It’s been a week of big travel news, although some of centered around flying hoaxes.  That’s why you need to read these blogs posts that will give you real scoop!
SoSauce (travel geek blog) an Indian cooking lesson, including Naan.  Yummmmmmm!
LA Times Travel compares and contrasts Halloween activities at Knott’s Berry Farm and Universal Studios.
PlanetEye Traveler – Philippine Culture (formerly Filipina Soul) shares a delicious and easy  lumpia recipe.  I’m going to give it a try.
Intelligent Travel asks us if we’d take the Titanic cruise.
Consumer Traveler debates the issue of whether airport lounges are worth the price of admission.  For …read more

We’ll just consider this a little shameless self-promotion!
Earlier today I was interviewed by Addison Schonland from IAG (Innovation Analysis Group), an airline industry consulting company.
Addison and I talked about what it was like to travel these days, managing airport security and the TSA, dealing with potential confrontational situations on the airplane, and ways to deal with potentially difficult situations.
My simple answer is that when you can’t change something, you have to change the way you think about it.  And for air travel, there’s lots that you can’t change – at least at the very moment it’s happening to you.
I hope …read more

Bag charges.  Fuel surcharges.  Airport fees.  Fees for premium seats in the cabin.  Fees for overweight bags.  Fees for security charges.  Fees for food, pillows and blankets, and other inflight amenities.  And we haven’t even gotten to the taxes yet.  Is it any wonder that what starts out as an inexpensive airline ticket quickly creeps up to a pretty expensive charge?
Now, word is out about a holiday fee.  That’s right, Delta, American, United and US Airways have added on a $10 surcharge to fares on the weekends after Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.  The fares for that time already …read more

Today’s question comes from a PR representative that’s generously provided a number of prizes for contest giveaways in addition to being a great source of information in and about the travel and hospitality industry.  I’ll keep the identity anonymous.  Here’s the question –
Q.  Is there anything I can do (that might be more of a secret) to get a better seat/1st class?  I fly 1st as often as possible, but sometimes it’s just not doable.  I know it’s a silly question but I’ve always wondered.
A. It’s not a silly question at all, and is one that gets asked …read more

As the search for debris from Air France #447 continues, there’s a lot of emphasis placed on finding the “black box,” believing that it will shed some light on the mysterious disappearance of this flight.
In lay terms, “black box” refers to the the flight data recorder (a device used to record what’s physically happening with an aircraft) and the cockpit voice recorder (that records the audio that occurs in the flight deck).  Together, these recorders are analyzed for a variety of safety issues, human factors, performance standards, and more, and then the experts can piece together what happened to Flight …read more

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a Flight Attendant Friday.  Sometimes questions come in fast and furious, and other times it’s pretty sparse in between. 
The question today, though, is one that I’ve gotten asked a lot over these past few weeks. 
Q.  Are any airlines hiring Flight Attendants right now?
A.  Not that I know of.  Most of the major carriers, and many of the regional and commuter airlines has furloughed Flight Attendants.  Furlough means layoff. 
Everyone is trying to ride out what looks like a very bumpy year, and that means cutting back on routes.  When you cut …read more

I haven’t really been ready to talk about this, although I’m beginning to wrap my head around it. 
For now, I’ll just let the video speak for itself —
 

Mother Nature has wreaked havoc with airport conditions this week, leaving passengers stranded or with seriously compromised holiday travel plans.
Hopefully, you’ve managed to get through airport security and are patiently awaiting the call for your flight’s departure.
With all that you’ve been through so far, whether it’s general holiday travel stress or exacerbated weather-related travel stress, you’re still going to have to get all your stuff on that airplane.  And that’s easier said than done with all the general crankiness going on out there.
Following a few basic guidelines will help the airplane boarding process go smoother for you and for …read more

I’ve spent a couple days flying on the west coast, and there has been some very strange weather going on. 
There has been snow in places that normally never see snow, like Las Vegas and Southern California.  There has been torrential rain in San Diego, California.  There has been unseasonably cold weather (and I mean VERY cold) in Phoenix, Arizona and Palm Springs, California.  And there was snow in Seattle, my home town.
 

 
Today was actually a sunny day at 40,000 feet, making the snow on the mountain sparkle in the sunlight.
Too bad it wasn’t quite so pretty on the …read more

Last month’s poll asking about what is the key consideration when booking a flight showed that while price is important, it is not the all important issue. 
The most important consideration was price – but within a range that also addressed other issues.
In other words, we want a bargain, but we’re not willing to give up everything for the sake of the bargain.
That sounds about right to me!
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