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By Cari, on January 22nd, 2008%
it’s not that I don’t agree with Christopher Elliot’s post on the topic, but rather it’s sad that we accept these…
Inconvenient “convenience” fees – I think this one bothers me the most. That said, I experienced the fees far more in Japan and Australaia than I did here, so it’s yet another case of the US catching up with the rest of the world. The “convenience” fee that I don’t mind is the exit row and other extended legroom options as Virgin America charges for them. I don’t agree with the airlines that make these available only to elite level, they . . . → Keep Going: 8 Things Travelers Should Expect…
By Cari, on January 13th, 2008%
A Million Miles vs. a Few More Smiles from today’s New York Times
While I realize the issue(s) facing those interviewed:
Like many other frequent business travelers, he finds that there is only one airline whose flight schedule fits his needs.
“I’m not loyal,” he adds. “I’m just a hostage.”
it bothers me.
Maybe I’m spoiled in the NY area where I have, at minimum, four viable airports (HPN, EWR, LGA and JFK) and innumerable airline choices but I find it very hard to imagine an airport where there is a monopoly. Or if not a monopoly, a time monopoly. If the traveler’s schedule . . . → Keep Going: I Refuse to be a “Hostage”
By Cari, on January 11th, 2008%
or more precisely, where’s it coming from?
I’m not sure where it stemmed from, but something interested me enough to sign up for a book ring of Go: An Airline Adventure last fall. I adored the book and subsequently read Nuts!, which I also loved and this morning started Blue Streak. On Mt. TBR I have From Worst to First and just mooched A Spirit of Greatness.
Confession time, I’ve never flown jetBlue or Southwest. Southwest doesn’t have a ton of options from the NYC area and on several occasions where I’ve intended to fly jetBlue, something comes out cheaper. My recent flights . . . → Keep Going: What’s my airline obsession?
By Cari, on January 10th, 2008%
This MeFi thread re: ashtrays in planes reminded me of the best part of the Virgin America flight that I forgot to mention.
The safety demonstration!
This isn’t exactly the one I saw, but it’s pretty close. I love that their planes have done away with the obsolete no smoking sign and replaced it with something useful and I adore the seatbelt comment. Good way to make people pay attention.
ETA: The Travel Blog Carnival has launched and it’s already garnering some attention. I look forward to my turn to host it.
Tweet . . . → Keep Going: Smoking Planes
By Cari, on January 7th, 2008%
sometimes it’s hard to decide. My general rule of thumb is that if the drive is less than five hours, it’s not worth it. Here’s why:
with the exception of HPN, I need to allow at least an hour to get to the airports. This applies whether I’m driving from home or taking mass transit from work. If I’m going via mass transit to HPN, then that’s an hour too.
two hour arrival time, again that’s with the exception of HPN. The NYC area airports are such a zoo that <2 hours, even without luggage, worries me.
1 hour flight (roughly for a 350 . . . → Keep Going: when is it worth it to fly?
By Cari, on December 30th, 2007%
On Friday I went over my normal protests and trekked out to JFK, but for a good reason. VX!
I flew from JFK to LAX and that was a nice flight. Highlights:
mood lighting — much less harsh than typical airline light, I almost didn’t need my eye mask.
IFE/Red Network – lots of fun both for the ability to order food on demand but also for the games. Loved that it was active from boarding to de-boarding, meant that we could continue to play Mahjong as we sat on the taxi way at LAX waiting for a gate. Also the flight journey was . . . → Keep Going: A Virgin America Virgin No Longer
By Cari, on December 20th, 2007%
so in the course of re-visiting Vayama I mentioned United’s new fee. Well guess what, they’re not alone.
According to Christopher Elliott’s post on the topic, CO has joined the game too. I love Continental, but paying to book on the website is insane. As I said last time, it’s not like the airlines are paying a fee or commission, as the online agencies do. Sheer insanity is what it is.
I used to like booking directly through CO for the booking bonus, but apparently that’s now gone too. Web 2.0 is supposed to bring convenience, not more fees. Is it a good . . . → Keep Going: and now Continental joins the fun…
By Cari, on December 18th, 2007%
I’ve really enjoyed reading the New York Times’ new blog: JetLagged. It’s the first airline-centered blog I’ve read that’s written by multiple authors and presents an interesting range of views on different topics.
Pico Iyer’s recent post, The Friendliest Country, and the Unfriendliest Skies is a great read. I’ve read a few of Iyer’s books and some of his contributions to anthologies, but I hadn’t read his work in blog format prior to his contributions to JetLagged.
When comparing foreign-flag carriers to those operating under the US flag, he noted that they provide good service:
instead of the large, angry and tired militants on . . . → Keep Going: Unfriendly Skies
By Cari, on December 17th, 2007%
The New York Times has on its website some reader comments to their November 25th article, Class Conflict. Some interesting comments, but in my opinion, a lot of over-reaction as well. If flying coach from Sydney to LAX is going to induce a “14 hour panic-attack” then I think there are other issues.
I said it then and I’ll say it again… I don’t think coach is the end of the world. I’d much rather spend the $ on another aspect of my trip, but that’s just me. A me who has survived the following in coach:
EWR-DTW-KIX in August 01 (much saner . . . → Keep Going: “Coach Class”: Reader Comments
By Cari, on December 12th, 2007%
I first discovered and mentioned Vayama back in October when I discovered it via a post on Spontaneous Tourism. I admit, I didn’t end up thinking much about Vayama again until I received a comment from Matt, Vayama’s Industry Relations Manager.
I like how he handled the contact, an actual question about the content of the blog post rather than just a random comment and a promotional link as some companies have been known to do, so I responded and it led to a further comment (wonderful information there about some less-than-obvious benefits to Vayama) and an e-mail exchange. I decided I . . . → Keep Going: Vayama: Redux
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