Top 10 reasons not to use online booking agents

I am going to turn to this blog to express my utter outrage at online booking agents, Obritz, this is primarily geared at you. Although, I am not particularly fond of Expedia either. These are simply big, faceless entities who only care about booking airfare in mass quantities to make a profit. Their ridiculous regulations are formed to make the most money they possibly can, while at the same time providing the least amount of customer service possible. So to publicly announce recent Orbitz experience, and a particular evil manager named Jasper, I am going to tell you exactly why no one should ever use online travel agents:

1. They might not find it all that important to tell you a flight change has happened or that your flight has been cancelled. In what other business does this happen???? Could you imagine another company getting away with this nonsense? Well, they are not obligated to let their customers know if a flight has been canceled or changed.

2. You will NEVER get a refund. Ok...I guess I cannot say never, but almost never. They can screw up, admit they screwed up and still not refund you money.

3. Their 24 hour cancellation window is a complete joke. Basically, they have a window of 24 hours in which you can cancel your flight, 'free of charge'. What they do not tell you is it can take up to two months to get your money back! How is this even legal! They should have to pay for my credit card fees if they are going keep my money for multiple months.

4. Use Kayak.com. Period, they are the best. Find the best flights and then book directly with the carrier. Flights are often cheaper (no admin fees) that these sites charge.

5. If you have a problem, expect to be put on hold for a very long, long time. Customer Service is very important to me, if there is a problem all I need is someone to tell me it will be fixed. I hate the response, sorry there is nothing I can do it is our policy. Be prepared to hear this response to almost any question.

6. If you book a flight and it is comfirmed, be sure to watch you email. The word 'confirmed' is somewhat of an ambigous term for online travel sites. It can mean confirmed as Webster's defines it, or it can mean just kidding the flight is not actually valid. My advice, if you book a flight, be prepared to receive an email back saying, sorry the flight was not actually available.

7. Fees, fees and more fees. Be prepared to pay lots of fees, $5 service fee, $15 fedex fee, $15 for agent assistance, $150 change fee, etc.

8. No matter how much business you put through an online travel company, you are still no more important than the next person.

9. If you make a mistake, it will cost you. I think everyone has done it, accidentally booked the wrong flight time or day. Well, even if you call them within 2 minutes to try and correct the mistake.....too little, too late is your response. You will pay a $150 dollar change fee.

10. If there is ever a problem with an online booking, wether it was your fault or the companies, the process leaves you feeling, helpless, unimportant and very, very, very angry. Jasper....i sincerely hope you are reading this!

If you want to want a forum to complain, or just to read other's experiences here are few great websites for that: Orbitz-sucks.com or marketingshift.com Read more...

Airline safety video

Thank goodness we are now going to be 'safe' on airlines!

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I want to be 'cleared'

After standing in one ridiculously long airport line after another, it looks like someone had the entrepreneurial insight to make the process easier.....for a price. Clear, a credit-card sized card chalked full of all necessary personal information helps travelers quickly circumvent those annoying baggage check lines.

This is how it works. Apply to Clear, you must submit your personal information and agree to all the terms and conditions of the card. After your application has been reviewed then Clear, then you must attend a face to face meeting, where the company can verify your identity. After a $128 dollar yearly membership fee, you are ready to fly around the world hassle free,

Well almost. Obviously, anyone who has been behind the guy with 12 carry-ons, stinky feet and no idea what he is doing, really wants this card. But this service is only available in 20 U.S. Airports, and of that number some are only available in certain terminals.

In my opinion this service is not yet worth it for the majority of travelers, but chances are it might be soon. The service who has 175,000 members currently has made it the largest private sector registered-travel program to date. And in June, Delta airlines became the first major carrier to back the plan and the Air Transport Association (ATA) highly recommends a private sector business to enter the screening process, because " the money would be better spent improving security for everyone." Ouch TSA!!!

Personally, I love the idea of getting this card and easily getting through security. But not until the process is a bit more universal. I am so excited that finally private business are beginning to intercede in the mess of security screening that TSA cannot handle. Read more...

More Airline Cuts

I know there has been a flurry of airline related blogs recently, but I just could not help writing about this subject a bit more.

Honestly, at this point it has become funny. So US Air announced (well last week) that they are going to now charge for all non-alcoholic beverages. Aaaahhhhh, yes kids make sure you bring your money because nothing is free anymore! Now soda, fruit juice, coffee, and bottled water will all cost you $2 and the cost of alcoholic beverages will rise to $7. I would just like to briefly comment on the fact that a can of 'the most crap beer ever produced on the planet' (aka budweiser) will now cost you almost the equivalent to a 12 pack in stores.

Like I have said before the airlines are obviously struggling and need to do whatever then can to survive, but this just sucks. I am notorious for never having cash with me, I cannot imagine not even being allowed water on a 4 hour plane flight. This whole issue is just all the worse since we cannot even bring liquids on the plane anymore (a rule which I am sure the airlines are loving!)

I would like to pose the question as to what else airlines can charge us for? I laughed out loud at the suggestion of a yahoo blogger who thought pay- toilets could be in our future. Pretty soon those unprepared individuals are going to start hitting up their seat-mates for cash, "please man, I gotta go!" Read more...

Pack Less. Weigh Less. Pay Less?

Thank goodness when I saw this new 'advertisement' for Derrie Air, I was alerted at the beginning that it was a prank. I have a tendency to believe almost anything and most likely I would have been all excited until someone explained it to me.

Luckily, it looks like I am not the only gullible person out there. The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News ran ads about this new fenom airline that describes itself as the "world's only carbon-neutral luxury airline, where you don't have to choose between living the high life and saving the planet". Can you see why I got so excited??!!

This fictitious advertising campaign created by Philadelphia Media Holdings and was meant to prove to its clients the power of visual media while basically making people laugh. With advice such as, "The magic comes from our one of a kind "Sliding Scale"—the more you weigh, the more you'll pay." or "Nine out of ten scientists agree"

Truthfly, I was more interested to learn about Dick, the owner and mastermind behind Derrie-air (no pun intended). In his youth Dick lived off a diet rich in Mississippi fish and thus "This unusual diet flooded his brain with Omega-3 fatty acids, to which he credits his remarkable business acumen."

F-ing brillant. This is really marking at its best! Read more...

Packing 101

After re-reading all of the conversation sparked by my American Airlines post last week, I thought I'd write another entry to talk about a class that should be taught in every grade-school around the world: Packing 101. Recent moves by airlines, and my experience traveling, has taught me two things: One, the airlines will continue to try and find ways to nickel and dime travelers, and two, people don't know how to pack. I mean seriously folks, how many times have you been at the airport and seen the couple pushing 12 bags towards check-in? Or how many people do you know that get away for the weekend and can't seem to find a way to bring less than three bags? What do you people possibly need that requires so many bags?

I know this is tough for you excessive packers out there so you may need to sit down: It is possible to get away for two, three, or four days with just a carry-on. Okay people, deep breaths... get a paper bag if you need to... it can be done. Here are some helpful packing tips to avoid having to pay (certain) airlines, and/or chronic back pain later in your life:

1. Roll your clothes: Sounds a bit odd I know but your clothes are going to be wrinkled anyhow, why not save space? Plus, what hotel, condo, or home doesn't have an ironing board? This method is a great way to save a ton of space. Try it. You'll be surprised.

2. Limit yourself to two pairs of shoes: Unless you've got a black-tie event to be at, you should be able to get by with two pairs of shoes for a long weekend. I can't tell you how many people I've traveled with that bring three or four pairs of shoes along and then just wear one pair for three days. I know folks, you want options, and if you want to pay for an extra bag be my guest, otherwise this is an easy way to save the most space.

3. Use extra space: Make sure you take advantage of all those cool side pockets and containers. This space is great for underwear and socks once you're done packing. Also, make sure to use the space inside of your shoes for odds and ends, as well as the pockets on the outside of the bag.

4. Know your limits: The standard carry-on bag dimensions allowed by most airlines is 45", or a 22" x 14" x 9" bag. Make sure you've got a nice bag that uses every inch of it! Read more...

I'm Never Flying American Airlines Again....

As Jessica alluded to the other day, American Airlines (AA) is now going to start charging $15 to their passengers for checking a bag.... (Head shaking). I saw this last week and thought to myself, Well, I'll never travel with them again. That was until today when I decided to change my stance to be: Not only am I not going to travel with AA again, but I'm going to tell others not to, and make fun of them as much as possible. This all came about today as AA released the following idiotic statement of the year:

American Airlines says its new $15 fee for a first checked bag will affect fewer than one in four customers and won't lengthen lines at boarding gates..

I actually re-read the statement to see if there was a footnote that stated the PR rep. for AA was actually a small child, or an otherwise ignorant human being who had never been to an airport. Unfortunately there was not, and I was left to break this insane statement down for you. This just in: Not only will AA charge you $15 to check one piece of luggage, their incredibly intelligent analysts actually think only one in four people check luggage, and this move won't lengthen lines..... Have they actually ever been to an airport? Don't they realize that those desk clerks lengthen lines two-fold already when they don't have an extra procedure to perform? Between security and decreasing flights, lines are out of control as is. I'm pretty sure AA's next brilliant announcement will be that their "analysts" are positive that by adding this fee, people won't attempt to bring larger bags on the plane. Uh, right....

My other favorite component of this AA release is that their PR people must have been sitting around saying, "I know! Let's compare what it would cost to ship a piece of luggage as a way to justify the charge." Right.... I guess that would make sense if people didn't already know that you have plenty of room to take it on the plane at no extra cost to the airline. I think their PR folks are doing a great job over there. I hope they gave them a discount on the charge to at least $10 per bag..... Read more...

Off beat travel news

Has anyone been following the recent trend of super random travel news recently? I keep coming across these articles and I could not resist sharing them with you. Just a little fun to get your Memorial day weekend going.

1. Frontier Airlines will now charge more for passengers checking antlers. Yes antlers. Apparently during hunting season some people feel the need to bring animals antlers on a plane. Frankly, I think its unfair I can't bring on a bottle of water, when someone can basically bring on an newly dead animal carcass. Plus....eeeewwwwwww.

2. A Homeless man in Missouri is found sleeping on a plane after slipping past security guards. Well isn't that just f-ing great.

3. New Zealand pilots ran out of gas in a airplane, but were able to make an emergency landing in a open field. The plane came to abrupt stop directly next to a sign reading, "Jesus is Lord." I so wish I had a picture of this.

4. Two employees from Pinnacle Airlines in Pennsylvania are facing charges after taking a little 'jaunt' into the woods after dinner. The police Sergeant relayed the information by saying "They told the officer they wanted to go do it in the woods, essentially," (USA Today). The couple were discovered when individuals in the neighborhood summoned police, saying they had seen a naked man and an intoxicated woman. The police later found the man, hiding behind a shed and wearing flip-flops and a watch. Where do you begin with this one? Do you make fun of the Police Sergeant who said 'they wanted to do it'.....'do it'....is this Police Sergeant 6 years old? Or is it better to envision this guy horrified behind a shed in his birthday suit and flip flops? Ahhhh, this is just too good. Read more...

A Belizean Bus

I have this very vivid memory from when I was a kid. I was on a bus with my brother and parents in Belize and even at eight I remember thinking, oh good God. The bus was at least 20 year old and there was masking tape holding on one of the headlights and a big crack in the front windshield. Inside were mostly locals traveling with baskets, chickens, I think I even remember a goat. The bus was so packed full of people and their goods I had to sit on my dad's lap and I remember being too close to a man standing with his butt in my face. To top off this little adventure, during the trip a giant basket fell on my head from its insecure position above me.

The image of my family and I on this trip came rushing back to me today as I read this headline "American Airlines plans to charge its customers for all checked luggage". Now, I want to say that I don't blame the airlines for taking necessary steps to try and save themselves from bankruptcy. Yes, I miss my mid-flight meal and hate having to buy a $12 dollar sandwich, but I can at least understand. However, this new measure makes me more than skeptical. What do they think people are going to do? People are going to attempt to bring everything they can on the plane with them. Now, they might not let on a goat, but I bet planes are going to start looking more like that Belizean bus.

I don't know that I would stop flying American after this announcement, but it will certainly give me pause. I think what is hard for most of us to stomach is having all our amenities taken away from us that we have gotten accustom to. Personally, I would rather see a slight rate hike than be hit in the head with a piece of luggage falling from the overhead compartments. As someone who has had this happen, it is not pleasant. Read more...

Airline mania

First off, lets all take a second to ooohhhh and awwww at our blog site changes. Golf clap for Chris.

Now, on to today's real question. What is your favorite airline?

As I prepare for my October trip to Bhutan (I know, you can be jealous) I am trying to find flights to Thailand. You would think that someone that works in travel would be familiar with the plethora of Asian airlines out there, but I have to admit that I was pretty astounded to learn how many of them there are. China Eastern, China Southern, China Air, Thai Air, Malaysia Air......who knew? So this got be thinking, what are people's favorite airlines?

Personally, I love southwest for national trips. Yes, I often feel like cattle being herded into a pen, but I find the staff is always fun and make me laugh with their goofy anecdotes about plane security rules. Plus, I love their milage plan I am always getting free trips or drink coupons which make any flight sooooooooooo much better!

For international trips I am a big fan of British Airways. I was a fan of Lufstansia until a recent trip to Germany where a rep at the Munich airport made me so angry I honestly thought of hitting her in the face. Well not really, but I have now transfered that grudge to the whole of Lufstansia and refuse to ever fly them, which seems pretty rational to me.

So what are your airline thoughts? Read more...