares. Then again, you can always call up three (or more)
airlines yourself to discover the best fares on each.
2. A travel agent can check for special deals with consolidators.
Airline ticket agents can't. Airlines sell heavily discounted
tickets only through consolidators, not direct to the passenger.
Given the frequency of fare changes these days, a good travel agent
can often find you some real bargains. A bad travel agent, on the
other hand, may miss getting you the lowest possible fare. So it is
best to find yourself a good travel agent.
If you don't care for consolidator tickets, the travel agents get the
same pricing information as is available from most of the online
reservation services and the airlines themselves. So you can do your
own legwork if you wish by calling the airlines themselves. But why do
it when a good travel agent can do it for you? After all, when you buy
a ticket direct from the airline the airline still keeps the
commission, so why not give the commission to a travel agent, who'll
do a little work to make sure you get the cheapest fare?
One reason to do the legwork yourself, either through an online CRS or
by calling the airlines directly, is to get full details on the fare
rules governing special fares. Many travel agents do not know how to
retrieve the rules from their CRS, or aren't willing to do so. If you
read through the rules yourself, you may find a loophole or two to
your benefit.
Note that some travel agencies try to funnel all their business to
a specific airline, because the more tickets they sell to a single
airline, the more money they get. Airlines have incentive programs to
encourage this practice. The travel agent may also know how to look up
fares on only one airline. This means that your travel agent may be
checking the fares on a single airline, instead of hunting around for
the best fare from several airlines. This is especially true for
travel agencies near airports that are dominated by one carrier. Your
best bet may be to call several airlines before you go to your travel
agent, doing the research on your own, or to tell the travel agent to
check fares on two or three specific airlines. (Don't tell them to
check on all airlines -- nobody is going to do that much work just for
a $20 commission.)
Also, airlines sometimes sell bulk tickets to large travel
agencies at bargain basement prices if they think they cannot fill the
seats. So depending on the travel agency, you might be able to get a
really good deal. Travel agents sometimes get complimentary tickets
(e.g., one free ticket for every 25 sold), which they can sell as they
wish. (These are called "Promotional Tickets" and are for standby travel.)
But then again, travel agents get a commission on air tickets
and hotels. The commission is a fixed percentage of the fare (if you
order direct from the airline, the airline pockets the difference). So
the agent can earn more money by selling you a more expensive ticket.
So be cautious when using a travel agent. Look over the agent's
shoulder and see if they're overlooking a really cheap flight. Most
travel agents will try to find you the cheapest possible flight,
because they want your repeat business. But that's the only incentive
for them to try to hunt down an inexpensive fare, so they may not be
as thorough on the cheaper routes. All computer reservation systems
provide a method of displaying the applicable fares in order of price,
from cheapest on up.
Since discount flights have restrictions on day of week and
flight times, make sure that you let the travel agent know that you
are flexible and will change a day either way if that will save you money.
Also don't be shy of stating the obvious -- that you're looking for
the cheapest possible fare -- since (most) travel agents aren't mind
readers.
Airport ticket agents tend to be better informed than the
people at the toll-free reservation number, since they often have to
deal with special situations (missed connections, bumped people, etc.)
that require really knowing the reservation system's ins and outs.
But beware. Airport ticket agents are not beyond lying or making
mistakes. A frequent complaint of air travelers is being quoted one
price over the phone, and finding that their credit card has been
charged another. Sometimes this happens because the computer system
has trouble completing the transaction and delays it until the
following morning (whence the fare change). But other times it is due
to human error (as if computer problems aren't due to human error
either). When you get your tickets, be sure to verify that the price
charged matches the price you were quoted. If they're different, be
prepared for a fight -- airlines seem very reluctant to own up to this
kind of error. Give as much detailed information as possible, such as
the time you called, the name of the ticket agent, the price quoted,
any unusual occurrences. Get the problem fixed *before* you use the
ticket. They probably won't refund you the difference, as the price on
the ticket is almost always the correct price, but they are required
to (by law) allow you to cancel the ticket and get a full refund
without penalty. If they give you any trouble, pursue it with your
credit card company. It is worth repeating, however, that you can get
the refund only if you don't use the ticket, and initiate any
complaint promptly. [Note that this circumstance is different from
when the airline prints an incorrect price in the newspaper. Not only
is the error clearly documented, but the error occurs before the
transaction is completed, not after.]
Even though most airlines are now matching their lowest discount
fares, it still pays to have your travel agent check several airlines.
For example, USAir has a virtual monopoly out of Pittsburgh, some
sometimes they don't feel the need to reduce the fares. If you don't
mind making a connection, you can sometimes save some money by taking
another airline.
Most airlines have a "tickets by mail" service which lets you charge
the tickets to your credit card over the phone, and have the tickets
mailed to you at no extra charge. Allow 5 business days for the
tickets to reach you.
When using the airline ticket agents (the ones you get when you
call the airline's reservation number), if you find that you're having
trouble with the ticket agent, try hanging up (politely) and calling
again. Some of the agents are more knowledgable and helpful than
others, and by calling again you may reach one of the better agents.
If you get very good service from an airline ticket agent, write to
the airline commending his or her performance. Thank you letters do go
into the employee's permanent file.
To find a good travel agent, ask the secretaries where you work and
your friends for recommendations. Note that most people will recommend
a particular agent -- don't assume that every agent who works at that
agent's travel agency is as good. Don't be afraid to ask for the
recommended agent by name. Most people tend to use the travel agent
that is closest to where they work or live. If you don't like the
service you're getting, try a different agent.
A good travel agent will become familiar with your travel preferences,
and keep track of your frequent flyer numbers and any special
requirements, such as special meals, seat selection (window/aisle),
non-smoking, etc. They'll also let you know if changing your itinerary
slightly will result in a lower fare. They'll also advise you of any
changes made by the airline on your tickets, by calling you (or if
they can't reach you, by mail).
When you get your tickets, be sure to check them for accuracy,
especially if they are non-refundable. Many airlines will correct
genuine errors, but only if they are reported in a timely fashion.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-2] Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters
Travel agencies earn their money by receiving a commission on the
base fare of the ticket (i.e., before taxes). Usually the commissions
are as follows:
US Domestic: 10%
Canadian Domestic: 8.25%
International: 8%
Canada-to-US: 10% (sold in Canada)
Rent-a-car companies: 10%
In some cases travel agencies will get higher commissions (so-called
"incentive", "override", or "bonus" commissions) because of
their productivity.
The following travel agencies will give you a small discount on your
ticket price by rebating to you a portion of their commission, or by
charging a flat fee (which is less than the usual commssion amount).
Although airlines are prohibited by the IATA from rebating commissions
to passengers, IATA rules place no such restrictions on travel agencies.
[Note: Delta announced on 24-OCT-94 that it would reduce travel agent
commissions on international full fare coach, business class, and
first class tickets from 10% to 8%.]
Travel Avenue is a Chicago-based travel agency that charges a fixed
flat fee for each ticket ($15 US domestic, $25 international). They will
rebate to you a portion of the difference between their commission and
their fee. For instance, if you were booking a ticket from Houston to
Aspen round trip for $370, TA's cost is $336.36. TA refunds the user
7% of $370 ($25.90) and then takes their $15 from that. So, traveler
pays $354.10 for the ticket. You must, however, work out your travel
plans in advance, and they only provide rebates on tickets costing
more than $300. They charge a $5 delivery fee for these tickets. If
several passengers are traveling on the same itinerary, the
per-passenger flat fee is reduced. Travel Avenue also provides the
consumer with a similar rebate for car rentals and hotel bookings.
Call 1-800-333-3335 for recorded information.
It pays to be a member of the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Besides complimentary maps, the AAA travel agencies often have special
discounts beyond the usual airline tariffs, such as extra discounts on
some international flights, and discount airfares for visiting friends
and relatives on certain flights with specific airlines. AAA also
has included dollars off coupons for airlines like USAir and United in
their membership newsletter.
ISE Flights has a special deal with Citibank through June 30, 1995.
They will give you a $20 rebate on any ticket priced over $150,
provided the ticket is purchased through ISE and issued in cardholders
name. (If you are traveling with friends and family, ISE will
be pleased to issue tickets for all of you.) To get your rebate,
1. Call a major airline and make a reservation directly.
Reservations made through a travel agent are not eligible.
2. Record the flight information, the price quoted, and the
reservation number (if available).
3. Ask the airline to put the flight on courtesy hold.
4. Call ISE at 1-800-255-7000, and charge the ticket to your
Citibank card. [The tickets do not necessarily need to be
charged to your Citibank card. They will ask for your Citibank
cardnumber to verify that you are a Citibank cardholder, but you
can charge the tickets to another card, such as Discover card,
America Express, MC/VISA.]
The rebate and ticket will be mailed out the same day.
Costa Online Travel offers a 5% rebate on any CRUISE or TOUR booked
through their service. For more information, see
http://mmink.cts.com/costapackage.html
Excelsior Travel offers Internet users a 5% discount on airline
tickets over $200, provided you obtain the reservations yourself.
Excelsior Travel, 419 Highland Avenue, Boston, MA 02144
1-800-522-1118, 617-625-1077 fax
exce...@aol.com
WARNING: Be careful about sending your credit card over the network
(e.g., by email or by telnet), as it is very easy for someone on an
intermediate host to intercept the contents. If you do this, it's
at your own risk.
CitiTravel (from Citibank) provides a 5% rebate, but there is an
annual membership fee and you have to send in documentation after the
flight to get the rebate. Many other credit cards offer similar
programs.
If your company's employees travel regularly for business, have your
company negotiate a special deal with one or two local travel agents
to provide a rebate for tickets purchase through them. Many travel
agencies are willing to do this, since they make up the difference
through volume.
The Discover Private Issue credit card provides a rebate of up to 2%
of purchases (in contrast to the maximum 1% rebate of the Discover
card), and has a special 5% rebate arrangement with a Oklahoma travel
agency. You get a 5% rebate of pre-tax airfare, car rental, hotel, and
cruises purchased through the travel agency and charged to your card.
There is a $20 annual fee for this card. For more information, call
1-800-DISCOVER.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-3] Consolidators
Ticket consolidators (wholesalers, ``bucket shops'') are often 30-40%
cheaper than buying direct from the airline. They buy blocks of unsold
seats from the airlines and resell them at a slim margin. Such tickets
are usually heavily restricted and are for a standard profile (e.g.,
no special meals, no changes, no transfers, no refunds). It used to
be the case that you couldn't get frequent flyer miles for travel on
consolidator tickets, but that seems to be changing. Cancellation
penalties are often much more severe than on regular tickets. The
greater the distance traveled, the greater the chances of saving money
through a consolidator ticket. This is especially true for
international flights. If you're planning a round-the-world trip,
definitely use a consolidator to buy your tickets. Consolidators don't
buy their tickets until a month or two before the flight, so you
probably won't be able to buy your tickets very far in advance.
The Sunday NY Times travel section has a list of such wholesalers, as
do many other major newspapers. You can also find some in your local
yellow pages, under the same listing as regular travel agents.
Although "consolidator" and "bucket shop" are often used
interchangeably, they refer to different kinds of wholesalers.
Consolidators buy large blocks of tickets at discounted rates direct
from the airlines. When an airline can't sell their tickets at regular
prices, they sell them to consolidators at lower prices. The
restrictions on these tickets are governed by the consolidator's
contract with the airline, and not by the rules for published fares.
Such contracts usually preclude consolidators from naming airlines in
advertisements, but do allow them to specify prices. Sometimes they
are restricted to promoting the fares only to a particular geographic
or ethnic market. Usually they sell only through retail agencies and
not directly to the public. Some consolidators sell tickets only to
travel agencies. Others sell both wholesale and retail. Bucket shops
are retail agencies that specialize in getting discounted prices on
tickets. They are familiar with the full range of consolidators for
all the carriers (every airline sells to many consolidators) and in
other techniques of fare construction, importing tickets, etc. Many
bucket shops don't have any direct contact with the airline, in
contrast with consolidators.
International airfares are set by international agreement and
regulated by the airline cartel, IATA. Most interantional airlines
are closely related to, if not directly owned by, their national
governments. Thus most governments have an interest in protecting the
profits of their national airline, with the result that the IATA fares
are artificially high. IATA rules prohibit discounting, and in some
countries these rules are actually enforced. Bucket shops work around
the rules by buying discounted tickets direct from the airlines or
through consolidators. These tickets are discounted with restrictions
that attempt to ensure that the airlines fill otherwise empty seats
instead of diverting full-fare passengers to cheaper tickets. Some
restrictions include limitations on the advertising of such tickets,
forbidding mention of the name of the airline, or restricting the
promotion of such tickets to a particular geographic or ethnic market.
Another method of discounting tickets is through rebating a portion of
the consolidator commission to the public.
AirHitch (212-864-2000; 2790 Broadway, Suite 100, New York, NY 10025)
is a consolidator which buys unsold seats very close to the wire. You
provide a window of times (or destinations), and AirHitch lets you
know about available flights within your window on extremely short
notice. Tickets are one-way and there may not necessarily be a perfect
match with the destination you had in mind. Since this is a form of
standby travel, it is possible that there will be no seats left when
the you arrive at the airport. If that happens you'll have to try a
different destination in the same window, maybe the same day, maybe a
day or two later. If you want to travel to "somewhere" in Europe and
then return to "somewhere" in the US, AirHitch can be a very
inexpensive method of traveling. A similar outfit is AirTech
(800-575-TECH) <air...@netcom.com>. There have been reports of
complaints by consumers about both outfits. Be sure you understand the
risks and uncertainties involved in flying this particular kind of
cut-rate standby travel before buying their flight vouchers. Not for
the faint of heart.
When buying tickets from a consolidator, it is best to use a reputable
one that has been around for a while. Many are small companies and
tend to go out of business frequently. Check the out with the Better
Business Bureau. Caveat emptor. The best advice we can offer is to
purchase tickets through a travel agent who regularly deals with
consolidators.
Some tips:
+ Shop around. Unlike regular tickets, different consolidators may
offer different prices for the same destination.
+ Buy your tickets with a credit card, so you can get a refund
from your credit card company if you never get the tickets. Many
consolidators, however, do not accept credit cards, or add a 2-5%
surcharge for non-cash purchases (possibly phrasing the
difference in price between credit card and non credit card
purchases as a cash discount).
The reason for credit card surcharges has to do with the economics of
selling tickets for air travel. When a regular travel agent sells a
ticket for travel on an airline, the credit card is in effect being
charged by the airline, not the agent. Normally a merchant pays a fee
from 1% to 5% of the purchase price to the credit card company. Due to
their high volume, airlines are able to negotiate very low fees with
the credit card companies. When a consolidator accepts credit cards,
they are doing it as an individual merchant, and hence aren't able to
get the low fees available to airlines. Given how little money they
earn from each ticket, they just cannot afford to accept credit cards
without adding a surcharge. For example, if a consolidator earns
a commission of 8% of the selling price, and then has to pay 2%
to the credit card company, they've cut their income by 25%.
Most consolidators can't afford to do this and stay in business.
Credit cards also pose a risk of chargebacks, which can affect
the consolidators bottom line.
+ Deal with a local consolidator, since you can check them out
yourself (e.g., verify that they aren't just a mail drop for a scam).
+ Don't put much stock in favorable references from satisfied
customers, unless you personally know the customers. Even the
worst consolidator has some happy clients.
+ If possible, pick up the tickets in person. If you don't get the
tickets within a day or two by mail, something is wrong.
+ When you get the tickets, call the airline immediately to verify
that the tickets are legitimate.
+ Airlines reserve the right to change the fares on consolidator
tickets at any time, so the fares are not guaranteed until you
actually receive the ticket. If the airline increases the fare
after you purchase the tickets but before you receive the
tickets, some consolidators will charge you the difference.
Example Consolidators:
+ Airbrokers 800-883-3273
415-397-4767 fax
+ Best Travel Service 800-800-4788 (713-777-4888)
713-777-4886 fax
+ Cheap Tickets 800-377-1000
+ Council Charter 800-800-8222
+ Dixieland Tours 800-256-8747
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
+ Euram Tours 800-848-6789
+ Global Access 800-283-5333
+ IntraTours 800-334-8069 (713-952-0662)
713-952-2631 fax
+ Nippon Travel 800-662-6236
+ Overseas Tours 800-878-8718 / 800-227-5988
+ Sunline Express Holidays 800-786-5463
+ STA Travel 800-777-0112
Specializes in student/youth travel.
+ TFI Tours International 800-745-8000
+ Travac Tours and Charters 800-872-8800
407-896-0046 fax
+ UniTravel, St. Louis 800-325-2222
314-569-2503 fax
+ Worldwide Travel Center 800-886-4988
703-379-6363
703-379-6283 fax
AUSTRAVEL is a consolidator for travel to Australia. They have offices
at 360 Post Street, Suite 606, in San Francisco, phone 800-633-3404
(415-781-4329), fax 415-781-4358. They have other offices
in New York, Chicago, Houston, Sydney, and the UK.
PASSENGER'S CHOICE 1-800-666-1026 advertises business class for up to
40% off in the San Francisco paper. They aren't really a consolidator.
They get the low fares by buying excess frequent flyer miles from high
volume frequent flyers, and then redeeming the certificates for a ticket
in your name. The selling of frequent flyer miles in this manner is a
violation of airline rules (the original certificate holder can issue
a ticket in your name, but isn't supposed to accept compensation for
doing it). This is a gray area.
Other bargain travel agencies:
+ Travel Bargains 800-872-8385
+ Airfares for Less 800-AIR-FARE
Consolidators are now also buying up blocks of hotel rooms and selling
them at steep discounts. For example, Hotel Reservation Network (HRN)
1-800-964-6835 offers rooms at 10 to 40 percent off AAA rates,
especially in New York and San Francisco.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-4] Couriers
One way of getting cheap international flights is to fly as a
freelance courier. There are a few companies which will pay you for
the right to use your baggage allowance, yielding a heavily-discounted
fare (typically a little more than half the regular discounted fare).
For them, this is much cheaper (and sometimes more reliable) than
paying cargo rates for shipping. Since the shipment is usually
time-critical (e.g., financial documents), it is essential that the
package be classified as baggage. Baggage is less likely to be
"bumped" from a flight than freight. The courier company can't simply
buy a ticket and leave the seat empty, since the seat must be occupied
for the freight to be listed as baggage instead of freight.
The courier company earns a percentage of the savings from the company
shipping the package. They also further defray their costs by selling
the seat to you (at a discount, of course). The courier company may
also charge you an annual registration fee (typically $50) or a
refundable deposit ($100 or $200 is common). If the courier company is
really desperate, sometimes (rarely) you can get them to pay for all
or most of your ticket. The tickets are non-refundable -- you pay the
money for the ticket to the courier company, who then buys the ticket
from the airline. The trips are usually very short notice, typically
1-2 weeks. When shipments are done on a contract, seats can be
assigned to couriers several months in advance.
Some courier companies are less shipping companies than they are
courier brokers. Such companies match couriers with companies that need to
ship packages. An annual registration fee is usually a good tipoff
that the company is a courier broker, though there are no hard and
fast rules of thumb.
You do not deal with the baggage, other than (occasionally) to
hand-carry a set of paperwork. You will not get the tickets until you
arrive at the airport (at the last minute) and meet with the freight
company's representative to get the paperwork. The representatives are
sometimes late and disorganized, so be prepared for some anxious
moments while you try to connect with them. When you arrive at the
destination you'll turn over the manifest to another representative of
the company. You'll probably have to wait for some time for the bags
to be unloaded and to clear customs.
You are allowed a carry-on. There may be other restrictions, such as
limits to the length of the stay (e.g., usually anywhere from one week
to 30-days maximum, though it can vary significantly from case to
case). Sometimes you can use the baggage space on the return flight,
depending on the company and the situation (many companies have you
couriering a shipment both ways). If the company doesn't need you to
escort a package home, sometimes you can change the return date on
your ticket. You're responsible for your expenses at the destination
(e.g., food, hotel), so you'll probably want to learn the ins and outs
of staying in youth hostels. Since only one courier is needed for a
route, you'll be traveling alone. If you want to travel with a friend,
don't courier. You must be at least 21 years of age, have a valid
passport, and be somewhat levelheaded. It helps if you have a sense of
adventure.
You will most likely be flying on a major carrier. In the US, most
courier companies are located in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New York, and San Francisco. There are also courier companies based in
England, various major european cities, the far east, Australia,
Argentina, Singapore, Honk Kong, Tapei, Japan, South America, Canada
(Toronto, Montreal), and so on. Courier travel between destinations in
the US is much less common these days, as US domestic airline package
delivery services have improved enough to no longer make couriering
cost effective. (For example, shipping a package from Pittsburgh to LA
with same-day delivery on an airline costs around $50.) So most
courier travel is between the US and an overseas destination. If
you're not located in a city that has courier companies, you'll be
responsible for your transportation to that city.
It is much easier to find a trip by visiting their offices in person
than by mail or over the phone. If you don't live near one of the cities
from which most couriers depart, it probably isn't for you.
There are risks involved, so be sure to use a reputable courier
company and get references. Horror stories include stranded
passengers, couriered luggage that contained contraband, and so on.
Also beware of fly-by-night outfits that advertise cheap fares and
then disappear with your money. If you haven't traveled by courier
before, be very careful.
The likelihood of finding a courier company that needs a package
escorted to your favorite destination on the day of your choice is
next to nil. Courier travel just isn't well-suited for planned
vacations. Likewise, if you have commitments or other obligations
(e.g., making a connection for your return flight home, getting back
to school on time), don't count on meeting them. Some people have
smooth trips, others don't. If you're just after cheap international
airfare, you're probably better off going to a bucket shop. The
savings just aren't enough to make the hassles worthwhile. But if
you're very flexible about when you want to travel and can leave on a
moment's notice, or you don't care where you go, so long as you go
somewhere soon, then couriering is a great way to see the world a bit
at a time.
Some books about flying as a courier include:
o The Air Courier's Handbook, $9.95
Big City Books, PO Box 19667, Sacramento, CA 95819
o The Courier Air Travel Handbook, 1993, $7.95.
Mark I. Field, Thunderbird Press, 5930-10 W. Greenway Road,
Suite 112B Glendale, Arizona 85306 USA
o A Simple Guide to Courier Travel, $15.95
1-800-344-9375
Guide Books, PO Box 2394, Lake Oswego, OR 97035
o The Insiders Guide To Air Courier Bargains
1-800-356-9315. $14.95 + $2 p&h.
Kelly Monaghan.
Inwood Training Publications, Box 438, New York, NY 10034.
o The Air Courier Guide Handbook, 5.99 pounds sterling
John Walker Books, 160 Cromwell Road, LONDON SW5 0TL
o Directory of Freelance On Board Couriers, $9.95 Canadian.
The Inside Track Travel Group, British Columbia, 604-684-6715.
Newsletters:
o Travel Unlimited, $25/year, 12 issues (8 pages each issue)
Attn: Steve Lantos, PO Box 1058, Allston, MA 02134-1058
Steve...@aol.com
o International Association of Air Travel Couriers
$35 registration fee, gets you six copies of the Shoestring
Traveler newsletter and six issues of the Air Courier Bulletin
directory.
Run by Bill Bates.
International Association of Air Travel Couriers
International Features
PO Box 1349
Lake Worth, FL 33460
Tel: 407-582-8320
(Street address is 8 South "J" Street, Suite 3, Lake Worth.)
Courier Agencies in New York:
Able Travel and Tours 212-779-8530
Paris, London
Air Facilities 718-712-0630
South America
ACC 212-983-0855, 800-983-0856
Courier Network 212-691-9860
Israel
Courier Travel Service 516-763-6898, 516-374-2261 (fax)
516-374-2299, 212-836-1989
718-244-0101, 718-COURIER
Worldwide, but mainly to Europe. Some to Middle East, Asia, and
South/Central America. 1 week stays. No fee. Hours 09:30-17:00
weekdays.
Discount Travel International (DTI) 212-362-8113/3636
212-655-5151
To Mexico, South America, Asia, and Eastern and Western Europe.
169 W. 81st Street, New York, NY 10024
East-West Express 516-561-2360
To Singapore, Asia, and Australia.
Halbart Express 718-656-8189/8279
New York to Europe only. or 718-995-7019
10am-3pm only
147-05 176th Street, Jamaica, NY 11434.
IBC 718-262-8058.
Jupiter Air 718-341-2095, 718-656-6050
New York to Hong Kong and Singapore.
Now Voyager, Inc. 212-431-1616
74 Varick Street, Suite #307, New York, NY 10013.
Europe. Call between 10:00-16:30 M-F, 12-4:30 Sa, recorded
message other times. Charges $50 registration fee.
Major cities in US, routed through NY. Payment via certified
check, money order, or credit cards (3% processing fee).
Tickets are on standby. FedEx's the tickets to your address.
You courier both ways.
Rush Courier 718-439-9043
Puerto Rico
World Courier 718-978-9400, 718-978-9552/9408
800-221-6600
9am-noon only. Requires personal interview in New York.
Does not fly to Paris. Flies mostly to Europe and Mexico.
Courier Agencies in Miami:
A-1 International 305-594-1184
To Venezuela
Air Facilities 305-477-8300
DTI 305-538-1616
Halbart 407-483-8832,305-593-0260
To Europe.
IMS Courier Service 305-771-7545
To Jamaica
Line Haul Services 305-477-0651
To Latin America, Central and South America
Martillo Express 305-681-6979
Trans Air Systems 305-592-1771
To Central and South America
Travel Courier 718-738-9000
Courier Agencies in Chicago:
TNT Chicago 312-453-7300 (area code 708?)
To Mexico and London.
[doesn't seem to exist anymore?]
Courier Agencies in LA:
City Link 213-410-9063
[doesn't seem to exist anymore?]
Crossroads International 213-643-8600
3pm-5:30 pm
[doesn't seem to exist anymore?]
IBC Pacific 310-607-0125, 415-697-5985
9am-4pm T-F. Asia, Australia.
Jupiter Air 310-670-5123
Flights to Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea (Seoul).
$200 deposit required for all flights. $35/year membership required .
Max stay 30 days, one-week minimum for Seoul. Reserve 2-3 months
in advance.
Midnight Express 310-673-1100
Flies only to London.
Polo Express 310-410-6822
Flights to Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore, and Bangkok.
No deposit, no fee. 2-week stay, except in Australia (3-weeks).
Reserve 6 weeks to 3 months in advance.
SOS Intl Courier 310-649-6640
Mexico
Way to Go 213-466-1126/1166
6679 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles 90028
Flights to Far East (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur,
Penang, and Singapore), with some flights to Mexico and London.
$75/year membership fee. San Francisco office 415-292-7801;
San Diego office 619-224-0252.
World Travel & Tours 213-384-1000
Korea
Courier Agencies in San Francisco:
Gateway Express 415-344-7833
111 Anza Blvd. #418 Burlingame, CA 94010
Jupiter Air 415-872-0845, 415-872-6506
Flights to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Manila.
Polo Express 415-742-9613
Flights to Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore, and Bangkok.
No deposit, no fee. 2-week stay, except in Australia (3-weeks).
Reserve 6 weeks to 3 months in advance. For info send SASE to
Polo Express, 811 Grandview Dr., South San Francisco, CA 94080.
TNT San Fransisco 415-692-9600
Call afternoons only. Hong Kong.
UTL Travel 415-583-5074
Flights to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Manila.
Way To Go 415-292-7801
Asia, London, Mexico
Bahrain:
Line Haul Express (0973)-258-700
Buenos Aires:
Air Facility (1)-3220-7720
Canada:
F.B. On Board Couriers (Montreal) 514-633-0740/0951
Courier travle to London, England. Call 9am-Noon EST for info.
Located in Montreal but also serves Toronto.
F.B. On Board Couriers (Toronto) 416-675-1820
Cargo only.
F.B. On Board Couriers (Vancouver) 604-278-1266
Courier travel to Hong Kong from Vancouver.
Jet Services 514-331-7470
Paris
Germany:
Line Haul +49 69 69793260
Located in Frankfurt/Main. Flights to Hong Kong, Sydney, and possibly
other destinations.
Hong Kong:
Bridges Worldwide (03)-305-1413
London, Sydney, US, Asia
Great Bird Courier (03)-332-1311
Honolulu, Tokyo, Taipei
Intl Courier Travel (03)-718-1332
Jupiter Air (05)-735-1886, (05)-735-1946
Asia, US, Sydney
JNE (03)-736-8678
Bangkok
Line Haul Express (03)-735-2167, (03)-735-2163
London, Asia, Vancouver
Polo Express (03)-303-1286, (03)-303-1287
Asia, LA, Sydney
Wholepoint (03)-718-0333
London:
Courier Travel Service (0181)-844-2626, (0171)-351-0300
F.B. On Board Courier (0175)-368-0280
Canada
Line Haul Express (0181)-759-5969
Paris: To New York
Halbart Express (01)-45873230
Jet Services (01)-48626222
Rio de Janiero:
Air Facility (021)-252-9597
Seoul:
Jupiter Air (02)-655-6024
Sydney, Australia:
Courier Travel Service (02)-698-3753
Intl Courier Travel (02)-317-3193
London
Jupiter Air (02)-317-2113, (02)-317-2230
London, Asia, Auckland
Polo Express (02)-693-5866
Los Angeles, Auckland
Taipei:
Jupiter Air (02)-551-2198
Line Haul Express (02)-731-5367
Tokyo:
Line Haul Express (03)-376-98354
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-5] Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students
Council Charter (run by the CIEE) 800-800-8222.
International Student Exchange Flights 602-951-1177. Call toll free
800-255-7000 for US domestic flights, 800-255-8000 for international flights.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-6] Visit USA
Several airlines have a program called "Visit USA" (VUSA) which allows
foreign nationals or US citizens who reside abroad to purchase tickets
that have unlimited standby travel within the US during their stay.
The tickets must be purchased abroad (usually in conjunction with an
international roundtrip ticket) and residents of Canada and
Mexico are ineligible. (Some of the programs are also not available to
people living in the Carribean.) Other airlines with this program include
United Airlines, Northwest, and Delta. Delta's program is called
"Delta Pass".
The pass is actually a set of coupons, with each coupon being good for
a sector. You must purchase at least N coupons, where N depends on the
airline. For United, the minimum is three coupons. There may also be a
maximum number of coupons. On United the price is about $90/sector if
you purchase the minimum number of coupons, and falls to $60/sector if
you purchase 10 coupons. There is also a two-tier pricing scheme
depending on whether the Visit USA pass is issued by the same airline
you used to travel to the US. The difference is about $15/sector.
Prices and programs may differ on other airlines. For example, Delta
Airpass gives 30 days unlimited travel for about $500 (60 days $800).
No rerouting or refunds are allowed. (Some airlines will refund a
completely unused pass -- ask when you buy it -- but none will refund
a Visit USA pass after the first flight segment has been flown.) You
must make confirmed reservations for the first sector. There is a
charge for changing the date on the first sector flight. Travel must
start within 30 days and must be completed withing 120 days of entry
into the US (for travel on United; other airlines may have different
policies). Open jaw travel is permitted. You may be limited to one
trans-continental direct flight per Visit USA pass, depending on the
airline.
Council Travel has been known to sell Visit USA tickets on USAir
without any restrictions at all -- you don't have to be a foreign
resident or national, and you don't have to be a student. Many travel
agents outside the US don't check whether you reside outside the US,
so you can buy the Visit USA coupons even if you are a US citizen.
They won't, however, send the tickets overseas; you have to be
physically present to pick up the tickets.
Many foreign carriers offer similar programs in conjunction with the
purchase of an international round-trip ticket. The following should
give you an idea of the range of programs; call your airline and check
if they have similar programs (you may have to ask for the tour desk).
Air France (France Pass). The pass gets you unlimited flights
within France, but must be used during a single week for off-peak
travel.
Alitalia (Visit Italy). Each voucher lets you fly two one-way
segments within Italy for $100. A great deal, considering that a
Rome-Milan coach roundtrip ticket costs more than three times as much.
Aloha Airlines (AlohaPass Commuter). The pass provides unlimited
interisland travel on Aloha Airlines and Aloha IslandAir for one
month. Reservations are guaranteed when booked 48 hours before departure.
Includes other minor perks, such as bonuses in the frequent flyer
program and some free first class upgrades.
British Airways (UK Air Pass/Visit UK). Flight segments cost around
$80, with a 3-segment minimum. Destinations and travel dates
must be booked seven days in advance, and the dates cannot be changed.
Hawaiian Airlines (Commuter Airpass). The pass provides unlimited
interisland travel for one month. Reservations are guaranteed when
booked 24 hours before departure. Includes other minor perks, such
as a free one-day car rental, bonuses in the frequent flyer
program, and some free first class upgrades.
SAS (Visit Scandinavia). Each coupon costs $80 and covers one
flight segment within Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. 6 coupon maximum.
Thai Airways (Discover Thailand). Each pass costs $239 and covers
four flight segments within Thailand.
Varig, VASP, and Transbrasil (Visit Brazil). The pass is a very
good deal for travelers who are flying from one end of Brazil to
the other, but not as good if you're just flying between Sao Paulo
and Rio De Janiero.
[Yes, yes, I know Hawaii is part of the United States.]
When buying one of these passes, always compare the cost with the
prices of basic excursion fares. Sometimes the excursion fares are
cheaper.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-7] Free Upgrades to First Class
The main method of getting first class seating without paying the
exorbitant fares is to belong to a frequent flyer program like TWA's
program, where gold and silver members get unlimited free upgrades to
first class on a space available basis. Some airlines, like USAir,
sell booklets of upgrade certificates, at an average cost of $15 per
certificate. Of course, with both programs, you won't always be able
to get first class seating.
The other method is to fly on an overbooked flight where first class
is underbooked. If you have a confirmed reservation, the airline will
usually prefer to upgrade your ticket over bumping you.
Even though American gold upgrade stickers have an expiration date,
American ticket agents rarely turn someone down because they tried to
use expired upgrade stickers. The same goes for similar programs at
other airlines. (It doesn't hurt to try.)
Wearing business attire probably helps your chances of getting a free
upgrade. Upgrades are often at the discretion of the gate agent. If
you look like a businessman, you'll get treated better. So try
wearing a suit the next time you ask. On the other hand, if you look
like bum, you probably won't get the upgrade, if for no other reason
than to not degrade the appearance of first class.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-8] Companion Tickets
Many airlines are now offering free or cheap companion tickets.
Northwest currently has certificates which will allow a companion to
fly at a reduced price ($199 round trip between the east and west coast,
cheaper between shorter hauls). Travel must be completed by 1/15/94,
Saturday night stay is required, and there are a lot of holiday period
blackout dates. Companion earns frequent flier miles.
Continental offers a deal to their One pass members where for $50
you can get a package which includes 5000 miles and a $99 RT companion
ticket certificate. There may be some blackout dates on the certificate,
but I was able to use this around Christmas time. Companion earns
frquent flier miles.
TWA is currently offering promotions by which it is possible to fly with
them and get a free companion ticket certificate valid some months in 1994.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-9] Avoiding Travel Scams
When planning a trip, here are some tips for avoiding travel scams.
+ Beware of unsolicited travel opportunities.
+ There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. If a travel
opportunity sounds like a "great deal", it probably isn't.
Either they'll take your money and run, or there are hidden
charges. For example, many so-called "free vacations" or
"vacation giveaways" require you to stay at a specific hotel --
at exorbitant rates.
+ Beware of extremely low-priced offers, unsolicited offers
involving Florida or Hawaii, and opportunities that try to pressure
you into buying on the spot.
+ If you're elderly, be especially careful. Scam artists will try
to confuse and manipulate you.
+ Ask detailed questions (e.g., what is covered by the price and
what isn't, whether there are any additional charges, the names
of the hotels, airlines, airports, and restaurants, exact dates
and times, cancellation policies, and refund policies), and get
it all in writing before you buy anything.
+ Never give personal information, including credit card numbers,
social security numbers, bank account numbers, or similar
information to an unsolicited telephone salesperson. If you
must, ask for a telephone number and call them back the next day,
after you've had time to check them out. Call the Better
Business Bureau and use the telephone number to verify if
they're a legitimate business, and if so, whether there have
been any complaints. You can also check out the company with the
state attorney general's office and the local consumer
protection agency.
+ Pay for purchases with a credit card, never with a check or
money order. When you pay for purchases with a credit card,
you're protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act against
fraudulent charges.
+ Never give out your frequent flyer number over the phone, unless
you initiated the call.
+ Don't assume that just because a company places advertisements
in a newspaper or has a toll-free 800 number, it must be safe. It
takes time for a company to generate enough complaints for a Federal
Trade Commission to start an investigation. Moreover, not all
800 numbers are toll-free these days, and its possible for an
individual to get their own toll-free number.
+ Do not give your tickets to anyone other than an agent of the
airline at the ticketing/check-in counter, the gate, or the
airlines offices. A common scam is for someone wearing a uniform
similar to that of the airline to provide some excuse for taking
your tickets (e.g., claiming there is a problem with the tickets).
If you're not sure that someone is an airline employee, check
their ID with the airline.
+ If you've encountered a problem, or are suspicious of an offer,
call the National Fraud Information Center, a hotline operated
by the National Consumers League. The number is 800-876-7060 and
can be reached from 9 to 5 EDT during the week. You can also
call the local Better Business Bureau, the State Bureau of Consumer
Protection, and the Attorney General's Office.
A good booklet to read is "Telemarketing Travel Fraud", a free
publication of the Federal Trade Commission. Call 202-326-2222 for a
copy, or write to Federal Trade Commission, Public Reference Branch,
Room 130, Sixth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-10] Missed Connections
If you ever miss a connection because your plane was late and the
lines at the service desk are very long (e.g., everybody else on that
flight needs rebooking), call the airline's 800 number. Sometimes
they'll let you rebook because of a missed connection over the phone.
You may still have to pick up the flight coupon at the service desk
(though sometimes you'll be able to get it at the gate), but at least
you'll make the next flight. If you wait on the line, you may not make
the next flight if everybody in front of you is also waiting for the
next flight, or the next flight leaves in a few minutes.
Depending on the airline and the airport, you may be able to be
rebooked on a flight by going directly to the gate. Some airlines will
force you to go to the service desk. (For example, TWA in JFK requires
that all changes go through the service desk.)
If the flight you want to be rebooked on is "full", it may pay to
ask the agents whether upgrading to first class will make a
difference. It'll cost you, but it may save you from being stuck in
the airport for a few hours.
When buying a ticket with a connection, allow enough time to get from
one gate to the next at the connecting airport. The airline computers
have an estimate of the minimum time required to make a connection,
but this isn't always accurate, especially if the gates are at
opposite ends of the airport, or you're seated at the tail of the
plane. The connection times are based on the arriving and departing
airline, whether the flight is international or domestic, and other
factors such as the flight number. The most common connection time for
domestic flights is 45 minutes, which is the default minimum. Flights
on the same airline at adjacent gates, however, may have shorter
connection times. International flights will, of course, have greater
connection times.
With the new on-time rules, airlines are reluctant to hold
flights for passengers coming from connecting flights that are late.
The connection times, of course, do not allow for late flights
(except insofar as there is a small built-in allowance for slight
variations in arrival).
If you're carrying your own baggage, have kids, walk slowly, or want
to take a pit stop at the bathroom, allow yourself extra time the
first time you fly a particular route. Ask your travel agent whether
there will be enough time for you to make the connection, and if they
think it's close, what other flights are available that leave the
connecting city a little later.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-11] Getting There Faster
On the flip side of the coin, airline reservation systems use a
minimum connection time of 45 minutes. They won't let you make a
reservation for a shorter connection time. You can get around this by
buying two separate pairs of round-trip tickets to/from the
connection, or by booking different legs on different airlines, but if
you happen to miss the connection, the airline is under no obligation
to rebook you on a later flight.
However, if you travel light enough that you can carry on all your
luggage, and you know the connecting airport, trimming the connection
time can get you to your destination faster. If you get to the
connecting airport on time or early, you might try going to the gate
of the earlier flight to your destination, and ask to be put on. If
the flight isn't full, they'll probably let you board.
Some travel agents and airline ticket agents will sell tickets that
have less than the "legal" connection time printed in the schedule,
but whether they'll let you do this depends very much on the agent.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier
If you live in a hub city, where the airport is monopolized by a
single carrier, you can usually get nonstop service to most
destinations. Unfortunately, you'll probably also be paying
exorbitant prices for that service. Airlines only provide good prices
for competitive markets -- those serviced by multiple carriers. If
they are the main carrier in a given market, they keep the prices
high, and will even (arrogantly) refuse to match prices with other
carriers.
The other national carriers might have one or two gates at this
airport. If so, you may find them offering cheaper fares than the
monopoly carrier. There is, however, one drawback to this. Since your
airport isn't one of their hubs, the flights they offer will almost
always involve first flying you to their closest hub, and getting a
connection there -- even if their hub is in the opposite direction
from your destination. On the other hand, if their hub is your
ultimate destination, then you're in luck.
There is another workaround to dealing with a hub carrier. If there's
another major airport within an hour or two drive from your home, you
could fly out from there. (The same thing is true of using frequent
flyer certificates for free travel. If there's no seats available on
the days you're interested in from your local airport, try another
airport nearby. Also, sometimes regular air fares may be cheaper out
of an airport in a different city. If driving 100 miles saves you
$300, isn't it worth the bother?)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-13] Hub Cities
Try to avoid hub cities. For example, since USAir's hub is
Pittsburgh, they have a virtual monopoly on flights to PGH, so if
you're so unlucky as to be flying to Pittsburgh, the rates are not cheap.
Occasionally you may be able to take a flight which makes a stop or
connection at Pittsburgh, and walk off the plane in Pittsburgh (i.e.,
a ticket from Boston to Cleveland on a plane which makes a stop in
Pittsburgh might be cheaper than a ticket from Boston to Pittsburgh on
the same plane). This only works when you can carry on all of your
baggage. Or if your connecting flight is more than two hours after
your flight arrives or on a different plane, you can usually arrange
to claim your baggage at the hub and recheck it yourself. (See also
[1-20] Hidden City Fares.)
Several airlines are currently being investigated by the Justice
Department for anti-trust violations based on their dominating the
airports at their hubs.
Here's a list of airline hub cities. I've asterisked those
that I'm sure are monopolized by that airline. # indicates the main
hub of the airline.
Alaska Airlines (AS): Anchorage (ANC)#, SEA
America West (HP): Phoenix (PHX)#, Las Vega$ (LAS), Columbus OH (CMH)
American Airlines (AA): Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW)#, Raleigh/Durham (RDU)*,
SJC*, SJU, ORD, BNA,
Continental Airlines (CO): Newark (EWR)#, Cleveland (CLE)*, IAH, DEN, MSY
Delta Airlines (DL): Atlanta (ATL)*#, Salt Lake City (SLC)*, DFW, CVG, LAX,
JFK and FRA (Frankfurt, FRG), Orlando FL (MCO).
Midwest Express (YX): MKE
Northwest Airlines (NW): Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP)#, DTW*, Memphis (MEM)*,
Milwaukee (MKE)*, BOS, NRT (Tokyo Narita).
Southwest Airlines (WN): Chicago (MDW), St. Louis (STL), Dallas Love (DAL),
Houston Hobby (HOU), PHX, ABQ
TWA (TW): St. Louis (STL)*#, New York (JFK), Paris (ORY or CDG)
USAir (US): Pittsburgh (PIT)*#, Philadelphia (PHL), Charlotte (CLT)*,
Baltimore (BWI)*, LAX, SFO, SYR, IND
United Airlines (UA): Chicago#, DEN, Washington Dulles (IAD), SEA, SFO,
Raleigh, Tokyo, LHR (London Heathrow)
Airport Abbreviations and Hubs:
ABQ Albuquerque, NM WN
ANC Anchorage, AK AS
ATL Atlanta, GA DL
BNA Nashville, TN AA
BOS Boston, MA NW
BWI Baltimore, MD US
CLE Cleveland, OH CO
CLT Charlotte, NC US
CMH Columbus, OH HP
CVG Cincinatti, OH DL
DAL Dallas (Love Field), TX WN
DEN Denver, CO UA
DFW Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX AA DL
DTW Detroit, MI NW
EWR Newark, NJ CO
HOU Houston (Hobby), TX WN
IAD Washington (Dulles), DC UA
IAH Houston (Intercontinental), TX CO
IND Indianapolis, IN US
JFK New York (Kennedy), NY TW DL
LAS Las Vega$ HP
LAX Los Angeles DL US
MEM Memphis, TN NW
MKE Milwaukee, WI NW YX
MSP Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN NW
MSY New Orleans, LA CO
ORD Chicago, IL AA UA
MCO Orlando, FL DL
PHL Philadelphia, PA US
PHX Phoenix, AZ HP WN
PIT Pittsburgh, PA US
RDU Raleigh/Durham, NC AA
SEA Seattle, WA AS UA
SFO San Francisco, CA UA US
SJC San Jose, CA AA
SJU San Juan, PR AA
SLC Salt Lake City, UT DL
STL St. Louis, MO TW
SYR Syracuse, NY US
AA American Airlines
AS Alaska Airlines
CO Continental Airlines
DL Delta Airlines
HP America West Airlines
TW Trans World Airlines
UA United Airlines
US U S Air
WN Southwest Airlines
YX Midwest Express
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-14] Lost Baggage
The US domestic baggage liability limit is a maximum of $1,250.00 per
passenger. (The DOT is proposing to raise this limit to $1,850,
possibly $2,000, and maybe indexing it to the inflation rate.) Some
airlines may provide greater limits for checked/unchecked baggage.
For international flights, the baggage liability limit is
approximately $9.07 per pound ($20 per kilogram) for checked baggage
and $400 per passenger for unchecked baggage. A minimum waiting period
of one week is required before baggage can be declared lost. About 98%
of bags reported missing are returned to the owners.
When a bag is declared loss, you will have to submit paperwork to the
airline documenting the value of the bags and their contents. You may
not necessarily get full value for all the lost items. Reimbursement
will come 2-6 weeks later.
Airlines will not reimburse for currency, photographic or electronic
equipment (e.g., cameras, stereos, VCRs, camcorders, CD players,
telephones, etc.), rare and expensive jewelry or artistic works, or
medication, unless prior arrangements were made (e.g., excess
valuation insurance was purchased). Some credit cards will cover these
items if the tickets were purchased with the card.
Most lost baggage doesn't disappear to the same black hole that eats
socks from your laundry, but eventually makes its way to regional
warehouses owned by the airlines. If the airline can't identify the
owner, they sell it at auction, just like the post office's lost
letter department does. Airlines keep all unclaimed baggage for three
months before selling it at auction. There are even stores that
specialize in buying the lost baggage, sorting the contents, and
selling the merchandise and clothing that's in good condition. The
Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama, is one such store,
and a fun place to visit.
If your bags are damaged, the airline will either fix them, reimburse
you for the cost of repairs, give you new bags, or pay for the cost of
replacing them, depending on the amount of damage. You must report any
damage within 7 days. If your bags are damaged before you check them,
the airlines will ask you to sign a damage waiver at check in, which
states the nature of the damage and exempts the airline for that
damage. Otherwise, if the bags arrive damaged and the airline didn't
have you sign a waiver, the airline is fully liable for the condition
of the bags. Normal wear and tear, of course, is not subject to a
damage claim. Carry-on bags are not subject to damage claims, except
in clear cases of airline negligence (e.g., flight attendant moves
your bags, damaging them).
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-15] Baggage Limits
Checked baggage weight/size/number limits vary depending on the
airline, the class of fare, and the country of origin. For US domestic
flights, one is typically limited to 2 pieces of checked baggage
(excluding luggage carriers), each of which has a total length + width
+ height less than 62" (or 72") and weighs less than 70 pounds (32
kg). For domestic travel within a foreign country, however, the limit
is by weight, not piece count, usually 20kg.
For international travel the weight limits for couch, business class,
and first class are 20kg, 30kg, and 40kg, respectively. But if the
fare is for travel to or from North America, the baggage limit is that
of the entire journey, even if one leg would normally have a lower
limit. So for international travel from the USA, for example, coach
passengers would be limited to 2 bags (piece rule) and not just 20kg
(weight rule). The key here is that the fare is a 'through fare'. If
you switch airlines instead of taking a direct flight, you may be
subject to a lower baggage limit for that portion of your journey. If
this matters to you, make sure either that you are ticketed as a
through fare, or that the tickets are endorsed to permit the higher
piece rule baggage limits (e.g., "2 pieces allowed with trans-Atlantic
connection").
Unchecked carry-on baggage is usually limited to 2 bags, which must
fit under the seat in front of you or in the overhead compartment.
Purses, cameras, coats, and similar items are usually excluded from
the limit. Garment bags are also often excluded, especially for first
class customers. Sometimes the limit will be reduced to 1 bag,
especially on very full flights. Oversize articles (e.g., skis,
bicycles, moose heads) must be checked.
For US domestic flights, the official size for carry-on bags is 21" x 14"
x 9", and 2 bags is the usual limit. If the flight isn't full, you can
usually get away with slightly bigger bags. If they see you struggling
with your bags, or you're carrying far too many bags, or you ask if
your bag is ok, they'll probably ask you to check the bag at the gate.
Purses usually don't count towards the number of bags limit (depends
on the purse of course -- there are some mammoth purses out there). If
you're carrying non-checkable items (e.g., computers or electronics),
they'll probably let you carry them on. If your bag is extremely
heavy, DO NOT put it in the overhead bin -- the latches aren't very
strong, and having a 40 pound bag fall on your head during a flight
isn't pleasant.
If you do have excess baggage, it is cheaper to pay the excess baggage
charges than to ship it by air freight. (This is why courier travel
exists -- it is often cheaper for a company to pay for an airline
ticket than it is for them to pay freight charges.) Rates airlines
charge for excess baggage vary considerably, so it pays to call around
before purchasing a ticket. For international travel the charge is
typically 1% of the first class fare per kilogram.
Baggage limit rules are enforced very unevenly, particularly on
flights which aren't very full.
Most aircraft have room for onboard storage of one folding wheelchair.
If the wheelchair is checked, the airline is responsible for
reassembling it if necessary.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-16] Pets
If you are travelling with a dog or cat, you must say so when you
make your reservation. All airlines will allow at most one dog in the
presurized portion of the cabin (to prevent barking fights). The dog
must be in a travel cage which fits under the seat in front of you and
sedated. (If the dog is small, try to get a cage which fits under the
seat, so you can keep watch on the pet. Otherwise, the dog will travel
in the pet area of the baggage section, and you won't see the dog
until the flight is over. The pet area is pressurized but may not be
heated/cooled. Get nonstop flights since the pet area can get pretty
hot while on the ground.) Cats can travel in a carrier that fits under
the seat in front of you. Only one cat per carrier except for kittens.
Most airlines will allow at most three cats in the main cabin, with
sufficient number of rows separation. Some airlines will charge you
extra (~$50 each way) for a small dog or cat.
Many airlines require that the dog be given a tranquilizer supplied
by your vet. Most veterinarians no longer recommend sedating your
animals when transporting by air.
If you let your cat out of its carrier, be sure to watch it
carefully. Most cats tend to run when in an unfamiliar place.
In the US, service animals travel free of charge on all airlines and
can accompany their master in the main aircraft cabin. Service animals
include guide dogs for the blind, signal dogs for the deaf, and
assistance dogs for the mobility impaired, among other animals. Proof
of disability may be required (i.e., attaching a harness to your dog
won't get the animal on for free). Canadian provinces have similar laws
for service animals. If traveling to a foreign country, be sure to
check the local regulations, as some countries restrict the travel of
animals and do not make a special exemption for service animals.
America West and Southwest do not take pets, with the exception of
service animals. AA, UA and US all take dogs. US charges $30. AA and
UA charge $50. (Small dogs.) United charges $50 per carrier for cats
in the pet area, $30 for cats as underseat baggage.
All carriers require a recent (10 days old or less) veterinary
certificate of health, but rarely look at it.
All airlines embargo pets if the outside temperature is in the
90's (or perhaps even 80's). AA won't carry a pet if the temperature
is less than 45F (enforcement of this rule is uneven). UA says they
won't handle pets when it is -10F. US says they always handle pets
except on certain commuter flights.
US allows you to bring your pet out to the gate and have it
boarded just before you get on the plane. AA sometimes will, but
usually won't, allow this.
The following is what the airlines charge (1-way) for a pet which fits
under the seat in front of you, as of August 1, 1992.
$30 Alaska
$45 Delta, Northwest, USAir
$50 American, America West, Continental, TWA, United
You may want to consider using a boarding service instead of bringing
your pet with you. Many veterinarians provide this service for short
durations.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-17] Bicycles
Most airlines charge about $45 one way to ship a bike. If you belong
to the League of American Bicyclists ($25 annual membership fee for
individuals, $30 for families, call 1-800-288-BIKE (1-800-288-2453)
for info), you can get free bike passes on America West, Northwest,
TWA, and USAir if you book your tickets through the Sports National
Reservation Center, the LAB's travel agency. [LAB formerly known as
League of American Wheelmen.] Some folks report that you don't have to
use the LAB's travel agency; call your airline to check.
Bikes fly free on Northwest if you're a member of an Adventure Cycling
affiliated club.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-18] Restrictions on Electronics
The navigation equipment on most airplanes is unshielded, and hence
subject to interference from electronic devices such as radios or
personal computers. The latest FAA advisory leaves it up to the
airlines to set their own rules, but prohibits the use of cellular
phones during taxi before takeoff and during takeoff itself. Many
prohibit the use of certain types of equipment below 10,000 feet.
The FAA is considering setting a standard, with 3 classes of
equipment:
1. No restriction. This will include hearing aids, digital watches,
and implanted devices, such as pacemakers.
2. Prohibited during takeoff and landing. This will include
electronic games, audio/video recorders, and calculators/computers
(the kind without printers and disk drives).
3. Prohibited at all times. This will include cellular phones,
remote-control devices, FM radio receivers, electric shavers, TV
receivers, and radio transmitters.
The FAA is still conducting studies, and will need to classify other
equipment, such as CD players. The standard will also allow airlines
to choose to add additional restrictions on the use of electronic
equipment.
Right now, each airline sets its own rules, and the pilots may further
restrict the rules. Here are some sample rules:
USAIR:
- Prohibited at all times: portable radios, televisions,
telephones, and CD players.
- Prohibited during takeoff/landing: tape recorders, electric
shavers, tape players (headsets must be removed during
takeoff/landing), hand electronic games, hand calculators, and
portable computers.
- Everything else: Ask a flight attendant.
United:
- Prohibited during takeoff/landing (10,000 feet): All
electronic devices.
American:
- Prohibited during takeoff/landing (10,000 feet): All
electronic devices, especially laptops and CD players.
Northwest:
- Prohibited at all times: radio receivers and transmitters,
cellular phones.
- Prohibited during takeoff/landing (10,000 feet): All
electronic devices.
- Permitted during flight: computers, electronic games, CD players,
tape players.
Delta:
- Prohibited at all times: cellular phones
- Prohibited during takeoff/landing (10,000 feet): CD players,
portable computers, radios
Canadian Airlines:
- Prohibited during takeoff/landing (10,000 feet): CD players,
and laptops.
Devices like TVs, Radios, CD Players, and Laptops, among others, have
oscillators inside them that can send out RF energy. Shielding
requirements for consumer use are not necessarily stringent enough for
use on an airplane. Airplanes have numerous communication and
navigation radios in the cockpit. For example, many of the instruments
in the cockpit compute the position and direction of traval of the
airplane by triangulating ground and sattelite-based radio signals.
If the RF emissions from your radio happen to have RF energy on the
frequency, it can interfere with the operation of the instruments in
cockpit. Since the autopilot is slaved to these signals, spurious RF
emissions can cause incorrect course changes. This is especially
critical during takeoff and landing, because the room for error is
reduced (and errors can have more serious consequences). In addition,
RF energy is suspected of interfering with data feeds between parts of
the aircraft's flight control system. In modern fly-by-wire aircraft,
this can cause unwanted control movements. RF energy also has the
potential of interfering with weather radar, airborne direction finder
equipment, terminal collision-avoidance systems, and microwave landing
systems. Pilots have reported numerous cases of inexplicable problems
with navigational equipment that ended when passengers shut off their
portable computers and other electronic toys. None of this has been
verified by testing, but many airlines rightfully take a better safe
than sorry attitude.
Below 10,000 feet is known as the "sterile cockpit" portion of the
flight. This means that the cabin crew may not disturb the cockpit
crew except in an emergency.
Hazardous materials, such as paints, explosives, lighter fluid, and
fireworks, are not permitted aboard aircraft. You may not check these
in your baggage nor may you include them in a carry-on. You may also
not include anything pressurized (e.g., spray cans, oxygen bottles,
etc.) in your luggage, as the baggage area experiences pressure
changes during the flight. Note that even empty fuel containers are
dangerous, because the residual gasoline vapors in the container can
actually be more dangerous than the fuel itself. This is especially
true because of the pressure changes that occur in the cabin and cargo
areas. Do not transport flammable or corrosive substances or
pressurized containers on commercial aircraft.
The use of cellular phones is forbidden on all flights at all times by
the FCC (not by the FAA; FAA only prohibits their use during takeoff
and landing). The high altitude of the plane extends the effective
range of the phone, interfering with cellular communications on the
ground within a 100 mile radius of the plane.
The charge for headphones to listen to the movie on long flights isn't
for headphone rental per se, but royalties to the movie company.
(Movie royalty contracts often charge both a fixed fee and a
percentage based on the number of viewers.)
Knives and sharp implements that have a blade longer than three inches
will usually not be allowed through airport security and must be
checked through as baggage. Pocket knives (e.g., Swiss Army knives)
are usually acceptable.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors
There is a lot of misinformation about what can and can't be safely
passed through the airport x-ray machines and the metal detectors.
ASA 400 film, when passed through the airport x-ray machines, gets
fogged. I know this from personal experience, having ruined a roll of
film by accidentally sending my camera bag through the machine. Higher
film speeds will be more susceptible to fogging; ASA 100 film is
probably much more resistant to momentary exposure. Some X-ray
machines have labels on them that say "film safe to ASA 1000"; I do
not know whether such X-ray machines are kinder and gentler to your
film. Nevertheless, film should not be sent through the airport x-ray
machines. In any event, the effects of X-raying film is cumulative, so
sending the film through even "film-safe" X-ray machines several times
can damage it. Packing the film in a lead-lined bag should protect it.
If you're carrying film with you on the plane, ask them to hand check it.
When they see the lead-lined bag on the monitor they'll want to check
it anyway, so you might as well save yourself the suspicious looks by
telling them its film in advance.
Supposedly European x-ray machines are kinder and gentler on film, but
I don't believe it. The next time I travel to Europe, I'll run a roll
through and see. Many foreign airports will refuse to hand-check film,
so your best bet is to pack it in a lead-lined bag and store the bag
in your checked luggage.
Can airport X-ray machines damage floppy disks, magnetic tapes, and
portable computers? Probably not. I would be more worried about the
metal detector than the X-ray machine. If the magnetic field is set
strong enough, walking through with a floppy diskette, computer tape,
cassette tape, or video tape can erase the tape. Although there have
been a few unsubstantiated reports of portable computers being damaged
by X-ray machines, it is unclear whether the X-ray machines were
responsible. Given the flimsy construction of early notebooks, and the
roughness inherent in any kind of transportation, whether by plane,
car, or train, it's likely that they wouldn't have survived the trip
even if they hadn't been passed through the X-ray machine. So what do
we know?
+ A Mayo Clinic study says X-ray machines don't damage floppy disks.
+ The Apple Powerbook manual specificly states that the machine
should not be passed through airport X-ray machines. The
Powerbook Companion, on the other hand, states that X-rays don't
harm the powerbook.
Given that most airports are willing to hand-check computer equipment
and magnetic media, it's probably best to keep them clear of *both*
the metal detector and X-ray machine, just in case.
Do not rest your film or notebook on top of the x-ray machine -- they
aren't as well shielded as they could, especially on top. The
electrical transformers in X-ray machines, if not properly shielded,
can harm magnetic media.
Unless you rub your wallet along the coils of the metal detector, and
the field strength is set very high, walking through is unlikely to
wipe the magnetic strip on your credit cards.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist
Checklist of things to bring with you:
[ ] Fanny Pack or Money Belt
[ ] Small Screwdrivers
[ ] Swiss Army Knife (one with scissors), Can Opener, Flashlight
Pocket knives should have blades no longer than three inches.
[ ] Camera, Batteries, Film (especially for overseas travel)
[ ] Business Cards
[ ] Sewing Kit, Safety Pins, Shoelaces
[ ] Bandages, Sun Block, Lotion, Insect Repellent, Cough Drops,
Decongestants, Aspirin, Lip Balm
[ ] Toilet Paper (especially if traveling in some parts of eastern
Europe, Asia, and the third world)
[ ] Shaving equipment, Mirror, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Soap, Shampoo,
Towel, Tampons, Dental Floss, Nail Clippers, Comb/Brush
[ ] Plastic Baggies (Ziploc), Duct Tape, Scoth Tape, Rubber Bands,
Small Box, Nylon Cord
[ ] Medication should be carried in the original bottle. Bring a
copy of your prescription, if possible. If the medicine
contains narcotics or other controlled substances, carry a
letter from your doctor certifying your need for them.
[ ] Washcloths
[ ] Umbrella/Raincoat
[ ] Alarm Clock/Watch, Earplugs, Night Shades
[ ] Padlock & Coated Wire, Compass, Binoculars
[ ] Extra small change. A roll of dimes in the US; a pocketful of coins
overseas. (Public restrooms in Europe are often coin-operated.)
[ ] Small tape recorder or pad of paper and pens, for notes/journal.
[ ] Empty backpack or duffel bag. A canvas bookbag may also be useful.
[ ] For wet climates, don't take cotton clothes, which get soggy
and don't insulate as well when wet.
[ ] Clean clothes
[ ] Documents: Passport, visas, tourist cards (for Mexico and
certain South American countries), money, driver`s license,
credit cards, travelers checks, credit cards, international
certificates of vaccination (the so-called "yellow card"), and
insurance certificates.
Bring photocopies and keep them separate from the originals,
plus a few photographs if you lose your passport. Leave a
second copy at home with family or friends.
Pack liquids in plastic bottles and then double wrap in a zip-lock
bag.
The following items should be included in your carry-on and not in
your checked luggage:
[ ] A change of clothing.
[ ] Prescriptions.
[ ] Passport, visa, and other important travel documents.
[ ] Basic toiletries.
[ ] Valuables, including jewelry and cash, and any fragile items.
If going on an extended trip, cut your hair and go to the dentist
before departing. Don't forget about rent, bills, taxes, and so on,
and let a friend know where you'll be.
----------------------------------------------------------------
;;; *EOF*
Mark Kantrowitz
Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part3
Last-Modified: Wed Jul 5 18:36:33 1995 by Mark Kantrowitz
Version: 1.21
Size: 95161 bytes, 1885 lines
URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html
;;; ****************************************************************
;;; Airfare FAQ, Part 3 ********************************************
;;; ****************************************************************
;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz
This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The
focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are
also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to
Get Cheap Airtickets".
Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms
and other information to mk...@cs.cmu.edu.
*** Copyright:
Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved.
This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without
modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed. It
may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents
(e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines,
or other print form) without the prior written permission of the
copyright holder. Permission is expressly granted for this document
to be made available for file transfer from installations offering
unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet.
This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty.
*** Topics Covered:
Part 3 (Safety & Comfort, Frequent Flyers):
Travel Safety, Comfort, and Convenience:
[3-1] Travel Advisories/Health Information
[3-2] Travel Safety
[3-3] Air Quality
[3-4] Smoke-Free Flights
[3-4a] Air Pressure Problems (Colds)
[3-5] Special Meals
[3-6] Jetlag
[3-7] Pregnant Passengers
[3-8] Tips for Families Flying with Children
[3-9] Tips for Business Travelers
[3-9b] Best Seats
[3-10] Exchanging Currency
Frequent Flyers:
[3-11] Frequent Flyer Programs
[3-12] Premier FF Membership
[3-13] Hotel Frequent Flyer Plans
[3-14] Credit Card Voucher Offers
[3-15] Telephone Companies
[3-16] Discount Coupon Offers
Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [3-1] Travel Advisories/Health Information
Travel advisories are issued by the US State Department, and include
Travel Warnings and Consular Information Sheets for every country.
These contain basic information every US citizen should know before
traveling to a foreign country.
Travel Warnings contain advisories about recent dangerous
circumstances affecting travelers to particular countries, such as
political and social unrest.
Consular information sheets list the location of the US embassy or
consulate. They also include unusual immigration practices, health
conditions, minor political disturbances, unusual currency and entry
regulations, crime and security information, and drug penalties.
For more information or personal help, call
Citizens Emergency Center: 202-647-5225
Citizens Consular Services: 202-647-3444
Passport Services: 202-647-0518
Visa Services: 202-663-1225
US State Department: 202-647-4000/5225
They can help with citizenship matters, property and legal problems,
questions of how to pay taxes and vote, and provide advice on similar
issues while you are abroad. The State Department desk officers for
particular countries will sometimes be more candid than the published
travel warnings.
Advisories and related files may also be obtained by anonymous ftp
from
ftp.stolaf.edu:/pub/travel-advisories/advisories
or retrieved by ftpb...@stolaf.edu. You can also get updates by mail
by joining the travel-advisories list. To subscribe, send an email
message to travel-advis...@stolaf.edu with
subscribe
in the message body. [This service is provided by Craig D. Rice
<c...@stolaf.edu>, fax 507-646-3549.]
You can also call the US Department of Transportation's Free Travel
Advisory number at 800-221-0673.
For international health information (vaccines, etc.), call the
Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, at 404-332-4559. They
also have a fax-back service at 404-639-3311.
You should also read a tour book on your destination, to familiarize
yourself with any notable local laws, currency regulations, and other
restrictions. Activities you may take for granted at home (e.g.,
littering and spitting) may be illegal in the country you're visiting.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [3-2] Travel Safety
Travel by commercial airplane is among the safest ways to travel. But
there are still some risks. To improve your chances of surviving in
the event of a crash:
- Sit near the wings, as the airplane is reinforced there to
support the wings.
- Wear natural-fiber clothes. Synthetics can melt or ignite,
producing smoke and toxic fumes and causing burns.
- Wear comfortable shoes or sneakers, without high heels. High
heels can snag on the escape slide.
- Bring your own infant safety seat. Use one which has been
approved for use in motor vehicles AND aircraft. Don't use one
which was made before February 26, 1985.
- In the event of a crash, do not carry any bags or other items
with you. They can cause you to tumble on the slide, leading to
broken bones or more serious injuries.
There are two things you should do every time you board a plane, since
they vary from aircraft to aircraft:
- Count the number of seats from you to the nearest exits, both in
front of you and behind you. This will let you find the exits
even if you've been blinded or the smoke is so thick you can't
see the way out.
- Locate your personal flotation device. It may be your seat
cushion, or it may be an inflatable life vest in a plastic bag stored
beneath your seat. Sometimes a life vest is stored in or under your
armrest, especially in business or first class. If you personal
flotation device is missing or damaged, bring this to the
attention of the flight attendant before takeoff.
If you do this, you'll save yourself precious seconds in the event of
a real emergency. Those seconds can mean the difference between life
and death.
Fatal accidents involving plane crashes are extremely rare. The
chances of your being on such a crash is less than one in a million,
according to figures from the National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB).
During the past ten years there have been usually only one or two fatal
crashes a year, involving no more than 300 deaths. In contrast, in a
typical year there are more than 40,000 fatal automobile accidents in
the US. Of course, these numbers aren't really comparable. A more
accurate comparison would involve the fatal accident rates
per passenger mile and per passenger trip. But even so, air
transportation is definitely safer than ground transportation.
Other safety issues:
+ Notify the flight attendant of any relevant medical conditions,
disabilities, and/or medications. Medication should be
transported in the original bottle. Carry a card listing any
serious health conditions, the required medication and dosages, and
your doctor's home and work telephone numbers. Include a list of
allergies and your blood type.
+ If traveling by car in a foreign country and you are involved in
a minor accident, do not leave your car. Instead, go to a
well-lit area, such as a shopping mall (or better yet, a police
station) and call the police. A common scam is for
criminals to follow foreigners from the airport, bump their
cars in a remote location, and then rob them.
+ If you need directions, ask at the airport information desk, a
hotel, gas station, bank, or restaurant. Don't ask a stranger on
the street. Even if you're lost act as if you know where you're
going and continue walking.
+ Walk only in well-lit areas and avoid slums.
+ Don't make it obvious that you're a foreigner. When in Rome, do
as Romans do. Keep a low profile and try to blend in as much as
possible. Dress as they dress and carry your camera
inconspicuously. Avoid clothing and jewelry that identifies you
as a traveler. Don't engage in loud and boisterous behavior
that draws attention. Women should be especially careful to
dress apropriately, as clothing restrictions are more stringent
for women in many foreign countries. Don't wear provocative clothing.
+ Carry important documents and valuables in a money belt or neck
pouch. Store unneeded valuables in the hotel safe and not in
your room.
+ In Europe, the groups of small children who crowd around you
outside airports, hotels, and similar establishments are often
pickpockets. Avoid crowds and unexpected situations.
+ Do not leave valuables unattended on the plane.
+ If you are having trouble managing your bags, get a baggage
cart. A common ploy is for a scam artist to bump into you,
sending your bags flying. While this individual is helping you
gather your bags (and distracting your attention), a confederate
is walking away with one of your bags. Stay alert. It is best to
travel light, with a single piece of luggage.
+ Keep a list of your credit card numbers at home in a safe place,
in case your cards are lost or stolen during your trip. You may
want to bring a list of the bank phone numbers with you.
+ Let your family and friends know your itinerary, in case of
emergency. They should also know how to get a copy of your
medical and dental records, and your will, if necessary.
+ If carrying a purse, carry it in front of your, close to your
body, and run the strap over your head (across your neck). The
flap of the purse should be toward your body. Don't
let the bag dangle off of your shoulder or elbow, as it is
easier to snatch.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [3-3] Air Quality
Newer airplanes recirculate part of the cabin air (up to 50%) to save
fuel, in contrast with older planes, which use all fresh air
ventilation. There have been reports of passengers and (more
frequently) flight attendants complaining about headaches caused by
"stale air".
There have been two recent studies of cabin air quality that measured
carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. Although CO2 is nontoxic at ten times
ordinary levels, high CO2 levels are a sign of insufficient fresh air.
The normal CO2 level in outdoor air is 300 parts per million (0.03%).
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning
Engineers has set a "comfort threshold" of 1,000 ppm, above which a
building is considered to suffer from stale air.
1. Consumer Reports tested 158 flights on 20 airlines covering 44
different kinds of planes (July 1994). They found that 25% of
flights had stale air at some point in the flight, with 13%
maintaining inadequate fresh air levels throughout the flight.
Boeing 757 planes were among the worst -- as high as 5 times
higher than normal outdoor air -- while newer Boeing 747-400
planes had the freshest air. All planes use HEPA (High Efficiency
Particle Air) filters to remove dust, bacteria, and viruses,
but the Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 777 planes use higher
efficiency HEPA filters. See "Breathing on a jet plane",
Consumer Reports, August 1994, pages 501-506, for details.
2. Consolidated Safety Services of Virginia conducted a spot check
of cabin air quality on 35 flights without notifying the
airlines or crew (May 1994). Tests were conducted on Boeing 757
and 727 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and MD-80 aircraft. This
study found an average CO2 level of 1162 ppm. Note that this
study was sponsored by the Air Transport Association (ATA),
which represents the airline industry.
Nevertheless, the most likely cause of the often-reported symptoms
is dry air, not a lack of fresh air (though stale air can contribute
to the problem). Cabin air on both newer and older planes has very
low humidity levels (15-20% relative humidity), due to very dry air
being brought in from outside at high altitude. (The air outside the
plane is very cold, and thus has a very low absolute humidity, which
translates into a very low humidity level when warmed.)
So if you suffer from sore throats, dry eyes, headaches, allergies,
itchy nose, or general fatigue when you fly, it might be due to dry
air. To alleviate these symptoms, try the following:
+ If you wear contact lenses, take them out for the flight,
especially if it is longer than an hour or two in duration.
+ Drink lots of liquids, but avoid alcohol and caffeine, which
tend to dehydrate you. Drink before and during the flight.
Drinking water is good. Drinking a balanced electrolyte
solution, such as gatorade/powerade, is better, as the
carbohydrates in them let your body absorb them faster than water.
+ If you suffer from dry skin, bring along a water sprayer and
spray yourself on the mist setting. Hand lotion can also help.
Some people feel that spraying water on your face or skin can
make your skin even drier, if not chapped. Ask your
dermatologist for advice.
+ Don't take a decongestant before the flight, since this dries
out your nose.
+ If the air smells bad or feels stuffy -- a sign of stale air --
complain to the flight attendant. On some planes pilots can
control the mix of fresh and recycled air. (The pilots aren't
affected by the stale air problem, because the cockpit has a
separate ventillation system, as mandated by FAA regulations.)
Likewise, if you suffer from asthma, chronic bronchitis, empysema,
severe allergies, or impaired immunity, consult your doctor for his or
her advice.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [3-4] Smoke-Free Flights
The December 1992 EPA report on the health effects of environmental
tobacco smoke (so-called "second-hand smoke"), underscoring the
independent assessments in 1986 by the US Surgeon General and the
National Research Council, concluded that environmental tobacco smoke
is a carcinogen with significant health risks for non-smokers. The
lung cancer risks to non-smokers from environmental tobacco smoke are
ten times greater than the cancer risks which would normally elicit a
reaction from the EPA. It is therefore unthinkable that any airline
would continue to condone smoking on any of its flights, and any
airline that permits smoking is opening itself up to future lawsuits
from non-smoking passengers and crew.
Most domestic flights in the US are smoke-free, due to FAA regulations
that restrict smoking on short flights (under 6 hours), including
virtually all flights in the continental US. (Many flights to Hawaii
are also smoke free, even though they last longer than 6 hours.) No US
carrier operates completely smoke-free trans-oceanic service, with the
exception of "experiments" (e.g., United on some SFO-SYD and JFK-LHR
flights). As more passengers complain about smoking to the airlines,
more flights will become smoke-free, especially new flights.
Under US law, you are entitled to a non-smoking seat on a US carrier,
even if it means shrinking the smoking section, provided you checked
in on time.
FAA rules prohibit smokers from smoking while standing. On flights
that permit smoking, the smokers must be seated in the smoking
section. Standing in the aisles while smoking is prohibited. This rule
applies to all US carriers and to all commercial flights within the USA.
Delta announced on August 24, 1994 that it will ban smoking on all 256
of its weekly trans-Atlantic flights starting January 1, 1995. A
survey of Delta's trans-Atlantic passengers found that the airline
would risk losing up to 7% of them due to the ban. The airline expects
to more than make up the difference through new passengers attracted
to the airline because of the smoke-free policy. The new policy will
also apply to Delta flights within Europe and flights from JFK to
Mexico. Delta decided on November 14 to extend the ban to
trans-Pacific flights, making the carrier completely smoke-free.
Smoking also will not be allowed in Delta's airport clubs. Delta code-share
flights on other airlines may, however, continue to permit smoking.
Thus Delta is the only US airline to be smoke-free on all its domestic
and international routes.
Northwest Airlines has banned smoking in all US domestic flights since
1988, and in first-class cabins worldwide since January 1994.
Northwest will ban smoking on its non-stop flights from Seattle to
Hong Kong starting November 1994.
American Airlines has banned smoking on some, but not all flights from
New York and Chicago to London, as of October 1, 1994.
When United announced that international flights to London (from New
York) and the South Pacific (LA-Auckland) will be smoke-free, they got
such favorable response that they're now testing smoke-free service on
some, but not all, of the flights between London and San Francisco,
Los Angeles, and Washington (Dulles). As of October 30, 1994, United
flights from San Francisco to Sydney and Hong Kong are also smoke
free.
Note that code-share flights operated by another airline may permit
smoking even when they carry a flight number of a smoke-free airline.
Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and China
Airlines all participate in code-shares with smoking carriers on some
routes.
The smoke status of other international carriers is as follows:
Air Canada: Flights between Canada and the USA and Europe
are all non-smoking.
Air France: Non-smoking because of a change in French law.
Air New Zealand: All flights to the USA and within New Zealand.
All flights to/from Australia and most flights
within the South Pacific.
Smoking is permitted on pool flights operated
by Qantas, of which there are many.
Asiana: OZ is smoke-free on all its worldwide routes.
OZ flies between SEL and HNL, JFK, SFO, and
LAX, with onward connections from SEL to
Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. OZ now has
the only direct smoke-free flights to Asia
from New York and Honolulu, and offers the
best option for smoke-free travel from
anywhere in the U.S. to Japan (same-airport
connections in SEL are much simpler than
airport changes in Tokyo or Osaka for flights
to other japanese cities) and China. OZ may
raise prices as it gets better known, but for
now the service is great value for the price.
British Airways: Riding the fence; no firm policies as yet.
There is a completely non-smoking SFO-LHR nonstop.
Complete smoking ban on all flights to
Australia and New Zealand.
Many European flights are non-smoking (71%
of domestic flights, 22% of international flights).
No smoking on flights within Europe of
duration less than 1.5 hours.
Canadian Airlines It'l: All flights to Euope, TPE, HKG, and BKK, and
pool flights YVR-HNL-AKL operated by either
Canadian Airlines International or Air New
Zealand. Smoking is permitted on the YVR-FRA
flight, and pressure from Japan forced smoking
on flights to Japan (TYO and NGO). (The US
seems to export lawyers and tobacco to Japan. :-)
Cathay Pacific: Daily nonstop LAX-HKG is smoke-free as is all
flights within Asia, and to Australia and New
Zealand. New non-smoking flights between FRA
and HKG. Smoking is allowed on flights to
Europe, the Mideast, and Africa.
Cathay Pacific has announced its intention to
become a totally smoke-free airline, on all
its routes worldwide, by the end of 1995.
China Airlines: SFO-TPE and all flights within Asia. Three weekly
smoke-free nonstop flights LAX-TPE; smoking is
permited on the daily afternoon departure from
LAX to TPE, as well as all flights to HNL,
NYC, and ANC. They also permit smoking on
flights to Europe and Africa. Most inter-Asia
and many trans-Pacific flights are smoke-free.
Most CRS don't indicate which China Airlines
flights are smoke-free, so call the airline to
check specific flights. Domestic flights
within China (CAAC) are smoke-free.
Qantas: Riding the fence; no firm policies as yet.
Smoking is banned on some flights to the South Pacific.
Singapore Airlines: All SQ flights from SFO and LAX (SFO-HKG-SIN,
LAX-TPE-SIN, and LAX-NRT-SIN) are smoke-free
since 1-JUL-94. All flights to Europe and
North America will be smoke-free as of 30-OCT-94.
Only flights originating or terminating in Japan
will permit smoking.
(Singapore has banned tobacco advertisements
since 1970 and does not sell duty-free cigarettes
in the airport. Smoking is prohibited in all
public buildings and government offices,
buses, subways, and taxis.)
Virgin Atlantic: All flights worldwide except flights to Tokyo
will be smoke-free as of May 1, 1995.
KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, and Scandinavian Airlines Systems
(SAS) have reinstated smoking sections on some international flights
after trial bans. The stated reasons were economic.
The US House of Representatives Public Works and Transportation
aviation subcommittee voted on 31-AUG-94 to ban smoking on all
international flights that begin or end in the US. Only the US leg of a
multipart flight would be affected. All airlines would be affected,
including foreign airlines. Airline flight attendants who work
international routes are strongly supporting the measure. The bill
passed the full House on 5-OCT-94, and is now under consideration by
the Senate.
The International Civil Aviation Organization has urged all carriers
to ban smoking by July 1, 1996. Toward that goal, the Unites States,
Canada, and Australia signed an agreement on 1-NOV-94 banning smoking
on all commercial flights between their countries. Only applies to
flights operated by US, Canadian, and Australian airlines, and takes
effect in 120 days.
The New York Times reported on 13-DEC-94 that a Miami judge has ruled
that airline flight attendants can sue tobacco companies for
smoking-related problems caused by environmental tobacco smoke. This
is the first class-action suit concerned with second-hand smoke. The
suit is seeking over $1 billion in damages on behalf of the up to
60,000 current and former flight attendants affected by environmental
tobacco smoke.
If you have a condition which is affected by smoke, such as asthma,
allergy to tobacco smoke, etc., be sure to mention this to a flight
attendant, especially if you wind up "by accident" in the smoking section.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [3-4a] Air Pressure Problems (Colds)
If you have a cold, traveling by air can be painful due to the fast
pressure changes. The following are some suggestions for dealing with
the pain:
+ Swallowing a lot during takeoff and landing (the times of the greatest
pressure changes) can sometimes help. Some folks recommend
chewing gum.
+ Drink lots of fluids (water, not caffeine or alcohol) to help
prevent dehydration from the dry cabin air. Dehydration can
make your cold feel much worse.
+ Ask the flight attendant for two hot moist towels (e.g., the
kind they usually give to first class passengers to freshen up)
and two styrofoam cups. Put the towels in the cups, and
hold one cup over each ear. You may look funny, but the warm
moist air will dramatically decrease the pain very quickly.
+ You can help equalize ear pressures by pinching your nose and
blowing softly. Blow GENTLY, by a series of light puffs. Do this BEFORE
your ears start to hurt. Do not hold your nose while sneezing,
or you may damage your ears.
+ Talk to your doctor. There are drugs that he or she may be able
to prescribe (e.g., Seldane). Some people report that taking
Sudafed or other decongestants helps. A sinus spray may also help.
The FAA advises pilots to avoid flying when they have colds, due to
the difficulty of equalizing ear pressures.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [3-5] Special Meals
Most of the major airlines will provide alternate meals on
meal-flights upon request, if the request is made 24 hours in advance.
(The airlines provide each flight's meal inventory to the inflight
caterers 24 hours before the flight. Although the caterer can and do
adjust the balance of meals up to two hours before flight time, the
likelihood of their having your special meal on hand without advance
notice is extremely low.)
Special meals include: Kosher, Muslim, Hindu, vegetarian (dairy,
non-dairy), children, low-fat, low-salt, low-cholesterol, low-calorie,
low-carbohydrate, diabetic, fruit, low-gluten, sulfite-free, seafood
(cold, hot), soft, and bland. Simply ask for the meal when you make
your reservation; there is no extra charge.
Things to watch out for:
o The Hindu meal is just a non-beef meal. If you are interested in
Indian vegetarian meals, make sure you say "Hindu Vegetarian meal"
when ordering.
o Low-cholesterol may not be the same as low-fat. The low-cholesterol
meal will still include some fat. Sometimes the vegetarian meal
has less fat than the low-fat meal. Some airlines treat
low-cholesterol and low-fat as synonyms.
o Your definition of low-fat is probably not the same as the
airlines. For example, you might get chicken and margarine
instead of beef and butter. Chicken is lower in fat than beef,
but...
o Vegetarian means different things to different people. Be sure
to say whether you mean vegan or ovo-lacto, and be prepared to
explain the difference to the travel agent. Some caterers think
that a vegetarian meal means a meat meal with the meat removed.
So be prepared for disappointments. When traveling overseas, the
words carry yet a third interpretation, with vegetarian meaning
vegetables, and nothing else. You may wind up with better luck
asking for a fruit platter, which are usually very good on most
airlines.
o Low-gluten meals may include items that are not low-gluten.
The Kosher meals are glatt and double-sealed. Wilton Caterers is the
largest supplier of these meals, although there are a number of
smaller companies as well.
If you will be having a special meal, be sure to let the flight
attendant know as you enter the plane. Airlines sometime forget to
load the meal (especially kosher), and if you let the flight attendant
know, they can sometimes catch this. (And feel very guilty if they don't.)
If the airline forgets to load your special meal, ask for a meal
voucher. Even if you can't eat in the airport restaurants, you can buy
nuts, candy or fruit at the gift shops and the airline will reimburse
you within reason (e.g., $3-$5).
When in doubt, bring your own food. Airplane food tends to be bland
for travelers who don't like spices, so your own food will almost
always taste better anyway. Airline food is also prepared about 8
hours in advance of the flight, so your own food will be fresher as well.
Coordinating and scheduling menus is a nearly impossible task, so even
on good days you have a fair chance of being served the same meal twice.
If you have dietary restrictions, it is best to bring your own food,
in case the airline doesn't load your meal, or you get hungry before
the meals are served.
Southwest is a "no frills" airline, so don't even bother. The most
you'll get from them is peanuts, pretzels, trail mix, or other light
snacks. You won't get a full meal from them. But what do you want for
some of the cheapest fares in the industry?
If you need a non-carbonated non-alcoholic beverage, most airlines
include apple juice, orange juice, and tomato juice on their beverage
service carts. Tomato juice actually tastes very good, so you might
want to try it on your next flight.
The trend these days is for airlines to not serve meals on short
flights to save money. Continental Airlines doesn't serve meals on
US domestic flights of 2.5 hours or less. Southwest Airlines has never
served meals on its flights. Most airlines that discontinue meal
service on short flights, however, continue to serve beverages and
light snacks (roasted peanuts, almonds, and pretzels, depending on the
airline). Even though the meal itself only costs a few dollars, when
you add in the cost of galley space, storage, preparation, cleanup,
and staffing, it can be as high as $20 a flight. Other airlines, like
Midway and Continental, offer ``No-Peanuts Fares'' on certain flights.
These are usually no-frills, short-haul flights. Some peanuts fares
still serve complimentary beverages.
The three largest inflight catering services are Dobbs International,
Caterair International, and Sky Chefs.
Many frequent travelers report that the special meals actually taste
better and are often 'lighter' than the regular meals.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [3-6] Jetlag
Jetlag is a phenomenon where one feels tired, fuzzy, and generally
fatigued, sometimes accompanied by dull headaches, due to a time zone
change.
To reset your clock, there are several things you can do:
o Stay up 24+ hours and go to sleep at the normal time
for your destination.
o Do not take a nap at your destination until it is the normal
time to go to sleep.
o When you wake up in the morning at your destination, go for a half hour
walk in the bright morning sunlight. (If there is no sunlight, a
bright light can substitute.)
o Do not eat right before you go to sleep. Eat a light dinner.
o Eat your meals according to the destination time zone.
o Do not drink any alcoholic or caffeine-based beverages
during your flight. Drinking other liquids is OK -- some people
recommend drinking a lot of water.
o Don't forget to adjust your watch.
Things that affect the sleep-wake cycle:
o Sunlight. Properly timed bright light is very helpful. Turn off
the lights in your bedroom at bedtime in your destination time zone,
and leave the windowshades down in the morning.
o Time of Meals
o Amount of Sleep
o It is easier to shift forward (e.g., waking up at noon home time
instead of 7am) than it is to shift backward (e.g., waking up at
to sleep at 2am).
o Carbohydrates make you sleepy. Protein will keep you awake. Eat
heavy carbohydrate meals for two days prior to the trip and a
heavy protein one on the day of departure.
Some people recommend taking melatonin at dusk or bedtime (for your
destination) a day or two before departure, and continue for a day or
two after you arrive. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland at the
base of the brain during the night, and can be used to shift the
circadian rhythm ("body clock"). Melatonin production is highest in
the dark and is suppressed by exposure to sunlight. Melatonin is
available from many health food stores (as a "food supplement"), but
this may be changing due to action by the FDA. Melatonin is not a
tested, FDA-approved drug. It is known to have side effects after
extended usage. The drug is still available in Europe and Canada. BE
SURE TO CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE TAKING MELATONIN OR ANY OTHER
DRUG.
Most flights are run according to the time of the departure point, not
the destination. If you need to sleep according to the light/dark
cycle of your destination, bring along eye shades and ear plugs.
Note that you can regulate your body's production of melatonin using
light, achieving much the same effect as taking the drug.
Or you could give in, and just not plan to do anything really
important during your first day in the new time schedule. If you can
arrange it, just don't switch over to the new time zone, if you're
only going to be there for a few days.
The Argonee National Laboratory anit-jet-lag diet is available as the
file ftp.cs.cmu.edu:/user/mkant/Travel/jetlag.txt
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [3-7] Pregnant Passengers
If you're pregnant, check with your doctor before traveling by air,
especially during the last trimester. There is a small but real risk
that the flight could cause you to go into labor and induce a
premature birth. Definitely do not fly if the baby has turned.
Many airlines won't let a visibly pregnant woman travel without a note
from her doctor certifying that it's ok for her to travel and that
she's not likely to give birth at 30,000 feet. Airlines may still
refuse transportation to you, even with a doctor's certificate,
especially if you're in the 8th month. The reasons for refusal vary,
but often include the passenger's safety and airline liability. (If
you give birth in the air, the airline will have to divert to the
closest airport with a nearby hospital, even if there are no
complications.)
If you do fly, keep your lap belt low around the hips. Also, ask the
gate agent if there's an empty seat available in first class. You'll
be more comfortable in the wider seats, and if you do happen to give
birth, they can close the curtain to give you a little privacy.
Flying can also be a miserable experience for someone who is pregnant.
Flying differs from other modes of transportation in the sudden
acceleration and deceleration, frequent air pressure changes, and
significant amounts of vibration. (Though pregnant women should be
careful during any traveling, no matter what the means of
transportation.)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [3-8] Tips for Families Flying with Children
If you're flying with children, here are some tips for making air
travel a more enjoyable experience -- for you, for your child, and for
your fellow passengers.
When planning your trip:
+ Tell your children what to expect. Explain security procedures,
customs and immigration, take-off and landing, baggage claim and
claim checks, and so on. Be sure to tell them how they should
behave in each situation and make sure they realize that
misbehaving during the trip can have much more serious
consequences than misbehaving at home.
+ Establish firm ground rules for their behavior:
Don't talk to strangers, don't ask strangers for help, and
don't go anywhere with a stranger.
If they get lost, they should know what to do. For example,
they should stay in one location -- you will find them,
not vice versa.
Don't go anywhere alone. Stay where your parents can see you.
If you go anywhere, tell your parents where before you go.
Don't wander off.
Have them memorize your first and last name, the name of the hotel
where you are staying, their home address (the town and state
if they can't remember the street) and your home telephone number.
Cross roads only with an adult and don't play in the street.
+ Include your children in the planning stages, and let them have
some input into the decisions. Don't try to do too much each
day, or they'll get cranky.
+ Keep in mind that young children may refuse to eat any of the
local cuisine, so plan accordingly. Tell them in advance about
the food and culture of the destination, especially if traveling
to a foreign country. If you've been to the country before, tell
them stories about your last trip.
+ If only one parent will be traveling with the children and
you'll be crossing borders, bring a notarized letter of
permission or power of attorney from other parent. Otherwise you
may get stopped at the border under suspicion of kidnapping.
+ Write your child's name on the inside of all their clothes with
indelible cloth marker, or sew in a name label. This will help
if they get lost and forget their last name. For the flight,
safety pin a card with complete information to their shirt.
When making reservations:
+ Ask for window seats for your children. Children love to watch
the world move outside the window.
+ Ask for contiguous seats so that you can sit together, and make
sure you're in the aisle seat, so you can control your children.
+ Mention that you're flying with children, so your seats won't be
in the emergency exit row. Children under age 15 aren't allowed
to sit in this row, so if your seats are there, you'll have to
be moved when you arrive for the flight, and may not get
contiguous seats.
+ If meals are served on the flight, ask for the special
children's meal.
+ Ask if they have any special services for children. Some
airlines provide pins and model airplanes for older children,
and sets of puzzles, games and toys for younger children. Some
airlines will provide "baby kits" with diapers and other amenities.
British Airways now has baby seats, just like the ones in automobiles.
All airports have changing rooms, usually in the women's restroom
(and many are now including changing facilities in men's
bathrooms as well).
Some airlines may send special discount travel coupons to your home
(e.g., $50 off a children's companion ticket), if you join the
kids klub. Joining usually doesn't cost anything, and gets your kids
a free magazine every so often.
+ If traveling with an infant, reserve the bulkhead seats and ask
for a baby bed (bassinet).
+ If your child is traveling under a "lap child" fare, ask for a
lap restraint. This is a strap that passes through your seat
belt and is used to secure the child, so that if the plane
crashes your kid doesn't go flying through the air.
+ If your child will be traveling alone, tell the airline the name
of the adult who will drop them off in addition to the adult who
will be meeting them at the destination. Include names,
addresses, and phone numbers of each party, and also include
your name and phone number. The party picking up your child must
carry adequate identification. Provide the party meeting your
child with a complete copy of the itinerary. Tell the airline
and all parties about any special needs of your child, such as
special meals, medication, needing assistance changing planes,
etc. The child should carry identification, a small plastic
baggy of change for telephone calls, and some cash. Your child
should have no more than one small bag of carry-on baggage, and
it should include their name and address information written on
the inside. You will need to arrive at the airport at least an
hour before departure to sign a special form, and you will have
to stay at the airport until the flight has departed. Introduce
the child to the gate agent, and remind the gate agent that your
child is traveling alone. The gate agent will give all your
child's travel documents to the flight attendant for
safekeeping, and they will give them to the gate agent at the
destination, who will give them, in turn, to the party meeting
your child. Reiterate the standard warnings about talking to
strangers, and remind them to not leave the airport alone or
with a stranger.
Packing:
+ Bring your child's favorite toys, reading material, game books,
paper & crayons, deck of cards, disposable camera, teddy bear or
blanket, and other amusements to keep them quiet on the
plane. If you bring along electronic games, be sure to turn the
sound off, and make sure they don't use it during takeoff and
landing. If you bring a favorite stuffed animal or blanket, be
sure it is easily replaceable, in case it gets lost during the trip.
A supply of the "prizes" from cereal boxes can be useful as
rewards for good behavior.
+ Bring chewing gum and snacks to help them with air pressure
changes during takeoff and landing. For younger children, bring
a pacifier or a bottle of juice or milk. The flight attendants
can warm your baby's bottle in the galley after they complete
the safety dance. Hard candy or a lollipop may also work.
+ Bring several spare diapers and baby blankets in your carry-on
luggage, in addition to the usual emergency change of clothing.
+ Make sure you bring enough food for the baby. Make an allowance
for possible delays when planning what to bring.
+ For a stoller which qualifies as a carryon, get one of the
folding "umbrella" strollers. Airports are a lot easier to
navigate with a stroller, rather than carrying a squirming baby.
+ Bring at least one empty duffel bag in your luggage, in case you
buy more stuff than will fit in your luggage.
+ Don't forget to bring your child's medicines, including cough
syrup and medication for other common child ailments. Don't
count on being able to find a drug store at your destination.
+ Bring a full color photograph of your child's face.
+ Pack the child's luggage in a bag that is small enough for them
to manage on their own.
Before the flight:
+ If your children have never flown before, tell them how much fun
it is, and try to build up some excitement (e.g., have a
countdown calendar).
Day of the flight:
+ For carrying an infant, use a "front pack" or "Snugli" -- it's
among the easiest. Be sure to get one with extra padding on the
shoulder straps. At six months, you can switch to a baby back pack.
+ Arrive early. Kids like to explore airports, and juggling kids
AND bags will take time. Allow at least an hour in the airport
for US domestic flights and two hours for international flights.
+ Watch your children carefully, to make sure they don't wander
off. Never leave your children alone. If you need to make a pit
stop in the washroom, bring your children with you. Even the
most responsible child should never be left alone to watch
luggage or keep your place in line. If you do misplace your
children, airport personnel can help you locate lost children.
+ Parents with children are allowed to board first, so take
advantage of this "perk".
During the Flight:
+ Give your baby a bottle or pacifier to suck on during takeoff
and landing. This will make the baby swallow, allowing his or
her ears to adjust quicker to the pressure changes. Air pressure
in the cabin is the equivalent of air pressure at 8000 feet,
not ground pressure.
+ If traveling with multiple children, don't be afraid to ask the
flight attendants to watch some of them while you take one to
the bathroom.
+ Most airplanes carry one or two decks of airline insignia playing
cards. These get replenished only once a day, so you'll be
successful in getting them only if you fly early in the day.
The flight attendants may have other items, such as pins and model
airplanes to satisfy younger passengers.
End of the flight:
+ Wait until other passengers have gotten off the plane before you
start gathering your belongings to deplane.
+ Don't forget to count noses.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [3-9] Tips for Business Travelers
If you travel frequently on business, here are some hints on making
the process more tolerable.
Credit Cards, Phone Cards:
+ Get the limit on your credit card increased (or use a card like
the American Express Card, which has no set limit). Between air
fares (especially for one-way flights), hotels, taxis, and the
like, you can easily run up a hefty bill. Know how much credit
you have left on your cards, so that you don't max out the cards
while away from home. In addition, consider getting one of the
cards that either gives you a cash rebate (Discover), rebates
you on purchases of some products (GE card, GM/Ford cards,
Citibank Apple card, Caldor card), or affinity cards that give
you frequent flyer miles for every dollar spent. Carry two
different kinds of cards (e.g., not every place accepts American
Express, and some places will accept Mastercard but not Visa,
or vice versa).
+ Get yourself a calling card from one of the major phone
companies (AT&T, MCI, Sprint). Make sure it has a toll free
access number.
+ If you travel frequently overseas, you probably should get
yourself an American Express (AmEx) card in addition to a
Mastercard and Visa. Foreign establishments are more easily
impressed by AmEx than in North America, so you're likely
to find it accepted in expensive restaurants and boutiques more
than you would expect. Visa and Mastercard have, however, made
significant inroads, so you can't depend on any one card. Best to
bring one of each. Visa is currently accepted in far more places
in Europe and Asia than AmEx, but there are still some locations
that accept only one or the other.
The real benefit of the AmEx card is for convenient currency
exchanges. When you want to unload your foreign cash, go to an
AmEx office in the foreign country and use the cash to pay your
AmEx bill. They'll let you do this even if you don't have a
balance. You can also cash up to $1,000 in personal checks every
three weeks at an AmEx office ($3,000 with the gold card).
+ When traveling overseas, replacing a lost or stolen credit card
can sometimes be difficult, so bring two or three, and keep them
separate to prevent yourself from losing all your cards at the
same time.
Frequent Flyer, Hotel Promotions/Discounts:
+ Sign up for ALL the various frequent flyer programs. You never
know which airline you'll actually fly on, so it is best to
accumulate mileage on all of them. You don't need to carry the
cards -- just write down a list of your frequent flyer numbers
on an index card, and carry that with you instead. You may want
to consider signing up also for the AmEx membership miles
program as well, even though it will cost you (Corporate AmEx
cardholders $50; regular cardholders free for first year, then
$25). Make a list of their partners for car rentals and
such -- you'll quickly add up miles on all your cards. Even if
you get sick of air travel, you can always give the tickets to
family members. Also join all the hotel clubs. (Some people
advocate picking one program and sticking with it, to avoid the
hassles of juggling many programs.)
+ Your clients probably have a company discount with a nearby
hotel. Such discounts can range from 10% to as much as 50% off.
Travel Agencies:
+ Use a travel agency which provides a 24-hour number to handle
problems.
Ticketing:
+ If you fly regularly to the same destination but not over a
Saturday night, use the nested/overlapping tickets strategy,
where one roundtrip ticket is bought from the destination's
perspective, and you use the outgoing ticket of that ticket as
your first trip's return and vice versa. This will save your
company a lot of money, since both tickets magicly become Saturday
night stay tickets. An alternative is to buy two round trip
tickets in the same manner, but with the return flights 30 days
or so after your first trip. You'll use the outgoing portions of
each ticket as before, but the return portions can be used for
standby travel or may be changeable with a $35 change fee. If
worse comes to worst and you can't use either of the returns,
the cost of your flight will still be no more than a single
midweek roundtrip.
+ If you're visiting multiple cities, get your tickets as a circle
trip instead of a series of round trips or one-way tickets. A
circle trip has the savings benefits of supersaver fares, even
if one of the segments isn't over a Saturday night.
+ If you book two legs of a trip separately, you can avoid long
delays in the airport by reducing the connection time. Since
you're probably paying for one way tickets anyway, this probably
won't affect the cost. Make sure you allow enough time, though,
in case your flight is delayed and the other leg is at the other
end of a big distributed airport. Note that on some airlines, if
you miss a leg, you will not be able to pick up a later flight,
even on standby. When you buy the tickets separately, the
airline is no longer responsible if a late flight causes you to
miss your connection. But if your ticket is refundable, you can
cash it in and use it toward a later flight. (If your original
ticket was a discount ticket, you'll have to pay the difference in
fares between the two flights, if any. If your ticket was full
fare, you won't.)
+ Buy your tickets through an outfit like Price Club, which gives
you a 5% rebate (which you pocket, of course).
+ Since you paid cash for your (non-discount, refundable, changeable)
tickets, most carriers will be glad to honor them (even if they
are on another airline). So if you miss a flight, find the next
flight to your destination on any carrier and talk to the gate
agent there. Some airlines, however, will require the original
airline to endorse the ticket over to them before they will
accept it.
+ If your flights are concentrated with one airline, get a copy of
their flight schedules books. It will come in handy, especially
when you miss flights.
Luggage and What to Carry:
+ Wear comfortable clothes for the flight, if you can. If you wear
a suit during the flight, it will get wrinkled, and you won't
enjoy yourself. It would be better to travel wearing jeans and
t-shirt, and then change at your hotel. (If you do decide to not
wear a suit, be sure to include a suit in your carry-on luggage,
just in case your bags get lost.) Also, wear comfortable shoes
or sneakers -- you almost certainly will be doing a lot of walking
in the airport. Hush Puppies or Rockports are good.
+ Carry lots of business cards and keep them handy. You will meet
a lot of people on airplanes.
+ Carry lots of good reading material. It gives you something to
do when you do get stuck in an airport (or in a plane that's
37th in line for takeoff).
+ Buy inexpensive but high quality luggage. Good looks won't last,
since even expensive brand-name luggage will get scuffed after a
few trips, and the more expensive luggage won't last any longer
than the cheap luggage. Why pay a premium when you'll have to
replace it anyway?
Be sure to get sturdy hard-sided luggage, with reinforced sides.
Soft-sided luggage will get crushed or torn. Check the wheels,
since flimsy wheels will jam or get broken off. Handles should
be securely attached to the bags, or removable, since handles
that are left on the bags will be used by the baggage handlers
to pull the bags, sometimes with several bags on top.
+ Buy a luggage carrier or get luggage with built-in wheels. Make
sure the wheels are sturdy enough to survive plane travel.
+ Make sure your luggage is waterproof. If it's raining when you
arrive, you luggage will probably sit outside in the rain for a
few minutes. Wrap important items in plastic inside the luggage.
+ Carry a portable electric shaver (if male), soap, and shampoo
with you. Not every hotel provides these amenities.
+ Bring your own travel alarm. Not every hotel provides rooms with
an alarm clock, although most will give you a wake-up call upon request.
+ Carry the most important items with you as carry-ons. If you can
travel light (no checked luggage), do so. Don't check anything
you can't afford to lose. Carry at least one suit with you onto
the plane, even if you have others in your checked luggage.
Being forced to wear a t-shirt and jeans to a meeting can ruin
even the best of presentations. The "two carry-on" rule is
widely ignored -- you can often get away with three carry-on
bags, especially if one is a garment bag. Carry a duffel bag in
your luggage for expansion space on the return, if you happen to
buy any souvenirs.
+ Pack half the clothes you think you need, and use the hotel's
dry cleaners.
+ If you use a laptop with modem, include a long modular phone
cable with you (25 feet) and a modular jack splitter. Both are
available at your local Radio Shack or drug store. Also buy a 15
foot extension cord for your power supply.
At the Airport:
+ Check you bags with the valet, and go straight to the gate with
your tickets. Standing in line all the time at the check-in
counter will rub you the wrong way after the nth time. Try to
spend as little time as possible in lines at airports. Do not
pick your flights at the airport ticket line; call the 800
number instead. This effectively puts you ahead of everybody in line.
If you like to tip skycaps, a buck a bag is the going rate.
At the Hotel:
+ Be nice to hotel and airline staff, and they'll be nice back.
Use the hotel's concierge when you need something. They can help
you find almost anything, from tickets to a concert, to rental
car discounts, to aspirin, to restaurant recommendations, to
good directions to your meeting site. Be sure to tip well.
Advice and help from the concierge is free, but if they do a special
service for you, a tip is expected. On airplanes, wait until the
plane is in the air before you ask the flight attendants for
anything, since boarding is the busiest time for them.
+ Ask for a room facing away from the highway and away from the
elevator and ice machine, if you want to avoid noise.
Expenses:
+ Take a modest amount of cash with you. Not everybody takes
plastic, and you never know when you'll have trouble finding an ATM.
+ Keep receipts, and log them on your expense report every day. If
you don't record expenses right away, you'll forget them. Put
the receipts in a separate envelope for each day and label it.
Write notes on the receipts about the expenses, if it isn't clear from
the receipt itself. When the taxi driver offers you a few
extras, take them. You'll probably lose some of your receipts,
and having a stash of blank ones can help you make up the loss.
Complete your expense report before you return to work, and turn
it in right away. That'll get you your reimbursement much sooner.
Miscellaneous:
+ Get maps and use them to figure out where the meetings are and
where the closest hotel is.
+ The food you eat on the road may not be as healthy as the food
you normally eat. For example, many airline meals involve meat
with high fat, calorie, and cholesterol content. You'll need to
be careful to balance your diet, or your health will suffer.
Bring your own food with you for the flight; it's healthier and
more pleasant.
+ Arrange for your company to provide a service for remote dialin,
so that you can call up and read your email. Either get your
mail via one of the national commercial services (Prodigy,
Compuserve, Delphi, etc.) or have them subscribe to an outfit
like Sprintnet or Telenet which lets you dialup using local
numbers in many locations around the world.
+ In the US, tips are usually 15% of the bill (in states with 5%
sales tax, just triple the tax). But check the bill to make sure
that a service charge isn't already included, especially in
high-end restaurants. In foreign countries the maitre d' should
also be tipped if he/she provided some special services. In
China, Iceland, and Tahiti, and a few other countries, do not
tip -- it's an insult. Ask your travel agent about tipping
customs in the country of your destination.
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Subject: [3-9b] Best Seats
Seat assignment on most airlines starts 3 weeks in advance of the
flight (some are 30 days). No seat assignments on Southwest and
shuttle flights. Northwest allows advance seat selection 30 days prior
to the flight. Continental and Delta allow seat selection 60 days
prior to the date of the flight.
After midnight is the best time to get the seat assignments you
prefer, since unpaid reservations are often cancelled just after midnight.
The safest seats in a plane are often over the wings in the exit
row (extra reinforcement). Exit row seats also provide more leg room.
But you must be physically capable of operating the emergency exit
(e.g., capable of lifting 40 to 50 pounds) and read/speak English
fluently. Children under age 15 and blind/disabled passengers cannot
sit in an exit row. However, you can't reserve these seats, as the
airline personnel want to see the people they assign to these rows to
verify that they are physically able to open the emergency exit should
the occasion arise. If you want a seat in the exit row, get to the
airport early on the day of the flight, and request an exit row seat.
Note that some of the exit row seats on some aircraft (e.g., MD-80 row
21 window seats) do not recline.
Aisle seats are better than window seats because:
1. You can get up and move around without having to climb over
other people. On long flights you can get up for a stroll or to
go to the bathroom without much of a bother.
2. There is more legroom (window seats aren't as wide, because
they must fit into the curve of the plane).
3. You'll get off the plane faster, and have easy access to the
overhead compartments.
4. You'll get a better view of the movie. (Depends on the
aircraft, of course.)
5. You can chat with the flight attendants.
Window seats are better than aisle seats because:
1. You have a view, when it isn't cloudy. But the view may be
limited to takeoff and landing, depending on the weather.
2. You've got something to lean against to sleep.
3. People don't elbow you, swing handbags/coats into your face, or
spill drinks on you, like they do in aisle seats.
4. Other people don't have to climb over you.
Few people like middle seats because they have none of the benefits of
the window and aisle seats, and you get squooshed by passengers on
both sides (no elbow room).
Seats near the center and rear tend to have the greatest engine noise.
Seats near the rear are also the most sensitive to turbulence. If you
don't like the noise and a bumpy ride, try to get seats as far forward
as possible. On international flights, the seats closest to the
galleys are usually the quietest (except at meal times) because there
is no middle row.
If you're going to watch the movie, get a seat 4-5 rows away from the
screen, to avoid getting a neck cramp.
If you're lucky enough to have a row of seats to yourself, the
armrests on many planes swing up, giving you room to sleep. It's also
handy to swing them up while getting into and out of the seats, if
you're not in the aisle seat.
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Subject: [3-10] Exchanging Currency
There are two factors involved in exchanging currency abroad, the
exchange rate and the commission fee. Don't rely solely on the
exchange rate, but factor in the commision as well. Commission fees
can vary significantly. So look for the best combination of exchange
rate and fee.
Since changing exchange rates can affect the value of your money,
you'll want to be cautious about the currency you carry. When the
dollar is strong, you'll want to carry dollars; when the dollar is
weak, you'll want to carry either the currency of the country you are
visiting, or a strong currency, such as Swiss francs. When the dollar
is in flux, you'll want to carry both, and spend dollars when the
dollar is rising and foreign currency when the dollar is dropping.
When the dollar is dropping, try to pay for as many expenses as
possible in advance.
When the dollar is dropping, be careful with using credit cards. If
there is a delay in posting the transaction to your account, you'll
get a less favorable exchange rate. On the other hand, the exchange
rate used by the credit card companies is often better than that for
cash or traveler's checks. If you need extra cash, the exchange rate
used by ATMs is the preferential commercial/wholesale rate. [Although
true in most countries, it is not necessarily the case in Japan, where
the government sets the exchange rate.] Even with the interest charges
and/or transaction fee, getting a cash advance on your credit card or
bank card can sometimes be the cheapest (and most convenient) option,
because you don't pay a commission. If your credit card is actually a
debit card (such as a Mastercard or Visa secured with a bank account
or a brokerage account, or an ATM card from your bank) you won't pay
any interest on cash advances, since the cash is withdrawn directly
from your account. Thus using an ATM to get cash in the foreign
currency is probably one of the best and least expensive methods. On
the other hand, when the dollar is rising, you'll want to pay by
credit card when possible.
ATMs, banks, and traveler's check offices have the best rates. Avoid
exchanging money at airports, train stations, hotels, and money
changers if at all possible.
To avoid the interest charges for cash advances on SOME credit cards,
try overpaying your credit card bill before departing. You'll have to
read the fine print, however, to determine whether this works. Some
banks charge interest on cash advances, whether or not the credit
balance covers the charge. Others will charge you a cash advance fee
that is equivalent to a high finance charge. If you're lucky, your
card will treat a cash advance like a purchase that starts acruing
interest immediately. If so, maintaining a credit balance will
eliminate the finance charges.
There are, however, some caveats about using an ATM. Not all ATMs
overseas can be used 24 hours a day; some are restricted to regular
banking hours only. As usual, there are daily withdrawal limits. Your
bank card or credit card must be on the Plus or Cirrus network for you
to be able to use it abroad. Both systems have more than 100,000 ATMs
in 40-50 foreign countries. American Express Express Cash is also
quite common. There are many other smaller banking networks, which may
or may not have machines conveniently accessible at your destination.
There are some countries, however, which don't yet have any ATMs, or
at least not very many, on the Cirrus or Plus networks. For example,
the Netherlands doesn't have any Plus machines, but does have several
machines on the American Express Express Cash network. Likewise, there
are also countries that don't have any American Express Express Cash
machines. Check for availability of machines on your network before
you leave on your trip. Before you leave, call your bank to make sure
your PIN (personal identification number) will work in ATM machines in
the foreign country.
In the US and Canada, call 1-800-4CIRRUS to get the address of the
nearest ATM on the Cirrus network. In the US, use 1-800-THE-PLUS for
locating PLUS ATM machines.
With respect to credit cards, bring a Mastercard, a Visa, and an
American Express card. Bring at least two cards, since replacing a
lost or stolen credit card overseas can be difficult. Don't keep all
the cards in the same location, so that you won't lose all of them at
the same time. Don't bring your Discover Card -- few establishments
outside the US and Canada recognize it. Mastercard is generally usable
anywhere you see a Eurocard sign; Eurocard is the European equivalent
of Mastercard.
Before you leave, take at least $50 worth of foreign currency in small
denominations with you, to pay for incidental expenses at the start of
your trip (e.g., transportation from the airport to your hotel;
taxicabs don't accept credit cards overseas). Airport currency
exchange offices have long lines, and often charge a higher exchange
rate than banks. Later on you can get foreign currency for
restraurants and other establishments that don't accept credit cards.
But don't take too much cash with you, because flashing a big wad of
bills is the quickest way to lose it.
If you buy traveler's checks, be careful when exchanging them for
foreign currency. Exchange rates and processing fees can vary
considerably, depending on which bank, exchange office, or hotel you
use. There is no fee for exchanging American Express traveler's checks
at American Express offices. You can also get them at AAA for no fee
if you are an AAA member. Traveler's checks are safer than cash, but
you'll still want to be careful. Although they can be replaced if lost
or stolen, replacing them can take some time. The other drawback to
traveler's checks is, of course, the 1-2% commission you pay when you
buy them. Only in the US are traveler's checks considered the
equivalent of cash; in Europe, you'll probably have to exchange them
at a bank, since many establishments won't accept them in payment.
Only get traveler's checks if you're concerned about safety, or don't
have a credit card, or are traveling to a destination that doesn't
have any ATMs.
Traveler's checks are also available in foreign currency, including
British pounds, Canadian dollars, Dutch guilders, French francs,
German marks, Hong Kong dollars, Japanese yen, Spanish pesetas, and
Swiss francs. If the dollar is in flux or dropping, you'll want to buy
some traveler's checks in the foreign currency or in a strong
currency, such as Swiss francs. Many shops and restaurants will accept
traveler's checks that are denominated in the native currency, saving
you the bother of exchanging them.
Bring some dollars with you for the trip home (e.g., drinks and movies
on the plane, and cab fare home). If the dollar is very strong, you
may be able to get more for your money in open markets as dollars than
if you had exchanged them for the local currency.
In general, don't make yourself dependent on only one form of
money. Bring some cash in both currencies with you, but also bring
credit cards, and maybe even some traveler's checks.
When returning to your home country, try to avoid bringing coins back
with you. Many banks will exchange bills in foreign currency but not
coins. Either spend the coins before you leave, or convert them to
bills. Note that in some countries (e.g., Japan) you will have to pay
the departure tax before boarding your return flight. So make sure you
keep enough local currency to cover the tax.
Because you may have trouble doing exchange calculations in your head,
precompute the value of several common items in the foreign currency.
(Don't use items whose value in the foreign currency doesn't
correspond with their value in dollars.) Then use these items as
standards when shopping in the market. Chocolate bars and the cost of
lunch are good yardsticks. It won't be exact, but it'll give you a
quick and instinctive test for whether you're getting ripped off or
not. Better yet, bring a calculator with you.
Of course, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the foreign
currency, so that you don't have to rely on the vendor to count your
change.
If the government required you to declare how much money you brought
into the country, keep receipts for all money exchanges and purchase.
You may be required to prove that you exchanged your money legally.
If you're inexperienced, don't dabble in black market currency
exchanges. The black market is usually illegal, so you can get into a
lot of trouble. The person you exchange with could be an undercover
policeman, or could turn you in. Or they could be setting you up to be
mugged afterwards (checking out how much money you have). If you
don't know the going rate, you'll probably wind up being cheated.
Never exchange money with a person you meet on the street. The black
market will only exist in countries where hard currency (e.g., US
dollars and strong currencies) are more desirable than the local
currency. For example, countries with exchange controls, artificial
exchange rates, or high inflation rates, and developing countries are
likely candidates. Clean, crisp, high denomination bills are generally
preferred. The safest way to take advantage of the black market is to
use your currency to buy stuff at the peasant market (aka bazaar,
shuk, etc.). After bargaining in the usual fashion using local
currency, pull out an amount of your currency of lower total value.
High class establishments will generally not engage in the black
market. As a general rule, the benefits of black market exchanges
don't outweigh the risks if you're just traveling on vacation.
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Subject: [3-11] Frequent Flyer Programs
American Airlines introduced frequent flyer programs in 1981 to
encourage customer loyalty. The other major airlines quickly followed
suit. Together, the 70+ frequent flyer programs give out more than 10
million free tickets annually.
Most programs (e.g., United, American, USAir, and Northwest) will give you
a free US domestic roundtrip for 20,000 miles, a ticket to Hawaii or the
Carribbean for 30,000, a ticket to Europe for 40,000 and a ticket to
Australia or Asia for 60,000. Each airline, however, has its own set
of rules and somewhat different mileage levels. Delta requires 30,000
miles for a free US domestic ticket. Given joining bonuses and mileage
promotions, one can sometimes reach this with one overseas flight.
Northwest and USAir give you a minimum of 750 (Delta, 1000) miles for
each flight segment. Northwest will give you two one-way tickets for
20,000 miles. NWA will not preissue boarding passes the day before the
flight. Some airlines will award two tickets for less than twice the
mileage needed for one ticket. For example, it is possible to get two
tickets to the Carribbean from Continental for only 40,000 miles.
Note: The minimum number of miles required for a US domestic roundtrip
ticket will increase to 25,000 on United, USAir, and American on
8/1/94, 1/1/95, and 2/1/95, respectively. Since the travel
certificates are good for one year, be sure to redeem your frequent
flyer miles a few days before the deadline, or you'll have to earn an
extra 5,000 miles for a free ticket. Other changes include an increase
to 45,000 miles for a free first-class US domestic ticket on American, an
increase to 50,000 miles for a free roundtrip ticket to Europe on
United (as of 2/1/95), and a reduction in the minimum number of FF
miles awarded per leg from 750 to 500 on Northwest. Northwest has also
announced that it is dropping out of the American Express Membership
Miles program (1 miles per $1 spent) on 3/31/94 or 4/30/94. Current
members of AmEx Membership Miles are Continental, Delta, Southwest,
and USAir. Northwest is switching to an arrangement with First Bank
Visa (800-948-8300) and has already dropped their deal with Bank One
Visa. Delta, Continental, USAir and Southwest are staying in the
program. (Call 1-800-AXP-MILE for more information.) United will
stop its practice of automatically mailing out award certificates at
the 20,000 mile mark on 10/1/94, and will issue them only upon
request, just like all the other frequent flyer programs. Northwest
will allow frequent fliers to obtain a US domestic ticket for 20,000
miles (instead of 25,000 miles) as of 2/1/95 only if they travel from
mid-September through mid-November.
If you're using a frequent flyer ticket and traveling with a
companion, give the award ticket to your companion so that you can
rack up more miles on your paid-for ticket. Moreover, paid tickets are
upgradable, while free tickets often aren't.
Delta has established a "Rapid Redemption" program that allows you to
redeem your frequent flyer miles for free tickets when buying a ticket
by phone or at a Delta ticket office. There is a $60 charge, however,
for this service. (The charge is per transaction.) You can still
redeem the old way without the extra charge. Frequent flyer miles can
also be exchanged for upgrades at no extra charge.
Northwest's frequent flyer records do not seem to record flights that were
changed after ticketing, so check the records carefully. However, Northwest
recently installed a new phone system (1-800-327-2881) that lets you
request a review of tickets to adjust your account.
Air Canada 1-800-361-8253
Partners with Austrian, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, First Air,
Singapore
Alaska Airlines 1-800-654-5669
Partners with Northwest, TWA
Aloha Airlines 1-800-486-7277
AAdvantage (American) 1-800-882-8880
Partners with TWA, Cathay Pacific, Singapore, Canadian
Cancels miles after 3 years.
America West 1-800-247-5691
Partners with Virgin Atlantic
Canadian 1-604-270-7587
Partners with Air France, Lufthansa, American, Qantas (for flights
between Australia, Fiji, Hawaii, and Canada).
Continental 1-713-952-1630
Partners with Air France, KLM.
Delta 1-800-323-2323
Partners with Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Japan Air Lines (no
economy), KLM, Lufthansa, Singapore, Swissair
Restrictions: US/Canadian residents only, only with voucher,
travel must originate in US.
MarkAir 1-800-MarkAir (1-800-627-5247)
500 miles for signing up, free travel starts after 10,000 miles.
Midwest Express 1-800-452-2022
Northwest 1-800-447-3757
Partners with KLM.
TWA 1-800-325-4815, 1-800-221-2000
Partners with American, Alaska, Air India, British Airways
United 1-800-421-4655
Partners with Air France. Travel must originate in US. Also
partners with SAS, Lufthansa, Alitalia, Aeromar (Mexico), Antillean
Airlines (ALM -- to Caribbean), Aloha Airlines, Ansett Australia,
Ansett New Zealand, British Midland, Emirates (Middle East),
Gulfstream International (Caribbean), Sunaire Express (Caribbean),
Transbrasil, and TW Express. Mileage is given only
for the legs connecting a U.S. city to Europe for theses airlines.
If you are continuing onward to say Asia, you will not receive
mileage on United on the leg from Europe to Asia.
USAir 1-800-872-4738 (frequent traveler service ctr)
1-800-442-2784 (international award travel)
1-800-428-4322 (US domestic reservations)
Partners with British Airways and AF.
British Airways 1-800-955-2748
Lets you combine the mileage for up to four family members.
Partners with USAir.
Hawaiian Airlines Gold Plus 1-800-367-7637
Mexicana Frequent Flyer 1-800-531-7901
USAir has a frequent flyer program for undertakers (or is it a
"frequent dier" program?). Ship 30 corpses with USAir, and you get a
free US domestic round trip ticket.
If you catch an earlier flight, make sure that your frequent flyer
number is recorded, even if you gave the number when checking in for
the first flight. Frequent flyer numbers do not necessarily transfer
from one record to another when you change flights. If this happens to
you, send a copy of your ticket receipt and boarding pass to the
airline to get your mileage recorded. (You may be able to just call
the customer service department and tell them the ticket number from
your receipt, instead.) It pays to ask about your frequent flyer
number every time: when you make reservations, when you check in, and
when you arrive at the gate for each flight segment.
If you exchanged miles for a certificate but find you can't use it,
some programs allow you to redeposit the miles back into your frequent
flyer account, sometimes for a fee. Another option is to exchange the
certificate for an "open" ticket. Such a ticket has a fixed origin and
destination, but leaves the departure and return dates unspecified,
and can be used for up to a year from the date of issue. With the
recent mileage increases in frequent flyer programs, this alternative
is especially attractive, since it effectively extends an expiring
certificate for up to a year.
If you want to use a free frequent flyer ticket, be sure to get the
tickets well in advance of the flight. Seating for free tickets is
usually limited on most flights, and tends to fill up fast. If you
find that there are no seats available when you want to fly, try
another airport. It may pay to drive 50-100 miles to catch a free
flight from a smaller airport, even if you have to pay for long-term
parking.
Most airlines will transfer frequent flyer miles to your heirs upon
your death. If there are enough miles for an award, the awards can be
issued in their names. Otherwise the miles may be transferred to their
accounts.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [3-12] Premier FF Membership
If you travel more than a certain number of miles or flight segments
on some airlines, they'll upgrade your membership in their frequent
flyer program to Premier (Silver) or Gold status. These programs let
you earn frequent flyer miles more quickly, let you get free or cheap
upgrades, and get preferred seating.
[As of 10-OCT-94, TWA eliminated its free space-available upgrade
policy for frequent flyer members. Instead, you will receive upgrade
certificates every so often depending on how many miles you've flown
(e.g., every 3,000, 5,000, or 10,000 miles, depending on class of
membership and type of fare). Frequent flyer members can also purchase
upgrades from TWA airport or city ticket offices, by calling
800-221-2000 (fax 610-631-5280) or by writing to TWA Upgrades, PO Box
810, Fairview Village, PA 19409.]
For example, TWA gold card holders can upgrade any unrestricted coach
ticket to first class on a space available basis. (Likewise, in
Continental, if you pay full fare coach and are a FF member, they'll
upgrade you to first class.) Continental silver elite members get a
100% mileage bonus on subsequent flights. USAir waives blackout dates
and capacity controls for award travel by members of their frequent
flyer program who have reached the Priority Gold level. The mileage
levels for status change vary from airline to airline, and the
benefits vary as well, but typically one or two overseas flights or
20,000 to 35,000 US domestic miles will be sufficient to upgrade your
status.
Some airline reservation systems dynamicly modify the available
seating based on your frequent flyer membership status. The idea is to
reserve the desirable seats (window seats, far forward, away from
engine noise) for the more active members of the frequent flyer
program. Some airlines are also providing automatic free upgrades to
first class at reservation time to high mileage flyers. So be sure to
give your frequent flyer number before asking for a seat assignment.
If you're a member of an airlines frequent flyer program and don't
receive any mail from them within a month or two of flying, call them
to make sure your account is still active and that they have your
current address. Airlines sometimes misdirect your frequent flyer
mail, especially after a temporary change of address or hold on mail.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [3-13] Hotel Frequent Flyer Plans
Many large hotel chains offer frequent traveler incentives to their
guests, including free airline miles and points that are redeemable
for free hotel rooms. Some are even offering the free airline miles
without requiring a flight with the stay.
Here's a summary of what the hotels are now offering:
Hilton:
- Airline Miles: 500 miles/stay.
Airlines include Air Canada, American, America West, and
United (no flight required); Delta and USAir (ticket and
boarding pass required).
- Points: 10 points per $1 spent. Redeemable for free weekend
nights, sports tickets, and merchandise.
- May earn miles and points for same stay. Spouses may combine points.
- 3 stays earn one free weekend night.
- Extra goodies for gold-level members (12 stays/year), such as
airline club passes, boosts in FF membership status, and car
rental club benefits.
Holiday Inn:
- Airline Miles: 500 miles/stay, 2.5 miles per dollar spent.
Airlines include Air Canada and Northeast (flight required),
United and Northwest.
- Points: 1 point per $1 spent. Redeemable for free travel and
merchandise.
- May not earn miles and points for same stay. (No double dipping.)
- $10/year membership fee, waived for the first year.
Hyatt:
- Airline Miles: 500 miles/stay for United mileage (no flight
required), Alaska Airlines, Northwest, and USAir (flight
required). 1000 miles/stay for Delta (flight required).
- Points: 5 points per $1 spent. Redeemable for free travel,
room upgrades, and car rentals.
- May not earn miles and points for same stay. (No double dipping.)
Marriott:
- Airline Miles: 500 miles/stay for American, British Airways,
Northwest, or USAir. 1000 miles/stay for Continental or TWA
(no flight required). 2,500 bonus miles after fifth stay.
5,000 bonus miles for Continental.
- Points: 10 points per $1 spent, including amounts charged to
your room, but excluding tax and service charges. Bonus points
from Hertz car rental. Redeemable for free travel, hotel
rooms, and car rentals. 35,000 points gets you a free night
stay in any Marriott Hotel.
- Restrictions: In a given stay, can get points or miles, but
not both.
Sheraton:
- Sheraton Miles: 2 miles per $1 spent for (free) standard membership
(blue club card), 3 miles per $1 spent for gold membership
($25/year, golden club card). Each Sheraton Mile is redeemable
for one Airline Mile on American or United. Sheraton Miles are
redeemable for free stays, special vacation packages, etc.
Gold membership provides you with 4 pm late check-out
guarantee, room upgrades, and other amenities.
Many hotels also offer discounts for members of certain groups. For
example, membership in AAA (American Automobile Association) or the
AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) for example can get you
a 10% discount at many hotels and motels. Visiting someone at a local
university or hospital can be good for either a discount or a room
upgrade, depending on the hotel. There are also often special
discounts for government employees and military personnel.
Note that you don't need to be 65 to become a member of the AARP --
you can be as young as 50. You also don't necessarily need to be a
member of the AARP to take advantage of some discounts. For example,
if you're over 50, Choice Hotels offers a 30% discount for travelers
with advance reservations, 10% for those with no reservation.
Always ask for the best price, especially in the off-peak travel season.
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Subject: [3-14] Credit Card Voucher Offers
Several credit card companies offer vouchers for cheap airline travel
as an incentive to enroll students.
1. American Express.
Students who apply for the standard green card ($55/year) or gold card
($75/year) will receive five "Travel Savings Certificates" if
approved (within 2-3 weeks of receiving the card). Putting the
vouchers to good use can easily result in your saving more than the
cost of the card. Income and employment requirements for the gold
card are waived for graduate students.
Three of the vouchers are good for travel anywhere in the 48
contiguous United States on Continental Airlines or Continental
Express. Each certificate is good for two roundtrip coach class
tickets (same itinerary). If you cross the Mississippi the cost is
$239/ticket; otherwise just $159/ticket. These vouchers are not good
for travel to Florida between 2/12 and 4/30 and between 6/15 and 8/25;
during those periods, you must use the special "Florida Certificate".
The cost for tickets with this certificate is $239 for travel between
Florida and destinations east of the Mississippi; $299 for
destinations west of the Mississippi. The last voucher gets you $50
off an international roundtrip coach class fare of $400 or more, or
$75 off an international roundtrip coach class fare of $600 or more.
Restrictions: Reservations for US domestic travel must be made and
tickets purchased WITHIN 21 days of travel. The maximum stay is 14
days and must include a Saturday night. Reservations for international
travel must be made and tickets purchased at least 7 days before
departure (or earlier, if required by the fare). The minimum stay is 8
days and must include a Saturday night. All the certificates allow
you to take along a student companion at the same price. The vouchers
expire 1 year after issue.
Although seating is limited, students report that they've had little
trouble getting a last-minute reservation with the vouchers. They may
have had to be flexible with their departure and return times and
dates, but they've hardly ever had a problem getting to their
destination. Traveling during off-peak times will increase your
chances of getting a seat. Don't expect to be able to get a seat
around Christmas and Thanksgiving. Tickets must be purchased using
the American Express card. (Some students report success in using the
vouchers with other credit cards.)
The vouchers are not transferable, and the tickets are neither
transferable nor refundable (and the airlines do check your
student id both at the ticket counter and at the gate). To work around
the non-transferrable restriction, use your first initial instead of
your first name, and (if female) ask to have your maiden (alternately,
married) name on the ticket (which allows you to substitute an
arbitrary last name, if you're not bothered by the sleaziness).
[Note: When travelling on Continental, beware of connections in
their hub in Newark NJ.]
If you are a student, have an AmEx card and haven't received the
vouchers, call the 800 number (1-800-582-5823 or 1-800-528-4800)
and they'll send them out to your billing address.
[As of 9/1/93, USAir is no longer honoring the AmEx travel
vouchers. As of 12/1/94, they seem to be honoring them again.]
Although the current AmEx tickets are for travel on Continental
Airlines, USAir will honor them for travel on USAir (non-summer
coupons only; you may use the non-summer coupons during the summer,
however). Give the following promotion code to the travel agent
when using the AmEx/Continental vouchers for travel on USAir:
H/CO AMEX STUDENT
USAir seems less likely than Continental to check for student id.
In general, USAir seems to accept coupons from almost any other airline.
2. Chase Manhattan VISA
[ THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. ]
Same cost structure as the AmEx/Continental vouchers ($129 if you
don't cross the Mississippi River, $189 if you do), but for
travel on USAir. Maximum stay of 60 days (Saturday stay not
required). Tickets must be purchased within 48 hours of reservation.
Valid student id must be presented at time of ticketing.
Blackout dates around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and some
destination-specific days.
3. Citibank VISA
The Citibank AAdvantage VISA/MC charges a $50 annual fee (not a great
deal, when no-fee VISA/MC cards abound). Earns 1 mile for every dollar
spent. (You'd need to spend $25,000 to get a free PlanAAhead ticket.)
Given the annual fee, not that good a deal. If you decide to get it,
wait until American runs their next sign up bonus (typically either a
free round-trip companion ticket or 5,000 free miles). Note that it
takes 4-6 weeks to get the companion ticket.
4. Bank One TravelPlus Visa Card
With the TravelPlus Card, you accumulate one point for each dollar
spent. These points may then be redeemed for tickets on any airline,
with no blackout dates (14-day advance notice and Saturday night stay
required). 12,000 points gets you a free round-trip ticket within a
zone in the US (each zone about 1/3 of the US) and 20,000 points gets
you a free round-trip ticket anywhere in the continental US. 30,000
points to the Carribean/Mexico; 35,000 to Alaska/Hawaii; 50,000 to
Europe; 75,000 to Asia; and 85,000 to Australia. The card costs
$25/year for classic ($55/year for gold). You get 1,000 bonus
points upon approval. Call 1-800-694-9596 for more information
about the Bank One Travel Plus program (1-800-945-2023 is Bank
One's customer service number).
The June 1994 issue of Smart Money contains a review of frequent flyer
programs (page 120), including a summary of credit card mileage
tie-ins. The best way to find out about airline affinity cards is to
call the airline in question and ask.
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Subject: [3-15] Telephone Companies
These programs give you frequent flyer miles for every dollar spent on
long distance phone calls. If you can, charge your phone bill to one of
the affinity credit cards to get even more miles.
1. MCI. (Originated the idea in 1989.)
MCI currently offers 500 miles to enroll and 5 miles for every
dollar spent. Airlines include Northwest, American, and Continental.
1-800-755-2172
2. US Sprint. Airlines include TWA and America West.
3. AT&T
With the AT&T True Rewards program, you can earn frequent flier miles on
Delta, United Airlines, or USAir (or free AT&T long distance
certificates). During every month you spend $25 or more on long
distance, you earn 5 frequent flier miles for every $1 spent. During
the first month you get a triple bonus (quadruple credit). Call
1-800-7-REWARD to enroll. Only calls billed via an AT&T calling
card or dial 1 service are eligible. You don't have to decide what
to do with your credits until you cash them in, and you can get 5%
cash back instead, if you prefer.
4. Metromedia. Airlines include TWA.
5. Teletravel. Airlines include Continental.
Other relevant programs:
+ Air Miles Program 800-222-2AIR
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Subject: [3-16] Discount Coupon Offers
Discount coupons for air travel can often be obtained from a variety
of sources:
- AAA has included dollars-off coupons for travel on USAir and
United in their membership newsletter in the past.
- Some catalogs and magazines, especially those associated with business
equipment, such as the AT&T phone catalog, have included coupons
for savings on flights on Continental and Northwest.
- Supermarkets in California periodically offer promotions
providing discount coupons upon purchase of a certain amount of
groceries.
- Discover card and other credit cards have on occasion included
discount certificates with the monthly bills. Others offer discount
certificates for opening an account. See also "Credit Card
Voucher Offers" above.
- A number of banks periodically offer discount coupons for opening
accounts, usually certificate of deposit accounts (CDs) with some
minimum balance.
- Computer hardware and software manufacturers are now offering
coupons for free or cheap companion fares or other discount fares
with the purchase of their product. Recent offers (1994) include
Microsoft for software purchases and Compaq for laptop purchases.
The coupons typically have several blackout dates, require a Saturday
night stay, and have a lot of fine print, but are often transferable.
People will often advertise to sell these coupons over the net.
You can also get travel discount coupons in some of the travel
discount books, but you can almost certainly get them for free from
some of the publications listed above. But if you can't find one,
spending $20 to save $50 is probably worth it. Such entertainment
books include 800-513-6000 ($19.95, includes United coupon),
800-445-4137 (Continental coupon), 800-521-9640 ($25, Continental coupon).
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