A handy guide to help you wade through airline rules and restrictions

by Jamie Rhein on

While I was packing yesterday for my daughter’s and my trip to Denmark, I asked her if she wanted to take a lightweight shawl to use as a blanket on the airplane.

“Don’t they give you blankets?” she asked.

Maybe. Some airlines charge extra for a blanket and pillow. Jet Blue already does. U.S. Airways is going to start soon.

In another conversation yesterday, this one on the phone, my father told me that he decided against checking a second bag on his Delta flight from Columbus to JFK in New York when he found out that this would cost him $50. On December 5, that fee will go down to $25.

My dad’s plane was an hour late leaving Columbus yesterday, and he said that the JFK connection to Albany was a hassle to navigate. Perhaps, that’s why the extra baggage fees seem unreasonable. Plane travel is anything but heavenly.

Blanket fees, bag fees, reservation fees, carry-on size changes, meals or no meals, drinks or no drinks, working toilet or no working toilet–just kidding on that one–are details that make air travel more confusing than it used to be.

Sure, buy the plane ticket, but don’t think you’re done paying for the cost of getting from here to there. Keep some extra cash on hand because you’re bound to need it for something when you fly.

In this comprehensive article at Smarter Travel, Tim Winship covers 25 policy changes that are coming to various airlines. When trying to find the best deal, knowing an airline’s checked baggage policy, for example, can make a difference as to how pricey a cheap ticket may become.

One point Winship makes is that complaining can work. When United received complaints galore from passengers who were miffed about paying for meals on overseas flights, the airlines dropped that charge.

If there is anything that’s certain, as soon as you learn an airline’s policy, it’s going to change.

Will film ‘Australia’ spur tourism Down Under?

by Jeffrey White on

This past Sunday — a cold, icy day here in Connecticut — I went and saw the new Baz Luhrmann epic “Australia.”

It was indeed epic, if a little convoluted in parts and downright weird in others. Overall, I’d say it was pretty good, and full of spectacular scenery of Australia’s rugged Northern Territory and the Kimberly region of Western Australia.

Tourism Australia is hoping the movie will mean a surge in visitors Down Under, and has launched a $26 million worldwide ad campaign based on the movie, says the Associated Press.

The state of Western Australia is spending $1.4 million of its own money on another ad campaign, and the Northern Territory is throwing in $400,000 from its own coffers.

While the movie is set in the Northern Territory, many locations from around Australia feature, including scenes shot near the Whitsunday Islands in the northeast. Closer to the film’s supposed location, there are generous shots of working cattle stations at El Questro and Home Valley, the sandstone escarpments of the Cockburn Range and the must-see Bungle Bungle Range of the Kimberly (pictured).

The AP reports that various tour operators have begun offering tours of the region.

It’s probably a little too early to tell whether the movie can create the kind of interest in a place that “Lord of the Rings” did for the south island of New Zealand. For one thing, Australia’s north is not, as a travel destination, for the faint of heart.

Daily deal – TomTom ONE XL widescreen GPS unit for $99.99

by Scott Carmichael on

Today’s daily deal is for (yet another) GPS unit. As is often the case with electronics, the best deals of the season pop up after Black Friday, and the deal on this TomTom is no different.

The hot Black Friday seller was for a regular TomTom for $99.99, but the unit on sale here is even hotter! The TomTom ONE XL is a 4.3″ widescreen GPS unit with built in Bluetooth.

The device has 1GB of built in memory and pre-loaded maps of the United States and Canada.

Included in the package is the unit itself, a windshield mount, a car charger cord and a PC USB cable.

The deal is an Amazon “Goldbox” product, so the special price of $99.99 won’t be along for much longer. If you need a GPS unit, or are looking for a gift, then don’t wait too long.

Mumbai terror attacks: The aftermath and travel information

by Abha Malpani on


It’s always been hard for anything to get in the way of the normal functioning of Mumbai. But the recent terror attacks paralyzed South Mumbai for about 3 days, and left the rest of the city home bound, shocked, and glued to news channels.

I was there when the attacks happened, but luckily not in South Mumbai. As schools, colleges, and many companies remained closed, the city was relatively quiet. The mess was over Saturday morning (29th November), after which everything has been back to normal. Trains, buses and taxis are back to their usual frequency, offices have opened, the airport is functioning as usual but with tightened security.

Some of the hotels are back to normal as well, others are not taking new guests until things are clearer. Many of the South Mumbai hotels are not allowing people to enter the restaurants and cafes unless they are staying at the respective hotel.

Especially since tourists were the target in Mumbai, most countries have issued travel warnings and even bans for people to fly to India. Post attacks, a British report has named India one of the top 20 most dangerous places to visit. There are currently many rumors floating around that the next attacks are being planned along India’s west coast, specifically Goa and Cochin. All of India’s big cities are on high alert.
But really, who knows? There were no concrete official terror warnings or alerts with regards to Mumbai before the attacks happened. Sometimes, as stupid as this may sound, when places are officially on “red alert”, I think they are probably the safest places to visit. Terrorists know that those places have heightened security, so attacks are difficult.

So what should you do to assure your safety as much as possible when you are in a foreign city?

Here are my thoughts:
1) Awareness and vigilance: Be aware of the socio-political situation, and have background on previous dangerous occurrences in the place you are going to. Keep track of local news and what’s generally happening by looking through the local newspapers everyday.
2) Register yourself at your Embassy: If you are going to be somewhere for at least 4-5 days, it’s worth the effort to take a trip to the local embassy of your country and inform them of your travel plans in the country. Should something drastic happen, finding you may be less difficult.
3) Stay away from large crowds during religious festivals: The pretext of much terror is religion, especially in India. Although it may be a great cultural experience to attend these festivals, when in doubt of safety, avoid being at the prominent spots.
4) Change your routine: If you are a foreigner in India, staying at the same place for more than a few days, it might be safer to vary your route when you go about daily activities (groceries, walk, etc).
5) Talk to locals: When in doubt about going somewhere in the city, talk to locals you can trust, for example your hotel/hostel staff and friends, they should be able to give you a reasonable idea of the situation and will help you make further travel decisions.
6) Take a taxi/rent a car: If the city you have been in has recently suffered attacks, it might be better to take a taxi or rent a car rather than take pubic transport in and out of the city.

If you choose to travel to Mumbai any time soon, you will feel the tremendous anger of the locals, and a general air of sadness and anguish. It seems that there will be a large demonstration tomorrow at the Gateway of India in Mumbai, where people will gather to express how let down they are and demand action.

FYI: The only place in India under consistent and official travel warning is Jammu and Kashmir.

American Airlines to begin charging fees even for non-passengers?

by Jeffrey White on

In an effort to get your day off with a little chuckle, I give you this story from the Onion, spoofing the fee-crazy culture that our airline industry has become.

American Airlines, like 99 percent of US airlines, is charging for pretty much everything these days, even as it maintains a level of performance that ranks dead last among its competitors according to some surveys. Is it really going too far to think AA might devise a way of charging fees for non-passengers?

Well, obviously. But here at Gadling, we’ve been speculating for some time about other fees that airlines might begin charging soon. Maybe one for carry-ons? Or one for couples who insist on kissing during flights? How about charging passengers by their weight?

Anything is possible, I guess.