Strategies And Tools For Airline Travel

With airline travel being the consistent headache that it is for us expats and travelers, we’ve decided to compile a “best of the best” list of websites and tools a globetrotter shouldn’t live without…

1. How Much is That Doggy?
PROBLEM: sure Sparky is man’s best friend, but pets don’t earn frequent-flier miles. And they can cost more than humans to travel. Prices vary, but on an average you’ll pay $300 round trip for “Winnie The Pooch” or “Kat Vonnegut” to fly in the cabin, and $550 to ride in cargo. Some airlines also charge an extra double-jeopardy baggage fee for checked pets.

SOLUTION: If you’ve just gotta bring Rover along on the journey, Pet Airways, a pet-friendly airline, offers an alternative to help your cat, dog or hamster have a happy flight.

2. Thumbs on the Scale
PROBLEM: Your luggage seems to gain weight on the way to the airport. Even with careful packing and at-home weighing, some passengers report increased bag weights when placed on airport scales. Which aren’t subject to calibration like deli scales are, yet can still lead to hefty overweight fees. For example, some fliers say lost bags later delivered via Fed Ex lost extra pounds on the delivery service’s scales, as opposed to the carrier’s scales.

SOLUTION: The U.S. General Services Administration website lists baggage allowances and fees for the major airlines. Check them ahead, and plan to be at least 5 pounds under.

3. The Two-Hour Window
PROBLEM: Carriers say passengers need to arrive at the airport at least two hours ahead of their flights. Problem is, counter service isn’t always available when you arrive two hours early, and flight delays can lead to long waits in uncomfortable airport seating. Thus, early birds hoping to avoid lines and secure a decent seat are wasting time for nothing.

SOLUTION: Check your flight’s arrival time on FlightView. Its real time flight info let’s you decide the best time to arrive at the airport.

4. Infrequent Fliers
PROBLEM: Remember when using your frequent flier miles was free? Some airlines now charge a hefty $75 to $100 fee if you book without “sufficient’ notice: from three to six days, depending on the airline. Endless rules and limits make it nearly impossible to really take advantage of all those miles you’ve accumulated.

SOLUTION: WebFlyer is a free online service that helps frequent fliers stay on top of changes (and charges), in programs, mileage conversion and much more.

5. Your Flight Has Been Canceled
PROBLEM: Are there any more dreaded words in the English language than “Your flight has been canceled.”? Besides “Staying in an airport motel”

SOLUTION: Avoid airlines that frequently cancel flights often by checking out the Airline Scorecards FlightStats. Our friends at Spirit Air? They haven’t cancelled any flights today, but they are running only 72% on time, with the majority being 45 minutes or more.

6. Pilot Fatigue
PROBLEM: Major airlines used to attract the best pilots, but many pilots have tired of shabby treatment and are switching over to corporate work or are retiring early. A Federal Aviation Administration report revealed many airlines are reducing payroll by building pilot flight schedules with the maximum allowable hours per month. The remaining underpaid pilots are flying while exhausted and highly stressed. Resulting in events like “overshooting” airports, and landing at the wrong airports.

SOLUTION: According to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, fatigue has been associated with 250 air-carrier accident fatalities in the last 19 years. Check the NTSB website for a database of airline safety records… and who/what they are investigating now.

7. Loose Screws
PROBLEM: According to Consumer Reports, airlines are increasingly outsourcing airplane maintenance to non-licensed mechanics where the FAA usually has less control. Perhaps this is why the FAA fined 25 passenger airlines $28.2 million in February for violating maintenance and repair regulations.

The agency’s research revealed many flights — thousands, in some instances — take off when they shouldn’t, and possibly endanger passengers’ lives. Considering about 90 percent of maintenance violations only result in warning letters or reprimands, you have to wonder just how safe you are in the air.

SOLUTION: AirSafe is your resource for critical information on airline safety, to help you choose the safest carrier and plane. (Hint: Looking at the list of “fatal events” over the last 40 years, JetBlue and Southwest are the safest, and you won’t catch me on a Midwest Express flight. I’m just sayin…)

8. Orange is Such a Pretty Threat Level
PROBLEM: Will the terrorists really win if we don’t remove our shoes? Some say airport security is less about public safety and more about CYA. While passengers pack liquids in miniature bottles, submit to body pat-downs and try to figure out how they landed on the TSA Watch List, luggage and cargo receive the briefest – if any – scrutiny.

SOLUTION: The Transportation Security Administration provides tips on getting through security lines faster. While waiting in line, keep boredom at bay with Persuasive Games cell-phone app based on actual airport insecurity experiences.

9. Shrinking Seats
PROBLEM: Airplane seats are very comfortable, if you’re 5-foot 5-inches tall and rail thin. However, passengers of normal proportions can anticipate hip-bone piercing arm rests and flying with knees up to their ears. Seats with extra leg room, such as those in the emergency row, now cost an extra $20. What the airlines lack in leg room they make up for in balls.

SOLUTION: The increase in seat-size problems is so prevalent SeatGuru has compiled an extensive database on the best seats for all airlines, including reviews and seat maps for each carrier. I personally check the site before any of my flights, and change my seats online before I even go to the airport.

10. Fly the Hungry Skies
PROBLEM: Airline food wasn’t exactly gourmet quality when it was free, but at least they offered a break during long flights. Airlines now (over)charge for everything from tiny bags of fake nuts to a rubber-chicken dinner. And since we’re trapped for hours, bored, on a flying tube with no food court, we end up paying top dollar for bottom of the barrel food.

SOLUTION: You can actually see photos of meals by carrier, along with reviews and prices, at AirlineMeals. That way you can make an educated choice between gambling on what’s on your flight, or paying close to $10 for a 3 day-old turkey wrap.

11. Tarmac Time

PROBLEM: More than 100,000 passengers per year are treated to the joy of non-flying for more than three hours at a pop. Starting this spring, airlines will be penalized $27,500 per passenger if an airline doesn’t provide food and water after two hours on the tarmac, or an opportunity to disembark after three hours. Known as the “Passenger Bill of Rights,” the legislation was instigated by the founder of FlyersRights.org after she and her family were stuck for nine hours on a diverted plane. Can you imagine nine hours of trying to calm a crying baby?

SOLUTION: The Bureau of Transportation Statistics allows you to know before you go, with a searchable database of on-time statistics by carrier, airport and time period.

12. Lost Luggage

PROBLEM: Airlines worldwide lose about 3,000 pieces of luggage per hour — luggage for which passengers paid a non-refundable checking fee of anywhere from $15 to $35 one way. In the United States, that translates to an average of one out of 150 people who have their checked baggage misdirected or left behind each year.

SOLUTION: The Independent Traveler offers excellent advice on passenger baggage rights and resources when your luggage takes a side trip.