Posts in the category "":

Joining JetBlue in the “pillows for purchase” movement, Canada’s WestJet just announced that starting Monday, Dec 1, it too would be begin selling pillow and blanket kits to passengers on all flights.

The kits will cost CN $7 (about US $5.65) and include a travel pillow, fleece blanket, carry bag, and a $5 coupon that can be used on-line towards the purchase of a CleanBrands product.

Not interested in buying a kit with “brand new, allergen-free, breathable and washable” items that “can be used over and over again?” The airline promises that, for now, its current stock of blankets, which are certainly used over and over – and over – again – will still be available on all WestJet flights for use at no charge.

WestJet, by the way, is one of the Canadian airlines that got news last week that it has until January to figure out how to comply with the Canadian Transportation Agency’s ruling that people who are “functionally disabled by obesity” deserve to have two seats for one fare.
WestJet, Air Canada and Air Canada Jazz argued that complying with the “One person -one fare” rule would cost too much.

Canada’s Supreme Court didn’t buy the argument.

Categories: Obesity, Seatmates of Size
No Comments »

Go ahead, worry about economy, but don’t sweat about traveling this weekend.

That’s my message and I was sticking to it yesterday with everyone who called me seeking advice, including the folks at Luxaholics.com ( “It’s about luxury for less” – who wouldn’t want that?) They wanted me to choose five “top” tips from my 15-point Guide to Stress-Free Holiday Travel on MSNBC.com.

Categories: Holidays
No Comments »

The economy may be tanking, but right now a tank of gas costs way less than it did last year at this time. As I prep for my Thanksgiving trek, I’m thankful for that. Travel-wise, this year, I’m also grateful for:

City bus drivers who wait a few extra seconds before pulling away from the curb so that folks running for the bus can hop on;

States that have saved lives by passing laws requiring hands-free headsets for drivers using cell phones – and for the states that will soon do so;

TSA-approved laptop cases, airports with free wireless Internet access, and the blossoming of free power charging stations in the terminals and;

The United Airlines ticket counter agents at the Montreal Airport who went way out of their way this past summer to help me get a retiring guide-dog to her adopted family in Seattle.

This past year I was also delighted to find healthy dining options at airports; truly quiet “quiet cars” on commuter trains; and plenty of smoke-free hotel rooms that, once I was all settled in, didn’t turn out to smell like smoke after all.

I’m not the only thankful traveler. Here’s a link to my MSNBC.com Well Mannered Traveler column that’s full of travel gratitudes from others.

Free free to add your own.

.

Categories: Economy, Holidays
No Comments »

Times may be tough, but the folks in Branson, Missouri are moving ahead with their plans for the first privately-financed and operated commercial airport. The Branson Airport (BBG) is scheduled to open in May 2009, on 992-acres just south of the city.

Up to 300,000 people are expected to fly to Branson Airport during the first year of operation. But don’t rush to make your reservations just yet: so far no airlines have officially announced that they’ll be serving BBG.

But they will. Air service to Branson Airport should be announced shortly. And then you can fly in to see Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Dinner and Show or perhaps a performance by Yakov Smirnoff.

In the meantime, anyone who visits the BBG Web site can make a guess about which airline will be first to serve the market – and then be entered into a contest to win free round-trip tickets on that airline – or some other “valuable travel vouchers.”

Good luck!

Categories: Contests, Free Stuff
No Comments »

If you’re passing through Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) or Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) tomorrow, keep an eye out for turkeys.

Feathered ones.

On Wednesday (if news is slow), President Bush is scheduled to pardon a turkey presented to him by the National Turkey Federation. It’s a tradition that some folks believe dates back to the days of Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan, but according to the folks at Snopes.com, it was actually the current president’s father, George H.W. Bush, who was the first president to officially pardon the official turkey – and it’s back-up.

This year the pardoned birds not only get to live, but they will be flown, first class, on United Airlines’ Turkey-1, from Washington’s Dulles Airport to Los Angeles International Airport. The lucky turkeys will then get whisked over to the Disneyland Resort, where they will presumably live happily ever after.

Categories: Holidays
No Comments »