Fare alert – Virgin America $38 flights to fun destinations

by Scott Carmichael on

Bored this week? Virgin America has some nice low fares loaded right now for travel to and from San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Los Angeles or Las Vegas.

At just $38 each way, you can get yourself a round trip ticket for just $97, all taxes and fees included. The prices only seem to be valid for travel in the coming week, so don’t expect $100 tickets during the summer months.

Normally, good fare deals usually involve trips from bad airports to places nobody wants to go, but a day trip from San Francisco to Seattle would probably make for a fantastic way to spend the day.

That’s right – these fares are also valid for same day returns. You could leave SFO at 7:15am and depart San Diego at 8:35, giving you an entire day to enjoy the city. A similar trip can be made from San Francisco to Seattle, leaving the airport at 9:55am and departing Seattle at 8:55pm, giving you plenty of time to visit Pike Place Market and take a ride up the Space Needle.

You’ll find the deals at the Virgin America web site, and don’t forget to bring your laptop or smartphone, because all these flights are currently served by Virgin America planes with WiFi service on board ($9.95 per flight).

As with most deals like this, the longer you wait, the fewer seats will be available at these low prices, so don’t procrastinate too long!

Flight attendant rumors: What your oversize carry-on costs her (or him)

by Jamie Rhein on
Let’s say you’ve opted to carry on your luggage, the very luggage that is a wee too big to fit in the carry-on size box at check-in. You saw the box, but you really didn’t look at it that closely because it seemed your bag would fit–it should fit, and who really checks anyway?
As it turns out, FAA does check such things. At least, from what I’ve heard from a very reliable source, they’re starting to now. If you bag is too big for the bin, but makes it onto the airplane, the flight attendant who let you squeak by, can get fined for being generous.
The flight attendant can also get fined if she or he lets you:
  • Use your electronic device when you’re not supposed to
  • Get out of your seat when the seat belt sign is on, no matter how badly you have to GO.

This very reliable source personally knows a flight attendant who was recently fined almost $2,000 for such infractions.

Rumor has it that this enforcing rules business has pepped up recently as FAA staff hop on flights, thumbing through rule books, and keeping a watchful eye up and down the aisles to find out if flight attendants are doing what they’re supposed to be doing. No, it’s not that flight attendants are supposed to make us–the passengers–miserable, they’re supposed to keep us safe. Haven’t you been reading Galley Gossip?

Unfortunately, what I see happening is that flight attendants are being put in the middle of airline regulations, especially the one about carry-on size since some airlines have shrunk the allowable carry-on size in order to get people to check bags so they can collect the checked bag fee. This means the flight attendant and passenger relationship may feel more adversarial.

If you are going to try to sneak that bag on, or get out of your seat to go, just keep in mind that your actions may cost money to that flight attendant who smiled and said “Hi” when you got on board.

Also, because of FAA’s pepped up vigilance that flight attendant is going to be watching you more carefully. Watched people watch other people. That bag may not make it on after all. And remember to visit the women’s or men’s room before you get on the plane. And when it’s time to turn off that electronic device, don’t plead just one more minute.

According to Conway L, who posted this picture, the bomb decal on his bag didn’t create a stir. If the bag was a bicycle, that might have been another story.

Good luck card results in deportation of Mexican immigrant

by Scott Carmichael on

In a tragic case of “serves you right”, a Mexican immigrant arrived at Manchester airport in the UK for what he described to immigration officials as “a brief trip to visit a friend”.

When immigration workers checked his bag, they discovered a card, wishing the man lots of luck with his “new life” in the UK.

After some more interrogation, the man admitted he planned to settle in the UK an eventually fly his family over.

Oops.

If you plan to lie at the immigration desk (don’t), at least make sure your story can be verified, and don’t carry evidence of your lies in your suitcase.

The 40 year old man was sent back to the United States, since that was his country of departure. Fingers crossed for him that he was here legally, or his troubles will be continuing for some time.

Exploring the Canadian Rockies on Cross Country Skis

by Kraig Becker on

Stretching into Alberta and British Columbia, the Canadian Rockies form the backdrop for one of the best settings for winter outdoor adventure in North America, if not the world. The region can be explored by sled dog or on snowshoes, and offers some of the best skiing, both downhill and cross country, anywhere.

With that in mind, outdoor enthusiast and writer Peter Potterfield recently made the trek up north to take in the amazing terrain and sample the best Canadian lodges in the area as well. He wrote about his expedition over at GreatOutdoors.com, sharing all the details of his mid-February cross country ski trip across miles of backcountry trails.

The trip begins with a flight into Calgary, followed by a quick one-hour drive to the mountains and the Num-TiJah Lodge, the first of five that Potterfield would visit on his journey. Over the course of the next few days, he spent the daylight hours exploring the trails, which range in difficulty from relaxed and easy to challenging and strenuous, depending on the chosen route. Evenings are spent in comfortable accomidations, sipping wine and dining on fine cuisine, with the beautiful, remote scenery just outside the window.

The article has all the details on how to get to the area, including links to all the lodges as well. There is also information on what equipment to bring or rent while you there, as the varying conditions allow for the use of a wide variety of winter gear.

Winter isn’t over for a few more weeks, and the skiing up north should be great for well into the spring. If you’re looking for a remote getaway for some backcountry skiing, the Canadian Rockies will offer everything you need.

Wacky finds from the New York customs lines

by Scott Carmichael on

Last week I wrote about some of the stuff US Customs officials found on passengers arriving at Dulles International airport.

Turns out that some of their finds are nothing compared to the insane stuff people try to sneak past the Customs officials at the various New York area airports.

The photo you see above is not of the newest South American peanut bar, but of 7 pounds of the purest Bogota Smack (Heroin). The bars were all packaged perfectly, down to the indentations found on the real candy.

Other finds include $1.2 Million in diamonds from a passenger who claimed he had nothing to declare (bad idea), $600,000 worth of Cocaine in cans of vegetables and even a family who tried to wheel a dead relative through customs to avoid paying the fee for transporting a body.

Of course, the poor agents also find their fair share of downright disgusting stuff, like a dead cat filled with drugs, a frozen monkey head and a suitcase filled with cockroaches.

It would appear that there is no shortage of stupidity at the checkpoint, and while I’m sure some people get lucky and manage to sneak that extra bottle of booze past the watching eyes of the US Customs officials, I’m not convinced I’d take the gamble with drugs or dead animal parts. The penalties involved with these kind of offenses are pretty severe.