Ask Gadling: How do I standby for an earlier flight?

by Grant Martin on

It wasn’t too long ago that it was easy enough to walk up to the counter of an earlier departing flight to a destination of your choice and hitch a ride. The notion, at least back then, was that the empty space you saved on your next flight was insurance for the airline in case something went wrong – you were one less passenger that they had to deal with.

These days of a la carte pricing brought and end to that perk. Simply put, any benefit that a passenger might be able to reap was identified and squashed by the airlines, in this case, by means of a fee. That said, it’s still possible to stand by for an earlier flight, you just need to know the lay of the current land.

Lets start with the basics: in order to have a chance at standing by on an earlier flight, check to make sure that the routing and airline are identical. If you’re flying on American from Los Angeles to Seattle, for example, you can neither fly a two leg flight from LA-Portland-Seattle nor can you fly on the American Airlines codeshare operated by Alaska Airlines.

There also has to be space on the flight. Mind you, can still join the standby list on a full flight, but chances are low that you’re actually going to be awarded a ticket.

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Not sure how full the flight is? Check out seatcounter.com before you even leave home or work to see your chances of getting a seat. Or, give the airline a quick call and ask for “availability” on the flights prior to yours.

Second, you usually have to be willing to pay. This fee ranges from $50 on upwards and is only waived for some elites on some airlines. American Airlines and Delta, for example, will let elite passengers standby for free, while almost ALL elites on United have to pay (get with the program guys!). Southwest doesn’t charge anyone.

Of course you can always try to sweet talk your way out of this fee. The best way to do this is to analyze your later departing flight and try to reason with the gate agent about your itinerary. If the later flight is overbooked, for example, they may waive your standby fee in lieu of paying to bump a later passenger. If the later flight is delayed or canceled, the same may hold true. There’s also an outside chance that they can forget or take pity on you, so it doesn’t hurt to try to standby (and then balk when they try to charge you).

The key to the whole standby game, however, lies in empowered passengers knowing available routes and loads. To get a head start on this, do your savvy web research (seatcounter) or even call the airline on the way to the airport. Once educated, you have a bit of leverage for negotiating your way onto a flight.

Liquids soon to be allowed back on planes

by Grant Martin on

It looks like beer runs to Istanbul may be back on the table again, as the feds are reconsidering the ban on liquids greater than 3oz. According to the folks with the Associated Free Press, bigwigs at the International Civil Aviation Organization meeting in Montreal have been hinting that new technology in the baggage scanning world will soon be able to detect malicious liquids at security checkpoints. The technology could be widespread and integrated into airports by 2012.

This means that cases of wine from Argentina, packs of beer from Minneapolis and, well, large bottles of toothpaste and contact lens solution may soon once more be allowed to fly with their owners in the cabins of passengers jets. Of course this also means that that battle for overhead bins may begin once more, with desperate passengers trying to cram a weeks worth of luggage into an microscopic rollaboard. Still, the benefits will still outweigh the costs.

What will truly be interesting to see is how the airlines react to reduced to income from checked baggage fees. It wouldn’t surprise us at Gadling Labs if they either secretly try to block the ease on liquids restrictions or incorporate some hardcore checked baggage policies in the future.

Ryanair and Easyjet passengers told “you can fly home, but not with your bags”

by Scott Carmichael on

Earlier this week, 10 million Spanish workers went on strike to protest changes to workers rights and pensions. As usual, the strike shut down airports, forcing most European air carriers to cancel their flights. Once the strike was over, it took several days for things to get back to normal.

As airlines struggled to get enough planes back to Spain to pick up passengers, both Ryanair and Easyjet had a bad message for their customers – you can fly with us, but you can’t bring your luggage with you.

Most of the passengers were given absolutely no warning about this, while others only got a few hours notice. As tired vacationers struggled to find ways to get their possessions sent home, others had to give up and just leave their things at their hotels, without the chance of ever seeing them again.

One passenger left over $1,500 worth of clothes in Gran Canaria, a very quick way to completely spoil what was supposed to be a fun vacation. As is becoming common with low cost carriers, they showed that they really don’t care by saying little more than “sorry for the inconvenience”.

Virgin Atlantic ad campaign hits American airwaves for the first time in over 10 years

by Annie Scott on

This morning, at an intimate press event in New York City, Virgin Atlantic announced their new $25 million worldwide ad campaign: “Your airline’s either got it or it hasn’t.” Starting the week of October 11, you’ll be seeing Virgin advertisements on television in the USA for the first time in over 10 years.

The ad, which looks like a sexy music video (and a pretty good one, at that, with a terrific cover of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” by Muse) is sure to appeal to a younger generation of business travelers and embodies VA’s “we’re not all buttoned up like the other airlines” allure.

Senior Vice President Chris Rossi calls the campaign a “brand redesign,” and to complete the picture, Virgin Atlantic is also ushering in a handful of new planes over the next two years (A330s) painted with a new design — in eco-friendlier paint, no less (it’s a thinner and lighter paint, and lasts seven to nine years). The new design features the brand name in huge, Gotham font letters and an updated Mustang Sally (“our scarlet lady,” Rossi calls her) carrying a far larger Union Jack flag.

The campaign isn’t just about flashy advertising, it’s also ushering in a new era of technological capabilities for the already cutting-edge brand. As early as this spring, you’ll be able to text message and make calls from your own telephone from an upper class Virgin Atlantic seat. Rossi says they’re unsure about the intrusiveness of allowing passengers to make such calls, but assures there will be a trial. “Our brand is a ‘let’s try it’ brand,” he says. Don’t screw it up, guys.

So, give the above commercial a watch and then look for it on TV as soon as the MLB Championships start. Check out the new livery below.
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Ask Gadling: How do I get more miles for an airline ticket?

by Grant Martin on

You’re almost there. Seventeen years of flying from Orlando to Detroit in an aluminum tube with no legroom, incessant fees, unruly flight attendants and sky high fares and you’ve finally reached 24,4486 miles. You’ve only got 514 left to go before you reach Eden -that holy, hallowed ground where you turn in those miles for a free ticket to anywhere the airline flies. Oh, the possibilities that await.

But wait! The next flight that you have isn’t scheduled for another three months out and you really want to use those hot fresh miles in your account! Fear not, brave traveler, for there are plenty of ways to earn miles without setting a foot near an airport or even thinking about air travel. We’re talking, of course, about partner mileage credit, the commercial transactions you do in everyday life that can potentially earn you bucketsfull of miles.

Lets start at the top, though. The easiest way to earn a few extra miles is obviously to buy them. Any carrier looking to make a few extra dollars hosts the option to simply buy a few extra miles to top off your account. They’re not cheap, mind you (Delta currently sells 2,000 miles for $56 before fees and taxes), but if you need them in a pinch, they’re available.

Really though, who wants to buy miles when you can earn them by buying something else? Many airlines partner with numerous online retailers who will reward you with miles for purchasing the same old things that you’d normally buy. Netflix, for example, will give you 1500 miles on some carriers for simply joining their service.

View more Ask Gadling: Travel Advice from an Expert or send your question to ask [at] gadling [dot] com.

The most lucrative vendors are among the flower industry, where sites like 1800flowers will reward you with 20 or even 30 miles per dollar spent on flowers. Send your loved ones a $40 bouquet and you’ve got yourself 1200 miles in the bank.

And don’t forget vendors in the travel industry such as hotels or car rental companies, each of which will give you piles of miles per reservation (Hint: look for partner redemptions when you sign up for their loyalty programs).

We should also take a moment to mention mileage credit cards. Most airlines and banks offer credit cards that return one or two miles for every dollar you spend. Depending on your credit and the economy they’ll often offer hefty incentives for enrolling, sometimes up to 100,000 miles per card. Bear in mind, however, that many of these cards come with an annual fee and that interest can quickly offset any miles earned.

All too much investment for a few measly miles? Then check out e-rewards, and myriad other points sites where taking numerous surveys, filling out questionnaires and participating in consumer panels can earn you virtual points good for redemption towards frequent flyer miles. Just make sure that you know how many points you need before you sign up, some of the surveys can be a time consuming endeavor.

And if that’s not enough, keep your eyes on the points hoarding blogs out on the web. Two of my favorites are The Points Guy and View From the Wing where a long lunch session of reading and arm-gnawing will get you a few free miles (and info on how to finagle a few free more). With enough patience, the miles will be flowing in before you know it.