The holiday travel season is upon us, so the airlines will be overbooking flights like no other time of year. Add to that the unpredictability of weather this time of year and you’ve got both a recipe for disaster and for opportunity.

As a former VP of Sales, it’s fair to say I did a bit of traveling. So here are my top tips should you find yourself in a position to volunteer to be bumped from a flight. Keep in mind that if you do this, you will be inconvienced, and it can really suck. So make sure that you get enough to make it worth your while or… just don’t do it.
Read the rest of this entry »

There are several sites out there that are designed to help keep track of your travel rewards programs (Points.com, AwardWallet.com, etc.).

However, there is also some free software which might work better for folks who prefer to keep all of that personal information on their own laptop as opposed to some site out on the Internet which they have no control over.
Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t mean for this to sound insensitive, but… Great! Now every moron that decides to scribble a bomb threat on a napkin and leave it on a plane can ensure that the aviation industry cowers to their prank.
Read the rest of this entry »

Within the last two weeks American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, along with the cities of Dallas and Ft. Worth, have come to an agreement to basically repeal the Wright amendment – a law which has prevented Southwest from flying directly from Dallas to anywhere other than within Texas and a few border states.

This is a huge deal for anyone that ever flys in or out of the DFW area. Since American Airlines is based out of DFW International airport they have had a stranglehold on flights inter-state flights.

To give one example, when I was living in Maryland I could get a non-stop flight on Southwest from BWI for $200 round trip. But to go to Dallas on AA cost at least $300. And Dallas is actually a shorter flight!
Read the rest of this entry »

In January, 2006 Southwest Airlines rolled out a new capability that many people are unaware of. You can now check in via your Palm or Windows mobile device.

Just visit http://mobile.southwest.com and there are options for Flight Check-in and Cancel Check-in. Selecting the option to check-in will allow you to claim that coveted A boarding pass, although you’ll still have to stop by a kiosk or see an agent at the airport to print the physical boarding pass.
Read the rest of this entry »