Balkan Odyssey Part 1: Getting to Albania

by Neil Woodburn on

Places so far off the beaten path rarely have good air connections. Albania is one exception, sort of. Shortly before planning my trip, British Airways announced that they would start flying direct to Tirana, the capital of Albania. This was a no-brainer: fly into London and catch the connecting flight onward.

Here’s the problem, however. Don’t ever let British Airways snooker you into the old Heathrow/Gatwick connection. My L.A. to London flight landed at noon in Heathrow and my Tirana flight took off from Gatwick at 3:45. Nearly four hours seemed enough time to make the connection. It was not.

After going through immigration, picking up baggage, and clearing customs, transfer passengers must then walk out of the airport, find the National Express bus station, stand in a long, slow-moving line, purchase a ticket for 18 pounds ($35), wait for the next bus, and then sit anxiously for an hour as the bus slowly trundles over to Gatwick. I made it just 30 minutes before my flight took off, but it seemed that at least half the bus missed a 3 pm flight they were trying to catch. British Airways does not aid in this process at all. You are on your own.

But, I guess I can’t complain too much; at least I caught my flight to Mother Teresa Airport. Albania is probably the only country in the world with an airport named after a nun. It is small, surprisingly clean, and somewhat modern. Visitors must pay a 10 euro “entrance fee” which I’d normally be upset about, but considering visas are no longer required for American and European citizens, I was happy to avoid the hassles normally associated with getting one.

I landed at 8 pm just as it was getting dark. It is never a good idea to arrive in a foreign land when it’s dark, especially if it is the poorest country in Europe. I assumed it wasn’t very safe and dreaded the taxi scrum of suspect drivers and unsavory characters I knew awaited me just outside the exit. Just before walking out, however, I discovered an official taxi stand with official rates printed on a placard: 25 euros to the city center. I grabbed a driver, pushed my way through the phalanx of “taxi, taxi, taxi” muttering malcontents loitering outside, and headed into town. My trip had officially begun.

Yesterday’s Post: Balkan Odyssey
Tomorrow’s Post: Tirana

When to Buy, When to Fly

by Neil Woodburn on

We’ve all been there before. You find a plane ticket online and come back a few days later only to find that the price has gone up. Or worse, you buy a ticket only to find out later that the costs have dropped.

Tell me, what other industry sells so much of the same product for such wildly different prices?

Buying plane tickets is always a bit of a gamble. When, exactly, is the best time to buy when prices are low and availability is high? Eric Lucas of the Los Angeles Times attempts to tackle this tricky question, but as you might suspect, simply doesn’t have all the answers. He does, however, have some suggestions such as buy early and be flexible. Lucas also discusses the pricing structure with airline industry analysts to figure out what exactly is going on out there in the pricing world. I’ve got one hint for you; it involves algorithms.

Earn United Miles

by Erik Olsen on

Those who follow and use United’s Mileage Plus program might be interested in the following: United has launched an online store featuring wireless products (for example cell phones, PDAs, Bluetooth products and accessories). It’s a nice concept, and really expands the whole notion of what you can do these days with your miles. Here’s the basic breakdown:

Every dollar spent = 10 United miles

Activating a new phone = 5,000 miles

Activating a satellite dish = 5,000 miles

Renew a Cingular or AT&T plan = up to 3,000 miles

Site 59

by Erik Olsen on

Not sure what to do this weekend, but you just realized that you don’t HAVE to work after all ?You know you want to get away, but you don’t know where, and it just makes sense that trying to do so will be very expensive, especially if you have to fly. Well, Site59 is a site for folks like you. They provide gobs of last-minute deals for you to choose from. They include Bahamas trips to European jaunts to, well, just about anywhere. I used them a while back for a quick weekend trip and was amazed by the deal I got.

Airport Art Exhibits

by Neil Woodburn on

I’ve often seen them out of the corner of my sleepy eyes, blurred and somewhat indistinguishable, as I rush past to catch a flight or grab a transfer.  Art exhibits located in airports, however, never really grab my attention as they would if I was casually walking down the street and came across one.  But that’s because airports have a way of numbing your senses.  And, of course, such exhibits never seem to be located in the actual waiting lounge where I’m bored silly and dying for any tactile or visual entertainment whatsoever. 

Airport art exhibits are taken very seriously, however, by many airports around the country.  USA Today has compiled a short list of the very best.  Passengers hanging out at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), for example, can browse “exhibits exploring jukeboxes… and five centuries of Swedish silver.” 

Or, they can simply sit in a bar and watch the game. 

More art in every day life is a great rule to live by.  Unfortunately, I’m sorry that my airport induced Attention Deficit Disorder simply can’t cope with all that culture while I’m trying to get from Point A to Point B.  Unless, of course, it’s really cool like the Rainmakers Baggage sculpture at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) featured in the photo above.