Traxo: all-in-one mileage, points and status tracker

by Scott Carmichael on

Last week, we took a look at ten ways to prevent your hard earned miles and points from expiring. From that article, we received a tip to check out another new online mileage tracker – Traxo.

Traxo describes itself as “an automatic, intelligent new system for organizing, managing and sharing all of your trip details”. What this means to us travelers, is that the site automatically monitors your miles and points on over 40 different sites. The system knows how to access almost every major airline, hotel chain, online travel agency, rental car company and credit card reward program – and once entered into their site, you’ll have a single point of reference for all your accounts.

Best of all, the site does more than just display your account balances – it also tracks your current membership status, informing you how far you are from the next tier. It also collects all your (upcoming) trips, and its social features can share (parts of) these trips with authorized friends and family members. Other handy features can alert you when miles or points are going to expire, giving you plenty of time to find a quick way to add some new activity.

Of course, as with all sites that “scrape” from your accounts, you need to be well aware that there may be risks involved, but the Traxo privacy policy seems quite adequate.

The site is easy to navigate and accounts can be added very quickly. Best of all, the service is free of charge. To take it for a spin, head on over to Traxo.com.

Infographic: Is it safe to fly this holiday season?

by Scott Carmichael on

The holiday season is often the time of year a lot of people take to the skies that are not frequent fliers. And if you combine this with the recent bad news about air safety, you can’t blame people for asking themselves: is it safe to fly this holiday season?

With news of exploding engines, bombs in printer cartridges and enhanced security at the airports, the media would make it seem like flying is more dangerous than ever.

So, the artists at The Friendly Planet Blog have collected some data, and turned it into a brilliant infographic. With numbers collected from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Air Transport Association, the infographic shows what most of us already know – air travel is safer than ever.

The numbers don’t lie – on over ten million flights in the U.S. last year, only 50 people died in a flight accident. You have a much greater chance of dying in the car on the way to the airport than you will when you are on board your flight.

In the coming weeks, we’ll have some great survival tips on how to get through the hectic holiday travel season, and after the jump you’ll find the full version of the graphic with lots more statistics to prove just how safe air travel is.

Click on the image for the full size version. Thanks to blog.friendlyplanet.com for providing the infographic!

JetBlue adds General McChrystal to board of advisors

by McLean Robbins on

He’s no longer flying military … and he’s budget-conscious too! JetBlue announced yesterday the addition of General Stanley A. McChrystal to their corporation’s board of directors.

“We are honored to have Gen. McChrystal join our airline’s leadership ranks,” said Dave Barger, CEO and president of JetBlue. “As we enter our second decade and continue to grow in new directions, the fresh perspectives and counsel of leaders like Gen. McChrystal will be truly beneficial to maintaining our competitive advantage.”

Considered one of the nation’s most accomplished military leaders, the 34-year Army veteran commanded the U.S. and NATO’s security mission in Afghanistan, served as the director of the Joint Staff and was the Commander of Joint Special Operations Command, where he was responsible for the nation’s deployed military counter terrorism efforts.

Let’s just hope that he isn’t followed by another Rolling Stone reporter and encouraged to express his views on this airline after a few drinks.

Earn 1000 bonus miles when you use mobile check-in this Holiday season on United Airlines

by Scott Carmichael on

United Airlines is taking a bit of stress off the Holiday travel season with a pretty generous 1000 mile bonus for passengers who use their mobile check-in service.

Mobile check-in is available on all United and United Express operated flights within the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The promotion does have one minor caveat – you need to register at united.com/mobilebonus before your account is eligible to receive the bonus. At that link, simply enter your Mileage Plus number, and the next time you use the United Mobile check-in option at mobile.united.com, you’ll receive 1000 miles (after 6 to 8 weeks).

You can only earn the bonus miles once, and the promotion last until December 31, 2010.

With the United Mobile site, you can check-in, have a mobile boarding pass emailed to your phone, check flight status, view your upcoming flight reservations, check your Mileage Plus account summary and sign up for flight notifications. Their mobile site also lists Red Carpet Club locations and lists Airline contact information.

Ask Gadling: You missed your flight

by Meg Nesterov on


Even in this day and age of flight delays and cancellations, it’s always not the airline’s fault that you miss your flight. It happens: you oversleep, get stuck in traffic, or just run late on the way to the airport and miss your flight. A few months ago, my husband and I were heading out of Istanbul for the weekend and because of unusually long security lines and non-functional check-in kiosks, our flight closed just before we got to the check-in counter and we missed the flight. Turkish Airlines rebooked and ticketed us on another flight with a small change fee. Recently, some visiting friends missed their flight home though they were *at the gate* due to a last-minute gate change and zero announcements. Despite the fact that other passengers made the same mistake, they paid a change fee plus the fare difference, and they were also flying Turkish Airlines.

So what can you do if you miss your flight?

View more Ask Gadling: Travel Advice from an Expert or send your question to ask [at] gadling [dot] com.
  1. Proceed to the airport check in counter – There used to be an unwritten “flat tire” rule that meant if you got a flat tire en route, you could show up and be put on the next flight with no charge. That rule seems to have gone the way of the free meal in coach, but many airlines may still try to help depending on demand and schedules. If you are on your way but think you will miss the check in cut off time but not the departure time, try calling the airline in case they are able to check you in and then rush you to the gate. Even if you know you will miss your flight, your odds of being rebooked are better if you are physically at the airport than if you go back home or to your hotel. You may even still make the fight if you can (politely, please!) push through security if you tell other passengers you are about to miss your flight.
  2. Use your status if you have it – If you are flying an airline you hold status with, now is the time to call the Gold desk. Flying a full-fare or upper class ticket can also help. This is not to say you should threaten anyone or act self-important, you want to show you are a valuable customer who would greatly appreciate being accommodated. Missed flights are another good case for travel insurance, if you’ve ensured your trip, you may be able to be rebooked for free.
  3. Be calm and flexible – It may not be your fault that your taxi driver took the long way to the airport, but you’re still in the weaker position and at the mercy of the ticketing agent. It won’t help to be difficult or angry. Additionally, being flexible about your routing can help, especially if you’ve missed the last direct flight of the day. Ask about connections or even flights to neighboring cities where you can take a train or drive the rest of the way. The day we missed our flight out of Istanbul to Pristina, we ended up on the next flight – to Prague. Your travel plans may not always be so flexible, but getting a seat on a connecting flight may mean you get home – or on vacation – faster.

Gadling readers: what’s your experience been when you’ve missed a flight? What airlines do you find to be the most accommodating?