Spontaneous Tourism: Blogging around the World

Greyhound: A Twenty-First Century Contender

2011-12-26T14:12:00.000-05:00

Back in July 2009, I wrote about how the new Greyhound buses were a far cry from the cramped accommodations found on America's signature bus line for time immemorial. Patterned after the design used by BoltBus, these new buses feature roomy seats, power outlets, cup holders, and yes, free WiFi.

This afternoon (as in right now), I'm making my first trip on one of these buses, from New York City's Port Authority to Wilmington, Delaware. I'm pleased to report back that it's a pleasant experience.

Greyhound boarding remains first-come, first-serve, with none of the priority-code seating that BoltBus uses. In practice, that meant arriving an hour in advance to have a middling spot in line. But here's the thing: where BoltBus serves half a dozen major destinations, you can take one of these next-generation Greyhound buses to places like Dover, Delaware and Salisbury, Maryland, as well as on longer-distance treks to as far away as Atlanta.

There's also price to consider, and the sharpest distinction comes when considering Greyhound as an alternative to Amtrak. Like BoltBus, Greyhound now has fares that start at one dollar. When I bought my Greyhound ticket for today's trip, I paid $20; Amtrak wanted $168.

WiFi and cup-holders won't make you forget that you're on a bus. But this really is a different way to travel by bus, and if you want to get from place to place for a low price without having to sacrifice too much, Greyhound is a twenty-first century contender.

Happy travels.

The Boston ClubAcela

2011-06-21T20:53:00.000-04:00

I was in Boston today, attending the Enterprise 2.0 Expo in Back Bay. There's an Amtrak station there, but I opted to wander down to South Station for two reasons: one, I had time; and two, I figured I'd fill up my Thermos with coffee at the ClubAcela.

Amtrak has four ClubAcela locations, one each in Boston (at South Station), New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. I had been to the other three several times. Despite a few trips to Boston, though, I hadn't been to the ClubAcela here.

When I arrived at 8:40 p.m., I was greeted by two guys cleaning the carpet. The attendant was mystified by my presenting him with a Continental Presidents Plus membership card; apparently, news that Amtrak has reciprocity with Continental for club access hasn't made its way to Boston even after being posted on the Amtrak Web site for more than a year.

Despite being utterly unclear as to the value of my membership card, he shrugged and pleasantly told me that I was welcome to wait for my train up here. I think anyone might have done the same.

Alas, he told me, he had already dumped the coffee--odd, since the stated hours go until 9:30 p.m. He did ask if I was hungry; evidently, my lack of demonstrable eligibility (in his mind) didn't preclude me from enjoying whatever he could offer. I had just had some pizza, so I politely refused and wandered a bit.

The ClubAcela in South Station is quite impressive on its merit, larger than the D.C. or New York locations and with some of the elegance of the Phildelphia club. It's elevated above the main concourse, and there are expansive views from large windows that overlook the tracks and the outside street. Furniture is comfy if utilitarian, and they have a pair fo thin-client workstations for Web access.

I didn't stay in the ClubAcela long, on account of the shampoo scent and damp floors. Maybe I'll come back again. It seems worth another try.

Have a baby and renting a car? Bring your own car seat!

2011-06-10T11:05:00.002-04:00

Gwen and I recently took Tara with us on a trip to Orlando.

Being less than a year old, Tara flies free on one of our laps, and I'd found a good cash fare for myself and picked up Gwen's ticket with miles. I'd also snagged an excellent rate on a rental car, and we'd settled on the Embassy Suites for our lodging, avoiding the pesky "resort fees" so common in Orlando while getting cooked-to-order breakfasts, complimentary cocktails each evening, and free parking.

Another cost that we avoided: $39 to rent a car seat from the rental car company.

Parents often rent car seats because they figure that it will be less of a hassle than bringing them. And that can be true: we had to coordinate how I could drop Gwen off at the curb with Tara and park the car without Gwen having so much bulk that she couldn't get the car seat checked in. We also had to get the car seat in and out of the car, which I've learned can be a hassle.

But we did it, and it really wasn't that hard. Here are some things to consider:

Most of the legacy carriers -- we flew United-Continental, as always -- still have curbside luggage checking available. There may be a small per-pag fee and it's customary to tip a few dollars per bag, but if you have one piece of rolling luggage (as we almost always do) and then a car seat, it's much more convenient to check these curbside then to try and navigate crowded terminals.

Although baggage fees have become the norm for most airlines, a carseat can be checked for free because it is safety equipment, like a wheelchair.

Even if your car at home doesn't have the modern LATCH system (and ours does not), any rental car in the United States almost certainly will. LATCH makes it reasonably easy to attach a car seat, and particularly if you don't use it at home, you won't have to resize any of the non-LATCH connections to install the seat in your rental car.

Orlando was Tara's fifth destination by plane -- joining Anchorage, Orange County, Atlanta, and Reno. Traveling with a baby has plenty of quirks, but it's not impossible. With planning and patience, it doesn't even need to be difficult, and since children under two years of age travel domestically for free (and internationally for very little), it's not expensive.

Bring your own car seat, and having your little one(s) with you on a trip can turn out to be no more costly than having them at home.

Lower fuel prices? For how long?

2011-05-17T17:19:00.000-04:00

Just two weeks ago, I wrote about the high price of oil and predicted that fuel was going to be pricey for as long as we would care to imagine. Here it is, fifteen days later, and oil has dropped from $114 per barrel to barely $96.

Does that mean that I was wrong? Yes... obviously. ;-)

But I don't think that I'm going to be wrong for long. While this latest speculator bubble was popped in part by a rising dollar (which makes it more expensive to short dollars and buy oil priced in dollars, a common way for financial wizards to manufacture money) and in part by higher margin standards (which made those wizards put up more cash to cover their bets), the idea that the world economy will do as badly as is suddenly forecast today is as silly as the idea that it was going to do as magnificently well as it was suddenly forecast a month ago.

Look, jet fuel is made from oil, and oil is controlled by governments that are almost universally oppressive. Long-term stability in oil-producing countries has never been likely and is even less so now that the so-called "Arab Spring" is occurring. Instability doesn't actually cause shortages these days, because we never get that far, but speculators do place bets on assumed future shortages and drive up the prices as if the oil is already running out. It's a game, and we're the losers.

Today is a good day. Oil is lower. Gasoline and jet fuel prices are dropping. Enjoy it while it lasts, because it never does.

Smartphone Boarding

2011-05-17T17:13:00.000-04:00

Last week, on a trip to Vegas, I had my first opportunity to use a boarding pass sent to and displayed on my Droid 2 Global. Having been underwhelmed by the idea of printing my own boarding pass at home, I expected to be equally disenchanted with this new technological solution.

Wow. I was wrong; electronic boarding passes are awesome!

For one thing, you can't lose an electronic boarding pass (unless you lose your phone, which is reasonably difficult for the average traveler). You can bring it up and see the details at any time.

Then there's the convenience of not having to wave your boarding pass as you go through security screening. Once you've been checked, it goes in the bin, and that's it.

Maybe the best part, though, is that you can check in while on the road, get your boarding pass wirelessly, and head straight to the gate if you don't have a carry-on (which, as my Vegas trip was a single-day affair, I did not). That's really convenient, especially if you're running late (which, as my flight left at 6:00 a.m., I was).

I'm sold on electronic boarding passes. This is the future.

Red Carpet Club versus Presidents Club: Closer, still not equal,

2011-05-17T17:08:00.000-04:00

I'm heading out to Rome in about two hours, passing the time in the Red Carpet Club at Washington-Dulles International Airport. Back when I used to fly United all of the time, I was here... well, pretty much all of the time.

I haven't been around nearly as much since moving to Continental, as I fly out of Washington-Reagan instead. Since I was last here, though, a few changes have come about in light of the United-Continental merger.

First, Wi-Fi is now free to Presidents Club members. It's always been free for RCC members, but for a while, United wasn't giving daypass cards to PC members. Since United uses T-Mobile for its Wi-Fi, anyone without a card has to buy a daypass for $7.99. Not cool.

Getting the cards for free is cool, but it's still a hassle. Why not just make Wi-Fi open use for anyone in the Club? In a Presidents Club, there's no card or silly login prompt. A user just selects the Continental network, and poof! Online. I like that model better.

Drinks are free too, sort of. Continental has had complimentary drinks in its Clubs for as long as I've been flying with them. They did recently add a "premium" wine selection, but that was a step up from what used to be available (and the house wines are still available). Spirits and beers are all free in the Presidents Club.

United, on the other hand, used to charge $5 in the Red Carpet Club for any alcoholic beverage: wine, beer, or liquor, it didn't matter. Post-merger, they adopted a stance similar to their new partner. Members and guests can get beer, wine, or liquor for free -- but it's a limited selection. Thus, when I first ordered a Bacardi and Diet here, I was cautioned that it would be $7.50; I opted instead for the "house" rum, which was free.

The drink is fine. I mean, rum mixed with soda only has so much nuance. But she forgot my lime, and she didn't put down a napkin. Does that matter? Only if you compare the two clubs, and that's my point.

The Red Carpet Club has improved. Post-merger, it's closer to its Continental counterpart. But they're still not equal.

Fares, Fees, and Consolidation

2011-05-02T15:48:00.005-04:00

These last few weeks have been eventful, but I haven't had inspiration for anything to say. Today, though, three things happened that I decided needed to be given at least a brief mention:

Osama bin Laden was killed. This has nothing to do with travel. People seemed to think it would, though: oil prices dropped by about $2 in the early morning, and airline stocks surged higher. Then the airline stocks stalled, and oil surged back to where it had been.

Travellers like us need to be clear: no gimmick or feel-good event is going to change the course of oil. High prices are being driven higher by a degree of legitimate supply-and-demand anticipation, a whole lot of speculation underwritten by free Federal Reserve loans, and a weak dollar. Higher fuel prices are going to be the norm for a long time.

As for security, don't imagine that one terrorist killed diminishes the threat of terrorism. We always need to be aware of our surroundings, especially when traveling.
Southwest bought AirTran. The deal was announced months ago, but today is the day that the merger became official. This is big news because it enshrines Southwest as the biggest discounter probably for years to come, and gives the combined carrier a presence in ultra-busy Atlanta -- the centerpiece of Delta's East Coast network.

Southwest has much lower labor costs than other big airlines. Whatever else happens in the industry -- bag fees, attempted fare hikes -- it's always there to act as a spoiler. Now, it's bigger, and as it consolidates its operations with AirTran, you can expect more downward pressure on the other carriers in terms of ticket prices for domestic routes. Even now, we're waiting to see if Southwest will go along with the United-Continental fare hike attempted on Friday.

The airlines face enormous cost pressure because of fuel (see #1). If they can't pass that along because of competition with Southwest, we're likely to see a return to losses. We might also see further consolidation, though the only tie-up that seems likely would be a U.S. Airways-American deal down the road.
Europe got more expensive. I mentioned fuel surcharges in my last post, but since March, these have really gone through the roof. As CNN Money reports, fuel surcharges for international routes are now 25% higher than they were in 2008 -- when oil was trading at $144/barrel instead of the current $114.

The reason is simple enough: airlines lost so much money in 2007-2008 that they didn't have any cash to lock in low fuel prices during the Great Recession, so they have to buy a lot of their fuel on the spot market. That means most of their fuel is actually priced off of the $114 figure, where before it wasn't.

Domestically, airlines can only do so much to combat fuel prices due to competition (see #2). Internationally, there aren't as many low-cost carriers, and there aren't any to and from the United States. Surcharges and fees can add as much as $500 (!) to the cost of an international airfare to, say, Paris.

Keep looking for the low fares at sites like Kayak and Vayama. Do your research with a site like Orbitz, where you can put together itineraries that favor particular alliances as well as airlines. Do your booking directly with the airline whenever possible, though, because they guarantee the lowest fares.

And remember, travel isn't just about flying. Those big cruise ships take as much fuel to move with or without a particular cabin filled, and trains don't use nearly as much energy to get around as cars do. High airfares just give you a chance to try new things.

Fares and Surcharges Take Off

2011-03-08T10:11:00.000-05:00

With the Libyan conflict impacting oil supplies and speculation sweeping the world about the prospects of unrest in Iran and Saudi Arabia, the price of jet fuel is surging.

Fuel prices drive airline costs, and this has happened before. Actually, it's happened many times. In each of the recent cases, however, airlines have been burdened with excess capacity. They've also had to contend with economic downturns that have eviscerated business travel. The results have been a race to the bottom on fares to lure leisure travelers and massive operating losses.

This time, it's different. Really.

Oil still drives fuel prices, and fuel still drives airline costs. But demand is stronger now, and the airlines have slashed capacity over the last several years. There are more people wanting to travel than there are seats in which to place them, and that means that airlines don't need to lower fares.

And they aren't lowering them. They're raising them.

What's more, they're raising other charges too. In addition to higher fares, airlines are boosting fuel surcharges and imposing peak-travel-time surcharges.

If you need to travel for work and your employer is picking up the tab, you may not notice the difference. For those of us with an inclination to explore, however, be warned: the latest era of deep discounts is drawing to a close. You're going to be paying more to fly.

No Pretzels on Continental

2011-03-07T09:55:00.000-05:00

What a difference a year makes.

Going into 2010, Continental was the only airline that still offered complimentary meals in Coach. Last March, it joined its peers in eliminating Coach-class meal service.

Going into 2011, Continental--now part of United Continental Holdings, but still operating as a distinct carrier--was among the few airlines that still offered complimentary pretzels (or biscotti to accompany coffee on morning flights). Now, it is joining its peers in cutting those as well.

The move leaves Delta as the only legacy carrier that still offers free pretzels, though low-cost carriers JetBlue, AirTran, and Southwest continue to offer free snacks.

It also follows a wider industry trend of replacing free amenities common to all passengers with options for passengers to buy specific amenities that they want. Continental, for instance, sells a variety of snack boxes and fresh-food items on its flights.

Should we be surprised? Definitely not.

After years of losses, airlines are finally profitable again. But the conflict in Libya has driven oil prices as high as $106 a barrel as of this writing, which is about $20 higher than airlines had expected when they wrote their profit forecasts for the year.

Pretzels may not seem pricey, but eliminating them will save Continental $3.9 million annually. It will also tempt passengers to buy snack boxes, which start at $3.95 -- potentially adding millions in new revenue.

For years now, Americans in particular have signed onto a bandwagon of lower prices and a-la-carte services. We're getting what we asked for. We're just going to have to live with it.

United will keep Economy Plus, unveils new plane livery

2011-02-24T16:46:00.000-05:00

United today unveiled the first of its repainted 747s, sporting livery that combines the United name with the Continental globe logo.

Linked from USAToday.com; read the article!

As United and Continental continue to integrate their operations, frequent flyers are holding their breath to see which of each carrier's traditional features will make their way into the new unified airline.

Some changes are unavoidable, because United and Continental have different plane configurations as well as different cultures. United, for instance, operates its international flights in a three-class configuration--Economy, Business, and First--while Continental has only two: Coach and an upscale business class called BusinessFirst.

One question got answered earlier this week, when United announced that Economy Plus seating will become standard on all of its planes.

Economy Plus seating was introduced by United in the wake of the Dot Com crash. Fewer people could get approval to fly First Class, but airlines depended on business travelers to maintain profitability (or at least mitigate losses). The idea was to remove a few rows of Economy seating and respace about a third of what was left. The resulting seats were no wider, but they had up to six inches of additional legroom.

Economy Plus seats are free for elite members of United Mileage Plus, and in the wake of the merger, elite members of Continental OnePass have also been able to get them for free upon request. United sells the remaining seats as upgrades that cost far less than First Class fares.

Beginning in 2012, United will begin rolling out Economy Plus seating on Continental aircraft. Until then, Continental flyers will have to make due with standard Coach seating (or fly on United planes).

From $181 each way: Airline marketing at its best.

2011-02-14T15:57:00.000-05:00

United wants people to know about its new nonstop service from its hub at Washington-Dulles (IAD) to Owen Roberts Airport on Grand Cayman (GCM). According to the airline's Web site, fares are available "from $181 each way."

Airlines love to announce fares in terms of one-way cost. No one is really going to fly one-way--actually, the one-way rate promised requires a round-trip purchase--but it makes the fare sound lower.

Would you be as excited to hear about a round-trip fare from $362? It's the same fare given the terms, but studies say no.

In fairness, even giving you the round-trip fare doesn't tell you everything. The fine print observes that you'll also be subject to a bewildering series of charges, including:

A $3.70 per flight-segment tax;
Either a September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per enplanement at a U.S. airport
or Passenger Facility Charges of up to $18;
U.S. arrival and departure taxes and agricultural, immigrations and customs fees of up to $50;
Additional airport, transportation, embarkation, security and passenger service taxes/surcharges of up to $250 for foreign travel; and
Airport and/or departure taxes of up to $45, which may be collected by the foreign government.

The first one is pretty much guaranteed. The second one will apply in one form or the other, but you have no way of knowing which. The other three are entirely unknown when you first set out to book a ticket.

Strangest of all, the departure tax might not even be part of your ticket. You could have to pay it in cash--specifically, in U.S. dollars--at the airport before you can leave the country.

But let's say that you're okay with all of that. What are the odds that you'll actually get that $181 fare both ways? Usually, not good. In this case, United specifies that the advertised fare is available only for travel on Saturdays, and the nonstop departure from GCM leaves too early for you to catch it on the same day. That means staying for at least a week in order to come back at the same price for which you flew down.

Oh, and if you are inclined to stay a week? Don't forget about those checked-baggage fees. United gives you one free bag for international travel. A second bag will cost you $30.

There are great deals on airfares, of course. Just be aware that not every fare advertised as a special is necessarily as cheap as it sounds.

On Amtrak and Ideology

2011-02-11T11:10:00.001-05:00

In January, 2.1 million people rode Amtrak trains, the 15th month in a row in which passenger use increased, and a new record for the national rail carrier.

Last year collectively, Amtrak carried more than 28.7 million passengers.

Like Interstate highways, like airports and air-traffic control systems, passenger rail transportation requires an infrastructure that has to be built and maintained. The Federal government provides support to Amtrak for track maintenance and other capital projects.

One thing of which we can be sure, though, is that the Federal government has no intention whatsoever of stopping its subsidies of transportation overall, and if subsisides are going to be made to support infrastructure, rail deserves to be at the table. Much of the rail infrastructure outside of the Northeast Corridor is privately owned and still gets subsidies.

So, let's focus our attention on operating subsidies, the money that Amtrak receives on a per-passenger basis just to run its trains, without concern for the infrastructure.

In 2010, Amtrak received $563 million in operating subsidies from the Federal government. The $563 million figure comes from a site whose entire purpose is to denounce Amtrak as wasteful spending, so it's fair to say that it doesn't pull any punches.

This amount equates to $19.62 per passenger for 2010.

Considered another way, the population of the United States by December 31, 2010 is estimated as having been more than 308 million people. That means that every American paid an average cost of 55 cents per year to provide for the Amtrak operating subsidy.

Of course, fewer than half of all Americans file tax returns; some are below the income level required to mandate filing (because they pay no tax), while others have not reached adulthood. Since Americans file tax returns for a given year after the year ends, we won't know until after April how many people filed taxes for 2010. We can estimate, though, that it may have been as few as 150 million.

That would make the Amtrak operating subsidy roughly $3.76 per taxpayer per year.

At a time when the Federal budget is approximately twice the total sum of all revenue brought in by the Fedearl government--that is, we borrow 50% of what we spend--cuts do need to be made. But let's get real: $3.76 per person is not the reason that the Federal government is spending itself into oblivion.

The question is, is it worth expecting every taxpayer to part with nearly $4 per year just so he or she can over the course of a lifetime have the opportunity to take a train trip?

Think about it this way: even as an avid traveler, I'm unlikely to visit Iraq or Afghanistan. Yet as a taxpayer, I incurred a $220 cost to pay the 2010 war supplemental budget of $33 billion, and that was on top of the $534 billion Department of Defense 2010 budget that already cost me $3560.

Don't get me wrong: the Department of Defense is important. I'm not begrudging my obligation to pay $3560 to support our military. (Actually, that one's an easy sell for me, since as a Reservist I net more than the average taxpayer amount paid. But I digress.)

But as important as these other expenses are, the fact is that I get a lot more use out of Amtrak's mere existence than I do out of our continued wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Amtrak travelers, for instance, are neither on the roads nor in the screening lines at the airport; that saves me time. And when I'm the one traveling by train, I benefit from the services provided.

We should continue to promote more efficient Amtrak operations, and we should invest in the infrastructure--both rail and rolling stock--that will make these efficiencies possible. But we should not under any circumstances accept the ideological notion that passenger rail should be privatized. When you hear that, understand that Amtrak exists only because private passenger rail has proven itself impossible in the United States. Privatizing rail means eliminating rail.

No, not every American will ride Amtrak this year, or ever. But not every American--or even most--will ever see all of our national parks, either. We still pay for them, because they're important; the option to see them is important. That's true of Amtrak as well.

Higher fares and the return of the fuel surcharge

2011-02-11T10:19:00.000-05:00

Airlines posted strong profits in 2010, bouncing off lows from the Great Recession and aided by extremely low fuel prices that came as a result of that same economic downturn.

2010 was a great time for airline passengers, too: desperate to attract passengers, airlines ran plenty of fare sales and promotional offers, and while baggage and onboard meal fees did raise the potential bottom-line price of travel for some, unavoidable fees like the dreaded fuel surcharges of 2008 were removed.

This year is fast shaping up to be different.

Fuel prices have surged. Part of the equation is genuine demand, as emerging economies like India and China have been consuming more oil even as the developed nations of Europe and North America have pulled back. Speculation also plays a big role; oil is frequently used to place bets of instability in the Middle East, where protests are seen as potentially impacting oil shipping as well as production.

As a result, we're now seeing a return of the fuel surcharge to some U.S. airlines, including American, United, and Continental1. For now, it's ranging from $3 to $5 each way, which isn't so bad. But it may go much higher: at the height of the oil spike in 2008, fuel surcharges exceeded $60.

To be sure, fuel isn't the only thing driving increased travel costs. Despite one year of profitability, airlines are still coming off nearly a decade of losses. The capacity cuts made over the last few years, coupled with increased demand for flying, has left airlines with considerably more pricing power. That means that fares are going up, too.

Add to this that some airlines are cutting back on specials--for instance, United has stopped advertising discounted weekend travel routes, though Continental continues to offer these---and 2011 promises to be a more expensive year to fly.

1 United and Continental are both owned by United Continental Holdings, but presently continue to operate as separate carriers.

Shame on you, Ariana Huffington

2011-01-11T11:37:00.002-05:00

It seems that Ariana Huffington of the Huffington Post had to be escorted off a United flight at LaGuardia on Saturday night. It seems that she was on her crackberry during takeoff both talking and texting, which left a fellow passenger highly agitato. The other passenger repeatedly complained loudly that Huffington's blackberry was on when it was supposed to be off, even standing up at one point to yell at the flight attendent. His problem? "How come she gets to use her personal device but no one else does?"

It was a fair question and when the flight from D.C. landed in New York both Ariana and the anonymous passenger got to talk it over with the cops.

That poor flight attendent.

Flying Baby: Don't Sweat It.

2011-01-10T12:37:00.003-05:00

I got an e-mail this morning from a friend who is getting ready to take her seven-month-old baby girl on her first flight. It's a two and a half hour trip to Texas followed by a road trip to Arizona and the poor love is in a bit of a dither. My baby (lovingly known to Facebook friends as "Butters") has flown about ten flight segments over three plane trips in six months. The longest segment was from DCA Reagan to LAX, about five hours. Butters and I have flown from Fairbanks, Alaska to Washington, D.C. in a four-segment flight that took so long that by the time we boarded our last plane in Houston, the gate scanner would not accept my boarding pass because it had yesterday's date on it.

Suffice it to say, I have some thoughts.

First: The smaller the better. Some parents delay taking that first flight because they feel their fragile, newborn baby won't be able to handle the stress of a plane trip. While I think concerns about germs may be valid - all that recycled air and in-flight magazines are absolutely rife with bacteria - good old handwashing and hand sanitizer should protect both you and baby from plane bugs.

As for the stress of being inside the strange space that is the aircraft, remember that for a tiny baby everything is strange. Going to the supermarket could be stressful with it's bright lights, strangers, and aisle after aisle of different colorful objects to look at. Also remember that newborns sleep almost all the time and sleeping is a great way for a baby to get through a flight. When Butters took her first flight at three months old, I got (unwarranted)compliments from people who appreciated how quiet she had been. "There was a baby on this flight?" a few people said and laughed when we got up to debark.

Super tip: If possible, let baby nurse during take-off and landing. The sucking should help to relieve pressure on his tiny ear drums.

Second: Nurse, nurse, nurse. If you're breastfeeding, you're in luck. Flying will be a lot easier for you. Babies love to suckle to reduce stress, and if you've a handy nipple to pop into your baby's mouth, that child is far less likely to bother you or anyone else. If you're not breastfeeding, don't worry. The TSA has changed its rules (AGAIN) regarding expressed breast milk and formula. These fluids are now treated like liquid medications.

You can carry them in quantities greater than 3 oz (unlike other liquids).
You do NOT have to freeze them.
You do NOT have to carry them in a quart-sized bag.
You DO have to separate your milk and/or formula from your other gels and liquids, (your other gels and liquids being in the quart-sized bag of course) and you DO have to declare them to the TSA agents before they begin inspecting your carry-on luggage.
You will NOT be asked to drink anything. (Thank God that drama is behind us.)

You can also bring on baby food, gel-filled teething rings and juice.

How much can you bring? According to the TSA website, you can bring as much as you want in "reasonable quantities". What's that really mean? Who knows. Just pack as much as you know you will need given the length of your trip, and add one, maybe two, bottles for potential delays. Odds are however much you bring, the TSA agents won't hassle you about it. Just don't tempt them by trying to bring on say, a case of Similac.

Third: Fill that diaper bag. I'll talk more about packing for baby, what to check and how to check it, in my next post, but I did want to say here that you can't carry too many diapers or wipes on a flight. Ever heard of traveler's diarrhea? Babies get that too. Once on a United flight to San Francisco (this was on the plane that had no changing tables, not even in first class) Butters dirtied three diapers in one trip to the lavatory. Seriously. It was like a lame slapstick scene from a Hollywood rom com.

Here's me: bent over at the waist, my butt pressed against the door of the restroom as I balance my baby on the toilet seat lid, clean diaper clenched in my mouth, wiping baby poop with one hand and holding up her legs with the other. I get her in a clean diaper and clean pants (she had leaked of course) and then try to balance her on my raised knee while I wash my hands in the tiny sink. As soon as my hands are dry: "THHHRRRPPPT!" A heavy, wet and muffled sound escapes from my darling baby that sounded to me like, "Back to work, shmuck." This process repeated itself no less than three times. In the end, I ran out of wipes and had to use moistened paper towels.

Not fun. In general, you should pack light, but when it comes to the diaper bag, go heavy.

Fourth: Drinks and snacks. So baby's got her lunch, what about yours? Unless you bought a ticket for baby, she's riding on your lap the whole way. That means that she's blocking your drinks tray. If you're travelling with someone, then you don't got a problem, Jules. Just switch off who's holding her so you can both eat your turkey club sandwiches.

(Side note: if you are travelling in separated seats, this may not prove workable. On that same United flight, my DH was upgraded to the vaunted Economy Plus section and got trapped holding Butters for an hour because the seatbelt light was on. This wouldn't have been so bad, except that there was no baby formula in the diaper bag and Butters got hungry. Oy.)

If you're travelling alone, just ask the person next to you if you can share his tray to balance your drink. People are pretty accomodating I've found, especially if your baby is behaving herself, or even if she isn't, as long as you are making a visible effort to quiet her down, your fellow passengers are likely to cut you a lot of slack. Beyond that, just use your best judgment. You might want to skip the salad on this flight and just have some chips. You can always eat before you leave or after you get to where you're going.

Finally: Boarding the plane: don't be a jerk, wait your turn. I know you're nervous about flying with your precious bundle of joy. I've been there. I'll be there again. In your head, there is a clock ticking away the number of seconds that you have before junior decides that he is hungry right NOW, and the screaming starts.

Relax. Maybe your baby will fuss, and maybe he won't. It doesn't really matter. You still can't board until the gate agent says it's your turn.

Different airlines have different rules about when "passengers with special needs" like you with your baby, and the elderly and handicapped can get on. Generally, you won't be allowed to board before the first-class passengers or the frequent flyers. (Now, if you ARE a frequent flyer or flying first class, none of this applies to you, and frankly I'm surprised that you're reading this.) For everyone else, WAIT UNTIL THE GATE AGENT CALLS SPECIFICALLY FOR PARENTS TRAVELLING WITH INFANTS AND SMALL CHILDREN. Why? Because you don't want to add to your stress levels by getting into an argument that you should and will lose with people who paid more far more money for their tickets than you did for yours. 'Nuff said.

Remember, all babies are different and yours may just not like flying, but in general the sensation of being held close to you, the hum of the engines, and the general stillness of the cabin are all things that baby like. So, relax. Watch the in-flight movie. Order a bacardi and diet and feel secure knowing that people do this flying with the baby thing all the time, every day. Don't believe me? Do you know anyone who's ever flown who DOESN'T have a story about being seated on a flight near a crying baby? Exactly.

Welcome aboard.

Have tits. Will travel. Breast-feeding on the go.

2011-01-07T15:13:00.005-05:00

I am not a breast feeder who channels the goddess each time she nurses. I do not feel ultra-feminine or empowered or special by virtue of breastfeeding. (More power to you if you do. Seriously, I think that's great.)

I DO feel more confident as a mother knowing that I can nourish my baby any time, anywhere. In fact I’m nursing as I type this. Usually my instinct to nurse outweighs any prudishness I might feel based on who's in the room. After all, baby's gotta eat, right? Still, after six months of practice, I occasionally experience bouts of shyness about the act of nursing in public, so I do my best to hide my breasts behind blankets, coats and my trusty Moby wrap.

How does this affect my travelling? Well, in different ways. I don't own a breast pump - basically because I'm too cheap to buy one that really works - though I did borrow one for a recent trip to India. (More on that later.) Until Baby was four months old, she was strictly breast fed. So, that means nursing in stations, airports, on the train, and especially on long flights. And I am happy to report that I have never been confronted or been made to feel uncomfortable because I'm feeding my baby. People, it seems, are pretty cool with breastfeeding.

It helps that breastfeeding equals a silent baby. On flights especially, my sense is that even people who might otherwise be squeamish are so appreciative of any effort you take to quiet your child, they are willing to endure a flash of a shiny, swollen nipple. Once I was even allowed to board a flight ahead of first class because Baby was fussing like mad and the gate agent said to me, "Just board and feed that baby, please."

The nature of commercial flying also lends itself to more privacy than might be immediately apparent. People take their seats, and while they might occasionally glance left or right, for the most part they stare straight ahead. This seems to be part of a group effort to minimize the pyschological impact of being trapped in a big metal tube with so many other people. If we don't focus our attention on each other, we can all pretend that we are alone in the sky. Same deal with the bus.

Even in my beloved café car on the Amtrak Northeast Regional train (the most prosaic name for a train route of all time, btw) where having a baby invites stares and sparks discussions with total strangers, breastfeeding is simply NBD. Now as stated, I am kinda bashful, so I like to slip my coat backwards over my shoulders to create a nursing shield. I am sure many people walk by my seat and have no idea what I'm up to.

It helps too that the law is on the side of breast feeders. Forty-four states (plus D.C. and Puerto Rico) have laws protecting a woman's right to breastfeed in public and private places.

So to my sisters who might be feeling nervous about how exactly to get expressed milk past the TSA, or the prospect of having to pump in a bus station restroom (ick) I say you should embark with nothing but your baby and your nursing bra.

Southwest ups the Ante

2011-01-06T15:27:00.003-05:00

Up until now, the rewards programs offered by low-cost carriers in the United States have fallen well short of those of the so-called legacy carriers.

On March 1, Southwest Airlines -- America's largest low-cost carrier, and already a perennial favorite among budget travelers because it doesn't charge fees for first or second checked bags -- will unveil a new and improved form of its Rapid Rewards frequent flyer program.

Highlights include:

All rewards will be unrestricted, with access to every seat on every flight.
Every day will be eligible for reward travel.
Points won't expire as long as your account has some activity every 24 months.

Southwest will be keeping its A-List and Companion Pass elite benefits and is also introducing a new A-List Preferred level designed to compete with legacy programs' upper-tier elite levels, with benefits like 100% point bonuses for flights and dedicated phone lines for reservations.

Speaking of points, the new program will be point-based rather than using the credit system that Southwest has had thus far. Credits will continue to be redeemable under the old system, and flyers with credits left to use up will be able to use their points to acquire additional credits (at a rate of 1200 points for one credit) towards a previous-generation reward.

Bottom line: Southwest has upped the ante. Combined with its pending acquisition of AirTran, this new Rapid Rewards program makes Southwest a compelling choice for domestic business travelers.

Baby Tourist Rides the Rails

2011-01-06T15:05:00.000-05:00

So for those of you haven't heard, in June of this past year, I had a baby girl. I am happy (but in no way smug) to report that she is healthy, beautiful and gloriously friendly with everyone she meets. Seriously, she's a smile machine.

All through my pregnancy, (as I visited such destinations as L.A., New York, Singapore, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, etc.) I was assured by many loving and well-intentioned associates that the impending birth would be the death of my globetrotting. "You won't be able to travel with a baby!" was practically the chorus of my 2010.

Needless to say, these loving and well-intentioned associates (some of whom never travel more than 20 miles at a time themselves) were all dead wrong. My baby travels. She travels because she's healthy (danken Gott), because her family is scattered throughout the U.S., and because her mother likes to. At almost seven months, she has been to Alaska, California, Delaware and New York, and she has ridden the train seven times.

Five of those trips were on Amtrak Northeast Regional trains. Some thoughts on the experiences:

1. It's all about the café car. When she was brand-new, (about six weeks old) I thought nothing sitting in a regular coach seat and holding her in her baby wrap for the whole trip. Now that she's bigger and we're slightly sick of each other, we like the extra space provided by nabbbing a seat in the café car. Baby can stretch out on her back on the table and take a nice nap while you sip some it-could-be-worse Amtrak coffee. (Warning: always keep a hand on your baby lest the train brake suddenly and baby go flying.)

2. There are NO changing tables in Amtrak Northeast Regional trains or Accela trains. None. To add insult to injury, there's a depression in the wall of each restroom where you can tell the changing table was supposed to go. Amtrak loves to tout how family-friendly it is, but I ask you: how family-friendly can you be when your passengers must balance their babies on slippery plastic toilet-seat lids in order to change their diapers?

(Side note: you can also use the folding side panel near the toilet (designed, I guess, for the ease and comfort of disabled passengers) as a changing table, but that requires you to crouch on one knee in the restroom, as opposed to bending over at the waist. Oh, the choices!)

(Side side note: I also once found myself on a United flight that had no changing tables, but that's a rant for another post.)

3. People see you with a baby on the train, they will talk to you. It doesn't matter if you're reading or your baby just fell asleep. Babies are like celebrities. In their presence, most people have to stop and say something obvious. If you take advantage of the café car, this will be especially true. Also, if you stand up, or move at all, someone (most likely a beaming older woman) will offer you help. If you don't need help, if for example you are just adjusting your Moby wrap and trying to remember which pocket contains your wallet, this might confuse or even startle you. Don't worry. This woman is probably not going to proselytize to you or try to sell you Mary Kay. Odds are, she's just fondly recalling her baby days and wants a little taste of what you've got. Be gracious. Simper. Say, "Thank you." Whenever possible, allow her to "help" you. Because before you know it, you'll be her.

4. Don't be such a big shot: ask for the Red Cap service. Even if you're traveling light and don't need it, mention to the conductor that you'd like Red Cap service when you arrive at your destination. You can even couch this request thusly, "I'm not going to need a 'Red Cap' per se, but..." and the conductor will get it. This will ensure that you have enough time to get off the train, which with a baby in tow can often take a little extra time. Not much. Maybe an additional thirty seconds. Point is, you don't want to miss your stop or have to stand in the dangerous vestibule with all its metal handholds (conveniently placed at chest-height or the height of a baby's skull while being carried) when you could be sipping the last of your not-terrible-when-you-really-consider-it Amtrak coffee and double-checking the seat to make sure that none of Baby's many many accessories are about to be left behind.

5. Amtrak employees are kid-friendly. While the restrooms leave a lot to be desired, all of the Amtrak employees that I have encountered since I started traveling with a baby have been kind, friendly and patient. Now it might help that my baby is an established smile-machine and could probably charm a smile out of Dick Cheney himself, and it definitely helps that most Amtrak employees have good customer-service skills in general (in my humble tourist opinion), but it is still worth noting that they have been especially courteous since I strapped a little one to my chest and climbed abroad. Here she is with her new friend, Greg the engineer. Greg wasn't even working that day but he graciously watched the baby for me while I fetched myself another cup of you-really-can't-complain Amtrak coffee.

The Sad Fate of Wilmington Train Station

2010-12-29T10:51:00.002-05:00

Wilmington Station, 2008

For decades, trains that arrive in and depart from Wilmington, Delaware have used a station built in the pre-Amtrak days of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

It would be inappropriate to call this small station "grand," in the way that one might refer to Union Station in Washington or to Grand Central in New York. It's not even as large as the stations found in Baltimore or Newark (though, in fairness, Wilmington is a smaller city than either of these). Yet it had a industrial-age sense of grandeur nonetheless.

Prior to his election as Vice President, Joe Biden -- then the senior Delaware senator -- regularly took the train to and from his home state. He walked across the polished brick floor almost every day to board the Acela to the nation's capital.

Thus it was that in 2010, when the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act was passed, Wilmington Train Station received money for upgrades and renovation.

As conceded earlier, Wilmington Train Station cannot be compared to any of the grand stations of the past, and certainly not to Penn Station in New York. In this case, however, it is apt to draw a parallel, because as with Penn Station, what happened here is a cautionary tale.

In 1968, the sweeping expanses of Penn Station were demolished to make way for Madison Square Garden, office buildings, and a new train concourse that to this day is a confusing, maze-like underground mall of dubious appeal. In 2010, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act transformed Wilmington Train Station into a cheaply modern station along the same lines:


Wilmington Station, 2010

Polished brick is now gray tile. Burnished brass is now laminate. The lighting has gone from soft yellow to harsh white, and wooden benches encircling columns have been replaced with the double benches of blue metal mesh.

In 1968, the New York Times said of Penn Station that, "civilization gets what it wants, is willing to pay for, and ultimately deserves." Ironically, civilization paid far more to transform lovely Wilmington Train Station into what it is now than it would have cost to preserve it as it was.

But that is what we deserve.

When a White Christmas means a travel delay...

2010-12-25T12:38:00.000-05:00

Southern states like Atlanta and South Carolina rarely experience the wonder of a White Christmas. Snow makes for lovely landscapes and is generally regarded as a magical thing at Christmastime. But as the tallies for predicted snowfall stack up, the impact is taking another, less-desirable turn: travel delays and cancelations.

In response to Christmas Day snowfall predictions ranging from three inches in Atlanta (where Delta maintains its primary East Coast hub) to up to 10 inches in Norfolk, Delta has already announced plans to cancel some 500 flights nationwide. AirTran, which maintains a strong presence in Atlanta, will also feel this impact.

Other airlines will not be affected as strongly on Christmas, as their own hubs lie farther up the coast. But the impacts will come later. Sunday predictions are for 2-5 inches in Washington, D.C. and 5-10 inches in Philadelphia, impacting United and U.S. Airways respectively. Along the way, Southwest's operations at BWI will get buried in the mix.

Late on Sunday and continuing into Monday, 10-15 inches are anticipated in New York, impacting not only Continental's hub in Newark but also all of the international flights in and out of JFK as well as New York's JetBlue service. Boston may see 12-18 inches on Monday.

What to do if a flight is cancelled

If you flight is cancelled, you'll be accommodated on a later flight. However, that may be too late to manage your holiday plans as they stand. The problem with snow cancellations in particular is that they tend to wipe out other options as well.

Amtrak, for instance, keeps moving through a few inches of snow, but a few feet tends to impact the rail lines. Bus services like BoltBus and MegaBus, being subject to the challenges of the highways, are also impacted by snow.

Your best friend is information. Check flight status using sites like FlightStats.com so you'll know the situation as it unfolds.

Airlines, Fees, and Profits

2010-12-10T10:46:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows that the airlines have added a lot of fees over the last few years. From aisle seating to checked baggage, onboard food to priority boarding, many things that used to be free now cost money.

What many people probably haven't realized is the extent to which airlines depend on these fees.

U.S. Airways President Scott Kirby says that his airline expects to earn nearly $500 million in profit this year, but that "a la carte revenues represent 100% of that profitability." In other words, absent the series of add-on fees that U.S. Airways has imposed, it would only break even.

What does that mean for travelers? It depends.

If you're the sort of person who wants rock-bottom fares and expects nothing of an airline that you wouldn't get on a bus--and not one of those next-generation buses we've talked about; I mean an old-fashioned Greyhound bus--you're going to be very pleased.

On the other hand, if you expect to get a seat of your choice, travel with luggage and want to have a snack onboard the aircraft, understand that the fare you see may not be the final price you'll pay.

The good news? Each airline is following its own strategy. Southwest, for instance, does not charge for checked baggage because it has significantly lower labor costs, while Spirit even charges for carry-on bags.

That means that, however you like to travel, someone probably has you covered.

TSA Screening: Much Ado about Nothing

2010-11-22T15:35:00.004-05:00

I don't like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). I've never liked them. I didn't like them when I first got into traveling on a regular basis in 2005, and my opinion of them has only gone down over time.

Procedures are erratic, and not in useful ways that might confuse terrorists, but in ways that suggest cluelessness, like requiring at one airport that shoes go into bins and in another that they go directly onto the belt.

Most of the TSA agents are respectful, but some are surly. I saw one berate an elderly Japanese man who spoke no English because he didn't understand that he had to take off his belt -- something not required by Japan's own airport screening.

I decided years ago that were I to run for public office, it'd be in part on a platform of drastically reforming the TSA.

So, when it comes to how you're treated, passengers, I'm on your side.

But let's be clear: my opposition to the TSA is based on ridiculous antics that don't make us safer. I dislike absurd procedures like the way that hyphenated names are logged for special screening, or that legal marriage certificates aren't sufficient proof of a name change to allow use of a previously booked airline ticket.

I don't object to TSA actually doing its job, i.e. providing real security through effective screening.

I've had to deal with effective screening all over the world, including real terrorism hotspots like Kashmir and Tel Aviv. Where it's warranted, even when it's annoying, good screening makes sense.

That brings me to the current, overblown hype about pat-downs and full-body scanners.

My fellow Americans, our country has been at war for nearly ten years. While most of you go through your days completely unaware of it, hundreds of thousands of soldiers are currently deployed to combat zones. We've spent over a trillion dollars that we don't have to fight terrorists, and we're doing it precisely because you wanted to be safe.

There is also plenty of evidence that the screening being done is absolutely necessary, from the so-called Christmas Bomber last year who demonstrated that explosives can be hidden in underwear to the long-known fact that women and elderly people can be involved in suicide bombing plots.

As sick as it is, even those cute little teddy bears carried by three-year olds can be packed with explosives -- hell, drug cartels have long since been able to make "plastic" dolls out of molded cocaine! -- and while it's very unlikely that a three-year old is him or herself a bomber, can we be sure that someone hasn't set the tyke up to carry a weapon onboard? No way.

So the next time that you start complaining that it's unfair that the government asks you to walk through a harmless full-body scanner, or you get angry because you need to be given a very thorough pat-down by a professional security officer, think about the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who are freezing, bleeding, and enduring hell for you.

Yes, they volunteered. But no one forced you to buy an airline ticket.

Get over yourselves.

Megabus announces D.C. as its newest hub!

2010-11-16T11:03:00.002-05:00

Express intercity carrier Megabus has long offered service to and from Washington, D.C. from its base location at 10th and H St. NW. Now, it's expanding that service.

Beginning on December 15, 2010, Megabus will offer travel from the nation's capital to these destinations:

Boston, MA
Buffalo, NY
Charlotte, NC
Hampton, VA
Harrisburg, PA
Knoxville, TN
Pittsburgh, PA
Raleigh/Durham, NC
Richmond, CA
Toronto, Canada

Click here for the interactive Megabus route map.

Megabus is a subsidiary of Coach USA and competes with both BoltBus and next-generation Greyhound service. Each of these services offers more legroom and lower fares than traditional bus service as well as free onboard Internet access via wi-fi.

However, the addition of new Megabus routes originating from D.C. puts Megabus far ahead of its competitors: from Washington, BoltBus offers direct service only to New York, and while Greyhound goes everywhere, it has next-gen buses only for routes to Boston, New York, and Montreal.

That means that if you're looking to go anywhere outside of the Northeast Corridor, Megabus offers you the best value for the price -- with fares starting as low as $1.

Post-merger update: United and Continental

2010-11-14T00:26:00.010-05:00

It's been a little over a month since United and Continental concluded their legal merger. While still operating as separate airlines, both carriers are now owned by the same company (United-Continental Holdings) and there have been some changes to bring things into line:

The Red Carpet Club no longer charges for bar service.
Each airline includes the other's elite flyers in eligibility lists for complimentary upgrades.
CEO Jeff Smisek addresses both sets of passengers in his pre-takeoff video recording.

Flying with United over the Veterans Day holiday, though, what struck me were the differences:

Both airlines now offer buy-on-board food, but United's menu is different--and about 50% more expensive, with a salad going for $6.50 on a Continental flight and almost $10.00 on one operated by United.
Both airlines' lounges offer complimentary wi-fi, but at the Red Carpet Club you'll need to get a scratch-off card with a code on it, while Continental offers open connectivity to anyone inside its lounge.

Of course, it's going to take time to get all of this straight, and as I've said before, I'm not in any way opposed to the airlines charging prices that make them profitable. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed that what ultimately emerges from this process will be an airline that sets a higher bar for U.S. airlines.

Here's hoping that United and Continental are better together than they were apart.

Experience Amtrak's Great Dome

2010-10-31T00:21:00.000-04:00

Many years ago, when traveling by rail was a luxurious experience, America built the finest railroad cars in the world. Those days are over, but many of the old cars still exist, having been handed over to Amtrak when it began operations in 1971.

Among these amazing old rail cars is Car 10031, the Great Dome. With 90 seats, the Great Dome began its life as the Ocean View and was one of just six cars whose signature domed glass ceilings spanned their entire 85-foot length. Today, it's the only such car left in Amtrak's inventory.

Car 10031, the Great Dome

For several years, Amtrak has brought the Great Dome into service on its Adirondack route linking New York City and Montreal. This year, Amtrak is offering passengers a very limited chance to experience this vintage railroad car another way, as part of its Cardinal route between Chicago and Washington, D.C.

The Great Dome is being included on just four trips, one of which unfortunately was today (Train 50 from Chicago to Washington). The other three are:

Nov 5, Train 51, WAS-CHI
Nov 6, Train 50, CHI-WAS
Nov 12, Train 51, WAS CHI


Amtrak's Cardinal route is featuring the Great Dome on just a few trips between Chicago and Washington, D.C.

To take advantage of this rare opportunity, passengers don't need to get a ticket for the dome itself. Any passenger riding on the train, whether in Coach or in Sleeper First Class, may sit in the Great Dome on a first-come, first-serve basis.

As I'm writing this, ticket prices start at just $83. Unfortunately, having found out about this slightly too late, I can't make any of the dates. If you can and do, though, send pictures!

The Continental-Amtrak Partnership

2010-10-20T12:38:00.001-04:00

I'd like to take a moment to reveal to all of you a special opportunity -- one of those truly rare moments in time where great things are possible.

Here it is: Continental OnePass members can transfer miles into Amtrak's Guest Rewards program on a 1 mile = 1 point basis. This is phenomenal.

Why? Let me explain.

Continental, like all legacy carriers, awards miles on the basis of straight-line distance flown. OnePass also awards bonus miles:

To elite flyers (25% for Silver level, 100% for Gold and Platinum);
For booking with a Continental credit card (25%, plus 2 miles for every dollar spent);
For booking online (500 miles);
For shopping online with partners (up to 8 points per dollar spent); and
For participating in periodic promotions for buying or doing various things.

Amtrak, on the other hand, has adopted a model like Virgin America: passengers earn one Guest Rewards point for each dollar spent.

Because of this utterly inequitable relationship, a slight expenditure on airfare -- say, $300 for a round-trip ticket to Washington D.C. to San Francisco -- can with all bonuses tallied yield as many as 12,350 miles.
Transfer those miles, for free, into Amtrak, and you've instantly matched the earnings one would see from more than $4000 spent on train travel even if Amtrak is running a triple-point bonus promotion.

Of course, the opposite is true as well: Guest Rewards members who have attained Select or Select Plus elite status can transfer their Guest Rewards points into OnePass at a 1:1 ratio.

But why bother? The value of those points in airline terms is negligible; even the cheapest Continental award fare is going to cost you 15,000 miles.

On the other hand, here's a brief (and incomplete) list of some things for which our hypothetical Continental OnePass member could redeem his or her 12,350 shiny new Guest Rewards points:

Four one-way Coach tickets on the Northeast Regional (3000 each)
One one-way First Class ticket on the Acela (10,500)
One three-zone Coach ticket, which covers a coast-to-coast three-day trip (10,500)
One $100 gift card with Hyatt, Hertz, AMC Cinemas, Barnes & Noble, or other top chains (10,000)
Five one-class Amtrak upgrade coupons (10,000)

And that's off of a single $300 cross-country round-trip airfare. If you travel internationally, that 15,000-mile flight to Singapore could be worth more than 45,000 Guest Rewards points for a cost of about $1200.

As I write this, I don't know if the unique partnership that Continental Airlines forged with Amtrak will survive the Continental-United merger. I hope that it does, because I'm a fan of passenger rail.

But in case it doesn't, I've just transferred 60,000 miles from OnePass to Guest Rewards. That's enough for ten round-trip tickets in Coach from D.C. to New York, so visiting my in-laws won't cost anything. *grins*

On the Horizon: Skycouch

2010-10-18T13:14:00.002-04:00

Air New Zealand has an interesting new idea: Skycouch seating, where passengers can book a row of three seats that converts to a sofa bed-like space where they can lay flat. The seating is designed for couples or small families.

Skycouch Seating

I think that this is a great idea.

Lie-flat beds in First and Business Class cabins are great, I'm sure1, but most people are never going to be able to afford those seats.

This won't be free, of course, and I doubt it will be cheap. But it will be cheaper, and people are often willing to pay somewhat more for improved comfort over the course of a 15+ hour flight like the one from Auckland to Los Angeles.

1 While I've had premium-class seats on numerous airlines over the years, I haven't had the opportunity to try out one of the recent generation of lie-flat beds.

Travel Registration

2010-10-02T17:29:00.000-04:00

If you'll be traveling abroad, you may want to register your travels with the State Department at http://travelregistration.state.gov. This automated registration makes sure that the U.S. government has the ability to know that you are in-country should extraordinary circumstances require evacuation of American citizens.

It's a really nice idea. Unfortunately, the site is slow, clunky, and entirely too cumbersome for me to bother with it. I'm sure that I'll wish otherwise if I'm caught in a sudden rebel uprising. In the meantime, if you really, really like typing out the details of your entire trip, you'll be glad to know that the State Department has anticipated your desires and designed a site just for you.

Visas: An introduction.

2010-10-02T17:16:00.001-04:00

It comes as a surprise to many Americans that we need visas to travel to some countries. At least half of the people who are surprised are simply unaware that visas even exist; usually, these are folks who either don't have passports (a huge number of Americans) or who got them only for a trip to Europe or, more recently, Canada.

But among those who do understand the concept of a visa, a relatively large number of Americans whose travels haven't taken them to visa-requiring countries assume that American travelers are exempt from visas. Their logic is that since we come from the most advanced nation on Earth, it'd be extremely unlikely that we'd be going somewhere to try and slip onto the social welfare roster or take away a job from the local populace.

It's not bad logic on the surface, because Americans tend to view control over immigration as a way to keep people off of social services. But it's wrong.

Americans need visas to visit a range of countries, including a few developed nations like Australia but also the larger developing countries that our media regularly cites as industrial powerhouses -- Brazil, Russia, China[1], and India -- and an array of smaller developing nations.

For the most part, it's not that these countries worry about Americans slipping into their countries unnoticed and lining up for free food or subsidized housing. Actually, it's precisely that Americans have money. So, if they want to visit, why limit the take to whatever sales taxes are collected on their purchases? It's easy to collect additional money by requiring a visa.

There's also a degree of tit-for-tat to the process. Americans pay more for visas in Brazil, for instance, than do the citizens of many other countries, because the Brazilian government decided to charge American visitors the same price of a visa that the American government charges Brazilians. Makes sense, right?

You can look up the visa requirements for any country based on the passport on which you travel using sites like VisaHQ. Americans are often better served by the Department of State's travel pages, though, because in addition to the visa requirements that Americans in particular have for each country, these pages also include travel advisories and medical information.

In most cases, when a visa is required, it means filling out paperwork that includes when and why you intend to visit, providing two of those passport-sized photos, and paying the fee. Some countries may require interviews at their consulates or other security measures. Visas of this sort are usually pasted into one's passport.

There are also countries that provide visas either electronically (as is the case with Australia) or upon arrival (such as Bahrain). These visas are included in the entry stamp (which is really unto itself a visa, demonstrating permission granted by the border officer for the traveler to enter).

In a few rare cases, visas may need to be processed outside of the United States; for instance, Americans are not forbidden by the U.S. government to visit the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, but there isn't a North Korean embassy in the U.S. Tours of North Korea are tightly organized, though, so in these instances, the process of getting visas will almost certainly be handled by the tour provider.

Whenever you travel, it's absolutely essential that you know whether you'll need a visa and what kind of visa you need. For most people, the basic tourist visa is sufficient and appropriate. Anyone planning to have a job of any kind while in a country will need a work visa. Students generally have their own special visas, and some countries regulate the presence missionaries through visas issued solely for religious work.

You should photocopy any visa that is pasted into a passport in advance of travel. Leave one copy left at home in case there are problems and another carried on you while you're in country. This is especially critical in countries that require an exit visa, without which you will not be allowed to cross the border to go home.

One piece of good news for American travelers: we usually have access to multiple-entry visas, which are good for access for an extended period of time that may range as high as five or ten years from the date of issuance.

There's often a minimal price difference between a single and a multiple-entry visa, so save yourself the hassle and get the longest-duration visa you're allowed to obtain. You never know when you might have the chance to go back!

[1] Travelers to the Chinese mainland require entry visas. Hong Kong and Macau are Special Administrative Regions (SARs) that at this time do not require visas for American travelers. Travel to Tibet requires special permission beyond an entry visa.

United marks merger with a new benefit

2010-10-01T11:01:00.000-04:00

United and Continental closed their merger today. Effective immediately, the shares of both companies have been consolidated (CAL 1.05:1 with UAUA) and are trading as United-Continental Holdings (NYSE:UAL).

The return of the UAL symbol, which was lost during United's most recent bankruptcy, is a sign that Continental's strength is both a hand up and way forward for United, whose employees have long wanted to do a better job than their lackluster, clueless management team would tolerate. (Most of those folks, like the UAUA symbol, are now out the window.)

Most of the two former partners' operations will remain separate for some time. Consolidating airlines is, after all, a huge undertaking. But for members of the United and Continental airport lounges, there's one benefit that takes effect right away and will matter to both groups:

Effective immediately, the United Red Carpet Club offers a selection of complimentary alcoholic beverages.

Other benefits, including integrated elite upgrades and access to one another's premium economy seats (i.e. Economy Plus on United), will come later in October. The switch to complimentary alcoholic beverages in the Red Carpet Club, though, is a "tone-setter" for the whole merger. Presidents Club members had long enjoyed free drinks, which United's club charged for bar service. Post-merger, things might have gone either way. But "the new United," under the leadership of former Continental CEO Jeff Smisek, has chosen the right path, putting the customer first the way that Continental has done for years.

These days, mergers mean cuts. Wall Street expect them, and employees and customer alike fear them. The days of building a company so that it was generate consistently strong profits from satisfied customers are over. It's all about driving up share prices and selling off the assets for a high return before throwing the workforce out on the street -- what did those folks do, anyway? They sure weren't important executives! -- and finding a new target for the same treatment.

But it doesn't have to be that way, and while we'll have to wait and see what the months ahead hold for the world's new largest airline, today's close of the much-awaited Continental-United merger to create "the new United" is off to a good start.

Southwest buys AirTran! Continental updates its meal policy!

2010-09-27T13:51:00.001-04:00

We usually don't see so much activity on a Monday, but there were two big developments today in U.S. domestic travel industry:

Southwest is buying AirTran Airways; and
Continental is really and truly doing away with complimentary meals for domestic Coach passengers.

I was very surprised to hear about the Southwest-AirTran deal. Mostly, I was surprised by the lack of advance coverage; we'd heard about the United-Continental deal with months before it was announced. But it also seems like an odd match-up.

Sure, AirTran has gates at some airports where Southwest would like to add service, like (where?). But Southwest is a one-class carrier. Absorbing AirTran will mean reconfiguring all of the planes to eliminate the Business Class cabins that are in place now, and that seems like a lot of work.

I'm also sorry to see AirTran go, precisely because of those Business Class cabins. We have lots of excess capacity and mergers make sense, but AirTran had broken new ground by offering two-class service for affordable prices. Virgin America has two-class service, but its First Class offering is much pricier than the front cabins on AirTran flights. I can't help thinking that we've lost something here.

As for Continental, I'd been totally confused by the situation on meals ever since my recent Alaska trip. I lobbied for an end to free meals months ago and was happy when they first announced they'd be doing away with them, and these for-purchase food items sound really tasty. I'm all for it.

Continental still serves meals, sometimes.

2010-09-17T11:02:00.000-04:00

Back in March, I wrote about Continental's decision to end complimentary meal service for Coach passengers.

It was, as I understood it, a "done deal." So, Gwen and I were surprised on a recent flight segment from Houston to Seattle when flight attendants came around passing out trays with chicken enchiladas, carrot sticks, salad cups, and Kit Kat candy bars.

There was no meal offered from Seattle to Anchorage. However, we encountered a similar meal service (this time with a turkey sandwich) flying from Anchorage back to Seattle -- and no meal from Seattle to Newark.

That led me to do some checking, and according to Continental's posted dining policy, meal service is still in effect for flights over three hours in length that fall between "standard meal times:"

Breakfast / Snack: 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Lunch / Snack: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Dinner / Snack: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

To be sure, these are not gourmet meals. I also doubt that they'll survive the merger, as United already has an established product line of (quite tasty) fresh food items sold onboard.

But getting something to eat was a pleasant surprise.

Would you like less legroom on your flight?

2010-09-14T17:59:00.002-04:00

American airline passengers complain about legroom. I mean, whenever Americans fly, they complaint about pretty much everything, but legroom is one of the biggest complaints I hear onboard aircraft.

Well, for all that you consider that 30-32" seat pitch woefully inadequate, Italian firm Aviointeriors has actually come up with something smaller.

The SkyRider seat is patterned on a saddle design.

The SkyRider seat is patterned after a horse saddle. By having a contoured base, it can actually accommodate a... well, rider, with as little as 23" of seat pitch. That means that in an economy cabin with 30 rows of 30" standard seating, an airline could actually fit an additional nine rows of seats by putting in SkyRider seats and squishing everything closer together.

SkyRider seats are specifically intended for shorter flights. RyanAir enthusiasts shouldn't be surprised if these appear soon on the plane soon.

That said, there are three reasons we're unlikely to see these in America:

They're not FAA-approved;
The typical U.S. flight is long by the standards of most other countries; and
Passengers almost certainly wouldn't tolerate them.

FAA approval might be forthcoming, of course, if there were enough testing done. And an that third point, I admit I'm making an assumption here. Ten years ago, I'd have assumed that Americans would never tolerate checked baggage fees or the elimination of Coach meals.

But even if those we could clear those jumps, they'd still be of limited use in a country with such long flights. So, you're not likely to see many SkyRiders here.

If we did, would they be comfortable? As an Aviointeriors spokesman points out, cowboys ride in saddles for hours.

But Americans would still complain.

Roaming Alaska

2010-09-08T21:36:00.004-04:00

Alaska may be America's Last Frontier, but this is the twenty-first century. "Far" just isn't as far as it used to be, at least in the cities. And Anchorage, while small by Lower 48 standards, is a city.

I was therefore quite expecting that when I turned on my Verizon BlackBerry Storm on my first morning in Anchorage, there would be signal, and there was. The familiar 1xev block appeared, telling me that the 3G CDMA signal we call EVDO was available. But after a few minutes, I was surprised to see that it still appeared exactly that way: lowercase, meaning that while 3G service was available, I wasn't getting it. Verizon, it turns out, doesn't have coverage in Anchorage.

I was roaming.

Once feared for its potential to mean huge per-minute charges, domestic "roaming" is now mostly a novelty concept for customers of major cell phone plans. But my experience reminded me of how precarious the access to data that we assume every day really is. There can be infrastructure, and signal. But sometimes, it's not enough.

Sometimes, despite all of the technology, you're left roaming.

Fees and Rewards: Airline Priorities

2010-09-02T17:23:00.000-04:00

Over the last two years, we've seen U.S. domestic airline amenities cut back and fees put in place for things that used to be free.

Many airlines have eliminated pillows and blankets, ostensibly in the name of hygiene. One can genuinely agree with the merits of this idea, yet that justification has nicely underpinned offers for passengers to buy their very own new pillows and blankets; do we really imagine that it was primarily health and not revenue that led to the move?

Then there's luggage. Free checked baggage used to be a given, but most airlines now charge even for a first checked bag, and only Southwest still allows two free pieces of checked luggage per passenger. Spirit has gone the opposite direction and added charges for carry-on bags in addition to those for checked luggage, telling passengers in effect that their ticket prices are genuine only for those who have no intention to stay more than a few hours and are pointedly not traveling on business.

And, of course, food and beverages. The industry balked at U.S. Airways' 2008 attempt to charge for all drinks (something that low-cost carriers in other countries do). But complimentary meals, which had been waning since the traffic declines after September 11, 2001, finally vanished this year when Continental pulled the plug.

There's an interesting countertrend emerging, though: while airlines are charging for things that never cost money before and charging more for things that used to cost less (like curbside luggage and alcoholic beverages), they are also taking more opportunities to extend those benefits for free or at discounted rates to passengers who qualify.

Again, take luggage. The legacy carriers charge $25 or more for a first checked bag and up to $50 for a second. But if you hold elite status with the airline you're traveling -- or if you're an elite member of a partner airline -- you won't pay that fee.

Similarly, Continental recently boosted the cost of onboard alcoholic beverages from $5 to $6. But if you're paying with a Continental credit card, you'll actually pay $4 -- less than you paid before the price went up.

In the months ahead, keep a lookout for more of these special discounts and benefits. They may move people around in the skies, but airlines are in business to make money. For a while, they forgot that. Now, they're remembering, and airlines are bound to expand the list of what is given at no cost to their most profitable customers.

Approved: The New United

2010-09-01T12:19:00.000-04:00

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice signed off on the proposed merger of United and Continental, after the latter agreed to transfer some of its gates at Newark-Liberty International Airport to low-cost carrier Southwest. A shareholder vote is scheduled for September 17 (which is also the last day to trade September options, by the way), and a passing tally looks assured.

There is some noise being made by opponents seeking judicial intervention to block the deal, and House Transportation Committee Chairman Oberstar is talking about re-regulation. Oberstar says that, if the merger goes ahead, "our domestic carrier fleet will have shrunk to four network carriers." (In making that claim, he dismisses Southwest, JetBlue, Airtran, Frontier, Spirit, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian, Virgin America, Sun Country, and a few others. But who's counting, right?)

The fact is, this is going to happen, whatever Oberstar says. The question is, what lies ahead for passengers? And the answer is, in the short run, nothing.

In a post-merger scenario, Continental and United will at first continue to operate as separate airlines under common ownership by a holding company. (United Air Lines is already owned by a traded holding company as a result of a previous bankruptcy, so this is itself nothing new.)

The two Star Alliance airlines have already been working to extend cross-carrier benefits such as elite upgrades, so we can reasonably expect to see those roll out pretty soon after the merger is finalized. Straightening out booking and routing systems, aligning flight schedules, and building a combined frequent flyer program will take longer.

One also has to keep in mind the ever-present labor issues of the industry -- though my casual asides with United employees suggest they are thrilled to be coming under the management of Continental's executive team, which has long been held up as the gold standard for airline labor-management relations. (As an example of why, Continental still maintains and funds a pension plan for its employees.)

By early next spring, Continental CEO Jeff Smisek, who will be the CEO of the new United, envisions that the combined carrier will be ready for "Customer Day One." That's when everything will be in place from a passenger point of view.

And the last step, where the Department of Transportation issues a single carrier certificate for the new airline? That will probably be next winter.

But it matters about as much as Chairman Oberstar's ability to count.

Children on Airplanes

2010-08-27T11:12:00.001-04:00

According to a recent poll, which I understand was not scientific but is nonetheless telling, almost 60% of passengers would prefer that children be segregated from other airline passengers. Turns out that it's the presence of children, not flight delays or baggage fees, that flyers find most annoying.

As a dad, I understand that parents do a lot to try and comfort or control their children. I also understand, though, that part of being a parent is an almost-immediate shift in one's ability to tolerate noise. Within hours of our daughter being born, my wife and I were dealing calmly with a screaming infant, doing what we could to soothe her while our levels of frustration stayed conspicuously in check.

As a frequent flyer, I can attest that this level of frustration can spike rapidly in a plane, especially -- and some will take issue with me drawing this distinction, but I will anyway -- when there's a crying baby or annoying youngster in First Class.

Some will ask, why is First Class special? I could smirk and accuse the questioners of being socialists, I suppose. How else can one understand the annoyance passengers express when people who pay ten times what they've paid for tickets are entitled to better amenities? It's amusing to me that in a nation where questioning the merits of free markets and deregulation is decried as treason, Americans nonetheless rally to object to a $750 ticket coming with a $10 sandwich while a $100 ticket on the same flight doesn't offer a meal.

But I digress.

Putting families in a special section of a plane is basically unworkable. Blocking off the section with soundproofing would be a potential safety hazard in the event of an emergency, and in any event, airlines have no advance notice of how many parents are traveling with children under two years of age if these infants are traveling on their parents' laps.

But it really does make sense to have families sit at the back of the plane. It would:

Put them closer to the lavatories;
Make it easier to get water from the galley; and
Give them a practical excuse for boarding first (something that otherwise makes no sense, since it just puts a huge number of people crowding the aisles in random places).

And it would really help improve everyone's trip for parents to not have to endure the endless angry glares of the people around them. For many parents, that in itself would be a good trade-off.

Baby on Amtrak? Changing can be tricky.

2010-08-22T23:12:00.004-04:00

When Gwen and I recently went up to New York to introduce friends and family to our newborn daughter Tara, deciding on a means of travel was easy. We chose Amtrak because the train would:

Save us the hassle of airport security;
Give us space to move around; and
Make it easier to bring home gifts.

Did they mean to put one here and forgot?

Amtrak has long sought to promote itself as a family-friendly way to travel. Imagine my surprise, therefore, to find no changing tables in the restrooms in Amtrak's trains on the Northeast corridor, neither in the newer Acelas nor the older Northeast Regionals.

Sure, we can all accept that a changing table on a train is a risky proposition; the train moves. But think about it: the baby needs to be changed either way. Absent a changing table, parents are left to struggle with changing babies on toilet lids or handicap transfer seats, or on the floor. Each option is considerably more risky than a well-designed changing table.

The transfer seat is flat but not wide enough and has no safety strap.

I'm not sure whether changing tables are available on the Superliner or Viewliner cars used outside of the Northeast. We've traveled on most Amtrak routes, but we didn't have a baby at the time and thus weren't looking for changing tables. It's also possible that there may be some restrooms among the Northeast rolling stock that do have changing tables.

But what good is that? Realistically, every train restroom should have a changing table, just as planes include these in their lavatories. Train trips are long, and babies need to be changed frequently. Having tables just makes sense.

For now, be warned: if you're traveling by train with a baby, changing your baby is going to be more challenging than it needs to be.

Imagine PS: The ultimate in green transportation

2010-08-20T11:36:00.001-04:00

We've heard a lot about clean diesels, gas-electric hybrids, and plug-in hybrids. Tesla has an electric roadster with a 240-mile range that goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. Within the next year, we'll see the debut of GM's Chevy Volt, which uses electricity as its primary power source but has a supplemental gasoline motor for extended-range travel, and the all-electric Nissan Leaf.

It's all very impressive, but if you want to ultimate in green transportation, you'll be surprised to learn that it's much simpler (and cheaper) than any of those much-touted vehicles. The real breakthrough isn't the idea of using lithium-ion batteries in cars but rather in providing the electric in a fashion that doesn't generate any pollution: by hand.

Yes: The Imagine PS is street-legal!

Enter the Imagine PS by obscure start-up company HumanCar.

The Imagine runs on electricity and has a plug-in charging capability, but it's not primarily meant to be plugged in. Instead, the Imagine is powered by the passengers themselves, who -- by pulling hand cranks from front to back -- generate from their own effort the current that makes the vehicle move.

And by all regards, it really moves: the Imagine can hit 60 mph on flat terrain and can climb hills at 30 mph.

With four passengers, the Imagine runs on "human power" alone. The plug-in capability supplements the vehicle when fewer than four passengers are working, though, so even one person can drive it.

Is the Imagine PS going to change the world? As a final product, no; it's impressive but not likely to win converts who would prefer, among other things, vehicles based on the green technologies I already mentioned.

But at $15,500, it's certainly a lot more attainable than a $40,000 Volt or a $100,000 Tesla roadster.

And besides, who really wears the outfits modeled on the runway? No one; they're concepts that influence mass-market clothing later in the season. So too may it be with the Imagine: it shows us what is possible.

"Express" seats? Ridiculous.

2010-08-18T15:58:00.001-04:00

In general, I've been defensive of airline fees. It's no secret that U.S. airlines have been hurting; most have lost literally billions of dollars each of the last few years, first due to super-high fuel prices and then because of the pullback in business travel unleashed by the recession.

That's why I accepted fuel surcharges, higher fares around holidays, and even the elimination of free meals by my favorite airline, the last airline to offer them.

But there are some areas where the line has to be drawn. Spirit Airlines' fees for carry-on bags are one example of going too far. Today, American Airlines has given us another.

According to MarketWatch, "American Airlines said Wednesday it would begin charging passengers for the privilege of sitting in the seats closest to an airplane's front exit." Prices will start (!) at $19 to book one of these "Express Seats," whose only desireable trait it that its occupant is able to get off the plane slightly sooner than those seated farther back... umm, what?!

This is just nonsense. Unless you're American Airlines, in which case it's part of a new program called -- tada! -- Your Choice(SM).

Well, at least they got that right. It is Your Choice(SM). Take advantage of that, and fly with someone else.

JetBlue brings back the AYCJ Pass

2010-08-17T14:40:00.002-04:00

Want to spend September touring America and the Caribbean? JetBlue has something for you: the All-You-Can-Jet pass.

The JetBlue Route Map

AYCJ is available in two forms:

AYCJ-5 is good for travel Sunday through Thursday and costs $499.
AYCJ-7 is good for travel every day of the week and costs $699.

Here are the details:

Domestic taxes and fees are included. (International taxes and fees aren't.)
You can travel from Sept 7 through Oct 6.
Flights only need to be booked three (3) days in advance.
You can also change or cancel flights without penalty as long as you do so at least three days in advance.

Consider that JetBlue lets you bring along a checked bag for free, that they've got more than a dozen destinations in the Caribbean, and that this pass kicks in immediately after Labor Day, when you'd otherwise be done with beach season.

Alas, I won't be able to use it. Gwen and I are taking our daughter Tara to Anchorage over Labor Day, then we're going to visit relatives in California later in the month before flying to India for a wedding in early October.

But I think it's a really great deal. Kudos to JetBlue for keeping travel fun.

Two Years with Pet Airways

2010-08-11T17:28:00.003-04:00

Novel ideas for new airlines come and go. Remember ultra-discounter SkyBus, based on the RyanAir model? Gone.

How about SilverJet, MaxJet, and L'Avion, the all-business class airlines? No more.

From spunky little Independence Air to long-established Aloha Airlines, high fuel prices and volatile demand make it difficult to run a successful airline.

www.petairways.com

Yet two years since its launch, in the midst of the worst economic environment the world has seen since the advent of widespread aviation, Pet Airways is still going strong. That's particularly surprising because Pet Airways doesn't fly people at all; as the name suggests, it's an airline for pets, and who'd figure that market would weather the Global Financial Crisis?

But the fact is, Pet Airlines has adopted what is thus far a winning strategy: its fares for in-cabin, supervised pet transportation are basically on par with the fees charged by people-airlines to transport pets in the cargo hold.

Consider that a handful of pets actually die in those holds every year, from exposure and loss of pressure among other problems, and one can see why dedicated pet air travel might be more than a luxury good for those who need to transport their pets from one place to another.

Top marks for the Air New Zealand Lounge

2010-08-07T23:57:00.000-04:00

It happens to me every time that I travel overseas. First, I encounter an international branch of a U.S.-based airline club, and I'm astonished at how much better the amenities are overseas. Then, I visit one of the clubs actually operated by a foreign carrier, and I'm left with disbelief.

At the Red carpet Club this morning in Melbourne, I had sausages, raisin toast, a ham croissant, and fresh fruit as well as a bowl of cereal. That was really something, because at home, a visit to United's club would have offered bagels and fruit but no hot foods.

Contrast that with the Air New Zealand lounge in Sydney, though -- which stands in for United passengers given its role as a Star Alliance affiliate -- and it's a whole new level.

As I write this, I'm having some delightfully spicy curried chicken over rice, having previously finished a hot dog with all of the fixings. My Bacardi and Diet Coke was not only free, which would have been true in my own Continental Presidents Club but not in a domestic Red Carpet Club, but was also self-poured. That's normal overseas; it's unheard of in the States.

Really, the clubs outside of America are so nice that it's almost a shame that the layovers tend to be as short as they are. It's like lingering at a buffet, or an all-inclusive resort.

Anyone reading this blog would be right to complain that I don't update it enough. The truth is, I haven't been traveling as much as I used to; I'm only up to about 60,000 miles this year so far, and it's August.

The good news? I've been in Australia all week. You're welcome to read about my personal adventures on LiveJournal (which for the moment I keep distinct from this blog; I may change that).

In the next few days, I'll also be posting profiles for Adelaide and Hobart, and discussing my experience on Great Southern Rail's Overland route.

It'll have to wait, though. My flight home boards in 20 minutes. Cheers!

Destination: Melbourne

2010-08-07T05:00:00.011-04:00

Victoria, Australia

Languages: English

Currency: Dollar (AUD)

For decades, Melbourne was the most important and famous city in Australia. In 1957, however, an ambitious project to build an opera house got underway in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales. It took 16 years to finish and incurred a final cost of around 14 times what had been estimated, but the bold structure bestowed upon its home an allure that catapulted Sydney ahead of Melbourne.

Since that time, the capital of Victoria has lived in the shadow of its neighbor to the northeast. Among locals and international visitors alike, there is a pervasive sense that Sydney is simply better than Melbourne.

Nonsense! While it is indisputable that more businesses now have their Australian headquarters in Sydney than in Melbourne, the latter retains a vibrant economy and a population of nearly 4 million. People get along well enough here.

Things to Do

To point to the Sydney Opera House as some sign that Melbourne has been eclipsed in the arts is simply not so. It's in the Melbourne CBD[1] that you'll find the impressive Australian Centre for Moving Images (ACMI), a sprawling arts complex devoted to cinematography, film, and animation. Melbourne also hosts a renowned annual film festival that bears its name, and the city is adorned with hundreds of galleries.

For wildlife, Melbourne offers both an excellent aquarium (also in the CBD) and a zoo an easy tram ride from your likely accommodations. These are at least of equal caliber to their counterparts in Sydney -- certainly no reason for Victorians to feel inferior.

One large draw to Melbourne is the Crown casino complex. If you're into casinos, you might as well check it out. Having frequented Las Vegas, though, I found nothing new here.

The Docklands, formerly used for the practical purpose that their name implies, have been reimagined as a district of luxury living spaces, outlet shopping, and excellent eateries. Whatever you'd like to eat, you'll find something that fits your tastes.

Melbourne is also a place for sport, particularly as the central hub for that sport rarely understood outside of the area, Australian Rules Football. Should you happen to find yourself in the city when a game is going on, give it a go. I wasn't able to go while I was in Melbourne but have been told that tickets are pretty cheap (about $20) and that it's quite an experience.

Visa Requirements

Virtually everyone coming from outside Australia needs a visa in advance, the only exception being New Zealand residents (and they still get visas, just on arrival rather than in advance). For citizens of most developed nations, including those traveling on American, European Union, and Singaporean passports among others, the application can be made electronically on the Web and provides an electronic record attached to the traveler's passport rather than a physical visa stamp.

Learn more about Australian visa requirements on Melbourne's official Web site.

Getting There

International flights come into Melbourne-Tullamarine Airport (MEL), as do most domestic flights. It's quite common for flights from the United States to deliver passengers to Sydney and then continue on to Melbourne. Depending on how that shakes out, you may clear customs in either city.

From the airport, travelers will likely find the SkyBus a hard value to beat: it runs four times an hour, 24 hours per day for every day of the year, and a $16 one-way ticket includes delivery to the front door of your hotel. $22 gets you a round-trip ticket that includes pickup (assuming that you're leaving after 6:00 a.m. when pickup begins).

Interstate rail service (from Adelaide by Great Southern Rail or Sydney by CountryLink) comes into Southern Cross Station, which is where SkyBus delivers passengers prior to their hotel transfers and also the hub for long-distance coach service. Several tram lines service Southern Cross, so it's as convenient place for travelers to be.

Learn more about travel to the from Melbourne on the city's official Web site.

Getting Around

Melbourne is extremely easy to navigate. There's an efficient system of electric trams for travel nearly anywhere within the city, including a free City Circle tram that (predictably) circles the CBD. From underground stations at key points as well as the main rail stations, you can pick up the Metro regional rail network for transit to the suburbs, and V/Line trains connect to much of the rest of Victoria.

If you do need to take a taxi -- for instance, should you need to catch the SkyBus before the trams start running -- you can expect to pay about $10 to go from one side of the CBD to the other. Cabs hailed on the streets are safe and I found the drivers quite friendly.

Melbourne has for some time been transitioning from its previous generation of paper farecards to a permanent card similar to London's Oyster. As of August 2010, all Melbourne trams, buses, and trains (including V/Line Zones 1 and 2) accept the Myki smartcard. Eventually, Myki will be accepted all over Victoria.

Learn more about getting around Melbourne on the city's official Web site.

Melbourne as a Base for Further Travels

The consolidated transit available makes Melbourne a great base station to use for trips to other parts of Australia.Both Southern Cross Station and Tullamarine Airport have facilities for securing bulky luggage. Flights to Adelaide, Hobart, and Canberra are often available through JetStar and Virgin Blue at low cost for those without checked baggage, so these facilities can be very handy.

If you do plan to leave luggage, be aware that the automated locker system at Southern Cross accepts only cash and no bills larger than $20, but the cost is per-locker. The SmarteCarte storage facility in Tullamarine's International terminal is per-piece and costs about twice as much.

Parting Thoughts

There's a lot to see and do here. Sydney is worth seeing, but writing Melbourne off would shortchange your trip.

1 A commonly used Australian abbreviation for Central Business District, what Americans would typically call the "Downtown" area.

VRE transitions from Amtrak to Keolis

2010-07-13T16:53:00.000-04:00

Regional rail lines are found around the country, and most of them are operated as state partnerships with the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, better known as Amtrak.

For most of its history, Virginia Railway Express was one of these. As of yesterday, however, VRE service is now operated by Keolis Rail Service America, a subsidiary of a French company. The decision to change service providers was made for cost reasons, with Keolis bidding to operate VRE for considerably less than Amtrak was willing to accept.

Might this shift anticipate a broader move away from Amtrak? It's not clear.

For decades, bystanders and travelers alike have noted that while Amtrak is a money-losing corporation rather than a public-sector agency, it functions as the de facto national rail provider in large part because private companies have not been able to make rail profitable. (Indeed, Amtrak was created to release the railroads from their legal passenger obligations.)

That makes it unlikely that a domestic competitor is going to challenge Amtrak any time soon.

What the VRE transition does raise is the possibility that private foreign providers--and there are quite a few that are very experienced in running First World rail systems--could step in to compete with Amtrak. Given that these companies are committed to rail service, it's hard to see how that competition could be a bad thing.

VRE riders will continue to have access to certain Amtrak trains through the use of Step-Up tickets. (Reports that this arrangement would end on account of the transfer of management were a mistaken interpretation of the annual realignment of which Amtrak trains accept Step-Up fares.)

As for whether the new management will bring other changes, we'll have to wait and see.

Bring back airline regulation? Not likely.

2010-07-13T16:15:00.004-04:00

To hear Congressman Oberstar tell it, a return to the days of airline regulation is the only way forward that makes sense. Oberstar is proposing (read: threatening) to introduce legislation that would re-regulate the industry if the proposed merger of United and Continental is approved.

Most Americans who grew up in the deregulated era have little perspective on what this would mean. We hear tales of wonderful service, gourmet meals, profitability, and high wages and benefits for airline employees. Luggage was checked for free, pillows and blankets were widely available, and all tickets were refundable.

It sounds nice, and it's true. But there's another side of that coin.

Under regulation, fare prices were set with government approval. They were difficult to change, and in practice, prices among carriers barely varied. They were also much more expensive.

How much more?

Go price a fare of your choosing searching for the lowest available price and write it down. Then, look up the same price as an "unrestricted" or "Class Y" coach fare. That second price--typically three or four times the lowest-available rate today--approximates the regulated fare (1).

During the days of regulation, a cross-country flight was priced in the thousands of dollars. Needless to say, flying was restricted to the wealthy.

Today, that same fare might be $250 on a flexible schedule. Flying is for everyone.

Oberstar is just the latest in a long line of politicians who have made noise about restoring airline regulation. But taxpayers have already pledged their full faith and credit to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out America's super-wealthy. Ceding air travel to those same fat cats is just not going to happen.

--
1 On Continental.com, an August 15-22 EWR-IAH round trip (connecting two hubs) has a lowest-rate fare of $426. The unrestricted fare is $1614.

The Last Days

2010-06-29T22:47:00.002-04:00

On July 16, AirTran and Frontier will officially end their partnership. I'll be sorry to see it end, because this sort of cross-carrier pairing is what the low-cost airlines need in order to lure domestic business travelers away from the legacy airlines.

U.S. Airways is still looking for a merger partner

2010-06-02T12:19:00.004-04:00

Having been blown off by United Airlines, which it's pretty clear at this point was only making eyes at another carrier in order to make Continental jealous, U.S. Airways is still looking to tie the knot with another legacy carrier.

Call it optimism, which is probably what CEO Doug Parker would prefer. Call it desperation, which is my take. Either way, U.S. Airways President Scott Kirby says it's very likely.

Feel free to laugh. Boasting the most surly staff, the least enthusiastic customer base, and a dysfunctional corporate culture, it's hard to see why U.S. Airways would entice either Delta (which is still digesting its own merger with Northwest) or a post-merger United (which, amazingly, Kirby calls "a high probability").

That leaves American Airlines. I think that if there's going to be a merger for U.S. Airways at all, it will probably be with American, which had long been the largest U.S. airline (and thus, the largest airline in the world) until the Delta merger. After United and Continental merge, American will fall to #3.

But a merger with American isn't an easy deal. To demonstrate that it could bring along its passengers, U.S. Airways would first need to leave the Star Alliance and integrate with American's OneWorld alliance -- far from an easy task.

And would the passengers really follow anyway? I doubt it. American is big enough, with enough flights around the country, that anyone who preferred OneWorld over the Star Alliance would already have made the switch.

I do see U.S. Airways departing the scene, mind you. But my vision is more of a yard sale.

Higher ticket taxes? Oh, please.

2010-05-17T14:19:00.003-04:00

There's been a lot of speculation regarding higher ticket prices as a result of industry consolidation, particularly given the recent announcement of a merger deal between United and Continental.

Now, we learn that a bill recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would raise the taxes on domestic airline tickets.

Airlines are apparently fighting the measure, "warning the increase would impede industry growth and raise consumer prices."

But it seems like a whole lot of angst over nothing. For all of the fuss, the proposed tax increase would raise the "Passenger Facility Charge" from $4.50 to an astonishingly underwhelming $7.00.

That additional $2.50 would raise nearly three billion dollars that would go towards terminal and runway improvements.

And aren't terminal and runway improvements worth it?

I mean, seriously: are you going to put off your purchase of a $400 airline ticket because you're being asked to pay $2.50 in extra taxes? Would you even notice?

I doubt it.

And for an airline industry that gleefully imposed checked-bag fees that can add up to $60 to a flight for the privilege of checking two bags -- and that has in at least one case added a fee nearly ten times' the proposed tax for the "privilege" of a carry-on bag -- to talk about how this affects passengers is simply ridiculous.

Airports, runways, and air traffic infrastructure all cost money. $2.50 is a small price to pay.

The New United

2010-05-03T11:10:00.008-04:00

It's official: Continental and United have agreed to a merger.

The new airline will retain the name United as well as that company's headquarters in Chicago, and will use the Continental logo and color scheme. Jeff Smisek, CEO of Houston-based Continental, will be the CEO of the merged airline, which will leapfrog over Delta to become the world's largest. Current United CEO Glenn Tilton will take on the Chairman role for two years before passing that to Smisek.

Announced this morning, the move was anticipated ever since news about a month ago that UAL was in merger talks with U.S. Airways. (For the reasons that I mentioned at the time, many suspected that the real goal was to prod Continental along.)

The deal is subject to the usual hurdles of antitrust investigation and union agreement, but there's little overlap between the UAL and CAL route maps, and many United employees view Continental as the ideal of what an airline should be. Given that Smisek will be taking the reins of the new company, my guess is that their support will come easily.

For Continental frequent flyers like me, one almost-guaranteed downside is the probability of higher elite-status requirements. United uses a 30-60-100K tier system; Continental has a 25-50-75K system. Does anyone think doubling the pool of potential elite members will result in using the lower standard?

But this is good news for a lot of reasons, and I'm all in favor of it. These have for some time been my two favorite international-scope airlines. Together, under the right leadership, I see the potential for them to revitalize the service element of air travel.

United and U.S. Airways... uniting?

2010-04-07T17:48:00.004-04:00

According to the New York Times, United and U.S. Airways -- both members of the Star Alliance -- are "deep in their merger discussions, though a transaction is not expected to be announced for at least several weeks."

As the Times article mentions, these are two airlines that have tried to merge before, announcing a deal in 2000 that collapsed under fierce union opposition.

A merger between United and U.S. Airways would create one of the world's largest airlines, but it's hard to say what it would mean for the third domestic member of the Star Alliance; Continental left Skyteam precisely because the merger between Delta and Northwest risked leaving it as the junior partner, and it's hard to see how a UA-US tie-up would be good for CAL.

Actually, I'm surprised to hear that United is in talks once again with U.S. Airways. It's true that America has too many airlines, so mergers do make sense. It's just that all of the United people I've asked, including on planes and in the Red Carpet Clubs, expressed a lot of enthusiasm for a possible future merger between their airline and Continental, while most of them had nothing but contempt for U.S. Airways.

Any UA-US merger would kill prospects for a subsequent UA-CAL deal simply on account of antitrust regulation.

But United CEO Glenn Tilton has made no secret of his interest in finding a merger partner, and Doug Parker gives the impression he'd merge U.S. Airways with any airline dumb enough...umm...visionary enough to take him up on it.

We'll see how it goes.

Destination: Hong Kong

2010-04-06T22:29:00.020-04:00

Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China

Languages: English and Cantonese (Official), Mandarin (Widespread)

Currency: Hong Kong Dollar (HKD)

If you've never been to Hong Kong, the name probably conjures up images of a heavily-Anglicanized city, where English is universally spoken and, other than the British accents, it's easy enough to think you've never left home.

That impression is almost entirely wrong.

Certainly, Hong Kong is home to a First World level of technological sophistication and hundreds of familiar American and European brand names; in Kowloon, you'll find an Outback Steakhouse just a block off of the Promenade. But it's difficlt to be here for even a few minutes without realizing that you are, in fact, in China.

I never had occasion to visit Hong Kong in the years leading up to its transfer from the United Kingdom to China. Certainly, there have been some changes regarding the nature of Hong Kong's government, which is now a combination of elected and appointed representatives, with the balance tilted slightly in the direction of appointments. But it is worth remembering that Hong Kong was never independent; it went from being the last of the dominions in what had been the British Empire to its current standing as a "Special Administrative Region" within the People's Republic, its foreign affairs in both cases controlled from far-away national capitals.

So, when I say that a visit to Hong Kong is a visit to China, I don't mean it in a strictly literal sense, even though that is now true from a perspective of territorial sovereignty. Instead, I mean that this place has a Chinese culture. English is an official language, but it's Cantonese--and increasingly, Mandarin--that you'll hear everywhere. It's nothing like Britain, and I suspect it never was.

Hong Kong within China: A Bit of History
Strictly speaking, "Hong Kong" is the name of only the southern island of the territory. That island was ceded "in perpetuity" to Britain in 1842 at the conclusion of the First Opium War; the larger island of Kowloon was ceded under the same terms in 1860 at the conclusion of the second such conflict. Britain then acquired a much larger section of land--the so-called "New Territories," including Lantau Island--in 1898, under terms of a 99-year lease.

Britain was compelled to return the New Territories in 1997 without precondition. It could have retained Hong Kong Island and Kowloon indefinitely, but doing so presented logistical problems. The British and Chinese governments therefore negotiated an arrangement under which the entire territory would be transfered to Chinese sovereignty. In exchange, China guaranteed to retain most aspects of Hong Kong's existing government structure (and its freedoms) for 50 years.
The Hong Kong "Special Administrative Region," or SAR, encompasses all of what prior to 1997 was British territory. As a part of China, its foreign affairs are managed by Beijing. But under the "one country, two systems" model, Hong Kong residents live very different lives from their counterparts a short distance away in Guangzhou or elsewhere in the People's Republic, enjoying freedoms of speech, religion, and press (as well as unrestricted Internet access) that most Chinese do not.

Visa Requirements
Hong Kong maintains its own passport controls and has different visa requirements than mainland China. Citizens of the United States and many other developed nations do not require Chinese visas to visit Hong Kong as tourists. If you arrive in Hong Kong under such circumstances, you may also include a trip to Macau SAR as part of your itinerary without any additional visa requirements (though Macau maintains its own distinct passport controls, so such a trip will involve formally leaving Hong Kong before boarding a plane or ferry to Macau).

You will need a Chinese visa, however, if you plan to take the train to Guangzhou or visit any destination on the Chinese mainland. Americans can expect to pay $330 for a five-year Chinese tourist visa and should apply through the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. before making any travel plans involving the mainland. Expedited services are available, but trying to obtain a visa in Hong Kong is unwise as any delay may result in missing flights or other forms of transportation.

Getting Around
Many of the key tourist and commercial areas are accessible via the excellent MTR rail system, which is very similar to the systems in Shanghai and Singapore. Where the MTR does not go, including the southern coast of Hong Kong Island and certain places within the New Territories, fleets of modern and comfortable buses fill in.

Virtually all travelers will want to buy an "Octopus" stored-value card. One-way tickets are available, but the Octopus card works on most transit, including the ferries and even the Peak Tram, and it's far more convenient than having to deal with individual ticketing for each trip.
A special note for those arriving by air: at over HK$100, the Airport Express train is a relatively pricey way to get from Hong Kong International to Kowloon or Central. Grab a bus from the terminal to nearby Tung Chung MTR station, and you can follow the same tracks on a local route that takes only a little longer and pay about one-tenth the price. (We didn't realize that until we were leaving.)

Highlights
There is a lot to see and do in Hong Kong. Here are some of the things that Gwen and I enjoyed during our recent trip:

The Kowloon Promenade. The Hong Kong skyline includes more than 7000 skyscrapers. (For comparison, New York City has about 4500.) Walking along the Promenade offers amazing views day or night. It's also a convenient way to get to the Star Ferry terminal.
The Peak. Like just about everything else in the former British Empire, the highest point in Hong Kong is named for Queen Victoria. These days, while the harbor does continue to bear her name, Victoria Peak is simply "The Peak."

The views from the Peak are awe-inspiring, especially on a clear day. Most of our days in Hong Kong were not so clear; large-scale manufacturing in Guangzhou on the mainland makes Hong Kong's air quality mediocre at best. Even so, we found the views incredible. (Beware: Restaurants on the Peak are very expensive. Cheaper food is available, though.)

But the most impressive
part of the Peak is the process of getting there, by way of the Peak Tram. A funicular (cog) railway, the Tram was built in 1888 and is a marvel of nineteenth-century industrial engineering. Use your Octopus card for the fare to save time and money.
The Star Ferry. For about HK$100, you can take an hour-long "Harbour Lights" tour of Victoria Harbour. But for about HK$3, which is less than US$1, you can just take the Star Ferry across from Kowloon to Central, then take it back the other way, and get a lot of the same experience. What's important is that you fit in a harbor trip on the Star Ferry in some fashion.
The Big Buddha. Built in 1993, the Tian Tan Buddha (represented as the "Big Buddha" on every English sign along the way) is the largest Buddha in the world...outdoors...made of bronze...that is seated...and smiling. If such a qualified distinction sounds a little silly, don't let that distract you: this is an impressive sight.

If you're inclined and of sufficient fitness, you can take an extremely long introspective journey along the Wisdom Path from its origins near Tung Chung MTR station (close to Hong Kong International Airport) all the way up to the Buddha and a nearby monestary. Most of you will opt, as we did, to take the Ngong Ping Cable Car, which also originates from beside the Tung Chung MTR; it costs about HK$160 for a round-trip ticket, and if the 25-minute trip up into the sky is less strenuous, it is nonetheless spectacular.

The downside of the Cable Car is that, unlike the Wisdom Path, it drops you off in the tourist-trap "village" of Ngong Ping, where the Buddha's quest to escape wordly consumption is celebrated through an array of shops, a few animated shows, and even an appallingly fake Bodhi Tree. But a short way from Ngong Ping is the long stairway that takes you up to the Tian Tan Buddha itself, and it's worth the effort.
Wong Tai Sin Temple. Fragrant incense, intricate shrines, bridges over ponds inhabited by wandering turtles, and opportunities to have your fortune told by [word] are all part of the experience here. If you're not familiar with Taoism, as most Westerners are not, don't worry; the devout are here to pray, and they do take it seriously, but they don't mind tourists curiously observing and taking photos so long as you behave respectfully.

There's no cost for admission, but you should plan to drop a few coins in the boxes provided, as these are used to maintain the shrines that you're here to see.

Depending on your particular style, you may enjoy adding to your itinerary the experience of high
tea at Hong Kong's Peninsula
Hotel, one of the world's great
luxury hotels. You'll need pants or skirts rather than shorts, but the dress code is not particularly fancy. HK$380 gets you the traditional high tea experience, which includes sandwiches, scones, and pastries along with your choice of tea, while a la carte is available for those on tighter budgets.

Hong Kong is also a very popular place to have suits and dress shirts tailor-made. Shops can be found all around Tsim Sha Tsui (on the harbor-facing side of Kowloon), offering deals of six, seven, or even eight shirts for HK$1499 (about US$200 as of this printing).

McDonald's Specialty Items
Americans traveling abroad tend to avoid McDonald's, imagining that it's all the same food that they get back home. Outside of France, rarely is that the case.

We ate breakfast as McDonald's in Tsim Sha Tsui on our first day in Hong Kong. In addition to real brewed coffee (not instant, which is ubiquitous) and American-style hashed brows, a total expense of HK$46 (about US$7) got us these entrees:

Don't believe the hype. It's always going to be fast food, but McDonald's is successful precisely because it caters to local tastes, and a stop in here while you're abroad can be a great way to get a sense of the place.

Travel Guides
Travelers looking for online guides to help plan their itineraries may want to refer to guides from Frommers, Fodors, and Continental. (I've linked to main pages in accordance with these sites' own policies, but the guides easy to locate.)

For print references, handy pocket-sized guides for Hong Kong are available from Time Out and also from Lonely Planet's Encounters series.

Charging for carry-on bags? That's the Spirit.

2010-04-06T11:24:00.003-04:00

Avowed nickle-and-dimer Spirit Airlines ushered in a bold new era for air profiteering when it announced today a new plan to charge passengers up to $45 for the privilege of bringing a carry-on bag.

Spirit, which already charges $25 for checked luggage ($19 if you "reserve" space online in advance; you'll find the baggage fee list here), is the first airline to take the logical step of boosting profits by charging passengers for bringing with them bags that they didn't want to check.

The claim is that this new policy will provide revenue that the carrier can use to lower its fares even further than their already-low levels. Indeed, cost-cutting is a way of life for Spirit, which is like the Walmart of air travel. Members of their subscription-based $9 Fare Club can even book so-called "Penny Plus" fares that start at one cent.

That one-cent fare, of course, incurs additional (non-ticketed) charges for "fuel" -- as if that were optional? -- and then adds taxes and fees. The resulting bottom-line cost of the ticket is usually in the $30-40 minimum range, still too low to really be a sustainable business model. Hence, the carry-on bag fee; how many people travel with nothing?

Bags up to 16" by 14" by 12" can be placed for free in the extremely limited space under Spirit's closely-packed seats. That's enough space to cover a weekend trip, assuming you're small enough to fit in the space left to you.

Otherwise, it'll be $45 for that carry-on at the gate. Pay online in advance, and you might spend just $30. $9 Fare Club members pay just $20... all for the privilege of doing something that, last week, was free.

It's a brave new world.

Breakfast at the Red Carpet Club

2010-04-04T20:57:00.004-04:00

Gwen and I wrapped up our trip to Asia this morning with breakfast at the Red Carpet Club at Hong Kong International Airport.

I'll be posting some destination material on Hong Kong and Singapore soon, but before our flight leaves for Newark, I wanted to take a moment to discuss the breakfast itself. From an American perspective, after all, it is a marvel.

For years now, America's domestic carriers have been scaling back service. Everyone can see it on the planes, where complimentary meal service has shifted to a la carte purchasing, alcoholic beverages have gone to a $5 model (even on trans-Pacific flights, which wasn't the case as recently as 2008 when the first edition of Spontaneous Tourism was published), and pillows and blankets have been scaled back or removed entirely.

Relatively few of the millions of airline passengers who flow through America's passenger terminals on a given day, however, are aware of the cuts that have been affected in the airlines' private clubs.

Conditions in the clubs vary by brand and location, but even the best lounge -- Alaska Airlines' Board Room -- stands out by providing hot soup in addition to cold snacks and an open bar. Continental's Presidents Club, which is far more widespread, subtracts the soup. United's Red Carpet Club has a cash bar. And so on; in one Delta Crown Room I visited, there were sodas, pretzels, and yogurt-covered raisins, and nothing else.

Not so in Asia. Here at the Hong Kong Red Carpet Club, drinks are not only free but self-service from a stocked bar shelf. For breakfast, we did have danish, but we also had scrambled eggs, sausage, baked beans, and miso soup. Several kinds of cereal, finger sandwiches, and ice cream were there for the taking.

How is it possible that United -- an American carrier -- provides such better service here in Asia?

Simply put, Asians demand such service. Business leaders here rarely get the enormous bonuses that dominate our news headlines, but professionals are extended a level of respect that we would find surprising.

Think about that while you're choosing which kind of cracker to pick up after paying for your drink at a Red Carpet Club back in the States. It's striking.

Amtrak launches Wi-Fi on Acela routes and in some stations

2010-03-21T16:51:00.003-04:00

Like most things about Amtrak, the advent of what is being called "AmtrakConnect" is late in coming. But after more than a year of passengers wondering why buses could provide wireless Internet access while Amtrak lagged behind, America's national rail carrier has finally entered the twenty-first century.

"Free of charge during the introductory period," AmtrakConnect is probably intended to eventually become a pay-per-use service. But Acela is priced so much higher than Northeast Regional service that only business travelers regularly take it, and business travelers often have cellular cards for which they already pay monthly fees.

With BoltBus, MegaBus, and now even many northeast Greyhound routes offering complimentary Internet service en route, it seems unlikely that Amtrak is going to grab a lot of revenue by selling Wi-Fi to its customers.

Whatever the long-term outlook for AmtrakConnect, it's here for now. Check it out on any Acela train (whether First or Business Class) or in any of these stations along the Northeast:

Washington, D.C. Union
Baltimore Penn
Philadelphia 30th Street
New York Penn
Providence
Boston-Route 128 (not South Station)

You'll also find AmtrakConnect Wi-Fi service in all four of the ClubAcela facilities, including the club in Boston's South Station.

End of an Era: No more free meals in Coach on Continental flights

2010-03-15T13:08:00.004-04:00

For several years now, Continental has been the only airline to still serve complimentary meals to Coach-class passengers on domestic flights.

Today, Continental announced an end to free domestic Coach-class meal service. I applaud their decision.

I've loved the generosity, but over the course of more than 300,000 miles travelled, I've also become frustrated by how little other passengers cared about those meals. Free meals aren't really free; they come out of profit margins. When other airlines got rid of free meals, they eliminated those costs. When those airlines then added buy-onboard meal options, they created new streams of income.

Continental held the line in memory of a golden age, expecting that people looking to travel would opt for Continental tickets over those on competing airlines in order to get things like the free meals.

They didn't.

Americans love to complain about cuts in service when they write blog posts or letters to the editor. But the numbers don't lie: Continental is ranked #1 among U.S. carriers in its class year after year, yet when it comes to ticket sales, it doesn't do appreciably better than any other airline.

That's the fact: we don't value free meals. So they're going away, allowing Continental--always the best-run of the airlines, with a dedication to its employees unmatched among its peers--to recover profitability during difficult times.

It's the right thing to do.

Exit row? Sure, but it'll cost ya.

2010-03-03T17:11:00.002-05:00

Continental today announced that it's following the lead of rivals in adding a special charge for exit row seating.

Prices will vary based on the popularity of the route and length of the flight, but the company cited as an example $59 for a one-way flight from Houston to Newark. That pricing model puts it in sync with United, its new Star Alliance partner and whispered likely match in a future merger.

Elite members of Continental's OnePass program are exempt from the charge, and presumably that exemption will grow to include elite members of United's Mileage Plus as well when reciprocity takes effect in mid-2010.

Baggage fees: Not all airlines are the same.

2010-01-13T14:22:00.004-05:00

United and Continental are the latest to join Delta's baggage fee increase, pushing domestic charges to $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for a second checked bag.

Within the world of legacy carriers, however, not all airlines are equal.

If you're a Star Alliance elite flyer--for instance, a Continental Platinum--you can fly with United or U.S. Airways and pay no baggage fees.

Not so for SkyTeam! Delta waives baggage fees only for its own elite members, not for those of SkyTeam partners.

Of course, not having to pay these sorts of "junk fees" is definitely a selling point in favor of airlines that don't charge them: JetBlue checks one bag for free and charges $30 for a second bag, and you can check two bags for free on Southwest.

New year, higher bag fees!

2010-01-11T16:12:00.002-05:00

Delta Air Lines is raising its fees for checked bags on all flights flown on or after January 12, 2010. The new rates for domestic1 flights are:

$23 for the first bag, with an additional $2 surcharge for paying at the airport (rather than prepaying online); and
$32 for a second bag, with an additional $3 surcharge.

If you bought your ticket prior to January 5, 2010, you'll be "grandfathered" in at the old rates. Anyone who bought tickets on or since January 5, though, should anticipate paying the higher fees.

Now, I tend to be pretty defensive of the airlines these days, because they've lost so much money and continue to lose money despite these fees. But I've about had it with these luggage fees. Why does it cost as much to fly a single bag from Point A to Point B as it does to rent a car for a whole day?

If fares are too low, raise fares. Quit with the gimmicks.

1 Domestic flights are those flown between the 50 United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Canada.

New, and unpredictable, security measures

2009-12-28T12:53:00.002-05:00

In the wake of the weekend's attempted destruction of a plane en route to Detroit, governments are imposing new security measures at airports and on board internationally bound aircraft.

Details from the Transportation Security Administration are sketchy, because one of the TSA's stated goals is to make security less predictable. However, reports from non-U.S. governments, airlines, and passengers suggest these among other measures may be put in place:

Double-screening, with initial security checkpoints supplemented by pre-boarding screening at the gate;
Pat-downs, paying particular attention to the upper thigh and groin areas, something that the TSA has always had authority to do but has rarely done out of concern for privacy, but which have taken on new importance since the weekend attack apparently involved explosive powder taped to the would-be bomber's thigh;
Restroom monitoring, looking to limit the amount of time that someone onboard an aircraft might be removed from visibility and thereby having time to assemble an explosive device from components smuggled onboard; and
Last-hour restrictions on carry-on items and movement within the cabin, aimed at keeping people from carrying out plots during a landing sequence.

The last bullet, keeping passengers in their seats, strikes me as quite unnecessary. Collecting blankets and making people put away laptops for a whole hour is unlikely to do much more than result in bored, chilly passengers.

Remember, the weekend plot was focused on destroying a plane, not hijacking it in the style of Setpember 11; should we feel better if terrorists start blowing up planes 90 minutes before landing rather than waiting for the last hour? I doubt it.

I do, however, strongly support the other measures, which make good sense. I think it's also time that we stop whining about privacy issues relating to backscatter machines that can see through clothes. Prudish Americans doubtless imagine that everyone is desperate to see them naked, but as any nudist will tell you, absent sexual context, nudity simply isn't that exciting -- and seeing whatever someone is concealing beneath clothing will really make it hard to smuggle things onto planes.

It's time that we start taking security seriously, demanding results rather than assurances. These are good steps in that direction.

Looking critically at the TSA

2009-12-28T12:40:00.003-05:00

Most of you are aware that, on Christmas Day, a Nigerian citizen on a flight en route to Detroit tried to detonate an explosive device made from powder and liquid components smuggled aboard the aircraft.

You know that the plot did not work, because the would-be bomb failed to detonate, instead burning the would-be bomber.

You know that passengers apprehended the would-be bomber and held him until the plane landed, then turned him over to U.S. authorities.

You probably also know that Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano's claim that "the system worked" is ridiculous and insulting to the intelligence of every American.

The system did not work. No security screener or device anywhere along the line picked up the threat. The plot failed because of quick passenger reactions, but mostly it failed because of bad luck: the explosive didn't detonate.

Governments in general like to pretend they are all-powerful. The U.S. government in particular has pretended for nearly a decade since September 11 that the massive make-work program called the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has made us safer. These are lies; study after study and test after test have shown that TSA is almost entirely ineffective.

Whatever your politics, be aware that the TSA is not a failure because it was created by the Bush administration, and it is not a failure because it is currently under the Obama administration. It is a failure because it is a huge government bureaucracy, and like most government bureaucracies, it is far more focused on looking effective than being effective.

Today, Napolitano is backtracking from her earlier claims and admitting that the system failed. But we already knew that: she is changing the system, which would not be necessary if it had actually worked.

For passengers, at last the right to fair treatment

2009-12-21T13:02:00.003-05:00

Throughout the years of the Bush administration, airline passengers filed complaint after complaint. In response, the Department of Transportation asked airlines to agree to some voluntary rules. Few did.

Change is coming. Beginning this spring, when DOT-OST-2007-0022 takes effect, airline passengers will finally have some actual rights -- backed by hefty penalties for airlines that fail to comply.

Under the new rule, airlines will be required to:

Provide food and beverages to passengers waiting on a tarmac for more than two hours; and
Return planes to terminals and allow passengers to disembark after delays of more than three hours.

Airlines failing to comply will be fined $175,000 per passenger, or more than three million dollars for a 20-seat regional jet.

That's big money, and it's getting the airlines' attention -- so much so that, according to the New York Times, even regional jets that typically don't serve snacks are going to be stocking up on peanuts and pretzels to meet the snack requirements "just in case."

For now, the rule applies to domestic flights only. In the future, it may b e expanded to include international flights as well.

When will the Acela get wireless Internet?

2009-12-05T12:17:00.003-05:00

I was at a Washington Wizards game a few days ago, and an Amtrak advertisement came up promoting Acela service between Washington and New York.

The Acela, as many of you know, is Amtrak's flagship offering. Having been introduced in 2000, Acela is new -- by American standards. Reaching speeds of up to 150 mph for about ten miles of its trip between New York and Boston, it's fast -- by American standards.

And with a ticket price more than double the cost of an equivalent-route Northeast Regional train, it's expensive -- by any standard -- and that brings me back to that Wizards advertisement.

The advertisement encouraged people to "Go online." In October, Amtrak committed to getting Acela Wi-Fi in place by mid-2010. But what's the delay?

Next-generation northeast Corridor bus services like BoltBus and MegaBus already have free Wi-Fi for all of their passengers, as well as comfortable seats and power outlets -- and ticket prices of $25 for WAS-NYC.

Why is it so hard for Amtrak's flagship line to meet the level of service provided by buses?

Amtrak's lounges: Private, but amenities and quality vary.

2009-11-20T12:43:00.013-05:00

Amtrak's ClubAcela and Metropolitan Lounge facilities are perhaps the most inconsistent facilities in the U.S. transit industry outside of bus terminals.

Both facilities cater to travelers who have First Class tickets -- either on the Acela or in Sleeper Car accommodations on Amtrak's long-haul lines -- as well as Select Plus members of Amtrak's Guest Rewards program and members of Continental Airlines' Presidents Club.

Beyond that, there is little consistency.

In Chicago, for instance, the Metropolitan Lounge is a grand facility that can seat hundreds, with multiple televisions, soda fountains, and comfortable chairs in a mahogany-paneled setting. New Orleans also boasts a Metropolitan Lounge; it is small room with a tube television and a couch, plus a coffee pot.

The ClubAcela facilities, which can be found in Washington, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, also vary in terms of quality:

The 30th-Street Station ClubAcela in Philadelphia occupies what was once a passenger lounge during the golden age of rail travel, with elevators to the track and views of concourse.
Union Station's ClubAcela in Washington D.C. is less impressive but offers East and West exits directly to the tracks from which Acela trains leave, bypassing lines.
In New York, where the grandeur of the old Penn Station has given way to an underground 70s-era shopping mall vibe, the ClubAcela is off to one corner, and passengers heading for their trains need to join the main passenger waiting lines to reach the tracks.

Looking for connectivity? All of the ClubAcela facilities have a few computers set up for Internet access. New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago are among those that also have complimentary Wi-Fi; D.C. does not.

Of course, every lounge does offer a few basics, including reasonably comfortable (if evidently used) armchairs and couches, television, and coffee. And since Amtrak doesn't sell ClubAcela memberships, passengers can rest assured that whatever lounge facilities are offered are meant to augment their ticket accommodations rather than stack up as benefits in their own right (the way that airline lounges do).

But as we move into the second decade of the twenty-first century, and America wrestles with upgrades to its aging rail infrastructure, one does have to ask: could we get some consistency in the lounge amenities?

Surcharges extended; U.S. Airways adds more.

2009-11-19T22:59:00.003-05:00

As you know, about ten weeks ago, all of the legacy airlines announced that they would be adding surcharges -- essentially, fare increases -- to a few "peak" travel days between now and the end of the year.

In the past week, those same airlines have one by one opted to extend the surcharges to peak travel days as far out as May 2010, and increase them to $30 each way.

I talked about the merits of these surcharges when they first debuted, and my position hasn't changed: they are simple fare increases, not fees, and it is entirely reasonable that airlines will raise their prices when they are literally losing hundreds of millions of dollars every quarter.

What separates reasonable from unreasonable? Timing.

The surcharges were first added and now extended based on observed travel conditions and current bookings. That's understandable.

In typical fashion, U.S. Airways has gone one farther than its peers, adding a 5% surcharge on all flights on or after May 8, 2010. U.S. Airways made this move "because fuel prices could increase by then."

In other words, U.S. Airways is imposing a de facto fuel surcharge in advance of any fuel price increases. That is not reasonable -- and it is precisely why so many of us choose to fly with other airlines.

Becoming the Junior Partner: U.S. Airways and Star Alliance

2009-11-18T10:27:00.002-05:00

Until just a few weeks ago, there were two domestic airlines in the Star Alliance: United and U.S. Airways. They were grudging partners, always doing as little to cooperate as possible.

On October 27, that changed. Continental Airlines joined Star Alliance after leaving SkyTeam three days earlier, the first airline to change alliances since alliances debuted. Continental left SkyTeam because, as incoming CEO and current President/COO Jeff Smisek put it, the merger of Delta and Northwest had left Continental "relegated to junior partner status."

Even before the official transition, United and Continental -- which had previously discussed a merger but decided against it -- had started aligning their interests. They put their fee structures and complimentary upgrade policies in sync; for instance, Continental began including Hawaii in its list of destinations for complimentary domestic upgrades. Continental Presidents Club members also got access to United Red Carpet Clubs a few weeks early.

Yesterday, they raised the stakes: beginning in mid-2010, United and Continental will offer reciprocal domestic upgrades to elite passengers, including giving Continental elite members free access to United's Economy Plus seating.

United specifically denies such access to U.S. Airways elite members and has said nothing about extending it to them.

The writing is on the wall, Mr. Parker: U.S. Airways is the junior domestic partner in the Star Alliance. Maybe American Airlines can make room for you in oneworld.

Recycling makes a difference.

2009-11-12T12:21:00.002-05:00

Continental Airlines has been recycling for years, but beginning in 2008, the company really started promoting recycling.

Some people ask, what difference does recycling really make?

Well, over the last ten months, Continental has recycled enough aluminum to build 20 Boeing 777 airplanes!

According to the company's press release, "Proceeds from Continental’s recycling program are re-invested in the program or donated to We Care, a nonprofit charity organization that provides financial assistance to Continental employees in need."

I'd say that's making a difference.

U.S. Airways passengers: GoAwards is a bad deal for you.

2009-11-09T13:44:00.007-05:00

U.S. Airways is touting a change in its frequent flyer program as one that provides "more flexibility and options when redeeming miles for award travel."

GoAwards, as the new program is called, replaces what was a two-tiered mileage redemption chart with a chart that has four tiers that vary based on travel volume for a given day. So far, so good--except GoAwards doesn't offer the lowest tier (Off-Peak) for flights within the United States and Canada, or between North America and Hawaii.

Flying exclusively within the U.S. and Canada? Today, it's either 25K for Saver or 50K for Standard. Under GoAwards, you'll need 25K for Low days, 40K for Medium days, or 60K for High days.
Looking for that trip to Hawaii? Saver awards are 35K and Standards are 70K. But GoAwards takes 40K on Low days, 65K on Medium days, and a whopping 90K on High days.

There are a few instances, such as travel from the U.S. to the Caribbean or Europe, where Off-Peak awards are listed for less than today's Saver awards, but let's be honest. There won't be many Off-Peak flights--and all of the Low awards are at least as high as the current Savers.

In other words, all of this "choice" talk is meant to camoflage the real purpose of the program, which is to basically guarantee that you'll need more miles to travel under GoAwards than you need today under the two-tiered system. (For comparison, just look at the current award chart.)

There's no news yet as to whether fellow Star Alliance airlines United and Continental will copy this model. But I doubt it, because angry elite passengers tend to go elsewhere.

And if they don't follow U.S. Airways' lead, I suggest that every U.S. Airways Dividend Miles elite member do exactly that: request reciprocal status in OnePass or Mileage Plus, and get more value for your miles.

Continental's approach to award fares makes waves in the Star Alliance

2009-11-02T12:07:00.003-05:00

The Washington Times this week drew attention to one of the most significant impacts of Continental Airlines moving from SkyTeam to the Star Alliance: transparency.

All of the Star Alliance airlines have an integrated system called StarNet for booking seats on one another's flights using frequent-flyer miles. Most of the member airlines use proprietary restrictions build into their own award-fare systems to "block" most of the available seats from showing up.

In making its move to the Star Alliance, Continental decided it would join just two other carriers--Air Canada and Japan's ANA--in making the full volume of seats available for booking.

This move gives members of Continental's OnePass program a big advantage over United Mileage Plus or U.S. Airways Dividend Miles program members, who will see only the limited number of seats that their carriers want them to see.

Among other advantages that OnePass offers over its domestic-partner counterparts:

Award tickets may include both a stopover and an open jaw (arrive and depart from different airports);
Tickets may be routed from North America to Australia via Asia; and
Elite members of OnePass are exempt from cash copayments when upgrading using miles.

If you're looking to join a Star Alliance frequent flyer program, these benefits make it more attractive to go with OnePass.

Continental to add fees, review meal policy

2009-10-29T09:45:00.002-04:00

Since September 11, 2009, Continental Airlines has lost more than $1 billion. That's according to President Jeffrey Smisek, who on January 1, 2010 will succeed Larry Kellner as Continental's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Bloomberg has all of the details of an interview with Smisek, but Continental flyers (like me) should be aware that we "absolutely will see change in [Continental's] products."

Everything is on the table. Some ideas, like offering premium non-alcoholic beverages like electrolyte water for the same $5.00 cost that already applies to alcoholic beverages in Coach, would be genuine choices.

Also on the table as a potential cut: complimentary meals.

Continental is the only U.S. airline that offers free meals to Coach passengers. It's something that makes Continental unique.

On the other hand, the airline is losing money. Every other airline that offers meals charges for them and pockets that revenue to shore up the bottom line, and it's not clear that Continental has actually benefitted from increased demand on account of what is frankly a pretty big gesture of goodwill.

"We're either really smart or we're really dumb" for providing free meals, he said. "Time will be a great test of that."

Fly for $25? Check out Southwest's 4th Quarter Sale.

2009-10-29T09:41:00.002-04:00

Southwest is offering a very limited-time fare deal through its 4th Quarter Sale promotion.

Through midnight tonight, you'll pay one-way fares based on the length of the flight:

$25 for up to 374 miles;
$50 for 375-500 miles;
$75 for 501-999 miles; and
$100 for 1000 miles or more.

Sale fares cover travel between December 2-16, 2009 and January 5-February 10, 2010.

Continental joins the Star Alliance!

2009-10-27T10:17:00.003-04:00

After officially departing SkyTeam on October 24, Continental spent two days wandering in limbo before today formally entering the Star Alliance.

Continental's addition raises the number of airlines in the Star Alliance to 25, including domestic partners United and U.S. Airways and German powerhouse Lufthansa.

The Star Alliance's diverse membership, which also includes South African Airways, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Air Canada, and Japan-based ANA (among many others), means that passengers can go just about anywhere while concentrating elite and award miles in one frequently flyer program of their preference.

For Continental OnePass members, this transition means new Alliance-level benefits at one of two levels: Star Alliance Silver for OnePass Silver, or Star Alliance Gold for OnePass Gold or Platinum members.

The transition also brings several new program-level benefits to OnePass members:

Saturday night stays are no longer required for award travel.
Discounted fares purchased from third-party consolidators now qualify for 100% of elite-qualifying mileage.
Complimentary elite upgrades now apply to flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and Hawaii.

OnePass members should be aware that they no longer enjoy complimentary upgrades on Northwest flights, which would be eliminated anyway as the merger of Delta and Northwest continues to take effect.

In addition, effective immediately, OnePass members do not earn elite qualifying mileage or points, or elite mileage bonuses, on travel with bilateral partners, including Emirates, EVA Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Island Air, Kingfisher, US Helicopter, or Amtrak.

This is a huge change for Continental and the industry. We'll see where it leads.

U.S. Airways Club expanding its privileges?

2009-10-20T16:38:00.002-04:00

For most of the time that they've been supposed partners in the Star Alliance, United and U.S. Airways have had rather chilly relations.

Two years ago, U.S. Airways decided that its Club members should pay $120 more if they wanted reciprocal access to United's Red Carpet Club network.

CEO Doug Parker was particularly fee-happy at that time, also trying an abortive plan to charge passengers for beverages (which failed) and requiring an outrageous $240 membership upgrade for Club members to get reciprocity with non-domestic Star Alliance airlines' clubs.

Throughout this chapter, Red Carpet Club members continued to enjoy complimentary reciprocity to U.S. Airways Clubs when traveling of U.S. Airways flights.

Well, that's changing.

Effective October 30, U.S. Airways Club memberships will be converted to a single style that allows reciprocal access to lounges operated by United, Continental, and other Star Alliance airlines. No additional fees will be needed.

Starting that same day, members will also have complimentary selections of wine and beer available in addition to the soft drinks that have always been complimentary.

Why the change? My guess is that someone must finally have crunched the numbers and realized that, with the upcoming switch of Continental Airlines from SkyTeam to Star Alliance, and with United and Continental already establishing tight associations, U.S. Airways was almost sure to lose out.

Imperfect Substitutes

2009-10-15T14:01:00.003-04:00

When airlines started adding fees for checked baggage, many people assumed that passengers would shift their business to carriers that reject such fees, like Southwest and JetBlue.

Christopher Elliott cites several studies that have analyzed that idea, and guess what? It isn't true. I'm also completely unsurprised.

People assuming that passengers would change their behavior made their assumptions on the basis of a premise that different airlines are perfect substitutes. Those of us who travel tens or hundreds of thousands of miles a year know better. Two factors drive airline selection:

Convenience. Which airlines are strongest at your preferred airport (which is usually but may not be your closest airport)? People like more flight options, especially direct flights.
Loyalty. Frequent flyers get more benefits from concentrating miles in one or just a few programs, and those of us with elite access (who generally pay no bag fees anyway) are particularly likely to go with our preferred airline or one of its partners, even if it costs a few bucks more.

Now, every now and then, an airline tries something so outrageous that it does take a hit. U.S. Airways ran into that last year when it tried to charge for beverages. No one followed suit, and free drinks returned to the aisles.

But not everything is so clear cut. Continental, after all, is the only airline in the United States -- legacy or low-cost -- that still serves free meals in Coach. Notice that plenty of people fly with other airlines.

My apologies to Southwest and Jetblue. In an age where practically everything is a carry on, checked baggage fees just aren't enough of a hassle to drive away passengers.

Correction: It's a holiday surcharge.

2009-10-15T13:46:00.003-04:00

Two weeks ago, I blasted the airlines for imposing what I understood to be a fee for travel on certain days defined as holiday time. At the time, I said that using add-on fees to avoid raising fares was inexcusable.

I stand by that notion, but it turns out that what the airlines have put in place are holiday surcharges, not fees -- and the difference matters.

A fee is an add-on. Passengers pay fees to check bags, buy drinks, and sometimes to access preferred seating. Fees are costs added to what would otherwise be bottom-line prices.

Surcharges are different. Under the Airline Deregulation Act, airlines in the United States have to publish their fares in advance, and changing published fares for just a few days can be complicated. The FAA allows airlines to use surcharges as costs included in the bottom-line prices shown for tickets.

I was angry about a "holiday fee" because I believe that traveling on a certain day should be part of the bottom line. But surcharge is entirely transparent to passengers, and the ticket price you see includes any applicable surcharges.

It still means higher fares. But there's nothing shady about raising fares in times of short supply (like holidays). That's how competition works, and if you compare the fares we have today -- even with the $10 surcharge for holiday travel included -- with the fares we had in 1960, well... competition has really made flying cheap.

So, I don't see these surcharges as a problem.

A fee for holiday travel? Yep.

2009-09-29T14:44:00.004-04:00

Everyone knows that it costs more to fly during the holidays. For as long as there have been airfares, those fares have been priced higher whenever there was peak demand: Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve, and the Fourth of July weekend all come to mind.

Not content with fares, though, airlines have started a new tradition: in addition to charging more for the ticket, you'll now have to pay a special $10 "holiday fee" for the privilege of doing so.

The holiday fee was announced last week by American and United. A few days later, U.S. Airways and Delta came out in support of it. Today, Continental jumped on the bandwagon. At least among the legacy carriers(1), it's a done deal.

No one can say whether the low-cost airlines like Southwest, JetBlue, and AirTran will join this insanity. I doubt it; Southwest didn't even adopt baggage fees, and the others are likely to benefit more from increased holiday bookings by passengers protesting their usual carriers than they would by adding this sort of junk fee.

I know that many of the airlines have struggled with reduced business bookings and excess capacity during the recession. I sympathize, and I have defended them on more than one occasion. But the "holiday fee" is nothing more than a fare hike by another name, added onto what are already higher-than-other-days holiday fares.

There's just no excuse, and I hope that this comes back to bite them in a big way.

1 Excluding Alaska Airlines, which is also technically a legacy carrier but often behaves as a special case since it retains near-monopoly status within its home territory.

United miles: Not just for flying anymore

2009-09-29T12:41:00.004-04:00

Starting right away, members of United Airlines' Mileage Plus program may use their miles to book hotel rooms and car service.

Hotel rooms start at 10,000 miles per night and go up from there, with some premium properties listing for more than 50,000. Cars also start at 10,000 miles per day and vary by class of vehicle.

There are no blackout dates.

While this is a "first" for the airline industry, it's worth noting that Hotels.com has long offered a simplified rewards program where staying at any listed hotel gives one credit per night towards a free stay at any other listed hotel (with free nights costing ten credits), which can be a better value over time if you stay in mid-range hotels for business and then want to pick out luxury accommodations for special personal trips.

If you're a United frequent flyer, this new program is a pretty good benefit, especially if you're earning lots of bonus miles with a United credit card, elite bonuses, etc. If you do most of your flying with another airline, you're probably better off staying where you are.

United adds international baggage fee

2009-09-14T09:17:00.002-04:00

Last year, some pondered whether financial considerations would result in U.S. carriers canceling Coach-class meal service on international routes. At the time, I laughed. Now, I'm not so sure.

As recently as a year ago, even as airlines were buckling under the pressure of record fuel prices and adding fees to find new revenue in nearly every way imaginable, checked baggage remained free on international flights.

The economic meltdown and decline in overall passenger traffic, particularly the near-collapse of business travel, has left airlines in an arguably worse financial position in 2009 than they were in 2008, even as fuel prices have dropped.

In part, this situation is because fuel prices--possibly driven by speculation--have recovered faster than passenger demand.

Now, United is joining U.S. Airways and Continental in imposing a $50 checked baggage fee for a second bag on international flights between North America and Europe.

Will free meals follow as the next thing to go?

JetBlue's New Model

2009-08-05T20:09:00.005-04:00

Those who have read Spontaneous Tourism will know that I have typically not recommended low-cost airlines like JetBlue or Southwest. Their service is usually excellent. The problem has been the frequent flyer programs of these airlines.

Unlike the legacy carriers, most low-cost airlines opted for flight- or distance-banded point systems rather than direct mileage when they built their programs.

They also had inflexible expiration policies, which left flyers watching their earliest-earned points expire just before they might have been able to use them.

JetBlue has apparently gotten the message from me and other flyers, and it’s making some changes. Beginning September 28, TrueBlue members will:

Earn points for dollars spent rather than distance flown, a better alignment of customer and airline interests anyway since airlines are in business to make money and not simply fly planes;
Earn bonuses for frequent as well as longer-distance flights; and
Most importantly, renew their points for another year every time that they take a paid JetBlue flight.

These are big changes, and they go a long way towards helping JetBlue—an excellent airline with outstanding service—get the attention that it deserves from those of us who spend a lot of time in the air. I’ll be giving them a new look because of this new approach and hope to fly with them more often in the future.

Southwest and Frontier?

2009-07-30T14:06:00.003-04:00

Until recently, it looked like Frontier would emerge from bankruptcy as a wholly-owned subsidiary of otherwise-regional Republic Airlines.

The Frontier-Republic deal had already been approved but was contingent on an auction period during which time other companies would be allowed to submit offers for Frontier's assets.

And that's the twist.

According to Business Wire, "Southwest Airlines Co. has submitted an initial non-binding proposal to acquire Frontier under the auction procedures established in Frontier’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases and approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court."

Having posted a profit for Q2, Southwest has ample cash and credit to pull off an aquisition of Frontier. That would in turn eliminate Frontier from the market, depriving AirTran of its partner and strengthening America's largest low-cost carrier.

It'd make sense. Will it happen? We'll see.

Expanding Frequent Flyer Benefits

2009-07-30T10:00:00.003-04:00

For decades, airlines have rewarded frequent flyers with perks based on how much they travel each year. The travelers in turn have given most or all of their business to the carriers with which they were entitled to the highest levels of perks.

Now, airlines shrinking to keep their planes full in the face of a recession-driven decline in travel have a new challenge: how to retain those valuable frequent flyers.

Fewer, fuller flights mean fewer opportunities for to upgrade or book free tickets, driving down the value of their miles. Cuts in staffing mean fewer people to take care of these travelers when they need to rebook flights. And, of course, service itself often takes a hit when employees experience pay or staffing cuts.

The key is to find ways to reward the most valuable frequent flyers, those who hold elite status in an airline's program, and especially those with status in the highest tier ranking. Here are a few changes already underway:

Delta is unveiling a new top level in its SkyMiles program (Diamond), and will now offer "rollover" qualifying miles for those who fly more than the number of miles needed to qualify.
United is eliminating fees previously charged for award tickets booked within 21 days of travel.

Of course, airlines need to make money, so any cut in fees or expansion of benefits to top-level elites will be felt by everyone else--and especially by the "ordinary" (non-elite) passengers.

But as United spokesperson Robin Urbanski put it, "Significant revenue comes from Mileage Plus members, so in order to continue earning their business and grow it, we are making our program more beneficial. Making it easier to use their miles will give us more repeat business."

In other words, reward the people who care. The rest will just buy the cheapest fare no matter what you do.

Greyhound for the Next Generation

2009-07-26T12:43:00.004-04:00

In recent months, I've introduced you to BoltBus and NeON, both of which revolutionized bus travel with innovations like onboard wireless Internet, much roomier seats, and power outlets, and fares in the $20-30 range connecting New York to destinations like Washington, D.C., Boston, Toronto, and Montreal.

In both cases, I pointed out that BoltBus and NeON were operated by Greyhound, America's largest bus network which in recent years has lost market share to curbside discounters commonly known as Chinatown buses.

Certainly, Greyhound used these new ventures to compete with the Chinatown companies (most of which were charter-based operations of questionable reliability). It also avoided waving around its role in the companies to avoid turning off potential travelers who have come to associate Greyhound with cramped, uncomfortable travel.

But the real intent behind these efforts was to fend off a far more serious challenger: MegaBus, which is operated by one of Greyhound's few real domestic competitors (Coach USA) and also offers free onboard WiFi and other goodies.

BoltBus and NeON were used to proof a concept, and now Greyhound has revealed its next step: a new-generation service that incorporates everything we loved about those services (the Internet, the roomy seats, the power outlets) under the Greyhound name. Greyhound is calling "the future of bus travel."

Private Commuter Rail: METRA Car 553

2009-07-26T12:19:00.003-04:00

I was amazed this morning to read about Car 553, the last private commuter rail car on the Chicago-area METRA system. For a $900 annual membership, passengers who already hold valid METRA passes may ride in the car, which dates back to the 1920s.

Yesteryear's luxury parlor car has lost much of its luster. Mahogany paneling, gold trim, and crystal chandeliers have given way to blue-carpeted walls and seats that are "comfy but not cushy." But as the Tribune article points out, there are always seats, the ride is quiet (since cell phone conversations are limited to the vestibule or card room), and there are tables for work and other purposes.

This led me to wonder: is there possibly a market for private cars on today's busiest commuter rail routes?

What do you think?

Alaska and Continental part ways

2009-07-25T18:46:00.003-04:00

For ten years, members of Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan have earned miles for flights flown with Continental flights, and Continental passengers have earned miles for flying with Alaska.

On October 25, 2009, the same day that Continental officially moves from SkyTeam to the Star Alliance, that partnership will end.

Most people probably didn't see this change coming. Unlike Continental's relationship with Delta, the Alaska partnership wasn't derived from SkyTeam; it's a bilateral arrangement between the two carriers.

Continental didn't offer an explanation for the change. But observers might note that United Airlines has been making headway in Alaska's home area in the northwest for some time, and dumping the CAL-ALK relationship gives Continental's frequent flyers an incentive to look to their soon-to-be Star Alliance partner for their travels in that region.

I'll miss being able to fly with Alaska and earn miles; it's something that always struck me as special about Continental. More important is whether Presidents Club members will continue to have access to Alaska Airlines' Board Room clubs, which serve tasty soup.

Officially, the issue of the clubs is "still being finalized." But with the ties cut for actual travel, does anyone believe the club reciprocity would continue?

JetAmerica - the Airline that Wasn't

2009-07-20T13:44:00.003-04:00

In 2007, John Weikle launched a daring venture called SkyBus.

Modeled on Ireland's successful RyanAir, SkyBus promised to deliver extremely cheap air travel--as in, fares under $20--by doing away with all of the frills and connecting obscure airports, which have lower landing fees because there is no demand.

SkyBus got off the ground and offered something comparable to nationwide service, albeit to places that were often very far from the destinations they claimed to serve. But fuel prices climbed and climbed, and Weikle's venture was caught up in the same doom that crushed established carriers like Aloha. SkyBus ceased operations in April 2008.

JetAmerica made the same promise, and it used the same model, neither of which should be surprising since it was also founded by John Weikle. It also had an even shorter run than its predecessor: JetAmerica collapsed today, before getting a single plane in the air.

At a time when drastically reduced demand has shaken the foundations of every domestic carrier and share prices have plunged to a third of their values at the height of the fuel crisis, one could hardly be surprised to learn that financing for a new airline held limited appeal.

But seriously, does anyone believe that it's possible to operate an airline across a landmass as big as the United States while charging fares lower than the BoltBus?

Weikle has his vision, and bravo for his enthusiasm and effort. But I don't see this model ever working.

Farewell, Larry Kellner.

2009-07-17T12:56:00.008-04:00

Larry Kellner, Continental's Chairman and Chief Executive, surprised analysts and just about everyone else today with news that he is leaving the airline industry at the end of the year to head up newly formed private equity firm Emerald Creek Group LLC.

Kellner has headed
Continental since 2004, and while times have not been good for the airlines as a whole, the company has done much better than most of its competitors during his tenure. He'll be succeeded as CEO by the company's President, Jeff Smisek.

It's expected to be a smooth transition. But no matter how seamless it may be in the boardroom, the thousands upon thousands of us who fly with Continental will know the difference: a recorded video of Kellner has welcomed us onto every flight, and while it might seem silly, I'll miss it.

Farewell, Larry. You did a great job. I hope that Jeff lives up to the bar you placed.

The Return of Eastern Airlines?

2009-07-17T11:42:00.002-04:00

Eastern Airlines stopped flying and dissolved in 1991. Now, a core group of former employees and new investors is lining up funding with the goal of relaunching the forgotten carrier under a new business model. Seriously.

I know what you're thinking: it's not a good time to start an airline. And you have a point. Every airline is trading in the red. Fuel prices are not favorable even with oil having fallen to a "mere" $62 per barrel, and how long will it be before we see $70 or higher again on speculation?

But hey, these people have stayed in touch for 18 years since their employer went out of business. They've spent a lot of time on this, including designing an employee stock ownership plan that should align the interests of labor and management (a perennial problem for airlines). They're also looking to start small, with just 30 planes.

Will it work? I doubt it. But at least they won't need to hire someone to design a new logo.

BIG sale on airfare after Labor Day!

2009-07-07T16:11:00.002-04:00

Okay, this is huge.

To prop up booking for 2009, Southwest decided that it was going to offer ridiculously low fares in the traditionally low-demand period between Labor Day and Veterans Day.

How low? I'm talking about $30 for flights up to 400 miles, $60 out to about 800 miles, and $90 for destinations anywhere in the Lower 48 states!

It's not just Southwest, either: United, American, JetBlue, U.S. Airways, and Continental are all onboard with the same deal. I'm looking at flights from Washington to Los Angeles all through the fall months for $190 round-trip!

If you want to travel, this is a huge opportunity. Huge.

Eating Hot Dogs in Chicago

2009-07-05T09:40:00.003-04:00

The Capitol Limited got us into Chicago exactly on schedule, an end-to-end travel time of about 17 hours. That might sound like a long time to those unused to train travel, but it's a remarkably relaxing time when one can just watch the scenery go by while playing cards in the comfort of a roomette.

I was a little disappointed to see that the dining car has been reconfigured along the lines of the City of New Orleans' Cross Country Cafe, though: the layout looks cool, but the seating doesn't face the tables squarely so it can be a little uncomfortable.

Even so, we hadn't been on a train since our honeymoon in January, and we both had a great time.

As one might expect, Chicago was bustling with activity on Friday. People were piling into Millennium Park to stake out prime viewing locations for the fireworks, much as they would be doing the following day in D.C. Since Gwen and I were going to the Mid-America Club, though, we opted to wander the city.

We'd been to Chicago before, and we only had so much time, so we limited our plans to one goal: hot dogs.

The Chicago-style hot dog is an undertaking: beyond the basic hot dog, one has the poppy-seeded bun; mustard and relish (but not ketchup); chopped onions and tomatoes; peppers; and a full dill pickle spear. Cheese and chili are optional.

It's an undertaking to eat one without making a mess, and we didn't manage that. We did enjoy our hot dogs immensely, though, mine with cheese while Gwen added chili as well. Accompanied by fries and milkshakes, our meal easily exceeded recommended daily calorie intake. But calories on trips don't count, right?

Back-to-Back Fireworks

2009-07-01T15:22:00.004-04:00

Chicago is doing its Independence Day fireworks this year on Friday, July 3. Predictably, D.C. has opted for July 4. So, Gwen and I have decided to see both.

We'll be leaving tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon on Amtrak's Capitol Limited. Overnight accommodations in a Superliner Roomette, dinner and breakfast included, and we get into Chicago-Union at 9:45 a.m. That means we have the day to sightsee in the Windy City before attending the Taste of Chicago event at the Mid-America Club.

One night in Chicago and then we fly back via Detroit. The flight is with Delta, but it's a Northwest flight, so our Continental status got us upgraded to First Class.

When we get back to Reagan on Saturday around 4:30 p.m., we'll have time to go home, shower, change, and head over to see fireworks from the party my boss is having in Arlington.

And that still leaves us Sunday!

Turbulence for the Registered Traveler Program

2009-06-23T10:55:00.003-04:00

As of June 22, 2009, the largest participant in the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)'s Registered Traveler program has ceased operations. To some, this news will be shocking (especially anyone who recently invested $199 in an annual memberhip). But in truth, the program has never made any sense.

Registered Traveler was created by the Bush Administration to provide a way for a private company to re-insert itself into a newly-federalized airport screening process. But because no one wanted to risk profiling, missing someone, or exempting the wealthy, Registered Traveler--which was always intended to have a monetary cost--could not replace the too-familiar process of shoe, belt, and laptop removal that we all experience whenever we fly.

As a result, TSA's program requires Registered Travelers to be fingerprinted, undergo background checks, and have their iris images scanned. But having gone through the process and obtained valid cards, Clear members still go through regular security screening. The only time savings is that they go to the front of the line--if, and only if, the airport from which they are traveling actually has a Clear lane, and at its height, Clear had operations at just 18 airports.

Now, I think that an expediting screening program for frequent travelers is a great idea. What isn't a great idea is making companies compete in this space, because what they're doing (i.e. meeting standards for security) is dictated by the government and falls under government jurisdiction. A single contractor, chosen competitively to operate Registered Traveler on behalf of the TSA, could have pulled this off much better.

Clear competitor FLO Card continues to operate for the time being. But unless and until the model changes, the rationale behind anyone operating a Registered Traveler program or signing up for one is, well, unclear.

The End of Socialized Air Travel

2009-06-22T13:58:00.002-04:00

The dawn of the twenty-first century brought calls for a new "ownership society," the end of the "socialism" of previous years. Personal responsibility and paying only for one's own consumption, we heard, was the way of the future.

Airlines listened. They understood. And, over the last nine years, they have acted.

In 1990, tickets included checked and carry-on baggage. Curbside baggage checks were for the airlines' convenience as much as their passengers, and these were free (tips aside). Virtually every flight included at least a sandwich; mealtimes called for hot meals.

Fast-forward to 2009.

Meals? Free only on Continental; otherwise, plan for $6-8. U.S. Airways desperately wanted you to pay $2 for that soft drink, but thankfully, their competitors held the line. For now.

Checking bags will cost you $15-20 for the first bag, and as much as $50 for the second. Add $2-3 to check those bags at the curb. Oh, and if you didn't pay those fees online, United and U.S. Airways plan to charge you an extra $5 for the privilege of paying the fees in person at the airport.

Want to choose a specific seat? You'll pay as much as $20 for an exit row or aisle seat on most airlines; some charge for choosing any seat.

And RyanAir, the Irish carrier at the vanguard of fee creation, has added a fee for checking in online; the airline plans to outright eliminate its airport check-in desks.

Socialized air travel is dead. Today, you will pay for everything you want a la carte. And if that means paying a higher bottom line price, well... learn to want less. Welcome to the ownership society.

Cramped in Coach?

2009-06-17T14:35:00.002-04:00

In the 1950s, a study by Harvard University of seating on passenger trains found that 18 inches of width was the minimum needed to comfortably accommodate passengers. But narrower 17" seats to add less weight, which makes planes cheaper to fly. Airlines have also found that by spacing seats closer together, they can cram in additional rows.

How do they get away with it? Legacy airlines' best customers are often given complimentary domestic upgrades based on their elite status. First Class seats remain plenty comfortable. If you're an occasional flyer, though, you're going to be stuck in the "cattle car."

Prefer comfort? Low-cost carriers offer the most spacious Coach seats and the greatest reclining seat pitch. JetBlue's seats, 18" wide with at least 34" of seat pitch, stand out at the top of the list.

Sao Paulo? Not as dangerous as you may think.

2009-06-15T07:21:00.002-04:00

Reading the State Department travel advisory or most guidebooks, one could easily get the impression that Brazil in general, and Sao Paulo in particular, is a very dangerous place.

I don't doubt the claims of daylight robbery, or that the murder rate in Brazil is four times as high as in America; the people who write such things know their business. But I can say that I, having gone to the world's third-largest city on a typical weekend of Spontaneous Tourism, didn't encounter any of that danger.

Some of that can be attributed to planning. My wife and I stayed in an upscale hotel a few blocks from Avenida Paulista, widely known to be the safest place in the city. I kept my camera hidden when not in active use, divided money into small portions carried in various places, and kept my wallet in a less predictable spot than my back pocket. Our passports stayed secure at the hotel.

We also took the guidebooks' advice in trusting the Metro subway system but shunning the packed buses that regularly cruised the streets. Getting to and from the airport, we opted for taxis.

But that was basically it. We walked the streets of Jardim Paulista, the Centro, and the area around Parque Republica with confidence and had no trouble.

And we had a fabulous time! We devoted Saturday to Avenida Paulista, including a delightful exhibit at the Museo de Arte Sao Paulo (MASP), a stroll through Parque Trianon and coffee at the Casa da Rosas, a Versaille-style garden. The national cocktail, a caipirinha, is made with crushed lime, ice, sugar, and a rum-like liquor made from sugarcane, and we enjoyed several at the hotel bar before dinner.

Sunday was entirely different. Coincidentally, we chose as our weekend to visit Sao Paulo the same weekend as the Gay Pride parade, a massive event that last year drew some 2.5 million people and probably had even more in attendance this year. There are no "open container" laws in Brazil, and it's an odd sight for an American to see thousands of people wandering around swigging from bottles of wine, beer, and liquor.

We were there for the start of the parade, around noon, in the midst of the crowds. That was, in fact, the one security incident of our trip: Gwen's wallet was stolen out of her purse. But that's a risk at any event that masses seven figures in terms of attendees, and it was a lesson learned that will help her next time. In the meantime, it's easy enough to replace a wallet when there isn't much of value inside of it.

But we did break away from the parade at that point, and jumped on the Metro. We toured the Museo de Arte Sacre (sacred art), visited the Cathedral de Se and historic railway Estacao de Luz, and ended up in Parque Republica by around 4:00 p.m. At that point, we made our way back to the hotel and headed to the airport.

People often ask, why would you go to another country and stay only for a weekend? This trip provides the same answer to the question that I give each and every time: because on Monday morning, I'll have spent my weekend in Sao Paulo, while the person asking spent his or her time sitting at home.

This was a great trip.

Deciding on a trip

2009-06-04T09:15:00.004-04:00

The week leading up to Independence Day is one during which Gwen has a rare break. No work, no school; genuine free time. It's the ideal time to consider a trip.

Continental has fare specials to Hong Kong right now. We could go for four days (in-country time, or ICT) for about $800 per person. United has similar fare specials to Australia, for about the same price. It's tempting.

But should we go?

Even an avid traveler like me is not immune to the inertia, the inclination to do nothing. Yes, there's free time; what if we just spent that time around town? There's nothing wrong with that, certainly. But I can be at home any time, right?

On the other hand, my mind argues with itself, you never are just "at home." You're always planning to go somewhere else.

And that's basically true: my time spent at home is the hours between those spent at work. So, to travel, or to stay put?

Greenopia lists "greenest" airlines

2009-05-28T08:46:00.002-04:00

Want to fly, but concerned about the environment?

It's true that airplanes create a lot of pollution, in terms of greenhouse gases (air traffic may account for up to 11% of total emissions) but also just when it comes to plain old waste. With that in mind, Greenopia looked across the industry to figure out which carriers were the "greenest."

Virgin America tops the list, hard to beat given an average fleet age of just three years. But it's more than just fleet age; Continental comes in second despite an average age three times that of fourth-ranked JetBlue.

Southwest, Delta, United, U.S. Airways, Horizon Air (part of Alaska Airlines), and American also made the top ten.

Greenopia looked at airlines using a variety of measures, including:

Fleet age;
Fuel consumption practices;
Carbon offsets;
Green building design;
Recycling programs; and
Organic, local and sustainable food items available onboard.

One thing that they didn't do, unfortunately, is look outside of the United States. Proud American that I am, I have long observed that U.S. carriers tend to rank behind their international counterparts in any measured area. I'd like to see if it held true in this regard as well.

It's also not clear whether the airlines were measured in terms of domestic-only air traffic or if their international segments were included. Since some of the listed carriers (Virgin America, Southwest) are only domestic, and one (Horizon) is basically regional, that makes a difference.

And keep in mind, there are "only" about fifteen airlines in the U.S.--yes, that is a big number in absolute terms, but I think we can agree that it skews what it means to be in the top ten. (Then again, think of what it means to be excluded from the top ten; AirTran, Spirit, and Frontier are among those conspicuously absent.)

Even so, thanks to Greenopia for putting out this list. Imperfect it may be, but at least it gives us something.

Copa follows Continental

2009-05-27T11:54:00.005-04:00

For years, Copa Airlines has enjoyed an affiliation with Continental Airlines and also been an affiliate member of the Skyteam alliance. When Continental leaves Skyteam on October 24, 2009, however, Copa will also depart the alliance.

The move is no surprise; these are airlines that work in very close cooperation, providing combined service throughout the Americas and unified frequent flyer credit (along with Aero República) under the shared OnePass program.

Besides, have you looked at the Copa logo? You could hardly be blamed for confusing them in a hurried rush through an airport terminal.

There have been no announcements from Copa or Aero República of plans to join the Star Alliance.

Marmalade is a gel. (Or a liquid.)

2009-05-25T12:05:00.002-04:00

Coming through security a few minutes ago, I discovered two things:

I didn't transfer the marmalade that I bought this morning at Glasgow Airport into our checked bag when we briefly retrieved it to clear U.S. customs; and
Marmalade is considered either a gel or a liquid by the TSA.

To those who follow my writings, it won't be a surprise to learn that I dislike the TSA. I know their protocols well, and the annoyance of having to remove shoes and such has long since dissipated for me over the course of the hundreds of flights that I've taken.

In other words, what I dislike about the TSA is not simply that their screening slows me down. I'd accept that to achieve real security. What bothers me is that the TSA standards do not provide security.

Take the prohibition on gels and liquids, for instance. Everyone is allowed one quart-size bag containing gels and liquids in individual bottles of not more than 3 oz. each (250 mL for those outside of the U.S. Standard system of weights and measures, which today is basically everyone). Within this bag, apparently, and segregated into individual containers, whatever substances one might be bringing onto a plane are innocuous.

That'd be fine, except the bag of liquids will remain in my possession during the trip. So, what is the functional difference between my having a bag with four 3 oz. bottles of liquid and an empty 12 oz. bottle into which I combine them after screening, or a single 12 oz. bottle that I bring through? Nothing.

Situations like my marmalade add insult to injury. I bought that marmalade inside a secure area at Glasgow. If I didn't have to clear customs and enter the general population for re-screening before boarding my connection--in other words, if after customs there were a pathway for transfer passengers that just kept them inside the secure area--I would neither need to be rescreened nor could I possibly have obtained any dangerous substance in the U.S. upon my arrival.

This model would be cheaper (fewer screenings without duplication), and it would be safer (because I already went on a flight after getting through the foreign screening, so if I had bad intentions, why would I wait?). But TSA doesn't enforce such a model.

And so, after paying £3.50 (abut $6.00 USD) for my marmalade, I lost it. The world is not safer, but I am without my marmalade. And that is why I dislike the TSA.

Rangers win!

2009-05-24T17:53:00.004-04:00

In Scotland, the Rangers-Celtics rivalry is comparable to what America would recognize between the Yankees and Red Sox. It was therefore quite a big event today when the Rangers won a key game, defeating their rivals. Throughout Glasgow, blue-clad fans celebrated.

We had a busy day. Gwen commented that Glasgow isn't as much a tourist draw as Edinburgh. She's right, I think; on the other hand, Edinburgh is particularly appealing to tourists. To me, Glasgow is as much as destination as most places, definitely worth the trip.

Update from Edinburgh

2009-05-23T12:36:00.002-04:00

Gwen and I are having an afternoon snack--perhaps we should call it "tea," but I'm reluctant to use the word to describe a Mediterranean shared plate with Stella Artois lager--in the Old City area of Edinburgh. We found a backpackers-style pub called Villagers, which has (as you might guess) free wireless Internet access, so I figured a quick update was in order.

It's been a busy day. We've toured Edinburgh Castle, walked the Royal Mile, and hiked up the crags overlooking Holyroodhouse Palace (though the Palace itself was closed for an event, and I wonder if the Queen might be in residence?). We climbed Calton Hill to see the City Observatory and the memorial to Scottish casualties in the Napoleonic Wars, a monument long-unfinished and known as "Scotland's Shame." We have, of course, heard ample bagpiping, and seen many a lad sporting a kilt.

One fascinating development was finding the tartan and family history for the Moffats, the line of Gwen's grandfather. We bought a scarf. ;-) I also found a shot glass (YAY!) and we picked up a stack of postcards to write tonight on the train.

Our train to Glasgow leaves tonight at 9:30 p.m. and gets us in about an hour later, and we'll be there until Monday. I'll see about writing something tomorrow from there.