Air Travel/Airlines

All about airlines, airports, flying in general. How to navigate them, get the best airfares, maximize your experience in a sector that hasn't exactly been a joy in recent years...come fly with us!

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Ceneri I most recently flew just last week, and by the time I reached the airport — at 8:05 am, meaning I had to get up around four, thank you very much — I was already exhausted, and my flight wasn’t even delayed yet, which felt suspicious. At check-in, a cheerful sign announced: “ALL BAGS MUST WEIGH LESS THAN A SENSE OF OPTIMISM.” I wasn’t sure what that meant, but the desk agent sighed, slapped a sticker on my bag, and whispered, “Good luck out there.” read post

Started by José Balido

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5 (sometimes surprising) ways flying affects your body

Gus Ruballo You land. Your throat feels like sandpaper. Your head is heavy. Your eyes sting. You've been sitting still for eight hours… so why does your body feel like it just ran a marathon? Most travelers accept this as the price of flying. But there's nothing inevitable about it. These symptoms have specific, well-documented causes — and understanding them is the first step to actually doing something about them. Here are five things flying is doing to your body right now. Some I´ll bet…

Started by Tripatini

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Travel Budgeting: How to Budget for Your Trip

Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive, stressful, or unpredictable. With the right planning, you can enjoy your dream destination while staying comfortably within your budget. In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn how to create a smart travel budget, estimate your costs correctly, save money, and make the most of deals on flights, hotels, car rentals, and last-minute flight bookings.Whether you're planning an international adventure or a weekend getaway, mastering travel budgeting allows…

Started by Liam Adamson

1 Reply · Reply by Mark Wood Sep 25

Getting the best possible airfare deals from the USA with Google Flights

If you’ve ever gone down the rabbit hole of searching for flights, you know how overwhelming it can get. Prices jump around, deals disappear, and it’s easy to spend hours refreshing tabs. That’s where Google Flights comes in—it’s one of the most powerful (and free) tools for finding cheap airfares. Here are a few strategies travelers swear by: read post

Started by Tripatini

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Comments

Jools Stone September 5, 2010 at 7:36pm

Very interesting, thanks Charlie.
Charlie Leocha September 5, 2010 at 7:33pm

Guys, The Consumer Travel Alliance together with the Business Travel Coalition and the American Society of Travel Agents are kicking off a campaign tomorrow that will give Americans a chance to let the DOT know we are fed up with hidden airline fees. More coming on Tuesday morning.
Ed Wetschler September 5, 2010 at 6:13pm

To us, Jools, even BritRail is fabulous. I guess it's all relative.

Max, here's the problem with the airlines, especially the American legacy carriers: They've fired thousands of staffers, downsized the peanuts, created fees for everything from carry-on bags to Coca-Cola, and crammed every seat, yet they're still a lousy investment. They don't dare treat us better without fomenting a revolt among the shareholders.

Moreover, they don't have to. They've learned that when we have to get from A to B, we have to get from A to B.

So it still comes down to this: How much more $ are we willing to spend to get a more civilized flight experience?
Jools Stone September 5, 2010 at 5:40pm

I agree with you all the way to Aunt Sadie's Max. It's a crying shame that whole swathes of yr country are inaccessible by rail. I haven't experienced it yet, but I've read as much before. UK is not so great compared to western Europe really, but fares are plain silly. You can cross Russia cheaper than you can, say Scotland. At least we can train it to Paris from London faster than the speed of a flying erm bullet plane, or something. There needs to be price parity, I think it will come eventually, maybe not in our lifetimes though.
Max Pesling September 5, 2010 at 5:24pm

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!! Thanks, Jools, your suggestion just made my day. Train service in our country is a joke. Albania probably has better train service than we do, thanks no doubt to the powerful automobile and airline industry lobbies. Yes, Amtrak is worse, sometimes more expensive, and most importantly, for the most part NOT THERE. With some notable exceptions, like the Northeast Corridor (Washington to Boston), most of this country is vastly underserved by rail service, to a degree unimaginable to people lucky enough to have access to Europe's excellent train system. Do you realize we don't have a single high-speed train in this country like Spain's heavenly AVE? If I could take the train to Florida to visit my aunt Sadie (that really is her name!) and be there in 7 hours instead of 20-something, I would happily do so. The one time I took Amtrak to Florida I swore I'd never do it again.

IMHO when rail travel is good it is the BEST way to travel, bar none. We just have some catching up to do, that's all.

And Ed, how much would I be willing to spend for a more civilized flight experience? I don't think I should have to. I think the airlines should provide it now, with what I'm paying now.
Jools Stone September 5, 2010 at 5:07pm

@Max, true enough, so why not take the train instead? Or is Amtrak worse, just too expensive etc...I'm in Europe myself
Ed Wetschler September 5, 2010 at 5:06pm

Jools, the distinction Max makes seems to address your question as well. To Jools and Max and everyone else: Maybe the right question for me to ask is, How much more $ are we willing to spend to get a more civilized flight experience?
Max Pesling September 5, 2010 at 4:57pm

Ed, we're a nation of complainers, so let's start there. That being said, you're right, 15 cents per mile doesn't seem like so much to fly through the air, something our ancestors couldn't even imagine. Personally, I don't think airfares are usually outrageous. What I do think is outrageous is the treatment we get, starting with the airport experience; rude personnel; shrinking legroom; no more free snacks -- and what they do offer for inflated prices is outright mediocre. And let's not even talk about all the add-on fees! So, while prices are, in my view, acceptable, the experience and service are not.
Jools Stone September 5, 2010 at 4:40pm

What's your view on flight comparison sites, if you were blogging for one, what type of story would interest you? I'm one of the new bloggers for Flightster.
Why not give me your views at:
http://joolsstone.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/blogging-engines-sorta-r...
Ed Wetschler September 5, 2010 at 4:36pm

Today's New York Times reports that even though airfares have gone up, the average charge per mile per passenger is about 15 cents per mile. Does this mean we complain too much?

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