Jet circles Zamboanga airport waiting for missing air traffic controllers

by Scott Carmichael on

Unlike our very own Kent Wien, I never trained to be a pilot, but even without those years of training, I can’t imagine it is very comforting to get close to your destination airport and find an unstaffed air traffic control tower.

This is exactly what happened when a jet carrying 156 passengers arrived in the airspace of Zamboanga airport in the Philippines, after a flight from the nation’s capital.

Instead of hearing the familiar commands from the tower telling them they were cleared to land, the Philippine Airlines flight crew heard nothing. It took 30 minutes of circling around the airport for someone to finally make their way to the tower and permit the jet to land.

Of the 5 controllers who were supposed to be on duty that morning, 2 were missing, 2 were late and one was on an approved day off, but their approval note did not make it to the airport administrator. Talk about a total breakdown of communications.

The excuse the remaining 4 controllers presented was that public transport was hard to find the day after Christmas, but officials say the controllers may still have been a little too much in “party mode”. I’m sure that is comforting to hear if you were in the air around Zamboanga that morning.

The newspaper article claims the controllers were fired, but Philippine officials merely say the 5 are currently suspended pending an investigation.

(Via: Sydney Morning Herald)

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Most Annoying Airline Passengers

by Annie Scott on

The holidays are a hard time to travel, and Lemondrop has compiled a gallery of the people who make it even harder.

“The Most Annoying Airline Passengers Ever” include people who stop in the aisle while you’re boarding to rearrange the bag they’re stowing, strangers who talk too much, and everyone in first class.

While they don’t mention my personal nemeses (the people who can’t keep their elbow and/or various other body parts on their side of the arm rest) the list is pretty darn good, and the pictures are fun, too. Special appearance by Samuel L. Jackson in his Snakes on a Plane role.

[via Lemondrop]

10 New Years travel resolutions you won’t want to miss

by Scott Carmichael on

The year is almost over, so after looking back at some of the best and worst the year had to offer, it is now time to look forward at the new year.

I’ve collected ten ways that can help you make the best of your trips, and may even help you collect some extra miles on the way there.

Re-evaluate your airline and hotel loyalty

I have some bad news for you – your airline or hotel of choice does not consider you to be a good friend. Despite your years of loyalty, they really don’t care who you are. Unless you are in the top 1% of their frequent guests, it may be time to evaluate the other companies.

Many people consider themselves loyal to one airline or hotel chain, often in exchange for some basic perks from their frequent guest program. I’ve come across people at the airport with a mid-tier loyalty card, who somehow thought that they were very important to the airline. Fact of the matter is, unless you spend a considerable amount of money on first class tickets or hotel suites, they will never ever care who you are.

With this in mind, it always makes sense to check out the grass at the other terminal. Research the airline or hotel chain on one of the many frequent traveler chat boards, investigate their perks, and check out ticket sites for the price of tickets or rooms you usually purchase. You won’t always find a better option, but at least you can travel knowing you are getting some decent value for your money.

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Travel lighter

Before you embark on your next trip, take the time to go through your bags and dump anything you should not be carrying. You’d be surprised how many old hotel room keys and crumpled boarding passes you’ll find at the bottom of a well traveled bag.

Take the time to go over your high-tech equipment, and consider investing in lighter solutions like the Chargepod charger, or even a shiny new Netbook. The investment will pay off in the long run, and your back will thank you for it.

If you need a new laptop bag, get yourself a TSA friendly one, it may only save 30 seconds at the checkpoint, but you will no longer have to remove your laptop every time arrive at the airport.

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Go for a status match (if you have any status)

The status match is the undocumented trick airlines use to help you switch your loyalty to them. If you have status with one airline, you can usually have a competing airline match that status in their own frequent flier program. There are couple of exceptions though.

Airlines usually decline status matches to fellow airlines in the same alliance. For example; United Airlines won’t match BMI since they both participate in the Star Alliance, exceptions are sometimes made if you can convince the airline you only fly routes that don’t overlap.

To get a status match, simply call the customer service line of the airline you’d like to try, and they’ll usually provide you with the information you need to have them process the match.

The advantage of a status match is that you can switch airlines, without losing any of the perks you got at your previous airline. The status match often comes with some fine print. Some will only grant the new status for 6 months, and others may “challenge” you and ask you to prove your loyalty by flying them a couple of times before they hand over a shiny new gold card. One final warning; the status match is almost always a one-time thing, so don’t ask for a match until you really need it.

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Plan your summer destinations now

Feeling cold? Why not sit down and find your next summer vacation destination. This is especially important if you plan to cash in some miles to fly. The sooner you book, the greater the chance you’ll actually be able to finally spend some of those hard earned miles.

Don’t always worry about paying for a ticket now, some airlines now offer best price guarantees and will refund any drops in price between now and your departure date. Just be sure to check with your booking site for the terms of the ticket you are paying for before you click “buy”.

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Update all your mileage accounts

If you don’t care who you fly, then chances are you have 5 or 6 different mileage accounts. Each account probably has a few thousand miles. Go over each account, and check whether your miles are at risk of expiring. Make sure your email and address information is up to date, and make any changes necessary.

Some airlines have very low redemption levels for certain non-flight perks. Your small collection of miles might be enough for a newspaper or magazine subscription, or you could simply donate the miles to one of the many charities often involved with the airline. If you do find an account with miles that are about to expire, find a way to add some miles to the account through a shopping portal. These small transactions are usually enough to keep your mileage account alive for another couple of years.

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Educate yourself on the TSA rules and regulations

Last week I wrote about some of the silliest things the TSA did in 2008. Not everything that goes wrong at the security checkpoint can be blamed on the TSA agents. Plenty of travelers still arrive at the checkpoint horribly unprepared.

If you are not a frequent flier, check out the TSA web site, and educate yourself on the current rules and regulations. You’d be amazed how many people arrive at the airport without a valid ID, and with a bag full of oversized bottles of toiletries.

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Get yourself a mileage earning credit card

If you are going to spend money, then why not spend it and earn something back at the same time? Credit may have tightened up a bit, but there are still plenty of great ways out there to earn a nice signup bonus and earn more miles when you use your card.

A decent list of all current mileage earning cards can be found here, but often it simply pays to call your bank and see what they have to offer. Citi, Chase, Captial One and American Express all offer their own brand of mileage (or point) earning cards.

Sadly, the best deals often come in the mail, so next time you see one of those horrible pre-approved envelopes, don’t immediately throw it away. Before signing up for a card, be sure to check out the yearly membership fees and whether the bank is willing to offer a nice 0% APR deal.

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Check for missing mileage credits

If you travel more than a few times a year, then it may be worth sitting down behind your computer and checking for any missing flight segments in your mileage account. You’ll need to have your boarding passes and a list of when you flew.

You’d be surprised how often an airline miscalculates your mileage, or completely “forgets” to credit you for a flight you took. This is especially if your original flight was canceled or rerouted as your frequent flier number may have dropped off the new reservation. To compare what you should have earned, with what you actually got, you’ll want to use a mileage tool like WebFlyer’s MileMarker.

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Start writing about your trips

If you are lucky enough to fly more than a few times a year to fun destinations, then consider documenting your trips. Even if nobody reads it, you’ll create a permanent record of what you did.

Also, don’t just shoot 100’s of photos that grow old on your computer. Upload them to one of the digital photo hosting sites, many of which are free to use. I’m a big fan of Smugmug myself, but with so many different sites, there is bound to be one out there that fits your needs.

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Be prepared for when things go wrong

How many of you have the most up to date phone numbers for your airline or hotel chain stored in your phone?

Do you know who to call if you suddenly find yourself stuck at the wrong airport and have to fight with 200 others for 50 hotel rooms? In just 10 minutes, you’ll be able to add all the important airline and hotel reservation numbers to your phone. Also, take the time to print out the numbers in case your phone arrives at your destination with a dead battery.

If you have the right equipment at home, make a copy and/or scan of your passport and drivers license and try to dig up the phone numbers of all your credit card companies. If disaster strikes and your wallet goes missing, you’ll thank yourself for being prepared.

So there you have it, ten simple things that could make your upcoming year of travel a tad easier to deal with. Of course, as with all new years resolutions, don’t feel too gloomy if you only make it till the third week of the new year!

Refunds from an airline? Say it ain’t so

by Alison Brick on

Just when you thought that airlines were nickel-and-diming us ruthlessly, (Let me check. Yep, they still are.) we get news to give us a sliver of hope.

An article in USA Today tells us that if the price of a non-refundable airline ticket that you’ve already bought goes down, you can ask for a refund. It just needs to be requested before the scheduled flight.

I’m not sure which idea is more surprising: prices going down, or airlines willingly giving up money.

Southwest makes it the easiest–they’ll rebook at the lower price, refund the price difference directly to your credit card, and they won’t charge you a change fee.

Other carriers give will you a refund, but they make it a little more tedious–giving you a voucher instead of reimbursing your credit card, and they might charge a change fee (from $75 to $150 for a domestic flight). The process for placing the request varies by airline, either by website or phone.

Refund by credit card, without change fee: Southwest
Refund by voucher, without change fee: United, JetBlue, Alaska
Refund by voucher, with change fee: Continental, Delta, US, Airways, Northwest, American
No refunds: AirTran, Virgin America, Spirit, Frontier

I hadn’t heard of Alaska’s guarantee before, but I like it: it applies if you buy a ticket on their website, but later notice a cheaper ticket (by $5) for the same flight on another website. If you call within 24 hours, you can still get the price difference applied to your credit card, plus a $50 voucher to boot.

Are you doubtful or encouraged? Yes, it takes some extra legwork to research fares and contact the airlines. And the refund might be nominal after the change fee. But the money that you get back might offset what the airline charges for checking luggage or requesting a blanket. Plus, it’s just satisfying to get money back from the airlines for once, isn’t it?

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Sarah Palin intervenes on behalf of Japan Airlines

by Jeffrey White on

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, fresh from her 15 minutes of election fame, is using her pull to help save some sectors of her state’s travel industry.

Specifically, Palin recently intervened on behalf of Japan Airlines, asking the US Dept. of Homeland Security to resume customs checks on winter flights from Japan to Fairbanks. Customs had said it did not have enough staff in Fairbanks to maintain a winter presence, which led DHS to deny landing rights to roughly 20 JAL flights.

Logistically, it’s a pain for US Customs and Border Protection to meet these flights; customs officers have to be flown from Anchorage to Fairbanks each time a JAL flight lands.

But these flights mean big business for Fairbanks’ economy: $4 million, according to some estimates.

After Palin intervened, DHS decided to reverse its decision.

“We recognized right away the importance,” Patricia Eckert, a trade specialist with the governor’s office, tells the Associated Press. “There is tremendous economic impact at a time of year when it’s most valued.”