GeekSugar

United Airlines Charges For Bags, But Will Charge Your iPod

GeekSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:30:26 PDT

This makes me a little less bitter at United for charging $15 per checked bag: the airline is installing iPod and iPhone docks on its airplanes. Not only will you be able to charge your battery at your seat, you'll be able to scroll through your music and videos from the seat back's screen! Don't watch from that silly little screen, watch from behind somebody's head!

The first few flights to boast the Apple connectivity will be transatlantic, and will sadly be for first-and business-class passengers. That had better not last, or my forgiveness for the checked-bag fee will quickly depart.

Source

Flying the Scary Skies? The Airline Industry Hits Turbulence

CitizenSugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:00:22 PDT

Suddenly those gross, germy, blankets are the least of air travelers worries. The FAA is answering to Congress today over whistle-blower information surfaced casting doubt over Southwest Airlines safety practices.

The tip came from an FAA inspector who called out his bosses saying, "I'm here today because I'm concerned of the safety of the flying public which has been jeopardized by the abusive authority in violations of the federally regulations." He says Southwest pressured the FAA to hide safety problems. Insert the small tab into the buckle of your seatbelt, there's a ton more airline news, just

read more. Also today, United became the latest major carrier to ground planes unannounced after failing to make required checks of the planes' fire-suppression system. (Southwest and American have both also grounded planes recently.) Aloha Airlines lei-d off 1,900 employees when it was grounded this week, and ATA skidded into bankruptcy, quitting today. What's behind all the sky-bound turmoil? Is the FAA too easy on the airlines? Are consumers, constantly after bargain-basement fares, partially to blame? Source

How the American Airlines Bankruptcy Will Affect You

Emily Co — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:56:27 PST

There's always a feeling of confusion when a major retailer goes bust, but what we really want to know is what it means for us and how we'll be affected. American Airlines announced it was filing for bankruptcy this morning, which leaves loyal customers wondering what's going to happen to their miles and if it's going to be harder to book a flight with them. Here's a quick roundup of burning questions you might have:

Will American Airlines go out of business and stop flying?

When a company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it doesn't mean it's going to close shop and disappear. It just means the airline gets time off from creditors to do some financial reorganization. Chapter 7 bankruptcy, on the other hand, would mean that business would close. American Airlines has not filed for that, and there seems to be no plans to do so. Airlines such as Delta, Continental, and United have all filed for bankruptcy and are now stronger for it after taking the time needed during the bankruptcy period to put their books in order.

Can I still use my miles?

Yes, the airline says that the frequent flier program will not be affected, and you'll be able to redeem and use your miles. In the past, airlines that have gone bust, such as Pan Am and Eastern, transferred miles to the airlines that purchased some of their assets.

What's going to happen to my flight?

You don't have to worry about the tickets you currently hold, according to Rick Seaney, the CEO of FareCompare, a company that helps customers find air travel deals online. “Tickets won’t be an issue because of the kind of bankruptcy they’re filing,” Rick tells Time. The airline has also said it will continue to honor tickets and reservations.

Read on to learn how you should manage your miles.

5 Airlines That Offer Healthy Food Fare

Heather Dale — Thu, 05 May 2011 11:52:08 PDT

When you are purchasing a flight, do you have a favorite airline that you always book with? Or do you just go for the best deal? And what makes you have an airline preference - the service, the extra leg room, or maybe it's the amazing snacks and meals? For me, if the airline has awesome service, great in-flight entertainment, and other perks, it tends to have delicious food as well.

Last year, the Diet Detective conducted an Airline Food Survey, which rated how healthy the food is aboard the top US airlines. After examining the economy class menus of several airlines' domestic flights and taking into consideration the Diet Detective's results - not to mention some of my own personal biases - here are the top five airlines that I think are serving up the healthiest snacks and meals.

The Cheapest Airlines to Fly Your Pet On

Emily Co — Fri, 27 May 2011 05:00:15 PDT

Travel season is here, and it's not just humans that will be flying, pets will be roaming the skies, too! To find out which airline will best suit your pet travel budget, read on for a short list below that states the airline, and the fee for cabin and checked pets. Read on to see how the prices compare.

Best Frequent Flier Programs to Redeem Miles From

Emily Co — Thu, 26 May 2011 14:45:00 PDT

Some of you have experienced frustration while trying to redeem your miles. What's the point of being a loyal customer if the airline doesn't seem to appreciate it? Perhaps it's best to reconsider your frequent flier program. The Wall Street Journal cites a study that ranks 24 mileage programs all over the world, judging them by the success rates of redeeming a ticket with mileage. The front runner of the US airlines is Southwest, which awards seats 99.3 percent of the time. Here is a list to give you an idea of how the US airlines rank among themselves:

Southwest: 99.3 percent
JetBlue: 79.3 percent
United: 71.4 percent
Continental: 71.4 percent
Alaska: 63.4 percent
American: 62.9 percent
Delta: 27.1 percent
US Airways: 25.7 percent

Quick tip: start booking your trips now, because it's going to be harder for customers to redeem their miles this Summer since a lot of the flights are already booked up during this popular travel season. And if you're going to be traveling a lot, you might want to pick an airline with a better mileage program.

The WSJ points out that the study seemed to indicate that it "might be easier to get 'free' tickets using miles on low-fare carriers than it is on big carriers with global networks." So if you're looking for a mileage program that will give you a bang for your buck, you might want to go with a budget airline.

How-To: Save Money on Your Air Ticket After You Buy It

Emily Co — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:09:02 PDT

We're always looking for cheap air tickets in order to reduce costs before we make the purchase, but did you know that you can save even more money after your buy? Believe it or not, you can actually get refunded the difference if you buy your ticket from airlines like JetBlue or Alaska Airlines. However, some airlines will charge an extra fee because they will consider it to be changing reservations. AirTran and Virgin for example, charges $75, and American and United charges $150. Savvy tip: make sure you do your homework on the fees incurred.

An easy way to keep track of the changing airline prices will be to use online price tracker Yapta.com that will do the work for you and send you refund alerts when your fare has gone down. Be sure to also check out Yapta's other cool feature, which keeps track of the flights that you're interested in buying and sends you alerts when the price drops for the weekend you wanted to jet away to New York. You can even keep track of hotel prices as well.

Have you ever been refunded the difference after the price of your plane ticket dropped?

Got a cost-saving travel tip? Join our Savvy Travel Tips group and share your expertise!

13 Secrets to Save on Travel

Kiplinger — Mon, 02 May 2011 14:53:38 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

The travel industry is recovering from the recession. And unfortunately, stronger business for it means fewer deals for you. But with our 20 tips, you can still save on airfare, lodging, vacation packages and cruises.

Save on Airfare

1) Use Kayak.com to quickly scan hundreds of travel Web sites for the cheapest airfares. And don't forget to check Southwest.com - Kayak doesn’t include fares for the budget airline.

2) Sign up for airlines’ free e-mails to get sale alerts and coupon codes delivered straight to your in-box. Or visit AirfareWatchdog.com, where the site’s staff shares those promotional codes and special offers.

3) Check Bing Travel to save a fortune using its “price predictor,” which forecasts whether fares on major domestic routes will go up or down. Just enter your itinerary and the site will return a list of fares with a recommendation to either buy now or wait for a fare drop.

4) Try booking and flying at less-trafficked times. Fares tend to sneak up on the weekends, when more people are free to plan their travel, so book your flight on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Flying on those days, as well as on Saturday afternoons, also offer the best rates because fewer people travel at those times.

For more secrets to save on travel, read on.

Chic Destinations a Hop From Your Doorstep

LearnVest — Fri, 27 May 2011 00:15:33 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

At this point, most of us have planned our summer travel, but there’s no reason our journeys have to end when the air starts to chill.

We’ve rounded up the best upcoming chic destinations for you, depending on your part of the country–because travel expenses aren’t just about where you’re going, they’re also about where you’re coming from. A quick and inexpensive trip for some might require hours in the air and thousands of dollars for others (Hawaii and London come to mind as quick jaunts for the West and East Coast respectively, not so much for the reverse coasts).

We’ve divided our favorite chic and inexpensive getaways by region, so you can spend less time and money in the air, and more where you want to–on the ground.

If you’re traveling from the Northeast:

Iceland

A hot new destination, it’s close to the Northeastern United States and affordable compared to the rest of Western Europe. Iceland Air has a great stopover option which allows travelers to explore Iceland en route to (or on their way back from) more than 20 destinations served by the airline, for the cost of a single flight. For example: Depart Boston on September 9th, hang out in Reykjavik for a few days, and then head on to London on the 12th, all for $439 including taxes and fees. Despite the economic crisis that nearly turned Iceland into a barter economy just a few years ago, hotel prices still haven’t dropped to what we’d call “cheap” levels. But deals are certainly available. At the Hótel Frón, rooms in September start at $139 per night.

For more hot cities to visit, read on.

What Airfare Hikes Mean and How It Will Affect You

Diana Nguyen — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:10:07 PDT

With Spring break around the corner and Summer on its heels, frequent jet-setters and seldom fliers alike should know why they're spending bigger bucks on airfare this vacation season. It's not just because the airlines want to capitalize on Summer travelers; airlines need to offset rising oil prices, which account for 40 percent of their costs. Even though there have been several airfare hikes this year, experts and executives believe fliers will keep paying despite increasing prices, according to The New York Times. Well, this should get you savvy readers thinking: where's the limit? To make an informed decision as to if that trip to Disneyland is worth it, here's a roundup of airfare hikes and other interesting tidbits about your go-to carriers.

Jet fuel costs are over $3 a gallon, a 32 percent increase from last year and just under the record high of $3.32 in 2008.
Eight fare increases stuck this year out of 14 attempts.
Delta has led four of those raises in airfare (once one airline ups its fare, others generally follow).

To see how much the airlines will profit despite sky-rocketing oil prices and higher costs to their patrons, read on.