Remember Kinko’s? The name, if not the storefront locations, disappeared shortly after FedEx bought the remote-office operation back in 2003. Now the renamed FedEx Office locations are offering free WiFi. That’s more than 1,000 new, free hotspots for business travelers, many of them in prime midtown and office-park locations.
Boingo Wireless, which offers 125,000 hotspots as part of its global pay-to-play network, expands again. More than 150 hotspots maintained by MTS in the Canadian province of Manitoba, have become part of Boingo’s network. (more…)
The progress of travel WiFi continues to be a an erratic one. On the plus side, Alaska Airlines has begun installing in-flight WiFi on its aircraft. Six of the carrier’s Boeing 737s now offer GoGo Inflight connections. And Delta Air Lines says 500 of its domestic aircraft are now wired for Gogo’s WiFi service.
On the flip side, however, it looks like Continental Airlines won’t be installing Gogo’s in-flight WiFi service any time soon. The airline announced a test of the WiFi system in January and said it would wire 21 Boeing 757s by the second quarter. But an internal memo claims the service has been delayed until Continental can work through “connectivity solutions in the context of a merged carrier.” Continental is due to merge with United Airlines, which uses Gogo on its transcontinental p.s. flights.
Oh, one more bit of news: Amtrak says the three-month test of WiFi on its Acela Express East Coast Corridor trains has convinced the rail system to expand the availability of the service. WiFi will continue to be free on Acela trains, it will be added to the slower “regional” trains on the runs between Boston and Washington and will also be installed on trains in California.
Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2009 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.
American Airlines is scrapping free blankets in coach on most flights. Starting May 1, the airline will sell an $8 package that includes a blanket, pillow and discount coupon from a home-goods retailer.
Also new in the fee for all from American: a $50 fee to confirm standby travel. Only AAdvantage Elite, premium-class or full-fare-coach fliers are exempt from the charge.
Meanwhile, Virgin America has raised its checked-baggage fee to $25 for each bag.
Boston/Logan airport now offers free Wi-Fi in its terminals, which is interesting because the airport fought Continental Airlines all the way up to the FCC when Continental made its Wi-Fi free in the Presidents Club at Logan. Continental won the right to give away Wi-Fi after the 2006 fight. Now everyone using Boston/Logan gets free Wi-Fi.
Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2009 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.
JetBlue Airways continues to grow in Boston. It’ll launch flights between Boston/Logan and San Jose, Calif., on May 13. Also new: Logan-Punta Cana, Dominican Republic service, due to launch on May 8. Two days earlier, the airline is scheduled to begin New York/Kennedy-Punta Cana flights.
United Airlines now offers one-way awards as part of Mileage Plus. Just like American Airlines, which introduced one-way awards in AAdvantage last year, there is a catch: Free stopovers are eliminated. All awards are now valid for a single flight segment.
Six airports in the BAA system in the United Kingdom have added Boingo’s Wi-Fi service. The airports are in London (Heathrow and Stansted), Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Southampton.
Northwest Airlines died on Jan. 31. Delta Air Lines officially eliminated the NW code and, effective Feb. 1, all former Northwest flights carry the DL code. There are still plenty of aircraft outfitted with Northwest livery, of course.
IATA, the global airline trade group, says that demand for flights fell faster in 2009 than any time since World War II. Global passenger traffic declined by 3.5 percent and freight traffic declined by 10.1 percent.
Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2009 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.
The future of in-flight Wi-Fi according to Lufthansa: About 650 domestic jets have been equipped with Aircell’s GoGo in-flight Wi-Fi service nut, but for all the publicity it has generated, there is very little evidence that travelers are interested in buying. The so-called “take” rate on flights is only about five percent — and an unknown (but large) portion of those fliers are surfing free thanks to some promotion or other.
Yet one international carrier has remained a supporter of in-flight Wi-Fi even when the product literally didn’t exist. Lufthansa was the largest customer of the Boeing Connexion service, which collapsed in 2006 with perhaps a billion dollars in losses for the plane maker. Lufthansa searched for a replacement over the last three years (international in-flight Wi-Fi requires an expensive, satellite-based overwater system, unlike the land-based GoGo) and it thinks it’s found one. (more…)
NEW in 2010: The Orbitz mobile app for iPhone! Download the free Orbitz app for iPhone now.
Get the free Orbitz iPhone app.
By Ari Bendersky
When it comes to travel, nothing kills a trip faster than being in the dark about your plans. Fortunately, a number of apps have sprung up for the iPhone and other mobile devices that prove to help keep a happy traveler from becoming a wary one. While there are hundreds of great travel-related apps, I’ve picked ten that I love.
Google Mobile App (free)
With Google Mobile App, you literally have all the information in the world available at your fingertips. Its voice search makes speaking your search a seamless activity (and the voice recognition is usually spot-on). You can look-up facts, addresses, maps, restaurant recommendations and so much more. It’s a great companion to Wikipanion, Wikipedia’s mobile app. (more…)
Orbitz is the first travel site to showcase Google Maps’ new aerial perspective. This feature gives hotel shoppers a whole new way to view properties and their neighborhoods.
Besides the traditional “satellite” view, customers can zoom into a hotel at an angle, seeing both the rooftop and sides of the building. They can rotate around the entire hotel to see it from all perspectives.
Orbitz has added the aerial perspective to maps for San Diego hotels and San Jose hotels and plans to expand the feature to more destinations as they become available. Take it for a spin yourself by clicking the “Map” tab on any hotel, selecting the satellite view, and rotating the ring around the compass to see various perspectives.
Wi-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.
Family vacations can be exciting, relaxing — even educational — but they can also present some challenges. When it comes to getting through the airport with ease, entertaining kids on flights and packing enough (but not too much), it helps to have the right gear. My wife and I have taken a lot of family vacations with our kids, and we’ve learned a lot along the way. Here are some of the gadgets we’ve found make travel easier:
Pac Back: The FAA recommends securing your child in a car seat approved for air travel during your flight. But the FAA has no suggestions about how to carry that car seat on the long walk to the gate, while pushing your child in a stroller. The Pac Back car seat carrier enables an me to carry the car seat like a backpack, leaving my hands free for dispensing snacks and changing diapers. Without the Pac Back, my family of four might never have reached the gate, much less our destination. (more…)
I’m off to visit my wife and in-laws in Wilmington, NC for the July 4th weekend and decided to try something new.
I’m writing this post from 30,000 feet aboard Delta Air Lines flight 1935 en route to Atlanta and must say, I am pretty impressed with the in-flight Internet access I am just now checking out for the first time.
After a quick registration process on a sign-up page and charging $9.95 to my credit card, I am now online for the duration of the flight. (more…)
By Joe Brancatelli
By Joe Brancatelli
By Joe Brancatelli
