Some People Really Don’t Like Fees

As one who's constantly following travel news, it's easy to see that a great deal of the coverage on airline fees leans to the negative side of things. Many travelers might complain about the fee...but 99.9% of the time, it's kept pretty civil.

One recent Ryanair flight, however, was a very notable exception. A group of 100 students flying from Lanzrote (in the Canary Islands) to Burssels staged a mutiny/revolt/insert synonym for uprising here after some passengers were told that they would have to pay to check their carry-on luggage. (Ryanair charges for carry-ons that are overweight or larger than the airline permits.)

The situation got so bad  that local police had to get involved, and they required that everyone deplane. The group of students got rowdy again, and were not allowed to fly on the flight. Some of the group were allowed to fly on later flights, but some will not be allowed to fly, the airline said in a statement.

So, in the end, 100 students couldn't fly home...and 66 other passengers were delayed for three hours.

I realize that airline fees might not be pleasant, but there's a limit!

[found via Consumerist]

American/DFW Prepare for the Post-Game Rush

So, if you were under a rock for the past few hours, a certain large football game just finished up. Now, it's time for everyone to head home, and that means travel is going to be very hectic. In fact, tomorrow could be the busiest day in the history of Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport. Fortunately, the airport and its largest tenant carrier, American Airlines, have made some changes to make the travel experience a bit simpler.

Fortunately, American says that its Terminals B and D will be open all night, while Terminals A and C will be opening at 3 AM. American recommends that travelers do as much at home as possible (like printing out boarding passes) to make the experience easier for everyone.

Good luck to everyone flying home!

Free Facebook on Gogo-Enabled Flights

According to Gogo, the largest provider of inflight Wi-Fi in the domestic market, Facebook is the most-visited site on its network. Fortunately, access to the website is free for the month thanks to a sponsorship deal with Ford.

I have to think this looks great from a Gogo perspective. For one, they get some guaranteed advertising revenue from Ford. But I wouldn't be surprised if this boosts sales a bit. When I'm on Facebook, I'm usually taking a look at links that are being shared with friends, and I wouldn't be able to do that onboard unless I pony up the fee.

Hopefully this works better than Google's free holiday Wi-Fi. I loved taking advantage of that promotion, but from what I've heard anecdotally some people had trouble with the service on very crowded flights.

Nevertheless, enjoy Facebook stalking for free. You can find Gogo service on all flights onboard AirTran and Virgin America. It can also be found on certain Air Canada, Alaska, American, Delta, United, and US Airways flights.

In Case You Weren’t Aware…

...yet another version of the "snowpocalypse" is coming. Very potent winter weather will be affecting a large swath of the country, and some very important hubs, like Dallas-Ft. Worth and Chicago O'Hare (and Midway) will be affected. And that same storm will eventually make its way to the East Coast, affecting Washington, New York, and Boston. It's gonna be rough.

Basically, many, many people will have trouble getting around. One report from earlier in the day said that over 3,000 flights have been pre-emptively cancelled.

As per usual, many airlines have launched their usual travel policies for storms like this - basically, if you're on a nonrefundable ticket you can make change without having to pay a fee.  USA Today's Today in the Sky blog has a handy list of these policies.

But, considering the huge impacts on this storm - finding new flights based on your schedule might be tough.

How to Find Airport Power Outlets Easily

I'll be the first to admit that I absolutely love my iPhone, which I purchased in May. It's really made some part of my life easier. I had never had a smartphone before, so the concept of checking e-mail on the run was very exciting to me!

What I hate about my iPhone, however, is that the battery life leaves a bit to be desired. Sure, the phone is fine if you only use it a few times during the day, but the phone is designed to be used constantly with a whole varitey of apps. This is especially true when traveling - if I'm busy waiting for a flight I'll whip out my iPhone very quickly, for example.

But using the iPhone heavily drains the battery, and finding in-seat power is no guarantee on most domestic airlines (except Virgin America).  I could charge my phone in-flight with my laptop, but that only drains the laptop's battery more quickly.

One way to address this dilemma is to charge up at the airport, but finding power is usually tough. A couple of airlines, like Delta and Southwest, have committed to building up power availability at airports, but your experience might vary by airport.

Fortuanately, my friend Benet Wilson recently blogged about a handy website called AirPower Wiki. Basically, global travelers share their tips on how to find power outlets at airports across the globe. Of course, since it's a Wiki, anyone can contribute to make sure that the website has the most up-to-date information. Check it out!

Check-In Online!

As the "airline dork" among my friends, I'm usually the first one to know when something goes wrong with a friend's travel. Today was no exception. A friend of mine was flying back home from school, and had trouble checking in for a couple of reasons.

First, she had an online travel agency confirmation page printed, but nothing from the airline. Second, none of the agents were very helpful. Finally, apparently many of the credit card swipes at kiosks weren't working very well, which makes paying for bags more difficult. (And, a credit card is often one way to check-in at a kiosk in the first place.)

Now, kiosks that aren't working and agents that aren't helpful are certainly the airline's fault. No doubt about it. But my friend could have made her travel experience a whole lot easier if she made the effort to check-in online. First, she would have had a boarding pass already, eliminating any confusion about her reservation. Second, she could have paid for her bag online, which would have eliminated the credit card issue. Plus, checking in the bag would've been easier anyway.

So here's my advice - check-in online when you have the change. 99% of the time it's only going to make your trip an easier one.

Delta’s New Overbooking System Makes Sense for All

Overbooking is a contentious topic for many. Airlines think this is an important process that helps their bottom line. Inevitably, some people will not show up for a flight, so selling more seats than are available in reality makes financial sense. Airlines use mountains of historical data to do this as accurately as possible, but sometimes more people show up than planned. Sometimes, that means there are more people than seats.

In this case, airlines try to take care of the situation by asking passengers to give up their seats for some form of compensation - usually some type of credit that can be used toward a future flights. Many savvy travelers love this policy, as it's a quick way to get some cheap traveler. In fact, I know some who ask before boarding if the flight is oversold because they really, really want that compensation.

Having volunteers beforehand helps, but oftentimes there aren't enough passengers who are willing to do that. So instead the gate agent has to make an announcement and find some more people willing to take a delay - something that can turn into a time-consuming process.

Delta has been playing with a new solution over the past few weeks that has been getting a lot of press recently. The airline uses booking data to see how likely your flight is to be oversold when you check-in online or at an airport kiosk. If it's likely, you have the opportunity to bid on the compensation you would like to receive.

I think this works for both sides of the deal. Delta bumps people who bid the least, so the cost of overbooking is minimized. Meanwhile, the customers who are the most willing to be delayed get their compensation. Hopefully, less time is spent looking for volunteers so that makes boarding a bit faster.

[found via Tnooz]

I’m Sick of Blogging About the Weather…

...so let's talk about something completely random but still airport/travel-related. How about a dead dog posing a possible security risk?

Yeah, that works. This is perhaps the weirdest airline-related story that I have read in a very long time. Apparently a passenger flying on Contiental airlines from their Newark hub to Los Angeles was bringing a box with a dead dog along for the ride. Why? No one knows, apparently.

When this...er...unique carry-on item was discovered by the TSA, it was ordered that the box be screened at Continental's cargo facility. It was discovered after the flight departed that this request was not fulfilled. This then triggered a discussion about whether the flight should be ordered back due to the possible security breach.

The decision was made to let the flight continue onto Los Angeles as usual - which is good news for the passengers of course.

I have to say...why does stuff like this happen? I mean, kudos to the TSA for making a wise call here, but I doubt this is in the TSA training manual. How do you even prepare for this?

I know it's early...but this is a candidate for the most absurd travel-related story for 2011.

“Yikes” Is All I Can Say About This Weather

Man, it's been a rough winter, huh? The Southeast just got slammed today. In fact, AirTran announced on Monday that it wasn't going to be operating any flights out of its hub out of Atlanta International Airport, and Delta had a bunch of cancellations at the airport as well.

And things for the Northeast don't look that great either. For example - here's the current snow forecast map for my area:

I think it's safe to say a lot of the Northeast will be shut down on Wednesday.

If you're traveling this week, of course, it's going to be pretty rough, though I suspect this time around might be better than the Christmas blizzard. First, the stress of the holidays is gone. Second, there seems to be a bit less forecast uncertainly about this storm, so there's probably a bit more preparation going on. Third, January is generally a lighter travel month than December, so getting rebooked could be a bit easier.

Anyway - basically every carrier has a travel waiver up, so it's best to head over to your airline's website and take a look at what's going on!

Yet More Winter Weather

Yikes, it's been a tough winter for traveling - and we're not even a month into winter! Soon after a rough blizzard the day after Christmas (that caused Delta to lower its profit projection by $45 million), more storms are screwing up travel plans.

There were a couple of storms in the Northeast this weekend, though nothing too major. But now a storm will bring ice to the Southeast, and later climb up the coast and dump snow on the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Awesome.

I think those flying on AirTran and Delta could face some trouble if traveling through Atlanta, which will be hit with a good amount of ice on Monday. In fact, one meteorolgist I follow tweeted that it is possible "southern cities like Atlanta could be shut down by ice Monday morning." I wouldn't be surprised if Charlotte faces some issues as well.

As usual, go check your airline's website to see their travel policies when it comes to weather. Generally speaking, you'll be allowed one change for free on a nonrefundable ticket.