Thanks to Storm Nemo, on Thursday evening I was one of the hundreds of thousands of travelers who had to cancel important weekend plans that involved flying to the east coast.
Then I had to sit on the phone for hours trying to work out a new and, it turns out, quite expensive new plan.
For those of you still trying to figure out your options, here’s a link to a list of many of the change-fee waiver policies airlines have posted.
In other news…. Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport announced that it is the latest airport to join the Thanks Again program, which offers travelers frequent flyer miles or points for qualifying purchases made at the airport for things such as parking, food and retail items. Travelers at DFW will also be able to get points or miles for stays at the airport hotels, such as the Grand Hyatt, and at Paradise 4 Paws, the airport’s pet hotel.
170 other airports already participate in the Thanks Again program – which requires a simple sign-up and registration of a credit-card.
And during the month of February passengers at John F. Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA) and Newark Liberty International (EWR) airports – as well as passengers at some New York City subway stations – will be able to get complimentary Boingo Wi-Fi sessions courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line, which is celebrating a new ship, the Norwegian Breakaway.
That should come in handy if you end up stuck at one of those airports – or in the city – this weekend due to Storm Nemo.
LAN’s new 787 thrice-weekly flight from LAX to Santiago leaves at 2:30 in the afternoon and arrives at around 6 a.m. the following morning. Even with the five hour time difference there’s plenty of time in the air.
And while I was a flying (as a guest) in the premium business class cabin on the airline’s first 787 flight on that route earlier this week I had plenty of time to stand-up and contemplate what sort of in-flight activities the airline might host during the flight in the large space between the two seating areas of the premium business section.
This area doubles as the entry “hall” to the airplane and not all airlines leave this space on their 787s so wide open. But LAN does and while I was up stretching during the flight I was tempted to use this space for practicing forward rolls or to do some light jogging, but was too shy to do that in front of the people seated in the second half of the premium business section.
So I stood there and thought about some activities the airline could offer in that space during a flight that wouldn’t be so disruptive. Here’s what I came up with:
Yoga or organized stretching sessions;
Dancing classes
Board games
Speed-dating “happy-hour” (for business or social contacts)
I’m going to suggest that to the airline, but in the meantime – what activities would you like to see offered in this nice extra space on LAN’s 787 airplane?
Hurricane Sandy is still causing problems for a lot of people, including families who had planned vacations around the mid-winter public school breaks in New York and New Jersey.
Many schools closed for a few days around the storm and, as a result, have canceled the mid-winter break or changed the dates, leaving those with plane tickets and hotel reservations in a bit of a pickle.
To help out, several airlines, including JetBlue, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and others, are offering to waive change fees for customers whose travel plans have been affected.
Hawaiian Airlines customers ticketed by November 29 for travel between New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Hawai’i from February 15–24, 2013 will be allowed to change their reservations without charge, although refund and cancellation rules will apply.
JetBlue is waiving the change fee for customers traveling Thursday February 14 through Monday February 25th, to/from the New York City area (EWR, HPN, JFK, LGA & SWF). Airfare differences will still apply for the new dates, but travelers may also cancel their trips and receive travel bank credit without a fee.
United Airlines and American Airlines also have exception policies in effect for the New York City area for those with tickets for mid-winter break travel. American’s waivers covers February 15 – 24; United’s waiver covers February 14- 25th.
The change fee policy has also been relaxed on US Airways and, while I don’t see it on the their website, word is Delta Air Lines will be waiving change fees as well.
It’s a nice gesture on behalf of the airlines, but keep in mind that while the airlines are waiving the change fees, you’ll still get dinged for any differences in airfares, so check the details.
Over the weekend, a Bend, Ore., man took to Facebook to describe the incivility he alleged was inflicted on a fellow passenger on an Horizon Air flight out of Oregon’s Redmond Municipal Airport.
Cameron Clark witnessed what he described on Facebook as “the worst of humanity” when airline staff on duty appeared to ignore and refuse special assistance to a couple he thought was “disabled/mentally and physically challenged.”
Clark estimated the couple to be in their 70s and said that the man later told him he had late-stage Parkinson’s disease, that his companion had MS and that he was trying to get to Bellingham, Wash., to see his daughter.
“He had a hard time walking,” Clark wrote on Facebook, “No one offered him a wheelchair or asked how they could be helpful. He stumbled off toward the safety inspection line. Predictably, he didn’t understand/comprehend their restriction of his luggage, and got stuck in security.”
Throughout the weekend, Clark’s Facebook post created a flurry of negative and outraged comments, which Alaska Airlines responded to with a series of Facebook posts of its own.
I spoke with Alaska Airlines spokesperson Paul McElroy on Monday morning and he told me that while the passenger did not get on his Friday flight, he did fly Saturday and is visiting with his daughter at an alternate location. McElroy said the airline refunded the passenger’s initial ticket price and provided complimentary round-trip transportation for his trip.
“There are things we should have done better,” said McElroy, who added that the president of Horizon Airlines was preparing a post to that effect. (Regional airline Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines are both owned by the Alaska Air Group, which is based in Seattle.)
Coincidentally, on Monday the airline was meeting with Eric Lipp, the executive director of Open Doors Organization, an independent disability advocacy group. “We’re going to leverage their visit and ask them to help us review what we did with this customer to see if we could have done better,” McElroy said.
Lipp said there are laws to help passengers with disabilities and extra services that airlines can and are willing to provide. “But the law says the passenger has to self-identify,” said Lipp. “Otherwise, it’s a puzzle. The breakdown here is that the passenger didn’t self-identify and the airline didn’t have the right codes in the system to get him services he was entitled to.”
Lipp had other advice for passengers with disabilities and much of it was rolled into the apology Horizon Air president Glenn Johnson posted on Facebook on Monday afternoon. Here’s part of that statement, which includes some helpful tips.
“…First and foremost, we’ve determined that we could and should have handled this better and I apologize to our passenger on behalf of all of us at Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines. This experience has reminded us of the importance of assisting passengers with disabilities and making sure every one of them receives the special care they may need.
The information we’ve gathered during our review will certainly improve our efforts going forward.”
…Alaska and Horizon have partnered with Open Doors Organization, an independent disability advocacy group, to review employees’ handling of the situation and suggest improvements in the airlines’ disability, awareness and sensitivity training. Eric Lipp, Open Doors Organization’s executive director, advises passengers with a disability who are traveling to:
Self-disclose to the airline any assistance you may need before you arrive at the airport. This could include an escort or wheelchair assistance through security, to the gate, and while boarding and exiting the plane.
Ask the airline if you prefer to have a personal assistant escort you to the gate. Most airlines will issue passes to personal assistants to help passengers with disabilities get to or from the gate area.
Plan ahead and arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight departs, which allows time to check luggage, obtain wheelchair services, get through security and board the flight.
Photo courtesy Harvard Museum of Natural History via Flickr
I’m a big fan of “free” and a big fan of the Museums on Us program that offers free admission on the first weekend of each month to more than 150 museums around the country to anyone who has Bank of America or Merrill Lynch credit or debit card.
With the money you save, you might want to fly down to New Orleans and hop on one of the new riverboats now cruising up the and down the Mississippi or buy yourself a meal at the new full-service Wolfgang Puck Express restaurant in Terminal 7 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), where things like bacon-wrapped meatloaf and oven roasted salmon are now on the menu.
Or use your saving towards the new baggage delivery service being sold by American Airlines and BAGS VIP Luggage Delivery. Beginning Monday, Aug. 6, you can pay ($29.95 for one bag, $39.95 for two bags and $49.95 for three to 10 bags) to have the bags you check at more than 200 U.S. airports delivered to your home, office or hotel instead of having to go pick them up at baggage claim and tote them with you.
Passengers can purchase the service on-line up to two hours prior to departure and, for delivery locations within 40 miles of the airport, expect their bags to be delivered to their destination within one to four hours of arrival.
A good deal? For some, maybe. But keep in mind that the price for Baggage Delivery Service is in addition to the regular bag fees that need to be paid at check-in. And for bags that need to be delivered between 41 and 100 miles from the airport, there is an additional $1 per mile charge and an estimated delivery time between four and six hours instead of one to four hours.
No word yet on whether all fees are returned if your luggage goes missing or if delivery times are not met.
