Volaris, Mexico’s low-cost airline, began loaning passengers 30 GB iPods for free on February 8. Currently, the MP3 players come pre-loaded with Mexican TV shows and popular music. Soon, the airline plans to load the iPods with U.S. sitcoms and other music genres.
Though the salty snacks and fizzy drinks will remain complimentary, the iPod rental’ll cost passengers about $5 per flight — just as soon as they can collect all the units they distributed on that last leg to Tijuana…
[Via Jaunted]
I suppose both frequent travelers and the chronically impatient will think Clear‘s $100 annual membership fee is worth every penny. Travelers who join the Clear Registered Traveler program are pre-screened for security and provided with a biometric card that allows them to pass through restricted Clear lanes, aided by dedicated Clear “concierges.”
Not all airports are Clear-cleared…yet. Those that are include: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky; Indianapolis; New York JFK Terminal 7; Orlando; and San José. Soon, Clear lanes will be coming to Newark Terminal B; New York JFK Terminal 1; New York JFK Terminal 4; and Toronto.
Personally, I don’t think it’s right that a privately-owned company should profit from what is essentially a regressive tax. But maybe that’s just me.
[Via Gridskipper]
Flight attendant and ex-policewoman, Lisa Robertson (pictured), from Sydney, Australia was fired from her job on Monday for having unprotected sex in the airplane lavatory with actor Ralph Fiennes, who was on his way to Mumbai, India to give a lecture about the dangers of AIDS.
You’d think that the least someone who was about to give a lecture on the dangers of AIDS could do is wear a condom while getting romantic with a random stranger in an airplane bathroom, but I guess not. It’s not like using protection would be the first thing on his mind, as it’s only the single most important thing you could do to protect yourself from contracting HIV when having sex with a stranger. Surely the second most important thing is not do it while pressed against a public toilet.
Something tells me Ralph wasn’t the best choice for guest lecturer at this particular conference.
SleepingInAirports.net is another website which truly reveals all that it’s about simply by the name alone.
With all the recent press about long layovers and stranded passengers, here is a site that is designed to make that hell just a little more bearable. In fact, the site is actually aimed at the budget traveler who is trying to eek out a free night of accommodation by, you guessed it, sleeping in an airport.
The site offers all sorts of tips on locating the best place to sleep in a particular airport and also awards The Golden Pillow to those which are most accommodating to passengers seeking shuteye. The Singapore airport received such an award in 2006 and is number one on the site’s list of Favorite Airports. Just glancing through reader testimonials makes me want to pack a pillow and spend the night there myself. Here’s one budget traveler’s enthusiastic praise;
“Best sleep you could ever have in an airport. Changi provides sleeping chairs with vibration alarm. They are leather and formed in a way which makes it very comfortable to sleep. A good tip: find one of the hidden away seven elevens for cheap beer. Get pissed, chain smoke at one of the cool smoker-rooms and after that pass out on one of these chairs.”
Hmmm… maybe I’ll just find a hotel instead….
Starting February 28, the maximum amount airlines can be required to pay after losing your luggage will be $3,000 — $200 more than the previous limit.
But don’t get your hopes up. The chances of actually getting that much money are slim to none. Namely, because while they’ve set a max payout, the government still allows the airlines to decide how much they’ll give you in return for your missing bag and its contents.
According to travel lawyer Al Anolik, not only is the claims process difficult to navigate, its filled with rules that — not surprisingly — favor the airlines. In addition, many expensive items — like jewelry and electronic goods — aren’t eligible for reimbursement. Subsequently, payouts are a usually a fraction of the government’s limit.
Says Anolik, “They can exclude (from payment) everything but dirty underwear. It’s hard to get to $3,000 from dirty underwear.”
Have you ever tried to get reimbursed for lost luggage? Was it really that bad?