Sunday, February 10, 2008
Deals and News for the Week of February 8, 2008
Skybus ( www.skybus.com), the scrappy discount carrier with hubs in Columbus, OH and Greensboro, NC released a fresh batch of their $10 fares (each way) for travel in June and July. They offer a very limited number of seats at $10 on every flight, and these sell out faster than tickets to a Hannah Montana concert, so head on over to the Skybus website and get 'em while they're hot.
Pre-Valentines Virgin America Sale
If you want to give yourself or someone special the gift of travel for Valentine's Day or some other special day, hurry and grab some of the seats on Virgin America's (tel. 877/359-8474; www.virginamerica.com) non-stop service between New York (JFK) or Washington, D.C. (Dulles) to Los Angeles or San Francisco. Also available are flights from San Francisco to San Diego, Los Angeles or Las Vegas. New non-stop service begins to Seattle from Los Angeles on April 8. Head to Virgin America's site for details, restrictions and availability. Basic guidelines? Tickets must be purchased by February 8 and travel must be completed by May 9. Fares range from $39.00 each way to $134.00 each way depending on route.
$9 Allegiant Fares
Here's something you won't catch by searching the bigwig online booking sites. Allegiant Air (tel. 702/505-8888; www.allegiantair.com) has a whole slew of new $9 one-way fares up for grabs, in addition to their usual low fares
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Airfare Deals and News for the Week of January 18, 2007
American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; http://www.aa.com/) has a great promotion going on right now to Mexico with 20% off all flights from the US to Acapulco, Cancun, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos and Ixtapa. This deal is available for travel from April 1, 2008 through April 30, 2008.
This promo only requires a one night minimum stay and a minimum base fare of $125. These deals typically require a Saturday night stay, so compared to others we've seen recently, the terms are pretty favorable.
Reservations must be made via the AA web site using the promotion code DFAPRMXPLE by January 21, 2008.
British Airways: More Bang for your sad little Buck
With the dollar not exactly in top form these days, London may be the last place on earth you'd want to step foot in. In fact, unless Charles & Camilla invite us to stay over in the guest room (which they probably won't after what happened last time with our mascotBrowser. But what were we supposed to do? Put wee-wee pads under every table leg in the palace? Seriously Camilla, big whoop, we said we were sorry, and even sent you both AFWD t-shirts). What do you want from us?!, or a free hotel room magically falls from the sky, we're gonna skip London. Oh, but what's this? A free hotel room has fallen from the sky, sort of. At least that's what British Airways (tel. 800/247-9297; www.ba.com) is offering: Two free nights in London. Well that changes everything!
From what we can tell, there are no strings, just clean sheets and a good night's sleep. Just book the initial stay on the BA web site after you buy your ticket, although not necessarily at the same time.
The fares we have listed are the lowest available for departures through March 23, and can be up to $200 more for take-offs through May 25, depending on your departure city.
You might well be able to find lower fares, so be sure to compare prices on Orbitz before you decide what that free overnight stay is worth to you. One other noteworthy benefit of these fares is that they allow a maximum stay of 11 months instead of the typical 30 days, although they do come with the standard Saturday-night minimum-stay and 7-day advance-purchase requirements. This offer runs until January 24, but you'd better run much faster than that if you want to get yourself a nice room!
AA Caribbean Sale from South Florida
South Floridians looking to take a walk on someone else's beach for a change should check out the latest Caribbean Sale from American Airlines. This sale is good for departures from Miami and Ft Lauderdale, and for travel between January 21 and March 20, 2008.
JetBlue to St Maarten
JetBlue (tel. 800/538-2583; www.jetblue.com) has just tacked on new service between New York to St Maarten, making this their 11th Caribbean destination. Fares are available at a special introductory price of $198 round-trip, or about $292 with taxes. This is good for southbound travel Monday through Wednesday and northbound travel Tuesday through Thursday, starting January 22 through April 2.
http://rcitimeshare.blogspot.com/
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Airlines increase fares up to $20
As if on cue, airlines are responding to oil's latest surge by pushing ticket prices even higher.
Roundtrip domestic fares began rising $10 to $20 or more late Thursday, as crude futures crossed the once-unthinkable $100-a-barrel mark. Several major carriers increased prices, with each citing higher fuel costs as the reason.
The widespread increases follow nearly two dozen attempted systemwide fare hikes in 2007, or about double the number during the previous year,
Passengers hoping for relief in the new year are likely to be disappointed.
"If oil stays at $100 a barrel, or if it creeps up even higher, I don't see how this is going to stop," FareCompare Chief Executive Rick Seaney said in an interview. "Airlines are going to be scrapping to keep their heads above water."
United Airlines, the second-largest U.S. carrier, led with the biggest round of increases Thursday night
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Airfare Deals and News
Skybus Adds New Routes
What do Michael Jackson and Skybus (no telephone; www.skybus.com) have in common? Is it their mutual love of captain's hats and epaulets? Noooo. It's Gary, Indiana, or, in Skybus speak: Gary/Chicago. Michael Jackson's hometown is the latest in a string of new destinations announced today, which include Toronto/Niagara Falls, and Philadelphia/Wilmington. Service is scheduled to begin in March/April but tickets are on sale now. Those flexible with their dates of travel can, in most cases, still find seats at Skybus' usual $10 each-way introductory fare, as well as some for $25 each-way. And that makes flying with Bubbles so much more affordable!
Skybus is also adding flights to their existing routes, like Hartford/Springfield, Milwaukee, Richmond and Ft. Lauderdale. Look for those to begin in March and April as well.
New Deal to Delhi from American Airlines
American's (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) latest offer nets you 15% off all flights from the continental US to Delhi, India. Travel is valid immediately through March 30, 2008.
All you have to do is book your reservation via aa.com by January 16, 2008 and enter promo code DFDELL08 to receive the 15% discount.
Last Day of the Virgin America Sale
If you missed it before, you'd better hurry. That 4-Day sale from Virgin America (tel. 877/359-8474; www.virginamerica.com) expires today, January 11. Sale fares are $44.00 each way between San Francisco and Las Vegas or Los Angeles. These fares can be used one way.
Between San Francisco and Washington, D.C., a fare of $118 each way is still relatively easy to find. For $10 more each way, at a fare of $128 each way, Virgin America will fly you comfortably between San Fran and New York. Similarly, the Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. route is offered at $118 each way and Los Angeles to JFK at $128 one-way. Taxes and fees are additional in all cases and tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. A 3-day advance purchase (or more if you can for best availability) is required. Seats are limited and subject to availability, of course. All bookings on the sale fare must be made on Virgin America's site.
New Nonstop Service from Boston to North Florida
Good news for Boston area golfers and beach-goers. JetBlue (tel. 800/538-2583; www.jetblue.com) has announced new daily nonstop service between Logan International and Jacksonville Fl., beginning March 15. Jacksonville is a short drive from the World Golf Village and World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, as well as Amelia Island.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Do Air Purifiers Work on Plane Trips
Some suppliers mention that their portable devices, such as the one I use, can be worn elsewhere than airplanes, in any crowded situation such as theaters, restaurants, offices, subways, trains and buses. That may be a good idea, especially during flu season.
Anecdotal Evidence
It's not scientific proof, but, for example, I think my purifier, Air Supply, works. I don't believe it's just a coincidence that the number of plain old ordinary head colds I suffer after flying somewhere has dropped from about half the time to around a fourth of the time, a 50% decrease. I use the Ultra-Miniature Air Supply, which costs $150 (the AS 150 MM model) and is said by the manufacturer to be "the world's first wearable air purifier." They say it "reduces pollutants, dust, smoke, pollens, bacteria, perfumes, odors and allergen particles floating in the air" and that it "projects trillions of air cleansing ions from its grill that electronically charge pollutants." The manufacturers, Wein Products, say Air Supply "is not an ionizer or ozone machine but rather a new class of device called Plasma Discharge Ionic Purifiers" and say they were the first to commercialize this technology, with two-year tests at UCLA School of Microbiology, resulting in a "90% reduction in germ colony growth." They say the Good Housekeeping Institute tested it against cat allergen and cigarette smoke and recommended it. You will often see it advertised in in-flight shopping catalogs, but you can order directly from Wein at www.weinproducts.com. I wear mine on every flight now.
The AirTamer
Comtech Research, the distributors of the AirTamer A 300 are quick to point out that theirs "is not the personal air purifier that caught fire on Continental Airlines flight 1065." "It is impossible for this situation to happen with the AirTamer," they say. It is a small, gray air ionizer less than the size of a pack of cigarettes (some say it looks like an MP3 player). It's a negative ionizer, say the distributors, Cometech Research, indicating they had looked at other personal air purifiers and "all we found was junk" until finding this one. "Some of them only emitted ozone, or even undesirable positive ions. (No kidding)." It "helps eliminate viruses, pollen, smoke, mold spores, pet dander, dust, dust mites from your personal space," they say, and that it "cleans up to 110% more pollutants than the competition: (namely) 99.01% vs. 46.66%." They say the ozone output is undetectable. You can buy the AirTamer A300 for $119.95 at tel. 866/466-4937 or at www.negativeiongenerators.com.
Comtech Research buys its AirTamers from Filter Stream and says the devices are manufactured in China (where else?). You can buy the AirTamer A300 from Filter Stream directly for $59.99 at www.filterstream.com or at tel. 866/625-3218. If and when my Air Supply unit wears out, I just might switch to Air Tamer, as it looks like a good product, too.
A Filter
The Plane Clean Air device, made in the USA, is a round filter that attaches to the overhead air nozzle, the makers claiming that it "prevents 99.5% of allergens, airborne viruses, bacteria and other particulate matter from the flowing air stream from going into the passengers [sic] face." They say it "meets FAA certification requirements," but I have never seen anyone use it. Each unit comes with two filters and two adhesive gaskets. One gasket and filter will last approximately eight flights, they say, and "under normal usage, the unit will last five years." You'll need to know before boarding whether your aircraft does, indeed, have an overhead air nozzle, as some newer planes do not, in fact. If I knew nothing of such filters and saw the person in the next seat adhering one to his or her air nozzle, I would probably ask for an explanation, and so would, I suspect, an alert flight attendant. The cost per unit is $19.95, for filter and adhesive gasket $6.95. It's made by Allergy Asthma Technology Ltd., Morton Grove, IL, tel. 800/621-5545, www.allergyasthmatech.com.
(They also sell a Wearable Air Purifier which looks exactly like my Ultra Miniature Air Supply, made in Japan, they say, by the Wein Company and selling at nearly the same price, $149.95.)
A Cautionary Tale
A Fresh Air Buddy, a device similar to my Air Supply unit and manufactured by its maker, Wein Products, exploded when its non-rechargeable battery was improperly recharged by a passenger before he boarded a Continental flight from Houston to Portland on December 15, 2006. About an hour into the flight, this led to a short circuit in the device, "thermal runaway, battery failure, and an explosion" says the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) report. Wein wants to emphasize that there was no fire. There were warnings in the printed instructions for the unit about trying to recharge non-rechargeable batteries, but the passenger ignored them, apparently. The small battery explosion was scary enough to cause the pilot to make an emergency landing at Colorado Springs. Nobody was injured save the offending passenger, who had a small burn mark on his chest. Distributors stopped sales of the Fresh Air Buddy, and apparently have not resumed them at time of writing (phone calls from the writer to the company were not returned.) Moral: don't fiddle around with trying to recharge the non-rechargeable batteries -- you could get burned
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Is Southwest Airlines Buying Airtran ?
Don't count out Southwest if the long-predicted wave of airline consolidation ever takes off. "At some point, I think we'll probably acquire somebody," Southwest CEO Gary Kelly told The Dallas Morning News in a recent interview. "There's bound to be a scenario that we would say, 'That scenario out of these 10, yep, that one would work for us.' We'd want to be prepared for that opportunity that presents itself."
Kelly's comments came in a Q & A from the interview that the newspaper runs today. Perhaps the most interesting question posed to Kelly by the Morning News was: "What do you say to an analyst or hedge fund manager who says, "Gary, why don't you eliminate your closest competitor by acquiring Air Tran?"
To that, Kelly responded: "We can't let investors guide the company. That's not to say that investors aren't smart and don't have good ideas, because they do. They just have different motives. We've got to stay true to who we are as a company and build for the long term. ... At some point, I think we'll probably acquire somebody. That's just a reflection of my view that the industry is weak and that there'll be players up for sale, probably in a fire-sale mode, and we'll want to at least be thoughtful about that. We'll still have all the considerations – the fleet, the labor contracts, the seniority issues, the cost implications of it, the cultural aspects of trying to bring two work groups together and on and on and on. We would be concerned about that and always have been."
Friday, December 14, 2007
December 14th deals
Long before you've even stepped foot in the airport, holiday travel can get pretty ugly. Step one: you shop around for a ticket. You wince and cringe at the sight of these whopper fares before resigning to the idea that you're going to be getting ripped off anyway, and just buy the darn thing before another valuable hour ticks by and they hike the price up another hundred bucks. That's how it goes sometimes at least. Other times, you catch a break, as is the case with this holiday sale from Midwest Airlines (tel. 800/452-2022; www.midwestairlines.com). Holiday sales are by no means a rarity, with every airline and their brother offering some strain of one, but typically their valid dates and your actual holiday don't match up as well as you'd hoped. So we were pleased to see actual peak holiday travel dates available from this Midwest sale. Sample round-trip fares include:
This sale is good for travel from December 18 through January 6, 2008, and all purchases must be made by December 17.
JetBlue Sale Ends Soon
Hurry and you could just catch it. JetBlue (tel. 800/538-2583; www.jetblue.com) is having a four-day sale that ends December 14. They've shaved a few bucks off their normal fares ($20-$30 off short haul routes, a bit more on long haul) for travel January 8 through February 13, 2008.
If you like the time saved by a flexible date search, you'll find most of these fares on Travelocity, Orbitz and Cheapair, but we found lower fares on the JFK to Cancun route on JetBlue itself, and JetBlue has some routes for even less than in this sale, for even longer travel periods. Other airlines quickly matched most routes, but JetBlue flies many of these routes nonstop and the others don't.
Silverjet 5% Off
OK, so it's not a lot but it's better than nuthin'. Silverjet (tel. 877/359-7458; www.flysilverjet.com) is offering a 5% discount off all fares when you book on their site and use promo code 16688X. This offer applies to their all business class flights between New York JFK and London or Dubai and travel must be completed by Dec 31.
South America on Sale
If you're planning a mid-winter jaunt to South America, this is a good time to do your shopping. First up, American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) is having a sale on travel to Buenos Aires, Panama City, and San Jose. With the exception of folks traveling from New York and Miami (which we'll get to next), this sale is going to going to be your best bet. Sample round-trip fares, including taxes, are:
Now, for you folks in New York to Miami, TAM Linhas Areas (tel. 888/235-9826; www.tamairlines.com) has some incredible early spring fares down to Brazil, and not just your usual Rio and Sao Paulo either. You'll also find a few stray fares (round-trip, including taxes as well) to Paraguay, too.
Need a holiday to recover from your holidays? Do your defrazzling in Hawaii. We've seen a whole heap of great round-trip fares to Honolulu this week, starting with US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com):
And of course, US Airways isn't the only game in town. ATA (tel. 800/435-9282; www.ata.com) is having a sale to Hawaii (Hilo, Honolulu, Kona, Lihue and Maui) from practically every city they fly from. And other carriers are matching. Sample round-trip fares include:
And while is sale is predominantly to/from Hawaii, ATA's thrown in some random fares such as Columbus, OH to/from Dallas/Ft. Worth for $79 one-ways (vs Travelocity's lowest listed fare of $89 one-way); Chicago Midway to/from Guadalajara for $102 one-way; and Chicago Midway to/from Cancun for $119 one-way.
Travel is for off-peak only through March 7, 2008, and must be purchased by Dec 18, 2007. Blackouts and other restrictions may apply.