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Airport news: Denver, Boston, DFW, Newark, Pittsburgh

September 9, 2017

Denver International will get more gates, new concessions. (Image: Jim Glab)

In airport news, Denver will add more gates and several new vendors; Boston may charge a fee from drivers who are picking up or dropping off passengers; work is finally finished on a major overhaul of Dallas/Ft. Worth’s Terminal E; Pittsburgh will allow non-travelers into the airside of its terminals; and United has a very exclusive restaurant at Newark.

A Denver city council committee has approved a plan to start adding more gates to the three terminals at Denver International Airport. Assuming approval by the full council, the proposal calls for construction of a total of 26 new passenger gates – four on the west end of Concourse B by 2019, along with 12 more gates on the west end of Concourse A and 10 on the east end of Concourse C by 2020. The gates would accommodate both international and domestic flights. Meanwhile, airport officials said travelers will see 17 new restaurants and stores in the terminals next year. New entrants include six coffee shops across all three terminals (three Starbucks and three Dazbogs); a new Denver Central Market on Concourse A with a bakery, a sushi outlet, a bodega and other food options; a sports bar from Colorado’s New Belgium Brewery on Concourse B; and a new barbecue restaurant and sandwich shop on Concourse A.

How can you reduce traffic congestion at a major airport? The Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Boston Logan, is studying a proposal to start imposing fees on all individual drivers who are picking up or dropping off friends or relatives. Taxi and ride-sharing services already pay airport fees that are passed along to their customers, and the Port Authority sees the imposition of fees on non-commercial drivers as a logical next step, according to the Boston Globe. The report notes that the number of flights at Logan has jumped by more than 15,000 a year since 2015, and the number of non-commercial vehicles dropping off or picking up travelers has reached an estimated 20,000 a day. There was no estimate of how much such a fee might be, or how it would be collected, but the report notes that more than a dozen airports in the U.K. already have similar fees.

Dallas/ Ft. Worth’s Terminal E has been thoroughly renovated. (Image: DFW Airport)

At Dallas/Ft. Worth International, airport officials said work has been completed on a major rehabilitation of Terminal E. The project included the installation of device charging stations for passengers at each of the terminal’s 36 gates. Free wi-fi is available throughout the terminal, and travelers can use the DFW mobile app to check flight information, order food, and find retail locations. Terminal E also got 21 new retail and dining concessions including a 7-Eleven, ice cream bar shop, barbecue restaurant, Dunkin’ Donuts, Chick-fil-A, Auntie Anne’s and more. In addition, the number of parking spaces at Terminal E’s garage increased from 4,036 to 5,941, and new overhead LED beacons alert drivers to open spaces.

United’s “secret” restaurant at Newark is by invitation only. (Image: United)

United Airlines’ latest special perk for special passengers is an invitation-only restaurant in Terminal C at its Newark Liberty International hub, according to a report in Travel + Leisure magazine. The airline reportedly notified select customers in an email that they qualify for dining privileges at the exclusive eatery, which is called ‘CLASSIFIED.” MileagePlus elites who are lucky enough to gain access won’t even be told the location of the restaurant until they book a table, the magazine said, although it is reportedly hidden behind Alain Ducasse’s Saison restaurant. Entrees at the 36-seat restaurant reportedly start at $29 and range up to a maximum price of $98 for a 42-ounce (!) steak.

Pittsburgh International this week became the first domestic airport since 9/11 to allow members of the public into its secure airside facilities even if they are not ticketed passengers, according to Air Transport World. A TSA official told the publication that PIT is the only airport that has such a program, and there are no plans to expand it to others. Non-ticketed persons who want to access the airport’s restaurants and shops, or escort a relative or friend to their gate, must show a driver’s license or passport and have their name checked against the government’s no-fly list. Then they’ll get a stamped “myPITpass” and will have to go through security screening to access the terminals.

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Delta’s new fees for earlier flights

March 16, 2017

Want to get an earlier flight? It’ll cost more on Delta. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

It just got a little more expensive to get on an earlier Delta flight.

The airline this week boosted its fees from $50 to $75 for same-day confirmed flight changes and for standbys. That brings Delta’s fees into line with United’s and American’s.

The higher fee applies to SkyMiles Silver Medallions as well as non-elites and non-members. The fees continue to be waived for SkyMiles Gold, Platinum and Diamond Medallions. H/T Points Miles & Martinis

The relatively steep fees at the major legacy carriers bring them into sharper contrast with Southwest’s no-fee policy for changes or cancellations. Earlier this month, Southwest also relaxed restrictions on free standby privileges for its A-List and A-List Preferred customers.

(Image: Jim Glab)

Even if you’re not on Southwest, it might be possible to get on an earlier flight without paying a fee, whether or not you’re an elite-level frequent flyer or a full-fare ticket holder. The key is to be able to show the gate agent that it is in the airline’s best interest to accommodate you on an earlier flight.

If you get to the airport in time to grab an earlier departure, check the arrival status of the inbound aircraft that will become the outbound flight you’ve booked. (Instead of looking at the airline’s arrivals board, use FlightAware’s mobile app for greater accuracy.) If it’s coming in late, it means your departure will likely be delayed – and you might miss a connection downline. That makes it in the airline’s interest to put you on an earlier departure, especially if your connecting flight is overbooked or the last one of the day.

If you’re flying out of a connecting hub and have a chance for an earlier departure than the one you’ve booked, ask the gate agent about the likelihood of “miss-connects” on that earlier flight. These are connecting passengers whose inbound flights are coming in late enough that they might miss the next segment (i.e., the one you want to get on). If the airline will accommodate your request, it will not only make you a happy passenger, but will also open up a seat on the later flight for someone who missed their connection.

Remember that your attitude in talking to the gate agent can make all the difference – and gate agents have all the power in these situations, especially when it comes to waiving fees. These employees are busy and frequently abused by irate travelers – so taking a high-handed approach won’t get you anywhere. Don’t be overbearing, but don’t be obsequious either. Just be pleasant and seem like you’re trying to be helpful rather than demanding or annoying.

If you have a good reason for wanting to get home earlier, it might be worth mentioning – especially if it involves your family. Would an earlier flight get you back in time to attend your kid’s Little League game or recital? Gate agents have families, too, and it could make them a little more sympathetic to your request.

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Getting on earlier flight getting easier

March 8, 2017

Want an earlier flight? Southwest eased standby rules for preferred customers. (Image: Jim Glab)

Southwest Airlines A-List and A-List Preferred customers have a new benefit – they can now stand by for an earlier flight any time during the day they are ticketed to travel, with no fee involved.

The free standby perk existed on Southwest before, but it was limited to flights that departed two hours or less before the ticketed flight.

The standby privilege is not available for flights that depart later than your scheduled flight, and you must standby for a flight to the same destination that you booked. You can’t get on the standby list by phone or app – you have to request it in person at the airport.

(Image: Jim Glab)

(Of course, since Southwest has no change or cancellation fees, you could simply try to rebook your flight to an earlier one by phone or online – although it might cost you more if there’s a fare difference. Not so with a standby.)

Even if you’re not on Southwest, it might be possible to get on an earlier flight without paying a fee (around $75 for domestic flights), whether or not you’re an elite-level frequent flyer or a full-fare ticket holder. The key is to be able to show the gate agent that it is in the airline’s best interest to accommodate you on an earlier flight.

If you get to the airport in time to grab an earlier departure, check the arrival status of the inbound aircraft that will become the outbound flight you’ve booked. (Instead of looking at the airline’s arrivals board, use FlightAware’s mobile app for greater accuracy.) If it’s coming in late, it means your departure will likely be delayed – and you might miss a connection downline. That makes it in the airline’s interest to put you on an earlier departure, especially if your connecting flight is overbooked or the last one of the day.

If you’re flying out of a connecting hub and have a chance for an earlier departure than the one you’ve booked, ask the gate agent about the likelihood of “miss-connects” on that earlier flight. These are connecting passengers whose inbound flights are coming in late enough that they might miss the next segment (i.e., the one you want to get on). If the airline will accommodate your request, it will not only make you a happy passenger, but will also open up a seat on the later flight for someone who missed their connection.

The right approach to a gate agent could get you home earlier. (Image: Jim Glab)

Remember that your attitude in talking to the gate agent can make all the difference – and gate agents have all the power in these situations, especially when it comes to waiving fees. These employees are busy and frequently abused by irate travelers – so taking a high-handed approach won’t get you anywhere. Don’t be overbearing, but don’t be obsequious either. Just be pleasant and seem like you’re trying to be helpful rather than demanding or annoying.

If you have a good reason for wanting to get home earlier, it might be worth mentioning – especially if it involves your family. Would an earlier flight get you back in time to attend your kid’s Little League game or recital? Gate agents have families, too, and it could make them a little more sympathetic to your request.

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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How to get on an earlier flight for free

November 10, 2016

The right approach to a gate agent could get you home earlier. (Image: Jim Glab)

Remember the good old days when you could get on an earlier flight than the one you booked just by walking up to the gate and asking? That was before airlines started slapping fees on that process, as they have with so many other things.

But it might still be possible to pull it off without paying a fee (around $75 for domestic flights), even if you’re not an elite-level frequent flyer or a full-fare ticket holder. The key is to be able to show the gate agent that it is in the airline’s best interest to accommodate you on an earlier flight.

If you get to the airport in time to grab an earlier departure, check the arrival status of the inbound aircraft that will become the outbound flight you’ve booked. (Instead of looking at the airline’s arrivals board, use FlightAware’s mobile app for greater accuracy.) If it’s coming in late, it means your departure will likely be delayed – and you might miss a connection downline. That makes it in the airline’s interest to put you on an earlier departure, especially if your connecting flight is overbooked or the last one of the day.

If you’re flying out of a connecting hub and have a chance for an earlier departure than the one you’ve booked, ask the gate agent about the likelihood of “miss-connects” on that earlier flight. These are connecting passengers whose inbound flights are coming in late enough that they might miss the next segment (i.e., the one you want to get on). If the airline will accommodate your request, it will not only make you a happy passenger, but will also open up a seat on the later flight for someone who missed their connection.

Remember that your attitude in talking to the gate agent can make all the difference – and gate agents have all the power in these situations, especially when it comes to waiving fees. These employees are busy and frequently abused by irate travelers – so taking a high-handed approach won’t get you anywhere. Don’t be overbearing, but don’t be obsequious either. Just be pleasant and seem like you’re trying to be helpful rather than demanding or annoying.

If you have a good reason for wanting to get home earlier, it might be worth mentioning – especially if it involves your family. Would an earlier flight get you back in time to attend your kid’s Little League game or recital? Gate agents have families, too, and it could make them a little more sympathetic to your request.

How do YOU avoid paying airline fees like this? Leave your tips below!

A similar version of this post written by Bob Cowen appeared previously on TravelSkills.

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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Is TSA PreCheck too expensive?

June 3, 2016

TSA PreCheck now has 370 sign-up centers. (Image: TSA)

The Transportation Security Administration has been urging travelers to sign up for its PreCheck trusted traveler program as the best way to avoid long lines at security checkpoints – but a new survey suggests that the PreCheck fee might be too pricey, slowing down enrollment.

TSA has a target of 25 million members for PreCheck, but it has fallen far behind that goal. So far, fewer than 2.8 million travelers have joined. Joining PreCheck requires a background interview at a TSA PreCheck enrollment center and payment of an $85 fee for a five-year membership.

The new survey of 1,000 domestic travelers conducted for the U.S. Travel Association (USTA) found that just over one in five said they expect to enroll in PreCheck as it is. But of the rest, half said they considered the $85 fee to be a deterrent to signing up for the program.

USTA said that if TSA would reduce the sign-up fee, that could go a long way toward boosting membership in PreCheck, which offers members an expedited security clearance process in which they don’t have to remove shoes or take laptops out of their cases. (PreCheck privileges are also extended to members of Customs & Border Protection’s Global Entry program, which carries a comparable $100 fee but also allows faster re-entry to the U.S. for international travelers.)

A lower fee and simpler enrollment procedure could bring in as many as 7 million new PreCheck members, USTA estimated. About one in five survey respondents who said they were unlikely to join cited a cumbersome enrollment process, and said they would prefer an online option.

TSA has made a big push to facilitate PreCheck membership in the past couple of years, using an outside vendor called MorphoTrust to expand the number of enrollment centers to 370 nationwide. The $85 fee is split between TSA, MorphoTrust and the FBI, which provides a fingerprint-based criminal background check for applicants.

What do YOU think? Is $85 (or just $17 per year) too much to pay for PreCheck? (Personally, I would probably pay more than that, but ….) 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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Popular: Delta discounts biz class + United to Europe + Hola, Southwest + Delta dumps fee + Car rental rates down

April 17, 2016

Delta's flat bed seating on a 767. (Photo: Delta Air Lines)

Sleep in a discounted Delta flat bed to Europe this summer! (Photo: Delta Air Lines)

Before we get started with this week’s most popular post, let’s take a look at an unusual opportunity. Late last week Delta trotted out some very nice discounts for SkyMiles award travel to Europe– in business class. This is the yet another sign that European bookings have taken a hit this summer. The first was the fare sales we saw from United and SAS this week (our most popular post). And now, this. The discounts start at just 105,000 miles for Delta One (bidness) for roundtrips June 3 to October 29 (with lots of blackout dates). BUT, you must act fast– currently the deals are only good if you book by Thursday, April 21. Here are the details . Even if you don’t have a big stash of SkyMiles, keep in mind that you can convert your American Express Membership Rewards points to Delta miles. Stay tuned to TravelSkills in coming weeks as I think we’ll continue to see some very good deals across the pond this year.

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

1 Deal Alert: Deep summer sale to Europe

2 Southwest’s growing international game

3 Surprise! Delta drops an annoying fee

Air China will use an A330-200 between San Jose and Shanghai. (Image: Mehdi Nazarinia/Wikimedia Commons)

4 Routes: San Jose, San Francisco, Atlanta, Newark, Philadelphia, Miami

5 Rental car rates are down. But why? (Poll results show 50% of readers book fewer rental cars due to…)

6 Warning: Be careful pricing multi-leg trips

7 Americans love the air travel experience! Wait. What? (Poll results show that 65% of readers don’t agree…)

8 Takeover targets Starwood & Virgin America team up

9 Should I tip my Uber or Lyft driver?

10 TSA explains confusion over PreCheck policies

Two round trip business class tickets to Asia! Where? Stay tuned (Map image: US Central Intelligence Agency)

The BIG giveaway! Stay tuned to TravelSkills this week for our biggest giveaway EVER. Get this: We have TWO roundtrip business class tickets to give away on a new Asian route from SFO. Any guesses where? The big reveal comes this week. To win them, you’ll have to agree to write up a Trip Report for TravelSkills. Are you game? Stay tuned!

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

Virgin America paid $11 million to license Virgin name in 2015

5 new gates at Chicago O’Hare for American

BMW planning a new ridesharing service like Uber

No more tips for Charlotte airport’s old-school bathroom attendants

Virgin customers: Like, but not love when it comes to Alaska Airlines

Uber continues to disrupt ground transport with a new carpool sharing option (Photo: Uber)

Wait: I can’t get my Uber here? Come on! (Photo: Uber)

5 big cities that DON’T have Uber (yet)

Plane geek gets clipped by low flying plane VIDEO

Now earn elite qualifying United miles on Brazil’s Azul airlines

New Beijing Airport looks like lady parts

All-you-can-fly airline in the northeast shuts down

AmEx Rewards points can be used for online tech purchases

Flyers’ rights group asks FAA to reconsider regulation of seat size

Atlanta’s airport eyes open market-style food concessions in Concourse E

Here’s a look at Southwest’s LAX Terminal 1 renovations

New forecast downgrades the outlook for business travel growth

Air France late-departing business class flyers from NYC can dine before boarding

First class seat design has 4K video, mood lighting, wireless charging and its own app

Airbus might move lavs, galleys below main deck on A350-1000

This hotel is located in an iconic clocktower building on Madison Square Park (Photo: Marriott)

Headed to NYC soon? Don’t miss TravelSkills reviews New York’s five newest business class hotels. Did you see all of ’em? If not, here ya go:

1 Hotel Central Park (Midtown)

The Baccarat (Midtown)

New York EDITION (Flatiron/Madison Sq Park)

The EVEN Hotel (Near Penn Station/Garment district)

The Knickerbocker (Times Square)

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Another week, another new hotel fee

November 24, 2015

The Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre Hotel. (Image: Hilton)

Hilton is testing a new, tougher cancellation fee. (Image: Hilton)

Major players in the hotel industry have been following the lead of the airlines in creating new kinds of fees that their customers must pay, above and beyond the nightly room rate. And now Hilton is experimenting with a significant expansion of its existing cancellation fee policy.

It used to be that hotel guests with changing travel plans could cancel their hotel reservation almost up until the time of arrival with no penalty. Earlier this year, Hilton and Marriott created a stir when they started to impose a new fee equal to the cost of one night’s stay if a cancellation was made less than 24 hours before arrival.

And now Hilton has started to market-test a new $50 fee for those who cancel at any time after they make a reservation (unless they wait until less than 24 hours before arrival — then the existing one night’s room rate fee still applies).

Members of Hilton’s HHonors program are exempt from the new test fees. (For now at least.)

Hilton officials told Skift.com that the test is being conducted only at 20 U.S. properties in the Hilton, DoubleTree and Embassy Suites brands. The properties were not identified.

The Hilton officials said that in spite of the one-night fee imposed earlier this year, they are still seeing what they consider to be unacceptable levels of cancellations during a period of record hotel occupancy levels. The test will help them determine if a tougher penalty will make a significant dent in those cancellation numbers.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: 5 ways to save using Uber/Lyft + New overseas plan from Verizon + Trans-Pac fare war?

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United, American test consumer-friendly initiatives

November 3, 2015

United’s airport staffers are using travel certificates to sweeten the customer experience. (Image: United)

Since it switched CEOs recently, United has been promising to be more attentive to customers’ concerns, and it has launched a new airport program to do just that. Meanwhile, American is testing a plan that allows customers to hold their reservations for up to a week without buying a ticket — but for a price.

In United’s program, passengers at the airport who have a grievance against the airline could receive a travel certificate worth as much as $125 as the airline’s way of saying “we’re sorry” according to the BrianSumers blog.

The certificates have been distributed to the carrier’s airport staff, with instructions to use them as compensation when customers encounter rude treatment, or when they have to wait a long time for a bag to be delivered, or when a customer does something that makes the employee’s life easier, like giving up a seat upon request.

Premium cabin flyers and top-tier elites (Global Services/1K) could get a coupon worth up to $125; Platinum and Gold elites can get $50 to $100 vouchers; and the ceiling for economy passengers is $50.

American’s new “extended hold” gives customers the option of putting a “hold” of three, five or seven days on a reservation before they buy a ticket, locking in the quoted fare. Like United’s FareLock, it is only available in select markets; when it is offered, the customer will see a drop-down menu on the booking screen with the extended hold options.

All airlines are required to give customers the right to hold a booking for 24 hours at no cost before buying or cancel within 24 hours for no penalty. The new American options are not free, however; the prices to hold a reservation longer than a day are $7.99 (3 days), $9.99 (5 days) and $11.99 (one week) — and those fees are non-refundable.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Global Entry gets more global + New York’s lowest ranked hotels +Best/worst hotel programs for awards + More flat seats

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