Snippets to help you travel more easily and efficiently
By Betty Stark
Maybe it’s because I’ve been around this industry long enough that I’ve seen, heard about, read or experienced almost everything related to travel at least once, or maybe I’m just intrigued by the many ways that we as road-weary business travelers learn to smooth the ruts and potholes by using information that’s “out there.”
Whatever the reason, I routinely collect hundreds of travel information snippets and store them, teetering in piles on the edge of my desk or (no more efficiently) tucked back in the recesses of my mind, clunking around in the hard drive of my brain until the need arises to roll them out.
As always, I am happy to share:
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Airports and airlines • One of the trickier aspects of travel in the current economic conflagration is knowing which airlines fly where; simply put, can you even fly from here to there any longer? USA Today offers a map detailing state-by-state flight status at 300 US airports based on “announced airline service levels” (read: definitely subject to change!). For the latest version, check this web site: www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/airline-capacity-map.htm and then for good measure confirm flight availability with your travel agent or online.
• The Delta-Northwest merger is a done deal and changes that will culminate in the “new Delta” continue on schedule, including new signs with Delta’s name where Northwest’s used to be, new Delta paint jobs on Northwest airplanes and the consolidation of gates at airports in the U.S. and other countries. Frequent flyer programs have been merged too, allowing free transfer of miles between current Northwest and Delta programs. Both will remain open and functioning until late 2009 when Delta plans to merge the two programs to deliver one loyalty program for members beginning in 2010
• American Airlines is using telephone recognition technology to greet you by name if you’ve signed up for American’s frequent-flier program, AAdvantage. As a member of the frequent flyer program, you can list up to three phone numbers from which you’ll call the airline. If you’re booked on a flight the day you call, the RememberMe system (www.aa.com/rememberme) will offer gate and flight information without prompting.
• Delta now has a number of aircraft (MD-88s and 757s) equipped with wireless Internet. You’ll know you’re flying on an Internet-equipped aircraft when you see the “Wi-Fi Onboard” sticker next to the door as you board. Other airlines (United, American, Virgin America, Southwest and Air Canada) have either already signed on or are poised to jump on the Wi-Fi bandwagon. Watch for this trend to take off.
The mobile boarding pass trend also is rapidly catching on at both U.S. and international airports. Continental, among other carriers, is testing the paperless pass at several airports; American launched its test service last November at Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles International, and John Wayne Orange County. In Europe, mobile passes are being used for rail as well as air travel. When you check in for your next flight online, look to see if the airline offers to send a boarding pass link to your internet-enabled cell phone or hand-held. If it does, you’ll need only to access the link and your personal bar code to clear security and board your flight.
• A heads-up if you’re visiting Toronto’s Pearson International: Police there warn travelers to be on the lookout for pickpockets, several of whom have been arrested in recent months. Police estimate that as much as $500,000 has been stolen from travelers in a recent six-month period.
Earlier in 2008, several travelers using check-in kiosks at Pearson had credit card numbers stolen by hackers who accessed the system airportwide.
• Next time you’re faced with a long layover at Los Angeles International Airport, head to the reLAX Lounge (www.relaxloungelax.com), located pre-security in the Tom Bradley International Terminal in the center of the mezzanine level.
The new business lounge is open to all over age 21, including non-travelers, for a fee — $10 for one hour; $25 for three; $35 for five; $50 for a day pass — and offers a tranquil setting with complimentary refreshments, easy listening music, a business center with free Internet/faxing/photo copying/printing, free snacks and food for purchase, and a terrific view of taxiing airplanes.
Also at LAX, Gladstone’s 4 Fish, a Malibu seafood restaurant well known in the Los Angeles area, has opened a location in Terminal 3, past security.
Hotels
• The venerable Holiday Inn brand, created back in 1954 as an affordable lodging option along the then-new U.S. Interstate system, is undergoing a $1 billion facelift that parent company InterContinental Hotels Group expects will create a more contemporary image and enhance quality at both existing and new hotels.
Only those hotels that have gone through the upgrade will be allowed to display the new exterior sign, a bold green letter “H.” When you check in, you’ll find plumper bedding with triple sheets and soft and firm pillows, a revamped bathroom, new lighting, extensive landscaping, and, to further enhance your stay, customized background music and aromatherapy in the lobby.
• Now there’s no excuse for ditching your diet or fitness routine when you stay at a Westin Hotel.
Thanks to a partnership with Nintendo, the hotel group has introduced a specially designed Wii console that allows guests to play with WestinWORKOUT trainers or face off against each other. Nintendo has created special Wii consoles that come pre-loaded with healthful games, including Big Brain Academy, Wii Sports and Wii Fit.
From the U.S. government
• The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) now permits you to carry onboard large bottles of MEDICALLY NECESSARY LIQUIDS (no, your favorite bottle of wine or vodka won’t qualify) that exceed the three-ounce limit.
But wait, there’s a catch! To carry on these larger bottles, you must go through specially marked family lanes at airport security checkpoints, which are equipped with scanners to detect liquid explosives. Look for more details at www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/family_lane_expansion.shtm.
• At a date now estimated to be about May 1, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will assume responsibility for checking passenger identities against the no-fly and terrorist watch lists on all domestic flights (later to include international flights as well).
When the DHS’ new “Secure Flight Program” launches, passenger-list screening (presently managed by the airlines) will become the responsibility of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), with the help of airlines that must have the following information about you at least 72 hours before you board the aircraft.
Expect to be asked to provide the added data at the time you make your airline reservation:
• Your full legal name as it appears on the official ID you will use at airport security
• Your date of birth
• Your gender
For more information about this process, including privacy issues, go to www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/secureflight/index.shtm.
Here I am, out of space, and I have barely made a dent in my teetering pile of tidbits. I’ll continue to collect, of course, and if you have a tip or two you’d like to share with me, feel free to e-mail me at travelingwriter1@aol.com.
