Five reasons Thanksgiving travel will be miserable (by the numbers)

by Tom Johansmeyer on

You may have gotten a break last year, but the 2010 Thanksgiving holiday will be a return for the norm. Fares are increasing, and traffic is following, as more passengers take to the skies thanks to a recovering economy. The Air Transport Association puts year-over-year Thanksgiving travel growth at 3.5 percent. This is enough to show the tide has turned, but it still doesn’t compensate for the ground lost to the recession.

With more people flying, you will probably find yourself fighting for the armrest, sitting next to someone in that middle seat (unless you’re the unlucky passenger) and struggling to cram your carry-on into the overhead bin.

Let’s take a look at five data points that point to an unpleasant Thanksgiving flying season, with information reported by Reuters:1. 24 million people will fly during the 12-day period around Thanksgiving (November 25, 2010)
2. Daily volumes will range from 1.3 million to 2.5 million
3. Planes will be running close to capacity, with load factors approaching 90 percent
4. Fares are headed up to 18 percent higher than last year (according to Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare)
5. There are fewer seats, with capacity down 10 percent from 2008 levels

Click here for six rules for air travel during the holiday season >>

[photo by Augapfel via Flickr]

Top 10 New York hotels to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

by Melanie Nayer on

The 84th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 25. Where will you be? If your plans take you to New York for the big event, you’d better start planning! The parade is equally about precision as it is the holidays — to know where to sit, stand, and see everything makes all the difference.

HotelsCombined.com compiled a list of the Top 10 hotels along the parade route that offer the best views of giant balloons, one-of-a-kind floats, Broadway musicals and marching bands. And of course, we can’t forget about Santa. The holiday season officially kicks off when the jolly one makes his way to Herald Square. Make your list, check it twice, and head to one of these hotels for the best viewing of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade:

1. Marriott Hotel Marquis New York City — The premier Times Square hotel is currently offering a “Thanksgiving Parade Package” for four which includes a special buffet breakfast and access Minskoff Theater for unparalleled views as the Parade as it makes it way down 7th Avenue.

2. Mandarin Oriental Hotel New York City — The Mandarin Oriental Hotel is currently offering a “I Love a Parade Package” which includes accommodation, a signature Thanksgiving-themed welcome amenity and exclusive access to the Mandarin Ballroom where you’ll have panoramic views of the Parade.

3. Doubletree Guest Suites Times Square New York City — The Doubletree Guest Suites Times Square has a “Thanksgiving Parade View Package 2010” which includes an overnight stay in a parade view suite plus full breakfast for up to four people, parking for one car per day, welcome amenity upon arrival and 15% discount off of the hotel’s Thanksgiving buffet on Thanksgiving Day.4. Wellington Hotel New York City — The Wellington Hotel is offering a “Thanksgiving Package” including accommodation, full American breakfast and shopping and sightseeing discounts.

5. Renaissance Hotel Times Square New York City — Situated at Two Times Squares 714 7th Avenue at West 48th Street, the Renaissance Hotel Times Square is one of the top places to preview the parade.

6. Trump International Hotel New York City — The Trump International Hotel on One Central Park West is a prime location with the Parade passing by the hotel. There is also a Parade party in front of the hotel’s five star restaurant, Jean Georges.

7. Park Central Hotel New York City — The Parade will pass directly in front of the Park Central Hotel on 870 7th Avenue, allowing guests to view the festivities from the comfort of their hotel rooms. Request a room with a parade view and you’ll see the entire event unfold before your eyes.

8. The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel New York City — The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel — formerly Sheraton Manhattan at Times Square — is an ideal base with a view of the parade.

9. The Michelangelo Hotel New York City — Situated on 152 West at 51st Street, guests can appreciate the views of the city from the Michelangelo Hotel as the parade makes it way down 7th Avenue.

10. The Bryant Park Hotel New York City — Located on 40 West at 40th Street, The Bryant Park Hotel faces Bryant Park with a view of 6th Avenue in New York City. Request one of the 50 rooms that have a view of the Parade.

Daily Pampering: Thanksgiving in Tuscany

by Melanie Nayer on

You could hang around the family dinner table at Thanksgiving, listening to Mom whine about the fact that you’re still single and she has no grandchildren while Dad pours himself another scotch and Uncle Chester keeps missing his mouth and spilling stuffing all over his lap. Or, you could pack it up and head to Tuscany for a stay at The Castello di Vicarello, a 900-year-old castle that has been transformed into a seven-suite luxury retreat with organic vineyards, restaurant and olive orchards.

Castello di Vicarello is offering a Thanksgiving in Tuscany travel package for the week of November 21-28, 2010. Guests can book the entire property in the Maremma region of southern Tuscany for an exclusive family holiday retreat or a solo getaway (if you so desire).

In addition to exclusive use of the Castello di Vicarello, you and the family can indulge in the authentic Tuscan farm-to-table cuisine produced by owner Aurora Baccheschi Berti and her team of chefs. In preparation for Thanksgiving meal, you can even participate in a hunting excursion to the Castello’s exclusive nearby Valle di Buriano estate, where they can hunt wild boar, quail and partridge. Of course, the estate’s award-winning red wines will be part of the feast. When the decadence at the table is over, stretch and soak at the Castello di Vicarello’s Ayurvedic spa with a massage, yoga lesson or visit to the hot tub, sauna and Turkish bath.

The price for a week in Tuscany for Thanksgiving? Approximately $36,355 (Euro 26,000). That’s about what your sanity goes for these days, right?

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

Traveling over Thanksgiving? Here’s the best time to fly

by Grant Martin on

The only thing that’s worse than traveling through congested airports and highways during the Thanksgiving season is the airfare that’s associated with it. Taking advantage of the demand, airlines perennially jack up the prices on everyday airfare, making the simplest of tickets outrageously expensive.

Naturally, the easiest way around these fares is to fly on lower-demand days, or not Tuesday and Sunday. To illustrate this, our friends over at Travelocity put together the above dandy chart to show the differences in fares among travel days. It’s pretty easy to see that the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving are the most expensive days to fly. Conversely, departing on Thanksgiving Day and returning on Tuesday, the 30th is most often the cheapest.

Bear in mind that the data above only applies to domestic routes — for travel to foreign countries (where there is no Thanksgiving), airfares can be drastically different and potentially even cheaper. More reason to spend the holidays abroad, we reckon.

Southwest and Virgin celebrate Thanksgiving with sales

by Katie Hammel on

Here are two more things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving – Southwest Airlines and Virgin America. Both carriers have announced Thanksgiving sales to celebrate the holiday.

Sample one-way fares in Southwest’s seven-day sale include: Austin to Houston for $59, Baltimore to Chicago for $97, Chicago to Las Vegas for $148, Denver to Milwaukee for $96, Fort Lauderdale to Long Island for $103, LA to Oakland for $59, Orlando to Nashville for $94, and Portland to Spokane for $58.

Fares start at $47 (and go up to about $159) each way plus tax. The tickets must be purchased by November 30 and are good for travel through February 9. A 14-day advance purchase is required, travel is valid every day except Fridays and Sundays, and there are a few blackout dates.

Tickets for Virgin’s sale must be purchased by December 2 and are valid for travel December 3 to 17. One-way fares range from $59 to $249 and include LA to Seattle for $79, LA to New York for $169, and Las Vegas to New York for $249.