November 2006

My colleague Eric Anderson has just e-mailed me from the airport in Phoenix to inform me that they have free WiFi.

Nice tip! Thanks, Eric.

Technorati Tags: WiFi, Phoenix

J.D. Power and Associates released their rankings today for the best independent travel websites when it comes to customer satisfaction. Hotwire.com was rated number one, with expedia and travelocity tied for second, and priceline.com coming in fourth.

Hotwire received the highest rating for competitive pricing, ease of booking, appearance, design, and ease of navigation. II’d barely heard of hotwire before today, but you can guess where I’ll be buying my plane tickets from now on.

• New machines will scan all luggage for explosives in less time.
• Joe Brancatelli’s ode to the opportunities of business travel.
• The trusted traveler program (which I oppose) is within weeks of beginning.
• An interview with Chris Soghoian, who worked to expose serious flaws in airport security.

There are always at least two sides to every story. The most recently story of flying while Muslim has taken another twist. Today, the Washington Times ran a story about how the men appeared to be intentionally raising suspicions by mimicking a wide variety of suspicious behaviors.

One hypothesis is that the men were looking for a reason to sue US Airways. Another is that their actions were a misguided attempt to draw attention to a real issue that angered them greatly. It’s also possible that they were truly discriminated against, although the mounting evidence that the US Airways officials had legitimate reasons to act as they did makes this increasingly unlikely.

Technorati Tags: flying while muslim

With the wealth of digital tools at our disposal, it was only a matter of time until someone invented this practical service: parking spot finder. All the hip Parisians are using it to park.

It’s a nice thing to keep in mind if you’re taking a business trip to Paris. Although, why rent a car at all? The Metro will take you just about anywhere you need to go and make you feel oh-so European to boot.

I hope this service migrates Stateside in a hurry. It’s desperately needed in more car-oriented cities like Los Angeles and (gulp) Seattle.

Technorati Tags: parking space finder, Paris, traffic, parking

As I wrote yesterday, a group of six Muslim clerics were kicked off an airplane after they did their evening prayers in the terminal and were overheard by a nervous passenger talking angrily about the United States’ Iraq policy.

Apparently, there was also some other suspicious behavior on the part of the men that was not previously reported. According to USA Today, three of the men had one-way tickets and no checked luggage. They also asked the flight attendant for seat belt extensions, even though they clearly didn’t need them.

Obviously, there are a lot of opinions on racial profiling at airports. I’m not going to get into it because it’s a complex issue, and I’m pretty ambivalent about where I stand on it at this juncture.

But one thing is pretty clear, if these guys had been terrorists. They wouldn’t have been making any overt displays of their faith. They wouldn’t have been clustered together at the gate or openly discussing their anger at US policy in Iraq. They would have been doing their best to blend in. They probably wouldn’t have been talking to one another at all.

Technorati Tags: Flying While Muslim, racial profiling, airport security

Cliché as it may be, I would lose my head if it weren’t attached to my shoulders. Whenever I go on a business trip, it’s almost inevitable that I’ll lose something important in my hotel room just minutes before checkout. The same is true for me at home, which is why I’m excited about the loc8tor and other similar technologies.

These fun little gadgets keep track of many little radio tags, which you can attach to all your important effects. That way, if your cell phone is stuck between the end table and the bed, you’ll know it.

Technorati Tags: loc8tor, losing stuff

Six Muslim clerics on their way back from a Minneapolis conference were detained on Monday after a startled passenger heard the men reciting their traditional daily prayer toward Mecca and alerted the flight attendant that he thought the men were suspicious.

US Airways has not made accommodations for the Imams, nor has it arranged for them to travel back to their hometowns of Phoenix, AZ and Bakersfield, CA.

Research has shown that racial bias and stereotyping are–to some degree–a part of human nature. After 9/11, it’s to be expected that some people would be wary of folks who bear any kind of physical, linguistic or customary resemblance to Islamist terrorists they’ve seen on the news. But if we continue to eject people from airplanes for simply praying in a foreign tongue, or for bearing a physical resemblance to Mohammed Atta, then the terrorists have won.

A free society is a society based on trust. When we get on an airplane for a business trip, we’re trusting that our fellow passengers will not try to kill us or use our airplane as a battering ram against a building. As travelers, we must continue to err on the side of that trust unless we see some tangible evidence that indicates the likelihood of an attack. Flight attendants should also have the good sense to distinguish between standard prayer rituals like the one these men were practicing, and terrorist behavior. Finally, airlines should have the common decency to admit when they’ve made a terrible mistake, and make arrangements for unjustly detained passengers to at least get home safe and sound.

Technorati Tags: Traveling While Muslim, Imams, Daily Prayer, Mecca

Currently, when I need to buy some plane tickets, I go to Expedia.com or Travelocity.com, and run several searches. This usually takes about a half an hour and usually finds a decent fare. Then my dad calls me the next day to tell me he found a lower fare, because he checks regularly for updated ticket prices, and most travel sites wait four or five hours before updating new fares. And my when I say my dad checks regularly for update ticket prices, I mean once every four or five hours, every day.

Now, I don’t know about you, but what I had in mind when I first started buying tickets online is that I would type in a destination and date, and I would be continually emailed with the latest fares from all major airlines to and from that place. No hassle, just sit back and let the magical internet do all the work.

Fortunately, FareCompare.com now does all the stuff I described above, receiving information about updated fares immediately, guaranteeing you the lowest fare and sending it to your Inbox. All you have to do is give a destination, date, and email address, and lean back. Finally.

A German man has lost his suit against British Airways after he was removed from an airplane due to his offensive body odor.

It’s happened once or twice that I’ve had a truly pungent seat mates. Thank goodness both flights were short hauls. I did complain to the flight attendant before takeoff, but she said there was nothing she could do. I wonder if this British Airways decision will make ejecting smelly people from airplanes stateside easier in the future.

Technorati Tags: british airways, smelly passenger

US Airways recently offered Delta eight billion dollars for controlling ownership of the major airline. While it is considered unlikely that the buyout will go through, it is a major concern for hubs and carriers in markets where US Airways and Delta are highly competitive.

A buyout/merger would probably mean Delta and US Airways slashing all operations which are currently in competition, and signifcantly raising rates in those areas.

Signonsandiego.com in their article ViaSat sticks with goal of onboard Internet service reports that ViaSat will be providing Internet service for private jets, and predict the airline market will “rebound” as a potential source of business.

Last month, ViaSat said it will supply equipment for a satellite-driven broadband-in-the-cabin service offered in partnership with Arinc, a Maryland company that specializes in aviation communications. The systems will be installed on large Gulfstream jets. The company also has a deal to provide the systems to Dassault for its Falcon 7X long haul jet beginning in 2007.

The equipment runs from $275,000 to $350,000, installation is about $100,000. The monthly fee is $4,500 for about 20 hours of use.

Apple announced today that it has closed deals with six airlines, including Continental, Delta and United to integrate iPods into their in-flight entertainment systems.

Under the new deal, users will be able to charge their iPods while listening and to view video stored on their devices on the airliner’s built in video screens.

Also making waves today is Microsoft’s new Zune video/music player. The blogosphere is all aquiver over it, but the world at large seems unimpressed thus far. There were two cute girls behind me in line at the coffee shop today reading the front page of the business section and going, “Zune? What the heck is a Zune?” When I turned around and told them, they both swore loyalty to their iPods.

That will probably serve them well if they’re traveling on business (or for pleasure) early next year.

The AARP would not be happy to read about a recent report by the UK newspaper, The Independent, which found that fully one-third of travel agencies did not offer travel insurance to people over 65, over half did not provide for those over 75, and nearly all charged signifcantly higher rates.

My advice is that those who are up there in years, or who have family members in their sixties or higher, might want to consider shopping around a little more and possibly switching carriers after hitting the big six five.

The Economist reports that researchers at University of Virginia have tested how distorting circadian rhythms in mice can affect their health.

Each group contained nine young male mice and about 30 old male mice. The first group was placed on a normal daily cycle of 12 hours of light followed by 12 hours of darkness. The second had its 12 hours of light delayed by six hours once a week, replicating the jetlag experienced after travelling west. The third group had its 12 hours of light advanced by six hours once a week, mimicking eastbound travel. The experiment lasted for eight weeks.

As might be expected, the young mice in each of the three groups fared relatively well; just one died. Of the elderly rodents whose days and nights were unchanged, 17% died. But the number of deaths in the two groups whose day-and-night cycles had been tampered with was far higher. Among the “westbound” group—those whose light cycle was repeatedly delayed—32% died. The death rate in the “eastbound” group, whose light cycle was brought forward, was 53%. The results are published in this week’s issue of Current Biology.

Bottom line is that the elderly mice should consider flying westbound only…

In the article Lean Cuisine: European Airlines Cut Perks, the Wall Street Journal describes how European airlines are adopting many of the infuriating cost-cutting moves that American carriers have imposed on customers.

Last month, Scandinavian Airlines System started giving passengers in intercontinental economy just one free alcoholic drink, compared with the previous policy of unlimited booze. SAS began charging for food and drink in its intra-Europe economy class last year. Earlier this year, British Airways PLC stopped serving full meals on flights that occur during midmorning or midafternoon. (There are snacks and drinks instead.) Austrian Airlines AG began charging last year for meals on economy flights under 2½ hours (coffee, tea, water and a chocolate remain complimentary). Iberia SA, Spain’s airline, has taken free meals out of the economy cabin on all short- and medium-haul flights. Aer Lingus Group PLC of Ireland now charges for food and drink on flights within Europe — water, for instance, costs about $1.90. On the airline’s trans-Atlantic flights, all alcoholic beverages now cost money.

Airlines are increasingly charging for other services, too. Taking a page from Ryanair, SAS this year started charging for large baggage checked by passengers flying within Sweden; skis are 100 Swedish krona, or about $14, for example. British Airways this year raised its surcharge for travelers within the U.K. who pay with credit cards (it’s now £3, up from £2). Aer Lingus charges for newspapers on flights around Europe.

The major news today was a US judge OKing a $336 million dollar settlement in a class-action lawsuit against Visa and MasterCard for conspiring to overcharge customers on foreign transactions. Bank of America, Citigroup Inc., Holdings Plc, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Washington Mutual Inc., and several of their affiliates were also implicated.

While this is very good news for overseas travelers, it also serves as a warning and reminder to be very careful when traveling to other countries, and pay close attention to costs, fines, and fees.

Oh, and also, the Democrats took the House and probably the Senate.

US Airways announced today that it will be voiding frequent flier miles for members of its Dividend Miles frequent-flier program if they do not fly on US Airways for eighteen months. The plan will go into effect January 31 and could represent a negative trend in the airline business of cutting down frequent flier programs. My advice to you: use up frequent flier miles as soon as you can. My father could have lost thousands of dollars in free flights in Delta had they gone bankrupt a few months ago.

On another note, today is election day. So I thought it would be a good idea to offer some links on how to find information about the candidates and how to avoid trouble at the polls. Have a nice day at the ballot box, and let’s all pray for a good, clean, honest, uncontested, election.

MobiBlog has the latest about Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, a new low cost long haul airline featuring flights from Hong Kong to London for $268.

With airlines so overcrowded that our sardine index has become irrelevant, it’s no wonder that travelers care more about packing light than ever before. After all, who wants to get stuck with an overstuffed bag at her feet because her fellow travelers have already used up all the overhead bin space?

According to this size comparison by Gizmodo, the new Microsoft Zune is 6.12 cubic inches to the 30 gig iPod’s 4.23 cubic inches. But does a difference that small make any difference at all? Would you care?