Delta Introduces Mobile Baggage Tracking

Let's face it - no matter what the circumstances, losing your bag sucks. Worry about the possibility of losing your bag also isn't fun, especially if you off on a long trip. Fortunately, Delta has recently made some exciting changes it its mobile application to help put travelers' minds at ease.

Delta scans tags on baggage periodically through its journey, and having this information makes it easier for the airline to find a misplaced bag. But that same technology can be used to provide peace of mind, as Delta travelers can now use Delta's mobile application to track their bag's journey. In addition, flyers can use the application to determine the baggage carousel where their bags can be picked up.

You can find out more about Delta's new mobile baggage tracking here.

Meanwhile, the airline posted a video on YouTube to show how it all works, and its pretty easy:

And, if you're interested on how your bag gets from Point A to Point B, Delta last week uploaded a fascinating behind-the-scenes video filmed from a checked bag:

United Announces Some Product Upgrades

United announced some interesting product upgrades this week...and I think it's worth mentioning some of the highlights. Some of what United was promoting in its press release has been known for awhile (like United's popular Economy Plus option coming to Continental), but here were some more recent pieces of news (inclduing some that were already known):

• The Q400s flying for Continental/United seat are similar in size to the large regional jets in the United Express fleet, they don't have first class or Economy Plus. That will be changing.
• The 14 domestic 767-300s flying for United will be upgraded, and receive flat-beds.
• United is well-known for its Channel 9 offering, which allows passengers to listen to air traffic control from their seat (it's the captain's choice to turn it on or off). This feature will begin making its way to the Continental fleet. Many fellow airline geeks (myself included) were concerned about this. Seriously.
• The airlines p.s. service from JFK to LAX and SFO is getting an overhaul. First class is going away, but expect refurbished cabins featuring on-demand entertainment.
• United's A319 and A320 aircraft will receive an interior update, and, more important, will be equipped with larger overhead bins.

Overall, these are some nice changes, and I look forward to seeing United implementing them.

Say Hello to American’s Shiny New IFE

American Airlines is the first airline to unveil a new offering in the inflight entertainment (IFE) space - streaming video. The service, Gogo Vision, uses a server onboard the aircraft to stream television shows and movies to portable devices through a Wi-Fi network.

The concept, of course, sounds very exciting, but unfortunately you'll have to pay up. TV shows start at $0.99, while moves will set you back at least $3.99.

So far, the new service is only available on American's 767-200s, which primarily fly from JFK to Los Angeles and San Francisco. The carrier has said, however, that the service will be rolled out to all of its mainline aircraft equipped with Gogo's inflihgt Wi-Fi service.

Here's a video explaining the new service:

I Now Love Mobile Boarding Passes

Over the past couple of weeks, I've had a couple of opportunities to give mobile boarding passes a try - and I love them! The concept has been around for a couple of years now, but I'm a relatively new smartphone user and the airline I often fly the most (Southwest) does not yet have this technology available for passengers.

The concept is simple - your phone becomes your boarding pass, so you scan it at the security checkpoint and also at your boarding gate. I love this technology, if only because today's boarding passes are well...terrible.

Many boarding passes printed at the airport (especially at kiosks) are now longer on nice, heavy cardstock, and (relatively) flimsy paper now seems to be the norm. I find these passes to easily crumple up in a pocket*. Carrying around an online pass printed on 8.5"x11" paper isn't exactly the most convenient option, either. I am, however, already carrying around my phone.

That isn't to say that mobile boarding passes are totally perfect, either. The biggest issue I've found thus far is that mobile boarding isn't available in a great deal of cities. Only a few non-hub/focus city destinations in the US Airways network have the technology, for example. And, of course, you to make sure your phone is charged!

Here are the US airlines that I could find with mobile boarding pass technology. Each airline's name is linked to an webpage (maintained by the airline) with more information, such as what cities have them as an option:

• Alaska
• American
• Continental
• Delta
• United
• US Airways

Oftentimes you'll be informed if mobile check-in is available at an airport where you're traveling during online check-in, so check it out!

*The one exception I've found to this rule is Virgin America's kiosk boarding passes. They're printed on cardstock, and also smaller than most boarding passes, fitting perfectly in a pants pocket.

A Quick Look at Spirit’s Latest Fees

I think it's fair to say that most people out there aren't exactly big fans of airline fees. Unfortunately, Spirit Airlines is piling on with a new check-in/boarding pass fee.

Of course, this should shock no one. Spirit is the same airline that now charges for carry-on luggage. Ancillary revenue is kind of their thing. Fortunately, this fee is avoidable!

If you wish to check-in at the airport and have your boarding pass printed by an agent, that will cost you $5. (This applies to tickets booked on or after June 23 for travel on or after November 1.) Boarding passes at kiosks and online will still be free. But, on June 26, 2012, boarding passes at kiosks will cost you $1.

The $5 fee, however, is "waived in cities where Spirit does not have airport check-in kiosks or if a customer is not able to use the automated kiosk to print their boarding pass."

Is this new fee annoying? Yes. But Spirit's business model revolves around ancillary revenue, and this new fee is just another part of that. So, if you're planning to fly Spirit just make sure you're aware of their fee structure so you're not shocked at the airport!

Airports Like Fees, Too

While airline fees have gotten plenty of press over the past three or so years, there are fees that airports charge as well. Unlike many airline fees (i.e. Wi-Fi), however, airport fees often aren't optional.

Like any other business, an airport needs to generate revenues to cover its operating expenses. First, there are the landing fees charged to the airlines, which for all intents and purposes are paid for with your fare. Second, airports can impose a passenger facility charge (PFC), which is added on to a passenger's base fare and goes back to the airport. This fee is currently capped at $4.50, though some airports are hoping that this cap is increased.

Of course, the airlines don't really like that idea. Even though PFCs aren't part of the fare, passengers only really care about the total amount they're paying, and now how much of it is going to the government. We'll have to see how it plays out.

The other major sources of airport revenue? Things like retail, food, and parking. Here, passengers actually have some choice. And for that third revenue...considering this is the blog for About Airport Parking, after all...I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this website can help. It's easy (and free!) to find the prices of parking at many major airports here, so it's at least worth comparing the prices of off-airport lots found here to what the airports offer in terms of parking, and see how much you can save!

Pick of the Week – Hipmunk

It's been awhile since I recommended a travel tool/app, but I'm back with the website hipmunk. The relatively-new website offers some interesting features when selecting an itinerary. Having an adorable chipmunk on the homepage doesn't hurt, either.

The homepage is simple, yet elegant. Text forms that are larger than other travel websites make entering information easy. The calendar tool is easy to use, and color coding makes viewing your travel easier.

Where hipmunk really shines, however, is its display of the itineraries that it finds. It's easy to see the amount of time each itinerary will take, and layover are prominently displayed. (More information is shown when you click on an itinerary). Flights can be sorted a few different ways. Hipmunk's default sort setting is "agony," which it describes as a combination of "price, duration, and number of stops," but you can also sort by price, stops, departure time, arrival time, and duration.

Is hipmunk my new booking engine of choice? Honestly, I'm not sure yet. But it's definitely worth checking out.

Continental Dumps Free Snacks in Economy

Last week, news broke out that free snacks will no longer be served in economy on Continental Airlines flights. First of all, this isn't really shocking. Continental is busy merging with United, who doesn't offer any free refreshments to economy passengers other than soft drinks. Note that this only applies to flights that do not have Continental's BusinessFirst cabin, so long-haul international flights will still offer free food.

So here's my question. Is this really all that big a deal? Yes, it's sad to see something that's free go away but we're only talking about a snack here, and it's not like Continental promoted its snacks like JetBlue does. (If Continental was still serving free meals in coach that would be a different story.)

What do you think?

Some Interesting SkyMiles Changes from Delta

There have been a bunch of interesting changes to Delta's SkyMiles loyalty program over the past couple of weeks, so let's take a look.

First off, the airline announced that SkyMiles would no longer expire. Honestly, this probably isn't a huge perk for even semi-frequent travelers who flew often enough to keep their accounts active, or those who earned miles in another way like through a Delta credit card. Nevertheless, it's still a nice benefit, especially for those who don't fly Delta that often.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta-based carrier better aligned the benefits of Gold Medallion status with other airlines. Benefits include lounge access when traveling internationally and priority baggage. Certainly a nice change!

Finally, Delta has finally unveiled an award chart! Yes, unlike many other airlines there wasn't one in the past. I'm not exactly a mileage expert, but fortunately Gary Leff of the View from the Wing blog is, and he shares a few thoughts.

Economy Plus is Here to Stay!

Elite members of United's Mileage Plus loyalty program breathed a large collective sigh of relief last week when United announced that Economy Plus is here to stay.

For those not familiar with the product, Economy Plus is basically a regular economy class cabin, except with a few extra inches of legroom. The product is currently available on all United mainline aircraft, along with larger United Express aircraft. United elites can access the seats for free, and the offering is also available to regular passengers for an additional fee that varies by flight distance.

The future of Economy Plus became uncertain when United and Continental announced their merger this past May, as Continental does not have a similar offering.

But, apparently, the management team of the new combined airline analyzed Economy Plus and concluded that it was worth keeping. Continental aircraft will begin receiving Economy Plus seating next year. The airline has yet to release any details about the seating configuration on Continental aircraft.