A Story of Kindness for the Season

Here's a story about kindness, perfect for this time of year.

"Several years ago I was flying to Montreal for the day. I carried only my debit card, credit card and driver’s licence in a small card holder inside my briefcase. After a long and tiring day I returned to Pearson Airport and used my debit card to get some cash to buy dinner on the way home. I placed the cash in my pocket and walked out to the parking lot. When I reached in to get my keys I realized that my cards and money were gone. I had no ID, no money to get the car out of the lot and no way to get home.

I called my sister and got her credit card number and went about trying to find somewhere in the airport that would give me a cash advance on a credit card number, promising that my sister could be called to verify the charge. Suffice to say, no one was willing.

Several hours later, at a complete loss and in tears I walked into the Air Canada Customer Service office. The wonderful woman there looked at me, opened her wallet, asked how much I needed to get my car out of the lot. I insisted on getting her address to reimburse her and she reluctantly wrote it down.

The next day I put the $25 in an envelope and sent it back to her. I also wrote a letter to the CEO of Air Canada saying that no matter what I may have thought on any other trip, on that day, there was no better customer service in the world. The employee did not know me and had no guarantee she'd ever see her money again. But to her that didn't matter."
Karen Kelly, Toronto

A New Terminal in Sacramento Goes Green

While airport construction is not even closely keeping pace with demand for air travel, there is some progress being made out west. In Sacramento, the airport is undergoing an 'extreme makeover' adding 680,000 square feet of buildings, along with more parking, to keep up with SMF's four percent annual growth. And they're going green with the construction.

Designers aimed to incorporate not only ease of transition into the design, but also natural elements of the capital region -- even in the choice of building materials.

After the county purchased a redwood bridge linking Sacramento with San Joaquin County, officials wanted to use it in the terminal, Mares said. "We couldn't use it for the structure because it's not structurally sound, so we decided to use it in the ceiling beam infills," he said. "So we have this 100-year-old recycled redwood that's going to be the dominant feature in the ticketing area."

The floor will be made of concrete and recycled materials. The holding areas walls will feature ceramic tile, and the ticket counter will be granite with decorative metal. A shading device on the windows will adjust as the sun moves.

"We've developed a system of solar shades -- they're at an exact angle so the moving sun won't get through, but if you're a passenger, you can see right through," Mares said. "The ... glass blocks the intensity of the sun but allows vision."

How To Win the Airline Bumping Game

Kiplinger's reports on this post Thanksgiving morning on ways to win the bumping game when airline musical chairs means someone has to go. They quote Bob Jones, who writes for onetravel.com, and has this advice:

"Some travelers, says Jones, routinely offer their seats even before an overbooking announcement is made. They may win frequent-flier miles as a token of gratitude, he says, even if they don't get bumped. The Aviation Consumer Protection Division of the Department of Transportation recommends that you not trade in any ticket until you have a confirmed seat on a later flight and know whether vouchers you're offered have blackouts or reservations restrictions.

Lacking volunteers, agents usually target the last passengers to arrive at the gate. If that happens to you, you'll receive a written statement describing your rights (small comfort as you watch the plane depart) and promising you a seat on another flight. If you can be booked on a flight that will get you to your destination within one hour of your original arrival time, you're entitled to nothing except maybe an apology. But if you'll be one to two hours late, the airline owes you cash: the cost of the fare to your destination, up to $200. If you are delayed by more than two hours, the compensation doubles, to as much as $400.

You're out of luck if you haven't bought your ticket at least 30 minutes before the plane departs or met the deadline for checking in. Most airlines require that you get to the gate at least ten minutes before departure time; some insist on as much as an hour.

Even if you've done everything by the book, you still get bupkis if the airline decides to switch to a smaller plane and squeezes you off the flight, or if you're on a chartered flight or a plane that holds 60 or fewer passengers -- unless you're dealing with a particularly nice ticket agent."

Aren't You Glad You're Not Flying from London?

Americans should be thankful that they don't have the tight restrictions that travelers in Britain must face. It's more than an interview, it's an interrogation! They also limit carry-ons to just one per person...so you have to check even small bags, adding to the record number of lost bags at Heathrow.

The British government has announced plans to ask all airline passengers — those entering and leaving England — 53 questions as part of an "e-border" system to monitor and track who's in the country. "Anybody about whom the authorities are dubious can be turned away when they arrive at the airport or station with their baggage," reports the Daily Mail.

If You Pack It Right, You'll Get There Faster

The TSA is fighting an uphill battle, with an unprecedented 20 percent more travelers this holiday season than in years past. They are asking for neatness--and that's a sensible thing. USA Today has this story with some good advice for packing.

"If you eliminate clutter, it helps us get a cleaner look at the contents of a bag" on checkpoint X-ray machines, Howe says. The faster that screeners can figure out what's inside a bag, the quicker they can clear it.

Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, applauds the TSA's effort but says he's not "real optimistic" it will help expedite security lines. "The message is a pretty sophisticated one, and it's a lot for the average person who is traveling for the first time in months to remember," he says.

The TSA has sent airports and airlines posters and a 60-second video in which a female narrator advises: "Think layers. One layer of clothes. One layer of electronics." The video will be played on checkpoint screens that broadcast security announcements.

Airports also are going beyond trying to speed up lines and are preparing for stranded passengers, says Eileen Denne of the Airports Council International. Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport recently bought four new buses to retrieve travelers from any planes stuck on the tarmac, Denne says.

It's The Time We've Been Warning You About

Well, we warned you. We've been harping on how smart it is to reserve parking before the holidays and today's Washington Post confirms it.

In Washington's Dulles International and Reagan National airports, which expected a combined 1.5 million passengers between through the Monday after Thanksgiving, there was a surge of travelers, and enough parking.

But in Atlanta, Dave Hirschman, a spokesman for AirTran Airways, who picked up someone at the airport, found that both main and overflow parking lots were full. "I've never seen a parking situation like that before, and it's not even peak period."

The three busiest air-travel days are expected to be next Wednesday, and the Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving, when the number of daily passengers is expected to exceed 2.5 million, the Washington, D.C.-based Air Transport Association said

Overall, air travel is expected to be up 4 percent over last year. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is expecting a 6 percent increase over the holiday period, said spokesman Perry Cooper, with the number of passengers passing through expected to approach the average 100,000 per day that Sea-Tac saw this summer.

If You Build It, They Just Might Not Come

Attending a travel conference in Orlando Fl, I picked up the local Orlando Sentinel and read about people's amazement at hosting the giant new Airbus A380 at their local airport. It's as if the city of Orlando has gone out and bought a very expensive new dress for the prom--but they haven't got a date.

That's because it is very unlikely that this huge plane will ever land at Orlando again. Yet the airport has invested millions to accommodate its great bulk--widening taxiways, installing new ground lights, strengthening pavement and extending shoulders to fit the plane. The work has cost $14.5 million so far.

That's not the only cost incurred to fit a plane that isn't coming. Orlando Aviation Authorities began paying lobbyists in Washington and Tallahassee an extra $36,000 a year to help gain approval as an A380 destination.

But there isn't enough overseas traffic to convince any of the planes owners to put the Florida city on the list. Lufthansa, for example, ordered 15 A380s and should begin flying in 2009, to NY, LA but not Florida. British Airways flies to Orlando, but there are not enough flights to Orlando to need the big plane that they will begin flying in 2012.

How about cargo? That plane can fit a lot of packages, right? NOT! Fed-Ex was planning to use the A380 to OIA where they have a big sorting faciility. But after last summer's long delays, the company switched to Boeing 777s. So no matter how ready Orlando may be to recieve the world's largest passenger jet, it doesn't look like they'll ever get the chance.

TripTV Let's You See the View Out the Hotel Window

Are there times when you've booked a hotel room and remained unsure if it was the right choice? Have you ever been so surprised and outraged that you wanted to sue hotels.com or some other site that sent you to a terrible hotel room?

This happened to me last winter when en route to New Zealand we stopped in LA for an overnight. I had chosen a cheap hotel and as we drove down Melrose, further and further away from LAX, it dawned on me that I had no idea of what this hotel would be like. Cindy took one look at the room and said 'No Way!' So we got into a very expensive cab and drove to Marina del Rey to a very comfy and nice Sheraton.

I met a two men from Europe who are launching a new website that shows video of hotel rooms, hotel lobbies, and the view from hotel room windows. The site is called Trip TV, and it will provide thousands of views of the important parts of the hotel. The exterior, for instance, which is rarely shown in the hotel's own videos. They shoot these professional videos, cut down professionally so that there are quick views and no long pauses, and they offer the DVDs to the hotels for free. The company gets a cut of the hotel booking revenues...and so far they've gotten a great reaction from travelers.

So the next time you are thinking of booking a hotel, maybe you can see it first at www.triptv.com.

Now Is the Best Time to Get a Passport

A friend came up to me the other day and reminded me that I had promised to take him to Ghana. "Have you renewed your passport yet?" I asked, trying to think of some way of stalling this expensive and complicated obligation. "No, not yet," he replied.

Then I read in the New York Times Travel section that fall is a great time to apply for a passport. According to the State Department, the fall is the least busy time, and if you wait till January, it will take a lot longer. Part of the delay involves the 'Land and Sea phase of the Western Hemisphere,' which means required ID and proof of citizenship for travel to all parts of Mexico and the Caribbean, where before you could go without this.

The government, after a deluge of complaints, is actually pulling back a bit from the earlier edict: From January 31 on, you'll need a government issued document like a driver's license PLUS a copy of your birth certificate, to prove citizenship, at the border. Eventually, though, a passport will be needed, probably by next summer.

Ways to Kill Time at New York's Airports

New York Magazine features an interesting article on how to kill time while waiting for a flight. Alec Applebaum has these recommendations, from their Nov. 4 issue.

You can buy a day pass for $25 to get into Delta's Crown Room Club at JFK's terminal 3. There you can get free snacks, use their WiFi, and have a cocktail. You can also go over to JetBlue and use free WiFi, and soon, Delta's terminal will offer this too.

At the Oasis Day Spa at Jetblue's terminal, you can get a pedicure, a haircut, or massage. At Delta's newly renovated Terminal 2, there's a jungle gym and a slide in case you're traveling with kids.

At Newark, the article suggests again, buying your way into the Continental President's Club. For $45 you can have some good wines, snacks and comfy couches to recline on instead of plastic hard chairs. There is a pharmacy here too, located at Gate 91. It's open until 6:30 pm.

At LaGuardia, you can get a daypass for the United Red Carpet Club for $50. Here they offer a view of the security checkpoints so you can see how long the lines will be and time your exit accordingly. The author says that the best place to work is the Marine Air Terminal with a row of Macs and charging stations.

No Matter How High the Fee, They Still Want to Fly When they Want to Fly

The big story in travel continues to be the reduction in flights out of JFK, and how much this will affect travelers across the US. In yesterday's Wall St. Journal, Scott McCartney writes about how the efforts of the FAA to limit take-offs during peak periods will affect the average traveler.

The goal is to cut down on flight delays, and the target is to cut 20-25 flights per hour from airline schedules. "But six of the 10 most heavily traveled routes in the country touch New York, and the FAA says about one-third of the nation's air traffic passes through New York airspace. So there will be domino effect that will back up the rest of the airports.

"Airlines say congestion pricing, (advocated by Transportation Secretary Mary Peters) is just another tax on a financially ailing industry that's already heavily taxed. Another problem is that since so many people want flights at peak times, the government may not be able to levy fees high enough to really affect scheduling."

Flying "Congressional" Class at Washington's Airports

You may be aware that members of Congress get free health care, and that their pensions provide for them long after they've retired from active service. But did you know the other perks that our solons get, gratis--FREE AIRPORT PARKING!

Yes, that's right. WTOP 103.5 FM news reports on the perks of power, and one of them seriously sticks in our craw. There are private lots at both Ronald Reagan and Dulles international where only Senate and House members are entitled to park--for free!

These VIP lots are nestled between the hourly lots and the terminal at Reagan, there are only about 89 spaces for the privileged class. And if these spaces are full, they simply wave their Congressional ID to the cashier at the pay lots for free parking there.

The defense commonly offered is that these important members have to go home to visit constituents, and thus, need to get to their flights more easily.

Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute says members of Congress need special priviledges but only to a point. "The free parking grates on the average person who has to park miles away and pay a fortune for it. I will cut members of Congress some slack when you have an uncertain schedule and demands back home, but you can only go so far."

Three Tips for a Traveler to Europe at Christmas

I had a friend come into the cafe and tell me she was going to Paris with her family for Christmas. "Any tips for us?" she asked, and I thought about some good advice to share.

"Bring a power strip," I told her. "In Europe there is usually only one or two plugs in each room, and there are never enough plugs to charge up all of the devices that Americans like to carry with them. Digital cameras, cellphones, iPods, laptops, they all need power and you'll be very pleased to have six regular American plugs instead of trying to get them all into a converter and the DC plugs.

Also try to buy Euros ahead of your trip. Today's exchange rate of $1.44 is the worst in history. If there is a bank or a place where you can beat that rate, buy them ahead of time. I have so often waited and had to buy them at a Forex or other exchange place in an airport and had to pay a high rate....or worse, I wait and don't buy them and then the banks are all closed.

Which arrondisemont are you staying in? I asked. "The Marais," she said. "Check out the story on GoNOMAD about the Marais neighborhood, it's a wonderful part of Paris.

"Where are flying out of?" I asked. She said Boston. Then I gave her one last piece of advice. "Reserve your airport parking ahead of time, then you'll know exactly how much it will cost and even though it's the holidays, you guarantee yourself a parking spot.

No More Water Salutes for Retiring Pilots

Jim Tharpe writes in the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the passing of an aviation tradition. This is just one of the ways the airport is trying to limit its water use in the face of a stubborn drought in the south.

"In Georgia, the drought has not only curtailed water use in North Georgia — it's killed a tradition. Commercial airline pilots on their last flight into Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport no longer will be greeted by an end-of-career "water salute" courtesy of the City of Atlanta Fire Department.

For as long as anyone at the world's busiest airport can remember, two fire trucks would spray giant arcs of water over an aircraft to salute a retiring pilot as the veteran aviator taxied to the gate on a final career flight. The lingering drought, however, has put an end to that rite of passage in a region that aviation largely built.

"It's just one of the things we're doing to conserve water," said fire department spokesman Capt. Bill May. "The fire department had to look at what's essential, and what's not."

Each salute, or "wash-down," consumed about 500 gallons of water. They were used not only for retiring pilots, but occasionally to greet dignitaries or launch new aircraft. The last one took place a few months back to greet the world-champion Warner Robins Little League team on its return flight.

Retired Delta Air Lines pilot Ken Adams of Cartersville said the water salute was something many pilots cherished. Adams was saluted on his return trip aboard a McDonald Douglas MD-11 after a 13-hour flight from Tokyo in 2002 as he closed the book on his Delta career.

Some pilots, he said, would frame photos of the water salutes as a prized keepsake of their airline careers. "It's just another tradition that's gone away," Adams said. "It's understandable given the drought, but it's still a little sad.

It was a nice going away present."