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!

Your ticket was expensive and your plane crowded, but at least you took off on time

by Josh Lew on

Is there an upside to the fact that the airline industry is struggling? Perhaps you can feel smug knowing that the CEOs of legacy carriers will probably be taking home six-figure bonuses this year, instead of the usual seven or eight digit haul (“Ha, greedy bastards finally got what they deserve,” you might say to yourself).

But all you smiling, glass-half-full folks out there can take comfort in this: airlines have the highest on-time percentages they’ve had in a long, long time. According to USAToday, 86% of all flights were on time during the month of October. That is compared to 78% during the same month of 2007.

A plane is considered on time if it reaches its destination within 15 minutes of its scheduled arrival time. I assume they mean less than 15 minutes later than scheduled; although I’m sure there is the odd person out there who might be put off by arriving 15 minutes early.

So look on the bright side of air travel. You may have to spend more for your ticket and your plane is bound to be crowded and, perhaps, noisy. But at least you have a good chance of getting where you are going on time.

British Airways CEO Sees Little To Be Excited about in the US

by Josh Lew on

After the election of Barack Obama and a Democratic Party majority in the house and senate, British Airways CEO Willie Walsh sees little to be optimistic about as far as stateside operations go. Many European carriers would like to see additions to the Open Skies Agreement, which provided greater rights for foreign-owned airlines to operate within the US. Walsh is worried about Obama’s support of US labor groups. “I think it’s very clear Obama has taken a strong line in relation to any change in the ownership and control regulations. So at this point I would not be expecting any major progress to be made.”

Right now, foreign companies can have no more than a 25% share in US-based airlines. That is not likely to change, especially considering the weak state many airlines are currently in. With a rumored merger with American Airlines now seemingly out of the question, BA is focusing on partnering with AA to offer better trans-Atlantic service. Before going ahead with that, though, they must receive approval from US antitrust investigators.

[Via Airwise]

Cathay Pacific Freezes Recruiting Because of Low Demand

by Josh Lew on

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has always been one of the world’s top airlines. But the ever-lower demand for air travel has touched them as it has every other airline. An article in an internal publication distributed to Cathay’s employees two weeks ago announced that there will be a company-wide recruiting freeze. No layoffs yet, but the hiring stoppage will include Cathay’s subsidiary, Dragonair. The freeze was confirmed today.

That means no fresh faces in an airline that is famous for its top-notch service (and leggy, poised flight attendants). Exec Tony Tyler remains optimistic that the industry, and Cathay, will return to their old ways in short order. ”I remain unashamedly optimistic about the future of aviation in Asia – just think of the potential in China and India alone.”

Cathay, like the regions other major players, is straining on its leash, waiting to carve out its space in new, lucrative routes in China and on the subcontinent. They just have to make it through these slow times intact.

[Via The Standard HK]

Galley Gossip: What is RIGHT with the airlines? (There’s got to be something!)

by Heather Poole on

When I was growing up, my parents taught me that traveling by airplane was a luxury, not a right, and it was a luxury I would not experience until I was 16 years old when I flew to Los Angeles, California with a high school friend (and her mother) on American Airlines for an exciting weekend getaway. I’ll never forget that flight. Then, at 17, I flew to Santa Clara, California, to visit a boyfriend in college on Southwest Airlines. I’ll never forget that flight, either. I couldn’t even believe I was on it. Back then just being on the flight itself was an exciting experience, never mind the drinks and the food and the service, which I don’t even remember. But I’m sure a can of coke and a bag of peanuts were involved.

What I remember most about those two flights was the awe of flying, of looking out the window at the tiny houses below as we climbed up, up, up, until the incredible view became obstructed by something even more magnificent, billowing clouds.

A few years ago I actually met a flight attendant whose very first trip by airplane was to airline headquarters for an interview for the airline he works for now. That flight took place at age of 21. Today, things have changed drastically in the aviation business, and not for the better, if you ask a passenger. Yet the flights are all full, and with more and more children traveling these days. That, alone, makes me wonder, has travel really gotten so bad? Or are our expectations skewed?

“I never got to travel,” said my mother, a flight attendant, who started working for a major US carrier in 1997, three afters I had my wings pinned to my blue lapel. “My first flight was with your father to Hawaii, when I was 21, because your father got stationed there in the navy. I got to go home to Texas once – in three years. And because your father spent most of his time at sea, I spent many holidays alone. That’s just the way it was. We couldn’t afford to travel.”

Now that I’m a flight attendant and have the opportunity to fly for free (in coach), I usually take along my two-year son, who has traveled once a month, at least, since he was born. I always get a kick out of watching him leaning against the window, tapping on the glass, as we fly in and out of the clouds, causing him to exclaim at the top of his lungs, “WOW!” I wonder if he’ll grow up to appreciate the privilege of travel? I do hope that one day he realizes just how lucky he is. How lucky we all are to be able to get from point A to point B for just a few hundred dollars.

As someone who works for a major US carrier, someone who has to deal with the me me me first attitude of the flying public, passengers who expect something for nothing when fuel prices keep rising and ticket prices remain fairly low, I have to say, there’s something wrong with THAT. There’s something wrong when you can purchase a one way ticket from New York to Las Vegas for lower than a cab ride from New York’s JFK international airport to Manhattan. NOT WHEN everyone and their mother (as well as the kids) are traveling on my flight.

Not that I mind that everyone and their mother (along with the kids) are aboard my flight, just the opposite, in fact. Especially when airlines are struggling to stay afloat, when airlines like Alitalia are on the verge of going out of business. However, it’s not easy for me to listen to all the complaining about air travel, particularly about customer service. Seriously, I have hard time believing that flying is all that bad, no matter how much the airline charges per bag, how long the security lines, how small the seats, or how much it costs to purchase a sandwich, or how old the flight attendant. And why does the age of a flight attendant even matter? (This is the 2000’s, is it not?)

After reading letters from readers who responded to the question, What’s wrong with American Airlines? on the Dallas Morning News website, I am forced to pose the question, what is RIGHT with the airlines? I mean whatever happened to the glass is half full mentality? It seems like these days all people want to do is complain, complain about everything, particularly when it comes to bashing airlines and flight attendants. Come on now, there has to be SOMETHING good about air travel, right?