Buckle Up
Originally uploaded by Canadian Veggie

And this is why they ask you to keep your seatbelt on when you are in an airplane even if things are momentarily calm.

About 30 hurt after Northwest flight hits turbulence

About 30 people were injured when a Northwest Airlines flight from Manila to Tokyo hit turbulence on Friday, a fire department official said.

I thought this was a smart move by JetBlue to give people more confidence to book a flight.

Jet Blue offers airfare refunds to laid-off customers

JetBlue Airways Corp. will refund airfares to customers who book a flight with them, but are laid off before their scheduled date of travel.

Under its new Promise Program, customers who book flights between Feb. 1 and June 1, 2009, and lose their job on or after Feb. 17 may be eligible for the refund. The customer who purchased the flight and is listed as a traveler on the itinerary, can request a refund for up to nine customers traveling on one reservation. JetBlue’s low fares are usually nonrefundable. The travel must originate in the United States.

Every website has the danger of being the target of hackers but somehow it seems more embarrassing when it is a government site that gets compromised.

Government travel site hacked, remains shuttered

A government website used by a dozen federal agencies to book travel was hacked, redirecting federal employees to a site capable of downloading malware.

The site, GovTrip.com, remained offline as of Thursday afternoon EST.

The site was breached on or around Feb. 11, when some users attempting to login to the site were instead directed to a rogue site, said Robert Lesino, a spokesman for the General Services Administration (GSA), which manages federal agencies, in a statement. No personal data was exposed, and the government is investigating.

Other news stories that caught my eye:

• Travel like a Jetson
• How To Travel The World For Free (Seriously)
• Hometown Tourism: The Ultimate Staycation

Gas Prices Cause Airline to Remove Life Vests

Air Canada’s regional carrier Jazz is removing life vests from all its planes to save weight and fuel.

Jazz spokeswoman Manon Stuart said Thursday Transport Canada regulations allow airlines to use floatation devices instead of life vests provided the planes remain within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of shore.

50 miles? Just how far do they think I can swim?

IATA: Airlines will lose US$5.2 billion in 2008

The Air Transport Association (IATA) has said it is predicting that airlines will lose US$5.2 billion in 2008, due to slowing demand and high oil prices. Fuel is expected to rise to 36 percent of operating costs, up from 13 percent in 2002.

Why airline reregulation is no longer taboo

I spotted a surprising article that I spotted this week on airline de-regulation. de-regulation has general been held as a good thing that led to increased competition, lower fares and more flights. But some have started to question the downsides of this landmark change in 1978.

One observer with a unique perspective is Robert Crandall, the former chairman of American Airlines and a recognized industry leader — for better or worse — during his tenure in the business. In a speech before the Wings Club in New York City in June, Crandall noted the following: “The consequences (of deregulation) have been very adverse. Our airlines, once world leaders, are now laggards in every category, including fleet age, service quality and international reputation. Fewer and fewer flights are on time. Airport congestion has become a staple of late-night comedy shows. An even higher percentage of bags are lost or misplaced. Last-minute seats are harder and harder to find. Passenger complaints have skyrocketed. Airline service, by any standard, has become unacceptable.”

Australia issues travel advisory warns of high risks for travelers to US

In a fresh travel advisory issued on Sunday, the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has warmed of “high risks” of terror attacks on domestic and international flights in and to the United States.

Sure, but what about those of us who are already here?

Delta, JetBlue and NYC airports highlight list of chronically delayed flights

Delta subsidiary Comair flew the eight most chronically delayed flights in July, including three that arrived late every time they flew. Overall, 19 of the nation’s 30 most-chronically delayed flights flew under the Delta logo, though all of the offending flights were operated by Delta’s regional affilaites and not by Delta itself. The worst performer was Comair Flight 5292 from Minneapolis/St. Paul to New York JFK, which arrived late all 31 times it flew in July, the latest month for which data is available from the Department of Transportation (page 14). The average delay for Flight 5292: 134 minutes. That flight also arrived late every time it flew in June, as well, arriving behind schedule by an average of 123 minutes during that month.

Is that really fair? Do you know how hard it is for people in Minnesota to say goodbyes?

Chill out, comfortably, at these ‘ice lounges’

Minus5 Las Vegas (as in minus 5 degrees Celsius) in the Mandalay Bay casino/resort complex, which may open by the end of the month, is similar to chill-out establishments in Stockholm (the Absolut Icebar) and other minus5s in Australia and New Zealand. Patrons, who pay $30 to enter the 1,200-square-foot lounge in Vegas, will be loaned parkas and gloves, sit on ice chairs and sip a drink (one included in the entry fee) in frozen glasses.

JetBlue flight diverted after fight breaks out

A JetBlue flight from Boston, Massachusetts, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was diverted Saturday when a fight broke out after someone was smoking in the bathroom, federal officials said. A JetBlue plane was held in North Carolina for two hours while passengers were interviewed. One passenger aboard JetBlue Flight 455 was taken into custody at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina after the plane landed about 5:45 p.m.

A Villa for One Euro?

You read that right. In the picturesque hilltop town of Salemi in western Sicily, the mayor is selling old stone villas in the historic town center for one euro (approximately $1.41) apiece. The catch? These villas were damaged in the 1968 earthquake, and have stood unoccupied and deteriorating for the past 40 years. Sound appealing? Once you buy the villa, you must restore it in two years in a way that respects its original character and in accordance with the architectural standards established by the town council; you must also hire local builders, architects, decorators, and plumbers to do the work, reports Times Online, “since the aim of the scheme is to help the local economy.”

Bag labelled ‘bomb’ got past security checks

A LARGE bag with “BOMB” written across it passed through Qantas check-in and security screening for oversized luggage at Brisbane domestic airport yesterday, the Transport Workers Union said.

Baggage handlers preparing to transfer the bag raised the alarm and stopped work for about 40 minutes as security staff and managers attempted to remove it.

With a weak dollar, America is a great buy for foreigners, yet visits are falling

A recent headline in The Guardian of London � “America � more hassle than it’s worth?” � underscores a stubborn global view that the United States is not an easy or a desirable place to visit.

Unesco Adds to Its World Heritage List

Unesco this month added 27 sites to its World Heritage list, which now has 878 sites in 145 countries. Nineteen new sites fall into the cultural category. They include the Historic Center of Camag�ey, an inland village in Cuba founded by the Spaniards in 1528; the Armenian Monastic Ensembles, three structures in northwest Iran that are dedicated to the Armenian Christian faith (the oldest dates from the seventh century); and the Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountain area (Slovakia), which consists of eight structures built between the 16th and the 18th centuries for the Roman Catholic, the Protestant and the Greek Orthodox faiths. New natural sites include Surtsey, a volcanic island in Iceland formed between 1963 and 1967; the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico; and the Socotra Archipelago in Yemen in the northwest Indian Ocean near the Gulf of Aden.

Delta: Body of woman, 61, found in plane bathroom

Flight attendants discovered the body of a 61-year-old woman in the restroom of a plane shortly before the flight landed in Atlanta Wednesday morning, a spokeswoman for the airline said.

JetBlue CEO to take pay cut in ’show of solidarity’ with workers

JetBlue CEO Dave Barger will take a 50% pay cut for the second half of 2008, something Reuters calls “a show of solidarity with employees as the low-cost carrier struggles with soaring fuel prices and a slowing U.S. economy.”

Rape Alley

IT was once a peaceful fishing village, then an upmarket family resort � but today it is ruled by drunken young Brits.

Shameless pairs have sex in public, hooligans brawl over a wrong look, girls parade in underwear, youngsters down cheap booze until they vomit and drunken teens menace the narrow streets on quad bikes.

Welcome to Laganas on the Greek island of Zante, the latest holiday destination to fall foul of Brits abroad in the wake of now-notorious troublespots Ayia Napa and Faliraki.

It seems like each day when I open my news reader, newspaper or email I see more information about additional fees that the airlines are charging their customers. Rarely this this a change in the ticket price itself. All of these fees are also additional to the taxes and airport fees that get added onto a ticket. When all is said and done a $300 airline ticket can easily cost $450.

Recent stories include:

US airlines want lighter bags

• Starting May 5, United Airlines will charge passengers with domestic nonrefundable economy tickets $25 to check a second bag.
• Spirit Airlines said that it would double charges for all checked bags: to $10 a bag if reserved, and to $20 without reservations.

Air Canada to charge for customer service

Air Canada said passengers who opt to pay an additional $25 one-way on short-haul flights and an extra $35 one-way on long-haul routes within North America will receive “speedy” access to “specially-trained” customer service agents who will help rebook flights on Air Canada or other airlines, as well as pay for hotel stays and meals, if necessary.

Unbundling Air Fare Costs

• Delta matched earlier moves by United and USAirways to charge $25 for a second checked bag. This fee ” will not apply to first-class or business-class customers or members of Delta’s frequent-flier program who log at least 25,000 qualifying miles of travel per year.”
• JetBlue also announced a fee for seats with more legroom, a practice used by United for many years.

Passengers paying for everything in flight

• Last year Air Canada got international attention for piloting a pay-for-your-own-pillow plan — a $2 Comfort Kit with a blanket and inflatable pillow.
• On Air Canada if you do not check in any luggage, you can get a $10 discount on your Air Canada Tango fare.
• Air Canada charges an extra $20 per passenger for bookings made via telephone instead of the website, up to a maximum of $50 per booking.

Delta raises fees for mileage tickets, children flying alone

• Delta Airlines boosted its unaccompanied-minor fee — the charge to transport a child between the ages of 5-14 flying alone — from $50 to $100 each way on a nonstop flight, the same it has been charging for connecting flights.
• Frequent fliers will be charged a $25 “handling fee” for award tickets booked over the phone with a Delta representative that include a segment on a partner airline, such as Alaska or Northwest. That’s on top of an increase from $20 to $25 for booking any type of ticket on the telephone.
• Delta, based in Atlanta, also said it will boost the charge from $75 to $100 for taking a pet in the cabin, and will raise the cost of taking an oversized bag from $100 to $150.
• Northwest’s fee for children traveling alone on connecting flights also goes up to $100 for tickets issued after today.

Part of what is starting to drive passengers crazy is the unpredictable nature of the fees. My boss and another co-worker recently took a weekend trip from London to Estonia. There was no extra fee for luggage on the way to Estonia but $300 in fees for the return flight which was more than the cost of the tickets.

In these days of rising jet fuel we have seen ATA and Aloha airlines cease flights recently and Alitalia is reported to be close behind them. Fees like this are likely to continue to increase until passengers start complaining or more importantly traveling less. So what can you do?

• Pack lighter
• Pack your lunch
• Dress warmer (you may not have a blanket and it takes bulkier clothes out of your luggage
• Pack your own headset
• Don’t call the airline if you can use their website instead