SkyBus Summer Sale
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
Showing posts with label budgettravel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budgettravel. Show all posts
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Do Air Purifiers Work on Plane Trips
You may have seen those odd-looking little black or gray things hanging around the necks of fellow air travelers. They are the size of a small matchbox or a really tiny MP3 player. The idea behind these "ionizers" is that they screen out particles from the air -- perhaps even bacteria -- that might otherwise cause the wearer allergies or head colds. The ads for some state they "protect against harmful airborne pollutants and germs" (AirTamer) or "reduce particles in the 0.04 to 3 micron range" (Fresh Air Buddy). I looked into four products for this article, three you wear around your neck and one you adhere over the air nozzle above you in the plane.
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
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
Monday, December 10, 2007
Airfare Deals and News for the Week of December 7, 2007
Alaska Winter Holiday Sale
It's a Holiday Sale, sure, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to snag their best fares on, say, Christmas Eve or on other peak days. Indeed, travel is only valid December 1-19, 25-26, 2007 and January 3-5, 2008. But hey, these sale fares from Alaska Airlines www.alaskaair.com are far better than what the other guys are offering for holiday travel on these routes.
China and Southeast Asia
Cathay Pacific's (tel. 800/233-2742; www.cathaypacific.com) "Deal of the Month" includes some excellent deals indeed to Asia for departures starting February 15 through March 15 from its 3 U.S. gateways in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Fares range from $790, including taxes, to Hong Kong -- up to $830 to Bangkok, with Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Manila -- falling somewhere in between, making them especially attractive from New York where the savings in some cases are $300 or more.
There are no minimum stay requirements and the maximum stay allowed is the standard 30 days. This sale runs until the end of the month, but the limited number of seats available will likely sell out much sooner.
Aloha Airlines Midwinter Specials
Aloha Airlines (tel. 800/367-5250; www.alohaairlines.com) is offering lower fares on travel from the west coast to Hawaii this winter. Fares start at $129 one-way, before taxes, but we've gone ahead and multiplied those fares by two since, you know, most folks will have to return home eventually.
15% Off AA Flights to Hawaii
As we've been reporting, more and more airlines are keeping their best deals for their own websites, putting the big online travel agencies like Travelocity and Orbitz at a competitive disadvantage. American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) in particular has been very aggressive about promoting sales exclusively via their website.
Their latest deal to hit? 15% Off all flights from the continental US to Hawaii when booked via the AA website using the promo code DFALOHAGO. This offer is valid for travel between December 6, 2007 and March 6, 2008 with blackout dates December 20-23 & 26-30. You must book your reservation by December 7, 2007.
It is also important to note that that base fare must be at least $400 to be eligible for the discount.
It's a Holiday Sale, sure, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to snag their best fares on, say, Christmas Eve or on other peak days. Indeed, travel is only valid December 1-19, 25-26, 2007 and January 3-5, 2008. But hey, these sale fares from Alaska Airlines www.alaskaair.com are far better than what the other guys are offering for holiday travel on these routes.
China and Southeast Asia
Cathay Pacific's (tel. 800/233-2742; www.cathaypacific.com) "Deal of the Month" includes some excellent deals indeed to Asia for departures starting February 15 through March 15 from its 3 U.S. gateways in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Fares range from $790, including taxes, to Hong Kong -- up to $830 to Bangkok, with Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Manila -- falling somewhere in between, making them especially attractive from New York where the savings in some cases are $300 or more.
There are no minimum stay requirements and the maximum stay allowed is the standard 30 days. This sale runs until the end of the month, but the limited number of seats available will likely sell out much sooner.
Aloha Airlines Midwinter Specials
Aloha Airlines (tel. 800/367-5250; www.alohaairlines.com) is offering lower fares on travel from the west coast to Hawaii this winter. Fares start at $129 one-way, before taxes, but we've gone ahead and multiplied those fares by two since, you know, most folks will have to return home eventually.
15% Off AA Flights to Hawaii
As we've been reporting, more and more airlines are keeping their best deals for their own websites, putting the big online travel agencies like Travelocity and Orbitz at a competitive disadvantage. American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) in particular has been very aggressive about promoting sales exclusively via their website.
Their latest deal to hit? 15% Off all flights from the continental US to Hawaii when booked via the AA website using the promo code DFALOHAGO. This offer is valid for travel between December 6, 2007 and March 6, 2008 with blackout dates December 20-23 & 26-30. You must book your reservation by December 7, 2007.
It is also important to note that that base fare must be at least $400 to be eligible for the discount.
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