Air Travel

Never Lose Your Luggage Again!

by Justin Hubbell on Sat, 2009-08-08 00:30

Last year alone the number of items of luggage misplaced by airlines rose from 30 million to 42 million, an increase of 40%! ReboundTAG, a new UK startup has been working with help from IATA (International Air Transport Association) along with several airport systems developers to come up with a novel solution, by permanently attaching a microchip to a person's luggage.

There is also a barcode and number printed on the Microchip Bag Tag to insure that they function in airports where there are no microchip readers; when the luggage is found the owner receives an email and an SMS (text) to their mobile phone immediately.

The Microchip Bag Tags are made using a patented military grade encapsulation so that they are as close as possible to being indestructible, and can be used as often as desired anywhere in the world. The tags do not contain the customer's details at all, but have a unique ID corresponding to a private database. The Microchip Bag Tag also includes a second microchip that allows the most modern airports to encode your flight data onto the tag whenever you fly.Read more

US Airways to Offer Wi-Fi While You Fly

by jessica on Thu, 2009-07-23 10:19

US Airways just announced that they are partnering with Aircell to provide Gogo Inflight Internet service beginning in early 2010. Full Internet access including Web, Instant Messaging, email and VPN access will be available for purchase to passengers with laptops, smartphones and other Wi-Fi enabled devices.

Gogo will first be installed on US Airways A321 aircraft, flying select domestic routes. A map of routes can be found at www.usairways.com. Later next year, customers will be able to see if Wi-Fi is available on a specific flight by looking for the Wi-Fi icon when booking a flight on usairways.com.

The pricing for Gogo Inflight Internet will be announced closer to the launch date.

More information about US Airways' new Gogo Inflight Internet service can be found online at usairways.com and gogoinflight.com.

Virgin America First Airline to Offer WiFi on Every Flight

by jessica on Wed, 2009-05-20 14:15

Virgin America announced today that they are the first and only (as of now) airline to offer Gogo In-flight Internet service on every flight. You can surf the web, check email, log onto your corporate VPN – all while flying at 37,000 feet. Basically, what this does is no longer give you an excuse as to why that email didn't get answered. But, will I use this service when I fly Virgin America? You bet!

The Gogo service is available for $12.95 for daytime flights of over three hours, $9.95 for daytime flights of less than three hours, $5.95 on red-eye flights and $7.95 for handheld devices.

Another cool thing…Virgin America has another first for an airline: an air-to-ground Skype video call with Oprah Winfrey which will air tomorrow (Thursday, May 21) on The Oprah Winfrey Show (check local listings). The episode is entitled "Where the Skype Are You?" and Oprah will host a video chat from the First Class cabin of Virgin America Flight VX780 en route from Seattle to Los Angeles. For more on the segment, visit www.oprah.com.

Flying Dry

Navigating the Rules of Carry-on Liquids

Is it worth it? Is it really worth it? Trying to get that bottle of Evian on board just isn't worth the hassle anymore. And clinging to that cup of Starbucks coffee as you wait to board a 6:00 a.m. flight to anywhere only to be told to toss it before entering the security check point is hard to handle.

In spite of all the stated rules for "liquids, gels, creams and similar substances" published by the TSA, the actual implementation of these rules will vary dramatically from airport to airport throughout the US and abroad. Why? The reasons can vary from lack of training, personal interpretation of the rules by individual TSA employees or just plain laziness in adhering to them. After all, TSA employees are looking for needles in a haystack as thousands of travelers pass their patrol. So getting through with your favorite beverage is really a toss of the dice.

As a traveler, you can either argue your case when faced with a screener who insists you dump that fresh bottle of water or you can simply take steps to avoid any unpleasantness that may ruin the start to that dream vacation or that important client meeting.Read more

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Five Ways to Reduce the Cost of Your Airline Ticket

Availability of a vast array of airline ticket prices is one that is perplexing to most airline travelers. Only a handful of people who control the complex formulas that go into the science and art of Revenue Management inside the caverns of today’s airlines understand it. To both the seasoned and occasional traveler alike, getting the best value in an airfare is the elusive dream that is difficult to consistently achieve.

However, there are some time proven axioms that one can follow to put the odds on your side in helping you to reduce the cost of your air travel:

1. Change the Time You Travel

Don’t be rigid on the time of day you want to travel. Going between New York and Los Angeles, for example, may have one airline offering as many as seven or eight flights on a particular day. If you want to leave in the morning, investigate the three or four departures offered during that time period. Moving your departure time by just one hour, on your departure or return, may save you a significant portion of the ticket price. Read more

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Win a Cruise with John Mayer from AirTran

AirTran Airways just announced a John Mayer sweepstakes promotion where the winner and a guest will be sent on a four-day, four-night Carnival cruise to Mexico with musical artists John Mayer, Guster, O.A.R. and more, from March 27 - 31, 2009. Visit www.airtran.com/cruise from now until February 13 and register for your chance to win.

Airfare will be provided by AirTran Airways to Los Angeles International Airport, near Port San Pedro in Los Angeles, where the Carnival cruise ship is leaving for its destination, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. To be eligible for the sweepstakes you must be a member of AirTran Airways' frequent flyer program, A+ Rewards.

Th cruise, hosted by John Mayer, includes two days at sea on Carnival’s newest ship, the Splendor, with music, contests, karaoke, theme nights and more. The Splendor includes four pools, a spa, casino, 24-hour room service and 22 lounges and bars.

For more information on the John Mayer cruise, visit: www.mayercraftcarrier.com.

ExpertFlyer.com Helps Subscribers Find More than 1,000 Awards and Upgrades in November

January 20, 2009 -- ExpertFlyer.com, the premier air travel information tool offering complete and efficient ways to access the ever changing details of worldwide air travel information, announced that its subscribers were able to find 1,000 award tickets and upgrades during the month of November. Since the company’s inception in 2005, ExpertFlyer has found more than 18,000 awards and upgrades resulting in millions of dollars in potential savings by its customers. The company credits the success to three primary features of its website: Flights Alerts, which notifies passengers when an award or upgrade becomes available on specified flights; Awards & Upgrades, a new feature which makes it even easier for subscribers to initiate an award or upgrade search; and Mobile Access, a feature which allows subscribers to access account information including saved Flight Queries, Flight Alerts and Seat Maps from anywhere in the world. Together, these features provide ExpertFlyer customers with a distinct advantage over other travelers searching for the same information.

“We’re extremely pleased to see that our customers are using ExpertFlyer’s features to secure so many award tickets and upgrades and our service is able to save them hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars, especially in this economic environment” says Chris Lopinto, President and co-founder of Expertflyer.com. “As airlines continue to reduce the number of flights, the number of awards and upgrades are proportionately reduced as well. Our job at ExpertFlyer is to find these opportunities for our customers so they can secure them online or through their ticket agent. In the end, our goal is to provide a service that will ultimately result in happy and loyal customers to their preferred airline,” Lopinto added. Read more