December 2005

I remember flying after Alaska Airlines after they fired their baggage handlers, looking out the aisle window, and seeing a young replacement worker wearing a pair of Nikes, baseball cap, and no gloves. I thought, “man, someone is going to get hurt.” I was less concerned about the slow downs, late flights, and generally pissed off flight crews in surly moods. It was a bad summer for Alaska Airlines. An airline I preferred to fly, had fallen into a “hated” status by it’s employees and customers. When I read about an Alaska Airlines jet that lost cabin pressure at 26,000 feet because of a foot-long gash in its fuselage caused by a baggage truck that struck it, I remember that kid out there loading baggage with no safety gear and presumably no safety concern.

In a follow-up article, the Seattle-PI reports that Alaska Airlines has had 13 ramp incidents from January to November and it was discovered by a King5 investigative report, that they’ve been under-reporting the incidents.

When Jeremy Hermann blogged his experience on that flight, he tapped into the fear, frustration, and loathing Alaska’s customer’s are feeling and a flood of comments came in, with many calling for Alaska Airlines to use professional baggage handlers and not replacement workers. I agree with Glenn Fleishman who commented that, “I can’t wait for the Alaska execs, after paying the many millions of dollars out for this accident in legal fees and repair costs, rehires their regular baggage carriers and explains what a mistake it was to outsource.”

Jeremy’s post also apparently recieved comments from angry Alaska Airline workers and no official response. That topic is being debated in the blogosphere, including a post by Dave Taylor.

TechNewsWorld’s Wifi Hotspot Locator is a really nice tool. For instance, I found out that the McDonald’s near my house has free WiFi. Normally I wouldn’t set foot in a fast food restaurant, but WiFi Might just be enough to bring me in the door.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commision and Dell Computer disclosed a voluntary recall of 22,000 Dell Notebook computer batteries because of overheating, causing a possible fire risk.

According to Battery Technology Inc., if you experience a hot battery, and it continues after removing, cooling and reinstalling, you might have a defective battery and should consider returning it to the manufacturer or vendor. Keep in mind that the CPU can become fairly hot, which is normal–but a hot battery is not an accepted condition.

We don’t usually regurgitate press releases - but I thought this was a good thing to be aware of for those of you traveling to Europe for business or pleasure.

If you buy your passes on Railpass.com between January 1 and March 31, 2006 - you’ll get a free day of travel. According to the (groan) press release, the extra day comes with a 6-, 8- or 10-day Adult, Youth and “Saver” Eurail Selectpasses, and can be used for unlimited train travel on non-consecutive days within a 2-month period.

That’s pretty good squishy!

Groople caters to small business that travel in groups, say to conferences or business meetings. Not to be outdone, Orbitz launched a competing service called Group Travel Planet. It’s not clear on either site what discounts they’re offering, but they must be offering a discount and keeping a cut. While a promising idea, I’d still compare directly with regular discounters. USAToday reports that group travel is growing, but still nascent.

(Note the stupidity of Groople’s website code will tell anyone that isn’t using Windows Internet Explorer that they need to turn on cookies. No you don’t — just click through to the homepage on the warning page.

On our vacation flight to Maui, we experienced the “no waivers, no favors” motto of the airlines with extra, excessive charges for our bikes (see related cycling posts at Textura Design). The New York Times reports that the outlook for travel in 2006 is going to be even worse, with more restrictions, hidden fees, and charging for everything and anything. The counter attendant in Maui made 3 calls and checked 3 times, to make sure she charged us the full $25.00 per bike for Hawaiian Airline’s charge and then the $80.00 per bike for the connection to Northwest Airlines. I could tell the attendant was genuinely concerned, not for us, but that she charged us the full amount for fear of being reprimanded. While she rang up the charges, I imagined how that team meeting went down: If a bike comes through, charge them our oversized luggage charge and the connecting flight’s charge, no matter what the weight or size. The bike bags we use are soft-cases, that weigh under 50 pounds for the purpose of avoiding the weight fee, but because it’s a bike, they charge, no matter what.

The Universal Power Battery from APC (American Power Conversion) has a hefty 4700 mAh capacity and weighs just over 2 pounds. The model UPB80 uses the latest Lithium Polymer battery storage technology and has a claimed 8 hour usage time (under certain conditions, of course). Either way, if you are looking for a lot of extra power for those long trips or extended projects or your current battery is close to the end of its inevitable lifespan, this might be a good choice. I believe APC makes a great product (I have used many of their UPS–uninterruptible power supply–products) and their customer service is top notch.

The New York Times’s Christopher Elliott seems to think that 2006 is going to be the worst year ever for business travlers. He reports that problems from rising hotel costs to devalued frequent flier miles, and the obvious decline in airline customer service are causing business people to eschew travel whenever they can.

Despite the problems - and I admit there are many - I predict that the average traveler’s experience won’t change all that much for the worse in the coming year. Let’s face it, travel for business or pleasure has always been unpleasant. Even the best possible experience of getting from point A to point B could be characterized as “endurable” at best. And it’s always been a crap shoot, with something going wrong more often than not. Issues with pricing, service and even the weather may increase the probability of a horrible moment or two, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that every trip will be a disaster.

I’d even go so far as to say that Elliott paints only one half of the picture. After all, there are new developments that could offset some of the more unpleasant aspects of traveling next year. We’ve posted about a few of them. Here’s a recap:

• Competition between European airlines makes for better customer experience.
• Corporate egalitarianism makes for airline innovation
• More travel information available on the internet means better decision making capabilities for travelers.
• Online travel agencies offer new features
• Comfy new seats from SAS.
• More inflight Internet.
• Self defense from aggressive seat recliners.
• Technology concierges make all the difference.
• Online travel agencies step up the customer service.
• Better shopping at airports.

And before you go on one more complaining jag about how long it takes to get through the TSA lines, stop and think about the people doing the screening. I’m not sure whether they’re making us any safer, but scanning people’s luggage for potential threats isn’t an easy job. I heartily encourage you to check out MSNBC’s TSA simulator for a little bit of perspective on how hard it is. It might just make you a little less frustrated the next time you wait in line.

One of the big differences between the mainstream media and the blogosphere is that they’re driven by market forces that we don’t pay attention to. This sometimes leads them to sensationalize or tell only the bad side of the story. After all, bad news sells more papers. I respectfully submit that this is the case with this particular article. They could have offered a more well-rounded perspective. Yes, 2006 is probably not going to be the most pleasant year on record for business travel - but we should all try to look for the silver lining.

According to USA Today “home trotters” is the new term for immigrants who travel regularly from the United States to their country of origin to visit relatives and friends they left behind. Traditionally, foreign airlines had a distinct advantage those based in the U.S. because they knew their market better - but many of the major carriers are stepping up the competition.

United, American and Continental have opened up routes to China, Vietnam and India in the hopes of attracting corporate travelers to their business class cabins while competing with foreign carriers to fill coach seats with immigrants returning to their nations of origin.

The New York Times’ Susan Stellin reports that flexibility in travel arrangements isn’t what it used to be. Back in the days when the average person booked airline tickets through a travel agent, they had a week to ten days to change the schedule around. Now, the biggest window possible is 24 hours. And even those windows are shrinking. Northwest, United, JetBlue and Delta require passengers to purchase a ticket in order to lock in a fare and itinerary, then give them a 24-hour window in which to cancel or change the reservation for a refund - minus any taxes and surcharges, of course.

There are exceptions. US Airways still allows passengers to pencil themselves in, guaranteeing a ticket and an itinerary for 24 hours. Southwest - which is also one of the top two airlines in terms of customer responsiveness - allows a 24-hour “pencil in” window and another 24 hours in which to cancel the reservation penalty-free. And American Airlines allows passengers to lock in an itinerary and fare for 24 hours without purchase on its website as well as over the phone.

It seems that airlines have reduced their level of consideration for the customer experience to the point where those notable exceptions that still offer services we’ve all become used to will reap the benefits.

The Texas Star Telegram reports that the airline industry shakeup has changed the way customers perceive and value frequent flier programs.

The sale of miles to credit card partners is a key source of revenue for the flailing airlines. But the increased access to miles has created a demand for more free tickets than ever before. Since the initial intent of frequent flier plans was to create customer loyalty while filling seats that would have otherwise remained empty - the increased demand cannot be met without cutting into sorely needed profits from full-fare passengers. To curb the demand, airlines have imposed restrictions on when and how passengers can use their miles, causing frustration and breaking down the very customer loyalty the programs were originally designed to encourage.

The airlines have made their miles worthless by flooding the market. It’s the same thing that happens when governments print too much of their own currency: rampant inflation. Frequent flier miles just aren’t worth what they used to be.

Historically, it takes either a revolution or a huge currency buyback to get a country out of such an inflationary pickle. The same could be true for the airlines. My prediction is that the first airline to allow travelers to use additional miles to get around blackout dates, while simultaneously cutting down on the number of miles available for purchase will be the first to see a turnaround from the brink of Chapter 11.

[USAToday reports](http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-12-19-bump-usat_x.htm), with a fancy graphic, on new Government numbers that show a steady decline in the rate of bumping over the past five years: 12 passengers per 10,000 from their scheduled flights. USA Today credits the drop in bumping to better overbooking tools from the airlines, better predicting flights with the most no-shows, and web check-in. I had no idea that nearly 40,000 passengers got bumped in 2005 and 460,000 gave up their seats. As frequent flyers know, you can do well accepting the bump with upgrades and ticket vouchers. With the airliners being much stricter, that maybe one of the few perks left.

Steven Barber, a [SkyMedia](http://www.skymediabiz.com/) salesman, emphatically explains to a NYTimes reporter why he [talks nonstop on flights](http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/13/business/13flier.html?ex=1292130000&en=ceb1875178458076&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss). Responding the the chatter is a tough one for me, I wouldn’t mind meeting a guy like Steven, maybe he’d know someone that would buy a million Clip-n-Seals from me, but at the same time, when I go into a “fly-zone” on the plane, I get a ton of work done. On our flight to Maui this week, I blasted through 1,200 emails. Doubtful I could get that done, while listening to Steven’s pitch on seatback tray table advertising. Though, I may get into a debate with him on how the tray table is the last bastion of freedom for a traveler and he should instead launch the [SkyMall](http://skymall.com/webapp/skystore?partner=ING) blog that does product testing on all those crazy gadgets.

If you happen to be in the market for a lower end portable computer, the New York Times today published a review of some of the latest models. The Times article provides a nice, but superficial synopsis.

It is interesting to learn that in just 2 years time, according the article, the average laptop price has dropped a whopping 19 percent–while at the same time providing a better value to the enduser!

We’ve heard a rumor that Santa has ordered special upgrades to his sleigh from Connexion this year. The jolly old guy in red is now in constant contact with his elves, and he’ll be keeping track of last minute changes in the naughty/nice index. Now that’s doing business at 30,000 feet!

However you celebrate this time of year - we at Inflight HQ send you our best wishes.

Figuring out the right bid for an airline ticket or hotel room on Priceline can be highly anxiety producing. Without any information, users are in some sense flying blind - pun intended.

But there is a way for travelers on a budget to trade and share information that can help them to develop a better sense of what will get them an airline ticket and what won’t on Priceline. Bidding for Travel is a message site where users can share experience and understanding of Priceline’s system to help themselves land a better deal.

Because the system is run on a message board - it’s difficult to navigate and find exactly what you’re looking for - and the articles are very long and obfuscating. But if you’re a bargain hound and you have the time to spend, this is a must-visit corner of the Web before booking an airline ticket.

We just noticed that InFlightHQ was added to the Yahoo’s Air Travel directory, along with business travel sites like

* [Airport Business](http://www.airportbusiness.com/) — the business of airports
* [Airlines Reviewed](http://www.airlinesreviewed.com/) — a forum independent reviews
* [Flight Times](http://www.airlinesreviewed.com/) — a blog with daily flight news

There have been many rumors of late about some airlines seriously considering charging for things that you and I have taken for granted over the years……like an extra fee for aisle, window and emergency exit row seats……and an up-charge for sitting closer to the front of the plane (hopefully saving you a few extra minutes on arrival)……or a charge for checked baggage or any beverage….or special fee’s for the use of elite check-in lines or for the privilege of using the express security line available at many airports. Or even an extra charge for anyone that weighs more than some predetermined amount (airline executives would love to pull this off, but it clearly would be unenforceable and possibly illegal).

Personally, I would pay a few extra bucks to sit in an aisle seat, if thats what it takes (or maybe just take my chances and move to an unoccupied aisle seat after takeoff). In the meantime, I make sure to check Seatguru before I fly any trans-con or International flight for the best seating.

My guess is that every major airline is just waiting for the other guy to start adding such stipends to fares…..much like when Northwest was the first to announce they would go nonsmoking on all domestic flights back in the 1980’s, and almost every airline followed suit within a few months.

Would you be willing to pay extra for some of these amenities? I am afraid that within a years time we probably won’t have a choice……

Alaska just announced that they will follow in the footsteps of other airlines by imposing a $10 service fee on airline tickets purchased at ticket counters or via 1-800-AlaskaAir. The price increase was instituted by Alaska to compete with bargain and bankrupt airlines that no longer embed the cost of human ticket sellers in their prices.

According to Alaska, other airlines that have instituted similar service fees have not seen a decrease in call-center volumes - which should be of some comfort to the human beings working on the other end of the 1-800 number.

The fee will go into effect on January 18, 2006.

The Wall Street Journal article U.S. Airport Shops Go High-End says that thanks to the recent improvements made to America’s airports, the era of having “world’s lousiest airport retailing” is over, and there are luxury goods aplenty available while waiting for your flight.

Here is the Wall Street Journal’s list of the Top 10 airports to shop in, along with specific shops available.

New York (John F. Kennedy International)
Hugo Boss, DKNY, Hermès, Ferragamo, Cartier
COMMENT: Check out the new Zegna store in Terminal 4.

Pittsburgh International
Victoria’s Secret, Johnston&Murphy, Brooks Brothers
COMMENT: The pioneer among U.S. airmalls; average spending per passenger is among highest in the nation.

San Francisco International
Coach, Body Shop, Sephora, Esprit
COMMENT: Only U.S. airport where you can find Gucci handbags.

Las Vegas (McCarran International)
Crabtree & Evelyn, Fossil, Swarovski
COMMENT: Take a deep breath at the oxygen bar.

London (Heathrow)
Chanel, Gucci, Escada, Hermès
COMMENT: Try on Brit-style at local labels LK Bennett, Burberry and Pringle of Scotland.

Frankfurt International
Bulgari, Hermès, H. Stern,Mont Blanc, Rene Kern
COMMENT: Infamous: Beate Uhse sex shop. Insider tip: Burresi boutique with top trendy designer brands.

Hong Kong International
Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi
COMMENT: Most exotic for spoilt jet-setters; also features large boutique of local luxury label Shanghai Tang.

I’m behind on my Christmas shopping, and have a layover in San Francisco this week. So it looks like Coach, Body Shop, Sephora, and Esprit will see some action from me…