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Airline FAQ 2/2
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Archive-name: travel/air/cheap-tickets/part2
Last-Modified: Wed Sep 15 16:34:32 1993 by Mark Kantrowitz
Version: 1.8
Size: 16794 bytes
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;;; Airfare FAQ, Part 2 ********************************************
;;; ****************************************************************
This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The
focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are
also covered.
Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms
and other information to [email protected].
;;; ********************************
;;; Hotel Frequent Flyer Plans *****
;;; ********************************
Many large hotel chains offer frequent traveler incentives to their
guests, including free airline miles and points that are redeemable
for free hotel rooms. Some are even offering the free airline miles
without requiring a flight with the stay.
Here's a summary of what the hotels are now offering:
Hilton:
- Airline Miles: 500 miles/stay.
Airlines include Air Canada, American, America West, and
United (no flight required); Delta and USAir (ticket and
boarding pass required).
- Points: 10 points per $1 spent. Redeemable for free weekend
nights, sports tickets, and merchandise.
- May earn miles and points for same stay. Spouses may combine points.
- 3 stays earn one free weekend night.
Holiday Inn:
- Airline Miles: 500 miles/stay.
Airlines include Air Canada and Northeast (flight required).
- Points: 1 point per $1 spent. Redeemable for free travel and
merchandise.
- May earn miles and points for same stay.
- $10/year membership fee.
Hyatt:
- Airline Miles: 500 miles/stay for United mileage (no flight
required), Alaska Airlines, Northwest, and USAir (flight
required). 1000 miles/stay for Delta (flight required).
- Points: 5 points per $1 spent. Redeemable for free travel,
room upgrades, and car rentals.
- May earn miles and points for same stay.
Marriott:
- Airline Miles: 500 miles/stay for American, British Airways,
Northwest, or USAir. 1000 miles/stay for Continental or TWA
(no flight required). 2,500 bonus miles after fifth stay.
- Points: 10 points per $1 spent. Bonus points from Hertz car
rental. Redeemable for free travel, hotel rooms, and car rentals.
- Restrictions: In a given stay, can get points or miles, but
not both.
Sheraton:
- Airline Miles: May convert points to miles for American or
United, at a rate of 5,000 miles per 10,000 points, no flight
required.
- Points: 4 points per $1 spent. Redeemable for room discounts,
free travel, car rentals, or merchandise.
- $25/year membership fee. (Ask them to waive it.)
;;; ********************************
;;; Credit Card Voucher Offers *****
;;; ********************************
Several credit card companies offer vouchers for cheap airline travel
as an incentive to enroll students.
1. American Express.
Students who apply for the standard green card ($55/year) will
receive three vouchers if approved. The vouchers are good for
travel anywhere in the continental United States (no more East/West
zones). However, the ticket prices are $179 during the school year,
$259 for summer and spring break (this is defined as "when you begin
*OR* end your travel in March, July, August, or December"). You must
stay over a Saturday night, and maximum stay is 10 days and 9
nights; there are no black-out dates listed. You may not purchase
tickets until 14 days before the flight. The vouchers expire 1 year
after issue and are not transferrable (and the airlines do check
your student id both at the ticket counter and at the gate). You
must purchase your tickets with the AmEx card.
To work around the non-transferrable restriction, use your first
initial instead of your first name, and (if female) ask to have
your maiden (alternately, married) name on the ticket (which
allows you to substitute an arbitrary last name, if you're not
bothered by the sleaziness).
Although the current AmEx tickets are for travel on Continental
Airlines, USAir will honor them for travel on USAir (non-summer
coupons only; you may use the non-summer coupons during the summer,
however). Give the following promotion code to the travel agent
when using the AmEx/Continental vouchers for travel on USAir:
H/CO AMEX STUDENT
USAir seems less likely than Continental to check for student id.
In general, USAir seems to accept coupons from almost any other airline.
If you are a student, have an AmEx card and haven't received the
vouchers, call the 800 number (1-800-582-5823 or 1-800-528-4800)
and they'll send them out to your billing address.
2. Chase Manhattan VISA
[ THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. ]
Same cost structure as the AmEx/Continental vouchers ($129 if you
don't cross the Mississippi River, $189 if you do), but for
travel on USAir. Maximum stay of 60 days (Saturday stay not
required). Tickets must be purchased within 48 hours of reservation.
Valid student id must be presented at time of ticketing.
Blackout dates around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and some
destination-specific days.
3. US Sprint
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;;; Restrictions on Electronics ****
;;; ********************************
The navigation equipment on most airplanes is unshielded, and hence
subject to interference from electronic devices such as radios or
personal computers. The latest FAA advisory leaves it up to the
airlines to set their own rules, but prohibits the use of cellular
phones during taxi before takeoff and during takeoff itself. Many
prohibit the use of certain types of equipment below 10,000 feet.
The FAA is considering setting a standard, with 3 classes of
equipment:
1. No restriction. This will include hearing aids, digital watches,
and implanted devices, such as pacemakers.
2. Prohibited during takeoff and landing. This will include
electronic games, audio/video recorders, and calculators/computers
(the kind without printers and disk drives).
3. Prohibited at all times. This will include cellular phones,
remote-control devices, FM radio receivers, electric shavers, TV
receivers, and radio transmitters.
The FAA is still conducting studies, and will need to classify other
equipment, such as CD players.
Right now, each airline sets its own rules, and the pilots may further
restrict the rules. Here are some sample rules:
USAIR:
- Prohibited at all times: portable radios, televisions,
telephones, and CD players.
- Prohibited during takeoff/landing: tape recorders, electric
shavers, tape players (headsets must be removed during
takeoff/landing), hand electronic games, hand calculators, and
portable computers.
- Everything else: Ask a flight attendant.
United:
- Prohibited during takeoff/landing (10,000 feet): All
electronic devices.
Hazardous materials, such as paints, explosives, light fluid, and
fireworks, are not permitted aboard aircraft. You may not check these
in your baggage nor may you include them in a carry-on.
;;; ********************************
;;; Complaints and Compliments *****
;;; ********************************
If you have a legitimate complaint about service, write a
well-written letter to the appropriate people at the airline. This can
often result in real results. But don't become a habitual complainer.
Many airline customer service departments keep records of all
complaints and compliments. If you complain too often, you'll get
tagged as a flamer, and they'll ignore future complaints. If you are a
frequent flyer and don't complain often, complaints can end up in
travel discount compensation.
Airlines do keep track of who complains and how frequently, so if you
complain too often about trivial matters, your complaints won't have
the same effect as they would if you complained about only important
problems. Keep track of the names of all airline personnel you deal
with, and be as specific as possible about dates, times, places, and
flight numbers in your letter. Enclose copies of any receipts for
expenses incurred because of missed/delayed flights.
The Department of Transportation accepts consumer complaints
about airlines and records, compiles, and publishes statistics on
airline performance. The statistics are available in a monthly Air
Travel Consumer Report. For a free copy, write to the Office of
Consumer Affairs, US Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, NW,
Room 10405, Washington, DC 20590. 202-366-2220. The statistics vary a
lot from month to month.
On-time:
Best -- America West Airlines 84.8%
Worst -- Delta 74.3%
Overbooking:
Best -- American 89 involuntary bumps/19 million passengers
Worst -- America West 1,805/3.7 million
Mishandled baggage:
Best -- Southwest
Worst -- America West
According to a recent survey by JD Powers & Associates, for long
trips, customer satisfaction was highest on Delta, Continental, and
Northwest, and for short trips, customer satisfaction was highest on
Delta, Southwest, and Alaska.
Customer Relations Departments of various airlines:
Aloha Airlines Inc., Customer Relations, PO Box 30028, Honolulu, HI 96820.
Alaska Airlines, Consumer Affairs, PO Box 68900, Seattle, WA 98168.
American Airlines, 1-800-967-2000
America West Airlines, Consumer Affairs, 222 South Mill Ave., Tempe,
AZ 85281, 1-800-247-5692.
Continental Airlines, Customer Relations, PO Box 4607, Houston, TX
77210-4607, 712-987-6500.
Delta Air Lines Inc., Law Dept, Hartsfield Atlanta Int Airport,
Atlanta, GA 30320, 404-765-2600.
Eastern Air Lines Inc., Consumer Affairs, Bldg 11, Rm 1433, Miami Int Airport,
Miami, FL 33148.
Hawaiian Airlines, Consumer Affairs, Honolulu Intl Airport, PO Box 30008,
Honolulu, HI 96820-0008.
Northwest Airlines, Consumer Affairs, Minneapolis/St. Paul Intl Airport,
St. Paul, MN 55111, 612-726-2046.
Pan American World Airways Inc., Consumer Affairs Dept, 200 Park Avenue,
New York, NY 10166.
Southwest Airlines Co., Customer Relations, PO Box 37611, Love Field,
Dallas, TX 75235-1625, 214-904-4000.
Trans World Airlines Inc., Customer Relations, 605 Third Ave., New
York, 10158, 914-242-3172.
United Airlines, Customer Relations, PO Box 66100, Chicago, IL 60666,
312-952-7843.
USAir, Consumer Relations, Washington National Airport, Washington, DC
20001, 703-892-7020.
Federal Aviation Administration, 202-366-2220.
;;; ********************************
;;; On-line reservation services ***
;;; ********************************
Eaasy Sabre is an ailine reservation system. It can be accessed via
Prodigy, Compu$erve, Delphi for an additional fee. America Online has
no additional fee for Easy Sabre; it's covered by the basic fee
($9.95/mo.; two hours "free" access included.) Eaasy Sabre is also
available through National Videotex as a basic service. (National
Videotex costs $5.95 a month and provides unlimited basic services for
the month and numerous free local access dialup numbers.) GENIE
provides Eaasy Sabre for free (other than the normal monthly $4.95),
assuming you use the service during their off-peak hours, which are
6pm-8am weekdays, all day holidays and weekends. Prodigy replaces the
Eaasy Sabre interface with their own user interface.
PARS TravelShopper is available on Compu$erve and Delphi.
Official Airline Guide (OAG) Electronic Edition is available on
Compu$erve, Delphi, direct TYMNET (with credit card billing),
GEnie (for a surcharge), and National VideoTex (Premium Plus Service;
$12/hour charge plus Premium surcharge of $6/hr non-business, $9/hour
business hours).
None of these save you the commission charges, so it doesn't save you
much over calling the airline's 800 number or using a travel agent and
asking lots of "what-if" questions.
;;; ********************************
;;; Miscellaneous Notes ************
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The largest travel agency in the US is Thomas Cook Travel.
Keep in mind that ticket agents and gate attendants are
people, and if you're nice to them, they may be able to bend the rules.
Seat assignment on most airlines starts 3 weeks in advance of
the flight (some are 30 days). No seat assignments on Southwest and
shuttle flights. Continental, Delta and Northwest allow seat selection
60 days prior to the date of the flight.
Non-refundable, non-changeable, non-transferable tickets are
the default; you might have to pay more to have a transferable ticket.
But then you might be able to sell half your ticket, and thereby
recoup some of your costs. (This only works on domestic flights, where
you don't need to show a passport.)
Bargain seats are almost always limited, so start looking
early and be flexible with your times and dates.
January, February, September and October are the slack travel
months; ticket prices will be cheapest around then.
Because of the way airlines price tickets, it is sometimes cheaper
to buy a ticket from point A to point C making a mid-trip stop in
point B (i.e., two tickets A-to-B and B-to-C) than it is to buy a
ticket direct from point A to point B. Note, however, that if you do
this your luggage should be carryons, since the airline usually checks
the luggage direct to the ultimate destination. Also, some airlines
will cancel your entire ticket if you skip one leg of the trip. (For
instance, if you discard the B-to-C part of a round-trip ticket from A
to C through B, you may find the tickets for your return flight
cancelled by the airline.)
Airports notorious for heavy traffic and air-traffic-control
snafus: Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta, Logan Airport in Boston, O'Hare
in Chicago, Stapleton in Denver, JFK in New York, and San Francisco
International.
Travel Safety Tips:
Department of Transportation's Free Travel Advisory number: 800-221-0673
US State Department Citizen's Emergency Center: 202-647-5225
;;; ********************************
;;; Other Sources of Information ***
;;; ********************************
The best source of information is the US Department of
Transportation. All carriers must file their fares with them for
tariff purposes.
A variety of companies publish rate guides based on the US
Department of Transportation files. The subscription prices are a bit
steep, but your library may have some.
;;; ********************************
;;; Further Reading ****************
;;; ********************************
Consumer Reports Travel Letter
$37/yr, monthly
Pox 53629
Boulder CO 80322-3629
800-234-1970
Best Fares Magazine (consumer edition):
$58/year
Best Fares, Inc.
1111 W. Arkansas Lane, Suite C
Arlington, TX 76013
1-817-261-6114
Travel Unlimited:
$25/year
Box 1058
Allston, MA 02134
Official Airline Guide, Pocket Edition:
$82/year
American Express Sky Guide:
$45/year (12 issues)
1-800-678-6738 x111.
Skyguide, PO Box 5146, Harlan, IA 51593-2646
The Official Frequent Flyer Guidebook - 2nd Edition, 320 pages.
Information about airline, credit card, hotel, and car rental programs.
Published by AirPress (publisher of InsideFlyer)
$14.99 plus $3 shipping
1-800-487-8893
;;; ********************************
;;; Jetlag *************************
;;; ********************************
To reset your clock, there are several things you can do:
o Stay up 24+ hours and go to sleep at the normal time
for your destination.
o When you wake up in the morning, go for a half hour
walk in the bright morning sunlight.
o Do not eat right before you go to sleep. Eat a light dinner.
o Eat your meals according to the destination time zone.
o Do not drink any alcoholic or caffeine-based beverages
during your flight.
The Argonee National Laboratory anit-jet-lag diet is available as the
file jet-lag.txt in /afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mkant/Public/Travel/ on
ftp.cs.cmu.edu.
;;; ********************************
;;; Packing Tips *******************
;;; ********************************
Checklist of things to bring with you:
[ ] Fanny Pack or Money Belt
[ ] Small Screwdrivers
[ ] Batteries, Film (especially for overseas travel)
[ ] Sewing Kits, Safety Pins
[ ] Bandages, Sun Block, Insect Repellent, Cough Drops, Decongestants
[ ] Toilet Paper
[ ] Plastic Baggies, Duct Tape
[ ] Washcloths
[ ] Umbrellas
;;; ********************************
;;; Safety *************************
;;; ********************************
Travel by commercial airplane is among the safest ways to travel. But
there are still some risks. To improve your chances of surviving in
the event of a crash:
- Count the number of seats from you to the nearest exits, both in
front of you and behind you. This will let you find the exits
even if you've been blinded or the smoke is so thick you can't
see the way out.
- Sit near the wings, as the airplane is reinforced there to
support the wings.
- Wear natural-fiber clothes. Synthetics can melt or ignite,
producing smoke and toxic fumes and causing burns.
- Wear comfortable shoes or sneakers, without high heals. High
heals can snag on the escape slide.
- Bring your own infant safety seat. Use one which has been
approved for use in motor vehicles AND aircraft. Don't use one
which was made before February 26, 1985.
- In the event of a crash, do not carry any bags or other items
with you. They can cause you to tumble on the slide, leading to
broken bones or more serious injuries.
;;; ********************************
;;; Pregnant Passengers ************
;;; ********************************
If you're pregnant, check with your doctor before traveling by air,
especially during the last trimester. There is a small but real risk
that the flight could cause you to go into labor and induce a
premature birth. Flying can also be a miserable experience for someone
who is pregnant. Flying differs from other modes of transportation in
the sudden acceleration and deceleration, frequent air pressure
changes, and significant amounts of vibration. (Though pregnant women
should be careful during any traveling, no matter what the means of
transportation.)
Many airlines won't let a visibly pregnant woman travel without a note
from her doctor certifying that it's ok for her to travel and that
she's not likely to give birth at 30,000 feet.
;;; *EOF*
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