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What’s wrong with U.S. airlines’ economy class?

Typical Thai Airways economy cabin. (Image: Thai)

The annual World Airline Awards conferred by the U.K.’s Skytrax – based on input this year from almost 20 million participating global travelers – have something notably missing from their list of the world’s best economy class.

The list of the Top 20 economy class airlines doesn’t include a single U.S. carrier.

The reasons why are probably obvious to frequent travelers. Unlike many foreign carriers, U.S. airlines in recent years have focused on upgrading their front cabins, often at the expense of their rear cabins. (Full disclosure: The SkyTrax rankings only consider regular economy seating, not the premium economy or extra-legroom sections some U.S. carriers have added.)

We’ve run several articles in recent months about how the refitting of U.S. airlines’ economy cabins generally involves installing less-bulky “slim-line” seats (which many readers say are also less comfortable), stuffing in extra seat rows to increase revenue (often at the expense of legroom and seat width), and most recently deploying a “basic economy” pricing model that takes away most of the in-cabin amenities that economy travelers had come to expect as their right (like the right to put  a carry-on bag in the overhead bin).

So maybe it should come as no surprise that travelers find more to like in the coach cabins of non-U.S. airlines.

Lufthansa’s economy class seating. (Image: Lufthansa)

For that matter, European airlines don’t fare very well in the listing either. The Top 20 list of economy classes includes only a single European winner – Lufthansa at number 10 (unless you count Turkish Airlines, since Turkey is in between Europe and Asia; Turkish ranked 11th).

All the other Top 20 winners are airlines from Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific.

Economy class on a Qatar Airways widebody. (Image: Qatar)

“The Award for the world’s “Best Economy Class Airline” is a coveted quality distinction representing passenger satisfaction assessment of the front-line Economy Class product and staff service standards that airlines provide across both the cabin and airport environments,” Skytrax said.

First place in the Economy Class rankings went to Thai Airways, followed by Qatar Airways, Asiana, Garuda Indonesian and Singapore Airlines.

Thai notes on its website that its Economy Class product includes the following:

  • Choice of main meal with beverages, snacks and second meal service offered on international flights; snacks or light meals on domestic flights
  • Audio/Video On Demand available on A380s, 787s, 777-300s, 777-200ERs, A330-300s and 747s; shared cabin screens on other flights; WiFi available for a fee on the A380 and some A330s
  • Seat pitch of 31 to 34 inch with 122 to 133-degree recline
  • Blankets and pillows provided on international flights; eye shades and ear plugs available on request
  • Baggage allowance of no less than 20kg

Here’s a full list of the Top 20 Economy Class airlines:

Source: Skytrax

Looking only at specific Economy Class qualities, the survey’s listing of best seats went to Japan Airlines, followed in order by Asiana, Thai, Korean and Singapore. Tops in Economy Class catering was Thai, followed by Turkish Airlines, Asiana, Qatar and Japan Airlines.

Which airline offers the best economy class to you? Please share your answers below. 

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Which airline has the best inflight wi-fi?

A new study ranks JetBlue’s inflight wi-fi as the best in the industry. (Image: JetBlue)

How do the major U.S. airlines compare in their in-flight Internet service? That’s what the folks at HighSpeedInternet.com were wondering, so they studied Wi-Fi availability, speed and cost for the seven largest carriers to find out.

Capturing first place in their overall rankings was JetBlue, partly for its speed, but mainly for its cost: There is none.

“JetBlue is the only airline in America that offers free in-flight Wi-Fi,” HighSpeedInternet.com said. “Along with being the most affordable, JetBlue’s in-flight Wi-Fi is also among the fastest; it’s tied with Delta and Virgin America at 15 Mbps.”

Ranking second overall was Southwest, with a cost of just $8 a day for in-flight Internet and a speed of 10 Mbps. (Cheap, yes, but I hear that you get what you pay for with Southwest inflight wi-fi. I don’t fly SWA enough to know…do you? Comment below, please.)

Source: HighSpeedInternet.com

As for availability, Virgin America was tops, with Wi-Fi offered on 100 percent of its available seat-miles. Delta was second at 98 percent availability, followed by Southwest at 90 percent. Virgin America also had a speed of 15 Mbps, but its superior Wi-Fi comes at a high price — $25 a day, the most expensive in the industry, the study noted.

Keep in mind that the cheapest way to buy Gogo is to purchase hourly ($7) or day ($19) passes ahead of time. When you purchase on the plane, the cost can soar to as high as $50.

Virgin’s owner, Alaska Airlines, didn’t fare as well, with Wi-Fi available on just 75 percent of its capacity – the lowest of the seven airlines – and speed well behind Virgin America at 9.8 Mbps.

(We should note that as Alaska continues to integrate its operations with Virgin’s, it recently decided to overhaul their Wi-Fi products. Alaska said a few months ago that it plans to install Gogo’s 2Ku satellite-based broadband Wi-Fi in both its Boeing aircraft and its Airbus fleet — i.e., Virgin’s planes. Installations will start next year on Alaska 737s, and the whole job should be finished by 2020. Alaska also recently extended its free in-flight texting to Virgin’s aircraft as well.)

At the bottom of the company’s overall rankings was United, with availability of 85 percent, speed of 9.8 Mbps, and a cost of $20. United was just below American, which had similar numbers. HighSpeedInternet.com noted that Hawaiian, Spirit and Frontier Airlines don’t have in-flight Wi-Fi. As a frequent United flier, this finding surprised me— When the system is actually working, United’s inflight wi-fi is relatively fast and stable. But the problem is reliability– over the last year, I would estimate that United’s inflight wi-fi system was down on about 40% of my flights.

Also, with Gogo-equipped planes, speed varies based on the type of system installed on the plane. For example, 3,000 planes now have Gogo wi-fi, but only 500 of them have the speediest satellite-based product. (More on that here.)

Source: HighSpeedInternet.com

The rankings changed significantly in looking at the best Wi-Fi service for business travelers, with the assumption that the cost is irrelevant because the traveler’s employer will cover it. If that’s the case, HighSpeedInternet.com gives top honors to Virgin America for its top speed and 100 percent availability, followed by Delta and JetBlue.

In conducting their research, HighSpeedInternet.com staffers discovered that some of this information wasn’t as easy to find as they had thought.

“Some airlines don’t publish their in-flight Wi-Fi information. So, to get it, our team spent days contacting various departments at some of these airlines—hounding them via email, phone, and social media,” the company said. “We think airlines could go a long way to reduce consumer frustration by making this information more readily available.”

Any report on airline Wi-Fi quality and cost should also note that this is all subject to change in the months and years ahead as carriers continue to upgrade their products due to consumer demand. For instance, we just reported on how Gogo is shifting much of its in-flight Wi-Fi service from ground-based to satellite-based links, which will greatly increase speed and data capacity. And we also reported that Air Canada will soon make inflight wi-fi free for its elite level members.

Do you use inflight wi-fi much? How is the service on the airline you fly most? Does it align with these findings? 

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Airport news: SFO car share, LGA terminal shuffle + Oakland, O’Hare, Toronto

East Bay travelers can now use GIG Care Share for trips to SFO Airport. (Image: GIG)

In airport news, a Bay Area car-sharing service has added a presence at San Francisco International; six airlines relocated operations at New York LaGuardia; Oakland cuts the ribbon on an expanded international arrivals area; Chicago may add express trains from downtown to O’Hare; and Air Canada opens a new lounge at Toronto.

East Bay travelers have a new option for trips between San Francisco International and Oakland/Berkeley. GIG Car Share, a one-way rental service sponsored by AAA of Northern California, Nevada and Utah, has added a parking zone at the SFO Park ‘N Fly lot at 160 Produce Ave., South San Francisco, with shuttle service to and from the terminals. Those who download the app from GIG can pick up a car at the lot for trips to the East Bay, leaving the vehicle anywhere in the GIG “Home Zone,” or from Oakland/Berkeley to SFO. There’s no sign-up fee. GIG rates for a Toyota Prius C trip are $2.50 a mile or $15 an hour, including gas, insurance and parking. Click on the above GIG link for all the details. GIG already had parking at Oakland International’s Park ‘N Fly.

This past weekend was moving time for several airlines at New York LaGuardia, who relocated some or all of their operations to accommodate the ongoing massive reconstruction of the airport. By all accounts, the moves went smoothly, with new signs installed and employees on hand to direct passengers. Delta consolidated its operations in Terminals C and D, with Delta Shuttle flights to Chicago and Washington relocated from Terminal A (the Marine Air Terminal) to Terminal C.  American Airlines and its Shuttle moved from Terminal C to Terminal B (the Main Terminal), while Alaska and JetBlue moved from Terminal B to Terminal A. Spirit and Frontier, formerly in Terminal B, now use Terminal C for departures and Terminal D for arrivals.

The new terminal locations at LaGuardia. (Image: Port Authority of New York/New Jersey)

Oakland International Airport this week will celebrate a ribbon-cutting for its International Arrivals Building following the end of work on a major expansion that doubled its capacity by adding 13,000 square feet of additional space. The final phase included replacing the old baggage carousel with a pair of new ones, completing renovation work, and renovating U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities. The first phase of the project, completed last summer, gave OAK eight more Automated Passport Control kiosks, for a total of 16; four more passenger processing booths, for a total of 14; and a pair of Global Entry kiosks. The airport has added a number of international flights in the past year and a half, now offering 32 weekly departures to Europe (mostly from Norwegian).

Ever take the Blue Line trains to or from Chicago O’Hare? They have a lot of stops between the airport and downtown. But now Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Chicago Infrastructure Trust has started taking proposals from companies that want to work with the city in creating express train service between the airport and downtown, cutting the trip time from 40 minutes to 20. The project is looking at three possible routes using existing rail lines, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The city wants the trains to run at least every 15 minutes at a fare that’s well below the cost of a taxi or Uber. City officials suggested that one possible partner might be Elon Musk’s futuristic, high-speed Hyperloop.

Air Canada’s new Signature Suite at Toronto Pearson. (Image: Air Canada)

The latest luxurious airport lounge facility for premium international travelers is the newly opened Air Canada Signature Suite at Toronto Pearson. The 6,400-square-foot facility, near Air Canada’s Terminal 1 international departure gates, is open to full-fare international business class customers (not including upgrades or reward travel). With space for 160 passengers, the suite has a sit-down restaurant with free a la carte dining, a full bar with snacks, a sitting area, and a concierge service.

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Basic Economy fares go global

Delta

Delta is introducing Basic Economy pricing on transatlantic routes. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Now that the Big Three U.S. airlines have rolled out bare-bones Basic Economy fares in their domestic networks, they’re starting to take aim at international markets.

Both Delta and American are bringing the controversial lowball pricing option to some international flights, and some foreign carriers – specifically, Aer Lingus and Scandinavian Airlines – are doing the same as the transatlantic competition from carriers like Norwegian starts to bite.

Six weeks ago, Delta broadened its transatlantic fare lineup when it started selling Comfort+ seating on transatlantic flights for travel starting January 22. And this week Delta announced that Basic Economy fares are now available on more than half of its flights to Europe for travel starting April 10.

And it’s not just Delta. The airline said that on the same date, its partners Air France-KLM and Alitalia will each introduce “a similar basic fare product across the Atlantic.”

“As part of its Basic Economy expansion, Delta is introducing a Basic Economy first checked bag fee for trans-Atlantic routes only,” the company said. “The fee will be standard for Air France-KLM and Alitalia, along with no seat assignments and tickets not being changeable.”

Forbes is reporting that Delta’s new fee on a first checked bag for international Basic Economy travelers will be a stiff $60, and a second checked bag will cost $100.

Basic economy purchasers won’t get a seat assignment until they check in, and they will board last, Delta said. Tickets can’t be changed or refunded, and purchasers can’t get paid or complimentary upgrades, even with Medallion status (although they will still earn Medallion-qualifying miles and dollars).

Delta said it would closely align its international Basic Economy fare restrictions with its domestic rules, which allow purchasers to carry on a bag that can be stowed in the overhead bin. American’s and United’s domestic Basic Economy prices only allow buyers to carry on an item that fits under the seat.

United’s website warns customers about the shortcomings of Basic Economy. (Image: UNited)

Reports out of Dallas this week said that American Airlines is now offering its own similar no-frills Basic Economy pricing on select international routes – specifically, to most of its destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. There are a few exceptions, including service to Cuba, to San Juan, and to a couple of Mexican destinations. American apparently hasn’t yet put the Basic Economy option on transatlantic flights.

While the big U.S. airlines introduced Basic Economy fares in domestic markets ostensibly to offer pricing levels competitive with fast-growing ultra-low-cost carriers like Spirit and Frontier, critics allege that the airlines’ real intention is to lure customers in with a low fare but then up-sell them to a regular economy seat with a few more frills. In fact, some allege that airlines have simply re-labeled their previous lowest economy fares as Basic Economy.

SAS is adding new ‘Go Light’ low-frills fares in U.S. markets this month. (Image: SAS)

Delta isn’t the first to bring new low- or no-frills fares to the transatlantic market. A few months ago, Aer Lingus rolled out a new pricing category called Saver fares on flights between Dublin and the U.S.  The only things included in that fare are a seat, an in-flight meal and a 10 kg. (22 lbs.) hand luggage allowance.

And effective December 14, SAS will start offering discounted “Go Light” fares on its routes between Scandinavia and the U.S., designed for customers who only have carry-on bags. The new category was introduced on the airline’s intra-European routes in 2015. Except for a checked bag, Go Light fare buyers get the same treatment and service as purchasers of the airline’s regular economy pricing, called Go fares.

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Here comes the travel crunch for the holidays – and beyond

Ah, the holidays –long lines and overcrowded airports. (Image: Jim Glab)

Are you flying somewhere over the holidays? You’ll have plenty of company: The U.S. airline industry is predicting a substantial increase in passenger traffic for the year-end holiday period. And the airlines’ global trade organization sees continuing growth and prosperity into the New Year for its members – while passengers can look forward to more crowded planes and higher fares.

Airlines for America (A4A), the trade group for U.S, carriers, says it expects the number of passengers over the year-end holiday period to increase by 1.7 million over the same period a year ago, or 3.5 percent. That means a total of 51 million air travelers during the holidays, which A4A defines as the 21 days from December 15 to January 4.

The biggest airport crowds will be seen on the Thursday and Friday before Christmas (December 21 and 22), A4A said, with a passenger volume of 2.7 million each day. That compares with a typical daily passenger count of 2.25 million in 2016. The organization noted that U.S. airlines are scheduling thousands of extra seats over the holiday period by adding more departures and using larger aircraft on their busiest routes.

The least busy travel days will be December 16, December 24, December 25, and January 31, A4A said. The organization noted that more people are traveling this season than last year due to “an improving economy and sub-inflation air fares.”

All this adds up to increased prosperity for the airlines, a trend that will accelerate in 2018, according to the International Air Transport Association, the airlines’ global trade group.

Don’t miss: How to be a Holiday Travel Pro!

Allow plenty of time for TSA screening. (Image: Jim Glab)

In a new report, IATA said North American airlines are expected to see net profits of $16.4 billion in 2018, up from $15.6 billion this year. North American carriers are expected to increase capacity by 3.4 percent next year, IATA said, while traffic is expected to grow by 3.5 percent.

And what happens when passenger demand increases faster than passenger capacity? Fares go up. IATA said that North American airlines lead the world in financial performance, accounting for almost half the total profits of the global airline industry.

The same trend will be seen globally, IATA said, with 2018 passenger numbers expected to grow 6 percent to 4.3 billion. That’s on top of a 7.5 percent increase this year. But worldwide airline capacity is expected to increase only 5.7 percent next year. “This will push up the average load factor to a record 81.4 percent, helping to drive a 3 percent improvement in yields,” IATA said. Worldwide, the group expects airlines’ average net profit per passenger to increase from $8.45 this year to $8.90 in 2018. Translation: Fewer empty seats and higher fares in the New Year.

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Airlines’ new safety target: Passengers’ ‘smart bags’

Smart bags are the latest generation of high-tech luggage. (Image: Bluesmart Luggage)

Savvy business travelers always try to carry on everything they’ll need on their trips. But if there are occasions when you go on a longer trip and need to check a bag, watch out for brand-new airline rules banning a specific kind of checked luggage: smart bags.

The latest generation of products from luggage manufacturers is incorporating various new technologies into an item that was previously very low-tech. So modern smart bags can provide things like tracking technology, built-in scales, and power ports to juice up your electronic devices on the go. But those functions all require a power source, and that source is generally a lithium-ion battery in the luggage.

The problem with lithium-ion batteries is that they sometimes spontaneously combust – and that means airlines don’t want to take the chance of having them in a baggage hold.

In the past few days, Delta, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines have all issued advisories warning customers that effective January 15, smart bags powered with a lithium-ion battery that cannot be removed will no longer be accepted as checked luggage. If the passenger can take the battery out of the luggage and carry it on, no problem. Otherwise, he has a real problem if he shows up at the airport with one of the now-banned bags.

Airlines don’t want lithium-ion batteries in their luggage holds. (Image: Jim Glab)

“If the customer is able to take the bag into the cabin with them, the customer will be able to leave the battery installed,” American’s advisory said. But Delta said that smart bags with non-removable batteries will not be accepted as a checked or carry-on bag. Likewise at Alaska, “Smart bags will be allowed as carry-on baggage, if they meet carry-on size limits and if it’s possible to remove the battery from the bag if needed,” the company said.

Other airlines are likely to follow suit. So if any of your loved ones are planning to buy a new smart bag as a holiday gift for their favorite frequent traveler, make sure they get one with a removable battery.

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Passenger bumping plummets after dragging incident

Passenger bumpings at U.S. airlines are down dramatically. (Image: Jim Glab)

Remember all that horribly negative publicity that the airline industry went through earlier this year after a United passenger, Dr. David Dao, was forcibly pulled from his seat and dragged off the aircraft, sustaining serious injuries?

Apparently the ensuing public debate and the reforms adopted by major carriers after that incident are having a big impact: New government figures show that the number of passengers subjected to “involuntary denied boarding” on U.S. carriers has nosedived to record lows.

In its latest Air Travel Consumer Report, just released this week, the Transportation Department said that the bumping rate for U.S. carriers in the third quarter of this year was 0.15 per 10,000 passengers – “the lowest quarterly rate based on historical data dating back to 1995.”

That’s a drop of 66 percent from the second quarter of this year, and a decline of 78 percent from the third quarter of 2016.

Looking at individual airlines, the biggest drop in the bumping rate for the third quarter of 2017 vs. a year earlier was at JetBlue, down from 1.47 per 10,000 passengers to just 0.02. United’s rate went from 0.46 last year to 0.04 in this year’s third quarter, while American’s fell from 0.64 to 0.09.

Source: DOT

For the first nine months of 2017, DOT said, the bumping rate was 0.39 per 10,000 passengers, down from 0.65 for the same period a year earlier, and also a record low. The previous record low for January-September was 0.64 in 2002.

In the wake of that April dragging incident, major airlines vowed to offer significantly more compensation to entice passengers to give up their seats on overbooked flights.

And for some icing on the cake, DOT also said that in September of this year, the number of mishandled baggage reports was 1.99 incidents per 1,000 passengers. That’s down from 2.45 in August of this year, and is “the lowest monthly rate since DOT started collecting mishandled baggage report data in September 1987,” the agency said.

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Travel restrictions are back for Cuba-bound Americans; 80 hotels off limits

Kempinski Hotel Havana

Americans can’t stay at the the gorgeous new $500/night Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski recently opened on Havana’s Parque Central (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

It was only in last year that U.S. airlines got the right to operate scheduled flights to Cuba. But now the future of that service might be in doubt due to new travel restrictions imposed by the Trump Administration that take effect this week.

The new rules do not ban or restrict U.S. airlines or cruise lines from operating in Cuba. But they do impose strict new limits on the kind of trips Americans can take to the island – and that could dampen demand to the point where airlines reduce or eliminate flight schedules there. (Even before the new rules, some U.S. carriers had already cut back their schedules to Cuba because they had overestimated demand.)

The new regulations also bar Americans from staying at dozens of hotels or shopping in stores that the U.S. says are owned by commercial entities controlled by the Cuban military. The Dept of State amassed a list of nearly 80 hotels now off-limits to Americans, including the newest, nicest hotel in town, the gorgeous sugar-white Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski in central Havana which goes for about $500 per night. (In a country where citizens earn about $1 per day.) Instead, the Washington Post reports, “the new regulations encourage Americans to stay in rooms rented by private citizens and to eat in private restaurants that have been allowed for a number of years as part of a growing Cuban private sector.” Which means stays at private casas particulares (via Airbnb) and meals at family-run paladares are still okay. Also, none of the new Marriott/Starwood hotels appear on the banned list.

Cuba kiss Chris McGinnis

TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis gets a warm welcome in Havana in 2016 in a rare window of opportunity for American travel to Cuba (Photo: TravelSkills)

The biggest impact is likely to come from the Administration’s decision to put a halt to individual “people-to-people” travel that was allowed up until this week, along with other non-academic individual trips.

Instead, Americans who want to go to Cuba will now have to travel as part of a group for a purpose approved by the Treasury Department; each group must be accompanied by someone from the tour operator or organization sponsoring the trip– similar to how the few American visited Cuba prior to Obama’s reestablishment of diplomatic relations and “don’t ask don’t tell” rules for Americans traveling there.

Even under the previous rules, individual vacation trips were not officially allowed, since a U.S. trade embargo remained in place. But U.S. travelers could self-identify their trips as falling into one of many approved categories, but enforcement was lax to non-existent. Most Americans traveled to Cuba just like they traveled to any other country in the world.

During a trip to Cuba in January, I wondered if we were there in a rare window of opportunity- CLICK PHOTO to read that post (Chris McGinnis)

Thankfully, those who already booked an upcoming flight or hotel stay in Cuba before the new rules took effect this week are exempted for the purposes of that trip. More details about the new restrictions are now on the Treasury Department website.

What’s important to know is that even after Obama normalized diplomatic relations with Cuba, the trade embargo remained in effect. Only at act of Congress can get rid of that, so don’t expect travel to Cuba to get easier any time soon.

What do you think about restrictions on American travel to Cuba? Step in the right direction or step back in time? Please leave your comments below. 

 

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Most Instagram -able airports, airlines

United and SFO both rank third in popularity among Instagram users- click to go to my Instagram!

Are you a big Instagram user? Plenty of travelers are these days (especially younger or younger-at-heart ones like me), and they often post pictures before, during and after their trips. But which airports and airlines are most popular among them?

That’s what TravelBank – an automated expense reporting specialist – wondered, so it reviewed Instagram data to find out, basically by looking at the number of followers each airport and airline have on their accounts.


Los Angeles International grabbed the number one spot in airport popularity, perhaps because a paparazzi mindset permeates the passenger terminals. (Ever try to grab a selfie with a passing celebrity?) TravelBank writes: “Currently in the middle of a $1.6 billion renovation, LAX will not only continue to be the place where people snap pics with the rich and famous, but it’s bound to keep flyers happy with its endless amenities and its Instaworthy locale.”

Ranking second was Chicago O’Hare (maybe just by virtue of its size). In addition to its colorful underground passageways, TravelBank says O’Hare’s public art collection and multiple restaurants that overlook the runways make for shareable moments on Instagram.

Terminal 3, Hall of Flags. (📷: @ashleythepetite ) #chooseohare

A post shared by O’Hare International Airport (@flyohare) on

Coming in third place was my very own San Francisco International. TravelBank says “SFO is a major travel hub for the app-loving millennials of tech-savvy San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Add in a selection of Instagrammable dining options serving local favorites (we’re looking at you Napa Farms Market) and a $2.6 billion expansion, and it’s easy to see why SFO comes in at #3.” My favorite spot for plane spotting and then post pics on Instagram is out at gate 66 in United’s new(ish) T3E terminal. Plus the airport regularly posts some great archival photography from its outstanding SFO Museum.

#tbt (1962) @united Douglas DC -8 jets

A post shared by SFO International Airport (@flysfo) on

While flying through Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International which ranks #9, I snagged this Instagrammable moment on the stairs to Delta’s new Sky Club in Concourse B.

Remember when bag tags were pretty? #travel #delta #skyclub #atl #avgeek

A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on

Here’s a look at the top 10 most popular U.S. airports on Instagram:

Source: TravelBank

As for airlines, there were no big surprises, with American, Delta and United ranking first through third, and the number of their Instagram followers reflecting their total passenger numbers:

At the top of the heap with nearly 650,000 followers is American Airlines— as the largest US carrier, sheer size is in its favor here. TravelBank adds:  AA has raised the bar and reaffirmed its commitment to passenger satisfaction with its investment in new aircraft, improvements to its business class product, the overhaul of its hub airport lounges and much more. It’s no wonder that American passengers have been eager to follow along with the company’s Instagram journey more than any other airline on our list!

Here’s a nice Instagrammable moment with #2 Delta showing off it’s popular outdoor deck at JFK. TravelBank adds: Delta’s onboard product is regarded as the best among the big 3 airlines, and upgrades to its fleet — like serving award-winning food options and craft beer — along with tech-friendly improvements like in app luggage tracking and auto check in make Delta a favorite among the Instagram crowd.

Last year #3 ranked United had some fun with with rainbow colors to celebrate National Coming Out Day in October and Gay Pride Month in June.

Today and every day, show your true colors. #NationalComingOutDay

A post shared by United (@united) on

Last Spring Delta invited me to Atlanta for the launch of its new 747 Experience at the Delta Museum by the airport. I scrambled all over the vintage 747 and snagged a bunch of snaps like this which I posted on Instagram. Are you following me? Why not! Get cracking!

Northwest Airlines flight attendant hat by Yves St Laurent circa 1973 #travel #avgeek #delta #747 #atl

A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on

Source: TravelBank

I saw this spooky sight out my window flying over Dallas, Texas at night– it’s been one of my post popular window seat posts.

Dallas thru winter clouds #dfw #dallas #windowseat #clouds @united #ATL > #SFO #travel #avgeek #texas

A post shared by Chris McGinnis (@chrisjmcginnis) on

See TravelBank’s full report on this here

Are you on Instagram? Why or why not? Leave your comments below. I find it fun and a nice way to pass time when stuck in a line, riding in an Uber and at other slow moments in my crazy busy life.

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Prepare for more security scrutiny at overseas airports

Munich airport MUC flight board

U.S.-bound travelers from international airports like Munich are facing new security hassles. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Remember back in June how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security abandoned its plan to ban laptops from aircraft cabins and instead agreed to settle for more thorough passenger screening? DHS gave foreign governments and airlines 120 days to implement stricter procedures, and that time is now up (thankfully after the peak summer season is over).

So starting this week, travelers bound for the U.S. from foreign countries can expect to see ramped-up security checks at the airport – changes that could mean longer lines, delayed departures and the need to get to the airport earlier than before.

Based on various reports that checked with a number of airlines, it looks like the tougher methods will generally involve personal interviews at check-in or filling out a new form prior to boarding.

Hong Kong MTR Train ticket

Cathay Pacific travelers to the U.S. can no longer check in luggage downtown when taking the train to airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reports that Cathay Pacific will no longer allow U.S.-bound passengers to check in their luggage at downtown locations in Hong Kong and Kowloon; instead, they must do so at the airport. And it said that all airlines with flights from Hong Kong to the U.S. are telling passengers to get to the airport three hours before their scheduled departure to go through new security measures. The newspaper also said Singapore Airlines is warning travelers to expect a new security interview and possible inspection of their electronic devices.

In addition to Cathay Pacific, the Associated Press reports that Lufthansa, Air France, Emirates and Egypt Air all said they will implement security interviews of passengers on flights to the U.S., or require them to fill out new forms before departure. Emirates said that even transit and connecting passengers passing through Dubai’s airport would face new screening interviews at their boarding gates. And Egyptair told AP that passengers will also face more thorough searches of themselves and their carry-ons during security screening.

Every day, the tougher rules will affect about 325,000 travelers coming to the U.S. on 2,000 flights from 105 countries, according to Reuters . It quoted Alexandre de Juniac, head of the International Air Transport Association, as saying that the U.S. decision to impose “unilateral measures…without any prior consultation” was something IATA found to be “very concerning and disturbing.”

TSA PreCheck

New TSA screening rules have also started in U.S. airports. (Chris McGinnis)

In the U.S., meanwhile, TSA in recent weeks has expanded to many more airports the new carry-on bag screening procedures that it announced a while back. “The new procedures require travelers to place all electronics larger than a cell phone in bins for X-ray screening when going through the security checkpoint,” TSA said. “The electronics should be placed in a bin with nothing on top or below, similar to how laptops have been screened for several years.” Thankfully the rules don’t apply to those passengers in PreCheck lines…yet.

In an unrelated development, TSA this week added five more airlines as participants in its PreCheck program, allowing passengers on those carriers to use the expedited PreCheck screening lanes. They include Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, All Nippon Airways, Finnair, and Contour Aviation, a Tennessee-based charter company. Here’s an updated list of all participating carriers. 

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Sneak sale: Hawaii $325 roundtrip from 5 west coast cities

Fares to Hawaii take a dip. Need to act fast, though. Kauai pictured here.  (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

UPDATE! United’s been on a tear this week with tons of low fares for winter trips from the Bay Area- we can barely keep up! First it was Hawaii at $325, then South Florida for $251, then SFO-Boston for just $197 in basic economy, $228 regular (even during peak summer) and now SFO-HNL or Maui (OGG) are back and even lower at $299-$305- and these fares are good November thru May and then again in August and September. And there’s even more: How about SFO-LAX for just $73 roundtrip in basic economy, $110 in regular. Yep, and it’s good for trips late November through end of February.  Grab ’em while they are hot! All fares found on Google Flights & United.com and subject to change.

>>Here’s the original post from last week.

Whenever we see fares to Hawaii from the west coast dip below $400, we jump. Over the last year it has been rare to see anything below $399. That changed this week when roundtrip fares dipped quietly closer to $300. 

The airlines are not making a big deal about this, but we are!

Today we are seeing some very nice deals for winter travel to the islands– most at around $325 round trip between the Bay Area, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, Seattle and Honolulu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii. (This applies to both nonstop and one stop flights.) Interestingly, this does not apply (yet) to flights from LAX where fares remain above the $400 mark, but not by much, at around $410.

UPDATE #2: As of 3 pm on Oct 24, these fares are already drifting higher– most $325 fares are now closer to $350.

UPDATE #3: We are now finding flights available for deep peak summer for just $325-$345, mostly SFO-HNL in late August and early September

UPDATE #4: Weds Oct 25 7 am– the lowest roundtrip fares are now in the $375 range- not $325 any more, but still a good deal for winter trips to Hawaii. Most remaining discounts appear to be on flights to Maui (OGG).

Update #5: Weds 5 pm This sale appears to be slowing down however we are still finding SFO-Honolulu or Maui on Virgin America for $345 Nov-May and also in late August. That’s a very good deal.

Fares for mid-Late November between SFO and Hawaiian Islands (Google Flights)

What’s even better about this is a nice big window for travel– it starts in November and goes all the way to May. Of course this does not include the Christmas/New Year’s holiday period, but it does include spring break months of March and April (excluding the week before Easter). First class fares from the west coast are at about $1,000 roundtrip.

As of today, its mostly United and Hawaiian that are offering the low fares, but keep an eye out for matches from Alaska Air and Virgin America.

As of this morning (Tues Oct 24) we have found the following deals on Google Flights and as always clicked thru to airline sites to confirm:

  • San Francisco or San Jose to Maui: $325
  • San Francisco to Honolulu or Kauai: $333
  • San Diego to Honolulu, Maui or Kauai $338
  • Sacramento to Honolulu or Maui: $366 (one stop in SFO)
  • Seattle-Honolulu $348 (one stop in LAX)
  • Portland to Honolulu $333 (one stop)

San Francisco to Maui nonstop for just $325 in February is a great deal. Go grab it! (Google Flights)

Right now it appears that United is leading this sale with the most sale fares. Keep in mind that this could change rapidly– the airlines might just be “testing the waters” to see how low they must go to stimulate demand.

As always during the slower fall and winter months, it’s important to act fast on these un-publicized sales. If you see a fare that works for you, grab it because it likely will not last.

What’s a “good” deal to you when it comes to Hawaii? What’s the least you’ve ever paid to fly there? Please leave your comments below.

Get that $325 roundtrip fare nearly every day in cold dark Jan and Feb and get to paradise! (Google Flights)

Aloha!

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Bidding for upgrades proves a success

Flyers were quite willing to ante up at the gate for a Virgin America first class seat. (Image: Virgin America)

How much is a seat in the front cabin worth to you at the last minute?

That’s the question frequent flyers could be facing from more airlines in the future, following a successful test of upgrade auctions on Virgin America flights.

The test was conducted by a mobile app called SeatBoost, which teamed up with Virgin America to try out its technology on 45,000 customers who downloaded the company’s app and created accounts on it.

Of the unsold premium seats available on the Virgin America test flights, more than 90 percent were snapped up by buyers who placed a bid through the SeatBoost app, the company said, providing upgrades to 6,600 customers.

Participating flyers use the app right at the gate to submit bids of how much they are willing to pay for a last-minute upgrade, assuming seats are still available. And in some cases during the tests, the bidding was quite competitive.

“SeatBoost’s auction format frequently sold upgrades at price points that exceeded the Virgin America retail price,” the company noted.

Persons who submitted the winning bids for the front-cabin seats are notified through the app, and are instantly issued new boarding passes.

SeatBoost’s app offers easy bidding and fast results. (Image: SeatBoost)

SeatBoost sees a big future for its technology with additional airlines. “Not only does the SeatBoost app deliver unprecedented results in terms of upgrades sold – be it first, business, premium economy, etc. – it opens a new revenue stream after all other channels are essentially closed,” said SeatBoost advisory board member Jerry Behrens.

Related: Targeted for an upgrade? 

Company CEO Kevin Stamler said the results of its pilot program with Virgin America prove “that the auction format incentivizes bidding through people’s natural desire to win.”

“We’ve proven that especially on long-haul flights, fliers are more willing to spend money for additional legroom, comfort, and premium services,” he said, “and we expect increased participation and revenue when we expand to international carriers with even longer haul routes.”

The SeatBoost auctions are the opposite of another auction technique  being adopted by Delta and United: Instead of asking how much you would pay for an upgrade, those airlines are asking passengers on overbooked flights how much compensation they would accept to take a later departure.

Have you ever bid for an upgrade? How that go for you? Please leave your comments below.

Source: A 2016 APEX survey

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Comparing airlines’ elite status tiers

Alaska Airlines economy 737

Alaska Airlines wins top honors in a comparison of elite status levels. (Photo: Alaska Air)

Is it possible to compare one airline’s elite status requirements and benefits to another’s? Most frequent travelers will usually devote their mile/point accumulation to the hometown airline they fly the most by default. But a new study takes a fresh look at elite status to see which airlines are the most generous.

And the overall winner – across three of the four status tiers – is Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan, according to ThePointsGuy.com, a specialist in travel loyalty programs.

How is it possible to compare the elite benefits of six airlines (Alaska, American, Delta, United, JetBlue and Southwest)? The site assigned various weights to all the categories of perks that come with elite status levels, ranging from 25 percent for in-flight perks like upgrades, preferred seats and free amenities to 5 percent for special reservations treatment (priority phone line and enhanced award availability). Also in the mix are airport perks, fee waivers, bonus earning potential, partner perks, flexibility of benefits and non-flying perks like crossover deals with hotel companies.

ThePointsGuy.com looked at all those elements tier by tier across the six airlines. For low-tier elites (based on 25,000 flight miles and $3,000 in spending), Alaska’s MVP status came in first, followed in order by American’s Advantage Gold, Delta’s Silver Medallion and United’s Premier Silver. (JetBlue and Southwest don’t have a comparable elite status at this level, the site noted.)

The site said the primary reason for Alaska’s high ranking is “the fact that Alaska still awards miles based on flying rather than spending.” Alaska MVP members get a 50 percent earning bonus on flights, or 12,500 miles – worth an estimated $237.50 – on 25,000 flight miles in a year. By contrast, the spending-based regimes at the Big Three return only 6,000 bonus miles on $3,000 in spending, worth an estimated $72 to $90 at the three airlines, the site estimated.

American’s AAdvantage Gold members benefit from fee waivers. (Image: Jim Glab)

Benefits of AAdvantage Gold that put American in second place were priority security access and waiver of the $75 same-day standby fee and the $75 award-processing fee for short-notice award bookings for lowest-tier elites, the site said.

For mid-level elites (50,000 miles/$6,000), United came in second behind Alaska, followed by Delta, American, JetBlue and Southwest, in that order. Alaska’s MVP Gold status at this level provides a generous 100 percent earning bonus, well above its competitors. The site also gave kudos to Alaska MVP Gold and JetBlue Mosaic status for fee waivers on flight changes and cancellations. Part of the reason for United’s second-place showing was its offer of free Marriott Gold reciprocal status to its MileagePlus Premier Golds.

Delta’s Comfort+ seating offers extra legroom and other perks. (Image: Delta)

For high-tier elites (75,000 miles/$9,000), Delta came in second after Alaska by virtue of its superior in-flight perks like a longer upgrade window (120 hours before departure vs. 72 at others), free access to preferred seats and extra-legroom economy seats, and upgrades on award travel.

It’s only at the very highest tier level (125,000 miles/$15,000) that Alaska drops out of first place, although the status requirements aren’t as comparable at this level. In any case, the study gives first place to United’s Premier 1K for “consistently rewarding status across all categories” including enhanced award availability in both cabins, free drinks and snacks on board and 12 upgrades (six regional and six global).

You can read the full report here, and along with an interactive feature that lets you input your own mileage and spending, along with the importance you assign to various benefits, to see which elite program is best for you.

Which airline elite level program works best for you? Why? Please leave your comments below.

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The busiest air routes you’ll probably never fly

Korea’s Jeju Island is a tourist hot spot. (Image: Visit Korea)

Have you ever been to Jeju Island? Probably not, unless you’re Korean. But travelers who go there are flying the world’s busiest air route.

Jeju is off the southern tip of the Korean peninsula; it’s got lots of beach resorts, a dormant volcano and a miles-long natural cave. It’s a favorite vacation spot for Koreans who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the capital city, and in July 2017, almost 1.3 million persons flew between Jeju and Seoul (not Seoul Incheon, but Seoul Gimpo, nine miles west of the city).

A new study by Routesonline.com found that those passengers were accommodated on more than 5,800 flights between the two airports during July, or an average of 189 flights a day.

The study determined the world’s busiest air routes in terms of passenger numbers, and of the top 20, exactly none were in North America, Europe or South America. Almost all of them were in the Asia-Pacific region, mostly on domestic routes.

Chart: Routesonline.com

Ranking a distant second behind Seoul-Jeju was a domestic Japanese route, Tokyo Haneda to Sapporo New Chitose. (You might remember Sapporo, on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, as the site of the 1972 Winter Olympics – or as the name of a popular Japanese beer.)

The third-busiest route worldwide during July was one more likely to see Western travelers: Melbourne to Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport.

Rounding out the top 10 routes in passenger numbers were Tokyo Haneda-Fukuoka in Japan; Delhi-Mumbai in India; Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)-Hanoi in Vietnam; Shanghai Hongqiao-Beijing in China; Hong Kong-Taipei; Okinawa-Tokyo Haneda; and an Indonesian route, Jakarta-Surabaya.

What are the busiest routes in the US? We could not find a study that showed just July numbers like the one above, but World Atlas provides this list of the USA’s busiest over the full year from Aug 2014-Aug 2015– in millions of passengers. It’s probably not changed much since then.

Top 10 busiest air routes (in millions of passengers) in the US Aug 2014-Aug 2015 (Source: World Atlas)

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Cheaper one-way or roundtrip? The old rules are changing

flight board

Should you buy a roundtrip ticket or two one-ways?. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

For a long time, it has been part of air travel orthodoxy that it’s always a lot less expensive to buy a roundtrip ticket to your destination than two one-way tickets. But times are changing.

A new study from the Airlines Reporting Corporation – which serves as a clearinghouse for all travel agency ticket sales – determined that old belief “is simply no longer true” in many cases.

This was no small-time analysis: ARC said it evaluated three years of data covering more than 350 million tickets.

It found that since 2014, the so-called “one-way fare premium” – i.e. the increased cost of buying two one-way tickets vs. one roundtrip on the same itinerary – has shrunk to nearly zero in almost one-third of the 200 busiest U.S. air travel markets, whereas in years past it would have cost as much as 50 percent more for two one-ways vs. a roundtrip.

The cost differential fell to near zero in scores of markets. (Image: ARC)

The one-way premium remains stubbornly in place in other markets. ARC said that was the case for selected markets including flights to and from San Francisco, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and Washington Reagan National, among others. In those markets, “the one-way premium has been around $50 per direction and has remained largely unchanged over the study period,” ARC said.

But it dropped dramatically in other select markets, including flights to and from Newark, Dallas/Ft. Worth, LaGuardia, and Los Angeles, the study found. For some markets, like Denver and Boston, the one-way premium stayed in place for flights to or from some destinations but dropped off in others.

“The effect is based on market and not individual airports or airlines,” ARC noted.

One-way tickets are increasing their share of total sales. (Image: ARC)

As the cost differential withered away in many markets, ARC noted a corresponding shift in traveler purchasing practices: The percentage of one-way tickets sold jumped from 29 percent of all tickets in 2014 to 42 percent so far this year. But that increase was not equal among all market segments.

ARC said most of the increase in one-way ticket purchases came from leisure travelers and unmanaged business travelers (i.e., those who make their own purchase decisions without any company rules or guidelines). For “managed” business travelers, the shift to more one-way ticketing “has been almost non-existent,” ARC said.

But it also noted that the shift to a greater percentage of one-way ticket purchases held true no matter how far in advance the tickets were bought.

“While there are many reasons behind when and how travel is ticketed for corporate travelers, there may be situations where opportunities are missed for increased flexibility and even travel cost savings. By looking deeper into the options for one-way tickets cost savings and other benefits may be available to travelers,” ARC said.

The organization cautioned travelers that before they switch from roundtrip to one-way ticket purchases, they should consider how likely they are to require a change in their plans. “If the full itinerary is changed, the traveler may incur two change fees, and that may make roundtrip ticketing a better option in some cases,” ARC said. “However, ticketing an outbound non-refundable and a return refundable flight can in some cases only be done using the one-way ticket option because most restrictive fare rules are usually applied to an entire ticket when booked as a roundtrip.”

You can see the full report here.

Readers: Do you always check out both one-way and roundtrip pricing? Which do you usually buy? Do you have any tips or tricks to share on the issue?

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Airlines: Are watery welcomes drying up?

Aeromexico 737

Wait. What? A wet salute in California? (Photo: SJC)

Instead of rolling out a red carpet to welcome a new or special flight, airports frequently greet planes with blasts of water from their fire trucks. These are known as “wet” or “water” salutes.

Have you ever been on a plane when this happens?

These salutes occur when an airport gets a brand new airline, an important new route or when an existing route gets a shiny new plane. Airports will also douse a jet in honor of a retiring pilot on his or her final flight, or to welcome home a winning team.

I imagine we’ll see a few water salutes later this year when Delta and United 747s make their final flights.

Here’s a video I made for Air France when its first A380 landed at SFO back in 2011, which warranted a wet salute.

I’m lucky enough to have experienced several of water salutes over the years as I frequently cover inaugural or special flights for TravelSkills.

But those opportunities have dwindled recently at airports near my home base in San Francisco.

Why? Because of the California drought. As the state began to dry out five years ago and water restrictions were put into place, California airports switched from wet to less showy “dry salutes” that usually involved fire trucks and flags, but no water.

Level A330 OAK

Oakland welcomes Level Airlines’ first flight from Barcelona with a celebratory escort bearing the Spanish flag (Photo: Oakland International)

Thankfully, after a sopping wet year, the California drought has been called off and watering restrictions have been lifted. I had not seen a wet salute until last week when San Jose welcomed a new Aeromexico nonstop from Guadalajara. (see top)

So I reached out to the airport to determine if wet salutes were back in vogue…and found out that SJC had come up with a unique way to continue the salutes even during the drought.

SJC spokesman Jon Vaden said, “Our fire trucks are required to do a weekly discharge test where they run water through the hoses, so for this water arch salute they planned ahead and made that their weekly test. We’ve done the same thing for our inaugurals the past couple years, allowing us to continue them even when the drought was at its worst. Of course, now that the drought has eased there’s not as much intense scrutiny on the subject, but they have maintained the same procedures as an ongoing water-saving measure.”

Copa Airlines first flight from Panama City, Panama greeted with fire trucks and hand salutes – but no water- at SFO’s International Terminal (Photo: SFO)

So will wet salutes come back to SFO or Oakland? Sounds like that won’t be happening any time soon.

Oakland International spokesperson Keonnis Taylor told TravelSkills: We have done wet salutes in the past, however, due to recent drought conditions, we’ve been opting for ceremonial vehicle escort of inaugural landing flights with the U.S. and originating country flags waving. In addition to internal discussion/coordination here at the airport, OAK always prioritizes the wishes of the airline in this regard. Water arches have been requested during the recent drought period, however, the airlines have been very understanding and receptive of alternative ceremonial activities such as vehicle escorts, in the effort to conserve water.”

And it sounds like restrictions on wet salutes will remain in place at SFO. Spokesperson Doug Yakel told us: “Although the state is no longer in a drought, we continue in our water conservation efforts, which include refraining from using water during salutes. Our Fire Department conducts a ‘dry’ salute, in which firefighters perform a hand salute for the aircraft receiving the honor.”

Over the last few years, we have seen air travel boom in the Bay Area as the economy heated up and airlines fought to get their piece of the lucrative pie. Down in Silicon Valley, San Jose has added seven new carriers in less than two years and now has multiple nonstops to the East Coast, Europe and Asia. Across the Bay in Oakland, international carriers are lining up for first-time ever nonstops to cities all over Europe. And so many new airlines (and flights) have jammed into San Francisco International in recent years that gate space (and long tarmac waits to park planes) are becoming increasingly common.

That’s a lot of salutes, wet or dry!

Have you ever taken an inaugural or other type of special flight? Tell us about it in the comments!


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Which airlines earn most from fees, frequent flyer programs?

Airlines haul in billions from checked bag fees – but make more from loyalty programs (Image: Jim Glab)

Everyone knows that almost all airlines have been imposing new fees on passengers in recent years, but a new report shows what a huge impact those fees are having on their revenues. And for many airlines, the biggest “ancillary revenue” boost is coming from something you might not realize.

The latest annual study of airline ancillary revenues from IdeaWorks Company and Cartrawler, just out this week, shows that while low-cost carriers are more notorious for their fees, the big U.S. legacy airlines are the ones hauling in the most ancillary revenues.

In 2016, the report says, United’s ancillary revenues totaled a whopping $6.2 billion, while Delta hauled in $5.2 billion and American brought in $4.9 billion, followed by Southwest’s $2.8 billion.

But here’s the thing: The study included the sale of frequent flyer miles in its calculation of ancillary revenues. Miles are sold mostly to the big banks that issue the carriers’ credit cards. And for the Big Three, that accounted for roughly half their totals (48 percent at United, 52 percent at Delta and 43 percent at American). At Southwest, which still doesn’t charge checked bag or change fees, sale of miles accounted for 80 percent of ancillary revenues.

Another way to look at ancillary revenues is as a percentage of total revenues, and that’s where the ultra-low-cost carriers shine. In fact, as they refined and expanded their fee schedules for passengers – shifting from a low-cost to an ultra-low-cost model — those fees became even more important to the bottom line.

In 2016, the report said, ancillary revenues accounted for more than 46 percent of Spirit Airlines’ total revenues – up from 33 percent five years earlier. The change was even more dramatic at Frontier Airlines, which got just 7.7 percent of revenues from ancillary sources in 2011. In 2016, they accounted for 42 percent. Frontier switch to a ultra-low-cost business model in 2014 after it was acquired by new owners. Frontier’s average revenue per passenger of $115 includes $49 in ancillary revenue, the report noted.

“Worldwide, the a la carte approach long embraced by low cost carriers has been adopted by network airlines. Within the US, American, Delta, and United recently introduced basic economy fares (sometimes called seat-only fares) to compete with Frontier and Spirit. These fares reduce the product to a minimalist experience with fees charged for bags and early seat assignments, no elite upgrades, and a ban on flight changes. Yet when presented with higher fare, better service options, the majority of consumers opt to spend more,” the report noted.

Delta’s ancillary revenues (Source: Ideaworks)

You can see the full report here.

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Routes: More United Polaris from SFO + Etihad, ANA, Asiana, SAA, El Al

A typical window seat in United’s new Polaris business class. (Image: United)

In international route developments, United will deploy more 777-300ERs with new Polaris cabins on routes from San Francisco and Newark; Etihad catches a break from the U.S. laptop ban; ANA adds a third daily Los Angeles flight; Asiana will fly a new A350 to San Francisco; South African Airways puts its newest aircraft on all its Washington D.C. flights; El Al will fly its new Dreamliner in a key U.S. market; and Southwest drops a pair of Cuba routes.

So far, United’s full-blown new Polaris business class with flat-bed passenger compartments is only available on its new Boeing 777-300ERs – and it doesn’t have many of them yet. But more are on the way, and the airline is gradually extending the new Polaris cabin to more routes. Routesonline.com reports that United’s latest schedule update shows the 777-300ERs going onto three more routes in the next few months: On September 6, the 777-300ER will replace the 747-400 on United’s San Francisco-Beijing route; on October 6, the new plane will take over SFO-Frankfurt, also from a 747-400; and on October 28, a 777-300ER will replace a 777-200ER on the Newark-Tokyo Narita route.

Last month, United put the new plane onto its SFO-Tokyo Narita route, and SFO-Taipei service is set to begin August 1. It also flies them from SFO to Hong Kong and from Newark to Tel Aviv.

Some bad news on the Polaris front: The new Polaris Lounge at SFO, which was first expected to open in mid 2017 will now open in “late 2017 or early 2018” according to a spokesperson. Stay tuned. (See our previous post about the Polaris lounge here.)

Although the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been threatening to expand its so-called laptop ban to more airports, it looks like the ban is actually getting smaller. DHS last week laid out new, tougher inspection and security standards for foreign airlines and airports to meet if they don’t want the ban extended to them, and one of the first to meet the new standards is Abu Dhabi-based Etihad. As a result, DHS said it has lifted the laptop ban for Etihad, and passengers can once again carry their personal electronic devices on board. The ban remains in place for non-stop flights to the U.S. from nine other Middle Eastern and North African airports.

Starting October 29, ANA plans to increase its schedule from Los Angeles International to Tokyo, citing “strong demand” in the market and “constant growth in the number of passengers.” The airline said it will increase its LAX-Tokyo Narita schedule from one flight a day to two; ANA also operates one daily roundtrip between LAX and Tokyo Haneda. The new Narita flight will offer a late-evening departure and will use a three-class 777-300ER.

Asiana will put a new A350 onto its San Francisco route. (Image: Airbus)

South Korea’s Asiana Airlines is planning some changes for its San Francisco-Seoul Incheon route. For one thing, instead of using a 777-200ER as previously planned, it will switch to a brand new Airbus A350-900XWB effective August 14. Then when its winter schedule kicks in on October 29, its SFO departure time will switch from daytime to late-evening (11:30 p.m.), making more connections possible at Incheon. The return flight will arrive in SFO in the afternoon.

Earlier this year, South African Airways started flying an Airbus A330-300 with its new Premium Business Class product three times a week between Washington Dulles and Johannesburg via a stop in Dakar, Senegal. Now the airline has increased Dulles service with the new plane to daily frequencies by deploying the A330-300 on its four weekly IAD-Johannesburg flights that operate via Accra, Ghana. The new business class seats recline 180 degrees and all of them offer direct aisle access, power/USB ports and on-demand entertainment systems. The aircraft’s economy section has also been upgraded.

Business class in El Al’s new 787-9 Dreamliner. (Image: El Al)

Israel’s El Al is a little late to the Dreamliner game, but it has set the schedule for deployment of its first 787-9s starting later this year. For U.S. passengers, El Al will put the plane into service six times a week beginning October 29 on its Newark-Tel Aviv route (the same route where United recently started flying its new 777-300ER), gradually increasing frequencies to 11 a week by next March. El Al will also deploy the 787-9 on its Tel Aviv-London Heathrow route starting September 12, and Tel Aviv-Hong Kong beginning March 18 of next year. El Al’s 787-9s will have a three-class configuration including a new premium economy class. Here’s a visual preview of the interiors.

The bloom is off the rose for all the new Cuba routes that U.S. carriers introduced some months ago. The latest pullback is from Southwest, which said it will discontinue its daily Ft. Lauderdale-Varadero and Ft. Lauderdale-Santa Clara, Cuba, service on September, and instead will focus on its Havana service.  Southwest flies to Havana twice a day from Ft. Lauderdale and once a day from Tampa, and has applied for rights to a third daily FLL-Havana flight. The airline said it dropped the other two routes because its analysis “confirmed that there is not a clear path to sustainability serving these markets, particularly with the continuing prohibition in U.S. law on tourism to Cuba for American citizens.”

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Do airlines pad schedules for better on-time performance?

Scheduling longer flight times can make a difference in on-time arrivals. (Image: Jim Glab)

Do you ever pick one airline over another because it has a better record of on-time flight operations? Those statistics might not be as solid as you think.

An interesting article in The Wall Street Journal explores how Delta’s current number-one ranking in the Transportation Department’s on-time arrivals listings was achieved in part by “padding” its flight schedules with a little extra time.

The Transportation Department defines an on-time arrival as one that gets to the gate within 14 minutes of the arrival time shown in its schedule. If it gets there one minute later than that, it’s considered late for statistical purposes.

The article notes that Delta has increased the “cushion” in its flight schedules every year for the past seven years. The result? It went from an on-time arrival rate of 78.6 percent in 2009 to 86.5 percent for domestic flights last year, the best in the industry.

Do on-time arrival statistics make a difference to you? (Image: Jim Glab)

The analysis notes that because airlines are free to set their own schedule times, it is possible for flights of two airlines from point A to point B to take the exact same amount of time from gate to gate, but one could be on time while the other is considered late because it estimated a shorter flight time in its schedule, while its competitor padded its schedule with a few extra minutes of estimated trip time.

The Journal noted that since Delta has done so well with it scheduling strategy in terms of its on-time record, United has started to adopt the same technique (more WWDD!), padding its schedules by an average of nine minutes in 2015 and 10 minutes in 2016.

By contrast, American’s average domestic flight has a padding of just four minutes, and the flights of Hawaiian, Alaska, Virgin America and Spirit “are the stingiest on padding schedule minutes,” the article notes.

Have you noticed the padding? Is it fair? Please leave your comments below. 

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Get ready: Huge security overhaul for international flights

American Airlines is starting to use Analogic computed tomography 3-D scanners for carry-ons. (Image: Analogic)

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is reportedly planning to impose strict new security standards for all airlines flying into the U.S. starting next month – a move that could lead to confusion, uncertainty and longer lines for passengers depending on how responsive airlines are in meeting the requirements.

According to various news services, DHS is ordering the new standards as an alternative to expanding its current “laptop ban” – a rule that currently bars passengers from carrying electronic devices larger than a smartphone into the cabins of U.S.-bound non-stop flights from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa.

However, DHS is also said to be threatening to extend the laptop ban to any airlines or airports that don’t meet its new security safeguards. The agency has been threatening for months to expand the laptop ban to European airports over concerns that terrorist groups are perfecting methods for hiding explosives in laptop computers. Reports suggested that DHS could even decide to withhold U.S. landing rights from non-compliant airlines.

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DHS wants more bomb-sniffing dogs at overseas airports. (Image: TSA)

The agency hasn’t said publicly exactly what its new standards will involve, but they would apply for the flights of 180 airlines from 280 airports in 105 countries rather than just those considered to pose the highest risk of a terrorist threat.

News reports indicated that the new requirements might include more sophisticated explosive trace detection scanning for passengers’ carry-ons, greater use of bomb-sniffing dogs, and more intensive screening of airport workers and even passengers themselves.

According to a report from Reuters, DHS will give airlines just 21 days to start using more effective explosive screening methods, and 120 days to implement other new security measures like enhanced screening of individual passengers.

At the same time, DHS officials have reportedly said that the 10 airports where the laptop ban currently applies could have that ban lifted if they implement the new security measures.

Middle Eastern airlines are offering in-cabin laptops and tablets to business class passengers affected by the ban. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

DHS officials have met repeatedly with their European counterparts in recent weeks over the agency’s proposed expansion of the laptop ban. European security officials have expressed concerns that requiring large numbers of travelers to put their electronic devices into checked luggage could pose a greater risk of fires in the hold of an aircraft, since the lithium batteries on those devices are known to sometimes ignite spontaneously.

If the reports are correct that DHS will only allow three weeks for the implementation of more effective explosives screening, that raises the question of how the agency hopes to enforce its new requirements. Will it have enough personnel to inspect hundreds of airport locations overseas in the short term? Will the new standards be specific enough for clear decisions about which locations and airlines are compliant? Will they allow for any exemptions or extensions? And how will passengers know if a new laptop ban is about to be suddenly imposed on their flight to the U.S.?

DHS officials told USA Today they expect 99 percent of airlines will meet the new requirements in the allotted time frames. But with the peak summer season for international travel already under way, this could make for some interesting situations at overseas airports. Stay tuned.

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LAX’s Big Move was a Big Success

Delta’s overhauls of T2 and T3 at LAX will feature a light, spacious design. (Image: Delta)

Los Angeles International Airport finished up its monumental relocation of 20 airlines this week with no significant problems reported, and carriers are now proceeding to freshen up their new digs.

Over a period of five days, airlines moved from one terminal to another to accommodate the largest piece of the project, Delta’s shift from Terminals 5 and 6 to Terminals 2 and 3. Only one little piece of the project is left – the planned June 4 move of XL France from T2 to T6.

Despite the scope of the operation, “There were no reported delays attributable to the airline move across all three operational periods,” an airport spokesperson said, “although some were initially reported due to East Coast weather conditions and previously-scheduled runway safety area construction.”

In the final stage of the project, on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, Delta completed its relocation into T2 and T3, and JetBlue, Hawaiian and Air Canada shifted their operations into T5 and T6. In addition, Southwest Airlines’ international flights now arrive and leave from the Bradley international terminal.

Delta said it is already seeing operational improvements from the move. “In the short-term, moving Delta’s operations closer to its partners has already improved its flight departure times and substantially lowered the time aircraft need to taxi before takeoff and arrival,” a spokesperson said. The move is the first step in what Delta is calling the Delta Sky Way at LAX, a $1.9 billion, seven-year project to modernize and connect T2, T3 and the Bradley Terminal.

Virgin America is now located near partner Alaska Airlines in T6. (Image: Alaska)

Also benefiting from the relocations is Alaska Airlines Group, as its Virgin America subsidiary moved close to sister company Alaska Airlines in Terminal 6. That will simplify Alaska Airlines Group’s plans to integrate the operations of the two carriers at LAX as their merger proceeds.

“By sharing the same space at LAX, it will be even easier for guests to make a connecting flight across the airlines’ combined network. Instead of changing terminals, guests will only need to walk a few steps,” Alaska said in a blog posting. “It also means that frequent flyers will have a new airport lounge to enjoy: The Alaska Lounge at Terminal 6.” That lounge is on T6’s mezzanine level near Gate 64.

JetBlue will remake its LAX T5 lobby to look like this one at its New York JFK Terminal 5 home base. (Image: JetBlue)

JetBlue, now in LAX’s Terminal 5, said it is planning  a series of redesign projects for its new check-in lobby there, using the same team that redeveloped the airline’s home base at New York JFK’s Terminal 5.

“The LAX plan will feature JetBlue’s new self-service lobby with ten check-in positions plus ten interactive self-service kiosks – both are more than double the number at Terminal 3,” JetBlue said. “The new interactive kiosks feature the latest personal, helpful and simple technology, including self-bag tagging and bag drop capabilities that increase efficiency and reduce frustrating airport lines. JetBlue Mint customers and Mosaic members will also have a dedicated check-in area.”

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‘Economic tsunami’ and ‘havoc’ caused by laptop ban

Munich Munchen airport

A larger laptop ban could mean four-hour advance check-in at European airports. (Photo: Flughafen Munchen)

U.S. and European aviation and security officials are meeting in Brussels today (May 17) to discuss the planned expansion of the U.S. “laptop ban” to European routes, and industry observers are predicting massive logistical problems and airline financial losses when the expansion starts.

The U.S. is reportedly planning to ban passengers from carrying electronic devices larger than a smartphone into the cabins of U.S.-bound flights from Europe, just like the ban it already has in place for non-stop flights from 10 Middle Eastern and North African airports into the US.

Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the U.S.-based Business Travel Coalition, spelled out the dangers of an expanded ban in a letter this week to Europe’s Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc.

Remember SARS? Zika? Or the Icelandic volcano that shut down transatlantic travel? If the ban is extended, “the economic risk to airlines and the travel and tourism industry is orders of magnitude greater than the threat from pandemics, volcanoes or wars,” Mitchell said. “This is serious.”

He noted that most companies, governments and universities “will not allow employees to check laptops, most of which have sensitive information on them,” and that could be a deal-breaker for many planned transatlantic trips. “That’s where a dramatic falloff in business travel demand would be based,” Mitchell said. “A monthly trip to London becomes a once-a-quarter one.”

In addition to that, all airlines specifically deny liability for electronics packed in checked bags in their contracts of carriage, so travelers are left with little or no protection unless they have travel insurance that covers such losses (many policies don’t).

Can you fly back from Europe without a laptop or tablet? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The result? Fewer business travelers will pay for the big seats up front. The loss of a handful of first and business class passengers on a transatlantic flight could easily make that flight unprofitable for the airline, he said, as flagging demand drives down yields.

“There is evidence that this already is happening,” Mitchell wrote. “Despite creative efforts by Gulf carriers such as gate-side (laptop) check-in, separate secure inflight storage and dedicated arrival pick-up, not to mention onboard loaner tablets, early indications are the negative impact on bookings has been significant.” (Emirates has already announced plans to reduce flight frequencies on several U.S. routes due to a falloff in demand.)

Mitchell urged the Europeans to “push back on this potential ban” and on the one already in place for the Middle East and North Africa.

Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association – a trade group of the world’s airlines – is predicting that an expanded ban would cost travelers more than $1 billion, including $655 in lost productivity, $216 million for longer travel times, and $195 million for renting laptops from airlines. IATA said extending the ban to Europe would affect 350 to 390 flights per day.

U.S. airline analyst Henry Harteveldt told Yahoo! News this week that an expansion of the ban to Europe would mean “a summer of international travel hell” for passengers. And for airlines, the ban would have an “extensive financial impact,” with falling demand and worker layoffs likely, he said.

Another analyst, Vinay Bhaskara, told Yahoo! News that if the U.S. ban is put into effect suddenly, without sufficient lead time for airlines to prepare, the result will be “havoc” for travelers and airlines.  “Airports will become zoos,” he said. “The additional security screening time may require passengers to arrive at airports four or more hours in advance of flights.”

Readers: If the expanded laptop ban takes effect, would you cut back on travel to Europe? Please leave your comments below. 

 

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Lesson for airlines: Respond to social media

J.D. Power says airline passengers don’t like their social media posts being ignored. (Image: Jim Glab)

Airlines that don’t respond to customer comments on social media could be doing long-term harm to their brand and their business.

That’s one of the findings in the latest J.D. Power and Associates consumer survey on satisfaction with U.S. airlines.

The poll of more than 11,000 air travelers found that social media postings have become the “feedback tool of choice” for passengers. Some 21 percent of business travelers in the survey said they had posted a comment about their airline trip on social media, and so did 8 percent of leisure flyers. And almost three-quarters of all those comments were positive.

“When an airline responds to any social media post – whether it’s positive or negative – there is a noteworthy 121-point lift in passenger satisfaction” regarding that airline, J.D. Power said. The company rates airlines in its survey results on a 1,000-point scale.

It said that the social platform most commonly used by passengers is Facebook (81 percent), followed by Twitter (41 percent). Apparently the takeaway from these numbers is that customers really like to know that their airline listened to them and cared enough to reply. And they resent it when they’re ignored.

Besides having their posts ignored, there are a couple of other things that really bug travelers, the survey found. One is insufficient overhead bin space, cited by 14 percent of respondents who said they had ”an issue” with this. And when they do, their overall satisfaction level with the airline drops by 82 points.

“The problem is inversely related to age, as travelers in younger generations are more likely to experience a problem with overhead storage than are older travelers,” J.D. Power noted (possibly because older travelers have learned through bitter experience what will fit and what won’t).

The other thing is getting bumped from a flight. The levels of involuntary denied boardings have reached “historic lows,” J.D. Power observed, but when they do happen, “they have the greatest negative influence on overall satisfaction.”

Delta

Despite problems, customer satisfaction keeps going up. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Speaking of overall satisfaction, you’d think all the publicity these days about shrinking seat pitch, passenger misbehavior, fights with flight attendants, overcrowded planes and gate areas, etc. would mean a significant drop in passengers’ happiness with the air travel experience.

But J.D. Power found just the opposite: Overall satisfaction with the airlines in the latest survey jumped by 30 points over the previous year, to 756 points, “continuing a trend of steady performance increases that began in 2013.”

The company divides airlines into “traditional” and “low-cost,” although those divisions aren’t what they used to be. The highest-rated “traditional” airline was Alaska (for the tenth year in a row) with a score of 765, followed by Delta at 758. Ranking highest among “low-cost” carriers was Southwest at 807, closely followed by JetBlue at 803.

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DHS: Prepare for laptop ban on Europe flights

Middle Eastern carriers are offering loaner laptops to premium passengers. (Image: Qatar Airways)

Reports are spreading on the Internet that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security could be on the verge of announcing a broad expansion of its so-called “laptop ban,” extending it to U.S.-Europe routes. Meanwhile, another airline affected by the ban has started loaning laptops to its business class flyers.

The ban was introduced in late March, prohibiting U.S.-bound travelers on flights out of 10 Middle Eastern and African airports from bringing laptops and tablets into the passenger cabin. The U.K. adopted a similar ban shortly thereafter.

UPDATE: Thursday> US Airlines meeting with DHS about expanding the ban. (Reuters)

UPDATE: Tuesday> U.S. officials have told airlines to “be prepared” for an expanded ban on carry-on electronic devices allowed on airplanes (Fox News, Bloomberg)

According to CBS News, the U.S. is said to be considering an expansion of the ban to include flights coming to the U.S. from continental Europe and possibly the U.K. Not good news as we enter the peak season for transatlantic flying. 

“Government officials have been meeting with U.S. airlines on a nearly weekly basis and intend to do so again later this week. Officials say a decision could come in the next few weeks,” CBS said. CBS got a non-answer from the Transportation Security Administration saying that it has made no decisions on extending the ban, but adding that it is “continuously reassessing security directives based on intelligence” and will make changes if it considers them necessary.

If a ban is indeed coming, perhaps the DHS is giving airlines some time to prepare for such a hit to their operations.

A laptop ban on flights from Europe would obviously pose a major problem for the business travel community, since laptops and tablets – anything larger than a smartphone – would have to be stowed in the hold with the passenger’s luggage (if he or she checked any).

Middle Eastern carriers affected by the initial ban have struggled to keep U.S.-bound business travelers by introducing new services like the option of gate-checking your laptop and picking it up at the destination. They have also started offering loaner devices to business and first class travelers for use during their flight; Qatar Airways, Etihad and Emirates all started doing so more than a month ago.

This week Turkish Airlines has started a similar loaner program for U.S.-bound business class flyers; it will extend the offer to U.K.-bound flights on May 12.

Maybe you don’t want to be traveling internationally with electronic devices these days anyway– read this post to find out why

Despite those programs, Middle Eastern airlines are taking a hit in bookings. Emirates announced a few weeks ago that it is cutting flight frequencies on five U.S. routes.

If many travelers are booking themselves from the Middle East to the U.S. via connections in Europe to avoid the laptop ban, what will they do if it is expanded? Canada does not currently impose a laptop ban… would it make sense for Americans to travel to/from Europe via Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal?

Readers: What would you do if the U.S. bans laptops and tablets from the passenger cabins of U.S.-bound flights from Europe?

Interesting: Here’s what started these rumors flying– a tweet from a brainy 20-year-old aviation enthusiast from the UK. In comments he states that the announcement could come from the White House by this Friday.

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Heads up: The Big Move at LAX starts

In just a few days, Delta and other airlines will be switching locations at LAX. (Image: Los Angeles World Airports)

We’ve advised you a couple of times that many airlines would be switching terminals at Los Angeles International this spring, and now those moving days are almost here: The big move starts this Friday night (May 12, 2017) and will continue the nights of May 14 and May 16.

The relocations are all a result of Delta’s big plans to shift its LAX operations from Terminals 5 and 6 to Terminals 2 and 3, displacing a lot of other airlines.

Delta will move portions of its operations on each of the three nights – May 12, 14, 16. The carrier says that during the moving period, it will be operating flights from all four affected terminals, so it plans to maintain “constant communications” with customers regarding gate locations through its app, texts and emails. (See below for a map.)

Flying to/from or through LAX during the Big Move? Delta suggests the following:

  • Check terminal and gate information prior to arriving at LAX. Delta customers should use the Fly Delta app or delta.com and reconfirm gate information upon arrival at the airport.
  • Arrive early. Delta recommends arriving three hours prior to domestic departures and four hours prior to international departures.
  • When in doubt, ask for help. Delta and LAWA will have hundreds of employees and volunteers stationed throughout the impacted terminals to assist customers. They will wear bright green vests that say “Ask Me.”

The Delta Sky Club located in Terminal 5 will remain open through the end of scheduled operations on May 16. The Delta Sky Club location in Terminal 2 will open on May 13, and the location in Terminal 3 will open on May 17.

The Delta One “movie star” check-in facility located at Terminal 5 will remain open through the end of scheduled operations on May 16. After May 16, Delta will temporarily offer dedicated check-in space in Terminal 2 while a long-term Delta One experience is finalized.

Delta tells TravelSkills that it’s going to smooth frequent flyer feathers ruffled by the move with free massages, meditation pods, cucumber water, pressed juices, Kind bars and lavender scented mists. LAWA will also have dogs at the airport to provide stress relief and comfort to passengers through their Pets Unstressing Passengers program.

Source: Los Angeles World Airports

A few moves have already happened: China’s Hainan Airlines has moved from T2 to the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT); Copa’s flights still leave from the TBIT, but check-in for flights moved from T6 to T3. And American in January dropped four gates in T6 and picked up four in T5.

Los Angeles World Airports has released a day-by-day schedule of the additional airline moves starting later this week, and here it is:

>Moving on May 12-13 (Friday-Saturday) are:

Allegiant, Frontier and Sun Country (from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5), Boutique Air and Virgin America (from Terminal 3 to Terminal 6), and Virgin Australia (moving from Terminal 3 to TBIT (passengers bused from T2 to TBIT for check in, with flights continuing to depart from TBIT). Additionally, Volaris will move its aircraft from Terminal 2 to TBIT. Check-in will continue at Terminal 2 and passengers will access their flights via post-security bus service to TBIT.

>Moving on May 14-15 (Sunday-Monday) are:

Avianca and Interjet (from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 for check-in, with passengers walking to TBIT to catch their flights) and Spirit (from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5).

>Moving on May 16-17 (Tuesday-Wednesday) are:

Air Canada (from Terminal 2 to Terminal 6), Hawaiian (from Terminal 2 to Terminal 5) and JetBlue (from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5).

The final change will be XL France, which will move from Terminal 2 to Terminal 6 when it resumes seasonal service June 4.

LAX Terminals 2 and 3 will be Delta’s new home at the airport. (Image: Delta)

Airport officials note that on some days during the moving period, Delta flights will be operating out of as many as four terminals (2, 3, 5 and 6). Other airlines should be completing their move in just one night, as shown in the above schedule.

Work on all construction projects in LAX’s central terminal area will be suspended during the moves, officials said, but they are advising travelers to arrive at the airport earlier than normal from May 12 through the end of the month as they get used to the new airline locations.

What do you think of all the changes happening at LAX these days? Are you curious, or avoiding it? Please leave your comments below. 

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Economy class legroom: How low can it go?

A 737 MAX in American Airlines livery. (Image: Boeing)

It’s ironic that word leaked out this week about American Airlines’ plans to reduce seat pitch on some of its new single-aisle aircraft. Ironic because it’s the same week that the House Transportation Committee held hearings in Washington about U.S. airlines’ poor treatment of passengers– and the possibility of regulating airline seating was discussed.

CNN said it learned that American plans to stuff more seats into its new 737 MAX aircraft by reducing seat pitch from the standard 31 inches to  a tight 29 inches on three rows in the economy cabin, and to 30 inches on the rest. The report said United Airlines “is considering a similar move.”

Our guess is that those three painful rows will be reserved for passengers who have booked the cheapest “basic economy” fares which the major airlines say they’ve introduced to compete with ultra low cost carriers. Since these will be the least desirable seats, and basic economy passengers are the last to board, they’ll end up in these seats by default. Another issue left up to speculation now is whether or not these seats will recline. I would hope not, but you never know.

Related: Should you ever book a Basic Economy fare? 

The new configuration will give American 170 seats on the new planes, vs. 160 on existing 737-800s, although they will still offer first class and Main Cabin Extra (with 35-37 inch pitch) seating.

According to the CNN report, 40 of the 100 737 MAX aircraft ordered by American are expected to join the fleet by the end of 2019, and the airline is reportedly thinking about reconfiguring economy seating in its older 737-800s to match the new planes.

“As the big airlines match each other move for move, the risk is that 29 inches becomes the standard (seat pitch) for flying economy in the United States,” CNN said.

JetBlue’s Airbus fleet has standard seat pitch of 32 to 34 inches. (Photo: JetBlue)

Frequent travelers know that an inch or two of more (or less) legroom can make a big difference in comfort, and if the legacy carriers were to reduce that number, they risk losing one of their main advantages over ultra-low-cost carriers.

Among the major airlines, seat pitches on single-aisle domestic aircraft generally range from 30 to 32 inches. Almost all airlines offer extra legroom seats with 34-36 inches of legroom for elite level members of frequent flyer programs or those who pay higher fares.

According to Seatguru.com, American offers 31-inch pitch on its 737-800s in economy class, and pitches of 30-31 inches on A319s, 31 on A320s and 31-32 on A321s. Delta’s economy pitch is 30-31 inches on 737-900s, and 31-32 inches on 737-800s and single-aisle Airbus planes. At United, 737-800s and -900s offer 30-31 inch pitch. Alaska’s 737-800s have 31-32 inches and 737-900s have from 31 to as much as 35 inches.

Spirit Airlines squeezes ’em in with a 28-inch seat pitch. (Image: Spirit Airlines)

JetBlue appears to be the most generous, with economy class legroom ranging from 32-33 inches on A321s to 34 inches on A320s. Southwest’s standard pitch is 31 inches on 737-700s and 32-33 on 737-800s. At Virgin America, economy seat pitch is 32 inches on A319s and 320s.

By contrast, low-cost Spirit Airlines has a standard pitch of 28 inches across its fleet of single-aisle Airbus planes. Frontier Airlines’ economy seat pitch is 28-31 inches on A319s, 28-29 on A320s and 30-32 on A321s.

What do you think about the tighter configurations? Is the new “get what you pay for” mentality among major airlines going to far? Should seat pitch minimums be regulated by the feds? 

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Charting progress of big LAX move starting now

LAX Terminals 2 and 3 will be Delta’s new home at the airport. (Image: Delta)

That massive move of airlines at Los Angeles International is just a few weeks away, but a few changes have already started – and the airport authority has put out a new chart of who’s going where.

As we reported earlier, the relocations are all a result of Delta’s big plans to shift its LAX operations from Terminals 5 and 6 to Terminals 2 and 3, displacing a lot of other tenants. The changes will affect a total of 28 airlines.

Most of the moves will take place in the overnight hours of May 12, 14 and 16. But a few have already happened. China’s Hainan Airlines has just moved from T2 to the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). Copa’s flights still leave from the TBIT, but check-in for flights moved last week from T6 to T3. And American in January dropped four gates in T6 and picked up four in T5. Later this month, Qatar Airways is slated to move from T2 to the Bradley Terminal.

When the major moves begin next month, Delta will be operating flights on some days from four terminals (2, 3, 5 and 6).

Here’s a chart from the airports authority of who’s moving where, followed by a map of how the terminals will shake out when it’s all finished.

“During the relocation and in the weeks following, passengers are advised to check-in online, print boarding passes, and check terminal and gate information before coming to LAX,” Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) said. “They should also arrive to the airport earlier than normal.  Once at LAX, passengers should check flight and gate status on flight information display boards in each terminal to ensure they are in the correct location.”

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The problem with low fare flying

Sorry, but we can’t get you there today. (Image: Jim Glab)

By phone: “Hello? Hello? Chris? Sorry for all the noise. I’m stuck at the airport. My morning flight to Mexico City on Volaris just canceled, and they can’t put me on another flight until 11 pm tonight. There’s an Aeromexico flight at noon, but it’s $1,100. What can I do? What are my rights? Everyone around here is so pissed off!”

By email: “Frontier just canceled my flight to Tampa four hours before I was supposed to take off. They’re telling me there is no way to get there today. Does anyone have insight here? I am so angry/sad/lost.”

My reply: “When a flight cancels, all the airline has to do is provide full refund or a seat on its next flight. There are flights on other airlines to Tampa, but they are not required to accommodate passengers on those. It’s kinda what you get when booking with ultra low cost carriers. What was your fare?” 

That’s typical of an increasing number of desperate inquiries I get from travelers marooned by canceled flights on low-fare carriers. (Low fare carriers in the US include Frontier, Allegiant and Spirit. Volaris is a low fare carrier in Mexico. European low fare carriers include Norwegian, WOW, Easyjet and Ryanair)

The sad news is that there’s very little you can do if you are stuck in an irregular operation like a long delay or cancellation (called IROPS travel industry parlance). In the case of flight cancellation, all any airline is contractually required to do is offer you a seat on their next available flight, or refund your money if you decide to cancel the trip altogether. It is not required to offer you a seat on another carrier.

The problem with most low fare carriers is that they usually only offer one or two flights per day on most routes. If your low-fare flight cancels, you might have to wait until the end of the day– or worse, the next day to be re-accommodated on that carrier. (And if you are traveling during peak season, you might have to wait a few days if flights are sold out.)

Rain

Flight delay and cancellation headaches exacerbated by poor weather & full flights (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

What’s important to reiterate is that the low-fare carrier is under no obligation to pay for your flight on another airline. Back in the day, airlines would frequently offer to put you on another carrier with which they had an “interline agreement.” but most airlines, especially low-fare airlines, have ditched those to save money. (Delta and American ditched their interline agreement in 2015, which exacerbated its operational meltdown last week.)

So, you end up “getting what you pay for” when you book a low-fare carrier with a thin schedule. A good rule of thumb when booking low-fare carriers is to check and see how many flights per day it offers, then determine your risks.

A good example of this is the market between Atlanta and San Francisco. Delta offers seven nonstop flights per day on the route– with the lowest fares usually in the $350 range. United offers two nonstops at about the same price. Frontier, which frequently offers fares as low a $200 round trip, only offers one.

This is one way major carriers with robust schedules have a leg up on the low-fare competition with their new “basic economy fares.” During IROPS, a major carrier can usually offer several nonstop or one-stop alternatives to get you to your final destination a few hours late instead of a day or two late. A low-fare carrier can’t. And you get stuck.

Has this happened to you? How did it work out? Have you flown a low-fare carrier? Please leave your comments below. 

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Airplane lavatory seats: Up or down?

lavatory toilet

Up or down? That is the question (Chris McGinnis)

At the risk of offending half the population of the world, and embarrassing my mother for my bad manners, allow me to ask a question:

When finished using the lavatory on planes, should men leave the toilet seat up or down?

I know and abide by the rules around terrestrial toilets used by both sexes: leave the seat and lid down when done. It’s the right and polite thing to do.

But are rules in the air different? I’ve often thought so but when I posed this “up or down” question in conversations or on social media, the answer was a resounding “down” (many in ALL CAPS with several exclamation points) from women.

From men, the response was mostly “down,” but mixed. And when I followed up on the question verbally with many of my frequent flying counterparts, I found what I suspected. Many men leave the seat up. (“If it’s up when I get there, I leave it up when I leave, but I was afraid to answer that way on social media. Worried that my house might get rolled,” said one friend.)

DOWN! Right?

So why in the world do polite men leave the seat up when finished in the airplane lav? It’s likely not that they are being inconsiderate boobs. There are reasons…

For me, it’s a signal to the next passenger using it. To men it says, “I did not urinate on the seat; nor should you. I’m also leaving it up for you so you don’t have to touch it.” To women it says, “The last person in here did not urinate on the seat. You are protected from possible nastiness.”

There’s also the flap or suction issue. I’m more likely to leave the seat up when the toilet has one of those flaps that hangs there in the breeze. Suction-style toilets are more violent, and are known to splash up when flushed– with those, it’s always lid down.

Here’s a sampling of responses from social media. Where do you fall on the spectrum? Please leave your comments below.

Downers:

KD: Come on! Is this even a real question? Down! Always down! For everyone, EVERYWHERE!

JR: Down. Who wants to look in a toilet, even if you have to eventually use it?

HDT: Down and then flush- for everyone. But people are so gross. I hate to use the airplane toilets at all! Yuck

VD: If it isn’t down and the woman doesn’t note that, she falls into the john–not fun! Trust me – I have been there.

EG: So down – and thanks for asking!!!

Sent by reader PC.

Questioners:

GL: Men and women should leave the toilet as-is, there’s a chance the next person will be of the same gender. This limits the number of times that the toilet must be touched.

JD: Don’t touch it if you don’t have to.

MS: Here’s the thing with this one. Someone has to touch the toilet seat. If women leave the seat down, men have to lift it. If men leave it up women have to put it down. I’d say, do your business and leave it as you used it.

AW: If I leave it up then the ladies will have a clean toilet seat that some kid might have peed on. It doesn’t make sense to put it down so it gets splattered.

MZ: I prefer to see it up in hopes no one peed on the seat. To which KR replied: Great point everyone is overlooking!

Confused:

KG: I’m a bit of an anomaly – I’m female and in college, most guys in all-male apartments naturally left their toilet seats up. If I used their toilet, I would put the seat back up afterwards. It’s courtesy, right? =)

BF: Up. Well. The top part I mean. Leave the seat part down

CB: This has always perplexed me.

So maybe there’s not an easy answer to the question. I know that I’ll be thinking about this the next time I lumber into a lav!

Please sound off below. And if you are too embarrassed to go public with your lavatory habits, you can email me.

–Chris McGinnis

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Working around the laptop ban

Qatar Airways is offering loaner laptops to premium passengers. (Image: Qatar Airways)

If you can’t bring your own laptop or tablet into the cabin for a very long flight, would you accept a loaner?

That’s the strategy some carriers are adopting in the wake of the so-called “laptop ban” imposed by the U.S. and U.K. governments on non-stop flights from several airports in the Middle East and Africa. The ban bars passengers from carrying any electronic device larger than a smartphone into the passenger cabin.

First, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad decided to offer loaner iPads and free Wi-Fi starting April 2 for first class and business class passengers on flights to its six U.S. gateways.

Qatar Airways then went a step further, buying up a supply of loaner laptops that will be made available on the aircraft to U.S.-bound business class passengers starting next week. “Customers will be able to download their work on to a USB before stepping on board to pick up where they left off,” the airline said. Qatar is also offering all passengers one hour of free in-flight Wi-Fi on U.S.-bound flights, or a special rate of $5 for a connection for the full duration of the flight.

Emirates’ president said that his carrier is also considering the use of loaner laptops for premium passengers.

Turkish Airlines and others will let customers check devices at the gate. (Photo: San Francisco International Airport)

Both Qatar and Emirates are letting U.S.-bound passengers keep using their tablets and laptops right up to boarding, so they don’t have to pack them in their checked luggage. Devices will be collected at the gate, flown in the hold, and returned at the destination. Turkish Airlines has also adopted procedures for checking electronic devices at the gate.

The affected airlines are not alone in worrying about the impact that the ban could have on their business. The International Air Transport Association – the leading trade organization for the world’s airlines – called on governments “to urgently find alternatives” to the device ban. The group said the ban seemed misguided and poorly conceived.

“The current measures are not an acceptable long-term solution to whatever threat they are trying to mitigate. Even in the short term it is difficult to understand their effectiveness. And the commercial distortions they create are severe,” said IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac.

“With the measures now in place, our passengers and member airlines are asking valid questions. Why don’t the US and the UK have a common list of airports? How can laptops be secure in the cabin on some flights and not others, including flights departing from the same airport? And surely there must be a way to screen electronic equipment effectively? The current situation is not acceptable and will not maintain the all-important confidence of the industry or of travelers. We must find a better way. And Governments must act quickly,” said de Juniac.

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Getting easier to fly to Mexico City

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines will use 737-900s for new Mexico City flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The U.S. Transportation Department has issued a tentative decision awarding Mexico City airport slots to six airlines, with U.S. carriers winning rights for new service to the Mexican capital from California, Florida and Texas.

The takeoff and landing slots at Mexico City became available after DOT required Delta and Aeromexico to give them up if they wanted antitrust immunity for their joint venture partnership. The government wanted the slots to go to low-cost airlines to counteract the increased market dominance that Delta and Aeromexico would gain from the joint venture.

Subject to agreement by Mexican government authorities and final DOT approval, the transfer of slots to new carriers will come in two phases. The first new services are expected to begin this summer, and the second phase should take effect before summer of 2018.

In the first phase, Alaska Airlines was a big winner, gaining tentative approval for everything it requested. The slot awards will let it begin flying to MEX once a day from San Francisco, once a day from San Diego, and twice a day from Los Angeles International.  Alaska said it will use 737-900ERs for the SFO and LAX service, and regional jets from San Diego. Schedules will be  announced after final approvals, Alaska said.

Aeromexico and Delta had to give up slots at Mexico City’s Benito Juarez Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Also in the first phase, JetBlue won enough slots to operate two daily roundtrips from Orlando and two from Ft. Lauderdale. And Southwest received slots for two daily flights from Houston Hobby.

Mexican carriers in the first phase include Volaris, which won slots for daily service to Mexico City from Los Angeles, San Antonio and New York JFK. Interjet also got a slot pair for JFK-Mexico City service, and VivaAerobus won rights to a daily roundtrip between MEX and Las Vegas.

Slot awards in the second phase will give Southwest one daily roundtrip between Ft. Lauderdale and MEX and one between LAX and MEX. JetBlue will get slots for two daily roundtrips between LAX and MEX. Volaris is the big winner in the second phase, with slots that will allow new roundtrips from MEX to Denver, Washington Dulles, San Jose, Oakland, Ontario and Chicago O’Hare. VivaAerobus will get rights to two daily flights from MEX to New York JFK.

Have you been to Mexico City before? To me it’s one of the best places to go in North America- great food, robust cultural offerings, cool hotel scene… what about you? 

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Routes: United, Alaska at San Jose + American, Delta, Spirit

United will use 737-800s for new San Jose routes. (Chris McGinnis)

In domestic route developments, new transcontinental flights are due to start at San Jose over the next few weeks; United kicks off a transcon to Florida from San Francisco International; American launches a new California route from its Phoenix hub; Delta links two southern business centers; and Spirit comes to Pittsburgh.

Previously announced plans by United and Alaska Airlines to expand at Mineta San Jose will get off the ground next month. United’s schedule calls for the launch of new service from SJC to two of its hubs: Chicago O’Hare and Newark. The carrier will operate two flights a day between SJC and O’Hare, and one daily roundtrip to Newark Liberty International, using 737-800s. Both routes begin March 9. SJC-O’Hare is already served by American, and Southwest flies from SJC to Chicago Midway.

Just three days after United starts its SJC-Newark service, Alaska Airlines is due to begin service on the very same route, with one daily roundtrip. Both the United and Alaska flights will have early-morning eastbound departures. The only other New York-area non-stop service from San Jose is a JetBlue redeye to JFK. Alaska is also slated to klick off new service from San Jose to Hollywood Burbank Airport on March 16, with three daily roundtrips.

United also started SFO-Tampa service. (Image: Tampa International)

San Jose-Newark isn’t the only new Bay Area transcon route for United. The carrier recently began a daily 737-800 roundtrip from San Francisco International to Tampa, with an 8:30 a.m. departure from SFO. Chris was on the inaugural flight; you can read his report here. In other news, United plans to beef up capacity on its San Francisco-Boston route by using a 777-200ER for two of its six daily flights, up from one flight today, according to Routesonline.com.

California’s Sonoma County got a new air link recently when American Airlines kicked off new daily American Eagle service to its Phoenix hub from Santa Rosa’s Charles M. Schulz Airport. American uses a two-class, 70-seat CRJ-700 on the route.

Delta has set a June 12 start for new service linking Nashville with Raleigh-Durham. The Delta Connection service will operate twice a day with SkyWest Airlines CRJ-900s that have 12 seats in first class, 12 in Delta Comfort+ and 52 in the main cabin. It’s Delta’s latest announcement of increased service at RDU; the carrier is due to begin RDU-Austin flights in March and RDU-Seattle in June; last fall, it added daily service from RDU to Newark and to Washington Reagan National.

Spirit Airlines is adding new service from Pittsburgh to seven cities. (Image: Spirit Airlines)

Spirit Airlines said it will add Pittsburgh International as the 61st airport on its route map this spring, with plans to start flying from PIT to seven cities. On May 25, the carrier will begin daily PIT-Dallas/Ft. Worth year-round service, as well as seasonal daily flights from PIT to Myrtle Beach. It will add three weekly flights from PIT to Ft. Lauderdale on June 15, followed by daily service to Orlando and Las Vegas beginning June 22, and daily flights to Houston and Los Angeles starting July 13.

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Routes: AA, AirAsia X, Southwest, Airberlin, South African Airways + more

American plans to use a 777-200 on its LAX-Beijing route if it ever gets slots from the service. (Image: AA)

American plans to use a 777-200 on its LAX-Beijing route if it ever gets slots from the service. (Image: AA)

In international route developments, American tries to save LAX-Beijing service; Air AsiaX sets its first U.S. route; Southwest starts Oakland-Mexico flights; Airberlin gets aircraft for more U.S. flights and ends a code-share partnership; South African Airways brings a new aircraft with an improved business class to its Washington Dulles route; United expands its Newark-London schedule; and Volaris comes to Miami.

We reported a few weeks ago that American Airlines’ plan to begin daily Los Angeles-Beijing service had hit a big snag because China wouldn’t give it any slots at Beijing’s Capital International Airport. American has been facing a March 16 deadline set by the U.S. Transportation Department to start flying the route, but now it has asked DOT for a one-year extension. AA said in its filing that it has been in regular contact with Chinese aviation officials about the slot situation, and that it is going to send a senior executive to China to discuss the matter. American told DOT it “fully expects” that its efforts will eventually be successful.

Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia X has settled on Honolulu as its first U.S. destination following the recent FAA decision to let it fly to this country. The carrier plans to fly four times a week from Kuala Lumpur to Honolulu via a two-hour stopover in Osaka, Japan, starting June 28. The airline has set introductory base fares as low as $112 each way to KL (including taxes and fees), or $673 for its flat-bed premium seats, with a purchase deadline of February 26.

Southwest at Oakland

Southwest Airlines jets at Oakland International Airport (Photo: Port of Oakland)

Southwest Airlines this week kicked off its first international service out of Oakland International Airport, operating daily flights from OAK to both Puerto Vallarta and San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos. The airport is expanding its International Arrivals Building this year in anticipation of a significant increase in international traffic, officials said. The work should be finished in the third quarter.

Airberlin has acquired three more Airbus A330-200s that it said will allow it to continue building up its service between the U.S. and its German hubs at Berlin and Dusseldorf.  The airline announced a few months ago that it plans to begin new non-stops in May between Los Angeles-Berlin four times a week and San Francisco-Berlin three times a week. It already operates from both U.S. airports to Dusseldorf during the summer. It also said it would expand Miami and New York frequencies to Berlin and add Orlando-Dusseldorf service. And now Routesonline.com is reporting that Airberlin will extend some seasonal routes to year-round service starting this fall, including San Francisco-Berlin and SFO-Dusseldorf, both operating four times a week, as well as Orlando-Dusseldorf (five times a week) and Boston-Dusseldorf (four a week). In other news, American Airlines plans to end its code-sharing agreement with Airberlin effective March 26. Both are members of the Oneworld alliance.

The new business class on South African Airways' A330-300. (Image: SAA)

The new business class on South African Airways’ A330-300. (Image: SAA)

South African Airways has started flying a new Airbus A330-300 on its three weekly flights between Washington Dulles and Johannesburg via Dakar, Senegal, and in June it will add the new aircraft to its four weekly IAD-JNB flights that operate via Accra, Ghana. The SAA A330-300 includes an upgraded 46-seat business class product with flat-bed seats in a 1-2-1 layout, an improved on-demand entertainment system and power and USB ports at each seat. The aircraft has a 203-seat economy class with a 2-4-2 configuration.

United Airlines plans to add a sixth daily roundtrip to its Newark-London Heathrow route for the summer season, effective April 5 to October 28. The extra flight, departing EWR at 9:30 p.m. and arriving in London at 9:40 a.m., will use a two-class 767-300.

Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris this month added Miami International to its route map, kicking off daily A320 service to Mexico City and four flights a week to Guadalajara.

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Ultra-cheap transatlantic fares for 2 new cities

Norwegian plans to fly 737 MAX aircraft to Europe from Providence's T.F. Green Airport. (Image: T.F. Green Airport)

Norwegian plans to fly 737 MAX aircraft to Europe from Providence’s T.F. Green Airport. (Image: T.F. Green Airport)

Ultra-low-cost Norwegian Air intends to continue its relentless U.S. expansion from additional gateway airports – unless the Trump Administration steps in to block it.

Norwegian confirmed this week that the second U.S. base for its new 737 MAX transatlantic flights will be Providence, Rhode Island’s T.F. Green Airport (PVD). Meanwhile, the carrier’s CEO suggested he would like to add new West Coast 787 service from Seattle-Tacoma as well.

In December, word came out that the first U.S. gateway for Norwegian’s 737 MAX operations will be Stewart Airport, located at Newburgh, N.Y., some 60 miles north of New York City. The carrier will reportedly offer base fares as low as $69 one-way to Scotland, Ireland, England and Norway, operating up to 21 flights a week from Stewart starting in June. The 737 MAX is a new fuel-efficient version of the single-aisle plane that has greater range than its predecessors.

A Boeing 737 MAX in Norwegian livery. (Image: Boeing)

A Boeing 737 MAX in Norwegian livery. (Image: Boeing)

Norwegian confirmed to USA Today this week that its second 737 MAX base will be Providence, which can draw business from the nearby Boston market. The airline had also been considering Hartford, Conn. and Portsmouth, N.H. as options.

It did not reveal any specific route plans for Providence. Providence is about a three hours east of Newburgh by car, and about a hour south of Boston

Separately, Norwegian chief executive Bjorn Kjos told the Seattle Times that subject to government approval, he wants to begin new 787 Dreamliner flights from Seattle to London. (Currently, Delta, Virgin and British Airways have a lock on nonstops between Seattle and London.)

The airline is due to take delivery of nine more 787-9s this year, along with half a dozen 737 MAX aircraft. Norwegian already flies to London Gatwick from Oakland, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando.

In other developments, Norwegian is negotiating with European carriers Ryanair and EasyJet about the creation of a low-cost carrier alliance that would permit passengers to easily connect among their networks.

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Norwegian wants to team up with Ryanair for a low-cost alliance.(Photo: Ryanair)

Norwegian wants to team up with Ryanair for a low-cost alliance. (Photo: Ryanair)

All of Norwegian’s plans, of course, depend on maintaining and expanding its access to U.S. airports – something that major U.S. carriers and their pilot unions are fighting against. The U.S. companies argue that Norwegian is taking advantage of various international agreements and labor laws – like basing a subsidiary in Ireland, for example – to undercut its rivals in wages and other operating costs.

The heads of major U.S. airlines are due to meet with President Trump on Thursday, and the Norwegian situation is likely to be high on their agenda – along with their bitter opposition to the Big Three Gulf States airlines – Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways – which the U.S. carries allege are competing unfairly thanks to subsidies from their governments.

Update from FlightGlobal on Trump’s view of Norwegian via spokesman Sean Spicer: “There is a deal in which [Norwegian’s] having 50% of the crews and the pilots are American based, they’re flying Boeing planes – there’s a huge economic interest that America has in that deal right now,” he says during a press briefing today. Spicer’s comments are the first by a Trump administration official on the subject of Norwegian. Full post here

So where do you think this is all going? Leave your comments below. 

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WOW Air adds “premium” seats for West Coast flights

WOW flies A330s from the West Coast. (Image: WOW Air)

WOW flies A330s from the West Coast. (Image: WOW Air)

Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW Air will be adding a new business-travel-friendly option for West Coast travelers this summer: premium seating.

The new section (called “Big Seats”) is going into WOW’s A330s on its routes to Reykjavik from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami, probably starting on some aircraft by June 1, according to Conde Nast.

A WOW Air spokesperson told TravelSkills: “The Big seat (pitch is 37″+) is an entirely different seat, bigger with a foot rest and will at first only be in our A330 planes.” WOW Air also said that the seat would be Avianor model 5810, which we cannot find online. However, Zodiac Aerospace makes a seat with a model number 5810, which it says is a premium economy seat (pictured below). Perhaps it will mimic the larger premium economy seats now flying on Norwegian Air’s B787s? We’ll just have to wait until we get more details from Wow Air.

Image of Zodiac Aerospace seat model 5810 (Image: Zodiac)

Image of Zodiac Aerospace seat model 5810 (Image: Zodiac)

The section will offer 37-inch pitch (vs. 31 in regular economy), and fares for the premium seats will include carry-on bags, checked bags, in-flight food service and priority boarding – as opposed to its regular economy pricing, which includes nothing but the ride and a single under-the-seat personal item. Other amenities and services all incur extra fees. The airline has not yet indicated what level of premium passengers will pay for the premium seating, which will be sold as “WOW Biz.”

However, the carrier is also said to be planning a new fare category called WOW Plus, which will buy a regular economy seat, a carry-on for the overhead bin, a single checked bag, and cancellation protection.

As the airline continues its U.S. expansion, offering very-low-cost base fares from the U.S. to Iceland and to points in Europe via a Reykjavik connection, it appears to be broadening its marketing to appeal to business travelers as well as backpackers.

Have you flown WOW Air yet? Would you? Please leave your comments below. 

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Watch this: PBS series takes inside look at aviation

Composite of airliner take-offs at Dubai's airport. (Image: BBC)

Composite of airliner take-offs at Dubai’s airport. (Image: BBC)

PBS and the BBC have teamed up to produce an in-depth look at the inner workings of passenger air travel.

The new three-part documentary series “City in the  Sky” will debut on Wednesday, February 8; check your local listings for broadcast times.

“Anyone who flies, from annual vacationers to daily business travelers, will be amazed what it really takes to get them from place to place safely and efficiently,” said PBS chief programming executive Beth Hoppe. “This is an extraordinary series that jet-sets around the world to show the inner-workings of a fascinating global industry many of us take for granted.”

Here’s a trailer for the series:

So far 1,300 readers have taken the TravelSkills trivia quiz. Have you? COME ON! It’s fun!

The first episode, called “Departure,” focuses on airports and getting passengers off the ground; the second, “Airborne,” examines safety issues and what goes on while the plane is in the air; the third, “Arrival,” looks at the “complex global networks” and “astonishing technology” that bring flights safely to the ground, PBS said.

Among the locations featured in the documentary series are Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, one of the world’s busiest; Seattle’s Boeing plant; the airport at Bangor, Maine, where transatlantic airliners in trouble find a safe haven; and MedAire, Inc. in Phoenix, where doctors are on call around the clock the help cabin crews deal with in-fight medical emergencies.

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How often are planes washed?

A shiny new British Airways A380. Clean as a whistle! (Photo: British Airways)

A shiny new British Airways A380. BA says that it “takes a lot of muscle” to keep planes clean (Photo: British Airways)

Like a shiny, freshly washed and waxed car, a shiny, clean plane is a thing of beauty. Right?

But have you ever excitedly peered out at the plane you’re about to board and thought, “Hmm, that big bird needs a bath!”

As much as what’s inside the plane is what counts, that first impression of the outside of the aircraft may be even more important. If it’s dull and grimy on the outside, you might raise an eyebrow and wonder what you’ll see inside.

So we asked several airlines about how they keep their planes sparkling clean — or at least try to.

“We wash the exterior of our aircraft every fifty days, and that schedule is the same regardless of fleet type,” United Airlines’ Jennifer Dohm tells TravelSkills. “The locations for washing are determined by where the aircraft are laying over at an airport for at least eight hours. As a global airline, United’s wash locations are found throughout the world at fourteen airports including Houston, Newark, Singapore, Hong Kong and Sao Paulo.”

All United aircraft are washed by hand (Photo: United Airlines)

All United aircraft are washed by hand using extension poles (Photo: United Airlines)

“The washing schedule is the same year round; it doesn’t vary by season,” Dohm notes, although “in the winter, we add three additional locations in Florida. A widebody aircraft typically takes about five hours to wash with a crew of three to five people and it’s all done by hand using an extension pole.”

Across the Atlantic, Richard Goodfellow from British Airways explains that the frequency its planes are washed “depends on the aircraft type, but typically every six to eight weeks. We try to wash the short-haul ones more often as they do more take-offs and landings each day than a long-haul jet.”

British Airways mostly washes its aircraft at the airline’s London Heathrow and Gatwick hubs, using “specialist cleaning detergent, high lifts, aircraft brushes and quite a bit of muscle!” Each aircraft takes up to eight hours to wash.

Does the schedule differ at various times of year, we asked. “Not particularly,” Goodfellow said, but noted that, “Obviously it is not practical to wash aircraft in certain poor weather conditions.”

Video: Watch an Air France A380 get a special kind of bath

Meanwhile, James Boyd at Singapore Airlines tells us, “Our aircraft are washed monthly. This does not include additional washes required if dirty spots are found on the aircraft. Our aircraft are washed at designated bays at Changi Airport in Singapore. It typically ranges from two to five hours, depending on the general condition of the aircraft and the services required.”

Singapore uses “an aircraft cleaning robotic system, scissor lifts, aerial lifts and water tankers,” and its schedule doesn’t differ between its aircraft types (although SQ operates only widebody aircraft so its planes are all in the ‘large’ category) or dependent on the time of year.

Washing the underbelly of a United Airlines jet-- it takes a lot of elbow grease! (United Airlines)

Washing the underbelly of a United Airlines jet– it takes a lot of elbow grease! (United Airlines)

Interestingly, no airline would tell us how much it costs to wash an aircraft, citing commercial sensitivity. Nor would any carrier comment on whether they intend to wash their planes more or less frequently than other airlines.

So it seems that “the world’s cleanest airline” isn’t (yet) part of the advertising we’ll see at the airport.

But which airline has the dirtiest planes?

 (This is a Blast from the Past! A similar post appeared on TravelSkills in 2014)

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TSA adds more airlines to PreCheck program

TSA PreCheck is now available for travelers on 30 airlines. (Image: TSA)

TSA PreCheck is now available for travelers on 30 airlines. (Image: TSA)

The Transportation Security Administration said it has increased the number of airlines participating in its PreCheck program by 50 percent, including some major foreign carriers.

The agency announced that PreCheck members traveling on 11 more airlines can now gain access to the expedited screening lanes, giving the program a total of 30 airline participants.

The new carriers in PreCheck are both large and small, foreign and domestic. They include: Aruba Airlines, Avianca, Boutique Airlines, Emirates, Key Lime Air, Miami Air International, Southern Airways Express, Spirit Airlines, Sunwing, Virgin Atlantic, and Xtra Airways.

 While the expansion is good news for PreCheck members traveling on those airlines, it could mean longer lines at PreCheck lanes.

 “Partnering with 11 additional airlines to offer TSA PreCheck will significantly increase our trusted traveler population, and reflects our commitment to implement the most effective aviation security,” said TSA Acting Administrator Huban Gowadia.

Membership in PreCheck costs $85 for five years. PreCheck expedited screening is also open to members of Customs and Border Protection’s trusted traveler programs like Global Entry. PreCheck screening is now offered at some 180 U.S. airports, TSA said.

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6 reasons why now is the “golden age” of air travel

Passengers are expected to dress up for dinner for this flight! (Photo: Michael Kelley)

In Los Angeles, “passengers” pay hundreds of dollars to dine in a movie set that resembles an old Pan Am 747 (Photo: Michael Kelley)

I always cringe when I hear people talking about the so-called “golden age of travel.”

You know, back then when people used to “dress up” to travel. When flight attendants in go-go boots doted on passengers with cocktails, playing cards and wings for the kids. When family members would greet you at the airport gate as soon as you got off the plane.

Remember?

Well, if you remember the good, you also have to remember the bad. And there was plenty of bad flying around in the good old days. Every flight was not like the nostalgic photo you see above. Back in the day, flying was bumpy, smelly, noisy and dangerous compared to now.

So while it’s common to complain about how terrible flying is these days, the opposite is true. I think that we are currently living in the golden age of air travel.

You may or may not agree with me (let me know in the comments below), but here are six reasons why I think so:

JetBlue hopes to be able to sell these Singapore Air seats as its very own with a proposed code share agreement (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Soothing, smoke free cabins…at least when empty! Pictured Singapore Airlines 777 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

1. No smoking. It’s still hard to believe that any airline ever allowed smoking onboard. Not only was it dangerous and unhealthy, it stunk! But nonetheless, prior to the 1990’s, airlines allowed smoking onboard. When one person smoked on a plane, everyone smoked, even though there were so-called nonsmoking sections on board. There was nothing worse for a non-smoker than getting “stuck” in the smoking section when that was the only seat available.

2. Safer, smoother flying. Back in the good old days, flying was a lot more dangerous than it is these days. According to an Expedia report, plane crashes and in-flight accidents, “were terrifyingly common in the 50’s and 60’s, with fatal accidents occurring about once every 200,000 flights. Where fatal accidents occurred around once every 200,000 flights during the 1950s, they now occur less than once every 2,000,000 flights. In fact, the worldwide safety record is now ten times better than it was back then.” Also, now that jets fly at higher altitudes and “over the weather,” than back then, there are fewer incidents of turbulence, which translates to less motion sickness and more pleasant flying.

Alaska Air

Pay $10 for healthy “signature fruit and cheese plate” like this on Alaska Airlines (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

3. Better food. Despite what you hear about the tossing of Caesar salads and the carving of standing rib roasts in airplane aisles back in the good old days, airline food has almost always been the butt of jokes. When a hot meal was part of the airfare, inflight food in economy class was tepid and tasteless, giving birth to phrases like “mystery meat.” These days passengers can choose to buy fresher, more flavorful food at the airport or onboard and everyone is eating better tasting, more healthful food inflight.

4. Lower fares. Back in the day, air travel was reserved for a small, wealthy percentage of the population. But in the last 30 years, air travel has become democratized and within the reach a much larger swath of humanity. For example, in the US, the number of air passengers tripled between the 1970s and 2011. So, yes, while planes are more crowded and we are paying more fees for things that used to be free, air travel is a much better bargain than it was in the 60’s.

A garden wall at Singapore's magnificent Changi International Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

A garden wall at Singapore’s magnificent Changi International Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

5. Fabulous airports. Prior to the 1980s most airports felt institutional with low ceilings, poor lighting, uncomfortable seating and office-like first class lounges. These days, airports hire celebrity architects design and build light filled spaces with expansive views, gourmet dining and posh, private lounges. Have you visited the outdoor butterfly garden at Singapore Changi Airport? Had an organic kale salad at San Francisco International? Kicked back with some champagne in United’s new business and first class lounges at London Heathrow? These are indeed the good old days when it comes to airport architecture and comfort.

Alaska Airlines IFE

Alaska Airlines allows passenger to watch movies on their own devices, or on tablets it rents onboard (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

6. Better technology. More comfort. Back when we were happy reading inflight magazines and watching movies on pull-down screens at the front of the cabin, who would have dreamt that we could access hundreds of movies or television shows from our seatbacks or that we’d be able to send and receive email from the sky? Business travelers used to relish the experience of sitting in a big lounge chair at the front of the plane, but few ever thought that big seats that recline into fully flat beds for sleeping would be the rule more than the exception.

So the next time you hear yourself or someone else complaining about how horrible it is to fly these days… you should ask, “Is it really so bad after all?”

Do you agree? Is flying better or worse than ever these days? 

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Is this really the best frequent flyer program?

Which frequent flyer plan is best? It depends on what you measure. (Image: Jim Glab)

Which frequent flyer plan is best? It depends on what you measure. (Image: Jim Glab)

An annual analysis of airline loyalty programs by Wallethub.com finds that for frequent travelers – which it defines as those who spend an average of $5,743 a year on air travel – the three best options are Delta, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue.

We have heard readers remark that “Delta’s the best airline with the worst frequent flyer program,” but this is the second year in a row that Delta’s SkyMiles topped the Wallethub results in its overall score – not just for frequent travelers, but for average and infrequent travelers as well.

The Wallethub study is noteworthy for its comprehensiveness – it uses 23 different metrics to evaluate programs of the 11 largest domestic airlines; it breaks down results according to the amount of money a traveler spends on air fare each year; and it works with a sizeable team of academics and experts. It even offers a calculator where you can enter your air travel budget and get a recommendation of the loyalty programs that are likely best for you.

wallet1

Of course, frequent flyer programs are a moving target for comparative analysis these days; American’s AAdvantage just this month transitioned from a mileage-based to a revenue-based model, like several of its major competitors; and Virgin America’s Elevate program is in the process of being merged with Alaska’s Mileage Plan. Still, the Wallethub experts do their best to make their comparisons meaningful.

In looking at rewards value for frequent travelers, Wallethub.com found that Hawaiian Airlines offered the best return, at $21.38 per $100 spent. Alaska ranked second at $19.96, followed by Virgin America at $17.02.

wallet2

The results vary considerably based on which of the study’s metrics you look at. For instance, United outdistanced all its rivals in the number of airline partners in its program (39, vs. 28 for Delta and 24 for American). But in “ease of achieving elite status,” the unlikely winner was Frontier, achieving the maximum possible score of 3.0, followed by Spirit and Hawaiian at 2.47 each, then JetBlue at 2.43; by comparison, Delta’s score was just 0.35, American’s was 0.71 and United’s was 0.96.

 In the category of membership perks for frequent travelers, with a maximum possible score of 5.0, United and Virgin America scored highest at 4.5, followed by Alaska at 4.0, Delta and Hawaiian at 3.67 and American at 3.5

Another interesting tidbit from the study: Buying miles to top off your account may be expedient, but it’s not necessarily a good deal. Miles cost an average of 62 percent more than they’re worth when you buy them rather than earn them by flying, the report noted.

Click on the link above and you can see the full results, including that interactive calculator and a comprehensive chart that shows how each of the 11 airlines scored on each of the many metrics in the study.

What’s the best frequent flyer program for you? Do you love em, or hate em? 

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Is that paleo? Eat like a caveman on your next trip

Check out Chris's paleo breakfast this morning at the Brooks hotel in Dublin. Looking forward to St Patty's tomorrow! Stay tuned for a full report from Dublin (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

A very paleo breakfast at the Brooks Hotel in Dublin, Ireland (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

You may work religiously at home to follow a paleo or gluten-free diet, but once you head to the airport all bets can be off.

Around every corner—from the concourse to the airplane to the hotel to the business dinner—you’ll find temptations, conundrums and challenges. But holding fast to a special diet can be a rewarding accomplishment for a frequent traveler.

For those not familiar, the popular paleo (or caveman) diet limits foods to what our Paleolithic ancestors ate. Broadly speaking, this means a diet rich in protein and non-starchy vegetables and fruits, eschewing processed foods and those introduced as agriculture developed.

The paleo diet is, by definition, also gluten-free. A gluten-free diet eliminates foods that contain wheat, rye, and barley.

Nearly main course on a recent JetBlue Mint flight is paleo friendly (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Nearly every main course on a recent JetBlue Mint flight is paleo friendly (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Eating healthily when you travel can be hard under any circumstances. But for those with specific dietary guidelines, it is especially tricky.

Here are some success strategies for those eating paleo or gluten-free on the road:

1: Carry satisfying snacks – A little planning means you’ll always have something simple and delicious in your carry-on. I like to pack a few apples because they’re sturdy, but some like to throw in bananas because they’re self-packaged. Individual serving bags of nuts, cut vegetables, natural applesauce, nut butters, and jerky are also good to keep in your pantry—just throw them into your bag on the way out the door. Increasingly, you can find healthy snacks at airport shops, my favorite of late being the hard-boiled egg. And for a special treat, pick up or bring along a nut or protein bar that meets your dietary requirements.

Some of United's meals are gluten free and paleo (Image: United)

Some of United’s meals are gluten free and paleo- like this chicken salad served in economy (Image: United)

2: Pre-order a gluten-free meal or snack box for your flight – Pre-orders allow you to make sound decisions when you’re not tired or stressed. If you’re flying internationally or in business/first class domestically, many airlines now you allow you to pre-order your meal and usually there’s a gluten-free option. If you eat paleo, this is probably your best bet, too.

3: Take charge of the restaurant choice – When dining with others, offer to select the restaurant. The easiest choice: The classic steakhouse. Other good bets are sushi, American, and Mexican (think fajitas, not quesadillas). Italian, don’t take offense: We love you, but you’re a dangerous partner for either of these diets. Also, I always take a quick look at the menu online so there’s no stress at the table. Plus, planning ahead prevents bad choices.

4: Don’t hijack the joy of the meal – The purpose of most business dinners is to seal the relationship by sharing a meal. If your food limitations become the focus of conversation, it can be a distraction and downer for those you’re with. I’ve found it better to keep quiet about my dietary preferences. The one exception—and it’s a tricky one—is when you’ve been invited to someone’s home. In that case, I will send the host a friendly email mentioning my gluten intolerance. I’ve found it’s possible to navigate this without offending or causing inconvenience.

5: Beware, alcohol – Be extra careful with pre-dinner wine cocktails. Without the bread to soak up the alcohol, paleo dieters may unwittingly get loopy before the entrée arrives—not advisable at a business dinner. Keep in mind that a single margarita or pina colada packs about 700 calories.

The Protein Plate breakfast on Virgin America. Perfection on a plane! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Virgin America’s “kinda” paleo protein plate in first class includes fruits, veggies, egg, hummus, cheese. grapes and pita. Let’s hope Alaska Air keeps this great meal! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

6: Get the tools – Yes, there’s an app for that. If you eat gluten-free, check out iEatOut (iOS), which filters by food allergies like gluten, and DineGlutenFree (iOS and Android). Or simply search on Yelp, using the gluten-free category as a filter. A number of apps assist those eating paleo, including Healthy Out (iOS and Android), PaleoGoGo (iOS and Android), and YoDish (iOS).

7: Have confidence – Perhaps the most important strategy: Bring your commitment along when you walk out the door. Synching your lifestyle on the road with your lifestyle at home can be satisfying and energizing. And it’s doable!

What are your best tips for sticking with a paleo or gluten-free diet when you travel? Have you tried either diet? Share your tips and  comments below.

–-Nancy Branka

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In-flight wi-fi makes small but steady gains

Gogo says new technology will increase Wi-Fi speeds tenfold. (Image: Delta)

Gogo says new technology will increase Wi-Fi speeds tenfold. (Image: Delta)

A new report finds that U.S. airlines remain way ahead of their foreign counterparts in the availability of in-flight Wi-Fi.

However, the Routehappy.com report also notes that the world’s airlines have quite a ways to go in offering what it calls the “best” Wi-Fi – i.e., “comparable to a home connection” in that it offers the highest speeds available and permits advanced media streaming.

“U.S. airlines continue to get closer to offering Wi-Fi on nearly every flight, a benefit of having started Wi-Fi rollouts earlier than airlines in most other regions,” Routehappy said. “Delta and United now have it installed on every single aircraft larger than 50-seat regional jets, while American is also closing in on this milestone. This is the result of multi-year installation programs, which are finally wrapping up.”

Airlines are shifting to Wi-Fi systems that communicate via satellites like this one.. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

Airlines are shifting to systems that communicate via satellites like this one.. (Image: SES/Airbus Defence & Space)

The company said that for U.S. airlines, 80 percent of available seat miles (ASMs) are now flown on Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft, compared with just 18.5 percent of ASMs on foreign airlines worldwide.  (U.S. airlines that offer none at all include ultra-low-cost carriers like Frontier and Spirit, “which have no intention of rolling it out in the near future,” Routehappy said.)

In terms of quality, the company found that of equipped aircraft worldwide, only 7.2 percent offer the “best” product – an increase of just 1.2 points in the past year. Most aircraft (61 percent) provide what Routehappy calls “better” quality – i.e., capable of full web browsing and limited media streaming, while the rest have just basic service.

However, that should change fast. “While the overwhelming majority of flights operating with Best Wi-Fi today are found on JetBlue and some United flights, next-generation systems are now rapidly coming online, with major airline commitments announced more regularly than in prior years,” Routehappy said.

Source: Routehappy.com

Source: Routehappy.com

“Gogo’s 2Ku system (i.e., an advanced satellite-based network) has recently launched with multiple major global airlines such as Delta, Aeromexico, and Virgin Atlantic. Inmarsat’s GX for Aviation is also in the beginning stages of going live to passengers. Deutsche Telekom’s high-speed air-to-ground network is being built throughout the European Union and UK, and British Airways will use this network starting in mid-2017; SAS and Finnair have also tapped Viasat for European Wi-Fi. All these systems are pending installation in thousands of aircraft. While equipment installation will take years to complete, by the end of 2017 flyers will see a big increase of Best Wi-Fi available to them.”

The deployment of these newer technologies means that in-fight Wi-Fi speed and quality “will dramatically improve” in the months and years ahead, the company said, and the cost to passengers should come down as well.

Looking just at long-haul flights – which Routehappy defines as more than 2,800 miles – the report says that only seven airlines now offer Wi-Fi on 100 percent of their flights: United, Delta, Iberia, Etihad, Icelandaor, Lufthansa and Singapore’s Scoot.

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Is a boom in supersonic travel coming?

Boom's SST design would be smaller than Concorde. (Image: Boom)

Boom’s SST design would be smaller than Concorde. (Image: Boom)

An executive at a company developing the next generation of SST airliners says more orders are coming in, and sees 500 global routes where the service could work.

Colorado-based Boom, which is developing a 45-seat supersonic passenger plane, already has a commitment from Virgin Group chief Sir Richard Branson for 10 aircraft, and last fall Virgin agreed to work with the manufacturer on technical aspects and flight testing of the plane.

And now an “unnamed European carrier” has optioned 15 aircraft from the manufacturer, Boom CEO Blake Scholl said in an interview with Routesonline.com.

Scholl said the initial interest in the new aircraft is likely to keep building among international carriers. He cited a recent independent analysis by The Boyd Group that projects a global demand for more than 1,300 passenger SSTs from 2023 to 2032.

He also said that more than 500 routes worldwide have the traffic potential to support faster-than-sound air travel and the time savings it brings.

The prototype of Boom’s XB-1, a smaller aircraft designed to test the company’s technology, is expected to make its first flight later this year.

Rendering of a passenger seat on the planned SST. (Image: Boom)

Rendering of a passenger seat on the planned SST. (Image: Boom)

The difference between Boom and the discontinued Concorde technology, he said, is that the new plane’s fuel economy is substantially better – allowing it to operate profitably at much lower fares. Boom is projecting a business class type of experience, both in the cabin and the fares that will be possible.

As for the time savings, he noted that Boom’s projected airspeed is 10 percent faster than Concorde’s Mach 2.0, making it possible to fly from San Francisco to Tokyo in 5.5 hours instead of 11, or from Los Angeles to Sydney in 6 hours and 45 minutes instead of 15 hours.

Readers: How much of a premium over business class fares would you be willing to pay for a supersonic flight that cuts your travel time in half or better?

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New aircraft coming on key global routes: LAX, Boston, SFO, Chicago, Houston

Qantas' first 787-9 will enter service to LAX next year. (Image: Qantas)

Qantas’ first 787-9 will enter service to LAX next year. (Image: Qantas)

Several airlines have scheduled the introduction of brand-new planes on key international routes to the U.S., including Qantas, Lufthansa, Swiss International and Singapore.

Qantas announced that its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will enter service on December 15, 2017, flying the Melbourne-Los Angeles route. The new 236-passenger, three-class Dreamliner will fly the route six days a week, replacing a 364-seat 747, and will supplement Qantas’ daily A380 flight on the route. That will give Qantas 13 flights a week on the route, up from nine today. Even though the 787 is smaller than the 747 it will replace, the larger plane is only flying twice a week, so that’s a net capacity increase on the route of 1,400 seats a week. The Dreamliner will have business class, economy class, and a new premium economy section that the airline will introduce early next year.

Lufthansa recently took delivery of its first A350 from Airbus. (Image: Lufthansa)

Lufthansa recently took delivery of its first A350 from Airbus. (Image: Lufthansa)

Lufthansa recently took delivery of its first brand-new Airbus A350-900 which will begin regular commercial service February 10 between Munich and New Delhi. But the carrier announced last week that its second new A350 will start flying in March 2017 on the Boston-Munich route. Lufthansa said its first 10 A350s will all be based at its Munich hub. The aircraft will have 48 business class seats, 21 in premium economy and 224 in regular economy. The airline will introduce a new in-flight service for A350 business class flyers: a self-service area offering snacks and cold drinks. The new aircraft will also have larger video screens and “the latest FlyNet technology and improved web surfing,” Lufthansa said. The plane will offer a variety of lighting schemes and improved cabin pressure so travelers will arrive “feeling more rested,” the airline said.

Economy class on SWISS's new 777-300ER. (Image: SWISS)

Economy class on Swiss’s new 777-300ER. (Image: Swiss International)

Swiss International, a Lufthansa subsidiary, has been rolling out new 340-seat Boeing 777-300ERs as the flagships of its long-haul network. It has six already, with three more coming online in 2017. This year, it started flying them to Los Angeles in June and Miami in October. And they’ll soon be coming to San Francisco and Chicago. According to the Swiss website, The 777-300ER will begin flying between Zurich and San Francisco three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) starting February 16. And the airline will reportedly boost that 777 schedule to seven flights a week starting April 17. Meanwhile, Routesonline.com reports that Swiss will put the new 777-300ER into service between Chicago O’Hare-Zurich beginning June 1, flying that route six times a week. The new 777s carry 340 passengers, with eight seats in first class, 62 in business and 270 in economy (in a 3-4-3 configuration). Check out a photo tour of the Swiss 777-300ERs that we ran last year.

Singapore Airlines A350 premium economy

Singapore Airlines A350 Premium Economy is a good option for those who can’t bear the thought of 17 hours in economy (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Singapore Airlines continues add new Airbus A350s to its long-haul feet, and the next deployment of the aircraft will be on its Houston-Manchester (UK)-Singapore route starting January 17, according to Routesonline.com. The Singapore A350s have 42 business class seats, 24 in premium economy, and 187 in regular economy (in a 3-3-3 configuration).  Two months ago, Singapore put one of the new A350s into service on its Singapore-San Francisco route. Chris was on board for one of the first flights, and you can read his comprehensive report here about seating and in-flight service aboard the Singapore A350.

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SFO, LAX could get new low-fare flights to Spain

International Airlines Group plans to fight back against transatlantic low-cost competition. (Image: IAG)

International Airlines Group plans to fight back against transatlantic low-cost competition. (Image: IAG)

British Airways’ parent company plans to launch new low-cost transatlantic service from Barcelona to the U.S. in 2017.

International Airlines Group — which owns British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and the low-cost Spanish airline Vueling – is considering adding a new subsidiary in 2017 that will offer cheap fares to and from the U.S. West Coast in response to low-fare competition from Norwegian, according to The Times of London.

The newspaper said IAG’s new operation is expected to use Airbus A330s to fly from Barcelona’s El Prat Airport to San Francisco and Los Angeles beginning in June 2017. The new venture is also targeting transatlantic flights from Barcelona to Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; and Havana, Cuba, the report said.

Tickets are not expected to go on sale until February or March 2017, and no fare information is currently available according to CAPA. 

Vueling, IAG’s low-cost Spanish subsidiary that serves short-haul markets, will provide passenger feed into Barcelona for the transatlantic flights. There were no details yet on specific schedules or fares for the West Coast service. IAG suggested that it might operate the new service under one of its existing brands if it does not create a new subsidiary.

Related: New Oakland to Barcelona nonstops announced

Europe’s legacy airlines have recently been stirred to action on the low-cost front as Norwegian adds more long-haul routes at extremely low base fares. Norwegian in recent months has started or announced new and increased low-fare service from major U.S. airports to London Gatwick, Paris and Barcelona, especially from the West Coast. Lufthansa is concentrating on growing its low-cost Eurowings subsidiary, adding aircraft from Airberlin and Brussels Airlines for that purpose.

Air France KLM recently revealed plans to develop a low-cost long-haul operation tentatively called Boost, based at Paris Charles de Gaulle, although few details are available.  And in addition to IAG’s new Barcelona-based operation, British Airways is adding service to Oakland and Ft. Lauderdale in 2017 from London Gatwick instead of its Heathrow hub, in response to Norwegian’s increasing Gatwick service.  BA is said to be planning eventually to use higher-capacity 777s with 332 seats instead of 280 for its long-haul Gatwick operations, in order to make them cost-competitive with Norwegian.

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Meals & snacks in coach: Which airlines are best for you?

Delta's food got healthier with things like wraps from Luvo. (Image: Delta)

Delta’s food got healthier with things like wraps from Luvo. (Image: Delta)

A nutritionist rates Virgin America’s and Delta’s main cabin food as the healthiest.

Do you care about the calories and nutritional content of the food and snacks you eat on airlines? Charles Platkin PhD does. He’s a nutritionist with the online nom de plume ‘The Diet Detective’, and his latest annual study of airline food content for economy class travelers has Virgin America and Delta ranked at the top.

Virgin America’s offerings rated 4-1/4 stars overall in his study (on a 1 to 5 scale), while Delta pulled down 4 stars and a “most improved” designation. The bottom-dwellers in the study were Frontier and Spirit, each earning just one star and a “shame on you” catcall.

Platkin says Virgin America – which also took top honors in his 2015 study — continues to do “a very good job of creating interesting, thoughtful food in all categories except for individual snacks.” In fact, he says, “all the airlines could do better with their snack choices – there is no clear leader in this category.” (His data was gathered before Delta’s recent announcement of new snack choices.)

An edamame wrap on Virgin America. (Image: Virgin America)

An edamame wrap on Virgin America. (Image: Virgin America)

Overall, “This has been a slow year in general for innovation in terms of healthy foods, transparency, and food consciousness (no GMOs, organic, lighter and sustainable foods),” he wrote. “Airlines other than Delta and Virgin America seem very slow to catch on to the food awareness that is going on around the country and around the world. I’d think it would be good business for them to provide better, healthier and more conscientious food.”

Air Canada matched Delta in earning 4 stars; ratings for other airlines were 3.75 for Alaska (making us wonder whether Alaska’s or Virgin’s menu planners will dominate after their merger); 3.5 for JetBlue; 3.25 for United; 3 for American; 2 for Southwest (peanuts, anyone?), 1.75 for Hawaiian and Allegiant; and 1 for Spirit and Frontier.

Economy class snack items on American. (Image: American Airlines)

Economy class snack items on American. (Image: American Airlines)

For serious foodies, the best thing about the Diet Detective’s research is the comprehensive nutritional information he provides for every individual snack and meal offering on every airline, including calories, fat, sodium, protein, carbohydrate and fiber content, along with the number of minutes you’d have to walk to burn off each item. He also provides caloric totals and general conclusions for each carrier. Click on the above link to this year’s study and you’ll see what we mean.

For instance, here are his thoughts on United for this year: “United is the 4th largest airline in the U.S., they should be thinking about healthy food. Years ago, they were number one in this area. The breakfast, lunch and dinner menu has many new options; however, healthy meal choices fare limited. It’s too bad United eliminated the oatmeal for breakfast; it was a good choice. The good news, nutrition-wise, is that they did put eggs back into the lineup.”

Readers: Do you care about the content of economy class food items? What’s your favorite single snack or meal, and on which airline?

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Delta gets a new international partnership

A new Aeromexico 787 Dreamliner. (Image: Aeromexico)

A new Aeromexico 787 Dreamliner. (Image: Aeromexico)

Delta and Aeromexico have accepted government restrictions and agreed to move ahead with a joint venture partnership.

When the Transportation Department initially approved the airlines’ application for antitrust immunity last month, it said they would have to give up several slots at New York JFK and Mexico City to preserve competition in the market. Delta and Aeromexico balked at that mandate, and suggested they might drop the whole idea.

But DOT held firm in its demands and now the two carriers have agreed to abide by the restrictions and will move forward with a joint venture for transborder operations. That means they will be able to coordinate routes, schedules, pricing, and sales activities, and “enhance the alignment of their respective frequent flyer programs,” DOT said.

But the airlines must give up enough takeoff and landing slots next year to provide new competition on 24 daily transborder flights from Mexico City and four from New York JFK. “The Department found these conditions necessary to prevent harm to consumers that would result from the carriers’ dominant positions at MEX and JFK and the inability of new entrant carriers to access slots at the airports,” DOT said. The agency also set a five-year time limit on the grant of antitrust immunity.

Image: Delta

Image: Delta

Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the new partnership “will make it possible for us to offer customers more flights to more destinations, with more choices every time someone travels across the border.” Both airlines are members of the SkyTeam alliance.

aeromexidlDelta also holds a minority stake in Aeromexico, which it has been increasing in recent months. It’s part of Delta’s global strategy to expand through partnerships that include partial ownership in foreign carriers. The airline also holds equity stakes in Virgin Atlantic, Brazil’s Gol and China Eastern Airlines.

The Transportation Department has been getting tougher with airlines’ antitrust immunity. Last month, the agency turned down a request by American and Qantas for immunity that would allow them to more closely cooperate on transpacific schedules and fares. The two airlines initially got immunity in 2011, but at that time American didn’t fly to Australia and the two airlines had no overlapping routes.

That changed in the years since, with American starting new routes from Los Angeles to Sydney and Auckland and Qantas adding Dallas flights, so their antitrust immunity needed a new approval. DOT said a new approval of immunity would create an anticompetitive environment since the two carriers now provide almost 60 percent of the seats in the U.S.-Australia market.

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European consolidation: Lufthansa gobbles up Airberlin

Will Airberlin be absorbed into Lufthansa? (Photo: Air Berlin)

Will Airberlin be absorbed into Lufthansa? (Photo: Air Berlin)

It looks like Germany’s second-largest airline will be absorbed into its largest as Lufthansa moves in on Airberlin.

The dealings in Germany could affect U.S. travelers because Airberlin has routes to a number of U.S. cities from its bases at Berlin and Dusseldorf; it recently announced plans to begin San Francisco-Berlin and Los Angeles-Berlin flights next summer. Lufthansa’s U.S. flights go into its hubs at Frankfurt and Munich.

According to German media, Airberlin has been facing financial difficulties for some time, and has been propped up by Etihad Airways, which owns a 30 percent stake in the German carrier. And Etihad has recently been negotiating with Lufthansa over Airberlin’s fate.

Last week, Lufthansa agreed to lease 38 planes and crews from Airberlin; the Airbus A319s and A320s will go to Lufthansa’s growing Eurowings low-cost subsidiary and to Austrian Airlines, which Lufthansa also owns. Lufthansa also agreed to begin code-sharing with Etihad starting next month, putting its LH code onto the latter’s flights from Frankfurt and Munich to Abu Dhabi.

And this week, Airberlin’s board appointed a new CEO for the airline: Thomas Winkelmann, a longtime Lufthansa senior executive. The German financial newspaper Handelsblatt reported that the German federal government and state governments in Munich and Dusseldorf “have agreed to facilitate Airberlin’s gradual integration into Lufthansa, which would lead to the effective merger of the nation’s top two airlines.” And the prominent industry publication Aviation Week said that Lufthansa “has begun to look at ways that it could integrate the remaining parts” of Airberlin following that big lease agreement.

There was no immediate word on the likely fate of Airberlin’s long-haul aircraft, like the two-class A330s it flies to the U.S. Airberlin is a member of American Airlines’ Oneworld global alliance, While Lufthansa is part of United’s Star Alliance.

Expansive check-in hall at Frankfurt Airport's new Terminal 3. (Image: Fraport)

Expansive check-in hall at Frankfurt Airport’s new Terminal 3. (Image: Fraport)

German government officials reportedly didn’t want to see Etihad negotiate a sale of Airberlin to a foreign carrier. But a combination of Airberlin and Lufthansa will face possible opposition on antitrust grounds, Handelsblatt noted. “With 30.3 million passengers and more than $4.2 billion in revenue last year, Airberlin is a big fish to swallow, even for a carrier the size of Lufthansa,” the newspaper said.

Much of Lufthansa’s growth is concentrated on its Eurowings unit, which it sees as its primary weapon in competition against giant intra-European low-cost carriers like Ryanair and Easyjet. Earlier this month, Lufthansa said it would purchase the remaining 55 percent of Brussels Airlines that it doesn’t already own. So Lufthansa’s growing aviation empire will include Austrian Airlines, Swiss International, Brussels Airlines – and probably Airberlin, although that carrier’s identity might not survive. Even without Airberlin, the Lufthansa Group would control 700 aircraft, with up to 180 of them in Eurowings.

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Shut up! No YOU shut up! Inflight phone debate is back

13 million flyers used OnAir's mobile phone service from planes last year (Photo: SITA OnAir)

Millions of flyers on foreign airlines have used OnAir’s mobile phone service from planes. (Photo: SITA OnAir)

Changing technology that enables travelers to make voice calls over in-flight Wi-Fi systems has led the Transportation Department to take another look and reignite the debate about voice calls in the air.

Inflight cell phone for voice calls use is already permitted by many airlines around the world.  Even highly regulated Europe relaxed its ban on flight calls way back in 2008. None have reported any of the mayhem predicted by pundits and politicians.

The current ban on in-flight phone calls was issued by the Federal Communications Commission, not DOT – and that decision was based on issues of interference with navigation systems and ground-based cell phone networks. Today, most aircraft have Wi-Fi technology that is increasingly switching from ground-based to satellite-based communication, and it permits flyers to make calls through Wi-Fi – and that is not covered by the FCC ban.

DOT said it has started a rulemaking proceeding that would not only require airlines to inform customers “from the beginning of the process” (i.e. at the time of booking) when voice calls are permitted on their flights, but also seeks to determine whether the agency should simply ban voice calls outright.

Emirates Airline does not have a problem with passengers using their mobile phones in flight (Photo: OnAir)

Emirates Airline does not have a problem with passengers using their mobile phones in flight (Photo: OnAir)

And this rulemaking has nothing to do with safety issues – it’s all about consumer protection.

“DOT believes that allowing voice calls, without providing adequate notice, would be an unfair and deceptive practice,” the agency said. “As technologies advance, the cost of making voice calls may decrease and the quality of voice call service may increase, leading to a higher prevalence of voice calls and a greater risk of passenger harm… The Department believes that consumers would be unfairly surprised and harmed if they learned only after the purchase of a ticket (or, worse, after boarding the aircraft) that the carrier permits voice calls on its flights.”

Passenger harm? DOT doesn’t explain that concern. Is it suggesting that voice calls in-flight would lead to physical fights between the caller and a seatmate who doesn’t want to hear it?

The agency noted that when it looked into allowing voice calls on flights back in 2014, “a substantial majority of individual commenters expressed opposition to voice calls on the grounds that they are disturbing, particularly in the confined space of an aircraft cabin.” The airlines’ trade group thinks airlines should be allowed to decide for themselves whether to allow phone calls, but flight attendants’ unions are opposed to the practice.

Still, several foreign airlines permit voice calls on their flights, and there is little if any evidence that the practice led to fisticuffs or boycotts.

Gogo’s popular inflight wi-fi system has the capability to handle voice calls, but for now, the VOIP calls are blocked on commercial flights. But the ability to use inflight wi-fi for voice calls is a very popular feature on Gogo-equipped private jets. Gogo currently offers free texting (only) on commercial flights for T-Mobile customers.

Elsewhere, airlines that have adopted the onboard technology have the ability to turn voice calling on or off– and some, like Lufthansa, have decided to keep it off. Ryanair, Europe’s largest carrier,  experimented with allowing cell phone use on its planes in 2009 and dumped the idea due to lack of interest.

Screen Shot 2015-09-02 at 9.20.13 AM

Some of the airlines that offer Aeromobile’s inflight SMS or phone service

Here are lists of airlines that offer inflight mobile phone or SMS service via Aeromobile or OnAir.

Why don’t people in these other countries yack endlessly on their cell phones on planes if they can? Because using a mobile phone on a plane is not the same as using it on the ground. It’s very expensive... calls cost about $3-$4 per minute– and charges appear on your mobile phone bill.

What’s not clear now is how inflight wi-fi (or VOIP) calling can be regulated onboard, and how it may be priced. In any case, you can bet that it will not be free. And if inflight wi-fi usage (which runs at about 7%) is any indicator, inflight calling will likely not be widespread. 

While airlines are said to be studying the issue, most are standing by previous decisions to ban inflight calls.

In any case, if you’d like to share an opinion with them on the subject, go to www.regulations.gov and file comments on docket number DOT-OST-2014-0002.

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Routes: Havana, London, Doha, Paris, China, Panama City, Mexico City

Havana this week became the 100th point on JetBlue's route map. (Image: JetBlue)

Havana this week became the 100th point on JetBlue’s route map. (Image: JetBlue)

In international route developments, major U.S. carriers this week started service to Havana; Virgin Atlantic expands capacity out of Los Angeles; Qatar Airways will add another U.S. gateway; Norwegian increases service to Paris; two carriers add Vancouver routes to China, and one begins Las Vegas flights; San Francisco gets more capacity to Panama; and a Mexican low-cost carrier starts a Chicago route.

Major U.S. airlines this week are starting their long-planned new service to Havana, Cuba. American Airlines operated the first scheduled flight in 50 years, on its new Miami-Havana route. American also kicked off Havana service from its Charlotte hub this week. United Airlines started flying from its Newark hub to Havana, and this weekend it will add a weekly Saturday flight from Houston Bush Intercontinental to the Cuban capital. Havana became the 100th city on JetBlue’s route map, with the carrier starting service there this week from New York JFK, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale.

Delta on December 1 is set to begin Havana flights from Atlanta, Miami and New York JFK. And there’s more to come, including Southwest Airlines service to Havana from Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale beginning December 12, and Alaska Airlines’ service from Los Angeles starting January 5. Despite all the hoopla about U.S. airlines returning to Cuba, there is still some uncertainty about whether or not the incoming Trump Administration will allow these flights – and other Obama-initiated liberalizations – to continue. Trump has threatened to end some or all of the new U.S.-Cuba initiatives unless he can get a better “deal” from the Cubans.

Virgin Atlantic's LAX Clubhouse has views of the runway and the Hollywood Hills. (Image: Virgin Atlantic)

Virgin Atlantic’s LAX Clubhouse has views of the runway and, in a really clear day, the Hollywood Hills. (Image: Virgin Atlantic)

Delta SkyMiles members on the west coast will see more capacity to London Heathrow in 2017 as Delta joint venture partner Virgin Atlantic plans to add a third daily Los Angeles-LHR flight starting on May 1. All three of Virgin’s daily LAX-London flights will use three-class 787-9s. The three flights will depart LAX at 5:50 p.m., 6:30 p.m. (the new one) and 8:55 p.m. (Interesting to note that all of Virgin’s SFO-LHR flights are now on 787s, too.)

Qatar Airways, which started service from Doha to three new U.S. cities this year – Atlanta, Boston and Los Angeles – said it plans to add Las Vegas as its 11th U.S. gateway in 2017, although it hasn’t yet announced a starting date or schedule details.

Norwegian plans to increase capacity between the U.S. and Paris in 2017. (Image: Creative Commons)

Norwegian plans to increase capacity between the U.S. and Paris in 2017. (Image: Norweigan)

According to Routesonline.com, Norwegian plans to add Orlando-Paris Charles de Gaulle as its newest transatlantic route in 2017, starting service July 31 with one 787 flight a week. The report said Norwegian will also increase capacity on other U.S. routes to Paris at the end of July, boosting Los Angeles-CDG frequencies from two a week to four; New York JFK-CDG from four a week to daily flights; and Ft. Lauderdale-CDG from one to two a week for the summer season.

December 2 is the launch date for Hainan Airlines’ new Las Vegas-Beijing route. The carrier will use a 787 to operate three flights a week. In other China developments, China Eastern Airlines is due to begin a new route between Vancouver and Nanjing three times a week beginning December 20, using an Airbus A330-200; it already flies from Vancouver to Shanghai and Kunming. And Hong Kong Airlines plans to launch daily Hong Kong-Vancouver flights – subject to government approvals – on June 30 as its first North American route.

At San Francisco International, Panama’s Copa Airlines — a Star Alliance member — has added a second daily roundtrip to Panama City with the unfortunate departure time of 12:38 a.m. from SFO.  And at Chicago O’Hare, Mexican low-cost carrier Interjet has started flying to Mexico City. The airline is operating two flights a day with 150-seat Airbus A320s.

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More cheap flights across the Atlantic?

Air France's bhub at Paris Charles de Gaulle. (Image: Parisinfo.com)

Air France’s hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle. (Image: Parisinfo.com)

As ultra-low-cost carriers and well-financed Middle Eastern airlines continue to expand internationally and capture more global market share, Air France-KLM and British Airways are trying new strategies to fight back with cheap flights.

Air France-KLM just announced it will create a new long-haul operation – it currently calls the project ‘Boost’ – to be based at Paris Charles de Gaulle, as a “response to the Gulf State airlines which are developing at low production costs on key markets where Air France-KLM is pursuing its growth ambition.” And British Airways is mounting a competitive response to Norwegian on a pair of North American routes, using reconfigured aircraft with more seats that will permit lower operating costs. (Note those new nonstops just announced between Oakland & London- resulting in a nice fare war putting cheapest flights in the $500 roundtrip range)

Air France-KLM said that the new company, which will have 10 long-haul planes by 2020, “will propose a simple, modern and innovative offer, whose positioning will not be low cost. It will offer its customers business and leisure destinations with standards comparable to those of Air France in terms of product quality and the professionalism of the crews.” But it said the new operating unit will be “competitive and innovative,” and will serve as a laboratory for new products, technology, catering, cabin design and customer service innovations.

The company said Boost will allow it “to go on the offensive by opening new routes, reopening routes closed due to their lack of profitability and maintaining routes under threat.” It is expected to start operating in about a year, initially focusing on routes to Asia.

British Airways B777

British Airways will fly nonstop between Oakland and London-Gatwick using a Boeing 777-200ER (Photo: British Airways)

British Airways, meanwhile, is focusing on long-haul competition to the U.S. from ultra-low-cost competitor Norwegian. BA recently announced plans to start flying next year to Ft. Lauderdale and to Oakland from Norwegian’s U.K. base at London Gatwick instead of BA’s big hub at London Heathrow. Norwegian already flies both of those routes from Gatwick.

And news came out this week that BA’s new Gatwick routes will eventually use reconfigured 777s that are packed with more seats. According to the U.K. publication Business Traveller, BA plans to increase economy seating in its Gatwick-based 777s from nine-across to 10-across. The aircraft will still offer Club World business class, but with the seat count in that cabin decreased from 40 to 32. The total seat count on the planes will grow from 280 to 332.

BA said the reconfiguration will give its Gatwick-based 777s a lower per-seat operating cost than Norwegian’s 787 Dreamliners.

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These two Virgins are splitting up

Virgin Atlantic is one of several carriers putting 787 Dreamliners onto Bay Area routes. (Image: Virgin)

Virgin Atlantic flies 787 Dreamliners on its San Francisco route. (Image: Virgin Atlantic)

Are you a member of Virgin America’s Elevate loyalty program hoping to book an award flight on partner Virgin Atlantic? Then you better act fast – really fast.

Virgin America said on its website that the two airlines “will be sunsetting their frequent flyer partnership on November 13, 2016.” The last date for Elevate members to claim award travel on Virgin Atlantic with Elevate points is November 12, following the usual booking procedure.

And Elevate members will no longer earn points for travel on Virgin Atlantic after November 12.

“Virgin America will continue to offer a range of other airline partners through the Elevate program, including Virgin Australia, Hawaiian Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Emirates,” the company said.

Why the split-up? Virgin America said Virgin Atlantic “is introducing some changes to its loyalty program, and due to technical limitations, the Elevate program will no longer be compatible with (Virgin Atlantic’s) Flying Club once Virgin Atlantic upgrades the back end of its program on November 13.”

Of course, other factors could be in play as well. Barring government intervention, Virgin America is about to be acquired by Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines is involved in a major market share battle at its Seattle hub with Delta Air Lines. Delta Air Lines is the owner of a 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic. Connect the dots.

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Stronger rights, better protections for travelers under Obama

Delta Connection/SkyWest is putting upgraded E175s into West Coast service. (Image: delta)

Airlines will soon have to include on-time performance of sluggish regional partners in overall rankings  (Image: delta)

While there’s a roaring debate these days about whether or not the last eight years have been good for the U.S., there’s little doubt that the period has been pretty good for travelers.

Last week the Obama Administration released new rules designed to enhance the rights of airline travelers, and to ensure they have access to full and unbiased information when they select a flight. These consumer protections are just the latest in an ongoing series of steps that the administration has put in place over the past eight years– and that’s in addition to other traveler-friendly strides such as the implementation of PreCheck and Global Entry, and the relaxation of rules regarding travel to Cuba.

The Transportation Department this month said it has started a rulemaking proceeding that would require airlines to refund the fees that passengers pay for checked baggage in the event their bags are “substantially delayed” after their flight. The proceeding would determine what constitutes a substantial delay.

In October, DOT also issued new final rules that will:

  • Require airlines to report on-time arrival and departure performance for all domestic flights that operate under their brand – not just their so-called “mainline” flights. Currently, airline on-time performance statistics only include mainline flights, but major airlines typically put their brand identity on the flights of smaller regional airlines that are usually independently owned and operated, and that often do not operate on-time as much as their larger partners.
  • Ban airlines and online travel agencies from “undisclosed biasing” of flight listings that consumers search through. Airlines sometimes enter into special agreements with online agencies, offering them more remuneration for preferred placement of their flight listings in the overall search results. And historically, the higher up a flight is listed, the more likely it is to be booked.
  • Change the way mishandled baggage incidents are reported. Instead of relying on passenger reports of lost bags, DOT will require airlines to report the total number of bags they mishandled vs. the total number of checked bags they carried.

In addition, DOT has started a separate rulemaking to determine whether airlines should be required to share information on all passenger fees with the online agencies that sell many of their tickets. In recent years, most airlines have started to assess separate charges for many things that used to be included in the passenger’s ticket price, such as checked luggage, advance seat selection, in-flight meals, ticket change and cancellation fees, and so on. DOT rules haven’t caught up yet with these changes in the way air travel is marketed.

When checked bag fees started seven years ago, airlines quickly realized they were onto something big. (Image: Jim Glab)

Soon, airlines will have to reimburse fees paid for checked bags if they are lost or delayed (Image: Jim Glab)

These are just the latest rule changes. Five years ago, the administration finalized other consumer protection rules, including: (See our post from 2011)

  • A requirement that airlines must reimburse passengers for the checked-bag fee if their luggage is lost and not recovered. Previous rules said airlines had to compensate passengers for the lost bag and contents, but did not cover the checked bag fee.
  • An order that the fares advertised by airlines and ticket agents to consumers must include not only the air fare itself, but also all government-imposed mandatory taxes and fees. Previously, taxes and mandatory fees were split out from the basic fare, and were often hidden in tiny type at the bottom of ads. Airlines were also required to prominently display on their websites all the potential fees that a consumer might have to pay in addition to air fare and taxes.
  • A rule that doubled the amount of compensation airlines have to pay passengers who are bumped from a flight on which they hold a confirmed reservation (not counting passengers who voluntarily accept an airline’s offer in exchange for agreeing to take a later flight). The amount depends on how long it takes the airline to get the bumped passenger to his destination on a later flight; compensation is set at twice the cost of the ticket, up to a maximum of $650 for shorter delays and $1,300 for longer ones.
  • A mandate that airlines must let customers hold a reservation for at least 24 hours before deciding whether to buy it or cancel it, assuming the booking is made at least a week before departure.

And the one that got the most notice due to repeated press horror stories about hungry and impatient passengers stuck on board their plane for hours without taking off or going to the gate:

  • A “tarmac delay” rule initially introduced in 2009 that said airlines had to provide food and water after two hours and give passengers the option to get off the plane on domestic flights after they had been stuck on the tarmac for three hours (or face stiff fines). Two years later, that rule was expanded to set a four-hour tarmac delay limit on the international flights of U.S. and foreign airlines.

So what do you think? Has the air travel experience improved for you over the last eight years…or not? Please share your observations and experiences below!

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A new look & feel for Qantas

The Qantas kangaroo gets a modernized redesign on the tail of its new 787-9s. (Image: Qantas)

The Qantas kangaroo gets a modernized redesign on the tail of its new 787-9s. (Image: Qantas)

Qantas will start taking delivery of new 787-9 Dreamliners late next year, and it has just unveiled details of the passenger cabins for the new planes – which will gradually take over the long-haul routes now served by 747s. It’s also got a new, more streamlined look.

The update to its iconic Kangaroo logo is only the fifth time the red-and-white image on the tail of Qantas aircraft has been updated since it was first introduced in 1944. The last update was in 2007 to coincide with the introduction of the Airbus A380 to the national carrier’s fleet.

Among the changes you’ll see in coming years:

  • A streamlined Kangaroo on the tail of the aircraft, with shading to give it a sense of depth and movement. The Kangaroo itself has been simplified for a cleaner, more modern look.
  • A silver band has been added to the rear of the aircraft, flowing from the tail through to the rear of the fuselage for a more premium feel and more contrast between the red tail and the rest of the aircraft.
  • A new, slimmer font for the world ‘Qantas’ on the side of the aircraft and the color made slightly lighter.
  • The word Qantas is added to the belly for increased visibility when aircraft are flying overhead.
  • Adding the Kangaroo to the inside curved edge of the wingtips so that they are in-flight and meaning they will also appear in pictures people take out the aircraft windows.
History of the Qantas logo

History of the Qantas logo

The new 236-passenger Qantas Dreamliners (not due on runways til late next year) will offer 42 business class suites in a 1-2-1 layout; 28 seats in the premium economy section, configured 2-3-2; and 166 regular economy seats, with a 3-3-3 layout.

The business and the economy cabin will each have a self-service bar where passengers can pick up drinks and snacks. The new planes will also have a redesigned, more streamlined kangaroo image on their tails.

New 787-9 business suites are an update of the business cabins on Qantas' A330s. (Image: Qantas)

New 787-9 business suites are an update of the business cabins on Qantas’ A330s. (Image: Qantas)

Business seats will recline fully flat to a bed that’s 80 inches long – and passengers will have “the ability to stay reclined during takeoff and landing,” Qantas said. The two middle seats will have an adjustable privacy screen in between them, and all business seats will be 23 to 24 inches wide, offering power and USB ports along with a personal entertainment device with a 16-inch touchscreen.

Qantas described the business suites as the “next generation” of the business cabin recently installed on its A330 fleet.

“The direct flights on these routes will have a lot of premium traffic, so we think it will be very heavily patronized by business class and premium economy customers,” Qantas CEO Alan Joyce told Australian Business Traveler. “We’re also redesigning the in-flight experience for the Dreamliner, from rethinking our menus to making better use of the self-service bars during different phases of flight.” He also told the publication the airline hasn’t yet decided whether the new Dreamliners will offer in-flight Wi-Fi.

Dreamliner economy cabins will offer nine-across seating.(Image: Qantas)

Dreamliner economy cabins will offer nine-across seating.(Image: Qantas)

The economy cabin will have a new seat design that comes with a “personal device holder” and an individual USB port, increased storage areas, a high-def 12-inch touchscreen, and “a seat-back mood light designed to minimize disturbance for other passengers.” The economy seats will also provide an additional inch of pitch compared with Qantas’ A380s, for a total pitch of 32 inches; six-inch seat recline; and an improved “footnet” that cradles the legs during sleep.

Qantas said details on the aircraft’s premium economy cabin won’t be released until early next year, but it promised that cabin will offer “a class leading experience and a revolutionary new seat.” The airline said it will soon announce the initial routes where the 787-9 will be deployed- we would not be surprised to see the lucrative SFO-SYD run on the short list for those flights since the 747s on the route will be phased out.

Check out our Trip Report: Qantas 747-400 San Francisco-Sydney in business class

 

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Big news at two small California airlines

Interiors on JetSuite's Embraer 135 aircraft (Photo: JetSuite)

Interiors on JetSuite’s Embraer 135 aircraft (Photo: JetSuite)

There’s exciting news this week from two small but innovative California-based carriers that could put them on a strong growth track. JetSuite, a small-plane public charter operator in the California corridor and elsewhere, announced an equity partnership with a major U.S. airline; and Surf Air, which employs an all-you-can-fly pricing model, is talking about a major fleet expansion – and it said it will extend its operations to Europe starting next month.

JetSuite Inc. said that JetBlue Airways has taken a minority stake in the company, an investment that it said will help to “fuel its fast-growing JetSuiteX service.” JetSuiteX uses 30-passenger jets on a network that includes Burbank; San Jose; Las Vegas; Carlsbad, Calif.; Concord, Calif.; Mammoth, Calif.; and Bozeman, Mont. JetSuiteX promises “more destinations and flights coming soon,” and claims to be the fastest-growing public charter company in the country.

From the Bay Area, JetSuiteX offers nonstops between Concord (in the East Bay) and Burbank. (Its Concord-Las Vegas nonstops were cut in May). From San Jose (using the Atlantic Aviation terminal), it flies to Burbank and Carlsbad (near San Diego). Currently, fares are running as low as $79 on a handful of flights each week in November. In December, the lowest fares are at about $99 each way.

Jetsuite

JetSuite CEO Alex Wilcox at a kickoff event in Concord, CA earlier this year (Photo: Chris McGinnis

JetSuiteX markets its flights as “a private jet experience that is affordable and accessible to a broad audience.” JetSuite CEO Alex Wilcox said JetBlue will not be just a passive shareholder, but a “strategic partner” that will “allow us to accelerate our growth.”  JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes commented that acquiring a stake in JetSuite “makes sense as we continue to execute on our west coast plan and invest in innovative ideas that reflect the disruptive spirit of JetBlue.”

The two had already created a customer loyalty link, with TrueBlue members able to earn points on JetSuiteX flights. Among the points currently served by JetSuiteX, JetBlue flies to San Jose, Burbank and Las Vegas. JetBlue has been beefing up its west coast presence lately – for example, it said it will launch multiple daily flights between San Jose and Long Beach in January – as it positions itself for tough competition from a combined Alaska Airlines-Virgin America after those two companies complete their merger.

JetSuiteX

The JetSuiteX Terminal at Concorde- a nice break from the craziness at OAK or SFO! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Meanwhile, Santa Monica-based Surf Air – which operates even smaller planes and calls itself “an all-you-can-fly private air travel club” – is said to be in talks with Brazilian manufacturer Embraer for a major fleet expansion. Media reports from Brazil said Surf Air is looking to buy up to 50 small Phenom 300 executive jets, an order worth about $495 million.

SurfAir jet

Although it currently uses Pilatus turboprops for intra-California flights, Surf Air says it will use executive jets like this one for its new European division. (Image: Surf Air)

The Phenom 300, which can carry seven to nine passengers, is Embraer’s most popular business jet. The reports quoted Surf Air’s CEO as saying that the company is also talking to U.S. manufacturer Textron about its Cessna Citation CJ4 business jets.

Surf Air operates executive private aircraft on scheduled flights around an intrastate California network that includes airports in the Bay Area, metro Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Truckee/Tahoe, Napa, Monterey, Sacramento and Palm Springs, as well as Las Vegas.

Surf Air needs more planes in part to accommodate its planned expansion to intra-European markets, which is now planned to get under way at the end of November. Its monthly membership fees there will start at $2,400. It will begin with flights between London’s Luton Airport and Zurich, and then gradually expand to add flights to Geneva, Cannes, Paris, Dublin, Ibiza and Amsterdam.

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Is Southwest really a low fare carrier? Depends on…

Baggage fees mean Southwest prices are usually lowest--unless you carry everything on. (Image: Jim Glab)

Competitors’ baggage fees mean Southwest’s prices are usually lowest–unless you carry everything on. (Image: Jim Glab)

How often will you be able to find a domestic airline flight that is cheaper than low-cost Southwest? According to a new study, the answer depends on whether or not you check a bag.

You might recall that Southwest has clung tenaciously to its longstanding policy of allowing its passengers to check up to two bags for free – putting it at odds with its competitors (and with the wishes of Wall Street analysts, who would like Southwest to get in line with the industry in order to boost its fee revenues).

Topaz International, which specializes in travel expense auditing, has come out with a new study that found Southwest’s reputation as the lowest-priced option doesn’t really hold up for many business trips – although it is doing better than it was four years ago.

But it is generally the better deal for most leisure travelers. And what’s the difference? Checked bags.

Topaz studied base fares plus bag fees in 97 domestic air travel markets, looking at comparable flights offered by Southwest, American, Delta, United, Alaska, JetBlue, Frontier, Spirit, and Virgin America.

Southwest Airlines' reputation as the lowest cost carrier depends on your baggage situation.(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Southwest Airlines’ reputation as the lowest cost carrier depends on your baggage situation.(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

“Most business travelers that Topaz International has spoken to and interacted with during our 35 years of travel consulting are more likely to carry on their luggage in an effort to speed up their trip and get both to their destination and home when completed,” Topaz said. “In this case, while Southwest Airlines can be the lowest cost alternative, 45 percent of the time they are not.”

But adding in the fees for two checked bags means Southwest is almost always the lowest-priced option. In that case, “Only 13 percent of the other airlines’ fares were lower than Southwest Airlines, slightly up from 12 percent in 2012. In fact, they were higher 87 percent of the time.”

Still, Southwest appears to be making progress even with business travelers. While competitors beat Southwest’s fares 45 percent of the time in this year’s study when no checked bags were involved, that’s a drop from 60 percent in the firm’s 2012 study.

You can download a copy of the new study here.

Do you fly Southwest much? Do you check bags when traveling on business? Please leave your comments below.

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An answer to filthy airplane drinking water?

Delta bottled water

Bottled water is expensive, heavy, and empty bottles are not very eco-friendly- but there might be a solution (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

One of the basic warnings about air travel is this: Don’t drink the water from the plane! While there are few if any reports of anyone actually getting sick from drinking airplane water, it’s been widely reported that onboard water tanks are difficult to clean. You’d be hard pressed to find a flight attendant who would touch the stuff, let alone drink it, even if it is in the plane’s hot coffee. Many airlines post signs in lavatories discouraging passengers from drinking from the faucet.

The smartest way to drink water is to get a bottle or a glass of it from a flight attendant.

And these days, that bottle of water may or may not be free. On low-cost airlines, you might have to ante up a couple of bucks for a small bottle. Don’t miss: Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for bottle of water

But now a Kentucky-based water disinfection company called AquiSense Technologies has come up with a method that it says could allow air travelers to drink from the airplane tap without worry.

The company says airlines are quite correct to keep passengers from drinking tap water, citing an EPA study which found that “water tanks in commercial flights had consistent bacteria and debris issues,” according to AquiSense’s Mitch Hansen.

Here's how the Dept of Health describes coliform bacteria

Here’s how the Dept of Health describes coliform bacteria, consistently found in airplane water tanks

“The study concluded that these tanks have residual bacteria and sediment even after the system is flushed with disinfection chemicals. Once a small amount of bacteria is present in the system it can easily grow and spread,” he said. “When a system is flushed it is common for small pathogen-harboring particulates and sediment to remain.” And some 15 percent of aircraft water tanks tested positive for Coliform bacteria.

Attempts with various methods to eliminate the problem – carbon or ceramic filters, treatment with chemicals like chlorine, and ultraviolet lighting systems based on mercury-vapor lamps – all have problems that make them impractical or ineffective for treating aircraft water tanks, the company said. Conventional UV sterilization is dangerous because the fragile UV lights contain mercury, which if damaged, could contaminate drinking water.

A small Aquisense sterilization unit can fit under the sink (Image: Aquisense)

A small Aquisense sterilization unit can fit under the sink (Image: Aquisense web site)

Aquisense touting a new technique it developed that relies on ultraviolet light produced by sturdier LEDs (light emitting diodes) that meet the space and weight constraints of airlines and can handle the shocks of hard landings. “The small size and instant on/off capabilities mean this [LED] technology can be placed near the water dispensing point, such as a sink or galley faucet, and switched-on only when water is flowing,” AquiSense said. “Disinfecting the water right before it reaches a user blocks contamination coming from the piping and diminishes the need for residual disinfection chemicals.”

AquiSense said its method is currently being tested for use on the International Space Station. Its next big challenge could be convincing airlines that it works and that passengers will agree to drink from the tap instead of the bottle– it’s estimated that each water treatment unit built to airline specs is $2,000-$3,000. And if they’re making money peddling bottled water on the plane, that could be a hard sell.

Nonetheless, a company spokesperson tells TravelSkills that the company is currently working with “aerospace industry solution providers” and that test units will be in the air in 2017.

Do you drink airplane water? Feel bad about all those plastic bottles you leave behind? Leave your comments below. 

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Exposed: How airline mergers get muscled through in Washington

A new expose tells how American and US Airways got their merger approved despite DOJ opposition.(Image: American)

A new expose tells how American and US Airways got their merger approved despite DOJ opposition. (Image: American)

With the Justice Department’s antitrust division expected to decide any day now whether the proposed Alaska Airlines-Virgin America merger meets its standards for competition, a fascinating new investigative article exposes how American Airlines and US Airways used raw lobbying power and political connections to override DOJ’s initial rejection of their 2013 merger.

Anyone who’s followed the airline industry for any length of time knows that it almost always gets what it wants on Capitol Hill, thanks to incredibly cozy relationships between lobbyists and legislators. (Last year, for instance, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that House Transportation Committee chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) was dating the vp-government affairs from Airlines for America (A4A), the industry’s trade organization; that another A4A vice president was hired to work for Shuster’s committee; and that a senior vp at A4A was married to Shuster’s chief of staff.) But the Justice Department’s antitrust division is supposed to be immune to political influence.

Or maybe it’s not: ProPublica, an independent, non-profit investigative journalism organization, this week published a detailed examination of the American-US Airways merger, showing how the airlines enlisted former Obama Administration insiders to use their connections and influence in a successful bid to overturn DOJ’s initial rejection of that deal. The airlines also spent many millions of dollars on lawyers, lobbyists, consultants and economists to make their case.

You might recall that DOJ initially filed suit to block the AA-US Airways merger on the grounds that it would create too much industry concentration, and would hurt consumers by limiting competition. But a few months later, DOJ apparently changed its mind, and said it was willing to work out a settlement that would let the deal go through if the airlines met certain conditions like giving up gates and slots at key airports to low-cost competitors.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (Image: City of Chicago)

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (Image: City of Chicago)

How did the two airlines pull off this sudden change of heart at DOJ? “They used their pull in the administration, including at the White House, and with a high-level friend at the Justice Department, going over the heads of staff prosecutors,” ProPublica said. “And just days after the suit was announced, the airlines turned to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s first White House chief of staff, to help push back against the Justice Department.”

The AA-US Airways deal came along after Obama’s DOJ had already approved the Southwest-Airtran and United-Continental mergers, and the Bush Administration had given the nod to Delta-Northwest and US Airways-America West. So maybe AA and US Airways figured it just wasn’t fair that their merger should be the only one to be blocked – even though the government’s investigation concluded that they could both continue to compete successfully as independent companies.

But the two airlines pulled out all the stops in getting what they wanted from Washington – and they got it. The ProPublica article quotes one former state attorney general who joined the government’s suit against the merger as saying: “It was a gross miscarriage of justice that that case was dropped and an outrage and an example of how our system should not work.”

The article makes a fascinating read for anyone with a big stake in the regulation (or non-regulation) of airlines – like the passengers who end up paying the higher fares that result from industry concentration.

Readers: Take a look at the article and tell us what you think.

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Love a lie-flat seat? You’ll love this…

Lie-flat front cabin seating on a Delta 757-200. (Image: Delta)

Lie-flat front cabin seating on a Delta 757-200. (Image: Delta)

Delta’s announcement this week that it will introduce lie-flat first class seats next spring on a new transcontinental route is just the latest step in a growing expansion of flat-bed front-cabin seats on routes across the country – an expansion largely fueled by JetBlue’s increased commitment to its Mint premium service.

Delta said it will use a 757-200 with flat-bed seats in first class when it starts flying on April 24 between Los Angeles International and Washington D.C.’s close-in, Reagan National Airport (DCA) which is preferred by most with business in the district. (Because perimeter rules limit DCA to just a handful of flights longer than 1,250 miles, Delta said it will drop one of its two daily DCA-Salt Lake City flights, but will begin a new flight from Salt Lake to Washington Dulles.)

The introduction of lie-flat front-cabin seats on domestic flights a few years ago was initially limited to service between the New York area and San Francisco and Los Angeles, where it is now offered by American and Delta out of New York JFK and by United’s “p.s.” service out of Newark Liberty International. When JetBlue rolled out its competing Mint premium cabins with lie-flat seats, it initially did so in those same two transcon markets out of JFK.

TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis is in Washington DC this week-- flew nonstop SFO-Washington National on Virgin America

Washington National Airport gets lie-flat seats from Delta (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

But Delta has also introduced lie-flat seats on 757-200s between JFK and its growing Seattle hub. And that market has become one of several targeted by JetBlue in a big expansion of its Mint service.

JetBlue recently added the Mint option to its Boston-San Francisco route, and is doing the same on Boston-LAX this fall. And earlier this year, the carrier announced its intention to bring lie-flat Mint seating to even more transcontinental routes, with plans to increase the size of its Mint-equipped A321 fleet from 17 planes to 31 by 2017.

Transcontinental routes that JetBlue has targeted for Mint service expansion in the months ahead include Seattle-Boston, Seattle-JFK, San Diego-JFK, San Diego-Boston, San Francisco-Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles-Ft. Lauderdale and Las Vegas-JFK.

JetBlue has big plans for expanding its Mint service. (Image: JetBlue)

JetBlue has big plans for expanding its Mint service. (Image: JetBlue)

Two months ago, Delta unveiled plans for new routes out of Boston next year, including twice-daily service to San Francisco with 757-200s. (Although the announcement didn’t specify that these aircraft will have lie-flat front-cabin seating, it seems a safe assumption given JetBlue’s Mint service in that market.) JetBlue then said it will lay on a fourth daily Mint-equipped Boston-San Francisco flight next summer.

Virgin America has a nice premium cabin on its transcon routes, but the seats do not recline fully flat. The airline has talked about refreshing its front cabin, but that has taken a back seat to the impending merger of Virgin and Alaska Airlines. The combined carrier (assuming they are eventually combined rather than remaining as separate brands under common ownership) will have a big stake in transcon Seattle markets as well as SFO-JFK and LAX-JFK. The question is, what will Alaska decide to do with the front cabin product?

Whatever it decides, Alaska is already committed to adding a new Premium Class cabin to its 737-800s, 900s and 900ERs – not just regular coach seats with extra legroom, but an actual premium product with extra amenities and perks, situated between first class and economy.

Will that be the next big battlefield in transcontinental passenger options? How important is a lie-flat seat to you on transcon flights? Please leave your comments below. 

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Another airline adds “kid-free” seating

Parents who don't control unruly kids are high on the list of bad behaviors (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Parents who don’t control unruly kids are high on the list of bad behaviors (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Passenger surveys usually find that screaming, kicking, out-of-control kids – a.k.a. adorable children – are one of the biggest annoyances for air travelers. But what if you could book a seat that guaranteed you wouldn’t have any of them around you?

Indian budget airline Indigo is the latest carrier to introduce what it calls “Quiet Zones” – seating areas where it does not allow any children under age 12 (rows 1-4 and 11-14, including the exit rows).

A similar concept was introduced a couple of years ago by a few other Asian airlines, including Thai, Malaysian, Air Asia, Malaysian and Scoot.

Also, most big airport lounges now have separate, usually glassed in, romper rooms for the kiddie-boos to keep the noise at bay.

Thoughtful kiddie playroom inside SAS business class lounge (Chris McGinnis)

Thoughtful kiddie playroom inside SAS business class lounge at CPH (Chris McGinnis)

While the idea may seem like a terrific one for many business travelers, especially those on long-haul flights, some people might take offense at what could be considered a discriminatory policy – like the parents of those kids, who are increasingly having trouble on some airlines just getting a guaranteed seat next to their offspring. Opponents of the concept might reasonably ask what other kinds of passengers might be targeted by such a policy in the future.

The no-kids seating area can also cause enforcement problems for the airline when it has to rebook passengers onto almost-full flights, for instance.

Still, a survey of 1,100 U.K. travelers a couple of years ago found that 70 percent said they’d like to see kid-free zones—and more than one-third said they would pay extra to fly on a flight with no kids at all.

OK, readers, what’s your take on this controversial topic? Would you pay extra to be guaranteed a seat away from kids? What should the age limit be for kid-free seating zones?

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Earn airline points for Airbnb stays

Qantas 747's like this one return to SFO in December (Image: QANTAS)

Qantas has a new way for loyalty program members to earn points. (Image: QANTAS)

Partnerships with hotel chains have been a mainstay of airline loyalty programs for decades. And now a “sharing economy” enterprise that some see as a threat to the hotel business is slowly wading into the same pool.

That enterprise is Airbnb, which has been making a concerted effort in recent months to court business travelers with things like automatic links to corporate expense reporting systems and up-front information about the business traveler-friendliness of its member properties. And it has seen business traveler bookings surge as a result. The obvious next step was airline loyalty programs.

Qantas just announced a new tie-in with Airbnb that will let its customers earn points in its frequent flyer program when they book through the Qantas website (www.qantas.com). Participants can earn one Qantas point for every dollar they spend on Airbnb accommodations worldwide, if they book through the Qantas site.

“We know many of our customers are just as likely to arrange an Airbnb as they are to book a hotel, and we wanted to recognize and reward them for that,” said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.

This modern two BR Victorian in San Francisco's Noe Valley is $300/nt (Image: Airbnb)

This modern two BR Victorian in San Francisco’s Noe Valley is $300/night (Image: Airbnb)

Qantas isn’t the first airline to do this. About a year ago, Virgin America entered into a similar partnership with Airbnb for bookings made via a link at the Virgin website. Members of Virgin’s Elevate program earn one point per dollar spent on Airbnb. Members who have never used Airbnb before and create an account get a one-time bonus of 1,500 Elevate points and a $20 Airbnb credit. Virgin’s tie-in with Airbnb is currently effective through October 2017.

Meanwhile, United just added Airbnb to the vendors listed on its MileagePlus X smartphone app. The new partnership allows users to rack up three MileagePlus miles per dollar spent at Airbnb. If you aren’t using MileagePlus X yet, here’s a link to get started.

And American Express has a tie-in with Airbnb that lets its Membership Rewards participants pay with program points for Airbnb bookings. Members must create an Airbnb profile with their American Express login.

 Readers: Would you be more likely to book Airbnb if it was affiliated with your primary airline?  Post comments below.

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Airlines increasingly narrow-minded about seat width

Cathay Pacific Boeing 777

Cathay Pacific will switch to 10-across coach seating on the 777-300ERs it flies to the U.S. (Image: Cathay Pacific)

How can an airline increase passenger capacity when it can’t add more flights? One way is to add more seats in each aircraft, and we’re seeing that emerging as a trend in some carriers’ Boeing 777 fleets. The latest airline to announce such a change is Cathay Pacific, which flies 777-300ERs on its routes to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and New York JFK.

Cathay chief executive Ivan Chu Kwok-leung told the South China Morning Post that the airline is faced with a shortage of takeoff and landing slots at its Hong Kong base, and the only way to boost revenue is by adding more seats per slot. So Cathay will start reconfiguring its 777 economy cabins from nine-across to 10-across seating, although the job might not be finished until 2018.

He said Cathay wants to preserve its 32-inch seat pitch, so it will shrink seat width from 18.5 inches to 17. He noted that 3-4-3 seating on Boeing 777s is becoming the “standard” among international carriers.

Say good-bye to nine-across seating on Cathay Pacific's 777s. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

Say good-bye to relatively spacious nine-across 3-3-3 seating seen here on Cathay Pacific’s 777s. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

And he might have a point about that. Boeing has noted that about half of the 777s it delivered in 2015 were had 10-across coach seating; in 2008, only 30 percent had that configuration.

Among U.S. carriers, American has 10-across seating on some 777s, and United earlier this year confirmed it is installing the tighter configuration on 19 777s that it uses mainly for domestic routes. Delta currently has 9-abreast on its B777s.

Other international airlines with 10-across seating on at least some of their 777s include Emirates, Etihad, China Airlines, China Eastern, ANA, Air New Zealand, Swiss, KLM and Air France. A few months ago, Taiwan’s EVA Air said it would switch from nine-across to 10-across seating on its new 777s.

Readers: Would you pay more to fly nine-across vs. 10-across seats in economy? Avoid airlines with 10-across? Please leave your comments below

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What’s the deal with Alaska Virgin America?

Alaska Airlines & Virgin America's merger has been slightly delayed. (Image: Alaska Airlines)

Alaska Airlines & Virgin America’s merger has been slightly delayed. (Image: Alaska Airlines)

An announcement by Alaska Airlines and Virgin America Airlines about extending the timing of their proposed merger has some observers wondering whether the deal might have run into problems with the Justice Department’s antitrust regulators.

The two airlines said this week they have “agreed with the Justice Department” that they won’t consummate their deal until after October 17, unless DOJ clears it for an earlier date. Previously, the two airlines said they wouldn’t close the deal before September 30. “The extension gives the DOJ additional time to review the proposed merger,” the airlines said.

This naturally spurred some speculation about what might be going on. The Motley Fool, for instance, ran a story this week headlined: “Is the Alaska Air-Virgin America merger on the rocks?”

Over the past decade or so, the Justice Department has given the nod to much larger airline mergers, showing little or no antitrust concern over the market concentration they would bring. After Delta-Northwest, United-Continental and Southwest-AirTran easily passed DOJ muster, there was rising criticism of the government for not doing enough to protect consumers from industry consolidation.

DOJ forced American and US Airways to give up slots at key airports to win merger approval. )Image: Jim Glab)

DOJ forced American and US Airways to give up slots at key airports to win merger approval. (Image: Jim Glab)

Thus when the American-US Airways deal came along in 2013, DOJ got a little tougher, ordering the two airlines to give up slots and gates at a number of airports to low-cost carriers, “in order to enhance system-wide competition in the airline industry resulting in more choices and more competitive air fares for consumers,” the agency said.

But Alaska and Virgin said this week that in spite of the delay, they remain “confident they will address any concerns and obtain regulatory approval” for their merger, “given the airlines’ largely complementary networks, the relative size of the merger compared to past airline combinations, and both Virgin America and Alaska’s emphasis on customer service.” They argued that a combined Alaska-Virgin America will provide “more robust competition against the Big Four airlines, which control 84 percent of the domestic market.”

The Street weighed in with this: “It’s highly unlikely that regulators would scuttle the marriage of the two carriers, especially because there’s so little overlap in their routes. Other than competing on the Los Angeles-Seattle route and a smattering of routes out of San Francisco, the two airlines don’t compete at all. But a combined entity would dominate West Coast regional air travel, proving a moneymaking boon for already strong Alaska Air.”

Even The Motley Fool, in an analysis after its scary headline, concluded that “there is little reason to worry” about DOJ impeding the merger’s outcome. “There is no good reason for federal antitrust regulators to block it,” the publication said. It noted that since the deal was announced last spring, Virgin’s financial performance has “deteriorated,” but still, “Alaska Air doesn’t seem to be having second thoughts” about the merger.

So what do you think will happen? Will the deal go through as easily as we once thought? What’s the reason for the delay? Leave your comments below. 

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Airlines start rolling out Havana schedules, fares

Cuba cars

Vintage cars serve as tourist taxis in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolucion (Chris McGinnis)

One Caribbean capital is about to experience what could be the biggest influx of new airline service from the U.S. of all times. In early July, the Transportation Department approved routes to Havana, Cuba for several U.S. airlines. Those route awards were finalized in late August, and airlines have started to announce their inaugural service dates for late fall and winter. Some are still subject to Cuban government approvals.

Alaska Airlines, which will have the only non-stop service to Havana from the West Coast, has set a January 5 start for its new Los Angeles-Havana flights, which will depart LAX at 8:50 a.m. The flight will originate in Seattle. Roundtrip fares from LAX start at $490.

Because the purpose of a traveler’s visit must fall within one of a dozen specific categories, and other formalities and requirements must be met, Alaska has posted  a handy blog page with details for customers to know before they book their flight. Alaska said it is working with Cuba Travel Services to help customers obtain visas, accommodations and ground transportation at the destination.

Here is a link to the U.S. government’s official restrictions on travel to Cuba; scroll down to Page 10 to find specifics of the 12 categories of travel.

Havana nonstops

Nonstops to Havana from U.S. airlines. (Image: Great Circle Mapper)

Delta has targeted December 1 for the launch of daily flights to Havana from Miami and New York JFK along with one-stop service from Atlanta. For travel in February, we found roundtrip fares starting at $200 from Miami, $410 from JFK and $452 from Atlanta.

United Airlines has set a November 29 start for daily non-stops from Newark to Havana, followed on December 3 by weekly Saturday service from Houston Bush Intercontinental to the Cuban capital. Fares in January start at $413 roundtrip from Newark and $513 from Houston.

November 30 is the target date for American Airlines’ new daily flight to Havana from its Charlotte hub. American was also awarded rights for four daily roundtrips from Miami, although it hasn’t yet announced a starting date for those. January roundtrip fares start at $421 from Charlotte.

Shave in Cuba

Chris getting a shave in Cienfuegos, Cuba in May 2016

Frontier Airlines on December 1 is expected to start daily service from Miami to Havana, and will offer connections to that flight from Denver and Las Vegas.

Other new Havana routes expected to start in the next few months include JetBlue service from JFK, Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando; Southwest Airlines flights from Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa; and Spirit Airlines from Ft. Lauderdale. Several airlines have already started or are about to launch service on routes to secondary cities and beach resorts in Cuba; those routes were awarded earlier.

Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts! Kicking support animals off planes | Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for water | Marriott-Starwood: Higher prices, better rewards | The 10,000 points question! | Eye-catching maps explain state of the world | Test your planespotting skills! )

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How social media channels are empowering passengers

Airlines are beefing up social media staffs to handle traveler issues via smartphone apps.(Image: Jim Glab)

Airlines are beefing up social media staffs to handle traveler issues via smartphone apps. (Image: Jim Glab)

When you have a problem with your airline over the course of your trip, how do you deal with it? Talk to an airline employee, if you can find one? Call customer service? Or just sit back and take it? Those reactions are so yesterday.

According to a new study from Conversocial, the biggest trend in airline customer service is the use of social media – both public networks and private messaging – over the traveler’s smartphone. And some airlines are a lot more responsive to their customers than others, the study found.

“Armed with their smartphones, social channels ablaze, the empowered customer has more voice and choice than ever,” the company observed. “Now customers live out loud, they live tweet if their flight is delayed or post photos on Instagram of shoddy inflight conditions (especially if you have GoGo at your fingertips). The result being a truly ‘always on’ social mobile flyer pre, post and inflight.”

Conversocial tracked the Twitter activity of the 20 leading airlines in North America and Europe and measured the volume of messaging, how responsive the airlines were to customer tweets, how long it took them to respond, and whether the airline tried to resolve the customer’s concern “in-channel” on the spot.

Source: Conversocial

Source: Conversocial

Among North American airlines, Southwest was found to be the most responsive to direct “@” mentions, with a 38 percent response rate. The fastest average response time was recorded by the social media team at Alaska Airlines, at 2 minutes and 34 seconds.

For all North American airlines, the average response rate was 24 percent, and the average response time 1 hour and 5 minutes. European airlines lagged behind their North American competitors, with a response rate of 19 percent and average response time of 3 hours 40 minutes.

Most North American carriers logged average response times via social media of less than 30 minutes, with JetBlue in second place at 5 minutes 3 seconds, Delta at 8 minutes 45 seconds, Southwest at 10 minutes 2 seconds, Virgin America at 16 minutes 21 seconds, and American at 25 minutes 5 seconds. However, United lagged way behind its competitors with an average response time of 2 hours 10 minutes — even though (or perhaps because) it had the highest rate of mentions per hour, and Spirit Airlines was the worst of all at 5 hours 48 minutes.

Source: Conversocial

Source: Conversocial

“Speed of response is…a key driver of customer satisfaction,” the company said. “Even when an issue cannot be resolved immediately, it’s important that a service representative show the customer – and everyone who might see the interaction – that the company has heard the message and is working on a solution.”

The report noted that customer preference for interaction with airlines via social media is shifting from public postings to private messaging, like via Facebook Messenger, which combines live chat with smartphone notifications.

“The most sophisticated channel in the social media customer service segment is messaging applications, which are encroaching quickly on email and live chat channels,” Conversocial said. “This not only reflects the more personal approach customers seem to prefer, but the growing importance played by mobile in social media use. The advancement of messaging has created a live-chat experience, built for mobile…In general, social media user behavior has changed as well. Private messaging is the new public posting.”

Although travelers are shifting from public to private messaging, “This doesn’t let airlines off the hook for authentic, human service,” Conversocial told its airline customers. “The social customer will keep one finger on the escalation button and one eye on the prize when dealing with you. If you will not resolve in-channel or respond quickly, those public takedowns of your brand are still on the table.”

Readers: Have you used social media postings or messaging to report or resolve issues with your airline during a trip? What kind of response did you get?

 

Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts! Kicking support animals off planes | Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for water | Marriott-Starwood: Higher prices, better rewards | The 10,000 points question! | Eye-catching maps explain state of the world | Test your planespotting skills! )

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Kicking “support animals” off the plane

service dog, plane

A great dane “service dog” riding in first class on the Delta California shuttle between SFO & LAX (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Frequent travelers have no doubt seen some strange things in passenger cabins, including a surprising variety of so-called “emotional support animals” (ESAs) – critters that are allowed to fly with human companions who say they just can’t travel without their furry friends close at hand. But now some airlines want to kick the menagerie off the plane.

According to Aviation Daily, carriers including United, JetBlue and Delta are asking the Transportation Department to amend its rules to ban emotional support animals from passenger cabins. 

What kind of animals are we talking about? The most common, of course, are dogs – and there are plenty of stories about passengers falsely claiming their canines are support animals so that they can fly with them in the cabin instead of the cargo hold, or just to gain access to an up-front seat. Or they are simply trying to avoid the additional cost or burden of shipping the animal in the cargo hold?

support dog

Is this cute pup really necessary for emotional support? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Why are they allowed in the first place? Aviation Daily notes that the laws aren’t in sync on the issue – The Americans with Disabilities Act recognizes “service animals” like dogs trained to assist with the blind, but not “emotional support animals (ESAs).” The Air Carrier Access Act, however, does recognize ESAs and thus requires airlines to accommodate them, unless they are creepy things like snakes, rodents and spiders.

Check out United’s rules here, which distinguish between “service” and “support” animals. Service animals are allowed with few questions. However, “support” animals require a form/note from a doctor attesting to the patient’s need to travel with the animal. And an online cottage industry has sprung up to help pet owners do just that. Here’s a video that explains how:

According to pet behaviorist Cesar Millan’s website, Cesar’s Way, “Recently, some people have been abusing the system. They pass their dog off as a service dog even though they don’t have a disability and the dog hasn’t been trained for a specific task. Not only is this wrong and an abuse of the system, but it can also be disruptive and dangerous for legitimate service dogs.Some states are taking fake service dogs so seriously that they’ve enacted laws making it a crime. In California and Florida, it is a misdemeanor to fraudulently misrepresent a service animal. In California, the penalty can include both a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail. Florida’s punishment is a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail plus 30 hours of community service, preferably for an organization serving people with disabilities.”

Nonetheless, there are all kinds of other creatures that are sharing the passenger cabin these days. Travel + Leisure magazine found instances of weird ESAs including turkeys, pigs, tortoises, miniature horses and kangaroos. If you think they’re kidding, just Google the term “service animal on plane” and click on “Images,” and you’ll find photos of these and more.

What do you think, readers? Is the system being abused? Should there be tighter rules around which animals are allowed onboard planes? Please leave your comments below. 

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JetBlue, Delta slugfest could mean lower fares

JetBlue and Delta are adding new flights out of Boston as JetBlue invades the Boston-Atlanta market. (Image: Jim Glab)

JetBlue and Delta are adding new flights out of Boston as JetBlue invades the Boston-Atlanta market. (Image: Jim Glab)

Delta Air Lines, already embroiled in a tough struggle for market dominance with Alaska Airlines at Seattle, is now facing a new battle in the Northeast.

Just a few weeks after Delta announced plans for a significant increase of service out of Boston next year, JetBlue has unveiled its own strategy to keep ahead of competitors in that city with route expansions of its own. And part of JetBlue’s plan includes a strike into Delta’s base, by launching several flights a day between Boston and Atlanta. JetBlue served Atlanta back in 2003 with nonstops to New York-JFK and Long Beach, but only for a few short months.

JetBlue said that on March 30 it will start flying five times a day between Boston and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, a route dominated by Delta and Southwest, with a few Spirit Airlines flights as well. What’s more, “In addition to Boston-Atlanta flights, JetBlue also intends to add service between Atlanta and its focus cities of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, New York JFK, and Orlando,” the company said.

In a challenge to Delta’s (and American’s) Shuttle service in the northeast, JetBlue had earlier announced plans to start flying between Boston and New York LaGuardia on October 31 of this year, with six flights a day on weekdays. JetBlue already serves the Boston-New York JFK and Boston-Newark markets.

JetBlue A321

More JetBlue A321 with posh Mint class coming soon to SFO-BOS (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Delta’s announcement last month noted that it will resume Boston-San Francisco service, with two daily 757-200 flights, starting June 8; and will boost its Boston-Seattle schedule from one flight a day to two. JetBlue responded this week with a plan to add a fourth daily Mint-equipped roundtrip to its SFO-Boston schedule starting next July. The airline noted that its existing three daily BOS-SFO flights will all have Mint service by September 21 of this year, as will all its Boston-Los Angeles flights by November 18.

The addition of two SFO-BOS flights a day by Delta and a fourth by JetBlue could mean lower fares for travelers in a market where United and Virgin America are competing as well.

JetBlue

Economy Class on JetBlue (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Delta said it will also begin Boston-Nashville service, add a second daily Boston-Milwaukee flight, and begin weekly service from BOS to Montego Bay, Jamaica; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; and St. Thomas, USVI. In response, JetBlue said its existing seasonal service from Boston to St. Thomas and Montego Bay will be extended to year-round operations.

Delta said that by next June, its increased schedule will give it 90 flights a day out of Boston to 26 destinations. That will leave it well behind JetBlue, which currently has 140 weekday departures from Boston, and plans to increase that to 200 flights a day to 63 destinations.

If you could choose between JetBlue and Delta, which way would you go? Please leave your comments below. 

(We’re back from summer vacation! In case you missed our other recent round-up posts, here they are: Domestic Routes Roundup | Tips from a Hawaiian Vacation | August’s most important travel news)

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Routes Roundup: United, Delta, JetBlue, AA, Southwest, Alaska, Frontier

United SFO

United & Delta adding even more flights at SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

There’s plenty of domestic route news to catch up on from the last few weeks. United and Delta are adding routes from San Francisco; Alaska and Delta are doing the same at Seattle; United is growing at San Jose; JetBlue is adding service at Long Beach; and new routes are coming at American, Southwest and Frontier. (We’ll post an international routes update later this week.)

At San Francisco, United plans to begin service next spring to both Detroit and Cincinnati. Effective June 8, the airline will operate one daily A319 roundtrip in each market, competing against Delta. And from December 17 through April 1, United will fly once a week (on Saturdays) with a CRJ-700 from San Francisco to Kalispell, Montana.

United also revealed plans to bulk up at San Jose by adding new 737-800 flights starting March 9 from SJC to its hubs at Chicago O’Hare and Newark. The carrier will fly twice a day to O’Hare and once a day to Newark. (United’s planned San Jose-Newark flight will begin just three days before Alaska Airlines’ recently announced new service on the same route, which will have the same departure time from SJC.) American and Southwest both fly from SJC to Chicago, and JetBlue serves the SJC-New York JFK market. Meanwhile, United on September 7 is due to launch new service to Chattanooga, Tenn., from both Newark and Chicago O’Hare, with two daily flights in each market.

In October, United will discontinue its existing twice-daily intra-California service between San Francisco and Santa Maria, which is operated by United Express/Skywest with a CRJ-200. On the other coast, United set a November 29 termination date for its twice-daily United Express service between Newark and Binghamton, New York.  But on December 16, United plans to resume seasonal flights between its Washington Dulles hub and Ft. Lauderdale, with one flight a day through January 4, then two a day until May 4.

(We’re back from summer vacation! In case you missed our other recent round-up posts, here they are: Tips from a Hawaiian Vacation | August’s most important travel news)

Delta's premium economy seat, Economy Comfort (Photo: Delta)

Delta adding SFO-Boston nonstops using a 757s (Photo: Delta)

Delta has unveiled plans for a growth spurt at Boston next spring, including a resumption of Boston-San Francisco service. The carrier will offer two BOS-SFO flights a day, using 757-200s, beginning June 8. On the same date, Delta will double its Boston-Seattle schedule from one daily flight to two. Delta will also begin new Delta Connection/Endeavor Air service between Boston and Nashville, with one daily flight using a two-class CRJ-900. Also coming from Delta is new service from Seattle to Eugene, Oregon, with three daily CRJ-700 flights beginning April 1; and a new daily roundtrip between Seattle and Raleigh-Durham effective June 8.

Long Beach, California will get more service from JetBlue next year. The carrier set a January 4 launch for new Long Beach-San Jose service, where it will offer four daily roundtrips. The airline will also beef up its schedules on existing Long Beach routes, adding three more flights a day to Las Vegas, one extra departure to San Francisco, and one more to Salt Lake City. (The Bay Area will also get new service to Long Beach from Southwest in June, when the carrier is set to launch four flights a day from Oakland.) Elsewhere on its system, JetBlue plans to add new daily service on January 12 between Chicago O’Hare and Ft. Lauderdale, but on January 11 it will discontinue service between O’Hare and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

JetBlue will begin San Jose-Long Beach flights in 2017. (Image: Jim Glab)

JetBlue will begin San Jose-Long Beach flights in January. (Image: Jim Glab)

Alaska Airlines will continue to build up its Seattle hub next spring with the addition of two more routes to the Midwest. On April 13, Alaska will kick off new daily service from SEA to Wichita, Kans., with a SkyWest Embraer 175; and on May 11 it will add new daily 737 roundtrips between SEA and Indianapolis.

The spring schedule from Southwest Airlines, which begins in March, includes new daily service between Houston Hobby and Omaha, along with new twice-daily flights between Newark and Ft. Lauderdale. At the same time, the airline will begin seasonal daily service linking Las Vegas with Minneapolis-St. Paul.

SkyWest, operating as American Eagle, will begin new daily service November 4 linking AA’s Phoenix hub with St. George, Utah. The flight will use a 50-seat CRJ-200. On the east coast, American has scheduled a December 15 start for new American Eagle/Republic Airlines service between New York’s Westchester County Airport and Miami, offering two flights a day with two-class E-175s.

Ultra-low-cost Frontier Airlines plans a December 6 expansion at Phoenix, where it will begin service to Milwaukee and St. Louis, each with four flights a week; and to Nashville and Des Moines, each with three flights a week.

On December 15, American will launch daily roundtrips from Phoenix to Santa Fe and Sioux Falls. The Santa Fe flights will use a SkyWest CRJ 700, and the Sioux Falls service will be operated by a Mesa Airlines CRJ 900.

–Chris McGinnis

(We’re back from summer vacation! In case you missed our other recent round-up posts, here they are: Tips from a Hawaiian Vacation | August’s most important travel news)

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Routes: United, Virgin America, Spirit, Frontier

United will use 737s on two new Florida nonstops (Image: Tampa International)

New nonstops to connect bay cities (Image: Tampa International)

In domestic route news, there’s lots of extra capacity coming to Florida, including new United routes from San Francisco and Spirit Airlines routes from Ohio, plus a new Florida destination for Frontier Airlines. Meanwhile, Virgin America plans to increase  capacity from the West Coast to Newark Liberty International Airport.

United will use 737s on new San Francisco routes to Florida. (Image: United)

United will use 737s on new San Francisco routes to Florida. (Image: United)

United’s newest domestic routes from San Francisco will be to Florida, starting in late fall and winter. The airline said it plans to begin a daily San Francisco-Miami flight on December 16, reviving a route that it dropped 12 years ago. United will also introduce a daily SFO-Tampa flight beginning February 16. Both routes will use 737s.

Just a few days after Alaska Airlines announced some new routes to Newark, Virgin America said it will also take advantage of the FAA’s plan to open up more slots at that airport this fall. Effective November 18, Virgin plans to increase Newark frequencies from three flights a day to four from both San Francisco and Los Angeles. The extra SFO flight is scheduled for a 9:40 a.m. departure from San Francisco, while the fourth LAX departure will be at 7 a.m.

Spirit Airlines is adding new service from Ohio to Florida (Image: Spirit Airlines)

Spirit Airlines is adding new service from Ohio to Florida (Image: Spirit Airlines)

Spirit Airlines plans a big expansion of service at Akron/Canton, adding four Florida destinations beginning November 10. The schedule includes new daily flights from Akron to Ft. Lauderdale and to Orlando, along with seasonal service from Akron to Ft. Myers four days a week and to Tampa three days a week. On the same date, meanwhile, Spirit will also suspend service between Cleveland and Dallas/Ft. Worth, changing that route from year-round to seasonal; the DFW flights will begin again on April 26.

Punta Gorda, Florida is about 25 miles north of Ft. Myers, and it has an airport that’s a lot less busy than the latter city’s Southwest Florida International; Punta Gorda is currently served only by Allegiant Airlines. So Punta Gorda is the newest airport that will go onto Frontier Airlines’ route map. On October 30, Frontier will add new service to Punta Gorda from Trenton, N.J., operating year-round four days a week. On the same date, Frontier will begin seasonal service three days a week between Punta Gorda-Philadelphia and Punta Gorda-Chicago O’Hare, continuing through April.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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JetBlue lie-flat seats coming to an airport near you?

JetBlue A321

More of JetBlue’s new A321s will come equipped with Mint cabins. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Claiming that its premium-cabin Mint service has “opened up a new market untapped by other carriers,” JetBlue said this week it has big long-term plans to keep expanding Mint to new markets beyond those it has already announced. But will it succeed?

The company said it has amended its long-term purchase agreement with Airbus to bring even more new A321s to its fleet, many of them configured with Mint premium cabins. By the end of this year, JetBlue said, it will have 17 Mint-equipped A321s; by 2017, it will have 31.

Equipped with lie-flat seats and offering “curated” food and amenities and “hospitality trained” flight attendants, JetBlue’s Mint service was initially introduced on the New York JFK-Los Angeles and JFK-San Francisco routes to give business travelers a lower-cost alternative to the lie-flat premium seating in specially-configured aircraft operated by American, Delta and United on those two key transcontinental routes (United last fall moved its p.s. transcon service from JFK to Newark).

JetBlue has big plans for expanding its Mint service. (Image: JetBlue)

JetBlue will add Mint to these cities, and eventually even more(Image: JetBlue)

And apparently the experiment has worked: JetBlue said that since it introduced Mint in 2014, routes that offer the premium service have become some of its most profitable. “Revenue per available seat mile on Mint routes has grown 20 percent since 2014, and Mint has helped attract new corporate clients and west coast point of sale,” the company said.

JetBlue recently added Mint to transcontinental flights between Boston and San Francisco, and will bring it to Boston-LAX flights this fall. This past spring, the carrier said it will expand Mint service over the next two years to even more transcontinental markets, including Seattle-Boston, Seattle-JFK, San Francisco-Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles-Ft. Lauderdale and Las Vegas-JFK. It has also started adding Mint service on a few select Caribbean routes from New York and Boston.

Have you flown Mint yet? Check out our Trip Report here!

JetBlue's Mint class offers upgraded meals. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

JetBlue’s Mint class offers upgraded meals. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In announcing the addition of more Mint-equipped A321s to its fleet, JetBlue didn’t reveal any more new routes for the service, although it suggested it may add more frequencies to existing LAX and SFO transcon routes.  But citing its success in “outperforming competitors” on Mint’s existing routes, it said that “transcontinental markets outside of New York and Los Angeles are prime for similar disruption. For example, only 5 percent of transcontinental flights over 1,800 miles consistently offer regularly scheduled lie-flat seats.”

According to Bloomberg, JetBlue is considering using its new tranche of planes for trans-Atlantic flights. 

This makes us wonder: How many markets of more than 1,800 miles can support front cabins with lie-flat seats, and how many more customers will be willing and able to ante up the fare premium? Is JetBlue trying to position itself for a future transcon battle not against the Big Three but against a combined Alaska-Virgin America? Neither of those airlines has true lie-flat premium seats on transcon routes, and although Virgin is said to be planning a first class refit, lie-flat seats are apparently not part of those plans.

Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, Alaska hasn’t yet figured out whether to keep operating Virgin as a separate brand, or two fully merge the two – and if so, how?

JetBlue

A JetBlue Mint seat in full recline (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Meanwhile, as JetBlue expands its transcon front cabins, will it be able to maintain a cost savings over the premium service of its Big Three competitors? Even now, that advantage appears to be eroding. A random check of premium cabin prices between JFK and LAX for mid-September finds JetBlue’s Mint in the same general space as the Big Three, with roundtrip fares ranging from roughly $1,150 to $1,600.

In other news, JetBlue said that it expects to grow significantly at California’s Long Beach Airport, adding nine new daily flights there starting in the fourth quarter of this year. It didn’t say where the new flights will operate from Long Beach, but it noted those routes will not offer Mint service.

So what do you think? Would you fly JetBlue if it brought Mint to an airport near you? Please leave your comments below. 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Routes: United, Singapore, Delta, American, Airberlin, LATAM, Volaris

United will add a second daily San Francisco-Shanghai flight with a 787-9. (Image: United)

United will add a second daily San Francisco-Shanghai flight with a 787-9. (Image: United)

In international route news, United will increase Shanghai service but drop Vietnam; Singapore Airlines will reroute its eastbound Houston to Singapore flight; Delta will increase its Caribbean presence via code-sharing; American will trim its LAX-Brazil schedule; Airberlin will add more U.S. flights and expand code-sharing with American; LATAM adds a new Miami market; and Mexico’s Volaris plans two new U.S. routes.

According to Routesonline.com, United Airlines plans to add a second daily flight between San Francisco and Shanghai Pudong, and has already opened it up for reservations. The second frequency is due to begin on October 14, using a 787-9 Dreamliner, although the carrier is expected to replace that with a 787-8 next spring.  Meanwhile, United also plans to discontinue service to Vietnam at the end of October when it terminates its current Hong Kong-Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) route, which it serves with a 737-800. A United spokesman tells TravelSkills that the carrier is working with its joint venture partner ANA to offer a greater number of new connections to Ho Chi Minh City via Tokyo Narita than United currently offers through Hong Kong.

Effective October 30, Singapore Airlines will make a big change in its eastbound flight from Houston Bush Intercontinental to Singapore, which currently operates via a stop in Moscow. After October, the carrier will drop Moscow from that route, replacing it with a stop in Manchester, England. The five-days-a-week service will depart Houston at 8:15 p.m., arriving in Manchester at 10:05 a.m. and eventually in Singapore at 8:20 a.m.

Delta will add Caribbean destinations via code-sharing with Seaborne Airlines. (Image: Delta)

Delta will add Caribbean destinations via code-sharing with Seaborne Airlines. (Image: Delta)

Delta has filed for Transportation Department approval to begin code-sharing with San Juan-based regional carrier Seaborne Airlines. The planned code-sharing would put Delta flight numbers onto Seaborne flights from San Juan to five destinations not currently served by Delta: Beef Island in the British Virgin Islands; Dominica; Nevis; Anguilla; and La Romana in the Dominican Republic. The code-sharing would also increase Delta-coded flights from San Juan to destinations already served by the Atlanta-based carrier, including St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

American Airlines plans to reduce frequencies between Los Angeles and Sao Paulo, Brazil from seven flights a week to five effective December 1, and will also change planes on the route from a 787-8 to a 777-200ER.

Airberlin will boost U.S. schedules this winter. (Image: Airberlin)

Airberlin will boost U.S. schedules this winter. (Image: Airberlin)

In Europe, meanwhile, American has added more code-share routes with partner Airberlin, putting its code onto the latter’s flights from Dusseldorf to Bologna, Florence, Stockholm and Venice; Frankfurt to Palma de Mallorca; and Munich to Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg. Meanwhile, effective with its winter schedule starting in November, Airberlin will increase Miami-Berlin service from two flights a week to four, and New York-Dusseldorf service from seven flights a week to eight. The carrier is also adding a new daily New York-Berlin flight, and extending its Los Angeles-Dusseldorf service from seasonal to year-round. Airberlin will also boost Chicago-Berlin frequencies from four flights a week to five, and Ft. Myers-Dusseldorf from three a week to four.

LATAM Airlines Brazil has set a September 24 start for new once-a-week service on Saturdays between Miami and Recife, Brazil, using a two-class 767.

Mexico’s low-cost Volaris Airlines has added a couple of more U.S. routes, launching service three times a week from Seattle to its Guadalajara hub, and twice a week from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Monterrey. Both routes use A320s.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Tokyo Haneda daytime rights: The winners are…

Four U.S. airlines won rights to use daytime slots at Tokyo's close-in Haneda Airport. (Image: Haneda Airport)

Four U.S. airlines won rights to use daytime slots at Tokyo’s close-in Haneda Airport. (Image: Haneda Airport)

Ever since Japan opened up Tokyo’s close-in Haneda Airport to transpacific flights, U.S. carriers have struggled to make their Haneda routes work – mostly because they were stuck with consumer-unfriendly takeoff and landing slots in the middle of the night. Since the U.S. and Japan recently negotiated some changes that allow for daytime slots at the airport, U.S. airlines have been clamoring to win those rights – and now the Transportation Department has made a tentative decision on those applications.

The agency said its initial decision awards daytime slots at Haneda to American Airlines and Delta from Los Angeles, United from San Francisco, Hawaiian from Honolulu and Delta from Minneapolis-St. Paul.

“Three of the cities – Los Angeles, Honolulu, and San Francisco – already have service to Haneda, but those services have been required to operate at night only.  Under the new agreement, carriers may arrive and depart Haneda during more favorable daytime hours.  The new route from Minneapolis also is included in that group,” DOT said.

Earlier, DOT had awarded Hawaiian a new nighttime slot for service from Kona and Honolulu to Haneda. The agency said service on all the newly awarded Haneda daytime routes could begin as soon as this fall.

American had also applied for daytime slots at Haneda for service from Dallas/Ft. Worth, but that was not among the new rights granted by DOT. Likewise Delta did not win authority for new Haneda service from Atlanta (it already flies Atlanta-Narita). The DOT suggested that if Delta’s service to Haneda from Minneapolis-St. Paul doesn’t work out, those rights might be shifted to American for a DFW-Haneda route.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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A new way to monetize your flexibility

Upside offers gift cards to business travelers who can be flexible in their trip arrangements. (Image: jim Glab)

Upside offers gift cards to business travelers who can be flexible in their trip arrangements. (Image: jim Glab)

Do you have the freedom to select your own travel suppliers on business trips – and are you flexible when it comes to your airline and hotel arrangements? Would like like an Amazon or Best Buy gift card with your next travel booking? If so, you’re the target for a new travel booking and rewards company.

It’s called Upside , and it was put together by a small group of former Priceline executives, including Priceline founder Jay Walker. It is planning to launch a Beta version sometime in September. Walker told TravelSkills: “Most business travelers have a valuable, hidden asset that’s worth a small fortune on every trip they take. The asset? Flexibility. Specifically, small amounts of flexibility on the flights and hotels that a business traveler is willing to use on any given trip.”

Sign up for Upside here

Here’s how it works: Instead of booking your usual first-choice airline, flight time and hotel, you let the Upside app or website put together an air-hotel package using suppliers that you have pre-approved. If the alternatives it shows are suitable to your schedule and if the discounts and gift cards offers are enticing enough, you’ll then pay a $35 fee to book the trip. (Upside says that users will typically see gift card amounts of $100 to $200, and savings of 5 to 15 percent in travel costs, and enough to make the $35 fee a wash.)

A early look at the Upside app

A early look at the Upside app

The electronic gift cards are good at major stores or online retailers (such as Best Buy or Amazon), and they will be delivered to your mobile phone shortly after you buy the trip arrangements. Upside says that those who take just five or six trips a year through Upside can rack up easily $1,000 in gift cards – or more, if they travel internationally in business class.

Users will be able to book their arrangements through the Upside app or its website; round-the-clock phone support is also available. There’s no requirement to buy the package Upside suggests, and once you do, it can be cancelled or changed quickly if circumstances warrant. Also, Upside says that users will still earn airline frequent flyer points or miles for the flights it selects (but not hotel program points).

Sign up for Upside here

Travelers simply specify the time windows for their flights, and pre-approve the airlines and hotel companies they prefer. “Upside supports all of the leading brands,” the company said. Then Upside’s “Flexibility Engine” software builds the package.

So how will Upside  make money? “We buy travel from suppliers at very advantageous rates– rates so low that we can pass along a substantial discount, take our cut and provide gift cards to travelers,” said a company spokesperson. In addition, Upside makes money on the $35 fee it charges per booking.

Would you pay a $35 fee for a chance to earn potentially hundreds in gift cards and score travel discounts not found elsewhere?  

That’s the question Upside is waiting for you to answer.

Earn $150: Upside has partnered TravelSkills to help it find business travelers who want to sign up early and are willing to test pre-release versions of the service. All you have to do is supply your email address, phone and answer a few general questions about your travel habits. Upside guarantees that these VIPs will will get $150 minimum in free gift cards for every package they purchase this year. Want to give it a try? Then request a VIP invitation via our referral link by July 30.

Sign up for Upside here

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Gimme better wi-fi…or else!

Passengers are getting more demanding about Wi-Fi quality. (Image: Virgin America)

Passengers are getting more demanding about Wi-Fi quality. (Image: Virgin America)

Have you ever moved your business away from one airline to another that had better in-flight Wi-Fi service? According to a new survey, an increasing number of travelers are doing just that.

The poll of more than 1,000 U.S. air travelers, conducted by Honeywell, uncovered a growing dissatisfaction with current Wi-Fi service, and rising expectations for faster, more reliable in-flight Internet connections.

“Passengers are serious about getting the best in-flight Wi-Fi experience possible. To avoid losing passengers and revenue, airlines need a connectivity service that is reliable all the time, no matter where they fly,” said Carl Esposito, vice president, Marketing and Product Management, Honeywell Aerospace, which supplies airlines with wi-fi systems.

Among the findings:

  • Almost three out of four passengers said they would switch airlines to get a better Wi-Fi link – and 21 percent said they have already done so, giving up on their preferred carrier for another with better service (up from 17 percent in a similar 2014 poll).
  • Only 22 percent said their in-flight Wi-Fi was “extremely reliable” over the past year, compared with 27 percent who said so in 2014.
  • What kind of quality are travelers looking for? Eighty-three percent said in-flight Wi-Fi should be fast enough to stream video content from sites like Youtube and Netflix; 90 percent feel they should be able to get a reliable Internet link throughout their flight anywhere in the world; and 84 percent said they want a Wi-Fi signal that is as good as what they have at home or in their office.

As you might expect, in-flight Wi-Fi quality is more important to Millennial travelers (born between 1982-1998) than their older counterparts, with a larger percentage of Millennials (27 percent, vs. 15 percent of older flyers) reporting that they have switched carriers for a better experience, and requiring speeds fast enough for content streaming (89 percent vs. 77 percent).

honeywell

Readers: Rate your overall inflight wi-fi experiences over the last year in the comments! 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Huge travel website wants your flight reviews

Travelers can now post flight reviews on TripAdvisor. (Image: Jim Glab)

Travelers can now post flight reviews on TripAdvisor. (Image: Jim Glab)

One of the Internet’s most widely-used travel review sites is now allowing users to sound off about their airline flight experiences. It also developed a scoring system that can help travelers examine carrier amenities and services so they can make a better judgment before they book.

The site is TripAdvisor, which is widely consulted by travelers for a customer comments database that includes more than 350 million user reviews of 6.5 million hotels, restaurants and attractions worldwide. And now it is adding airline flights to the mix.

TripAdvisor first ventured into the airline space with amenities information, traveler photos and a flight search/price-scanning function. It has recently been collecting worldwide traveler reviews of airline flight experiences, and this week made that database available to all users.

A typical flight review from TripAdvisor's new database.

A typical flight review from TripAdvisor’s new database.

 “According to a recent TripAdvisor survey, 42 percent of U.S. travelers believe airlines are making it harder to find the total cost of a flight. The same survey found that 39 percent of consumers also believe airlines’ in-flight amenities information is not very accessible. “Airline reviews from the millions of flyers on TripAdvisor will better communicate the total value of a flight beyond the price,” the site said in announcing its airline reviews.

TripAdvisor has also come out with a beta version of a new feature called Flyscore, which provides a 1-to-10 rating for individual flights “based on the power of qualitative traveler reviews, the quality of the aircraft, in-flight amenities and the duration of the itinerary,” the company said. It also offers enhanced information about the availability of in-flight amenities like power ports and Wi-Fi.

Here’s a link to the new reviews, indexed alphabetically by airline.

Do you think TripAdvisor will be as successful with flight reviews as it is with hotels? Would a review affect the way you book your flights? Please leave your comments below. 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Buying vs. hoping for upgrades

Delta says it is selling more first class seats these days. (Image: Delta)

Delta says it is selling more first class seats these days. (Image: Delta)

For decades, elite-level business travelers came to expect free upgrades to first or business class as part of their birthright. But in today’s changing environment, they often have to decide in advance whether they want to spend some money to guarantee a seat in a front cabin, or take their chances on getting a space available upgrade.

The New York Times took a look at the changing upgrade scene, and concluded that “the perks of being a frequent flyer are not as valuable as they once were.”

The report noted that airlines are finding new ways to gain some revenue from unsold front-cabin seats instead of just giving them away. Increasingly common tactics include pre-departure offers of low-priced upgrades; taking bids for unsold premium seats; and cutting fares for front-cabin seats in order to boost sales.

JetBlue's Mint class meals are excellent (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

JetBlue’s Mint class meals are excellent (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The newspaper interviewed a number of frequent travelers who bemoaned the changes and the new pre-departure calculations they must make in order to achieve the comfort level they want.

For example, should you just go ahead and buy that JetBlue Mint seat between California and NYC for $699, or pay United or Delta or American $499 for an economy seat and hope for the best? (Or pay just $399 each way for Mint seats on JetBlue’s new LAX-Ft Lauderdale flights!)

The NYT article also said that the airlines’ new strategies seem to be working, citing Delta’s prediction earlier this year that the percentage of paying passengers in its first class seats will increase from a little more than 50 percent in 2015 to 70 percent by 2018.

What about you, readers? What’s the best deal you’ve taken for an upgrade recently? What’s the most you’d pay for a transcon upgrade? Please leave your comments below. 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Do airlines discriminate against tall travelers?

Take pity on the tall traveler who is faced with this in economy class (Image: Eric Schmidt)

Take pity on the tall traveler who is frequently faced with this in economy class (Image: Eric Schmidt)

Oversized travelers frequently make the news, but the over-wide folks seem to get all the attention. Well, what about over- tall travelers? 

Anyone over six feet tall can probably relate to the plight of Eric Schmidt, a frequent traveler who at six feet, six inches tall, is frequently scrunched into submission on long flights. He thinks airlines should offer unsold exit row seats to tall travelers, and not charge them  a fee for the upgrade.

Schmidt is so fed up with bruised knees that he’s started a campaign to convince airlines to give special dispensation to tall travelers. His first move was to create a twitter account designed to attract other tall travelers, and hound airlines into action. He believes that when exit row seats are available, tall travelers should be able to sit in them without a charge. He thinks fees for exit row or bulkhead seats are a “tall tax.”

We asked Schmidt to state his case for TravelSkills and we’d love to hear your opinions.

Sit in a chair facing the wall. Position the chair so your knees are touching the wall, no matter your posture. Now, sit there for two and a half hours. This is what it’s like for anyone over six feet tall in a regular coach seat. 

In the good old days, tall folks like me could just mosey up to a gate agent before a flight, explain our predicament and the agent would kindly offer us an exit row seat– the golden ticket for the height-disadvantaged. We would accept the responsibilities of helping in the case of an emergency in exchange for some precious extra space for our long legs.
 
Then a terrible thing happened.
 
Airlines realized they could charge for “upgrades” to exit rows and suddenly there was competition for those seats. Common sense went out the door and, too often, people who aren’t even tall or fit enough to lift their luggage into the overhead compartment get to sit in those seats.
Tall travelers
Even worse, when these seats go un-purchased, flight attendants refuse to allow tall passengers, bruised knees and all, to move to those empty seats mid-flight unless they pay the fee. It feels like the airlines are taxing us for being tall. It’s completely unethical and illogical. In an emergency, wouldn’t you want the most able bodied people on the flight there to help?
 
A few years ago, I reached the zenith of my anger, so I did something about it.
 
A Delta gate agent refused to give me an exit row seat, despite all of them being available, unless I paid an extra $65. I refused out of principle. So, I sat there at the gate and created my most valuable tool– a twitter account called @ExitRow4TheTall.
 
Through Twitter, I am able to connect with like-minded people and, most importantly, annoy the airlines. There are 25-50 complaint tweets per day by a diverse group of tall passengers that contain the words “exit row.” The airline that most frequently gets complaints from tall people is United Airlines (whose CEO, another tall guy, recently resigned amid corruption investigations #HowAppropriate).
 
It’s time for lawmakers to intervene, because this is a clear example of big business picking on the little guy– or the tall one in this case. In the friendly skies, I think there should be a few basic rights for how much space we should have to avoid physical pain.
 
I testified to the Department of Transportation and the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection in Washington D.C. last year but change will come slowly unless we have strength in numbers.
 
If you agree, and have a twitter account, please follow @ExitRow4TheTall and tweet your displeasure, being sure to include airline handles in your tweets. If you’re at the airport or on the plane, let the airline employees know you disagree with their policies of not allowing tall travelers easy access to extra legroom seats. Call your local representatives and tell them your height should never be exploited for profit.
Tall travelers
 This is a “Blast from the Past”: A previously popular post that we’ve updated with new info. Check out the original post and comments here. 
Schmidt says that tall travelers were delivered a blow this year when the U.S. Senate voted down a proposal to regulate airline seat size. 
So what do you think, readers? Should airlines offer special dispensation to tall travelers in the form of free access to unsold exit row seats? Please leave your comments below.

 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Havana, Cuba airline tickets from US cities coming soon

Havana

Refrigerator magnets from a recent trip to Havana (Chris McGinnis)

Last month, the U.S. Transportation Department awarded U.S. carriers new route rights to serve secondary cities in Cuba, but not the biggest plum – Havana.

This week, DOT finally acted on all the requests it had from U.S. airlines to operate regular scheduled service to the Cuban capital, awarding Havana routes to eight airlines for flights that are likely to start sometime this fall.

The preliminary route awards are still subject a public comment period before being finalized. Tickets are not yet on sale, but should be later this summer. Right now, round trip charter flights from Miami to Havana are running at about $450 round trip, a price that we expect to drop significantly when competition cranks up in the fall.

The only Havana route from the West Coast went to Alaska Airlines, which will operate daily non-stops from Los Angeles using a two-class, 181-passenger 737-900ER. The flight will originate in Seattle, offering same-plane service top Cuba. Alaska said it expects to begin the service by year’s end. From LAX or SFO, current fares to Havana via Mexico City (Aeromexico) or Panama City (Copa) are about $625 round trip.

Recent: Curious about Cuba? Don’t miss this!

Cuba cars

Vintage cars serve as tourist taxis in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolucion (Chris McGinnis)

Most of the new routes will be from the eastern U.S., especially Florida. The exception to that rule was DOT’s selection of United to operate Houston-Havana flights, but only once a week. United will also operate daily non-stops to Havana from its Newark hub.

American Airlines will offer four daily roundtrips to Havana from Miami and one a day from Charlotte; Delta’s new route authority includes daily roundtrips to Havana from Atlanta, New York JFK and Miami; JetBlue won rights for two daily flights from Ft. Lauderdale and one each from New York JFK and Orlando; Southwest’s new route authority provides for two daily roundtrips from Ft. Lauderdale and one from Tampa; Spirit Airlines got two daily Ft. Lauderdale-Havana flights; and Frontier will be allowed a single daily flight from Miami to Havana.

Don’t miss: Cruising into Cuba: It’s complicated!

Havana nonstops

Nonstops to Havana from US cities announced today (Image: Great Circle Mapper)

Technically, the U.S. still does not allow for simple tourist travel to Cuba; Americans who go there must fall into one of 12 categories approved by the government, including things like journalistic activity, professional research and meetings, educational activities and so on. Here’s a link to the Treasury Department’s rules for travel to Cuba.

Have you been to Cuba yet? Will you go in the near future? Why or why not? Please leave your comments below!

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Be the first to try American’s premium economy cabin

American's new Premium Economy section will have leather seats in a 2-3-2 layout. (Image: American Airlines)

American’s new Premium Economy section will have leather seats in a 2-3-2 layout. (Image: American Airlines)

Last December, American Airlines said it would introduce an international premium economy cabin, and now it has set the date when customers will begin to see that new seating option. The move by American marks a new era for major U.S. carriers and is just one more step in the long-term reconfiguration of long-haul aircraft as the traditional first class cabin continues to disappear.

American said that on November 4, it will start flying 787-9 Dreamliners equipped with the new premium economy cabins on routes between Dallas/Ft. Worth-Madrid and DFW-Sao Paulo. Seats can be booked starting July 10 (so no fare info yet). The aircraft will have 30 lie-flat business class seats arranged 1-2-1; 21 premium economy seats in a 2-3-2 configuration; 21 Main Cabin Extra seats (up to six inches of extra legroom) arranged 3-3-3; and 207 regular economy seats, also in a 3-3-3 layout.

The premium economy section will offer leather seats with 38 inches of pitch; extendable foot, leg and head rests; and on-demand entertainment systems with larger touchscreens. Premium economy passengers will get to check one bag free, and will receive noise-reducing headphones, amenity kits, and an enhanced meal service with free alcoholic beverages of their choice. The new AA 787-9s will also offer international Wi-Fi. Besides the new 787-9s, American plans to retrofit its existing wide-bodies with the new cabin over time.

U.S. carriers are behind their foreign counterparts in adding true premium economy sections to their long-haul aircraft. According to Seatguru.com, which has compiled a comparison chart of premium economy seating worldwide, some 28 foreign carriers already offer the service.

Delta will introduce premium economy sections on new A350s in 2017. (Image: Delta)

Delta will introduce premium economy sections on new A350s in 2017. (Image: Delta)

American’s status as the only major U.S. carrier to offer international premium economy won’t last too long, however; Delta has already said it plans to introduce premium economy seating on the new Airbus A350s that it will start adding to its fleet in 2017, and then will extend the new cabin to its 777s as well.

All this is putting pressure on United Airlines to follow suit, but so far that carrier hasn’t said anything about premium economy. United’s last big announcement about its long-haul fleet was its plan to install an all-new Polaris Business Class product, which will start to appear in December on its 777-300ERs and then on its new 787-10s and A350-1000s; the new business cabin will also be deployed on United’s 767-300s and 777-200s as part of a three-year project that will also mean the gradual elimination of first class service on the airline’s long-haul fleet.

A typical window seat in United's new Polaris business class. (Image: United)

A typical window seat in United’s new Polaris business class. (Image: United)

And United’s not alone in that respect; we recently noted that a number of the world’s leading airlines are moving to eliminate traditional first class as they buy new aircraft and retrofit their older ones. Think of it as a gradual recycling of cabin classes, with newer, plusher business classes replacing traditional first class, and improved premium economy seating taking the place of traditional business class.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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New tech speeds up airport security screening

Phoenix Airport will be the test site for new security screening technology by American Airlines and TSA. (Image: Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport)

Phoenix Airport will be the test site for new security screening technology by American Airlines and TSA. (Image: Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport)

American Airlines, which recently complained to Congress that thousands of its passengers were missing flights due to long airport security screening lines, is the latest company to look to new technology to speed up the process. American joins Delta, which recently installed a pair of innovative checkpoint lanes at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson (and bought part of CLEAR).

American said it will cooperate with the Transportation Security Administration in trying out new technologies and procedures including automated screening lanes and computed tomography (CT) scanners at its hubs nationwide. The aim is to reduce the time customers spend in TSA lines by 30 percent, the company said.

The effort will begin with a pilot program at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, due to start by year’s end. The company anticipates expanding the enhancements to Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Los Angeles and Miami.

Part of the program involves ”automating many of the functions currently conducted manually,” in order to speed up the process, American said. That includes automated belts that pull bags into the x-ray machine so customers don’t have to stand by to push them in; and other belts that return empty bins to the beginning of the checkpoint, so that TSA personnel don’t have to do that. New bins in the regular screening lanes will be 25 percent larger than the existing models so passengers won’t need as many of them.

Any passenger items believed to show a problem during x-ray can have their bins automatically shunted off the main belt for further checking without holding up the line. Bins will have radio frequency ID tags (RFID) “to allow for additional accountability of items as they transit throughout the system,” AA said; and cameras will grab a photo of the outside of the bag “which is linked to the x-ray image of the bag’s contents.”

Analogic Corp. says its CT scanners can process passengers twice as fast as x-ray machines. (Image: Analogic)

Analogic Corp. says its CT scanners can process passengers twice as fast as x-ray machines. (Image: Analogic)

Also to be tested at Phoenix is the latest CT scanning technology. It’s only used on checked bags today, but American said if it were used for carry-ons, that “could make it possible to allow passengers to leave liquids, gels and aerosols, as well as laptops, in their carry-on bags at all times” – he same kind of treatment that only PreCheck members get today.

The leader in CT security scanning is a firm called Analogic Corporation, which has been testing the latest scanning technology for the past two years at Amsterdam Schiphol and London’s Luton Airport, looking for explosives and other prohibited items without requiring travelers to remove laptops or liquids from their bags. The company said earlier this year that the tests have been a huge success, scanning more than a million bags so far. “The results were considered the best in class by airport security experts, with extremely low false alarms and increased throughput at the checkpoint,” a spokesman said. The company said the tests indicate CT scanning can handle up to 550 passengers per hour – twice the rate of traditional x-ray scanning.

American’s announcement comes just weeks after Delta teamed up with the TSA to install new security screening stations at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson that incorporate some of the same elements American will use at Phoenix – except for the CT scanning. They also have five stations where passengers can load up their bins simultaneously instead of doing it one at a time.

TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger said at a Senate hearing recently that the two new screening lanes at ATL have shown “dramatic improvements’ in speeding up the security process, improving efficiency by about 30 percent.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Routes: San Francisco, LAX, Houston, San Jose, New York, Washington, Chicago

United will use a 787 for a second daily SFO-London flight. (Image: United)

United will use a 787 for a second daily SFO-London flight. (Image: United)

In international route news, United will boost its London schedules from San Francisco and Los Angeles while cutting back from Houston; also, United this week launches its promised New Zealand service; Lufthansa kicks off its delayed San Jose inaugural; Brussels Airlines rolls out a premium economy class; Wow Air adds another U.S. gateway; and a Mexican low-cost carrier adds a Chicago route.

United Airlines announced plans to add a second daily San Francisco-London Heathrow flight to its schedule starting October 30. The new LHR flight (UA900/901) will depart San Francisco at 4:15 p.m., using a 219-passenger 787-8 with BusinessFirst, Economy Plus and regular economy seating. Also on October 30, United will trim its schedule from Houston Bush Intercontinental to London from three daily flights to two, although it will use larger 777-200s on the remaining IAH flights instead of the current 767-300s and 787s. Then next spring (effective April 5), the airline will lay on a second daily Los Angeles-LHR flight (UA60/61), using a 252-seat 787-9. That flight will leave LAX at 3:10 p.m.

Meanwhile, July 1 is the launch date for United’s newest transpacific route, from San Francisco to Auckland , New Zealand. The carrier will use a 787-8 to fly the route three days a week, then will expand capacity starting October 28 to daily frequencies that use a larger 787-9. United has slated a 10:45 p.m. departure time from SFO for the 13-hour, 10-minute (westbound) flight. United will operate the route as part of its Star Alliance partnership with Air New Zealand.

Lufthansa will use an A340-300 on its new San Jose-Frankfurt route. (Image: BriYYZ/Wikimedia Commons)

Lufthansa will use an A340-300 on its new San Jose-Frankfurt route. (Image: BriYYZ/Wikimedia Commons)

Another new Bay Area international route starting up this week is Lufthansa’s non-stop service from Frankfurt to San Jose. Originally planned to begin on April 29, it is now set for a July 1 launch.  Lufthansa will operate the route five days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday), using an Airbus A340-300 with business class, economy, and premium economy seating.  This plane, which is smaller than the A340-600 on SFO-Munich,  has 18 business class seats, 19 premium economy seats and 261 economy seats– no first class. Even though SeatGuru.com shows the seats on the A340-300 to be of the old “angled lie flat” variety, a Lufthansa spokesperson tells TravelSkills that the planes have been reconfigured with the carrier’s latest, greatest true lie-flat offering, like what you’ll find on its A380 and A340 flying from SFO. Currently, fares from both SFO and SJC to Frankfurt appear to be identical: about $5,200 round trip in business class, $2,700 in premium economy, and about $1,300 for economy. 

Brussels Airlines is adding premium economy seating to its U.S. A330 flights. (Image: Brussels Airlines)

Brussels Airlines is adding premium economy seating to its U.S. A330 flights. (Image: Brussels Airlines)

International premium economy seating continues to proliferate; the latest carrier to add that feature is Brussels Airlines, which is due to start offering it July 1 on the Airbus A330s that it flies to its U.S. gateways (New York JFK and Washington Dulles) from Brussels. The new seating option, located in the first four rows of the economy cabin, offers extra legroom and seats that recline more than twice as far as regular economy seats. It also provides enhanced in-flight services and amenities.  The carrier is offering the new seating for a surcharge of $139 one-way until September 15, when the price will rise to $169.

Elsewhere in the New York area, Icelandic low-cost carrier Wow Air – which recently started flying from San Francisco and Los Angeles — said it will add Newark Liberty International to its route map on November 25, offering daily flights to Reykjavik and connections to the U.K. and Europe. The airline will use A321s or A330s on the new route, depending on the season. One-way fares to Iceland will start at $99, with service to European capitals from as little as $149.

Mexico’s low-cost Volaris Airlines has kicked off a new route linking Chicago O’Hare with Monterrey, Mexico. The carrier will operate the service twice a week (Mondays and Fridays), using a 174-passenger Airbus A320.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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To recline or not to recline…

Turkish Airlines

Squabble over a few angry inches erupts (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

THAT is the question!

Our recent post “Six highly annoying habits of infrequent flyers” drew quite a response from our readers – especially on the question of whether or not a passenger should feel free to recline his or her seat, and if so, under what circumstances.

It’s a question that never goes away – and sometimes comes back strong, like in 2014 when a couple of nasty incidents involving passengers’ use of the Knee Defender resulted in arguments that caused flights to be diverted. (The 12-year-old Knee Defender is a plastic item some travelers buy to install over their tray table arms; it prevents the seat ahead of them from reclining. Fortune magazine even devoted an article to whether or not a traveler might have a right to sue if the Knee Defender was deployed against them.)

Advocates of reclining their seat argue that if they didn’t have a right to recline, the airlines wouldn’t install reclining seats. Opponents suggest that maybe they shouldn’t. (And some low-fare carriers – Allegiant and Spirit – don’t. Here’s a look at how that worked out for them.)

Anyway, following is a summary of reader comments about the pros and cons of seat reclining. What about YOU? Please leave your comments below…

“I never ever recline. I’m 6’3″ and when someone reclines it seriously hurts me. I know that the chairs recline, but they shouldn’t. My knees (except in first class) are already in the back of the seatback in front of me. Which is why I always try to book an aisle so that I can at least extend one leg. I’m fine when people in first class recline as it usually doesn’t cause me any issues, but unless you’re riding in first class PLEASE I’m begging you for the sake of all of us that are tall (or perhaps just have long legs), don’t recline! We can’t do anything about our height.” – Joshua Titus

“I have a bad lower back, and airline seats seem designed to put the most stress on it–so yes, I still recline (and still need ibuprofen). However, I go back slowly and gently, since I know someone is back there. Most irritating to me are those folks who use something to block the recline function.” – Kevin Ford

“I still recline. If we weren’t supposed to recline, the seats wouldn’t have the ability to do so.” — SkippingDog

“Each to their own (feel the ‘zen’), but isn’t this like lighting up onboard an older aircraft because there are still ash trays in the arms?” — Howard

“Not at all, since the law and the rules are that nobody smokes on airplanes anymore. When there’s a law or a rule that prohibits reclining my seat, I’ll certainly comply with it.” – SkippingDog

“I recline but I go back very slowly.” – Jeff

“If the seat has recline, then I’m going to recline. If you don’t like it, pay for business class. – Anthony Wong

“On some aircraft, the seat has an ash tray too! This is not about what’s possible or legal, it’s about what’s polite and protocol.  PS — I do recline too, but only on flights where one might reasonably expect most people to be sleeping/resting.” – Howard

Thinner "slimline" all the rage among airlines these days (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Some airlines don’t offer reclining seats at all- like these on Hawaiian’s 717’s used for short inter island flights (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

“Reclining makes it really challenging for the person behind you to work, eat, and be comfortable. It’s an antiquated concept on modern jets (at least in coach).” – David Mandelbaum

“Under two hours, rarely recline. Longer than that, I recline on take-off when I know the tray tables are up.” – RD

“The fact that planes are too full is a problem for the airline, but doesn’t change the fact that the seats are made to recline. Unless I’m flying for work, I usually fly first class these days, and I recline there too.” – SkippingDog

“I don’t recline, even in first class. You are cutting into the space of the person behind you. I am always furious when the person in front of me reclines.” — Hokey

Why don’t you chime in with your two cents on this contentious issue? Fire away in the comments below.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Routes: JetBlue, Virgin America, Alaska, American, United

JetBlue added a new transcontinental route from San Diego. (Image: Jim Glab)

JetBlue added a new transcontinental route from San Diego. (Image: Jim Glab)

Don’t miss: Unprecedented JetBlue offer for Virgin America flyers

In domestic route news, JetBlue has kicked off a new transcontinental route from San Diego; Virgin America adds another Hawaii flight from the West Coast (but you still can’t surf from it); Alaska adds new routes from San Diego and Anchorage; American plans new service from O’Hare this fall; and United enters a new East Coast market from LaGuardia.

The newest transcontinental route for JetBlue Airways is San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale, which it started flying last week. The daily eastbound segment is a red-eye, departing San Diego at 10:15 p.m. and arriving at 6:19 a.m. It’s the latest step in an ongoing JetBlue expansion at Ft. Lauderdale, where it is already the busiest airline. Last month, JetBlue started service from FLL to Nashville and to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

Virgin America has added its fourth Hawaii route from California. (Image: Virgin America)

Virgin America has added its fourth Hawaii route from California. (Image: Virgin America)

Virgin America Airlines has added a fourth route to Hawaii with the launch of new service between Los Angeles and Kahului, Maui. The new daily service departs LAX at 9:35 a.m.; like the airline’s other Hawaii flights, it uses an Airbus A320 equipped with “sharklet” wingtips that create greater fuel efficiency and increase the aircraft’s range. Last month, Virgin started LAX-Honolulu service; it also flies to both Hawaiian destinations from San Francisco. Note: Virgin’s satellite based wi-fi is still not operational on its Hawaii flights from LAX or SFO. A spokesman told TravelSkills that it’s “coming later this year.”

Dont miss: 6 habits of highly annoying infrequent fliers

Alaska Airlines has started new seasonal service between Anchorage and Spokane, Washington, operating once a week (on Saturdays) with a 737 from now through August 27 – the first-ever non-stop service in that city-pair. The airline also announced plans to operate seasonal service this coming winter from San Diego to Hayden/Steamboat Springs, Colorado for the ski season. Those flights, on Wednesday sand Saturdays, will use 76-seat Embraer 175s operated by SkyWest.

Starting October 6, American Airlines will add a pair of spokes from its Chicago O’Hare hub. New American Eagle flights will operate twice a day between O’Hare and Akron/Canton, Ohio; and three times daily between O’Hare and Lansing, Michigan. Both routes will use Embraer 145s.

On the heels of Delta’s announcement to start Raleigh-Durham service from Newark this fall, United now plans to do the same from New York LaGuardia. The United service begins October 30, when it will start operating three flights a day (except Saturdays) between LGA and Raleigh-Durham, using Embraer 170s.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers  | First class phase out coming soon

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Routes: LAX, SFO, Seattle, San Diego, Boston, New York, Atlanta + more

Fiji Airways SFO

SFO’s latest arrival from the exotic South Seas! (Photo: Peter Biaggo/SFO)

In international route news, American next week adds new transpacific flights from Los Angeles; Swiss brings its fancy new 777 to the Los Angeles-Zurich route, while Emirates doubles down on LAX service with a big sports sponsorship; San Francisco gets a new route to the South Pacific; Germany’s Condor Airlines unveils some new U.S. routes, including Seattle and San Diego; TAP Air Portugal adds two U.S. gateways with upgraded aircraft; Delta trims service to a South American city from Atlanta; and two U.S. airlines start selling tickets for scheduled service to Cuba.

American Airlines next week will kick off its newest transpacific route: On June 23 it will start flying a 787-8 Dreamliner between Los Angeles International and Auckland, New Zealand as part of its growing joint venture partnership with Qantas, ending Air New Zealand’s non-stop monopoly on that route. The aircraft’s business class offers personal suites with 77-inch lie-flat seat-beds, direct aisle access for every seat, and a walk-up bar stocked with drinks and snacks. The economy cabin offers a Main Cabin Extra seating option with five extra inches of legroom, and both cabins have Wi-Fi and AC/USB ports at every seat.

Also at Los Angeles International, Swiss has started flying the LAX-Zurich route  with its new 777-300ERs, the flagships of its international long-haul fleet. The aircraft boasts redesigned and upgraded interiors with first, business and economy class. Take a look here at some photos of the plane that we ran last year when the carrier introduced them. Swiss had planned to start flying the 777-300ER to San Francisco in August, but as we reported last month, that introduction has been postponed until February 2017.

emiratesfas

Emirates flight attendants visited Dodger Stadium to promote the airline’s expanded LAX service. (Image: Emirates)

Meanwhile, Emirates is due to lay on a second daily A380 flight starting July 1 between Los Angeles and Dubai, and it is counting on a new sponsorship deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers to draw attention to the airline in that big market. The airline even brought some of its flight attendants onto the field during a recent game at Dodger Stadium to promote the tie-in.

At San Francisco International, Fiji Airways this week kicked off seasonal service to Nadi, Fiji, using a two-class A330 for the 10-hour flight. It will operate twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, through mid-August, then will resume from mid-December through mid-January.

Germany’s Condor Airlines, a leisure-oriented carrier that belongs to the Thomas Cook Group, plans to add some U.S. routes in 2017, including the only non-stops between Seattle and Munich. That route will begin in July 2017 with twice-weekly service. Condor already flies between Seattle and Frankfurt, and recently extended that to year-round service. Also in Condor’s 2017 plans: twice-weekly seasonal flights between Frankfurt and New Orleans from May through September; three flights week starting May 1 between Frankfurt-San Diego; and twice-weekly service beginning May 2 between Munich and Las Vegas.

TAP Portugal is using upgraded A330s on new Boston and New York routes. (Image: Airbus)

TAP Portugal is using upgraded A330s on new Boston and New York routes. (Image: Airbus)

TAP Portugal just started new daily service between Lisbon and Boston Logan, and will add daily Lisbon-New York JFK service July 1. Both routes are using A330s that feature TAP’s new executive class cabin with lie-flat seats. The aircraft also features a new, advanced in-flight entertainment system; and the economy cabin has two kinds of seating, offering 34-inch and 31-inch pitch. The airline already serves Newark and Miami from Lisbon.

At its Atlanta hub, Delta on August 30 will reduce service to Medellin, Colombia, cutting back from the current daily frequencies to just three a week. Delta uses a 737-700 on the route.

Following the Transportation Department’s recent award of Cuba route rights (except Havana) to U.S. carriers for regular scheduled service, some of them have started selling tickets to the island nation. American will start flying once or twice a day from Miami to Cienfuegos and Holguin on September 7; from Miami to Camaguey and Santa Clara September 9; and from Miami to Varadero September 11. Silver Airways will start service September 1 from Ft. Lauderdale to Santa Clara, followed by flights out of Ft. Lauderdale to Camaguey, Cienfuegos and Holguin in October; to Santiago and Cayo Coco in November; and to Varadero, Cayo Largo and Manzanillo in December.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Will Alaska preserve Virgin America’s brand?

Virgin America touches down in Palm Springs on a cold winter day (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Virgin America might keep its identity despite its acquisition by Alaska Airlines. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

When Alaska Airlines finalized its acquisition of Virgin America, most observers assumed that the latter carrier’s identity would be absorbed into the purchaser’s, which has happened with other U.S. airline mergers. But that might not be the case.

Alaska CEO Brad Tilden, speaking in New York this week and following up with an Associated Press interview, said his company is “looking at” the possibility of maintaining the separate brands of the two airlines, although no decision has been made yet.

Tilden told the AP that he is “taking a good look at running two brands for some period of time, perhaps forever.”

“We believe in the power of the Virgin America brand and we don’t want to lose all that loyalty and revenue that exists today,” he said.

Tilden noted that while the acquiring carrier in U.S. mergers traditionally extends its own brand to the merger partner, that has not been the case in Europe – e.g., Air France and KLM maintain their separate identities even though they are a single company, and the Lufthansa Group has maintained the previous brands of its acquisitions, including Swiss and Austrian Airlines.

Alaska Airlines and Virgin America have distinct products and passenger markets. (Photo: Jim Glab)

Alaska Airlines and Virgin America have distinct products and passenger markets. (Photo: Jim Glab)

In any case, Alaska and Virgin have very distinct products, and trying to decide which parts to keep and which ones to discard in a single merged brand might be a real problem, especially given the loyalty of Virgin’s flyers to its unique characteristics, like its mood lighting and the ability to order meals from seatback screens.

The two airlines are currently undergoing the usual investigation by the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division prior to government approval of the merger, and shareholders must give it their OK as well. Tilden said he expects the regulatory approval process to be completed within the next few months.

Readers: Do you think Alaska should keep Virgin America as a separate brand? If not, which parts of the Virgin experience should Alaska adopt for the combined airline?

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Singapore Airlines adds another nonstop from US

Plenty of TravelSkills readers will soon soak in this view of the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

TravelSkills readers will soon soak in this view of the Marina Bay Sands whether flying United or Singapore Airlines (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Just two weeks after United Airlines started flying non-stop from San Francisco to Singapore, Singapore Airlines confirmed to TravelSkills that it will do the same beginning this fall – and that it will boost Los Angeles service as well.

While United is using a 787-9 Dreamliner for the route, Singapore said it will rely on a new Airbus A350-900. The airline plans to start flying the non-stop San Francisco route, a trip of about 16 hours, on October 23. Singapore said that in addition to the new non-stops, it will continue to offer daily one-stop service between SFO and Singapore via Hong Kong, using a 777-300ER.

The daily SFO non-stops will replace the airline’s existing daily San Francisco-Seoul-Singapore service; that will be relocated to Los Angeles on October 23, increasing Singapore’s schedule there from one daily flight (LAX-Tokyo-Singapore) to two, with the second one operating via Seoul.

The LAX flights will both use 777-300ERs with first class, business class, premium economy and economy seating. The carrier currently uses an Airbus A380 on the LAX route, which will be phased out. See our Trip Report covering business class on the new 777-300ER.

All Singapore's west coast flights will feature its new business class. (Image: Singapore Airlines)

All Singapore’s west coast flights will feature its new business class. (Image: Singapore Airlines)

The company said the actual flying time for the San Francisco non-stops will range from 14 hours 35 minutes to 17 hours 45 minutes, depending on direction and time of year. It estimated the distance at 8,451 miles.

This new non-stop news is separate from Singapore’s announcement last fall that it will resume non-stop service to New York and Los Angeles in 2018 using a new, ultra-long-haul version of the A350 being developed by Airbus – designated the A350-900ULR — just for that purpose.

Related: Take a spin inside a brand new Airbus A350

Singapore's long-range A350s will fly non-stop to Los Angeles and New York in 2018. (Image: Airbus)

Singapore’s long-range A350s will fly non-stop to SFO starting Oct 23 (Image: Airbus)

Singapore Airlines is a big believer in the A350: It started to take delivery of the next-generation wide-body this year, and has ordered more than 60 of them. The airline first put the plane into service on the Singapore-Amsterdam route a few months ago, and more recently started flying it between Singapore and South Africa.

Related: First class phase out picks up steam

The Singapore Airlines A350-900 is configured with 253 seats – 42 in business class in a 1-2-1 layout; 24 in premium economy; and 187 in regular economy (No first class). A company representative said the aircraft will be equipped with an enhanced in-flight entertainment system that offers more than 1,000 on-demand options, as well as “innovative technology designed to reduce jetlag via advancements in cabin climate, lighting and noise levels.”

About 16 hours each way between SFO and Singapore (TravelMath)

About 16 hours each way between SFO and Singapore (TravelMath)

Which airline would you prefer for the new SFO-SIN 16-hour odyssey? Why? Please leave your comments below. 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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What’s missing from DOT’s Cuba flights announcement?

Cienfuegos Palacio Azul

The lovely Palacio Azul in Cienfuegos, a tiny Cuban city set for nonstop flights from the US (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The U.S. Transportation Department has issued a long-awaited decision awarding U.S. airlines new route authority to fly to Cuba, but it left out one major destination.

Several U.S. carriers had applied for as much route authority as they thought they could handle, anticipating a boom in U.S. travel to the island nation following the Obama Administration’s decision to open up relations with Cuba. In its decision Friday, DOT gave its approval to six U.S. carriers, five U.S. cities and nine Cuban destinations for new air service beginning as soon as this fall.

But the Cuban capital of Havana was not among the cities listed. And Havana is the big prize. 

The U.S.-Cuba aviation pact provides for each country to operate up to 10 daily roundtrips between the U.S. and Cuba’s nine airports other than Havana, or a maximum total of 90 flights a day. Over the longer term, it also allows up to 20 daily roundtrips between the U.S. and Havana.

DOT said the requests it received from U.S carriers for Havana rights totaled almost 60 flights a day – too many to sort through for the initial route awards. “A decision on the Havana routes will be announced later this summer,” DOT said.

Related: Curious about traveling in Cuba? Then read this!

Santiago Cuba Cathedral

Cathedral in central Santiago, Cuba’s second largest city, and one I’d definitely fly back to, is getting new nonstops from the US (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In its initial decision, DOT designated Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Philadelphia for scheduled service to the Cuban cities of Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba. U.S. carriers winning route authority included American, Frontier, JetBlue, Silver Airways, Southwest and Sun Country.

Notably absent from this list: Delta and United, which we expect to be on the list for Havana flights.

In the wake of DOT’s announcement, American Airlines said it expects to begin scheduled flights in September from its Miami hub to five of the destinations, while JetBlue plans to launch service to three Cuban destinations from Ft. Lauderdale.

As of now, there is still no word on how much it might cost jump on a commercial flight to Cuba. Flights on the current charter flights are in the $500 range, roundtrip.

While most Caribbean islands have just one international airport, Cuba is a much larger place – it’s 750 miles long, with a population of 11 million – and has built up some tourism infrastructure over the years, mostly accommodating visitors from Canada and Europe.

Are you planning to visit Cuba in the next year? Why or why not? Please leave your comments below. 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Where SkyMiles members are flying this summer

California destinations are big for SkyMiles summer award travel. (Image: Jim Glab)

California destinations are big for SkyMiles summer award travel. (Image: Jim Glab)

If you haven’t used your miles/points to book a summer vacation trip yet, it may be too late for the most popular routes. And which ones are those? Delta Air Lines has released details of just where its SkyMiles members are traveling on award tickets this summer.

And it’s going to be a busy summer: Delta said award redemptions have jumped by a whopping 13.8 percent over last summer, with more than a million reward trips already booked for the months of June through August. (The airline also noted that the average number of miles per redemption has dropped by 7 percent from last year.) Delta said it expects to see a total of 3 million award tickets redeemed this summer.

For main cabin travelers, the number one SkyMiles award trip this summer is Atlanta to London. But the rest of the top five are all domestic routes that involve California cities. In order, they are New York JFK-Los Angeles, JFK-San Francisco, Detroit-San Francisco and Atlanta-San Francisco.

Premium cabin travelers favor award trips to Europe, Delta said: The top three routes, in order, are JFK-London, JFK-Rome and Atlanta-London.

dlawards

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Routes: American, Delta, United, Southwest

American's new service to Seattle from LAX in June will find plenty of competition. (Image: Jim Glab)

American’s new service to Seattle from LAX has plenty of competition. (Image: Jim Glab)

In domestic route news this week, American has a big growth spurt at Los Angeles International, and adds new routes from Dallas/Ft. Worth and Tucson; Delta announces a pair of new markets in the western U.S. and adds an East Coast route; United revives some Cleveland routes but drops two California flights; and Southwest plans five new non-stop routes this fall.

It’s a big week for American Airlines at Los Angeles International, where the carrier has started more than 20 new flights to a number of domestic destinations. As part of its build-up at LAX, American is adding two more gates and hundreds of employees there this year. New destinations added to its LAX schedule this week include Seattle (five flights a day in a busy market already served by Delta, Alaska, Virgin America, United and Spirit), Portland (three a day), and Minneapolis-St. Paul (two a day), as well as single daily roundtrips from Los Angeles to New Orleans, Kansas City, Omaha and Hartford. American also added seasonal daily flights from LAX to Anchorage, and weekend service to Durango, Colorado; and will operate summer flights to Jackson Hole, Wyoming every day and to Montrose, Colorado and Vail/Eagle, Colorado on weekends. With the schedule additions, AA now operates more than 220 flights a day at Los Angeles.

At its Dallas/Ft. Worth hub, meanwhile, American just started new daily flights to Montana’s Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport and to Boise, Idaho. And in Arizona, American plans to offer the only non-stop service from Tucson to New York, with a daily daytime flight to JFK beginning October 6.

Delta will use E175s for new San Diego-Las Vegas service. (Image: Delta)

Delta will use E175s for new San Diego-Las Vegas service. (Image: Delta)

Delta Air Lines has set a December 17 start for new service linking San Diego and Las Vegas, a market thoroughly dominated by Southwest. Delta plans to operate three flights a day on the route, using Embraer 175s. And at its Salt Lake City hub, Delta plans to revive service this winter to Aspen, Colorado after a six-year hiatus. The Delta Connection/SkyWest flights will operate once a day with a CRJ700, starting December 17. On the East Coast, meanwhile, Delta just announced plans to begin flying between Newark Liberty International and Raleigh-Durham beginning November 6, using two-class CRJ-700s for three flights a day, operated by Delta Connection/GoJet.

United has been seriously downsizing the former Continental hub at Cleveland Hopkins, but it plans to operate seasonal flights to Florida again this winter, in spite of new competition from several low-cost carriers, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It said the airline will offer seasonal service from CLE to Ft. Lauderdale and Ft. Myers from December 16 through early April. Meanwhile, United will end a couple of California routes, according to Routesonline.com. It will drop its daily Los Angeles-New Orleans service effective August 16, and its daily flights between Ontario and Houston Bush Intercontinental (operated by SkyWest) at the end of June.

In addition to the two new routes it will add from San Jose starting November 6 – to Salt Lake City and to Baltimore-Washington International – Southwest Airlines said that on the same date it will begin new service between Washington Reagan National and Providence, Rhode Island; Washington Dulles and Orlando; and Kansas City and San Antonio. The airline has already started taking reservations on all the new fall routes.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Routes: San Francisco, Portland, Atlanta, Houston, Washington D.C. + more

United this week kicks off San Francisco-Singapore non-stops. (Image: Grand Hyatt Singapore)

United this week kicks off San Francisco-Singapore non-stops. (Image: Grand Hyatt Singapore)

There’s a lot of news about international air routes this week. United is due to start a record-breaking transpacific service on June 1, and will increase frequencies on another long-haul route out of San Francisco; United is also launching seasonal Europe routes from the East Coast and dropping its only service to Africa. Meanwhile, Delta will revise its partnership arrangement with Virgin Atlantic in 2017, and will add a new transatlantic route from Portland; Atlanta welcomes new service from a Middle Eastern carrier; Swiss delays the deployment of its fancy new wide-body to San Francisco; and low-cost carrier Norwegian adds a Las Vegas route.

On June 1, United is due to begin the longest scheduled route by any U.S. carrier – an 8,446-mile flight from San Francisco to Singapore. United will use a 787-9 Dreamliner for the new service, which will save travelers an estimated four hours in each direction compared with existing one-stop or connecting flights. The schedule calls for an 11:25 p.m. departure from SFO for the 15.5-hour westbound flight (16.3 hours eastbound). In another long-haul development from San Francisco, United said that starting October 8, it will increase frequencies on its SFO-Tel Aviv route from three a week to daily service; United also uses a 787-9 on that route.

In other international route news at United, the carrier is blaming a slump in global energy markets as well as government currency restrictions for its decision to terminate its daily flights from Houston Bush Intercontinental to Lagos, Nigeria after June 30. Meanwhile, United has started seasonal summer flights to Europe from the East Coast, offering daily service from its Newark hub to Athens (using a 767-300), and daily flights from Washington Dulles to Barcelona (with a 767-400) and to Lisbon (using a 757-200).

Portland International will get its first London non-stops from Delta next spring. (Image: Jim Glab)

Portland International will get its first London non-stops from Delta next spring. (Image: Jim Glab)

Delta just announced a new transatlantic route for 2017, with plans to start operating seasonal service between Portland and London Heathrow effective May 26-October 29. It will fly the route four days a week with a 767-300ER. Delta said it will also revise its joint scheduling arrangement with partner Virgin Atlantic next year. The existing Delta flight from Seattle to London will switch over to a Virgin Atlantic 787-9 starting March 26, increasing capacity by 50 seats a day; on the same date, Virgin’s single daily fight from Detroit to London will be replaced by a second daily Delta flight. And on May 25, Virgin will take over Delta’s New York JFK-Manchester route, with Delta picking it up again the following winter; and Delta will take over one of Virgin’s two daily Atlanta-London frequencies, giving Delta a total of three a day and Virgin just one.

In other news, Delta last week kicked off new year-round service from New York JFK to Edinburgh, Scotland. Delta started the route with a 757-200ER, but will switch to a larger 767-300ER for flights from June 8 to September 5.

Qatar Airways will use an A380 super-jumbo for its Atlanta inaugural flight.(Image: Qatar Airways)

Qatar Airways will use an A380 super-jumbo for its Atlanta inaugural flight.(Image: Qatar Airways)

 As we’ve mentioned before, June 1 is the launch date for new Qatar Airways service from Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson to Doha, Qatar – a move that has seriously irritated Delta. Although Qatar’s plans call for a 777 to fly the route on a regular basis, it reportedly intends to use an Airbus A380 for the maiden voyage. So far, Qatar is still a member of the Oneworld global alliance, which should make for easy connections at ATL with American Airlines flights.

According to Routesonline.com, which tracks airlines’ official schedule filings, Swiss has decided to push back the deployment of its fancy new 777-300ER on the San Francisco-Zurich route. Instead of bringing the new aircraft into SFO service on August 30 as previously planned, the aircraft won’t start flying the route until February 16, 2017. Meanwhile, on October 30, Swiss will put a 777-300ER into service between Zurich and Miami on four of its 14 weekly flights in that market, replacing an A330-300.

Low-cost European carrier Norwegian plans to expand its presence at Las Vegas on October 31 when it begins new twice-weekly flights to London Gatwick, using a 787 and offering introductory one-way fares as low as $199 (plus add-ons, of course). Norwegian already flies from Las Vegas to Copenhagen and Stockholm, and plans to add LAS-Oslo flights in November.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Virgin Australia debuts a “new” 777-300ER

Virgin Australia's new business seats have 18,5-inch touchscreens. (Image: Virgin Australia)

Virgin Australia’s new 777 business class seats have 18-inch touchscreens. (Image: Virgin Australia)

Virgin Australia has rolled out the first of its five 777-300ERs – the model it uses on its transpacific service to Los Angeles – to complete a major overhaul, giving the aircraft a new business class cabin, a refreshed Premium Economy section, and new extra-legroom seating in the main cabin.

The aircraft’s new business class, which Virgin has branded “The Business,” has 37 seats in a 1-2-1 “reverse herringbone” layout, all with aisle access and a full recline that converts them into an 80-inch-long bed. The middle seats have privacy dividers that can be pulled back for communication with a seatmate, and all seats have side consoles with work and storage space. Business customers get turn-down service with cotton pillows, and seats come with an 18-inch high-definition touchscreen. Business class gets an improved food and beverage service as well, and it has a bar where passengers can get drinks, or where they can sit for breakfast if they want.

The middle seats in business class have a movable privacy divider. (Image: Virgin Australia)

The middle seats in business class have a movable privacy divider. (Image: Virgin Australia)

The airline has posted a Youtube video to display the features of its new  business class cabin.

Another nice new touch: a business class bar! (Image: Virgin Australia)

Another nice new touch: a business class bar! (Image: Virgin Australia)

The upgraded Premium Economy section on Virgin Australia’s 777-300ERs has 24 seats that are 19.5 inches wide, with a seat pitch of 41 inches and a recline of nine inches. Customers in Premium Economy will be served plated meals “inspired by business class,” the airline said, and will be offered business class wines. Seats have power and USB ports along with 10.6-inch seatback screens, and customers receive an amenity pack, priority boarding and baggage handling.

The new business class seat reclines into a fully flat bed. (Image: Virgin Australia)

The new business class seat reclines into a fully flat bed. (Image: Virgin Australia)

And that’s not all: The main economy cabin is getting a new product called Economy Space + that will be available for purchase on flights departing August 30 or later. Those seats will be in the first five rows and the exit rows of the main cabin, offering passengers extra legroom, noise-canceling headsets, a guaranteed first meal choice, and a dedicated check-in counter. Those seats will carry a surcharge of $97 to $119 (U.S.).

The overhaul of all five of Virgin Australia’s 777-300ERs is expected to be finished by the third quarter of this year.

Virgin Australia flies to Los Angeles daily from Sydney and Brisbane and has a partnership with Delta.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Summer flight delays: What are the odds?

Your chances of a summer flight delay are much greater at some airports than others. (Image: Jim Glab)

Your chances of a summer flight delay are much greater at some airports than others. (Image: Jim Glab)

It’s bad enough that travelers have to wait in extra-long security checkpoint lines this summer. But there’s a good chance they’ll encounter flight delays as well – although the odds of that happening vary considerably from one airport to another.

The website MileCards.com examined government data on airlines’ on-time performance at the nation’s 50 busiest airports during the summer months over the years 2010-2015 and concluded that your flight is least likely to arrive on time if you fly into Newark or San Francisco this summer.

Those two airports had a summer on-time flight arrival rate of just 68.4 percent. By contrast, the on-time arrival rate for Honolulu – the number-one ranked airport – was 86.4 percent, followed by Salt Lake City at 86.2 percent and Seattle and 83.1 percent.

The study determined that June is the worst month for flight delays, with an overall on-time arrival rate of 75.4 percent during the six-year study period. (That’s even worse than January at 77.4 percent.) The best month for on-time flight operations was September, with an on-time rate of 83.9 percent.

According to MileCards.com, the problem at San Francisco is fog delays, while flights at Newark must contend with congestion and summer thunderstorms. Speaking of Newark, three of the five worst airports for summer delays were in the New York area: The on-time arrival rate over the six-year study period was 70.3 percent at LaGuardia and 73.4 percent at JFK. (The other airport in the top five worst for summer delays was Chicago O’Hare at 72.7 percent.)

Source: MileCards.com

Source: MileCards.com

Other sources of frustration for summer travelers are long waits to take off once you’ve boarded, and delays in getting to the arrival gate after the plane has landed.

MileCards.com said that four of the five airports with the longest waits to take off were in the northeast: New York JFK was the worst, with an average taxi-out time of 29.8 minutes, followed by LaGuardia (28.0 minutes), Philadelphia (23.5) and Newark (22.6). The fifth was Atlanta, with a wait time of 20.1 minutes.

On the other end of the trip, there were five airports that showed average taxi-in times to the gate that exceeded 10 minutes. They were Los Angeles (10.7 minutes), Chicago O’Hare (10.5), Dallas/Ft. Worth (10.5), Atlanta (10.0) and JFK (10.0).

MileCards.com created what it calls a “Misery Score” for each airport using a formula that combines all three of the above rankings. Newark won the title of “most miserable airport for summer travel” with a Misery Score of 95, followed by LGA, ORD and JFK, which each scored 94. The least miserable airports for summer travel, MileCards.com calculated, are San Jose and Portland, with Misery Scores of 11 and 12 respectively.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Routes: Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, Chicago, Newark, Honolulu, JFK

Delta has started new service from Raleigh-Durham to Paris. (Image: Jim Glab)

Delta has started new service from Raleigh-Durham to Paris. (Image: Jim Glab)

In the latest international route developments, Delta adds a European route from Raleigh-Durham; Turkish Airlines makes its Atlanta debut; Japan’s ANA will add a pair of U.S. routes  to Tokyo Haneda as American carriers wait for word on new Haneda slots, with Hawaiian Airlines the first winner; Air India plans new Newark service via London; and Air China boosts Newark frequencies.

It’s not really a big Delta hub, but Delta is the largest airline at Raleigh-Durham, so the carrier has started  new daily flights from RDU to Paris Charles de Gaulle. Delta is using a 164-seat 757-200ER on the new route to Paris, where customers can connect to 75 onward destinations thanks to Delta’s joint venture partners Air France, KM and Alitalia.

Turkish Airlines is using a 777-300ER on its new Atlanta route. (Image: Boeing

Turkish Airlines is using a 777-300ER on its new Atlanta route. (Image: Boeing)

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport rolled out the water cannon this week to welcome the first flight there from Turkish Airlines. The Turkish carrier will offer daily service on the Atlanta-Istanbul route with a 777-300ER. It’s the ninth U.S. gateway for Turkish Airlines, along with New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Miami, Boston and Washington Dulles. Delta was supposed to resume seasonal service this month between New York JFK and Istanbul, but it decided last month to suspend that service, citing security concerns.

Tokyo Haneda Airport is on the airline industry’s mind these days as the U.S. Department of Transportation is expected to announce any time now which U.S. carriers will get new daytime slots there. Since Haneda opened up to transpacific flights, U.S. carriers have been restricted to arrivals and departures late at night or very early in the morning, which made it difficult to attract passengers, even though Haneda is much closer to downtown Tokyo than Narita Airport.

My Instgram photo of the week! Do you follow me? Click on the pic! (Chris McGinnis)

Tokyo-bound tails at Honolulu International (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

But an amended agreement with Japan will open up some daytime slots at Haneda starting October 30, and the big U.S. carriers have been clamoring for those much-desired rights. In its first decision on Haneda, DOT granted Hawaiian Airlines rights to serve Haneda from Honolulu and Kona – but mostly because it was willing to accept an overnight slot. Hawaiian plans to fly the route four times a week from Honolulu and three from Kona, but the starting date hasn’t yet been set. And even though the new daytime slots haven’t yet been awarded, Delta and United have already started taking reservations for new schedules this fall on their Los Angeles-Haneda and San Francisco-Haneda routes respectively.

Meanwhile, Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) already won new daytime slots at Haneda, and said it will use them starting October 30 for daily flights from New York JFK and Chicago O’Hare. ANA also flies to Haneda from Los Angeles, Honolulu and Vancouver.

August 15 is the starting date for Air India service from Ahmedabad to Newark Liberty International, a route that it will fly three times a week with a 787-8. The new service will operate via a stop at London Heathrow. Also at Newark, Air China plans to increase frequencies from four a week to seven on its EWR-Beijing route from July 22 through August 24. It also serves New York JFK.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Award seats: More on Delta, fewer on AA, United

The chance of getting the award seats you want varies considerably by airline and by season. (Image: Jim Glab)

The chance of getting the award seats you want varies considerably by airline and by season. (Image: Jim Glab)

What are your odds of scoring the frequent flyer award seats you want, on the dates you want? The odds change over time, but the latest (i.e., 2016) annual study of availability by IdeaWorks Company and Switchfly suggests that Delta SkyMiles members are seeing significantly better odds this year, while availability declined on Alaska, United and especially American.

But among the U.S. carriers covered in the survey, Southwest’s award seat availability was head and shoulders above everyone else’s, with JetBlue running second.

The survey team made more than 7,000 queries during March for at least two roundtrip award seats on the websites of 25 airline loyalty programs worldwide. They requested travel on dates from June through October, looking for the lowest-priced (i.e. “saver style”) award seats.

Low-cost (or as the study team calls them, “value-oriented”) airlines dominated the results, as they have most years. Among U.S. carriers, the success rate for finding the desired seats was 100 percent on Southwest and 92.9 percent on JetBlue. For Southwest, that was the same as last year, while the JetBlue result showed a gain of 5.7 points. (In fact, Southwest was found to have at least three available flight choices for every query.)

As for other large U.S. carriers, the success rate on queries to Delta was 68.6 percent, an improvement of 10.7 points over the 2015 survey. The comparable rate on United was 72.1 percent, down 2.9 points. For Alaska it was 72.9 percent, down 7.1 points. And for American, the success rate was just 56.4 percent, a drop of 10.7 percent from 2015.

Virgin America was not included in the study.

awardseats2

The report noted that availability varies considerably based on the month of travel. For 2016, the best availability was in September (84.3 percent) and October (84.8 percent), while the worst was in July (53.1 percent). It also observed that long-haul rewards can be especially elusive in the summer months. “Some airlines radically reduce reward inventory for long-haul travel during June, July and August. This is often a major source of member frustration,” the report said.

Here’s a chart summarizing the results for long-haul flights:

awardchart

Readers: Is it getting easier to use you miles and points….or not? Please leave your comments below. 

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Are passengers really happy with air travel?

J.D. Power says airline passengers are more satisfied these days. Are you? (Image: Jim Glab)

J.D. Power says airline passengers are more satisfied these days. Are you? (Image: Jim Glab)

Is U.S. airline service getting better? Or are passengers just becoming more resigned to things as they are?

According to J.D. Power’s just-released 2016 North American Airline Satisfaction Survey, respondents’ satisfaction with their air travel experience is at a 10-year high, reaching an overall score of 726 on the company’s 1,000-point scale, up 9 points from last year.

J.D. Power said the survey of more than 10,000 persons who traveled by air on the past year shows that “airlines are making positive strides by adding value to their products and services with newer and cleaner planes, better in-flight services, improving on-time arrivals and bumping fewer passengers.”

But it also noted that a 12-point improvement this year in satisfaction with costs and fees is partly due to the fact that “passengers are more tolerant of paying ancillary fees such as baggage fees or fees for extra legroom.” It also noted that the score for in-flight services (650) is still “the lowest-scoring factor overall” in satisfaction levels; other factors include costs and fees, boarding/deplaning/baggage, flight crew, aircraft, check-in and the reservations process.

The company observed that for the first time in the survey’s history, business travelers showed a higher satisfaction level than leisure travelers (733 to 725), probably because business travelers are less concerned about price. (Or possibly because airlines have been focusing their product and service improvements on the highest-paying customers.)

The survey splits airlines into “traditional” carriers and “low-cost” carriers, although the distinctions don’t seem as significant as they once did (and for some reason, it does not include Virgin America or Spirit Airlines in the survey). Once again, “low-cost” carriers got the highest overall scores, with JetBlue in first place with 790 – its 12th year at the top of the J.D. Power charts. Southwest scored 789. The highest score for a “traditional” carrier was Alaska at 751.

jdpowereairline

United had the lowest score among traditional airlines at 675, while Frontier ranked at the bottom in the low-cost category at 662.

In a companion survey on airline loyalty programs – which did not divide the airlines into two categories — the same airlines dominated the results, with Alaska’s Mileage Plan earning the highest score (757) for the third year in a row, followed by Southwest’s Rapid Rewards at 754 and JetBlue’s TrueBlue at 743. United also took the bottom spot in the loyalty survey, with Mileage Plus earning a score of 673.

J.D. Power recognized that loyalty programs at major carriers are changing from mileage-based to spending-based schemes, although it didn’t ask respondents what they thought about that. It said the most significant factor for travelers in rating loyalty programs is still the ease of redeeming points/miles.

The last time we reported on a J.D. Power survey – on hotel loyalty programs – some of our readers expressed skepticism about the entire process. One noted that the results chart “uses an old trick to accentuate differences.” Another charged that it used “far too small a sample,” and a third wrote, “I took a look at what went into the survey, and it’s complete garbage in garbage out.”

What do you think about the airline survey, readers? Are J.D. Power surveys worth reporting on?

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Will passengers benefit as airline profits skyrocket?

Will airlines spend their soaring profits on passengers? (Image: Jim Glab)

Will airlines spend their soaring profits on improvements for passengers? (Image: Jim Glab)

Government statistics released this week show that the U.S. airline industry is achieving levels of profitability undreamed of in previous years. The question for consumers: How much of that money be spent on improving their air travel experience?

According to the Transportation Department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), the U.S. airline industry’s after-tax net profits hit $25.6 billion for 2015 – more than three times what they earned the previous year.

For decades, the airline industry has been characterized by historically low profit margins relative to other businesses; it usually stayed in the low single digits, and often it was a negative number. But for 2015, the industry’s net margin hit a record 15.2 percent, BTS said. That’s almost four times the 2014 margin (4.4 percent).

btschart2                                            Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Airline revenues from fares dropped a bit last year, but revenue from passengers hit new records for things that used to be included in the fare – fees from checked bags rose to more than $3.8 billion, and revenue from ticket changes/cancellations increased to just over $3 billion. The biggest bottom line benefit came in fuel costs: for the past several years, the industry had been spending between $42 and $44 billion a year for fuel, but in 2015 they spent less than $27 billion.

And how will passengers benefit from the airlines’ good fortune? It’s true that the major carriers have been renewing their fleets with next-generation aircraft, but those purchases are usually governed by bottom-line considerations – mostly that they are more fuel-efficient. But they often cram in more seats with less personal space in economy, and they are turning to new “slimline” designs – which many passengers dislike — to save weight and to free up space for another row or two of seating.

And what about ground facilities? Major improvements are coming to some big airports, but the American Association of Airport Executives this week blasted U.S. airlines for their ”staggering disconnect” in continuing to oppose an increase in the passenger facility charges that Congress allows airports to collect for infrastructure improvements, while at the same time hauling in record passenger fees for themselves.

Airports also get mon