Archive for the 'Airline travel' Category
Expedia drops fees for booking over the phone
November 5, 2009 11:04am
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a call to Expedia. If you have missed talking to a real human when making your travel reservations because the extra fees forced you to figure out how to do it online, get ready to have your life back. Expedia today, Nov. 5, let go of all its fees for booking flights, hotels, rental cars and cruises over the phone. Yesterday, calling in travel reservations cost customers $20 per transaction; today, it’s zippo.
Here are four scenarios that will save you money if you call in your reservation with Expedia.
1. If you book your flight by calling an airline directly. You know those pesky charges that airlines tack on if you call them to book your flight? As examples, Virgin America charges $15 per guest per itinerary. Delta charges $20 per person per ticket and United charges $25 per person, per reservation. As of today, if you call Expedia to book a flight (on any of those airlines and others) there will be no extra fee for doing so.
2. If you book your flight over the phone through a a competing online travel agency (OTA). Orbitz, Travelocity and CheapTickets charge $25 to book a flight over the phone. If you are making that call to book flights for more than one person, the fees can go up and up. For two people, it’s $50 on those three other OTAs and $75 for three people. When you call in flight reservations for four people, the fee stays at $75 on Travelocity but becomes $100 on both Orbitz and CheapTickets. [Update on Nov. 5: An earlier version of this post said Priceline doesn't charge for offline flight bookings and hasn't for years. The correct information is that Priceline does not offer telephone bookings for flights.]
3. If you book a flight with some OTAs and need to change or cancel the itinerary. Travelocity, Orbitz and Priceline generally charge $30 for flight changes and cancellations. However, Orbitz has a 24-hour no fee flight cancellation policy through its My Trips feature. Priceline’s Name Your Own Price does not allow changes. CheapTickets charges $50 for flight changes and cancellations.
4. If you book a cruise for a family of four with an OTA and need to cancel it. Some online travel agencies charge for changes. Orbitz charges $75 for canceling a cruise, according to a spokeswoman and their website. [Corrected at 4:30 p.m. Nov. 5: In an earlier version of this post, I noted that I called Orbitz and was told they charge $100 per cabin for cruise cancellations but that there will be no charge if you rebook for a different date on the same phone call. I was also told that again when I called later. But an Orbitz spokeswoman e-mailed to correct this information]. And of course, there’s the nonrefundable $25 booking fee. CheapTickets charges $75 per cabin for cancellations. It’s worth noting that Travelocity and Priceline do not charge a fee to change or cancel a cruise booking.
Phoenix airport luggage thefts: Did you lose a bag? [Updated]
November 4, 2009 2:19pm
Take a look at the photo above. Recognize your bag? If so, you may be one of possibly hundreds of passengers whose luggage may have been stolen off carousels at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in Arizona.
Police are asking travelers who think they might have been victimized to call the property crimes section at the Phoenix Police Department, (602) 495-7808.
In a news alert on their website, Phoenix police said they arrested two people on suspicion of stealing luggage from the airport’s carousels after an officer reported suspicious behavior there. When police searched the couple’s home Tuesday, Nov. 3, they found “suitcases everywhere — from floor to ceiling,” said Det. James Holmes, a department spokesman. The photo above shows some of the bags.
Travel + Leisure online airport guide to restaurants, shops and bars
November 2, 2009 3:18pm
It’s a common dilemma when passing through an airport: What should I eat? Where’s the bar? Are there any good gift stores, because I forgot to get my kids/spouse/mother something on my trip. If you’re racing through the airport with 20 minutes before boarding or stuck on a layover for four hours — Travel + Leisure’s Airport Navigator has the answers to those questions and more for 20 different airports around the globe. It’s not just a list of fast-food options or bookstores that are easy to find — the guide lets you know if it’s a swanky restaurant like El Madrono in Madrid Barajas International Airport (MAD), or the much admired Tiffany & Co. jewelry store in Hong Kong (HKG).
Unfortunately, there aren’t any airports covered within the U.S., but the editors are not done adding to the list (the guide launched this past Aug. 22).
20 Airport Navigator sites covered so far: EUROPE — Schipol (AMS in Amsterdam), Munich International (MUC in Germany), Atatürk (IST in Istanbul, Turkey), Charles de Gaulle (XDT in Paris), Heathrow (LHR in London), Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino (FCO in Rome), Barajas International (MAD in Madrid); ASIA: Capital International (PEK in Beijing), Changi Airport (SIN in Singapore), Hong Kong International (HKG), Narita International (NRT in Tokyo); US + Canada: Toronto Pearson International (YYZ), Vancouver International (YVR); LATIN AMERICA: Ministro Pistirini International (Ezeiza) (EZE in Buenos Aires), Guarulhos International (GRU in Sao Paulo, Brazil), Mexico City International (MEX); AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST: Cairo International (CAI), OR Tambo International (JNB), Dubai International (DXB); AUSTRALIA: Sydney Airport (SYD)
Thanksgiving travel: Cheapest dates and destinations
November 1, 2009 1:44pm
Those who have ever stepped foot in an airport the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving know that flights departing during that very popular time don’t usually come cheap. In fact, by being a little flexible with your dates for Thanksgiving-week travel, you can save as much as $180 in airfare, according to Travelocity folk who researched flight bookings from Nov. 22 to Dec. 1.
It’s no surprise that the most expensive flight itineraries include departures on Sunday, Nov. 22, or on Wednesday, Nov. 25. The priciest return dates, because of holiday surcharges enacted by airlines, are Sunday, Nov. 29, and Monday, Nov. 30, according to Travelocity’s report.
The cheapest days to depart are Nov. 23 and 26. The least expensive day to return, if you can swing it, is Tuesday, Dec. 1. See the Travelocity chart for a comparison of average fares.
What about hotels? The same report cites a decrease in accommodations costs this year, with hotel rates 16% lower than they were last year. Read the rest of this entry »
United breaks guitars … and loses bags too: The saga continues
October 30, 2009 5:43pm
Dave Carroll, the Canadian musician who won worldwide fame by composing a song and video about the demise of his guitar at the hands of United Airlines, found himself in that airline’s clutches again the other day, on the way to a speaking engagement about customer service. And guess what happened?
United lost his bag.
“It’s bizarre,” said Carroll.
It happened Sunday, Carroll said, as he made his way from the Canadian city of Regina in Saskatchewan province to the Denver airport, on his way to a conference in Colorado Springs. “The only direct flight to Denver was with United. So I flew United and my bag got lost,” Carroll told Canada’s CBC News on Thursday. Robin Urbanski, a spokeswoman for the airline, said, “We will fully investigate what regretfully happened,” the New York Times reported.
Carroll’s initial trouble with United came in 2008, and he told the tale this year with a “United Breaks Guitars” video (above) that has racked up more than 5 million views on YouTube.
New Zealand vacations: Qantas airfare sale starts at $349 each way
October 30, 2009 9:22am
If you can plan ahead to next summer, you might consider this early-bird New Zealand sale from Qantas Vacations. For five days only, travelers can get flights between Los Angeles or San Francisco and Auckland starting at $349 each way, pretax. That’s low season for New Zealand, but the sale still offers decent fares. Comparatively, fares were priced at more than $1,200 on both Air New Zealand and Qantas when I checked dates on Kayak for travel in mid-June. With this Qantas Vacations deal, the total price came to $897.
Deal or no deal? It was frustrating that when I went to the promo page I couldn’t test dates and fares on their website. I had the option of calling or using their live chat. I tried the live chat feature and got connected to a Qantas Vacations representative immediately. They gave me a price of $1,297, including taxes, for June 16-24. That didn’t seem significantly cheaper than what I could find on Kayak. When I asked whether there were any cheaper dates to travel in May or June she said early June, but I stepped away from the computer and the live chat timed out, leading me to start over. But I was glad I did - the next chatter returned round-trip LAX-AUK fares of $897, including tax, for June 3-10.
Lowest airfares in 11 years? OK, but what about fees?
October 29, 2009 6:31pm
On the heels of an airfare war comes this report from the U.S. Department of Transportation: We’re paying the cheapest fares in 11 years. Of course, that accounting doesn’t include all the extra charges for checked luggage, seat selection and even blankets and pillows that carriers have piled on in recent years.
Even the airlines concede that these fees, which they dub “a la carte” pricing, add up.
“When you throw in a la carte, there are some cases where you could be paying more to fly” today than back in 1998, said David Castelveter, spokesman for the Air Transport Assn. of America, an industry group based in Washington, D.C. that represents most U.S. carriers.
But really, haven’t we had enough bad news lately? So as you squeeze yourself into a middle seat, sandwich your carry-on bag between your feet and shiver in the arctic blast from the air vents, count your blessings:
From April through June (latest figures), passengers paid an average of 13% less to fly between U.S. cities than they did during the same period a year ago. This was the biggest fare drop since the government began keeping records in 1995.
$25 airfare sale on Southwest, American and United ends tonight
October 29, 2009 3:10pm
A reader responded to our post about American Airlines matching Southwest’s $25 4th Quarter sale commenting that United has also done the same. When I checked flights on United Airlines between Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO), sure enough, there they were for $50 round trip, pre-tax. Now, you have to also consider what other readers have already pointed out: the other airlines charge for checked baggage. So, lets do a side-by-side comparison of what traveling on each airline will cost for one couple trying to take a weekend in San Francisco with one checked bag per person. We’ll leave carry-on space to purses and computers. But hurry, the sale ends tonight.
Dates tested: Friday Dec. 11 - Monday Dec. 14
Travel: Los Angeles (LAX) - San Francisco (SFO)
Southwest: I found plenty of fares for $25 each way, per person. On Southwest, each ticket allows for two free checked bags. The total cost of flights for two passengers (including taxes and fees) plus one checked bag per person came to $142. Purchase by Oct. 29, 2009 for travel Dec. 2 - Dec. 16, 2009 and Jan. 5 - Feb. 10, 2010. Travel valid every day except Sundays.
United: $25 each way flights were available bringing the total price for round-trip tickets for two adults to $142. However, the cost of the first checked bag is $15 per person if you do it online, and $20 per person each way if you pay at the airport. So, the total cost of flights and bags for this trip on United came to $222 for two passengers, for travel Dec. 2, 2009 and Dec. 16, 2009 or between Jan. 5, 2010 and Feb. 10, 2010. Caveat: When I called United to find out if the deadline for this sale was tonight like Southwest’s deadline, they didn’t even know the sale existed. I called two different people. The most info I got was that it was based on availability and required a 21-day advance purchase.
Bay Bridge closure travel guide: Detour routes, traffic and current info for getting to SFO and OAK
October 28, 2009 3:46pm
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is closed in both directions—indefinitely—after two rods and a 5,000-pound crossbeam fell during rush hour traffic at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, as reported on L.A. Now. Traffic was backed up during the morning rush hour on Wednesday and is expected to add delays to the evening commute Wednesday as well. Here are some resources for Bay Bridge updates and alternative travel means, plus maps for traffic statuses on routes to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Oakland International Airport (OAK).
Bay Area transit info: 511.org is the best place to find alternative transit options in the Bay Area.
The page on transit options shows a full grid of status updates for Bay Area transportation services such as BART, MUNI, SF and East Bay ferry service and more. Use this 511.org “Detour Routes” page for alternative routes that use the Dumbarton Bridge, San Mateo Bridge and other options.
Airport commute: 511.org offers these directions to San Francisco International Airport from the East Bay: “Take Interstate 880, the San Mateo Bridge, and U.S. 101 north. Or, use the 511 Transit Trip planner to plan your trip to the airport on BART.” However, the trip planner does not account for adjusted schedules due to the bridge closure. If you are in San Francisco trying to get to the Oakland airport, MapQuest asks that you drag your route map down to the San Mateo bridge due to the closure. Here is a map link for travel between San Francisco and the Oakland airport.
SuperShuttle: If you are using the Super Shuttle 800 BLUE-VAN (258-3826), note that officials say that driving time is about 1 hour, 45 minutes between downtown San Francisco and OAK. They ask that you allow three hours from your departure time for domestic flights and four hours for international flights.
Fare war: American Airlines matches Southwest $25 airfare sale
October 28, 2009 11:14am
Just what we like to see. American Airlines joined the frenzy that took over online travel booking yesterday when Southwest started its $25 national 4th Quarter Sale. The main difference I found when looking for flights on American is that it doesn’t spell out where you’ll find the savings. Southwest very clearly shows which destinations you could get for $25, $50, $75 or $100 each way. But when I got to the American Airlines website, I had to just type in destinations and guess.
That said, when I applied routes similar to the $25 sale on Southwest, I was able to find the same prices on American. For example, it was easy to find $25 fares between Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO). American is offering the same dates for travel—Monday through Saturday. Prices are each way based on round-trip purchase, and pre tax.
When: Buy your tickets by Oct. 29, 2009 with a 14-day advance purchase and travel Dec. 2-16, 2009, and Jan. 5 - Feb. 10, 2010
Contact: American Airlines, (800) 433-7300
– Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
[Photo: Rick Gershon / Getty Images]
