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.

Tags: WestJet, on-board amenities, one person one fare rule
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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.

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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.

.

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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!

Tags: Branson Airport
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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.

Tags: Dulles International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport
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As you put on your loose-waisted pants and head off to airport to join your friends and family for that big Thanksgiving feast, keep this in mind:

On many US airlines, if you can’t fit in your seat with the armrests lowered, you may be asked to pay for a second seat.

In Canada, however, you will soon get more room to spread out. Legally – and for free.

According to an AP report posted on MSNBC.com today, beginning on January 9th, 2009: Canadian airlines flying domestically “cannot charge extra for an obese person who needs an additional seat or a disabled person who needs space for a wheelchair or stretcher or who must be accompanied by an attendant.”

US airlines aren’t likely to adopt that same plan anytime soon, but for folks who fit into individual airplane seats – and those who don’t – it’s probably a good time to read my Well-Mannered Traveler column that addresses the topic. It’s called, appropriately enough, Squeezed to Meet You and deals with the issue of “seatmates of size.”

Tags: Airline amenities
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A series of photographs by artist Evelyn Morris are on display at the John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Santa Ana, California.

Morris’ images depict the beauty of flowers in one series and the spirit of Paris – where she was born and raised – in another. The photographs are on display in the departure (upper) level near the security screening areas and on the arrival (lower) level near baggage carousels 1 and 4 through December 15th.

Tags: Airport art, John Wayne Airport
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Everyone seems intent on helping travelers stay cool and calm this Thanksgiving season.

Some airports are rolling out entertainment programs. In others, travelers will be able to take advantage of free massages, snacks and other services. Now an off-site parking company is getting in on the stress-relief action.

On Nov 25th and 26th, travelers parking at many FastPark & Relax (or Airport Fast Park) locations will find yoga instructors on duty in the shuttle buses to the airport. Depending on the day, shuttle-bus yoga instruction will be available from 9 am to 11 am in Austin, Texas; Baltimore; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Houston; Miami; Milwaukee; Orlando; Raleigh, N.C. and Tucson, Ariz.

Tags: Airport parking
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Yesterday was “New Runway Day” at three major U.S. airports. Washington Dulles International Airport, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and my hometown Seattle-Tacoma International Airport all cut the ribbon on new runways.

What do these high-ticket investments in airport infrastructure mean for air travelers? Ideally, improved safety, reduced delays, and space for an extra 330,000 take-offs and landings each year.

We’ll see….

(Courtesy: Port of Seattle)

Of course, who cares if more planes can take-off and land unless you can actually get a seat on one of those planes?

So I was pleased to have a chance to stop by the world headquarters of Yapta this week to check out their poker table and learn about their new service that sends travelers e-mail alerts when frequent-flier award seats become available. As someone who recently spent way too many hours trying to figure out how to “spend” a chunk of expiring miles, I totally get the usefulness of this feature.

You can read about Yapta’s free frequent-flier award search service and a few related tools in a recent New York Times article. Or just sign up, snag a seat, and go try out one of those new runways.

(Photo: Daniel Schwen)

Tags: Chicago O'Hare Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Washington Dulles Interntational Airport
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The list of stress-busting activities being offered at the nation’s airports this holiday season just keeps growing:

In addition to the entertainment being offered by airports around the country and the free amenities being offered by JetBlue Airways in its new terminal at JFK, on Nov. 25th and 26th, travelers passing through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) can get free massages, free Wi-Fi, and free snacks.

The stress-reducing services are at the “privacy oasis” sponsored by 3M Computer Privacy Filters in the Airport Executive Conference Center on the 3rd floor of the Atrium. The company has also set up a Web site where travelers have been sending in tips about places to chill out at various airports around the country.

Given how close we sit next to each other on airplanes, computer privacy filters seem like a useful tool pretty much anytime. But as I wrote in a recent Well-Mannered Traveler column on MSNBC.com, privacy filters may become downright necessary as airlines roll out in-flight Wi-Fi. (Virgin America is launching its Gogo in-flight Internet service – on one plane – this Sat, Nov 22) Not all airlines plan to filter in-flight Internet service and some travelers are worried about being exposed to inappropriate material on a seatmate’s screen.

Tags: Airport amenities, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Free stuff, Guide to stress-free travel, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, In-flight Wi-Fi, JFK Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport
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