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.

Find Out if Body Scanners are Being Used at Your Airport

While a lot of the media attention about body scanners has decreased from its Thanksgiving-week peak, it's still an issue for some travelers. Personally, I really don't mind the body scan as long as it helps airport security. Some of the moves that the TSA has taken to protect passengers' privacy, such as the ability of the images to not be saved, also makes me feel more comfortable.

But, there are some travelers who really don't like the body scanners. If you're one of those travelers, then you might be interested in new website called "TSA Status." Here you'll find each airport's color-coded status about body scanner usage. The scale is a total ripoff of the Homeland Security, ranging from "Low" for no body scanners to "Extreme" for body scanners for all.

Of course, these are individual reports from travelers that could go out of date - so your experiences could vary. But this website should give everyone a good idea of what's going on across the country.

Should Airports Be Fined for Poor Performance?

It certainly hasn't been a great couple of weeks weather-wise for travelers. Travelers in the Northeast are still reeling from the recent blizzard, and it will likely take days for all of the disrupted travelers to get back home. And before that, major European airports like Heathrow and Paris had their own issues with snow.

In the aftermath of the mess in Europe, an idea has popped up - does it make sense to fine airports for dropping the ball in winter? The United Kingdom's transport minister believes that regulators should be able to fine airport operators (BAA in Heathrow's case) in cases of poor performance.

This idea is a very interesting one for sure. On one hand, no one controls the weather. But airport operators are responsible for crafting an effective response to weather events like snow.

For many Americans who live in areas like the Northeast - the Heathrow situation seems almost laughable. Four inches of snow would have pretty limited effects in cities like Boston, New York, or Chicago. Of course, the New York airports struggled yesterday and today, but that was a blizzard!

But, of course, a rough winter is expected in Chicago every year. In London it's a different story. So preparations can be difficult. Buying more snow equipment can be a good investment in rough winters or a waste of money in mild winters.

Needless to say, however, something has to be done - the way passengers in London and Paris were treated is simply unacceptable. BAA says they are further investigating the matter - let's hope said investigation is thorough and has actual, concrete suggestions on how to move forward.

Meanwhile, if you're looking for an interesting read - Roger Cohen had an interesting piece in the New York Times about all this.