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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

How to get to | Qatar

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.



Qatar

Source: Shahin Olakara


The only land border is with Saudi Arabia and a visa or transit visa is required to use the bus or taxi services. Airlines flying to Doha include:
  • Star Alliance - EgyptAir, Lufthansa, Turkish
  • Oneworld - British Airways, Royal Jordanian
  • Sky Team - KLM
  • Other Selected - Qatar Airways, most Middle Eastern airlines, some Indian airlines

TIP Several airlines operate fifth freedom flights between Doha and other Middle East hubs (notably excluding Saudi Arabian airports). These can be relatively inexpensive.

TIP If visiting somewhere else in Middle East and flying on Qatar Airways it is usually worthwhile on paid tickets to make the other place the destination with a stopover in Doha. The cost is the same or very little extra compared with Doha as destination. The opposite applies if flying other gulf airlines (ie if flying Emirates Gulf make Dubai the stopover and Qatar the destination).

TIP If including Bahrain in a Star Alliance or Sky Team around the world ticket (which have a mileage limit) take a surface sector from one of the other Middle East hubs to avoid the need for lengthy backtracking due to lack of Asian connection.

TIP On a One World explorer around the world ticket (which is not mileage-based) you can back-track via London on British Airways or Amman on Royal Jordanian, or fly on to Bahrain on British Airways to connect with Cathay Pacific.

Monday, September 28, 2009

How to get to | Bhutan

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.


Bhutan
Source: Douglas J McLaughlin
There are few ways to visit Bhutan. There are 2 roads into the country, one airport and no trains. The only airline flying to Paro is the national airline Druk Air with flights from Bangladesh, India (Delhi & Kolkata), Nepal and Thailand.
A visit to Bhutan does not come cheaply. All visitors must either enter or leave by air, you cannot both arrive and depart by land. Air fares are very high and Druk Air is not a partner of any airline or alliance (thus no discounted flights or awards). To obtain a visa you must prebook accommodation & guide at US$200 per day.
TIP Bangkok and Delhi are cheaper transit points for a visit to Bhutan than the other options.
TIP The flight between Kathmandu and Paro is one of the most scenic in the world as the route hugs the mountain passes and valleys of the Himalayas. This flight originates in Delhi, so to be sure of getting a window seat book from Delhi.

Friday, September 25, 2009

British Airways new seat selection charge

Yesterday British Airways announced new charges for some customers to make seat selections in advance.

The new policy, which takes effect from 7 October 2009, can be summarised as follows.

  • First Class, BA Gold and Oneworld Emerald - can make seat selections any time after booking (no change).
  • Fully flexible fare, BA Silver and Oneworld Sapphire - can make seat selections any time after booking except for exit row seats in World Traveller class (longhaul economy) and World Traveller Plus class (longhaul premium economy). These exit row seats require a fee and only available between 4 & 10 days prior to departure.
  • Everyone else - can pay a fee to select seats (bigger fee for better seats & longer flights, up to £60 per person per flight!) in advance or wait until check in opens and select for free.

There is a lot of detail in the fine print - see BA's pages attempting to justify the new seating policy and attempting to summarise the new seating policy. The terms and conditions on that last page run to 23 bullet points. This detail means operational complexity and some terms seem particularly harsh - a paid for seat allocation can be changed by BA with no recourse, it is difficult to get a refund (and surprisingly any refund is not automatic in the event BA is unable to provide the better seat paid for).

I'm not convinced the new BA seating policy will work any better than the current one, which was only brought in less than 3 years ago (and also generated public complaints).

Mark Ashley of Upgrade : Travel Better opens his blog post about the changes with a quote from reader Hamish "The last bastion of decent airline customer service begins its inexorable slide towards Ryan-ism."

While I personally think that criticism is a bit over the top, I do see it as highly relevant. By introducing a seat selection charge, British Airways is moving more into the smorgasbord pricing approach adopted by some airlines. Currently these are predominantly used by low cost airlines such as Ryanair, however there are other full service airlines with a similar approach such as Air Canada.

If the fuss over these charges dies down then I think we will see more components being charged separately from the base fare, and not just by British Airways. It will be interesting to see what effect it has on the kangaroo route in particular where BA and Qantas co-operate so closely.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

How to get to | Grenada

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.




Granada

Source: Wikimedia Commons


Grenada can be reached by cruise ship, boat from Saint Vincent, or by air. Airlines flying to Grenada include:
  • Star Alliance - Air Canada
  • Oneworld - American, British Airways
  • Sky Team - Delta
  • Other Selected - local Caribbean airlines such as LIAT & SVG Air & Air Jamaica, Virgin Atlantic, some low cost airlines (European and North American)

TIP On the Caribbean airlines the cheapest fares tend to be only available booking directly (on website if airline has one).

TIP Grenada is a useful stop on a Oneworld RTW or award ticket. The prohibition on mileage earning and redemption for American AAdvantage on British Airways trans-Atlantic flights and BA Executive Club on American trans-Atlantic flights does not apply for flights via the Caribbean.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

How to get to | Scotland

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Scotland

Source: Klaus Hermsen

There are lots of ways to reach Scotland. Buses are much cheaper than trains. Ferries operate from Northern Ireland, continental Europe and Scandanavia. Many airlines fly to Scotland, mostly shorthaul flights, including:
  • Star Alliance - bmi (domestic only), Continental (Edinburgh & Glasgow), Lufthansa, SAS, US Airways (Glasgow)
  • Oneworld - British Airways (domestic only)
  • Sky Team - Air France, KLM
  • Other Selected - Emirates (Glasgow), Pakistan International Airlines (Glasgow), many European low cost carriers

TIP Flights within United Kingdom on the main airlines (British Airways and bmi) are relatively expensive). Try low cost alternatives (but note these may use alternate airports eg Ryanair uses Preswick rather than the main Glasgow airport).

TIP If travelling to UK from outside Europe it is usually much cheaper to include the domestic flight to & from Scotland on British Airways or bmi on the longhaul ticket than buying a separate domestic ticket. If you don't need to visit London then the continental European major airlines also have competitive fares (Air France, KLM, Lufthansa).

UPDATED November 2009 - Continental switch from Sky Team to Star Alliance. No change to advice.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Mexicana joins Oneworld 10 November

The date which Mexicana is joining Oneworld has been confirmed as 10 November.

Unfortunately for me, this is just after the end of the 10th birthday 10% discount on selected Oneworld alliance products. Back to the drawing board to find an itinerary which doesn't rely on Mexicana.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

How to get to | Tunisia

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.



Tunisia

Source: Wikimedia Commons


There are bus services to Tunisia from Libya, and sometimes from Algeria (when the border is open). Cruise ships travel between Tunis and Spain, Italy and Egypt. There are no longhaul flights to Tunisia, but lots of shorthaul options. Airlines flying to Tunisia (Tunis unless otherwise stated) include:
  • Star Alliance - EgyptAir, Lufthansa, SAS (Monastir only), Swiss (Monastir only), Turkish
  • Oneworld - British Airways, Royal Jordanian
  • Sky Team - Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia
  • Other Selected - Tunisair, some European low cost airlines (both Tunis & Monastir), most North African airlines, some Middle Eastern airlines

TIP On a Oneworld Explorer around the world fare, Tunisia is included in Europe.

TIP Fares to Tunisia from Europe hubs are generally low.

TIP Longhaul fares from Tunisia are markedly lower than from Western Europe, particularly in business and first class.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Frequent Flyer Friday #5

Celebrating Friday with a short interview with a frequent flyer.

Darren - Travel Rants

Darren loves travelling and enjoys helping out travel consumers. His Travel Rants blog has been attracting attention for years and he recently started My Life in Leeds (a good excuse for socialising in the name of research!).

First, some questions to see what kind of frequent flyer Darren is.

What is your home airport?
Darren - Leeds & Bradford International Airport.

What is the airline you usually fly?
Darren - Primarily European low cost airlines, i.e. EasyJet, Jet2.

Which of the following best describes your flying pattern?
× infrequent (eg annual) leisure trip
- jetsetting for pleasure
- frequent (eg monthly) business travel
- road warrior
- mileage runner
- I live on planes
Darren - Infrequent, usually 2 or 3 times a year.

How do you mostly earn your frequent flyer miles?
- promos
- credit card spend
- business and leisure travel
- taking extra flights on trips I need to take
- mileage running
Darren - I don’t generate frequent flyer miles because I fly on low-cost airlines.

Please describe how you travel in 4 words
Darren - Low cost, on budget.

Now for some travel advice from Darren.

What is inside your carry-on bag right now?
Darren - Guide book, iPod, mobile phone. Cannot travel without these items.

Please give a tip on travel.
Darren - Check and double check the passenger details before purchasing your flight ticket online. So many passengers enter the incorrect details and are they stung with name change admin charges.

What is your least preferred airline, and why?
Darren - Ryanair, simply because of how they treat their customers.

Are there any other airlines you try to avoid flying? Why?
Darren - Onur Air, a Turkish airline. Unhelpful flight crew and awful food and lack of in-flight entertainment.

What is your preferred airline for regular travel, and why?
Darren - EasyJet, low cost, have always been on time, and polite/helpful staff.

What is your preferred airline for a special trip, and why?
Darren - I loved flying with Malaysian airlines; great in-flight entertainment, nice food, and incredibly friendly air-crew.

Thanks Darren for your advice and information about flying on European low cost airlines. Have a great weekend.

For other frequent flyer friday posts please check out the index. If you have any questions you'd like answered, or wish to nominate someone for an interview, please drop me a line using the please use the contact me link. For all sorts of reasons I can't make any guarantees, but if you're interested chances are others are too and so we'll get some good interviews.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

How to get to | Abu Dhabi

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.




Abu Dhabi

Source: Ian Anderson


Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can be reached by land from the other UAE Emirates and from Oman at Al Ain. Airlines flying to Abu Dhabi (the city) include:
  • Star Alliance - EgyptAir, Lufthansa, Singapore, Thai, Turkish
  • Oneworld - British Airways, Royal Jordanian
  • Sky Team - KLM
  • Other Selected - Etihad, most Persian Gulf and Indian subcontinent airlines

TIP There are some fifth freedom flights between Abu Dhabi and other places in the Middle East, eg British Airways between Abu Dhabi and Muscat. These can be relatively inexpensive.

TIP It may be relatively cheaper to fly via Abu Dhabi with a stopover than to fly a simple round trip, whether on a paid ticket or an award ticket. For example Australia to Abu Dhabi is often not much less than Australia to Europe via Abu Dhabi.

TIP If visiting somewhere else in Middle East and flying on Etihad it is usually worthwhile on paid tickets to make the other place the destination with a stopover in Abu Dhabi. The cost is the same or very little extra compared with Abu Dhabi as destination. The opposite applies if flying other gulf airlines (ie if flying Gulf make Bahrain the stopover and Abu Dhabi the destination).

TIP On Star Alliance round the world tickets (which are mileage based) use a combination of Asian (eg Singapore) and European (eg Lufthansa) to visit Abu Dhabi and avoid high mileage wastage of back-tracking. On Oneworld round the world (continent based) tickets you can backtrack with British Airways (limit one visit to Middle East though). In both cases backtracking to Asia is not allowed because Middle East is in IATA TC area 2 and Asia is IATA TC area 3.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

How to get to | Mongolia

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.



Mongolia

Source: Wikimedia Commons

The Trans-Mongolian train runs between Beijing & Moscow via Ulan Batar, and there are also local trains from Beijing, Hohot and Irkutsk. Buses run from Ulan Ude in Russia to Ulan Batar. Airlines flying to Mongolia (all to Ulan Batar) include:
  • Star Alliance - Air China
  • Oneworld - Japan Airlines (charters)
  • Sky Team - Aeroflot, Korean
  • Other Selected - MIAT

TIP Land travel is slow, not only because of the great distances involved but also due to slow border crossings.

TIP The Japan Airlines charter flights are not available for use on frequent flyer awards or Oneworld alliance fares.

TIP For round the world travel, Sky Team is the easiest option with flights to both Europe and elsewhere in Asia.

TIP If visiting in summer, book flights well in advance. Especially for awards and discounted business class fares.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Emirates A380 business class

Source: Emirates


I recently got a chance to try Emirates business class on the A380, through the use of a nice mileage promotion. It has a different set-up to most seating configurations and I was keen to sample it. The layout is 1-1-1-1 in every second row and 1-2-1 in every other row, with each seat offset laterally from the seat in front. The picture above shows how it works - basically your legs fit underneath a wide tray and mini-bar of the seat in front.

This layout gives aisle access to every seat and ensures most business class passengers are not sitting close to any other passengers (the exception being middle seats in every 2nd row). However, it does mean less legroom than any other longhaul business class product and seat width is not great. The solid construction of the mini-suite is also quite confining and makes it seem that you have less seat space than you actually do.

I think the concept is good but I don't like the confined feeling, and legroom is a real problem if you are average or above average height. I certainly prefer Singapore Airlines "new" longhaul business seats (on A345, 77W and A380 aircraft) which has a similar set-up (feet into cubby of the seat in front and short pitch) but at least has plenty of room through the great width and much smaller seat walls.

Aisle seats have several inches more legroom than middle or window seats, and are less enclosing. The window seats are very private. Other than that there is not much difference in seating. The business class bar is at the rear of the second cabin and proximity to that may be a factor for some.

For the outer seats overhead bin space may be a problem on full flights - the bins are quite small and will not fit most rollaboards for example.

Service was okay. Food and drink were excellent as usual with Emirates. Disembarking can be slow since the crew wait until all of first class have left before allowing business class to go out - that is the drawback of having first and business class both on the upper deck. This contrasts to Qantas A380 which has first class at the front of the lower deck and business class at the front of the upper deck.

If Emirates' intention was to create a big difference in seat comfort between first and business class (a problem on some airlines as less people are prepared to pay for first when longhaul business class is so good), then they've succeeded in my view. However, if the opportunity arises again I think I'll choose a different aircraft type or airline, since I found the seats most uncomfortable.

Monday, September 14, 2009

How to get to | Tokelau

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.


Tokelau
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand located between Samoa and Hawaii, is difficult to reach. It is one of the least touristed places anywhere on earth. There are no airports or seaports. Other than private yacht, the only way to reach Tokelau is by taking a supply boat from Apia, Samoa.
TIP Allow plenty of time. The boat doesn't have a rigid schedule but is approximately once per week.
When swine flu first became widespread earlier in 2009, Tokelau imposed a 7 day quarantine on all arriving people.

Friday, September 11, 2009

War on Powders

As another anniversary of 9/11 rolls around, it is time for USA's TSA to announce yet another "security" initiative. Having failed to foil non-existant plots involving liquids, gels, aerosols and similar substances, a war on powders has now been declared. Watch out any flyers with bad dandruff!

While a TSA blog post has a very simple Q&A, there is no information on the main website other than a press release which is lacking in information. So people flying through or from USA beware - there are new requirements which you need to meet, effective now, but the public doesn't yet know what they are. Kinda makes it tough to comply with, doesn't it?

The move seems to be ill-thought out. We've already had at least one terminal shut-down due to a "suspicious" powder which was found to be harmless. Expect more, many more.

Some TSA staff have posted to Flyer Talk that suspicious powders will be tested at the security check-point. Somehow the logic fails me. Either a powder is completely safe (virtually all of them - when was the last time you heard of an aircraft explosion or hijacking due to powder?) and thus testing is a watse of time, or it is not. If it isn't safe then why endanger security staff and potentially hundreds of travellers at the checkpoint by opening up the container and taking a sample for testing on the spot? A bad guy wouldn't need to bring a bomb onboard, they could cause just as much havoc at a crowded airport terminal.

The way things are going, air travellers in USA may not be allowed to carry anything onboard, and be naked at the screening checkpoint. Sounds far fetched? Consider this - imaging technology already being used at several airports strips away clothing, we can't carry aboard liquids, we can't carry aboard aerosols, we can't carry aboard gels, we have some (as yet unknown) restrictions on powders. All that is left is (some) solids. The list of prohibited solids grows every year.

I despair of the future of travel in USA. TSA is so powerful and has a vested interest in keeping people scared and obtaining an ever growing role and budget. So far, no one in authority has the guts to say enough of the nonsense. What are the odds of an improvement by the next anniversary of 9/11?

Thursday, September 10, 2009

How to get to | Guatemala

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Guatemala

Source: Mike Baird

Visitors to Guatemala can arrive by ferry from Mexico, by bus from all neighbouring countries, or by air. Airlines flying to Guatemala include:
  • Star Alliance - Continental
  • Oneworld - American, Iberia, Mexicana
  • Sky Team - Delta
  • Other selected - most Central American airlines

TIP Some fares to Guatemala are common-rated with other Central American destinations. This means if there is a cheap fare advertised to say San Jose (Costa Rica) or Managua (Nicaragua) there may also be cheap fares to Guatemala City.

TIP The market is fairly competitive from many major US cities. When TACA has a sale other airlines typically match.

UPDATED November 2009 - Mexicana joins Oneworld and Continental switch from Sky Team to Star Alliance. No change to advice.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Taking advantage lower fares in other countries

One tip to saving money on travel (especially long-distance flying) is to shop around for cheaper starting points. Air fares from some countries can be markedly cheaper than other nearby (or not so nearby) countries, more than making up for any cost of extra positioning flights. It can be the difference between being able to afford business or first class or not, or being able to take an extra trip to travel more often.


For example, in general air fares from New Zealand are much cheaper than from Australia. I know several Australians that buy most of their trans-Tasman tickets from New Zealand, and also longhaul tickets to North America, Asia or Europe. The savings vary but can be 30% or more.


As alluded to above there are some considerations in doing this.


Extra travel time


Depending on the itinerary, starting from a lower fare country may not add any extra time, or add days to the trip. If the main ticket has to be issued in person (as opposed to being ticketed ahead of time) then you may need to add a day (and hotel costs) to allow the ticketing to be completed. This is less of an issue with e-tickets than the previous paper tickets, but can still be relevant in some situations.


If on a tight schedule this can be an issue.


Currency & fare movements


Unless you buy all the tickets at the same time there may be exposure to changes in fares and changes in exchange rates. Last year I booked a trip from Hong Kong with positioning flights on another ticket (I had an airline credit that was about to expire). By the time I was ready to ticket the main part of the trip the exchange rate had moved about 20% (in the wrong direction for me). I ended up ticketing that trip from Seoul and getting another ticket between Hong Kong and Seoul. There have been other instances where the currency &/or fare changes have been in my favour.


Repositioning issues


Having decided to buy air tickets from another country there is a choice in how to get there, in what I called open or closed repositioning.


Closed repositioning is the simplest, but may not be the cheapest or best option. Here a separate ticket to and from the lower cost place is purchased as a nested ticket. For example someone in UK may buy an around the world ticket from Sweden and buy a ticket to and from Sweden on suitable dates before and afterwards. Closed repositioning provides certainty - there is no exposure to a future high cost to return. This works well for infrequent longhaul travellers, for cases where the repositioning flights are relatively costly and where the exchange rate may be very volatile.


Open repositioning is more complex, and provides more options. This is where you buy a one-way ticket to get to the other country. The return is thus left open. The options are:

  • further tickets from the other country
  • routing through your home airport with throw away ticketing
  • at the end reposition to another cheap origin

If you have frequent travel then further tickets from the cheap country makes sense. For example someone based in Australia travelling to New Zealand frequently with known dates for each subsequent trip can keep buying tickets for New Zealand to Australia return with the flight(s) to Australia lining up to return home from one trip and the flight(s) back to New Zealand for the start of the next trip.

For more complicated itineraries the further tickets strategy may be slightly risky because you are exposed to fare increases and exchange rate changes. Some people I know used to book a series of around the world tickets from Cairo but then found the fares increased substantially.

Throw away ticketing is where you do not fly all the flights you have been booked on. It is commonly used by travellers to save money. The trick is to route your itinerary to pass through your home (or other convenient) airport near the end of the ticket and skip the last flight(s). Since you have not shown up for travel on a leg, the rest of the ticket is then invalid and cancelled. There is a risk with this approach, in that throw away ticketing is normally prohibited by the airline fare rules and/or contract of carriage. If you do this rarely they may not care. Do throw away ticketing too often, though, and they may pursue you for the fare difference between what you paid and the sum of the one way fares (much higher). In some cases this has gone to court, and in Europe at least, generally the traveller has been successful in preventing the airlines from recovering fare difference.


The other option is to be flexible and simply reposition for the next cheap place to buy tickets. Effectively this is what I did between Hong Kong and Seoul (see above). Sometimes the cost is low, and sometimes not. In my case I used an award to reposition because fares were too high.

Cost of repositioning

When deciding to use a cheaper country to buy tickets it is important to factor in the cost of repositioning. Even if repositioning flights are done using frequent flyer awards or airline credits there is still an opportunity cost in that the miles or credits could have been used for something else.

For closed repositioning the extra costs are known in advance. For open repositioning the extra costs can only be estimated.

Some frequent flyer programs are better than others for repositioning. The good ones are those with cheap one-way awards.

Enough already, where can I buy cheaper air fares?

Since fares and exchange rates vary all the time it is impossible to give a precise answer. However there are some general trends.

The biggest savings are on business and first class fares.

In the how to get to series of posts I give tips on countries with generally cheap short or longhaul fares compared with other nearby countries.

The alliance forums on FlyerTalk have useful information on the latest cheap countries to buy around the world tickets (these change all the time).

How to get to | Andorra

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Andorra
Source: Matthew Ross

The only ways to arrive at Andorra are hiking or cycling through the Pyrenees, driving or by bus. There is no airport or train. The most convenient bus routes are from Barcelona and Toulouse.

TIP Avoid arriving or departing on weekends, especially in the holiday season. From personal experience, the notoriety of their traffic jams is well deserved.
TIP Buses for Andorra depart directly from Toulouse and Barcelona airports.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

How to get to | Djibouti

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.




Djibouti

Source: Wikimedia Commons


There is no easy way to arrive and depart Djibouti. There is an infrequent train from Addis Ababa. Otherwise there are some bus/taxi services with neighbouring countries on an irregular schedule (generally less than daily). Very few airlines fly to Djibouti, and they include:
  • Star Alliance - none
  • Oneworld - none
  • Sky Team - Air France, Kenya Airways
  • Other selected - Djibouti Airlines, Ethiopian, Yemenia

TIP With few travellers and scarce flights, fares are high. Book early if using frequent flyer miles or a Sky Team around the world fare.

TIP A few airlines fly between Addis Ababa and Djibouti (city), which is the only route with meaningful competition.

TIP If travelling by land allow plenty of travel time as both trains and buses are very slow on poor tracks/roads.

Saturday, September 05, 2009

USA ESTA program fee

ESTA is the program for visitors from visa waiver countries to apply for entry to USA. Essentially it is a visa by all but name.

There is now a proposal to apply a US$10 fee to ESTA applications, supposedly to promote travel (source AP). Bah!

Friday, September 04, 2009

Buying your way to status on Air NZ

Air NZ Airpoints status credits can now be bought by using their partner Global Plus credit card. Every $250 spent (on anything) = 1 status credit. For qualification or requalification of a higher status level at least half the requirement must be earned from flights.

This means Star Alliance Gold can be bought for about NZ$100k in credit card spend + a handful of flights.

Good for small businesses and those who don't quite fly enough to meet the thresholds for elite status. Not so good for frequent flyers - lounges will be more crowded and preferred seats even harder to get.

Updated - requalification also must be at least half earned by flying.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Virgin America 20% discount code - free to a reader

Virgin America have given eleVAte members a transferrable discount code for 20% off. I can't use it so offer it to a reader. Please read the terms and conditions below, then if you can make good use of it please leave a comment as to why I should give it to you. Don't forget to leave some way for me to contact you. I'll pick someone next week.

Main terms

Can only be used on one ticket, for up to 9 people

Book by 29 September

Travel 2 September to 18 November OR 2 December to 16 December OR 6 January to 10 February

Not valid for first class

Only for new bookings

The fine print

* This offer ends at 11:59pm Pacific Time on 09.29.09. Promo code is valid for travel in Main Cabin and Main Cabin Select but excludes First Class. Travel must occur between 09.02.09 and 11.18.09, 12.02.09 to 12.16.09 or 01.06.10 to 02.10.10. Blackout dates do not apply. Promo code may be used only towards newly booked travel and may not be applied to prior bookings. Promo code discount will be deducted off of base fare. Promo code may not be redeemed for cash Promo code may only be used for bookings made on virginamerica.com and is only valid on itineraries of 9 or less. Seats are limited, subject to availability, and may not be available on all flights. If travel is changed to a date outside of this window or if itinerary is modified outside of the promo period, promo code discount will become inapplicable. Changes or cancellations can be made for a $50 fee if changes are made on Virgin America’s website or a $75 fee through all other channels including the call center and at the airport, plus any increase in fare if applicable. Tickets purchased from Virgin America through our reservation call center will cost an additional $15 per guest per itinerary. Any added cost associated with purchasing tickets from Virgin America through our reservation call centers will be non-refundable. Fares do not include Passenger Facility Charges of up to $9 each way, September 11th Security Fees of up to $5 each way and a Federal Segment Tax of $3.60 per domestic segment. A segment is a takeoff and landing. Fares will not be honored retroactively or in exchange for any wholly or partially used ticket. Fares are not applicable to check-through connecting flights for city pairs where direct flights are offered. For travel now to 09.09.09, Virgin America will accept one (1) piece of checked baggage up to 70 pounds for $15 for each ticketed guest. The fee per guest for each additional checked bag up to 50 pounds from the second (2) to the tenth (10) is $15. Additional fees apply to baggage exceeding these weight limitations, and other baggage restrictions may apply. Fares, routes, fees and schedules are subject to change without notice. For travel beginning 09.10.09, Virgin America will accept one (1) piece of checked baggage up to 70 pounds for $20 for each ticketed guest. The fee per guest for each additional checked bag up to 50 pounds from the second (2) to the tenth (10) is $20.


Update - the code has been given away to a reader, so I've closed comments on this post.

How to get to | Bangladesh

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Bangladesh

Source: Wikimedia Commons

You can arrive at Bangladesh by land (bus) from India or by air. Airlines flying to Bandladesh include:
  • Star Alliance - Singapore, Thai
  • Oneworld - Dragonair
  • Sky Team - China Southern
  • Other selected - Biman Bangladesh, most airlines from Persian Gulf and Indian subcontinent

TIP fares to/from Bangladesh tend to be high compared with India.

TIP check out fares to Malaysia, with flights to/from Bangladesh on low cost airline Air Asia.

TIP Bangladesh is tricky to include on an award ticket from Europe or a mileage based round the world ticket due to the absence of flights to/from Europe (other than Biman Bangladesh).

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

How to get to | Colombia

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the email me link at top right, or leave a comment.

Colombia

Source: Matthew Riche

While there are buses from all neighbouring countries (except Panama), most visitors arrive by air. Airlines flying to Colombia (mostly Bogota) include:
  • Star Alliance - Air Canada, Continental
  • Oneworld - American, Iberia, LAN, Mexicana
  • Sky Team - Air France, Delta
  • Other selected - Avianca, several Central and South American airlines

TIP Fares between Colombia and major cities in USA are relatively inexpensive compared to other routes to/from Colombia.

UPDATED November 2009 - Continental switch from Sky Team to Star Alliance.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

USA requires DOB & gender before you can fly

I wasn't intending to blog on this topic for a while longer, but a Travel Rants post by Kayt Sukel has encouraged me to write about it sooner.

In brief, the changes to Secure Flight (aka no fly list) are:

  • TSA requires date of birth and gender data (in addition to name, payment info, etc) for USA domestic flights as well as international flights to/from USA also.
  • Airlines send all the info to TSA before they can issue a boarding pass (even for online check in).
  • Passengers who do not match someone on the no fly list are permitted to obtain a boarding pass. Those who do "match" cannot check in.
In theory, the modified system should reduce the numbers of no fly false positives from many millions a year to a smaller (but still potentially very large) number.

In practice, the whole thing is a waste of time & money. In a previous post I explained why a no fly list is a nonsense as a security measure. Those reasons are still valid today - all that is changing is how it is being applied.

The changes do nothing for security. A terrorist who makes up a name or steals one from someone can just as easily take the date of birth too. By tweaking the process instead of making real improvements the no fly list is further entrenched in USA air travel.

It reminds me of when the liquids rules first came out. We were told it was better to be allowed to carry a small amount of liquids than not being allowed any liquids at all. Bah! Once the rule is in place it is near impossible to remove.

It is no secret that I am avoiding travel to/through USA (where it is practical to do so), mostly because of the security hassles and inconveniences. For the last few years I was averaging a trip to USA every month or so, but during 2009 I will have just a single 2 hour transit.

I wish Obama did pick Bruce Schneier for TSA director.

How long before we all have to supply DNA samples just to travel?