Imagine if you could fly. Not in an airplane or a helicopter. I mean, you could fly like Superman. How amazing would it be to soar through cities and observe everyone from above. Well, imagine looking up and seeing three people flying around New York City. That’s what must have happened when people saw these human-shaped remote control airplanes circling around New York. It looks like it might just be a promotional video for the new film Chronicle, but that doesn’t make it any less awesome. Time to stare out there window and wish for some superpowers.
Disclosure rules have airlines mad with good reason
New airfare disclosure rules from the U.S. Department of Transportation went into effect this week requiring airlines to include all taxes and mandatory fees in the quoted airfare price. The new transparency should not affect the end price airfare, but lets consumers know up front what the total price will be. Travelers like it. Airlines don’t and say the rule discriminates against air travel over other travel options.
“For the consumer, this is obviously very good,” travel consultant Monika Dysart told the Salt Lake Tribune. “It’s full disclosure of the fare upfront, instead of letting you get to the airport thinking you got a good deal and then having another $100 or $200 [added],”
Spirit Airlines, home of the $9 fare (which really is not once other fees are added) isn’t happy with the new rule and has a big “Warning!” sign that pops up on the carrier’s website making that quite clear.
“We’re against these new regulations because we actually think it reduces transparency,” Spirit Airlines CEO Ben Baldanza told Time this week. “We think it makes it harder for consumers to understand what they’re paying for.”Spirit believes that with the total price on display up front, it looks like airlines are raising their prices which could drive away consumers, something a low-cost airline can not afford.
Spirit Airlines is not the only airline that objected to the new regulations. Southwest Airlines and Allegiant Air have also made legal appeals to have the new disclosure rule overturned saying the rule singles out airlines.
“Our main objection … is that there is no justification for treating air travel differently from just about everything else that consumers purchase, i.e. they pay for the price of goods and services and then pay tax. And that’s how everything is advertised, as the price of the item separately from the tax on that price,” Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King told CNN last month.
Before the new rule took effect this week, airlines could advertise the base fare of a ticket, adding in taxes and fees later in the shopping process, much like other travel options still do.
Cruise lines almost universally advertise “teaser” rates that represent the least expensive accommodations from a complex matrix of choices, difficult for consumers to sort out. Travel agents are commonly put in the position of explaining that the cruise fare a consumer wants is available on one particular sailing, on one ship, in accommodations they might not care for…and that taxes are not included in that price too.
Hotels commonly add other fees later in the buying process as well. Tour operators boast attractive low prices that are rarely the end price consumers pay.
Airlines surely have a point that they are indeed being singled out, but the new regulations have good intentions.
“Airline passengers have rights, and they should be able to expect fair and reasonable treatment when booking a trip and when they fly,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told Outcomemag. “The new passenger protections taking effect this week are a continuation of our effort to help air travelers receive the respect they deserve.”
Image: Spirit Airlines
Superbowl 2012 travel trends
For football fans, next weekend is the penultimate match up between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. What does that mean for travelers? Stay the heck away from Indianapolis!
Kayak just released data showing that searches from New England to Indianapolis saw an increase of 28 times the average immediately following the Pats/Ravens game. New York Giants fans accounted for a flight search increase to Indianapolis of 38 times the average.
Hotel searches for Indianapolis on January 22 were seven times the average hotel search share of the first two Sundays of the month.
Of course, that means hotels are raising prices accordingly – Staybridge Suites Indianapolis- Airport hotel is showing a rate of $312 and the Residence Inn Indianapolis Fishers is offering a rate of $179. Both are a 20 to 30-minute drive away.
Hotels up to 10 miles from the stadium are already beginning to sell out, if they haven’t done so already.
Of course, if you want to go luxe, you certainly can. Jetsetter is offering three packages for the game, which include overnight accommodations, VIP game passes and party access. Of course, the price goes along with the exclusivity – the most expensive package is $20,000 for two.
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[Flickr via indywriter]
Virgin Atlantic to open new clubhouse at JFK in March
A new, larger, better Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse for upper-class passengers is scheduled to open at New York’s Kennedy Airport in early March.
The new clubhouse “will create an unique experience for our passengers to complement our flagship Clubhouse and Revivals Lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 3,” Chris Rossi, Virgin Atlantic’s senior vice president for North America told TravelWeekly.
The current JFK clubhouse is located on the departure level in Terminal 4, prior to security. The new facility will be positioned near the gates Virgin Atlantic uses in Terminal 4.
The 10,000-square-foot facility will be larger than the flagship clubhouse at London’s Heathrow airport by about 2,000 square feet.Virgin’s Clubhouses are located at Heathrow, Gatwick, Newark, Washington, Boston, Johannesburg, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Rated the best airline lounge in the world, TipsForTravelers says “Virgin Atlantic’s vision is to create an airline that people love to fly, and they add to that that they want to have some fun doing it.“
Flickr photo by Deanster1983
SkyMall Monday: Zenhaus Dog Crate
Living with a dog means giving up much of your domestic life to an animal that doesn’t know how to share space. You live with fur everywhere. Water and food bowls take up part of the kitchen floor. Toys are scattered everywhere. It’s difficult to create a sophisticated living space when there are drool stains on most of the furniture. We run into these problems at SkyMall Monday headquarters thanks to our freeloading tenants. This doesn’t even take into account the space issues. Once you set out some dog beds and set up their crates, you’re dedicating a tremendous amount of real estate to animals that lick their own penises. So how do you maximize space, live in style and also make your home comfortable for your dogs? You simply sit back, relax and let SkyMall solve all of your problems with the Zenhaus Dog Crate…that’s also a coffee table!Crates take up huge swaths of space and ostracize your dogs. By combining your dog’s crate with your coffee table, you use your space efficiently and make your dog a decorative centerpiece while you’re entertaining. Your guests will marvel at your seven-layer dip and how your dog runs around in circles inside your coffee table because he so desperately wants said dip that he can smell just inches above him.
Think that dog crates and coffee tables should be two separate pieces of furniture? Believe that it’s torturous to keep your dog in your coffee table while you serve appetizers to friends? Well, while you keep your dog away from the pigs in a blanket, we’ll be reading the product description:
This furniture collection appeals to dogs’ natural instincts to have their own, cozy sanctuary (like their ancestors’ caves) and the pet owner’s desire for luxury home furnishings.
I think they’re discounting man’s urge to have luxury home furnishing by simply calling it a “desire.” It, too, is a natural instinct. Even when our ancestors lived in caves, they always tried to optimize the feng shui by clubbing their mates and laying then in the southeast corner of their dwellings.
Dog ownership presents many challenges but interior design doesn’t need to be one of them. Keep your dog confined and drinks close by all in one by putting your pet inside your coffee table. It’s simply the natural evolution of both beast and man.
Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.