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Articles for ‘Flights’ Category
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Tuesday, November 17th, 2009New upgrade, club rules; Southwest adds service
Monday, November 16th, 2009
By Joe Brancatelli
STAR SIGNS
United Upgrades Upgrades, US Airways Simplifies Club Membership: Continental Airlines joined the Star Alliance at the end of October, so fellow Star carrier United Airlines is bringing its Mileage Plus program in line with Continental’s OnePass plan.
Beginning in the second quarter next year, United will kill its 500-mile upgrade certificates. The new upgrade regimen is somewhat simple: unlimited domestic upgrades based on your elite status in Mileage Plus. Naturally, the top players, Global Services and 1K members, get first dibs.
Australia part 2: Urban hip and wine country sips
Friday, November 13th, 2009
Melbourne skyline (Courtesy: Tourism Victoria)
By Lena Katz
Melbourne: where leisure is a luxury … for everyone
As a girl who lives on the beach, I’m never head-over-heels to see more white sand. I like cities, especially the ones with character and architecture all their own, which is why I included Melbourne on my Australia vacation itinerary. Though its urban sprawl covers more square acreage than U.S. cities twice as populated — Australians don’t like to live on less than a half-acre — its city center is a colorful labyrinth of laneways sprouting more laneways, where tiny bars are tucked into corners and attics and rooftops.
Federation Square teems with milling tourists and locals hurrying toward the train station across the street. People stroll and bike the banks of the Yarra River whenever the weather permits. Outside the Queen Victoria Market, locals angle for tables two blocks down the sidewalk, chatting and snacking without a care in the world, even at 2 p.m. on a Thursday. For anyone used to the typical 40-means-60-hour U.S. workweek, this spectacle is hard to comprehend. Aren’t these people supposed to be in offices? Maybe we can learn something from them.
Free Wi-Fi for holiday travelers
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009Wi-Fi will be free at 47 airports during the holiday season, thanks to Google. The search engine company is paying for the service at select airports through January 15. Get details.
Related Orbitz resources:
Orbitz Twitter Giveaway: 10 airline tickets up for grabs
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009Tweets for tickets is back by popular demand, and this time we’re upping the ante. Instead of one round-trip airline voucher, we are giving away 10!
To enter for a chance to win one of 10 round-trip coach-class airfare vouchers valid for travel in the domestic United States in the Orbitz Twitter Giveaway, here’s what you’ve got to do:
- Start following Orbitz on Twitter.com, if you’re not doing so already.
- Retweet that day’s contest message, which will be posted on the @Orbitz Twitter page.
We’ll announce the winners on the @Orbitz Twitter page. If it’s you, make sure to send a direct message via Twitter within 48 hours. Remember, all entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. CT on October 27, 2009. Limit one entry per person/twitter address.
Read on for official rules …. (more…)
Orbitz holiday travel tips
Monday, October 26th, 2009Spend the holiday season with friends and family, not the people waiting in the airport security line. Although rightfully known as the most wonderful time of the year, the Thanksgiving and Christmas travel season often creates a few challenges for travelers.
To ensure smooth sailing this holiday season, consider the following holiday travel tips:
- Know before you go: The OrbitzTLC Traveler Update site offers real-time weather, traffic and tips from fellow travelers about airport conditions across the country. It also features the OrbitzTLC Flying Forecast, featuring the Orbitz air-traffic analysts’ provide round-the-clock updates on delayed flights across the country.
- Have the latest information: Sign up for Orbitz Care Alerts to have information about any flight delays or gate changes sent to your mobile device.
- Neatness counts: The Transportation Security Administration recommends packing your carry-on as neatly as possible so it will be easier to screen, with separate layers for clothes, electronics and toiletries.
- Remember 3-1-1: Liquids, gels or aerosols must be in containers 3 ounces or less and should fit in a quart-size, zip-top bag.
- Don’t wrap things up: If you’re packing gifts, remember that they need to be unwrapped to go through security.
- Arrive early: Better safe than sorry.
Related resources:
Delta’s merge with Northwest; Continental moves to Star Alliance
Monday, October 19th, 2009By Joe Brancatelli
BY THE NUMBERS: Delta’s “don’t ask don’t tell” policy on Northwest changes 
Delta Airlines says that it’s on track to fully integrate Northwest Airlines by the end of the year–and that includes flying under one operating certificate, the key bit of government-issued authority. Generally speaking, the merger has gone smoothly enough, but it looks as if Delta has pooched one of the easiest parts of the integration. Effective with the “winter” schedule that begins on Oct. 24, Delta will rebrand Northwest’s operations with Delta’s DL code and new flight numbers. The changes have been loaded into reservation computers, but Delta hasn’t bothered to alert travelers yet. Not even by the cheapest, easiest method: an explanatory page on the Delta.com and/or NWA.com Web sites. For its part, Delta insists the code and numbering changes “will be a smooth process for customers who will receive notification of flight changes through the normal channels.” It doesn’t say what those normal channels are. (more…)
Big changes afoot at some major American airports
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009By Joe Brancatelli
AIRPORT REPORT: What Would Eero Think?
The stunning Eero Saarinen terminal at Washington/Dulles Airport is a late 20th century masterpiece of architecture and design. But it’s always been a disaster as an airport terminal trying to keep up with the demands of modern-day air travel. Hence the constant retrofitting and work-arounds that have dominated the facility for the last 30 years.
The latest change: a new below-ground mezzanine level that was constructed to accommodate a 121,000-square-foot security checkpoint facility to process departing passengers. The checkpoints have 16 lanes on the east side, which is dominated by United Airlines and its commuter carriers. There are eight checkpoint lanes on the west side. If you enter Dulles on the ticketing/departure levels, you’ll now see escalators leading down to the checkpoint level. The new mezzanine is only part of the ongoing work at Dulles. A new fourth level below the mezzanine will house the AeroTrain system that will move passengers from Saarinen’s terminal to the remote concourses that were built in recent years. (more…)
On the road: Travel fees rise, airlines improve comfort
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009DOLLAR WATCH: Surprise! Travel Fees Keep Rising
Frontier Airlines has been busy on the fee front. It has raised its first checked bag fee to $20 and its second checked bag fee to $30. It also lowered some of its ticket-change fees. The supposedly fee-free carrier, Southwest Airlines, has invented an optional new charge. For $10, you can get so-called Early Bird Check-In, which will get you a spot on the boarding line behind Business Select and A-List customers.
Fees on frequent-travel miles and points are rising as well. Effective December 21, National says it will charge renters 75 cents a day (up from the current 50 cents) if they choose to collect airline miles on their rentals. And American Express has raised the fee for converting Membership Rewards points into frequent flyer miles. The so-called “excise tax offset” charge is now .0006 per point with a maximum of $99 a transaction. That’s up from .0005 cents and $75.
United Airlines continues to find new ways to sell the perks most other carriers offer only to their elite flyers. The Premier Travel plan sells a package of extras–Economy Plus seats, priority line access, admittance to the Red Carpet Club–on a flight-by-flight basis. Prices start at $47 a flight.
GOOD NEWS: Some Roomier Seats in These Gloomier Times
It’s not all gloom and doom up there. At least on some routes, some carriers are ratcheting up the comfort: (more…)
On the road: Airlines make major route map changes
Friday, October 2nd, 2009By Joe Brancatelli
WEST COAST ROUTE MAP: A War for the Routes to Florida
- Virgin America says that it will launch flights to Fort Lauderdale from both Los Angeles and San Francisco beginning on November 18.
- JetBlue Airways promptly responded it would launch San Francisco-Fort Lauderdale flights beginning on November 19.
- Alaska Airlines says that it will begin flights from Portland, Oregon, to Chicago/O’Hare on November 16.
AIRPORT REPORT: Continental Jiggles Its Route Map to Match Star Alliance Hubs
As you surely know by now, Continental Airlines drops out of the SkyTeam Alliance on October 24 and moves into the Star Alliance on October 27. That also means a rejiggering of Continental’s route map to reduce its service to SkyTeam hubs (including Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City and Memphis) and new flights to Star Alliance hubs.
(more…)