After-Christmas Travel Could Get Dicey

Well, for those who are traveling somewhere today for Christmas it looks pretty good, but for those flying home on Sunday and Monday...the weather could be getting a bit dicey in the East, as a ocean storm is predicted to climb up the coast and dump snow on major cities like Atlanta, Washington, DC, New York, and Boston. The exact magnitude of the storm has yet to be known as we're still a couple of days out, but airlines are already using their normal storm policies.

When the weather's great, an airline will usually make you pay a change fee (often $150) and a difference in fare to make an adjustment to an itinerary. (This varies by airline, what class you're booked in, if you're elite, etc.) But those rules go out the window during a storm. Airlines will usually allow one change to a reservation with no fee or fare difference if you travel within a period defined by the airline.

Here are the storm policies for this storm that I've found so far. Depending on how the storm tracks, I wouldn't be surprised if more cities are added, or if other airlines join this list.

UPDATE 12/26: Well, many of the forecast models moved the storm to the West, and there are now forecasts expecting blizzard conditions in part of the Northeast from Sunday night through Monday. Basically, it's gonna suck traveling. A few more airlines have posted weather advisories, and I have updated the list:

• AirTran
• American
• Continental
• Delta
• Frontier
• Southwest
• United
• US Airways
• Virgin America

United Shares Holiday Travel Trips

This week and next, the airports will be busy with plenty of traffic for Christmas and New Year's, and much of that surplus traffic will be travelers who might not fly all that often. The nice folks over at United put together a short video with some travel tips to make the experience a bit easier. Many of the ideas are United-specific, but I think the video can be helpful for anyone!

New Program at O’Hare Reduces Missed Connections

Trying to make a tight connection at an airport, frankly, sucks. I find it exciting to rush through an airport to make a flight, personally, but if and only if I end up being successful. Getting rebooked can be painful, and the way airlines have been packing flights full lately makes getting re-accommodated an even more annoying process.

This is especially annoying when you're dealing with an international flight, as making connections becomes even more hectic when customs/passport control comes into the mix. It's not a hard process but it does certainly add to your travel time.

Fortunately, the folks at Chicago O'Hare have found a way to make it easier for passengers on inbound international flights who are making connections. Airlines identify passengers who have less than 90 minutes for a connection, and give them a cad that entitled them to use faster lines.

This is a nice win-win - the passenger makes their flight and the airline doesn't have to deal with rebooking. The program could be expanded to other major airports in the future, and I hope it is!

[via BusinessWeek]

Gasp! An Airline Improving the Passenger Experience!

Oftentimes when an airline says its enhancing or improving its service it can actually be a cut in service in disguise. But, Delta announced a nice, positive change for its passengers at some of its airports and as well of its Sky Clubs.

Nineteen airports, including hubs like Atlanta and Detroit but also smaller cities like Hartford, will be receiving charging stations for travelers like me who take an excessive amount of electronics with them on every trip. This is a great move - while Delta does have power on a decent amount of its fleet it's dependent on the aircraft type and where you're sitting - so the more opportunities to charge up, the better.

Meanwhile, Sky Clubs have received special charging pads designed with mobile phones in mind. Adapters can be found at the reception desks.

You can catch a glimpse of the new hardware as well as a list of the airports receiving the charging stations here.

Pick of the Week: Taxi Magic

This week I decided to share one of my favorite iPhone apps - Taxi Magic. A friend sent to me this summer that made some of my airport transfers much easier.

If you're off on a trip, finding a taxi can be annoying - especially if you're not home where you're familiar with the local cab companies. Fortunately, Taxi Magic makes it easy. The app uses your phone's GPS and determines what taxi companies are nearest you. For those who are part of its network, you can make your booking directly on your phone (which I would often take care of the night before if I had an early wake-up).

After you make the booking, Taxi Magic will inform you when your ride has been dispatched, and also provide updates about the location of the taxi, which makes waiting much easier!

Another handy feature is that you can pay with the iPhone app. I find this handy because I don't have to worry about carrying enough cash, or having to handle any paper credit card receipts. Instead, your are e-mailed a PDF receipt that is easy to print for your records or for an expense report.

Anyway - I'd definitely recommend giving Taxi Magic a try next time you need a ride. You can book online, or on your phone. In the case of the latter, there are apps for iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Palm, or you can book via text message as well.

You can learn more about it here.

A Few More Thoughts On Security

I have to say, I'm surprised that the TSA is still getting so much coverage. Body scanners, while controversial, have been an issue for awhile now. Maybe it's those enhanced pat-downs?

Anyway, I hope this blog (and the whole About Airport Parking website) can make your travel experience easier. While we can make it easy to find parking at JFK, we don't have any influence on the TSA!

So, a few of my own tips for surviving the security experience.

First of all, keep your head! It's easy to get frustrated with the lines, especially with travelers who aren't all that experienced with security, or with the new security procedures in place. But losing your temper about either of these things will only make things worse for everyone.

Second - you can not opt-out of the body scanner AND the pat-down. If you don't like either of those, you will not be allowed to fly and will be escorted away. You might not like it, but it's currently a fact of life right now. Another interesting tidpit - the majority of commercial airports (nearly 500) do not have the new technology at this time. You can grab a list here.

Third - pack so it's easier to go through the checkpoint. If you're wearing a coat, for example, you'll have to take it off before going through the checkpoint. Since I'll be in a heated environment until I step out of my destination airport - I just put my coat in my carry-on. Sure, it might only save a couple of seconds but it makes the process easier. I generally also make sure that my keys, watch, etc. are in my carry-on so I don't have to worry about emptying my pockets in a hurry.

Finally - take a quick look through all of the TSA rules, especially if you haven't traveled in awhile. The agency has created a page dedicated to holiday travelers looking for assistance. It's a good refresher on 3-1-1 and all that jazz.

Anyway, to all those traveling this week - good luck!