Competition is keeping some airfares in check, and in some cases, cheaper than you think

by Jamie Rhein on

From what I’ve been reading, despite the talk of how airfares are increasing, it’s wise to keep checking for the travel deals. They can be found.

According to this AOL Money and Finance article, depending on where you are heading, you can find a reasonable rate. Heading to Europe, for example, may score a bargain because there has been an increase in flights which means more seats to fill which means cheaper fares. Last month I checked out ticket prices from Columbus, Ohio to Copenhagen, Denmark and found a fare on Northwest just over $700. Not cheap, but cheaper than I expected.

A friend of mine flew from Boston to Columbus the end of August and paid a little over $200–another surprise. Some cities are bargain destinations: San Antonio, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Phoenix, for example.

In order to find deals, the article presents the recommendation that you search out the airports as well as the cities. Depending on what airport you use, you could save hundreds. If the fare to Newark makes your heart stop, check out JFK, for example. A flight from Minneapolis to Newark, a fare that used to be cheap, has now jumped to $1,600, but to JFK, the flight still hovers around $300.

When we have flown towards Montana, we looked into the cheapest flights within a 12 hour driving range. Denver was a bargain three years ago. Seattle was it summer before last. (Since once in Montana we would have needed to rent a car, renting a car in Seattle or Denver saved money in the end. Plus, it gave us a chance to visit friends and see other sites along the way.)

I’d also keep checking back since prices jump so frequently, and don’t assume. Two years ago my family and I were driving to Florida for Christmas because I assumed flights would be expensive since we were making our plans last minute. When I found out they were less than $200 a piece, we flew instead. Driving would have cost more, not to mention the time factor.

New Airline Makes Catching a Plane Almost as Easy as Catching a Taxi

by Josh Lew on

It happens all the time. The one hour flight from one city to another is turned into a five hour adventure with security checkpoints, baggage claim traffic jams and surly airport staff. It would often be easier, cheaper and faster to drive (literally). If only there was an easier way to fly.

A new airline in the Pacific Northwest is seeking to take the hassle out of commuter flights. The small Portland-based company SeaPort only has 3 turbo-prop commuter planes. That’s all it needs, because its only route is between Portland and Seattle. But what’s special about SeaPort is, like corporate airplanes usually reserved for the rich and/or famous, they fly under the FAA’s general aviation rules. That means that they can fly out of smaller airports where security screening and other hassles aren’t required. In Portland, for example, SeaPort uses the business aviation area, not the main terminal, of the Portland International. In Seattle, they land at Boeing Field, a crowd-less airport six miles from downtown Seattle. The result, no waiting in lines. The airline’s goal is to get passengers from downtown Portland to downtown Seattle in 90 minutes. The price of a flight: $149 one-way. That is marginally more expensive than flying the same route on a traditional budget carrier. But, the time saved just might be worth it to many.

Labor Day themed sculptures: Hammering Man in Seattle and beyond

by Jamie Rhein on

Outside the Seattle Museum of Art is a kinetic sculpture called Hammering Man. The man who lifts and lowers his hammer four times per minute is one of several Hammering Man sculptures by artist Jonathan Borofsky.

Through his Hammering Man statues, Borofsky’s aim is to pay tribute to the workers of the world, as well as, indicate that the world is linked together through our labors. The sculptures hammer away at the same time.

Borofsky’s sculptures, in a way, are an artist’s version of what Matt Harding demonstrates with his dancing. The same dance, but the location changes. (Read Jerry’s Talking Travel interview with Matt here.)

The Seattle version is the second largest of Borofsky’s Hammering Man creations. The largest is in Frankfurt, Germany. You can also see outside sculpture versions in Dallas, Texas; Seoul, Korea; and Basel, Switzerland. Other versions are in wood and are located at various museums.

Last summer, when we went to Seattle on the way to Montana, we passed this sculpture on a Seattle Duck’s tour of the city. At the time, I didn’t know that the piece was part of a larger concept and could not view the whole sculpture from where I was sitting. In order to see it, we drove back to the museum.

As Borofsky says about this particular work, “At its heart, society reveres the workers. The Hammering Man is the worker in all of us.”

The statue, and the others like it, seems fitting for a Labor Day shout out.

Photo of the Day (8-13-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

The flower section at Pike Place Market in Seattle is almost reason enough to go there. Gorgeous, lush, spectacular, stupendous–these words don’t come close. Theodore Scott’s shot brought me back to my own experience here last summer.

Last summer, when I picked up a bunch, I was surprised at how inexpensive they are. If you go to the market, leave yourself enough time for wandering. The bounty of other goods is endless. Pike Place Market is a visual and olfactory feast like no others.

If you have your own shot to share, send it our way at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool to be considered for a Photo of the Day.

Seattle’s public toilets for sale after even the crack users won’t use them

by Jamie Rhein on

Last summer when we were in Seattle we missed out on the public toilets. After reading about them in this New York Times article, I can’t say I’m sorry.

Five automated public toilets were opened in 2004, but one detail was overlooked when deciding where to put them. Location. Location. Location. As it turns out, the public toilets were put where too many drug dealers and transients hang out.

Even though the toilets are supposed to clean themselves after every use, the traffic was the messy type and too much for a self-cleaning toilet to handle. The trash left behind by the users created a situation where the automatic cleaning system didn’t function. Plus, the toilets were used for other types of business besides toilet business. Drug deals, prostitution, smoking crack–that kind of thing.

Eventually, though, the toilets became so nasty, even crack addicts didn’t go in them.

Since the toilets cost Seattle $5 million dollars, the city is interested in recouping some of the loss. They are up for sale on eBay for $89,000 a piece. I know someone who turned a Port-A-John into public art with decorations. Perhaps an art museum might want to take the initiative and buy one.

The problem with the toilets isn’t the toilets, it’s the people who use them. Because other cities have tried similar toilets, Seattle’s problem has created a stir.

Europeans have managed to use public toilets just fine. Folks in the U.S. are trying to figure it out.

The one in the photograph is in London. According to ILoveButter who posted this on Flickr, it costs money to use the toilet. However, it is very clean.

What are the world’s dirtiest cities?