The AOL Travel Team

Breaking Airline Rules

Thu, 17 May 2007 18:51:44 GMT

Peter Greenberg -- AOL Contributing Editor

I'm one of those people who consciously disobeys airport signs and airline instructions -- in most cases, because they're either misleading, or wrong. And you should as well.

Consider the airport departure boards: they constantly lie. The words "On Time" are -- as I think we would all agree -- relative. Is the plane "scheduled" to leave on time? Of course it is. But that doesn't mean it will.

Here's what I do. When I get to the airport, I only look at the departure board to determine what gate my flight is scheduled to leave from. And then I immediately ignore all other information on the departure side. Instead, I go immediately to the arrivals board and check to see what is arriving at my supposed departure gate. If nothing is arriving there until next Tuesday, I now know I won't be leaving from that gate. The key here is to get solid information and to retain as many options as you can in the flying experience.

Now, I get to avoid the frustration of being disappointed at the gate. And many of my options are back -- including going right to the counter and finding alternate flights on my original airline -- or in many cases -- other airlines. I save time, and stress.

And the same applies to the instructions we've all been given over the years as to how much in advance of our scheduled flight we need to arrive at the airport. My rule of thumb is that there are really four times you need to watch -- not one. There's the time you need to check in for your flight (from home), the time you need to arrive at the airport. The time you need to arrive at the gate, and the time (at many airports) you need to arrive at the....bus.

If you're like me, and believe there are only two types of bags -- carry on, and LOST, then you'll save a lot of time by doing the following: check in for your flight and get your boarding pass at home within 24 hours of scheduled departure. Then, you only need to get to the airport 40 minutes ahead of your departure time, because you've got your boarding pass and you can go right to the gate. But when should you get to the gate? 35 minutes prior to scheduled departure time. With one important exception, especially on flights outside the United States. What many airlines won't tell you is that their planes aren't parked at jet ways. Instead, passengers have to take buses to get to the aircraft. Always ask ahead of time if you'll be leaving from a jet way or have to take the bus, because if you don't, the 35 minute gate strategy will not work -- you'll miss the bus and hence your flight.

Tags: peter greenberg, air travel, airports

You've Lost Me

Tue, 01 May 2007 18:24:21 GMT

It's the eternal debate -- which is better, Coke or Pepsi? For me, the choice has always been clear -- it's Pepsi all the way (said as I down my Diet Mt. Dew). Fizzy drinks may not have been what drove my affinity for United Airlines, but it certainly didn't hurt to find my fave beverages on each flight.

With today's news of their switch to Coke products (see below), I wonder if my brand loyalty for United will last ...

United to switch to Coke from Pepsi

CHICAGO (AP) — United Airlines has a new selection of onboard beverages.

United Airlines has a new selection of onboard beverages. The carrier said Monday it has signed a five-year agreement with The Coca-Cola Company, making the world's largest beverage company its primary soft-drink supplier instead of PepsiCo and Cadbury.

The partnership means that as of Tuesday, United passengers will choose from among eight Coca-Cola drinks — Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Spring Water, Seagrams Ginger Ale, Tonic and Seltzer Water.

United, a unit of Elk Grove Village-based UAL, cited the economic benefits of the new arrangement but did not offer specifics. A Coca-Cola spokesman also declined to release a volume estimate for the deal involving its new customer.

"Welook forward to the joint promotional activities that consumers and employees will be able to participate in and the economic benefits this new agreement brings to United," said Sean Donohue, United's senior vice president for flight operations and onboard service, in a press release.

Besides onboard beverage offerings, United will also offer Coca-Cola products in its airport lounges and offices later this year.

Tags: united airlines, travel, coke, pepsi

Can You Say Wow?

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 20:36:52 GMT

Did your parents ever threaten you with a trip to Siberia if you misbehaved? Well now you can tell them you're going there of your own free will!

The Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express begins its service from Moscow to the Sea of Japan (an almost 6,000 mile trip) on May 6 and you can experience this amazing journey for yourself for about $7,000 -- $12,000 if you opt for a Gold Class Cabin which includes an private shower, LCD TV and heated floors.

Visit GW Travel for more details.

Tags: russia, trains, train travel, siberia

Experience Luminato

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:51:45 GMT

Luminato, North America’s newest large-scale, multi-genre arts festival featuring internationally acclaimed artists and programming, will be held in Toronto from June 1–10, 2007, for the first year of this annual celebration of the creative spirit.

For ten days, Toronto will be overflowing with free public events, ticketed world premieres, original showings and cutting edge performances in theater, classical and contemporary music, dance, visual arts, architecture, design and literature.

Tickets go on sale to the public on April 16, 2007, will be available at Luminato’s newly designed website at www.luminato.com and through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com).

For information on program schedules with free events as well as ticketed specials and travel packages visit www.luminato.com.

Tags: luminato, toronto, arts, festival

Flying the A380

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:39:38 GMT

Peter Greenberg, AOL Contributing Editor

This is one big plane. I could spend this entire column entertaining you with gee whiz figures of how big it is, how wide the wingspan, how many pingpong balls can fit inside, or how many VW beetles could be jammed in, nose to tail.

But that's not important. What IS important: when will this plane fly, and perhaps even more important, will you ever want to fly it?

First, some background. When the giant plane was first announced, it was supposed to revolutionize air travel. There would be extra space. Salons. Bars. Everything short of a bowling alley. And, oh yes, it was certified to fly 853 passengers ...

For awhile, it was the darling of both the commercial airlines and the freight carriers, because it promised to deliver on the economy of scale. Airlines could fly fewer flights, employ fewer personnel, fly more people and spend less on fuel.

But costly production delays -- more than two years -- and serious problems concerning infrastructure on the ground, contributed to nothing short of a $10 billion financial nightmare for manufacturer Airbus.

One by one, orders got completely canceled (Fedex and UPS), reduced, or deferred. Airbus just announced a loss of $1 billion and laid off 10,000 workers, which prompted a strike.

And all of this happened on the eve of the first "proving" flight to the U.S.

What is a proving flight? It's an attempt, in close to real world conditions, to test how an airplane, its systems and the infrastructure supporting it, will perform.

In order to do that, Lufthansa rounded up 519 people on the eve of the first U.S. flight to crowd into a departure lounge at Frankfurt airport and ... board the plane. Monitors were there to time the test. Three jetways were used.

Remarkably, the airline was able to board everyone in 19 minutes. That timing was somewhat delusional ... No one was carrying heavy luggage. There were no screaming babies, last minute rushing connecting business travelers. No ticketing or boarding pass duplications. And of the 519 people, less than 1 percent (certainly not a reflection of real world numbers) were handicapped -- only five test passengers in wheelchairs.

With the boarding test completed, the airline was ready for a real flight with passengers -- and real bags.

At 6am on Monday, the 19th, 460 passengers (and 31 crew) arrived at the airport. First, we had to check in. This was made easy by the fact that Lufthansa opened eight dedicated counters to process just one flight. Extra staff was on hand to help.

We boarded in about 40 minutes. Still impressive.

Less than eight hours later we touched down at JFK. Media frenzy at JFK and another one at LAX, where the plane landed, but didn't even have a gate that could handle the jumbo.

Now, let's put all of this in perspective. This is a plane designed for ultra-long haul flights. Not a single U.S. carrier has ordered the plane. Not a single foreign carrier has confirmed it will even fly the plane to the U.S. when it starts service. The first airline to begin flying will be Singapore airlines, scheduled to start this October. Lufthansa, which operated the test flight, won't start until at least 2009.

Was it fun to say I was on the first flight? Of course. Was this flight in any way, shape or form indicative of how airlines will operate their A380's when they enter service? Absolutely not. Each airline will configure its planes differently. One thing you can count on: don't look for the lounges, the salons, the boutiques or the bowling alleys. On airplanes, it's all about weight, fuel and performance, and no lounge positively impacts their bottom line. And while the early launch customers all promise that they will keep the number of passengers under 550, let's not lose sight of the original certification: 853 people. Ouch!

Is this really a new generation aircraft? I argue no. Historically, airlines depended on the military to do all their research and development. (The DC-3 was really the C-47). But the military isn't doing any r&d work these days for the airlines, unless you count the stealth bomber. Sadly, what we are witnessing isn't a new generation of aricraft (like hypersonic), but massive extensions of existing airframes in an attempt to be more economical for airlines. In the end, I would suggest that the A380 will not fly me faster, better, or in any more style. The plane I was on earlier this week was the showroom display model -- not reflective of reality. Yes, it's quieter (and that's a definite plus), but if history is any indication -- with perhaps the notable exceptions of Emirates Air and Singapore Air, airlines that somehow manage to have an unlimited budget and STILL exceed it -- for the rest of us, coach will remain...coach.

Be sure to check out Peter Greenberg Worldwide for more travel news.

Tags: airline travel, airbus, a380, airplanes, travel

Spring Break 2007

Sat, 17 Mar 2007 17:09:10 GMT

After I fell in love with Disney last Spring Break, the kids were only too eager to suggest a trip to Disneyland and California Adventure this time around.

This got me thinking about my favorite -- and not-so-favorite -- spring vacations over the years, so I turned to the AOL Travel Team to give us all some inspiration by sharing their best and worst trips.

Joanne

BEST: My first trip to Disneyworld in 2006 -- seeing it through the eyes of children is the only way to go!

WORST: Having to get wisdom teeth pulled in 1990 -- a totally different kind of trip!

Kris

BEST: Either two-week trip to France with my sister, dad and aunt two years ago or senior college trip to Ft. Lauderdale with a great group of friend and having my boyfriend flying down to surprise me.

WORST: Senior high school trip to Daytona (can't tell you why but it involved drinking a bit too much and losing 24 hours).

Allison

BEST: Rome & Amalfi Coast, Italy, March 2006. My husband & I went with another couple & after a few days in Rome, stayed in an amazing villa in a small town on the Amalfi Coast. We enjoyed incredible views, drank a lot of wine, had a chef cook dinner for us on our patio looking over the Mediterranean, and enjoyed exploring the Italian coast.

WORST: hmm... not sure I have a worst "Spring Break" trip, but definitely some bad summer vacations in the Outerbanks, NC when it rained the ENTIRE week. We learned quickly that there is not much to do down there when the sun isn't shining!

Pat
BEST: The first time my wife and I went to Hawaii. We were able to get some fairly cheap airline tickets but the best thing was that we stayed on the North Shore in a little area called Haleiwa. Luzette's CEO at the time had a beach house that he allowed his coworkers to use. All we had to do was pay for the cleaning fee for the week which was CHEAP! One whole week's stay was the cost of one night at a hotel. The house was perfect. Literally right on the beach. It had a quaint little deck, a yard, and through the brush wall you poke through and there it is. The beach with clear water. It had the best view of the sunrise and sunsets imaginable. We did everything we could think of and even island hopped over to the Big Island to catch the volcano tour. At the end of the trip we were exhausted but it was well worth it.

Tej

BEST: My best trip was to Tokyo Japan when I was in my junior year of college. I had never been to the Far East and I was surely excited as I had heard a lot about Japan. The reason I picked Japan was because my brother was getting his associate's degree there and knew Japanese. Also a couple of my cousins are settled in Tokyo.

Tokyo was an outstanding destination. People are super friendly. It has a metropolitan layout to it but yet holds small town traditions. I took a ride on super fast trains which arrived to stations right on time, lived in small houses (the roof was only 7 feet high), played with some awesome gadgets (I used a video phone back in 2000). Went to Tokyo Tower which has a breathtaking view.

I enjoyed some traditional Japanese food, but some of it was gross (like uncooked fish) but they way they serve the food with so much respect it becomes double delicious. Tons of shopping malls, electronic goods and drank a lot of saki. Language is a problem if you go to small towns but in Tokyo there were lot of people who can speak English.

Also, went to Tokyo Disney land - a must! The ride on Rainbow Bridge is fabulous. There are lot of hip American-style bars and techno clubs which my brother and I enjoyed a lot. Over all a great trip and learned a lot in 3 weeks!

Tags: spring break, travel, vacations

Oops! An Unintentional Security Breach

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 15:52:44 GMT

Joanne - AOL Travel Editor

First a little background. I try really hard never to break the rules (ok, those who know me stop laughing!), especially when I travel. I stopped carrying sharp objects after 9/11 and although I always try to make it through security without taking off my shoes, I will gladly in the end.

This past weekend I downed a bottle of water record time before entering the terminal to comply with new regulations so imagine my surprise when I got home and discovered the items pictured left in my purse –- oops! All of which eluded security screening at an airport that shall remain nameless.

While lip gloss and suntan lotion are rather benign, I’ve often wondered how my epi pens have sailed through time and time again –- I’ve only been stopped once in five years of carrying one. And the poor man in front of me lat the screening center last night had to unload his entire suitcase because he was carrying a letter seal…

Let Virgin Fly!

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 22:36:07 GMT

Many thanks to a loyal blog reader for sending over this information on Virgin America. I, for one, would be thrilled to see VA in the skies!

Virgin America Identifies First Six Destinations;

Announces Further 40 Cities Under Consideration

-- San Francisco, New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas

to be Served Within Nine Months of Operation, Upon Govt Approval --

Burlingame, Calif. (January 31, 2007) -- Virgin America, the new start-up airline to be based in San Francisco, announced today four additional cities the carrier plans to serve, pending its certification by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The airline has previously announced its inaugural flight will be between San Francisco and New York City (JFK). Within nine months of operation, Virgin America also plans to serve Washington, DC (Dulles), Los Angeles (LAX), San Diego and Las Vegas.

Virgin America expects to serve as many as 10 cities within a year of operation and up to 30 cities within five years of service. Additional cities under Virgin America’s consideration include: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, Newark, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Providence, Portland, Ore., Raleigh-Durham, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Jose, Calif., Sarasota, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

The airline is inviting travelers to visit its website, www.letVAfly.com, to rank where Virgin America should fly next.

“It’s exciting to share our plans for our first destinations we plan to serve this year,” said Fred Reid, Virgin America’s CEO. “Of course, we’re still working hard to complete our certification process. Considering the far reaching, significant changes our investors recently made to the company to address the Department’s concerns, we are hopeful to complete the certification process at the earliest possible date.”

Virgin America recently unveiled its onboard cabin, including first class seats with 55 inches of seat pitch (legroom) and massage chairs, as well as mood lighting and a digital inflight entertainment system providing on-demand moves and TV, games, music and online chat rooms – and even self-service mini-bars for snacks and beverages available throughout the flight.

“This is a product that will knock travelers’ socks off!” Mr. Reid said. “But it’s the U.S. traveler who stands to lose most if Virgin America is denied the chance to fly. We’re inviting our future guests around the nation to visit www.letVAfly.com, sign our online petition supporting more competition, a better airline experience and lower fares – and rank where we should fly first!”

The airline intends to create more than 1,000 new U.S. jobs in its first year and up to 5,000 within five years. In addition to this direct job creation, by its fifth year Virgin America will be responsible for indirectly creating approximately 50,000 new U.S. jobs in total.

Fly, i

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:33:45 GMT

Joanne - AOL Travel

The news couldn't come soon enough for me -- six major airlines including Delta, Continental and United, are adding iPod connectivity to their in-flight entertainment systems in mid-2007.

Not only will users be able to charge their iPods and listen to music, those with video capability can watch their downloads on personal in-seat screens, where available.

With this announcement from Apple and the release of built-in connectivity in a host of new cars, we'll never be on the go without entertainment again!

Inside American Airlines

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 13:52:17 GMT

Jeff - AOL Travel

For any traveler who has ever wondered why the guy sitting next to you on a flight paid half as much as you did, all will be revealed tonight when NBC's Today Show Traveler Editor, and AOL Travel Contributing Editor Peter Greenberg takes a look Inside American Airlines: A Week in the Life. The two-hour program will air tonight on CNBC.

If you have ever seen Peter on Today, watched his videos here on AOL or have been lucky enough to be in a room with him, you'll know that there is probably no one better positioned to create a show like this than he. With dozens of years as a Travel Detective (also the title of his book), and a personality that won't take "no" for an answer, Peter reportedly spent years lobbying American for permission to produce this show.

Not only did American agree, they provided him unfettered access to the airline's operations from reservations call centers, to maintenance facilities, to the always closely guarded secrets of the Revenue Management and Pricing Department. For hardened road warriors and leisure travelers alike, this one is not to be missed.

Go behind the scenes with Peter in an exclusive article from USAToday.

Peter Greenberg On Staying Fit While You Travel