The Memorial Day weekend signals the start of the busy summer travel season and it looks like a lot of people will be spending a lot of time in airports.
According to the trade group Airlines for America (A4A), a record 246.1 million passengers — an average of 2.68 million per day — are expected to travel on U.S. airlines between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2018.
That number is up 3.7 percent from last year’s record of 237.3 million passengers.
Below is the group’s handy infographic that explains what’s in store.
A4A’s tally doesn’t include the Memorial Day holiday weekend, but if you’re headed to the airport this weekend keep in mind that security checkpoint lines are apt to be longer than usual (I’ve gotten a couple of alerts from my my airline already, which makes me a bit nervous) with many kids and out-of-practice travelers in the mix.
The end is near. For most all outward appearances of Virgin America.
Alaska Airlines, which has spent the past 18 months folding Virgin America into Alaska’s operations, wrote to customers yesterday to let them know that, starting April 25:
There will be only one website (alaskaair.com) for all check-ins.
There will be only only mobile app (Alaska’s).
There will be one call center (Alaska’s).
And there we be only Alaska flight numbers.
At the airport, all check-ins for flights operated by the company will take place at Alaska’s ticket counters and kiosks.
The final switchover will take place on the night of April 24, says Alaska:
“We’ll complete physical changes at 29 airports around the U.S. and Mexico that are served by both Alaska and Virgin America. The only branding and signage will now be for Alaska Airlines. Signs and screens will all change to Alaska branding at curbside locations, lobbies, ticket counters, gates and baggage areas. While there will be some Virgin America painted aircraft still flying for a period of time after April 25, tickets will be sold only under the Alaska name.”
A wide range of airline amenity kits, for both adults and children, were on display last week in Hamburg, Germany as part of the World Travel Catering and Onboard Services Expo.
Amenity kits for adults were lovely, of course, but those for kids just look like lots more fun. Especially the Super Hero kit I spotted (below) that includes a backpack with a built-in cape!
You may remember the shock and alarm over Aviointerior’s Skyrider seat, which envisioned packing more passengers onto airplanes by offering an abbreviated seat that was more like a saddle.
The early version was never certified or taken very seriously, but the company is not giving up.
At this week’s Aircraft Interiors Expo taking place in Hamburg, Germany, Aviointeriors is showing the Skyrider 2.0, which is a bit more sturdy and padded version of the orginal saddle seat, with poles securing the seat to the floor and to the ceiling of the cabin (to improve saftey) and the pitch the same claustrophic 23 inches as before.
The company rep who showed me the seat said this version should be able to get certified for airlines and that these saddle-seats are really designed for short haul flights and for price-points “that make travel possible for people who would never otherwise be able to fly.”
The Skyrider seats aren’t shown anywhere on the Aviointeriors website. Instead, customers are directed to ‘real’ products with Italian-inspired names such as Columbus (a line of economy cabin seats), Galileo (business class seats) and Mona Lisa (first class.)
Brazilian restaurant for Miami International Airport
A popular chain restaurant from Brazil – Viena – has opened on the top (seventh) floor of the pre-security MIA Hotel at Miami International Airport.
The restaurant, which replaces the “Top of the Port” restaurant that was in that spot for many years, has a menu featuring Brazilian and European dishes, including salt cod fritters (Bolinho de Bacalau), Pão de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) and the Caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail.
In addition to great views, this new restaurant has free Wi-Fi, happy hour, large-screen TVS and electronic charging stations.
Foodie Week at Philadelphia International Airport
March 12-18 is Foodie Week at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) with seven restaurants in Concourse B offering special entrees at a discount – $12 – throughout the week
Baba Bar: Harissa Chicken Sandwich
Boule Café: French Onion Grilled Cheese
Cibo Bistro and Wine Bar: Shrimp Calabrese
Germantown Biergarten: Cheddar Brat Platter
Love Grille: Cheesesteak Hoagie
Mezzogiorno: Short Rib and Tomato Pizza
Noobar: Spicy Chicken Fried Rice
United Airlines passengers can buy a place in line
United Airlines now allows standard economy passengers to purchase Priority Boarding, allowing them to board in group 2.
The cost is $9 per segment and, according to United, the number of passes sold will be “closely controlled based on flight, date, time of day and day-of-week restrictions.”
For those who already have TSA Precheck and really want to move up in the boarding process, this is a less expensive add-on than Premier Access, which offers priority boarding benefits along with other benefit such as access to premier check-in lines and security lanes. Prices for this add-on start at $15 per segment.
Keep in mind: the new Priority Pass option, like Premier Access, is non-refundable and is not available to you if you’ve purchased a Basic Economy ticket.
SXSW bring extra music to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
The SXSW mash-up of conferences and festivals is underway in Austin and the airport in the Live Music Capital of the World is doing its part to make sure everyone gets their fill of music.
In addition to the usual 21 live music events it offers each week, Austin Bergstrom International Airport is adding six extra performances during peak SXSW travel days – March 12, 13 and 19.
Of the extra performances, bands will play at the airport’s Asleep at the Wheel State at Ray Benson’s Roadhouse near Gate 10, while extra solo acts will perform at Annie’s and Waterloo. See the full schedule here.
Post Office plus at Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports
The Parisian postal service – La Poste – has opened enhanced post offices at both Paris-Orly and Paris-Charles de Gaulle airports, In addition to 24-hour postal machines, these post offices will have gift shops, terminals where customers can make photo postcards, rentable work spaces, and other services, including a key drop.
Your face is your boarding pass
Passengers flying with British Airways from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to London Gatwick can now opt to use their face as their boarding pass, thanks to SITA’s biometric boarding technology, which scans a person’s face and matches it up with the data U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has on that passenger in their files.
The process is already being used with certain JetBlue flights at Boston Logan International Airport and British Airways flights at Los Angeles International Airport.
Going biometric isn’t a requirement to board the flights testing the new technology, but last year’s SITA’s passenger IT survey showed that 57% of passengers would use biometrics instead of a boarding pass. SITA reports that real world rates are even higher than that: nearly 100% of passengers are opting to use the biometric boarding during the trials.
