People like to fly during the holidays – and the airlines want to exploit that

by Scott Carmichael on

The airfare specialists over at Farecompare.com came across something rather unsettling a couple of days ago. When looking at the fares airlines loaded into the various booking systems, they noticed that American Airlines started adding a $10 fee applied to all flights on the Sunday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 29) and Jan. 2 and 3.

Shortly after that, United Airlines pulled the same stunt, followed by Delta Airlines. Essentially, this “Miscellaneous surcharge” is a way for the airlines to make a huge amount of money on the days people need them the most.

It may not be as pathetic as the new British Airways seat selection fee we wrote about, but it comes pretty damn close.

These holiday tickets are historically the most expensive of the season, but making all that extra cash isn’t enough for the airlines. The only way to stay away from this bogus surcharge is to avoid the three days mentioned above, or to pick an airline that has not (yet) chosen to climb on board the silly surcharge bandwagon.

Flying for the rest of the year – fewer seats, higher fares

by Scott Carmichael on

As the financial brainiacs of the world slowly start to see some gradual improvement in the global economy, the worlds airlines are pushing through some far reaching changes to their Q4 2009 schedules.

Because the recession hit the airlines so suddenly, none of them were able to make any major cuts to their schedules (these schedules are set in stone in advance).

Overcapacity has meant that 2009 was actually a very good year for passengers, with some of the lowest airfare we’ve seen in years.

Of course, now the airlines are looking at their new schedules, they are making sure that the overcapacity is a thing of the past, and that means trimming the schedule.

Obviously, fewer seats means more people fighting for the cheapest seats, which will naturally result in higher prices. The schedule cuts will bring airlines back to the levels post 9/11.

According to an AP report, American Airlines will be hit the hardest, with a 10.5% drop in passenger miles on its domestic routes. United Airlines is hit equally hard, with a 9% drop. It isn’t all bad news though – JetBlue expects a modest increase in passenger miles for the rest of the year.

Bottom line is – don’t expect any more amazing fare deals any time soon and think about booking early, because flights are probably going to be filling up pretty quickly.

(Image from Flickr, stevelyon)

United Airlines follows the competition – also offering double elite miles

by Scott Carmichael on

Several days ago, Grant wrote about a new promotion from American Airlines, offering double elite qualifying miles. It was only a matter of time till the next airline followed – and United Airlines did just that.

Between September 3rd and December 15th (which just happens to match the American Airlines dates), you’ll earn miles twice as fast on United Airlines. These miles are not redeemable though – they only count towards your yearly number for elite status.

This means you’ll be able to reach Premier level with just 12,500 miles, or 1K with 50,000 miles. The promotion is not automatic, so head on over to their promo page and enter your Mileage Plus number.

If you fly a lot of short flights, you can also opt to earn double earning segments – but you can only pick one of the two, miles or segments, so pick wisely.

If you have any travel coming up this year, I highly recommend signing up for all these promotions – even if you end up falling short of the requirements, they can’t be applied retroactively, and it only takes a few minutes to enter your information.

United rolls out Travel Options promo with giveaways at three US airports

by Katie Hammel on

Travelers at the Denver, Washington Dulles and San Francisco Airports got a special surprise today. United Airlines opened its Travel Options by United Spin the Wheel booths at the three hubs, offering flyers the chance to win some pretty cool prizes.

Those who spin the wheel receive freebies for use on future flights, like an upgrade to Economy Plus, Premier Line access at the security checkpoint and at the boarding gate, or a Red Carpet Club pass. After a closer look at the wheel, it seems like spinners have the best odds of landing on “Economy Plus”, which, depending on the flight, can cost anywhere from $9 to over $100. Those who aren’t so lucky don’t walk away empty-handed though. Other prizes include water bottles, puzzle books, or decks of cards.

If you missed the booths today, you’ll still get your chance to spin the prize wheel. The booths will be at the Denver, Washington Dulles and San Francisco airports until October 5th, when they’ll be moved to a few yet-to-be-announced airports around the country. The booths made their debut earlier this summer at the Chicago O’Hare and Los Angeles International Airports.

JetBlue, United jump on Twitter for cheap tix

by Tom Johansmeyer on

JetBlue and United Airlines are pushing the first taste of cheap fares out on Twitter. They hope to use what USA Today calls the “uber-trendy form of messaging” to push seats on flights that may have vacant seats prior to wheels-up. After deals appear, they don’t always stick around long. JetBlue’s first “Cheep” (a variation on “tweet”) offered a $9 one-way fare from JFK to Nantucket. The model that’s emerging puts JetBlue’s fare tweets out on Monday mornings and offers around eight hours to act on them.

United Airlines has had its “twares” in action since May, and the element of surprise is a factor. The discounts can be released without warning, and there’s no discernable schedule. The deals can live for as little as two hours, forcing Twitter-using travelers to act fast.