More Happy Airline News

Well, not really...as if the airlines making changes will surprise you. Continental has decided to end the free meal deal on their domestic flights and will begin charging for meals. Joining the ranks of the other mega carriers, Continental will save $35 million per year by eliminating this last free perk. The airline will continue to offer free beverages (coffee, tea, soft drinks, etc) and snacks, but any meals will cost the passenger.

American Airlines was fined this week over $700,000 by the FAA due to maintenance violations. Hmm, can't they find something else to skimp on than maintenance issues? Really, I'm thinking food poisoning might be better than an engine which quits working at 35,000 feet.

And in other airline news, the major airline execs are still heavily protesting the pending new tarmac delay rule which will allow aircraft to return to the gate to let passengers disembark rather than sitting on the tarmac for hours upon end. Airline officials are worried that fines could be as high as $27,000 per passengers. Which in my opinion is totally worth it if you are going to leave me overnight on a 50 seat jet without food or restroom facilities as what happened to a flight last year.

Loving Southwest

Before you ask, yes I am touting my new found love interest: Southwest Airlines. I had the pleasure of flying Southwest from Denver to Vegas roundtrip this week for an industry grand opening event at City Center. My entire experience was terrific from curbside checkin to the gate agents, flight attendents and the pilot's continual updates on the Chargers playoff game, I couldn't have asked for more. Not to mention, its free to check your bags and there is no change fee. Granted I do still hate the cattle call lineup prior to boarding as well as the panic attack that strikes because I forgot to check in 24 hours prior to departure...please don't let me be in group C. But honestly, all can be forgiven after yesterday. The standard Southwest plane holds 133 passengers. Yesterday we had 148 passengers trying to get on the flight from Vegas to Denver. I'm guessing everyone did as bad at the tables as I did and were all trying to make a fast dash away from Sin City. But the gate agent handled it with calm and ease, offering a free roundtrip ticket, a $100 voucher and the reimbursement of your oneway ticket to Denver. And he even the mad dash to his counter didn't rattle him.

Airlines, Airlines, Airlines

Well, I was going to start off with my usual bemoaning of the airlines because we are only 13 days into the New Year and they have already announced increased fees. However, we also got some exciting news to report as well!

Southwest and United Airlines are offering a two for one sale for Colorado Customers. The United deal is this: 1) Tickets must be purchased by Feb 15th for travel by March 5th, 2) Travel must originate and end in Colorado and 3) It must be booked in a certain class of service meaning it may not be the cheapest flight out there. For Southwest you must purchase a Business Select fare in order for the two-fer promotion to be used.

In other good news, JetBlue has been offering a fantastic New Year promotion with $29one way fares. If you want to go somewhere, hurry up because you must book by 11:59pm tonight.

Ok,so now for the not so good news...both Continental and Delta have announced increased baggage fees. If you check in online 24 hours prior to your flight on their websites you can pay for your checked baggage in advance and it will be a discounted fee. And while Frontier did lower their change fee, it was conveniently offset by an increased baggage fee.

Peter Greenberg & A Week in the Life

CNBC's special that took Peter Greenberg deep into "A Week in the Life" of American Airlines was airing today and it was very insightful. After being in the travel industry for over 15 years, I thought I had a good handle on one of the most important aspects of our business: the airlines. As I said in an earlier Southwest post "my job would often be easier if I didn't have to deal with the airlines," but this show gave me a slightly better perspective on the airlines and I have to say, I think we as travel agents have the better end of this deal.

Greenberg and his cameras were allowed exclusive access to everything that embodies an airline: the cockpit, the revenue management, the call center, the management center, pilots, maintenance crew, plane inspections, control tower. You name it, they were there. And kudos to Greenberg who even attempted to decipher the often bizarre world of fares and pricing. If you have time and are a travel industry buff like myself, then try to find when it is airing again in your location. In the meantime check out the website: http://www.cnbc.com/id/18576787

Delta to offer Wi-Fi Services

Delta Airlines recently announced that it would be offering paid Wi-Fi services on several of its East Coast flights. Fliers can expect to be online roughly 40 minutes and the service is being tested primarily on the New York flights to Boston and Washington, D.C. Other airlines should be making similar announcements in the coming weeks.