The Wandering Aramean

Long term, short term or VERY short term parking?

Seth — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:53:14 +0000

Probably not the best way to start a trip. One passenger had a sudden realization at push-back that he actually left the car running at the curb rather than parking it. Whoopsie. Probably doesn’t matter too much if that was the white zone or the red zone, huh?

At least he got it back in one piece for only $200 and a ton of embarrassment

Frequent flyer miles and a cleaning

Seth — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:10:33 +0000

You never know when frequent flyer miles are going to take center stage in a conversation. I’m sure that it is more often than it should when I’m around, though I have been better lately about trying not to always talk about travel. Still, when I sat down at the dentist a few months back and started chatting with my new hygienist the conversation turned to travel. She mentioned her recent engagement and honeymoon planning and my brain went into overdrive. I couldn’t resist.

We started talking about all the options available, which programs made sense (she was already pretty tied to Continental’s OnePass program and Hilton’s HHonors program) and which destinations offered the best bang for the spend. I don’t actually remember the cleaning that day so much or even if it happened (though I have the bill to suggest that it did). We talked about sign-up bonuses for credit cards and bank accounts. We talked about buying points through the US Mint dollar coin program. So much fun for me because she actually wanted to hear it all as opposed to my of my victims.

Six or so months later and I’m back in the office for another cleaning. The first thing out of her mouth was a huge thanks for all the help I provided. We spent the next ten minutes or so going through the itinerary (Hawaii and Fiji) and discussing how they got to use all the points that they earned from the last round of promotions (upgrades all the way through the trip). We chatted about hotels on Waikiki beach (Hyatt being MUCH better than the Hilton Hawaiian Village), a few of my favorite off-the-beach restaurants and things to do other than sitting on the fake beach there.

Finally, when scheduling my next appointment the receptionist mentioned that it will be just after the hygienist returns from the honeymoon, meaning I’ll get the follow-up report, too. It is always fun to have the conversation when the other person in them actually is interested in the information being shared, and hearing about the successful bookings makes it even better. I’m looking forward to hearing about the trip in a few months.

The end of “meals at mealtime” on Continental Airlines

Seth — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:59:18 +0000

For the past couple years Continental Airlines has made a point of advertising the fact that they still serve complimentary “meals at mealtime” for their passengers, even on domestic flights in coach where other carriers have all cut back service. That era is coming to an end later this fall as the carrier follows the trail blazed by a number of other US-based carriers: Buy on Board meals. The new purchased meal option will be offered on most domestic routes under six hours in duration as well as many Latin America routes. Intercontinental and longer international routes, as well as the longest of the domestic flights, will continue to have complimentary meals offered.

Perhaps most telling regarding this change is the quote offered by Executive Vice President Jim Compton:

Our traditional free-food model has served us well for many years, but we need to change to reflect today’s market and customer preference.

Yup, it is actually the customers who are clamoring for the opportunity to buy meals on board. Or demanding fares that aren’t profitable. Either way, definitely the customers’ fault.

To be fair, Continental has been watching the numbers for quite some time now and, just like their decision to initially not charge for a checked bag, they aren’t seeing any return on that goodwill towards customers. One executive recently noted that customers simply weren’t booking to Continental because of the meal on board; their corporate Twitter account said the same thing in reply to an earlier tweet of mine on the topic.

@WanderngAramean It’s true. We know that economy-class customers have not selected airlines based on free meals.

Sure, they loved to poke fun at other carriers in the past with some entertaining TV ads on the topic:

Click here to view the embedded video.

But at this point they’re simply following the cash flow in the right direction. The sad part is that this does mark the end of an era in commercial air travel in the United States. It also means that there is still the potential for more bits to be sold off as unbundled services. Exit-row seating was announced just a few days ago. Now this.

What’s next?

Another option to London(ish)

Seth — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:13:49 +0000

Sun Country Airlines, a small carrier based in Minneapolis that focuses mostly on leisure routes, has announced their intentions to start transatlantic service this summer, connecting New York City to London’s Stansted airport once weekly. The service will depart from New York on Friday evenings with return flights scheduled on Sunday mornings. The aircraft will remain at Stansted overnight on Saturday.

The Stansted airport is only marginally truly a London airport. It is about 45 minutes and £18 away from Liverpool Station by express train. Still, it opens a fourth airport offering service to New York City back up to London residents and it offers some convenience for residents in the northern suburbs.

The Stansted – New York route was served previously by Eos airline, an all-business class carrier, and American Airlines. American fought Eos aggressively on price, and the upstart carrier eventually was forced into bankruptcy and a cessation of operations. Shortly thereafter American suspended service on the route noting that it was not profitable. The Dallas-based carrier has not yet indicated whether they intend to restart operations on the route given the new competition but it seems unlikely.

The service is expected to be operated on the carrier’s 737-800 aircraft making Sun Country the only operator of coach or mixed configuration 737s crossing the Atlantic at this time. The necessary ETOPS certification was accomplished in late 2009 so there are no limitations to offering the service at this point. Pricing and final schedule details have not been released and initial inquiries to the Sun Country press office have not yet been returned.

Buying 450 tickets to fly

Seth — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:00:02 +0000

When I find a great deal on air travel I’ll buy a couple tickets. If the price is right having two or three of the same trip isn’t so bad. But some folks in Scandinavia when a bit further than that recently when Norwegian Air Shuttle offered a 1 Dutch Crown (~$0.20) sale fare to introduce their new Copenhagen – Karup service. One customer purchased more than 450 of the sale tickets. Others purchased 50-100.

OK, so that’s somewhat strange, but maybe they really like flying. It is possible, right? Maybe possible, but not what actually happened. In this case the tickets were all purchased under assumed names by employees of a Norwegian Air Shuttle competitor, Climber Sterling. The competitor bought out all the tickets to prevent real customers from buying the seats. Oh, and a couple of the offenders are even members of the Climber Sterling Board of Directors.

Of course, the CEO from Climber disavowed all knowledge of the fiasco, calling it “misguided loyalty” on the part of the employees. Sure…whatever.

Partying with Budget Travel for their 100th issue

Seth — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:22:23 +0000

Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine held a party in New York City last night to celebrate their 100th issue going to press. Unlike many other publication parties, however, the folks at BT decided to invite their readers to the event, not just others in media circles. The result was an eclectic mix of travelers, marketing folks and editors, sharing tales of travel and the history of the magazine and planning future trips, all in the comfort of the 3rd floor reception area of the magazine’s offices.

Standing in the corner, surveying the room I was somewhat surprised to hear an English accent over my shoulder, “Hey, you’re the Wandering Aramean, right? I recognize you from your photos.” That was a bit surprising to me but quite welcome. We chatted for most of the evening, trading stories of best hotels, meals and most overpriced indulgences around the world.

Being the attention seeking media glutton that I am, I was quite happy to spend a few minutes chatting with Kelly Samardak, a writer from MediaPost.com. And my unnamed “stalker” was apparently working overtime as a publicist at this point, trying to convince Kelly that, while I may be crazy, it is the good kind of crazy. It seemed to work well enough as I earned a mention in her write-up of the event.

Overall, a rather enjoyable couple hours of travel talk with a new group of friends. And some decent munchies to help absorb the open bar. I’m glad I came home a bit early from Burlington to make it to the event.

A good reason for a flight delay

Seth — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:45:41 +0000

Good reasons for flight delays are very few and far between. Still, it seems that Air Canada discovered a pretty decent one, albeit by accident. Call it a passenger revolt that was successful.

Apparently the passengers on a scheduled Vancouver – Montreal flight a couple weeks ago simply refused to board the plane and the flight was delayed waiting for them. The flight was scheduled to depart right around the time that the Olympics gold medal match for men’s hockey went into overtime. Passengers watching on the televisions in the airport terminal refused to get on the plane, choosing to watch the end of the game instead.

Good for them, I say. Every now and then the airlines need to be reminded that the customers are the reason they are flying.

Links:

Downtown Burlington, VT in 90 minutes

Seth — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:51:50 +0000

When jetBlue announced their $10 fare sale for yesterday and today I figured out that there was one destination on the list I could make a day trip out of: Burlington, VT. It was a new airport for me as well as a state I’d never visited. Plus, the timing on the flights would let me get in and out with enough time to do a few things on the ground and still get a decent night’s sleep at either end of the trip.

I lined up a decent itinerary and shared it with some friends. I was laughed at. A lot. Fine; I reworked the itinerary and found some new options. The Ben & Jerry’s tour was out – too short and focused on kids rather than the actual manufacturing process – and a visit to the Vermont Pub & Brewery was in. Cabot cheese was on the list, too. Still a pretty full day up in Vermont.

One of my favorite views – on the AirTrain at JFK

Then I got on the plane and ran into a whole bunch of other folks also taking advantage of the $10 10th birthday fares. There was a couple who came down to New York City for dinner last night, a business man who made some surprise visits to customers and a large group of guys on their way to a day of skiing. As we started discussing itineraries my plans changed again. VBP was sneered at for mediocre beer (in retrospect I agree) and the Cabot tour was scratched as too far out of town. Plus, there’s another event in NYC tonight at 6pm that I wanted to be home for.

Lots of liveries on display at JFK T5 this morning

Click here to view the embedded video.

So the new itinerary was simple: skip the rental car and just take a cab downtown. Wander along the lakefront until the bars open for lunch. Drink beer and eat pub grub. Return to the airport two and a half hours after leaving and head home. And that’s exactly what I did.

Lake Champlain from the Burlington waterfront

The waterfront area is quite beautiful and the work they’ve done on the boardwalk and ferry terminal is impressive. Downtown Burlington is quaint and quiet, except for the “Free Tibet” rally being held at City Hall. Overall, the experience fit exactly what I expected of a sleepy New England town. From the 75 year old cab driver who was 5mph below the limit the whole ride to the quiet green in front of city hall to the over-zealous TSA agents hoping that I was their “Big Catch.” It shows signs of a life that starts when the college kids wake up and are done with classes in the evening but none of those places were open at noon.

On the plane I was warned off of Vermont Pub & Brewery as just not being that great. Unfortunately, it was all that was open at 11:30am on a Wednesday, so it got my business. I had a flight of six beers, only two of which I actually enjoyed. Still, it was better than a poke in the eye. Plus, it was 40 degrees and not a cloud in the sky so I was able to enjoy my beer outside. That was a special treat.

After beer it was off to find lunch – a quick gyro at Alhi Baba’s – and back to the airport. On the standby list, through security and to the gate just in time for my standby to clear and to hear final call for passengers. Perfect timing.

I’m sure that I missed plenty in Burlington today. Gravy fries at Nectar’s, for example. I’ll have to go back and spend a day or two rather than an hour or two. It seems worth it.

Crazy $10 birthday sale from jetBlue

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewanderingaramean/2010/03/crazy-10-birthday-sale-from-jetblue/

Crazy $10 birthday sale from jetBlue

Squeezing in tight on Air AsiaX

Seth — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:45:00 +0000

While airlines around the world are competing with each other on updates to their in-flight entertainment systems, rolling out on-demand selections and ever larger seat-back screens for their customers there is one carrier bucking the trend, and they’re doing it with gusto. Air AsiaX has announced updates to their longhaul wide-body fleet. Not only will the plane be a bit more crowded than previously, the in-flight experience doesn’t look to be all that great.

The carrier will be converting their fleet of aircraft from their current 8-abreast 2-4-2 arrangement to a 3-3-3 configuration. This will allow the carrier to squeeze an extra 53 passengers into the economy section of the airplane, a 20% increase. The carrier will keep a 31”-32” pitch in the economy cabin as they decrease the seat width. And they aren’t going to be adding AVOD anytime soon.

The carrier stated that, in addition to packing in passengers more tightly than any other carrier on an Airbus A330 and A340, they will not be providing any in-flight entertainment systems at the passengers’ seats. The systems are too expensive and complicated according to CEO Azran Osman Rani.

We’ve decided to move away from IFE screens on the seat backs. Demand simply isn’t there to cover the massive cost of the system, the Hollywood content and the extra weight and complexity of the wiring. We think portable units [these will be available for rental] are the way forward and we are hoping to debut these by mid-year.

Not a huge vote of confidence in the selling power of movies on board the plane. Of course, the “portable for rent” units do suggest that is some value in having the systems available, so long as the customer is willing to pay for it. The carrier also expects that customers will be bringing their own IFE on-board. Says Tim Claydon, commercial advisor for Air AsiaX:

In years to come we also feel that there will be an increase in customers bringing their own entertainment devices on board.

On the plus side, Air AsiaX does plan to keep the fares low and also upgrade the business class cabin to an angled lie-flat product. Which is great for the 18 folks up there during the flight. The lack of any IFE on flights up to 12 hours long seems to be a significant step backwards in time, but Claydon is probably right that passengers will be bringing their own more and more – I know I do – and that should help mitigate the issue.

New seat maps coming to Continental booking

Seth — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:29:16 +0000

As part of their efforts to monetize the extra leg room provided in certain exit and bulkhead seats, Continental Airlines has introduced new seat maps for their online booking engine. The new maps are prettier than the old ones and they have the added bonus of identifying the extra leg room seats on the maps so folks booking will know which seats they won’t have access to until check-in, at which point they’ll have to pay more money for the pleasure of sitting there.

Which seats are “special” on the continental fleet? It depends on the plane type (the unlabeled plane in a 757-300):

Not a whole lot of special seats in the fleet (16DEF are special on the 752 but are blocked from booking for all customers until close to departure).

The new seat maps are currently in testing and will go live on the continental.com website on the 17th of March, along with the new seating policy.

The Wandering Aramean

Long term, short term or VERY short term parking?

Frequent flyer miles and a cleaning

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The end of “meals at mealtime” on Continental Airlines

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Buying 450 tickets to fly

Partying with Budget Travel for their 100th issue

A good reason for a flight delay

Downtown Burlington, VT in 90 minutes

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