http://www.inflighthq.com Tools, tips, & techniques for being productive at 30,000 feet Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:16:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Welcome to "premium economy." As business-class seats have consistently moved towards the luxury originally set aside for first class seats, European airlines have started phasing in a new level of ticket, often called premium economy. The idea is to appeal to business travelers "on a budget" and people who are taking ... http://www.inflighthq.com/archives/2008/07/class-creep-on-airplanes-means-a-new-kind-of-ticket-for-business-travelers.htm The Wall Street Journal decided to test out some of the luggage services that have been gaining traction recently. What luggage services? (you ask) According to the Journal there are companies that offer to pick your bags up at your door and deliver them to your destination---the door, again---so that you ... http://www.inflighthq.com/archives/2008/06/ship-your-luggage-you-might-as-well-go-by-private-jet.htm One of the biggest hassles when traveling on business can be getting the Visas lined up for multiple country trips. It costs money, it takes weeks, and you usually end up having to give up your passport while everything gets approved. For a business traveler going anywhere other than Japan, ... http://www.inflighthq.com/archives/2008/06/tired-of-arranging-business-visas-throw-money-at-it.htm It seems like just about every week there's a new reason to avoid flying, and other industries are sniffing around for ways to take a chunk out of the market. This week it's the trains in Europe. Business Traveller reported recently that the York train station now boasts free Wi-Fi ... http://www.inflighthq.com/archives/2008/06/trains-tempt-business-passengers-with-free-wi-fi.htm The New York Times just reported (like an hour ago - call me lightning fingers!) that tomorrow United Airlines will start charging passengers flying on their cheapest tickets for the first checked bag: United Airlines said Thursday that it would begin charging many passengers on Friday to check their first bag, ... http://www.inflighthq.com/archives/2008/06/united-airlines-follows-americans-lead-charges-for-first-check-bag.htm Apple's announcement of the upcoming 3G iPhone (to be on sale July 11th) has me wondering: will Apple be able to take a bite out of the business market. The new iPhone firmware is clearly aimed at co-opting a big chunk of the BlackBerry user base, with full ActiveSync and ... http://www.inflighthq.com/archives/2008/06/how-does-the-3g-iphone-fit-your-business-travel.htm It's no secret that the experience of flying is, with the exception of the ultra-luxurious, getting more and more frustrating. But when travelers have a bad trip, it's not just the airlines that suffer. Many Hotels and travel services like Travelocity are starting to pick up the slack in the ... http://www.inflighthq.com/archives/2008/06/dont-pack-the-yoga-mat-hotels-and-travel-services-are-picking-up-the-slack-in-travel.htm Savvy business travelers should expect ticket prices to start jumping upwards soon as airlines start to conclude that charging $15 for checked luggage and selling in-flight snacks is not going to make up for the losses incurred from high oil costs and inadequate flight traffic systems. I actually didn't know, ... http://www.inflighthq.com/archives/2008/05/air-traffic-delays-cost-airlines-19-billion-in-2007.htm Like many people, I do several stupid, inconvenient things "on principle." Things like always checking my luggage because after all, if airlines wanted you to carry all your luggage with you in the cabin they wouldn't offer to check your bags. And beyond that, it takes time to shove overstuffed ... http://www.inflighthq.com/archives/2008/05/american-airlines-starts-charing-15-for-one-checked-bag.htm I'm attending the excellent Future in Review conference this week in sunny San Diego. This year's theme focuses on climate crisis, and at least two companies are present that offer carbon offsets that travelers can take advantage of. TerraPass has calculators for various flying scenarios and offers products to balance ... http://www.inflighthq.com/archives/2008/05/flying-carbon-neutral-ecoverdance-and-terrapass.htm