Ryanair pressing ahead with its pay to pee scheme

by Scott Carmichael on

Around this time last year, Ryanair made the news when its quirky CEO announced his plans to charge passengers for using the bathroom. The inital reaction was that of amusement, then when people realized the guy was serious, people started questioning his mental health.

The news died down, but apparently the folks in Dublin have been working hard behind the scenes to actually become the first airline in the world with paid bathrooms.

In fact, the airline is taking things one step further by removing two of the three bathrooms on the plane, and adding more sears. End result? One pay-to-pee bathroom and a 5% decrease in ticket prices.

The entire scheme actually makes perfect sense, especially since the airline is using the modification to lower prices even more. Of course, this is going to be bad news for people with a bladder problem, or those that enjoy taking their photo in the airplane bathroom.

No announcement has been made when Ryanair passengers will need to bring pee pee money, but knowing how efficient they are, it may be sooner rather than later.

Air New Zealand in hot water over new cougar ad

by Scott Carmichael on

Air New Zealand has a history of fun and creative TV commercials. In the past, they used their own bodypainted staff to promote their service, and this time, they recruited cougars. In case you missed it, a cougar is an older woman who preys on young men. Air New Zealand describes them as “too old to be your girlfriend and too young to be your mom”.

Even though the ad has very little to do with air travel, it is absolutely hilarious. Of course, as with any controversial TV ad, a group complained about it, and Air New Zealand pulled it from the air. Despite the humor in the clip, rape victims in New Zealand were not amused, claiming the clip was “appalling, disgusting and degrading to women”. What do you think?

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“Make” your own pillow – Airplane tip

by Gadling Staff on

If you’re unhappy with the size (or cleanliness) of the pillows the airlines provide, consider “making” your own.

Bring an empty, gallon-sized, slide-lock, plastic bag on the plane. After you’ve settled in your seat, close the bag nearly all the way, insert a drinking straw into the opening, and inflate the bag halfway. Then wrap the bag with a sweater or scarf and place this under your head.

On long/international flights, place the tiny pillow provided by the airline in the small of your back rather than under your head. The pillow provides welcome lower back support.

What? You’re still paying the airlines to carry your bags?

by George Hobica on

Now that the airlines have raised, yet again, their fees for checked bags, it’s time to take another look at the alternative: shipping your bags, or better yet (if you’re staying in one place once you arrive) just the contents of your bag ahead of your arrival using economical ground shipping services.

Why deal with the airlines, when UPS Ground and FedEx Ground offer better tracking, insurance and security, can be much cheaper in some scenarios, and will actually refund your shipping fee if there’s a delay or loss? No waiting in line at the airport! No pilferage! No schlepping!

Airfarewatchdog.com has looked at four domestic route scenarios (short, medium, and long haul) and compared three shipping services and two airlines (one with high bag fees, and one with low fees) to see how much you can save by not entrusting your bags to the airlines.

As you can see from the chart, depending on route and method, the cost savings achieved from shipping vs. schlepping range from little or nothing to dramatic. But as we explain, even if costs are the same, dealing with a company like FedEx
can be much less stressful than with an airline.

Consider: a single 25-pound suitcase or shipment from Boston to San Francisco by FedEx Ground costs about $31 vs. $23-$25 on Delta or nothing on Southwest.

But once that suitcase weighs over 50 pounds, excess charges kick in on the airlines, even on Southwest: you’d pay $56 for a 55-lb. bag using USPS on that same Boston-San Francisco trip, but twice that on Delta, which adds an extra $90 fee each way for bags weighing over 50 pounds. Even Southwest will charge you $50 each way.

And if your bag is both heavy and oversized (larger than 61-62 linear inches), you’ll get hit with triple jeopardy on some airlines: a fee for the first bag, plus an overweight fee, plus an oversized fee. Such a bag might cost nearly $300 on Delta on a trip from Los Angeles to Seattle vs. under $40 via FedEx Ground.

Also of note: the typical 22-inch rolling suitcase weighs 9-10 lbs. and airlines will shun responsibility for what they consider “normal wear and tear” if the suitcase or its wheel mechanism is damaged in transit. If you’re staying in one place once you arrive, do you really need a suitcase at all? Put your clothes and other personal items in a sturdy box and you’ll pay ground shippers even less than the prices shown in our chart.

But even if the costs are the same airline vs. ground shipping, consider these advantages of shipping:

  • Better tracking: You can track your shipment online step by step. Try that with an airline.
  • Safer: There’s less chance of something going missing or getting damaged.
  • Convenience: you can breeze through the airport without waiting in line to check bags.
  • Responsibility: If an airline loses or delays your bag, they’ll keep your fee and play the blame game. FedEx and UPS will at least refund your shipping fees. Plus, airlines refuse to take responsibility for losing or damaging anything they consider “valuable,” such as electronics or business items. You can insure these items with the shipping services for a small additional fee.
  • Less schlepping: True, you have to either drop off your shipment at a post office, UPS office or store, or FedEx or Kinko’s location (or you can arrange for pick up for a small fee in some cases), but let’s face it: fighting for overhead space is no fun, and lugging luggage through mile-long airport concourses is no fun either.

Clearly, we’ve only given examples for domestic shipping, but USPS Priority Mail rates for international shipping are surprisingly competitive with the airlines’ fees for checking bags on international routes.

And even if you’re the carry-on type, shipping on your next trip may reveal the joys of not fighting for overhead space and saving yourself a shoulder injury from hoisting a heavy bag into same.

Give shipping vs. checking a try next time you fly. You may never pay bag fees again.

George Hobica is the founder of Airfarewatchdog™, the most inclusive source of airfare deals that have been researched and verified by experts. Airfarewatchdog compares fares from all airlines and includes the increasing number of airline-site-only and promo code fares.

Donate and earn miles when you give to Haiti relief

by Grant Martin on

Donating to the earthquake relief effort in Haiti should be a no-brainer, but for those who haven’t given or who would like to give more, the travel industry is offering a few additional mechanisms, some with incentives.

As of Tuesday morning, here’s a comprehensive list of how you can donate your miles via assorted airline or hotel websites.

  • American Airlines will give you 250 miles if you donate $50 to the American Red Cross or 500 miles for $100.
  • Continental OnePass members can donate to the American Red Cross directly, and CEO Jeff Smisek is reported to be matching coworker donations up to $50,000
  • Similar programs are in place at Delta and United.
  • Spirit Airlines, which flies daily flights to Haiti, is returning 5,000 miles to anyone who donates at least $5 to their charities.
  • JetBlue and Southwest won’t let you donate miles, but they do have donation links to the relief effort on their main pages.
  • In addition to matching the donations of their employees, US Airways allows Dividend Members to donate their miles.
  • Hyatt Gold Passport members can donate increments of 5,000 points by calling 1-800-228-3360, Hilton members can convert 10,000 points to a $25 donation at their site and Priority Club and Choice members can also chip in.
  • Starwood hotels are matching all donations, where 4,000 points will equal $50.
  • In addition to the $500,000 that Bill Marriott gave to the relief effort (classy!), you can donate your Marriott points here.

Did we miss anything? Drop off links in the comments below and we’ll update the post.