Virgin America Twitter promotion gives 50% off ticket prices

by Melanie Nayer on

[Editor’s note: this deal has expired! Congratulations to those who scored a ticket!]

When Virgin America puts on a sale, they really go all out. Get ready to save, Virgins… err, flyers…

Virgin America’s latest promotion is via their Twitter account. The Red Hot 50% Off Promo is only available for purchase on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 between 1:30 p.m. and 7:59 p.m. EDT. All you have to do is give Virgin America your Twitter account name, or sign up on Twitter, and you’ll be rewarded with a 50 percent off coupon code.

The Red Hot 50% Off Promo must be used for two guests traveling on one itinerary only, and is valid for flights to and from any Virgin America destination. Availability is limited to the first 500 people to book.

Here’s the deal:

  • Login with your twitter account using this link.
  • If you are a @virginamerica follower, then you’ll get your discount if one is still available when you go through the process. If you are not a @virginamerica follower, then once you login, you’ll automatically become a follower.
  • After login, click “Grab a Seat” to use your discount.

We did a quick check of the promo’s validity and found it to be true – we grabbed a promo code and signed up for two round-trip tickets from Los Angeles to San Francisco at the discounted price of $65 per ticket. Stay tuned for more updates from @virginamerica or search #VXRedHot to get more flight deals from Virgin America.

90% of UK travelers “happy” to use airport full body scanners

by Scott Carmichael on

Global IT firm Unisys surveyed 10,000 people about their thoughts on the full body scanners being introduced at airports around the world.

Of the countries involved in the survey, the British had the least objections – with 9 out 10 respondents claiming they were actually happy to see the machines put in place. At the bottom of the list were Mexicans with just 24% of respondents having a positive opinion.

In the US, only 67% of passengers are willing to subject themselves to the full body scanner, and only 57% said they would trust airport security officers to perform checks using biometric information, compared to 91% of British travelers.

I’m not entirely sure where there are such large differences in opinions. One possible factor could be that the UK (and other European countries) have been involved in airport terror events in recent years and that their governments have done a good job at convincing people that the scanners are the only way to stay safe.

The entire survey can be found here.

(Photo from Getty Images)

Ryanair wants its winnings: One journalist’s apartment

by Melanie Nayer on

What happens when one UK journalist casually bets her apartment on the assumption that no one likes Ryanair? Ryanair comes through with a customer satisfaction letter, and demands possession of her apartment.

The Telegraph journalist Bryony Gordon wagered her London flat against anyone who could prove that Ryanair passengers enjoyed their flights. In the article (dated April 7) in the UK daily, Bryony said, “you never hear anybody casually mention that they have just flown with Ryanair, and that they really enjoyed it. I am willing to bet my flat and its contents that nobody has ever said the words “Ryanair”, “marvellous” and “service” in the same sentence.”

Well, you might not have heard those words, Bryony, but Ryanair has, and they want their winnings! Ryanair produced a small selection of customer satisfaction letters and even went to so far as to publish the letters on their website. Now, the airline is seeking its reward.

“Ryanair has provided Bryony with the details of these web-pages and is now seeking the keys to her apartment.” Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said. McNamara went on to say that Ryanair is the world’s “favorite airline” and “provides the best on-time, baggage and flight completion performance of any major European airline, while also offering Europe’s guaranteed lowest fares.”

We’re not sure exactly how this one is going to play out, but the smart move would be for Bryony to bet double-or-nothing her next flight with Ryanair is a good one. Moral of this story: If you’re going to place bets, be absolutely certain you’re going to win.

[via Times of Malta]

New United Airlines rule change means no more free same-day travel changes

by Scott Carmichael on

A new change at United Airlines can be summed up with “this sucks”. The change involves same-day flight changes. In the past, if a flight had open seats, you could change your ticket to a confirmed seat, without any fees. Additionally, you could often walk up to a ticketing desk, and have yourself added to the unconfirmed standby list for free – and if a seat opened up, you’d be on that earlier flight without any fees.

As of April 10, United Airlines wants $75 for a confirmed flight change, or $50 for an unconfirmed standby request. Thankfully, the $50 fee only applies if you actually get a seat. Some other exemptions are made for United Global Services and 1K elite members, and members traveling on standard award tickets and full fare tickets. The change is just another in a long list of services that used to be free. This one is especially confusing, because in many cases, moving passengers around can actually benefit the airline, by moving people off otherwise overbooked flights onto flights with empty seats. Since there are no apparent savings, the measure is just another way for the airline to make money off you.

George Hobica over at Airfarewatchdog has put together an updated chart with the new changes, which helps prepare yourself for the shock of having to hand over hard earned cash to your airline. You can learn more about the changes over at United.com.

Why bulkhead and exit row seats are not always the best pick

by Scott Carmichael on

Ask anyone what they think the best seat is on the plane, and most will respond with “the exit row”. And in many cases, the exit row or bulkhead seats are indeed the most cherished row of seats on the plane.

But don’t be tricked into picking the exit row or bulkhead seat without doing a little homework – not all good seats are going to provide any extra comfort, and in some cases, the most desirable seats may actually be the worst on the plane.

Finding the right seat

It isn’t hard to pick the right seat – you just need to have the right tools. My personal favorite is Seatguru.com, the granddaddy of seat map sites. On Seatguru, you can pick your seatmap by plane type, or by flight number. When you see a seatmap presented on the airline site, all seats look the same – and the airlines obviously won’t tell you in advance that a specific seat will be really uncomfortable. If you need instant (mobile) access to Seat maps, you can use the SeatGuru mobile site.

Why some airline seat choices are bad choices

All exit row and bulkhead seats are good right? Wrong. On the SeatGuru seat map, you can see exactly which seats are the most desirable – and in some cases, the exit row seats may indeed be quite a lot better than the others. However, there is more to a good seat than a lot of legroom. Legroom is useless when you are stuck in a seat that doesn’t recline, doesn’t have any room under the seat for bags and has over an inch less width.

The non-reclining seat

Non-reclining seats are usually the seats right in front of the exit row seats. These seats are locked in place to prevent them from being reclined into the exit row. Not everyone likes to recline their seat, but on a long flight, being forced to sit upright can be a real pain.

The tray-table width dillema

Because exit row seats have a lot of leg room in front of them, the tray table had to be moved into the armrest. This shaves an inch or more off the width of your seat, making it quite uncomfortable. Sure, you may have legroom, but that may not make up for the tight squeeze of your seat.

No space for bags

In a “normal” seat, you’ll have room for your bags under the seat in front of you. Having quick access to your bag means you can reach for your MP3 player, bottle of water or laptop. Without this space, you’ll need to store your bag in an overhead bin – which may not always be right above you. If you boarded late, your bag may be 20 rows behind you.

No seat pocket storage

Not only do you lose space under the seat in front of you, you also lose the seatback pocket. For most people, this is where you stash your headphones, magazines and books and a bottle of water. Without this, you’ll once again have to rely on keeping stuff in your bag(s).

Leg room with a price

Even though the row in front of you is pretty far away, there are other objects that may impact your legroom – the window seat may be obstructed by the large slide cover on the emergency door – which is of course something else not mentioned in the airline seat map. In some cases, this large obstruction may even decrease the amount of leg room offered when compared to a normal seat.

Climate control (or lack of)

Being so close to the exit door can often mean you are going to be freezing during your flight. Climate control on planes is bad enough, but on an international flight, the exit row can become especially cold. And since you can’t ask the crew to turn the heat up just for you, you may need to embark on a mission to find a couple of blankets just to stay warm.