SavvySugar

It's Still Possible to Save on Airfare . . . After Booking

SavvySugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:00:40 -0700

You've done your homework on plane fares, but, when seeing the cost begin to climb, panic and purchase. Two hours later, the price is back down again even lower than before. I feel your pain, but don't slam your keyboard and give up. Do something about it.

That's right, you can actually save on airfare after booking. Both Expedia and Travelocity have 24-hour windows on their low-fare guarantees, and Orbitz's Price Assurance only applies if someone buys that fare at a lower price. But booking directly with the airline can allow even more changes after the fact.

While I wouldn't recommend torturing yourself with fare checks everyday from purchase to takeoff, it makes sense to monitor the price 24–48 hours after you book, just in case. To see a chart of fees and refund amounts by airline, read more.

Airline	Low-Fare Policy	Fee
Alaska	Refund fare difference, $100 discount code, same day as booking	$0
American	Refund fare difference, $50 promo code, same day as booking	$150
Continental	Refund fare difference, $100 travel certificate, same day as booking	$150
Delta	Refund fare difference, $100 travel voucher, same day as booking	$150
JetBlue	Refund fare difference into a JetBlue travel voucher	$100
Southwest	Refund fare difference into Southwest travel credit; no same day restriction	$0
United	Refund and $100 travel certificate same day as booking	$150
US Airways	Refund minus $150 change fee; no same day restriction	$150

I'm Asking: Would You Pay For Advanced Seat Assignments?

SavvySugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:00:22 -0700

Ahh, remember when you booked a plane ticket and that was the last time you took out your wallet? I sure do, but with all the standard à la carte charges now, there are only so many potential fees left - like picking out seats?

Earlier this month, British Airways announced a charge ($16 and up) to book seats in advance, up to 355 days whether you're riding in first or business classes . . . or back in economy. The alternative? Wait within 24 hours of the flight's departure to race other passengers to pick your seats for free. I've experienced the unknown of the unassigned seating process with Southwest but, for standard-fared tickets, should this even be a factor in the booking equation?

How Airlines Could Jam 50% More Passengers on Planes

SavvySugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:30:37 -0700

Most of you were pretty baffled when China's Spring Airlines announced it was considering selling standing-room seats on its planes, and the newest news in air travel might be just as jarring. British design company Design Q has come up with a concept it estimates would allow for a 50 percent increase in the number of passengers on board.

The design consists of rows of passengers sitting sideways and facing each other, instead of staring at the seat back in front of you. Howard Guy, director at Design Q, explains, "Having passengers face each other is not an ideal situation. But this will see increased revenue for the operator and more economical tickets for the passenger - so by keeping both happy, this concept makes an attractive alternative." Guy estimates the cost per seat will be reduced by 30 percent, which is nothing to cough at.

Because the planes would ultimately be uncomfortable (Guy even admits it) the seating arrangements would ideally be on planes used for trips under 80 minutes. Limiting the flights to shorter routes makes even more sense when you consider the design would exclude aisle space to accommodate food carts.

This way of traveling is nothing new for military personnel, but what do you think of using it for commercial planes?

Twitter Your Airline Complaints While Traveling

SavvySugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:30:26 -0700

There are plenty of savvy ways to use Twitter - and some not-so-savvy ways - but new uses for the social networking tool spring up every day. According to an article in The New York Times, Twitter is quickly becoming an effective way to get a company’s attention when you’ve had an unpleasant customer experience.

Since any complaint on Twitter can quickly go viral, sometimes a disgruntled tweet can get you more attention than a call to customer service - especially when you’re traveling and don’t have time to sit on hold. I’ve definitely noticed that companies jump at the mention of their business’s name in any tweet, negative or positive. My friend recently twittered about a huge sale at a nearby art supply store, and within seconds, the company was following him on Twitter and thanking him for the referral.

Have you noticed this trend? Would you consider publicly complaining on Twitter for a quicker resolution?

I’m Asking: Will You Travel This Year?

SavvySugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:30:05 -0700

The recession has put a huge dent in the demand for air travel, and consequently, airline ticket deals seem to be getting better every week. Still, experts predict airlines will suffer empty seats this Spring as travelers opt to stay home or take a staycation instead of expensive trips.

Will you be cashing in on your vacation days and joining the ranks of consumers who are still dishing out funds for travel, or do you plan to sit tight at home and rely on exotic foods to cure your wanderlust?

Source

Thinking of Taking a Trip? Some Airline Tickets Are on Sale

SavvySugar — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:00:51 -0700

While most airlines have supersized their ticket prices to cover rising fuel costs others have begun to reduce rates on certain routes in an attempt to bump up demand. The New York Times put together a sale list that highlights bargains that could spark a little wanderlust in any homebody. The best deals include:

American Airlines and its affiliate, American Eagle, have been offering some low fares to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Mexico and Bermuda. The deals, which are good for travel between Sept. 2 and Dec. 10, include round-trip tickets as low as $152 from Miami to Port of Spain or Trinidad and Tobago. The prices don't include taxes and the sale ends today.

For some additional deals, read more.

JetBlue just announced its annual fall sale, with one-way fares as low as $79 between Austin, Tex., and Fort Lauderdale; $109 between Boston and Chicago; and $169 between Long Beach, Calif., and Washington. Most of the sales, though, are out of Kennedy Airport in New York, including one-way fares from $149 to Denver; $155 to Cancún; $59 to Charlotte, N.C.; and $159 to Las Vegas.
Air France extended the book-by date of a late-Summer and early-Fall sale to Europe to Aug. 5. Round-trip fares include New York to Paris from $628, Philadelphia to Madrid from $706 and Boston to Prague from $720, including fuel surcharges, but not taxes and security fees.

All the greatest bargains are announced midweek and do come with restrictions, like blackout weekends around holidays. Check out the whole guide for more details.

Source

American Airlines Pulls Out of Some Price Comparison Sites

SavvySugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:04:22 -0700

American Airlines' Internet presence will be reduced when, on August 1, its fares disappear from a couple of the most popular travel comparison websites. According to Budget Travel, American's fares will no longer be included in search results on Kayak.com and Sidestep.com, but they'll continue to appear on Mobissimo (has anyone ever used that site?) and Farecast.

There's some speculation - backed by a comment from Kayak's CEO Steve Hafner on a related Techcrunch post - that American wanted the site to stray from its proconsumer philosophy by suppressing search results from competing sites. Comparison shopping is one of the most powerful tools we have as consumers, but it's more time-consuming to visit individual airline websites along with comprehensive sites that publish fares from multiple carriers. Will you remember to visit American's website when you're looking for flights?

Source

New Trend In Air Travel? Airport Kiosks Want Us to Be Thirsty

SavvySugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:30:52 -0700

With less Americans able to afford faraway Summer vacations and more people dismissing flying for other means of travel, it seems the airport economy is affected beyond the struggling airlines. While traveling over the weekend I was alerted to a subtle change in airport kiosk protocol - purchasing a magazine prompted cashiers to suggestively sell me something additional.

It’s been common practice to ask a customer, “Will that be all?” when she approaches to pay for her items. But I’ve never come across the situation when the cashier asks if I’d like a water or drinks with my magazines. This happened twice when buying reading material to keep me entertained during long flight delays. The specific, suggestive selling tells me that kiosk managers have instructed cashiers to try and sell more per customer to make up for reduced foot traffic. I'm curious to see if these questions asking me to think twice about my thirst continue.

Source

News Flash: Boarding Passes As Billboards

SavvySugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:07:30 -0700

Now that we can briskly check into flights online, airlines are capitalizing by selling ad space on our boarding passes. Several major airlines have signed onto the plan and hope proceeds will help counteract the cost of fuel.

The ads will feature destination-related information like weather, attractions, and restaurants, and passengers will be given the option of printing their boarding passes without the advertisements. In the future, ads may be geared toward individual customers.

Source

Brilliant or Baffling: Mini Motel

SavvySugar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:03:58 -0700

Generosity on behalf of airlines is no longer common practice, meaning less airlines are giving away hotel vouchers for canceled overnight flights. Stranded passengers can either book themselves a nearby room or post up in the airport for the night.

Frank Giotto was inspired to find a better sleep solution for unfortunate travelers spending restless nights in the airport. His portable Mini Motel ($50) is essentially a tent equipped with an air mattress, pillow, reading light, alarm clock, toothbrush and paste, ear plugs and eye shades, and it fits in your carry-on luggage.