How To Take A Wine-Tasting Tour

Whether you’re a wine-tasting newbie or an experienced wine-country traveler, there are many things you can do to enhance your experiences. Most of the following information applies to wine regions within the U.S. – some international wine destinations (France, for example) do not have the same “wine tourism” attitude we do in the states.

• Make some choices before you go. If this is your first trip to wine country, you might want to go to some of the big names – for example in Napa you might visit Mondavi, Sterling, and Beringer.
• Visit some smaller wineries. Even if you’re a wine-tasting newbie, take some time to visit several smaller wineries – at the smallest ones you’ll have a good chance that the winemaker/owner will be pouring in the tasting room, and you’ll have some great conversations.
• Make appointments. If there’s some place you really want to see (especially small wineries) make an appointment in advance.
• Don’t try to do too much each day. We find that three to four wineries in the morning, and another three or four in the afternoon, are generally more than enough.
• Buy some wine. Unless the wine just isn’t enjoyable, purchase at least one bottle of something you enjoyed at the tasting room. It will probably taste even better at home.
• Don’t be afraid to pour. Even the small tasting amounts can add up. You’re there for wine tasting, not wine drinking. The pour bucket is totally acceptable to use.
• There are no “bad” wines. A wine might not be to your tastes, but don’t say, “that’s awful.” If you need to express a negative opinion, just say that the wine isn’t your style.
• Not all wineries charge. Most smaller wineries – and ones in smaller regions – do not charge for wine tasting. In our recent travels, we’ve seldom been charged for wine tasting. But...
• Be prepared to pay. Many wineries, especially in Napa, now do charge for tasting. Some apply the tasting fee to purchases, others don’t. Also in Napa, be prepared for the “Disneyland” experience – at some big and popular wineries, it’s now become industrial tourism, with complimentary souvenir tasting glasses (after you just paid $10 for tasting), huge cheese and gift shops, and tour busses lined up outside.
• For the big wineries, go early. And at any time of day, if there’s a tour bus in the parking lot, go elsewhere, fast.
• Take a tour or two. We’d suggest taking one “big” winery tour, and a smaller one. On a recent trip to California, Washington, and Oregon, our big tour was at Benziger in Glen Ellen (Sonoma Valley), where the 45-minute tour goes through the vineyards, the production facility, and the cellars, ending with a tasting. Our small tour was just the two of us (the other three guests were late), at Mayacamas (outside Napa Valley) where we witnessed what winemaking was like a half century ago – not much has changed, and that’s all for the best. Note that the small Mayacamas tour and tasting was free, and the big Benziger had a charge. Both were excellent tours, nonetheless.
• Explore not just smaller wineries, but smaller regions. On that recent trip, we found several good wineries outside Hood River, Oregon, and wanted to spend a lot more time at the wineries in Amador County in the Sierra Foothills.
• Be enthusiastic and appreciative. You just might be offered a special wine, or be offered to taste the whole tasting list, rather than just the limit of four (or however many) for free.

Outside B.R. Cohn winery, Sonoma

Flying vs. Driving

Several recent surveys seem to indicate that many vacationers are forgoing flying – choosing to drive instead, even considering gas prices. So we thought we’d do a quick back-of-the-napkin comparison.

Say you’re planning a week or longer leisure trip along the west coast, and weighing the costs of flying versus driving. Let’s pretend it’s 800 miles one way – far enough that it’s a two-day drive, compared to a one-stop flight (which, of course, will take all of a day each way, with diving to the airport, security, plane change, and car rental time). If you can afford the extra day each way, here’s our very simple breakdown:

AIR
Cheap flight $300 each, x 2 for a couple = $600
Cheap car rental = $540
Airport parking $10/day x 7 days = $70
Total for transportation legs = $1,210

CAR
Gas at $4.50/gallon = $450
Lodging at $150/night x 2 nights = $300
Breakfast & dinner on the road x 2 = $120
Total for transportation legs = $870

So, for $340 less, but two extra days, you get to take your golf clubs, lots of luggage, and bring home cases of wine or gourmet foods.

If you’re a family, those extra airfares for the rest of the family send this comparison out the (car) window. As will extra-baggage fees if you want to travel with the luxuries you can stuff in your car for free. And if you want to upgrade to a decent car.

You don’t have to take your shoes off to go through security to get to your car. You can snack as you want (better and cheaper, too). You can still feel your butt even after a day of driving because you can stop to stretch and move around. If you have pets and can find pet-friendly lodging, you can take the critters and save on kennel costs.

You (probably) won’t be made to feel like a criminal by the U.S. government (TSA). You’ll see some incredible scenery along the way.

Finally, the cheap $300 airfare example we’ve used may soon be a thing of the past. Is it surprising that the U.S. airline industry is in deep trouble?

Mt. Shasta, California

Premium Economy Updates

It looks like Singapore Airlines is phasing out its Executive Economy seating on the LA and New York to Singapore flights.

United has begun selling their Economy Plus upgrade at time of online ticket purchase.

And add British Airways’ Open Skies New York-to-Paris subsidiary airline to the list of those offering premium economy seating.

We wrote more about premium economy offerings here and here.

Car Rental Insurance with American Express Cards

In the never-ending battle against car-rental ripoffs, here’s another tool to consider.

American Express offers a $19.95 car rental insurance policy that is primary rental insurance. Insurance provided by all other credit cards (except Diners) is secondary – in other words, the credit-card insurance only kicks in after you’ve gone through your personal auto insurance provider to try to resolve the issue. The Amex policy is valid anywhere in the world except in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, or New Zealand (which is typical with most credit-card car-rental insurance coverage).

(There are some slightly different coverages and options, depending on what state you live in. See the Amex site.)

The Amex coverage is for the entire rental period (for up to 42 days), not per day. This seems like a cheap way to give yourself an additional layer of protection, especially if you’re a leisure traveler who rents a few times a year for longer periods (rather than a business traveler renting for a day or two many times a year). You are required to register your Amex card, but there are no charges until you reserve and pay for your rental with your Amex card.

America On Sale: International Visitors Still Coming

We’re trying to understand the news from the U.S. Dept of Commerce that international visitors to the U.S. increased 13 percent in January and February 2008 over the previous year. Some specific numbers are:

• UK up 11%
• Russia up 20%
• Canada up 24%
• Germany up 24%
• France up 22%
• Italy up 17%
• Netherlands up 17%
• Spain up 22%
• South Korea up 9%
• China up 22%
• India up 13%
• Australia up 8%
• Brazil up 22%
• (a lot more numbers are available on the Commerce website)

Why? The U.S. government continues to make obtaining a visa harder and harder. The politicos spend endless hours thumping their chests about border fences and immigration. The TSA makes every aspect of the air travel experience more dreadful every day.

Yes, America is obviously “on sale,” with the weak dollar making everyone else’s money worth more. We could understand it if the increases were just from Europeans: snow in Europe was so bad last winter that these could all be skiers coming to the U.S. for some decent snow. Yet for other visitors, why January and February anyway? Traditionally, international tourism to the U.S. has peaked in summer and fall, so what’s in store for this summer season? Maybe gasoline sticker-shock will change that picture.

Or is it just that money always wins? “We want it all and we want it now and we want it cheap.” The rest of the world is becoming more wealthy, and not just because of the dollar’s decline. Asians, Eastern Europeans, South Americans are wanting the luxuries that increased personal wealth brings – cars, toys, homes, travel. Combined with America On Sale... If that is the case, then America has won the world. Our values (money trumps everything else) are now universal.

This is a fabulous country to visit, and international tourists bring many more things to the U.S. than just their money. They enrich our cultural understanding of the rest of the world, and might even make some Americans less protectionist and isolationist. We’re happily surprised, but nonetheless, still surprised.

U.S. Credit Cards Accepted Internationally

If you’re traveling internationally, you’ll invariably take a couple of credit cards. The two “usual suspects” – Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted (in our experience, Visa somewhat more so, yet one hotel in eastern Europe accepted MasterCard but not Visa). American Express is accepted much less frequently, but will usually be taken at major car-rental agencies, large hotel chains, airlines, and high-end restaurants, especially in larger cities. Discover is accepted (depending on merchant) in Canada, Mexico, most of the Caribbean and Central America, China (on the UnionPay network), and Japan (on the JCB network), but still less often than Visa or MasterCard. (Update: The Discover/JCB/China Unionpay integration is apparently not yet complete.) Discover is not accepted in Europe or anywhere else in the world. The JCB card – available to residents of some U.S. states – is becoming more widely accepted in Europe and has a large presence in Asia, especially Japan. (JCB cards can also be used in the U.S. on the Discover network. But, integration with all Discover merchants has not yet been completed.) Finally, your Diners Club card is now a MasterCard, and will be accepted anywhere MasterCard is taken. (Discover recently purchased Diners, and their card options may change in the future.)

Package Shipping

Not only is checked luggage a time-consuming hassle, but now it’s getting more and more expensive. American Airlines just instituted a $15 charge to check even one bag. Most airlines have adopted a $25 charge for a second bag. Our suggestion is to ship it. If you absolutely need more than your carry-on bag, consider UPS, FedEx, or the Post Office. Several articles and blogs have claimed it’s too expensive – $200 for next-day shipping – but why should you need it next day? Send it ahead to your hotel or friends a week in advance. For a 50-pound package from coast to coast (and if you can’t get everything you need in a 50-pound box, you might just as well stay home), UPS charges $59 (8 days), Post Office $44 (7 days), FedEx Ground $51 (5 days). We’ve strongly suggested that you travel light, and the new airline fees makes us even more inclined to do so. The airlines are tacking on fees (baggage fees, change fees, phone-booking fees, in-flight food fees) in desperate hopes of raising revenue by nickels and dimes, and annoying travellers in the process. Pack a sturdy cardboard box with clothes and essentials, and ship it ahead. Buy your shampoo and toothpaste on arrival. Beat the airlines at their silly games.

Airlines Offering No-Annual-Fee Credit Cards

In our continuing short series (see our previous posts about sign-up bonus miles for U.S. and international airlines’ frequent flyer credit cards), here is a current list of airlines that offer a no-annual-fee card. This is different from a card that promises no annual fees for the first year, but then (unless you cancel the card) institutes an annual fee thereafter. As we’ve said before, we don’t think that we’ll ever again chose to pay an annual fee for a credit card, but you should decide for yourself. Some of the cards listed below may even offer a sign-up mileage bonus (less than that offered for the annual-fee cards), and most will only earn miles at 1 mile per $2 spending (vs. 1-to-1 for the fee cards). Still, these cards may be useful depending on how often you fly an airline, or if you just want to occasionally charge something to the card to keep a mileage balance current. You might also consider acquiring the annual-fee card for the first year (if it’s offered free that first year), and then calling to switch to the no-fee card just before your first year is up – we’ve had success doing this with both United and USAir (as we wanted to keep a card for those airlines).

Also note that with the state of the airline industry, some of these card offerings (and some of the airlines themselves) may disappear. For example, we know that some time ago Continental offered a no-fee card, but we’re not able to find that offer anymore. And as we write this, Frontier is in bankruptcy but still flying. If they go under, you can kiss goodbye any miles acquired from any source – including from the credit card.

Airlines offering no-annual-fee credit cards:

• American
• United
• USAir
• Midwest
• AirTran
• Frontier
• IcelandAir
• China Air
• Korean Air

Kansas Déjà Vu All Over Again

Seems like the state of Kansas has got a patented mojo working. First there were the 8 Wonders of Kansas, with nominations and voting and awards. Now, we have the 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture. At some point, this gets kind of tedious. Will we soon have the 8 Wonders of Kansas Cheeseburgers? The 8 Wonders of Kansas Prairie Potholes? The 8 Wonders of Kansas Shopping Malls?

So we promise, for the last time, we’ll note that Kansas is on a PR roll. If you’re curious about the finalists for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture, visit kansassampler.org.

International Airline Frequent Flyer Credit Card Bonuses

Here are the current (as of May 12, 2008) bonus offers for international airline frequent-flyer credit cards. The cards listed below are apparently available to U.S. residents. Generally, if we don’t list an airline, it’s because it doesn’t appear to offer a U.S. card or the information is unavailable. The cards offered by these airlines may be Visa, MasterCard, or American Express cards. As mentioned in our previous post about U.S. frequent-flyer credit cards, we suggest you visit Free Frequent Flyer Miles for a lot more info about airline frequent-flyer credit cards.

Some of these offers may be buried on sub-pages of the airlines’ websites. The terms and conditions may be different (such as only getting bonus miles if you fly within a certain time period, etc.) from typical terms you’ve come to expect for U.S. airlines cards. Most of these cards have annual fees (although at least one we know of, IcelandAir, offers a no-annual-fee card, but with lower bonus miles). Read everything carefully if you’re interested in any of these frequent-flyer credit cards. From what we can see, these are all typical U.S. bank credit cards – none are the up-and-coming international standard “chip & pin” cards. Note also that some international airlines value miles and reward flights differently than do the majority of U.S. airlines.

• British Airways - 20,000
• Lufthansa - 20,000
• Korean Airlines - 15,000
• IcelandAir - 10,000
• China Airlines - 7,500
• Asiana Airlines - 5,000
• ANA - 5,000
• Mexicana - free companion ticket

You WILL Be Paying Higher Airfares

“...no airplane was ever designed to make a profit with jet fuel at these prices, and no carrier has figured out a way to charge enough to make up the difference.”

That is from a fascinating article in the current (May 12) issue of Fortune magazine. The author, Barney Gimbel (quoted above), is interviewing American Airlines CEO Gerard Arpey, and discussing the state of the industry.

The article talks of airline mergers (a mixed bag, but the Delta/Northwest merger isn’t viewed favorably); ticket pricing; extra fees and charges; competition (especially Southwest); and, most significantly, oil prices. “[Jamie Baker] J.P. Morgan analyst, thinks that at current fuel prices the industry needs to shrink as much as 20%.”

At jet fuel prices of $2.74 per gallon (when the article was written), American’s cost to fly one seat one mile increased 29% in one year. “The problem? The market allowed fares to go up only 5%.”

The final sad commentary comes from Arpey himself. “‘There is no business,’ he said, ‘that can go on forever selling its product for less than the cost to produce it.’”

"Who Flies Where" Airline Search Tool - jetnav

We’re always looking for better flight-planning tools, and we’ve been searching for the best “Who Flies Where” website. Although we frequently use ITA Software, its matrix results are sometimes too detailed, especially when we haven’t even begun price shopping.

The UK site jetnav.co.uk seems to offer a good Who Flies Where tool. In our rather limited tests, it shows more airlines than ITA does (ITA doesn’t show Southwest or easyJet, for example). Another thing we like about jetnav is that although you have to plug in dates, the results show what days a flight operates.

Since jetnav doesn’t list prices, the results are displayed by flight times (great for planning), and the endless combinations in ITA are simplified or eliminated. For example, jetnav showed all airlines offering Spokane, Washington (GEG) to Durango, Colorado (DRO) and showed “20 outward flights and 15 return flights,” while ITA had a staggering 500 combinations for the same city pair. ITA too often shows “United [or whatever] and other airlines” without showing what those other airlines are. jetnav’s results show both airlines of a combination. When we’re just trying to find what airlines fly from A to B, jetnav offers simpler results.

jetnav does seem slow for some of its searches from little airport to little airport, and for flights of more than one stop. And on an intentionally obscure search (FIH to BKK – Kinshasa, Congo, to Bangkok, Thailand) jetnav only showed one flight on Ethiopian Airlines, while ITA showed one-stops on Air France, South African, and Thai. Conversely, on a Stansted, London (STA) to Prague (PRG) routing, ITA showed a ridiculous one-stop on “Delta” which turned out to be an American flight from London to New York, and then a Delta flight from New York back to Prague. We’re glad that jetnav didn’t bother to show that one, yet did show all other airlines on that route.

This looks like a promising tool – we’ll continue testing.

All Electronic Tickets Coming June 1

According to Breaking Travel News, a large Australian travel agency (Flight Centre Limited) is concerned about the impending June 1 death of the paper ticket and the switch to all-electronic airline ticketing. There has been nary a peep from the U.S. media about the switch, yet Flight Centre makes some interesting points, including:

“...significant issues had not been resolved in relation to: Customers travelling with infants, as most carriers would not allow infants to travel on e-tickets; Some codeshare and interline fares involving more than one carrier; Some round-the-world fares.”

We’re not sure how much – if any – impact there will be for U.S. air travelers, but in today’s aviation environment, anything that throws a wrench in the system can have cascading effects down the line.

Airline Credit Card Mileage Bonuses

There’s always a lot of interest regarding airline frequent-flyer-mile credit cards, so we thought we’d present a wrap-up of current bonuses for signing up for various airline credit cards. These may be MasterCard, Visa, or American Express offers. Most waive annual fees (usually in the $75-per-year range) the first year. There may be a spending requirement over a certain time period to receive these miles. It’s up to you to decide if applying for new credit is worthwhile, and if you want to pay any annual fees (should you choose to keep the card).

In general, we find the best source for more detailed information about frequent-flyer credit cards is at Free Frequent Flyer Miles.

Here are the bonuses advertised on various U.S. airlines’ websites as of May 7, 2008.

Many international carriers also offer mileage credit cards, and we will research those soon and post their current offers.

• American - 25,000
• USAir - 25,000
• United - 21,000
• Continental - 20,000
• Hawaiian - 20,000
  
• Alaska - 20,000
• Delta - 17,500
• Northwest - 15,000
• Spirit - 15,000
  
• Frontier - 15,000
• Southwest - 8 credits
• Airtran - 8 credits
• JetBlue - 50 points
  

Stress-Free Travel Tips

We’ve reached the point where we want our travels to be fun, enlightening, relaxing, invigorating, and EASY. Stress is not on our list – in life or in travel. We want our travel adventures to be ones we plan, not ones that result when rural bus schedules change in third-world countries. Sure, things out of our control will happen – they always do. But we can do things to minimize the challenges of travel. Here are our ideas for reducing travel stress.

Plan Ahead
Make as many reservations in advance as possible. Especially for your first night or two of lodging, and for any car-rental, train, air, or other major transportation. Keep copies of all reservations and receipts.

Travel Light
We’ve said it, other commentators have said it, but few of us travel light enough. If any time on your last few trips you found yourself wishing for less crap to lug around, make a vow to travel only with a 20-pound carry-on next trip. Try it.

Be Flexible
If something doesn’t work out as planned, let it go. If your train schedule changes, call ahead to change your hotel reservation – but don’t worry about it. Aside from losing a passport or credit card, or having a major injury, most challenges aren’t worth worrying about.

Get Exercise & Get Rest
Don’t rush from place to place – take time to smell the croissants. Conversely, exercise every day – walk, swim, hit the hotel gym. But not obsessively. Mostly just walk as much as possible – walking is stress-relieving, as well as a great way to see and interact with locals.

Eat, Drink, and Enjoy
Life is meant to be lived. Linger over dinner and wine. Get up late. Take a picnic to a park and sit and read. Don’t become obsessed with capturing the sunset photo or making the 8 o’clock performance. Have another glass of that wonderful digestif instead.

Money Matters
Don’t be so cheap that you feel you’re depriving yourself. You’ve spent probably thousands on just getting where you are – allow yourself a few hundred for treasures. Don’t worry about bargaining a vendor down from 25 cents to 20 cents. As for money itself, rely on credit cards as much as possible, and use ATMs for local currency.

Mobile Communications
Take that international cell phone so you can call ahead to change reservations. And consider not giving the number to your friends at home. If something happens while you’re traveling, there isn’t much you can do about it from 3,000 miles away. Life works itself out. Use that cell phone for your convenience, not someone else’s. Likewise, stay off the internet as much as possible. Ditch the email, your blog, and web surfing as entertainment.

Leave Lots of Time Between Connections
Nothing, absolutely nothing, stresses your composure more than running across a train platform while towing a large suitcase behind you and having another two bags smacking you on the back.

Don’t Rely on (Probably Outdated) Guidebooks
Use those guidebooks mostly before you travel, to get general ideas about the “How To” of travel to a destination. At your destination, avoid the places listed in the guidebooks (especially lodging and dining), except for the “big stuff” you just have to see (Angkor Wat, the Tower of London, the Great Wall, the Eiffel Tower).

Hyatt’s a Riot

From our “Did anyone ask the marketing department?” files. Hyatt Hotels has a new “online travel community” called yatt’it. The company has put a trademark symbol after yatt’it, but they really needn’t have bothered – no one is going to infringe on that name. We’ve done brand marketing for dozens of companies, and have seldom seen names as dreadful as yatt’it. Oh, wait, we get it. They didn’t have to “talk to the marketing department” because this is from either the public relations department, or (from the sound of the name) was a Texas second-grade class project.

On the site, there are travel tips from “Gold Passport Members, Hyatt Concierges, and Frommer’s.” But it gets us rather suspicious when “Member” tips with high votes are posted by folks with screen names like Hyatthound and hyattleo. This is nothing more than a Hyatt PR feel-good site – if you have any doubt, read the Posting Rules section. Don’t say anything critical.

Aside from the dreadful name, we really don’t know why anyone would either visit the site looking for self-serving “tips” or bother to contribute. If you’re curious anyway, visit yattit.com.

More Premium Economy Offerings

Air France will reportedly be adding a Premium Economy class to their long-haul flights over the next year and a half. The seats are said to have 38 inches of pitch (typical economy seats are 31-32, depending on airline), and will have extra in-air amenities. The seats will be installed on all long-haul aircraft (including the new Airbus A380) except for the 747s, which are being phased out.

Other airlines are possibly jumping on this trend also. A good overall Premium Economy wrap-up article is on the (UK) Business Traveler website, which mentions that Air New Zealand, Qantas, British Air, KLM, bmi, JAL, and several other airlines are planning to either add or expand their Premium Economy product.

If, like us, you enjoy a bit of extra comfort short of a full-on business-class price, this is a welcome development.

More Homeland Insecurity Idiocy

From the "If it weren’t so frightening, this would be so funny" department. Quoting a Yahoo Travel News article, headlined: To Stave Off Terror, Feds Issue Safety Strategy For Boaters

“As boating season approaches, the Bush administration wants to enlist the country’s 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the country's 95,000 miles of coastline and inland waterways.

“According to an April 23 intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press, ‘The use of a small boat as a weapon is likely to remain al-Qaida's weapon of choice in the maritime environment, given its ease in arming and deploying, low cost, and record of success.’

“The millions of humble dinghies, fishing boats and smaller cargo ships that ply America's waterways are not nationally regulated as they buzz around ports, oil tankers, power plants and other potential terrorist targets.”

What a sad commentary on our government – not just the Bush administration, which is so zealous in this regard, but any administration in today’s world, when no one can be perceived as being soft on terror. Witness the idiocy about flag lapel pins during the recent Democratic debate.

Any 12-year-old can tell you that airport screening is a theatrical joke – we don’t catch terrorists by wanding grandmothers at the Boise airport. And we don’t catch terrorists by having the “80 million recreational boaters” in the U.S. play cowboy on the water.

It seems like every initiative coming from the Department of Homeland Insecurity is a Wag The Dog moment. Fingerprinting foreign visitors when they leave the U.S. Harassing chicken farmers. Devising toy X-ray machines for children. George Orwell was right. There is probably no hope for us to ever return to sanity and normalcy. But maybe that’s exactly how our elected politicians want it.

Defending our coastlines

Joe Sharkey's Blog

We’re adding a new favorite Big-Ass-Opinion blogger to our list. Joe Sharkey, on his blog Joe Sharkey At Large, really says it like it is (or how he feels it is). We especially love his skewering of other (usually traditional print) media for their frequently inane and un-researched comments. He posts whenever it’s warranted – daily, weekly, or several times a day. If you like your travel news with a BIG dose of attitude (informed, nonetheless), not some MTV sound-bite journalism, visit Joe’s blog. We come from a traditional print media background, and have seen both the glory and the crap coming out of print and TV these days.

Euro Low-Cost Airlines

It’s not just here in the U.S. that airlines are struggling. Reuters reports that Francois Bacchetta, managing director of easyJet France, predicts that of the roughly 50 low-cost European carriers, only four will survive the competitive environment considering current fuel prices. (LowCostAirlinesEurope.org counts 60 carriers.) Bacchetta said that if easyJet currently passed along fuel surcharges, the airline would need to “raise ticket prices by 10 percent ... and our payload factor would fall from 85 percent to 60 percent. Our whole low-cost business model would be thrown into question.” Of course, Bacchetta says that easyJet will be one of the four survivors. If this type of scenario turns out to be the case, it could be back to the trains (which are getting faster, are electric, and getting more competitive every day). If you’re planning European travel, and you give any credence to this report, to keep from disrupting your travel plans consider booking these types of flights at the last minute and always using a credit card.
(A tip of the hat to Online Travel Review for this lead.)

Government Bureaucracy Wins Again

The 102-year-old Verkamp’s Curios store on the south rim of the Grand Canyon will close this year. According to an AP story reported on Yahoo Travel, the store’s owners are finally giving in to “bureaucratic process fatigue. There’s just so many hoops to do what you’ve always been doing,” said Susie Verkamp, the 60-year-old granddaughter of store founder John George Verkamp. “It kind of wears you out.” The National Park Service has purchased the building, and Superintendent Steve Martin said the structure may be used as a visitor center or a history museum.

Trying to Understand Southwest Airlines

We really, really would appreciate it if anyone could explain Southwest Airlines to us. Every time we check a Southwest fare, it’s more expensive than one of the Big 6 (5? 4?). There’s no assigned seating. And for anything more than a hop from Albuquerque to St. Louis (and why would we want to do that?) the routings usually seem to make more stops than the Big Guys do. (And Southwest doesn’t even tell you what the stops are, unless it includes a plane change.) What’s keeping them going? Is this just a cult thing that we simply don’t understand? Or are there truly some fares that are significantly cheaper and actually offer better routing? SeatGuru tells us that seat pitch is 32-33 inches and width 17 inches (most U.S. airlines flying similar aircraft – 737s – are 31-32 inches), so there may be 1 inch more leg room. Whee. There’s no video, audio, or other entertainment, even on Southwest’s longest flights. Obviously, we’re planning more domestic travel, and again for some reason we looked into Southwest. We just don’t get it.

US Air's New Seat Charges

It’s kinda hard to agree with two divergent points of view at the same time.... but we’re gonna try.

Upgrade: Travel Better seems to seriously dislike US Air’s new “pay-more-for-nothing-special-extra” seats at the front of the plane. We’re talking up-front economy seats at windows and aisles. From the Upgrade blog: “US Airways, dead-set on reminding Americans why they should dislike air travel with a passion, and insistent on making the movement from point A to point B just a smidge tackier... These aren’t perks. There’s no extra legroom.” Which we wholeheartedly agree with.

Cranky Flier feels that the extra $5-30 for a “better” seat is a decent idea, and considers that “It’s all about paying extra for added value these days.” Which we wholeheartedly agree with.

It’s cheap and mean-spirited. Yet it’s also something we’ve espoused – the willingness to pay more for a better product.

Retrospective Book Review – Europe on $25 A Day

There has been so much news lately about airline failures and mergers, we thought we’d do something fun and different. A few nights ago we pulled another old travel book off our shelf – Europe On $25 A Day. (Yes, we know the “original” was $5, but we weren’t travel aware when that book came out. So, this was one of our first budget-travel guidebooks.)

This 1985 edition of Arthur Frommer’s famous work (his photo is still on the back cover) is truly fun from a historical perspective. The book deals almost exclusively with the great cities of Europe – London, Paris, Vienna, and many more. Still, it doesn’t neglect Greece and Scandinavia, and does have several introductory sections on planning and logistics.

We were especially fond of material such as that about making reservations in advance: “...the cost of conducting an air-mail correspondence over reservations is a relatively heavy one...” The section on bathrooms in the room (now called “en-suite”) was also pretty fun to re-read. And given the budget profile, the $25 per day was to include “hotel[s] for from $12-14 per person..., breakfast for $2, lunch for $3.50, dinner for $5.” And The Big Splurge section revealed “the whereabouts of ‘luxurious’ meals that may run as high as $7 to $10.”

Despite the prices and other obvious changes over time, the few maps in the book are still usable – Europe hadn’t changed all that much physically (except for the wars) for several hundred years before the book was published, so it’s unlikely it has changed much in the 20-odd years since. No photos, but the words make up for it.

Find a used bookstore, pick up a copy of any of the old Frommer’s Euro guides, and read the sections of places you’ve recently visited. We guarantee you’ll be entertained.

Chase Freedom Visa Points to Airline Miles

We’ve written that the Chase Freedom Visa is a 3% cash reward card (on up to $600 in spending per month, then it goes down to 1%). An interesting feature of the card is that you can convert your cash rebates to points (and vice versa, once per billing cycle). One use of the points is that they can be converted to United or Continental airline miles at the rate of 6,000 points for 5,000 miles.

Doing the math (which we were admittedly never very good at), the maximum you can annually earn at the 3% rate is $216, but you get a $50 bonus if you wait to redeem until you have at least $200 in rebates (instead of in smaller increments), thus giving you $266. With the miles-to-points conversion, you could switch to 21,600 Freedom points per year, which would convert to 18,000 United or Continental miles. Either way, the cash or points come from $7,200 in spending per year. (This is all assuming you just charge up to $7,200 for the 3% maximum, and then switch to another card or live with 1%.)

For comparison, $7,200 in spending on a United Visa or Continental MasterCard would get you.... 7,200 miles. Plus, the airline cards have annual fees (the Freedom card has no annual fee).

Hmmm, let’s see....

• $266 cash (with the Freedom card cash rebate)
• 18,000 United/Continental miles (with the Freedom card points)
• 7,200 United/Continental miles (with an airline card)

We’d certainly chose to go for the cash over 7,200 airline miles from an airline card. (That represents $798 in cash before we’d even get to the level of a 25,000-mile economy ticket with an airline card.) And we’d be on the fence comparing $266 to 18,000 miles. But it gets interesting when you consider upgrades. If you want to get out of the cheap seats, those 18K miles can be as much as halfway toward a round-trip upgrade seat (for example, depending on fare class, United’s round-trip international upgrades are 30,000 or 60,000 miles). Comparing an economy seat at $1,200 (for a random-date DEN-LHR flight) to a $4,000 business-class seat, those 18,000 miles could be “worth” from $700-$1,400. That might be a worthwhile deal.

The final benefit we see regards what we touched on just recently – what happens if your airline goes under and you lose your miles? By leaving points in the Freedom program until you want to transfer them (they do have an expiration, but it seems to be 3-5 years from when earned), you’ll have another way to preserve your miles. And you can always switch to the cash reward if the Freedom points are getting close to expiring.

Of course, this type of credit-card juggling (using one card for some things, up to spending limits, other cards for different purchases) can be a pain. But the reward side can be pretty attractive.

bmi's Boss Has an Opinion

We generally love it when a CEO puts his or her mouth on the line. This quote from bmi airline’s boss, as reported on Breaking Travel News, isn’t some trite mumbo-jumbo from a PR flak. The quote is in response to news that British Airways (BA) will delay moving its long-haul flights to London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 until June. (BAA is Heathrow’s operator.)

Nigel Turner, bmi chief executive officer, said: “It is an absolutely outrageous announcement by BAA and done with no thought, consideration or consultation of any other airline other than BA. The sequence of moves affects over 50 airlines, including bmi, at Heathrow. The programme and timescale of changes was agreed in joint consultation with all airlines that are now geared up to undertake the moves as agreed.

“BAA and BA have shown a total disregard for all other airlines and their passengers at Heathrow in coming to this decision because of their own shortcomings and their inability to implement an agreed plan.

“BA through their mismanagement of the move to Terminal 5 will materially disadvantage all other airlines at Heathrow whilst BAA, through their perverse regulatory system, will actually benefit financially. The UK is once again a laughing stock

“This is yet another clear example of BAA treating airlines and passengers with contempt and no consideration whatsoever to a consultation process that took some considerable time to achieve an acceptable programme of terminal moves.”

Rethinking Mileage Credit Cards

With the recent wave of airline bankruptcies (Frontier) and shutdowns (Aloha, Skybus, ATA), you may be wondering what could happen to your frequent flyer miles. Most likely, if the airline stops operating, your miles go with them. (A bankruptcy such as Frontier’s generally means the business continues operation while they straighten out their financial situation. As long as they’re still flying, your miles should be OK. For awhile.)

There are two significant types of frequent flyer miles (although in nearly all cases, both types go into the same bucket). First are miles you earn by flying (which, incidentally, also count toward elite status with that airline, but that’s another topic). Second are miles you earn elsewhere, primarily with credit-card spending. For actual flight miles, the only way to hopefully “preserve” your miles is by affiliating with an airline which you hope will stay in business. Also by not hoarding miles but using them as much as possible. But credit card miles are discretionary. You can choose to use a Delta American Express, a United Visa, or any of the other airlines’ credit card partners. (As an added incentive, with an airline card there’s usually a big mileage bonus for signing up for the card.) But, those miles are dumped into your Delta or United or whatever account, just like flight miles. So if the airline folds, kiss your miles goodbye.

One alternative is to not even worry about miles from credit cards. There are many cash-back credit cards, some offering up to 3-5% on certain purchases. Percentage-wise, that may be a better deal than one-mile-for-one-dollar on your United Visa (depending on how you value your miles).

The second alternative is to use a payback-type system. Cards like Capital One, Merrill+ Rewards, or the American Express FreedomPass card accrue fake “miles” that can be redeemed for any travel purchase. Most offer about 1% back and most can be had for no annual fee. (We recently reported on a Capital One MasterCard which offers 2% back and has a $39 annual fee.)

Thirdly, if you want other types of travel awards, consider a hotel-affiliated credit card. We’ve used the Hilton American Express card (no annual fee) for years, and have accumulated a lot more Hilton points than we’ve used for stays at Hilton hotels. We’ve also heard many good things about the Starwood Amex card ($45 annual fee). Many of these cards have some sort of transfer program with various airlines, but generally at no better than a 1-to-1 ratio. The benefit of this system is that you hold your miles/points in a program which isn’t tied to a particular airline, yet can transfer points to certain airlines as needed. So unless the hotel chain goes under (much less likely) your points should stay valid. And if you use the hotel points in these programs for actual hotel stays, your “value” may be a lot higher than a 2% airline equivalent or a 3% cash-back program.

Finally, there are the proprietary systems such as the American Express Rewards or Diners Club programs. These, also, generally offer transfers into various airline programs, but most of these cards have significantly higher annual fees ($95-$350, for example) than even the airline’s branded credit cards (which are generally $50-90 per year). Most of the Amex/Diners programs also offer other perks to cardholders, but while the perks may make the annual fee acceptable, that’s beyond the scope of this article.

With any of the non-airline programs, the benefit is that you’ll keep at least some of your “miles” should the airline go bust. The miles already in the airline program might disappear, but you’ll still have some miles in the bank/hotel/card program for future travel. Personally, we go back-and-forth, back-and-forth. We’ve changed our thinking on this more than we care to admit. But in today’s environment, we believe that: 1) we’ll never pay an annual fee again (unless there is some big “other” benefit to the card); 2) we’ll consider carefully what airlines we choose to dump credit-card miles into (and then only if we can get the airline credit card for free); 3) we’ll use a cash-back credit card if we can get 3% or better; 4) we’ll only use a no-foreign-exchange-fee credit card overseas, whether it gives us miles or not (at least with Capital One or Discover, you can get some points/rebates, even if they’re not the greatest); 5) we’ll continue to use our Hilton Amex for points into that system (no card has been consistently better for us over the years).

Several websites have good info on credit card programs, including Frequent Flier, Free Frequent Flyer Miles, Ask Mr. Credit Card, Index Credit Cards, and Rewards Cards. Be forewarned, if you search for “Best Airline Credit Cards” or such, you will stumble upon several very OLD articles – one search of ours turned up a 1999 posting on the first search page.

This machine does not take credit cards

Farewell Aloha, ATA, Skybus; Welcome to Higher Airfares

In just one week, Aloha, ATA, and Skybus airlines all folded. Aloha’s and ATA’s demise may have been long in the works, but Skybus began operations less than a year ago. Yet similar Euro cheapo carriers easyJet and Ryanair are still flying and still (apparently) profitable. (Upon the launch of Skybus, Dan Garton, executive vice president of marketing at American Airlines, was quoted as saying: “Skybus is very Ryanair-esque.”) Why the difference between Ryanair’s success and the quick exit of Skybus?

Ryanair and easyJet set up shop in one of the most-densely populated parts of the world – the British Isles. The UK has a population of some 60 million, all wanting to get off their crowded island more than occasionally. The Brits are also known to be peripatetic travelers, seeking out one new destination after another (even if they can never speak the language once they get there). So Ryanair and easyJet deliver weekend holiday-makers to hot spots across the continent – planes always full, and passengers charged for everything. (For the record, we’ve flown easyJet and it was very cheap compared to the mainline Euro carriers – such as Air France or BA – and it was fairly convenient and not completely dreadful. We have not been on Ryanair.)

In the U.S., Southwest also tapped a vein at the right time, with reasonably low fares (yet in our experience nowadays, seldom significantly less expensive than the majors), a fun attitude, and minimal amenities (no assigned seating). Nonetheless, they carefully picked their markets, frequently alternative airports in metro areas (Love Field instead of DFW) or good-sized second-tier cities (Albuquerque, Las Vegas). In contrast, Skybus decided to fly to lower-tier markets (Chattanooga, Ft. Lauderdale), or cities that had good service (Boston) just maybe not from places like Greensboro (what were they thinking?). Maybe they were looking at the Euro model (Skybus even painted their planes orange, like easyJet) instead of the Southwest one. From the minute Skybus started less than a year ago, we were skeptical.

Most likely, it’s simply another example of the fact that it’s expensive to run an airline, and you really can’t make a lot of money by giving away your product for pennies. We think this only reinforces our opinion that higher airfares are inevitable (especially for domestic U.S. travel), and will be here to stay.

Discover to Buy Diners Club

Discover Financial Services (Discover card) is buying the Diners Club credit card from Citigroup. Integration will take awhile (two to three years for full implementation, according to the announcement), but once in place it should mean that Discover cards will be accepted wherever Diners cards are taken, and vice versa.

One interesting and curious aspect is that the current Diners Club card in the U.S. is affiliated with and carries a MasterCard brand, and is currently accepted at any MasterCard merchant. Diners has an interesting array of value-added travel services (airport lounge access, primary car-rental insurance, frequent-flyer point transfers, much more international acceptance than Discover). Discover has been known for its various cash-back rewards programs and 0% foreign-exchange fees (although the card is seldom accepted internationally, except for Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and China).

It will be fascinating to see what card(s) come out of this alliance, and what the branding will be, but we would expect a much more useful (both U.S. and international) travel product.

Premium Economy Seats

A couple of years back, American Airlines tried their “More Room Throughout Coach” program. Apparently, American didn’t garner enough additional business or revenue to make it profitable to remove seats from planes to get the extra legroom.

We aren’t currently elite fliers with any airline, so don’t have access to upgrades unless we use miles (which we think is a good use of frequent flyer miles) to upgrade to business. Thus, we frequently seek out airlines offering some sort of Premium Economy service, especially for longer flights.

There aren’t a lot out there: Air New Zealand, ANA, bmi, British Airways, Eva Airlines, Japan Airlines, SAS, Singapore, Thai, and Virgin Atlantic are the only carriers listed on Seat Guru that offer Premium Economy, with seat pitch usually all around 38 inches, and generally about 1 inch of extra seat width. Seat Guru doesn’t count United, noting that United’s “Economy Plus is not sold as a separate cabin and doesn't have enhanced amenities beyond legroom.”

We, on the other hand, love United’s Economy Plus. No, you can’t purchase it as a separate fare, but it’s automatically available to all United Elites; you can frequently purchase an upgrade at the ticket counter; and us common folk can purchase a one-year Economy Plus Access for $349. United’s EP generally offers pitch of about 34-36 inches, a surprisingly comfortable addition over 31. With EPA, customers are offered EP seating anytime a seat in that section is available, and can take one companion on the same reservation at no additional charge. The seating is available no matter the booking channel, and is also available for award flights.

Some commentators have knocked United’s EP as being half-assed. To each his own – we love it. It is a lot cheaper than the fares for most international carriers’ Premium Economy. For example, a recent search on SAS for Seattle to Copenhagen flights found regular economy at $1331, premium economy at $2041 (in a separate cabin, offering a slightly wider seat and 38 inches of pitch, according to the SAS website), and $5031 in business. British Airways had a SEA-LHR flight on the same dates for $1322 in economy, $2142 in economy plus, and $5477 in business.

If seat comfort is important, and you’re not looking for the absolute lowest fares, look into premium economy offerings.

So you don't have to walk like this when you get there.

Guns in Cockpits

There’s been a (justified) media circus around the pilot who “accidentally” discharged a firearm in the cockpit of a USAirways plane. Finally, it comes out that he was apparently putting a lock on the gun when it discharged.

OK, whether you believe armed pilots are a good idea or not, two thoughts ....

Firearms do not go off accidentally. It’s only human intention or error. A person has to apply some sort of action to make a gun discharge – either through actual intent (shooting), or because of neglect, poor training, poor judgment, or ignorance. Secondly, if the gun is locked, what good is it? Firearms meant for protection need to be accessible – you don’t see police officers walking around with trigger locks on their sidearms.

No International ATM Fees with Schwab

After writing about our recommendation of the Schwab checking account that reimburses all foreign ATM fees, a reader asked about our experience with it. Frankly, we had continued to use our Bank of Internet ATM card overseas, but now we’ve finally opened the Schwab account and acquired the accompanying ATM card.

The Schwab “High Yield Investor Checking Account” is simply a typical on-line bank account with a few twists. It requires you to open a Schwab brokerage account, but there is no charge for the brokerage account – nor any requirement that you use the brokerage functions. The checking account pays competitive rates (currently around 3%) with no minimum balance requirements and no service charges.

Upon opening the account, we received a personalized welcome email (not some canned PR crap), and massive amounts of support materials. We were very impressed, especially compared to other no-fee, on-line accounts we’ve opened.

The account promises (quoting the Schwab materials): “No ATM fees. We reimburse any ATM fee you are charged – worldwide.” This seems pretty unambiguous to us. The card is a combo Debit/ATM Visa card (usable on Visa/Plus/Interlink ATM networks worldwide), and allows $1,000 in ATM withdrawals per day. (Note that most individual ATMs do not allow that maximum per machine. If you need that much cash per day, you may need to hit several different ATMs.)

We believe ATM withdrawals are the best way to get cash on your international travels – far better than banks or money changers. For international travel our suggestions remain: Get a no-foreign-exchange-fee ATM card (such as this Schwab card), and use a Capital One credit card (which does not add the typical 3% foreign-exchange fee to credit-card charges) for all your non-cash purchases.

Travel News for April 1, 2008

Bush Administration Permits All Travel to Cuba
With the first wave of legal American tourism in 40 years, Dick Cheney leads a hunting trip to....

Credit Card Companies Drop All Foreign Exchange Fees
Card companies announced that not only would they eliminate foreign ATM fees, but....

Exchange Rate Drops to Parity: 1 Euro to 1 Dollar
In efforts to encourage U.S. tourism, tourist boards throughout Europe have....

Airlines Add Eight Inches of Legroom to Economy Seats
In related news, the airlines said that all seats would be eligible for frequent flyer....

TSA No Longer Has Time to Screen Grandmothers and Babies
But watch out for your sandwich. Deciding to focus its efforts on food screening, the TSA said....

American Schools Will Require All Students to Live Overseas for 1 Year
Hoping to have U.S. students learn more about the world, Congress passed legislation....

Cruise Ship Passengers Sink Small Caribbean Island
With 14 ships in port, and 34,000 visitors on land, a Caribbean island began to sink lower....

International Olympic Committee Chooses Sites for 2048 & 2050 Games
Feeling that host countries didn’t have enough time to plan a quality event, the IOC....

Oil Closes at $23 Per Barrel
With the price of oil declining by 80 percent, airfares are predicted to drop about $5 per ticket....

Old hand-colored postcard, Bermuda, 1930s

Traveler's Translator

We’ve literally been searching for this for years, but we finally stumbled on the source. One of our favorite international travel tools has been a flip-card that shows icons for transportation, medical conditions, food, lodging, and many other items. It was given to us by the physician’s office which advised us on vaccines for travel to exotic locations. Try as we might, we couldn’t find the source (and the drug company that produced the cards didn’t seem to offer them to the public), or how to get another copy – until now.

These waterproof, foldable cards are made by Kwikpoint. For only 15 bucks, they can be an invaluable resource for travel to any country where it’s likely you won’t know the language. Think villages in South America where they speak neither English nor Spanish. Africa. Pacific islands. Asia has so many different languages. We struggled to ask for ibuprofen in Slovenia (we tried English and Spanish; the pharmacist knew Slovene and Italian).

This is truly a geeky tool, but wonderful nonetheless.

Heathrow Terminal 5

Thanks to a link on Joe Sharkey's blog, here's an incredible article on the fiasco of British Airways and London Heathrow's Terminal 5 opening.

Scam Alert: Beware of Travelers Advantage and HSBC

A year or so ago, we got an HSBC MasterCard, specifically for use in Europe as HSBC has a large presence and because the card charged only 1% foreign transaction fees. Within a month or two, we received a notice that HSBC was increasing foreign exchange fees to 3%.

A few weeks ago, we received a “rebate check” from HSBC (just as we do from several other of our rebate credit cards, a frequent occurrence), which turned out to be a scam. Obviously, there was some very fine print even we didn’t notice. By cashing the check, we allegedly signed up for Travelers Advantage, and they wanted to charge us $120 per year in perpetuity.

Needless to say, we disputed with both HSBC and Travelers Advantage. Travelers Advantage has many complaints about them detailed on Ripoff Report. We thought we were savvy consumers, but still got trapped in this unethical and deceptive scam. Stay away from both HSBC and Travelers Advantage.

Blogger Censored by Cuban Authorities

Cuba's all in the news these days, with stories in the Wall St. Journal about Cuban art; speculation about possible legal U.S. travel to the island; and the retirement of Fidel Castro.

Yoani Sanchez, Cuba’s most popular blogger, reported that Cuban authorities have blocked viewing of her blog, Generacion Y. Sanchez, whose blog received 1.2 million visits in February, said government censors had placed “filters” that delayed viewing of her web page on a server in Germany. Recent attempts to view the site from Cuba met with a notice: “The page cannot be displayed.”

Sanchez, a 32-year-old philology (the study of ancient texts and languages) graduate, has drawn a significant readership by writing about her daily life in Cuba and describing economic hardships and political constraints. As of late, she has criticized Cuba's new leader, Raul Castro, for his vague promises of change and minimal steps to improve the standard of living for Cubans. In a country where the press is controlled by the state and there is no independent media, Sanchez and other Cubans have found in the internet an unregulated vehicle of expression.

The link above to Generacion Y is not blocked or delayed. For a translated version in English of Yaoni Sanchez’s statement concerning censorship, visit this website.

Vinales, Cuba

Cool, Fun, Generally Mindless (and Maybe Useful) Travel Websites

Know how you got there: Great Circle Mapper
How many countries you've been to: Countries Visited
Travel with only a carry-on: One Bag
Travel there quietly: Slow Travel
If you're heading to the North: Aurora Forecast
If you're heading anywhere: World Time Zones
How to figure how far and how much: Metric Conversions
The romance quotient: Moon Phases
If you want to use a cell phone: Pre-paid GSM

The Last Nail in the Coffin of Civility

Dubai-based Emirates airlines has instituted in-flight cell-phone service. As if we needed another reason to avoid most of the Arab world. Good ‘ole irascible Arthur Frommer says it well.

A Museum of Weather

Who says that nothing happens in the flyover country of the Midwest? With all the offbeat activity recently going on in Kansas, we’re starting to love the lost-in-the-middle state. First, it was the public voting for and selection of the 8 Wonders of Kansas. Now, the Kansas Museum of History has opened an exhibition about... bad weather.

The Forces of Nature exhibit (running through January 4, 2009) actually sounds rather intriguing. The tornado that swept through The Wizard of Oz was, obviously, in Kansas. The Weather Channel regularly runs features on hurricanes, tornados, floods, and other natural disasters. So if you happen to be visiting any of those 8 Wonders of Kansas, take the time to stop by the museum (6425 SW 6th Ave., Topeka) and marvel at... the weather.

The Case for Higher Airfares

Why do travelers feel entitled to cheap airfares? If gasoline prices go up 100 percent over the course of a few years, we can choose to drive less or put up with the price increases. If lattes cost $4.50, we still keep drinking them. Yet raise airfares 50 bucks, and let the screaming begin. The airlines are publicly traded companies (albeit poorly run and generally unprofitable ones), and for some odd reason (their shareholders, for example) feel they should make a profit. The chart at the bottom of this entry shows how unsuccessful that’s been, detailing the two-year price performance of various airline stocks, compared to the S&P 500 (the tan line at 0% on the right-hand scale).

The airlines have set up price expectations in consumers’ minds that equates cheap with good – even if that means service and schedules suffer. I can’t think of another industry that makes nickel-and-dime changes so frequently, nor an industry where every other business follows the herd so quickly. United raises fares $50 (as it recently did) and every other airline follows suit. What a bizarre business model.

A long time ago (until 1978), before most of today’s travelers remember, airlines were federally regulated. You could sometimes fly coast-to-coast with a full row all to yourself – and a “stewardess” who might sit and chat with you because she (they were always women) had little else to do. (This was pretty darn exciting when you were a male in your twenties.) In 1978, a first-class ticket cost 130% the price of a coach seat. (But then, first class wasn’t what it is now. Just a better meal and a bigger seat. Note, too, that it’s now “economy” – meaning cheap – and not “coach,” which to us carried at least a tiny cachet of pleasure.) All tickets were fully refundable. (We found this interesting 2005 article offering one person’s opinion of deregulation.)

Now, thanks quite a bit to Southwest (and to literally dozens of other now-bankrupt discount airlines), air travel has become a commodity. Every sophisticated traveler doing an airfare search uses Southwest as a baseline, even if they won’t travel on Southwest. (Note the gray line on the stock-price chart. Southwest’s share price has also been underwater for two years.) As we’ve said before, ticket price should be only one part of the air travel picture, but somehow Americans (and the rest of the world, judging by Ryanair and easyJet) think that it’s their right to have dirt-cheap air travel. Make your product cheaper and crappier and more folks want it. The airlines are their own worst enemy.

The new Open Skies agreement might begin to re-shape the airfare landscape. Or maybe shareholders of United, American, Continental, et al will begin to clamor for profits instead of bankruptcies. Let the cattle classes have the short-haul discount carriers. In some way, it’s already happening, as the Dinosaur carriers are decreasing domestic (competitive, cheap) capacity and adding more overseas (more profitable) service. Which will put the squeeze on Southwest, as they won’t be able to fulfill all the demand for those cheap domestic tickets (nor will any other discount carrier). So even their prices will have to go up.

And maybe if carriers made money and thus returned to decent customer service, there’d be far less need for a Passengers Bill of Rights, as is now being batted around by legislatures and the media. If tickets cost more, and passenger volume was even slightly reduced, there would probably be fewer (maybe none) flights sitting on the tarmac waiting for a gate, or flights running out of food and water because the airline needed to save 48 cents per passenger (and still not make a dent in their profit picture). Airlines aren’t going to become profitable – and therefore provide better services – by adding $25 to check a bag, or by removing blankets and pillows. The only way will be to substantially increase revenues – and that means higher fares.

Flyers, just remember, if “cheap” is what you want, “cheap” is probably what you’ll get – in all aspects of air travel: fares, service, food, baggage handling, routes, schedules, seats, everything. Personally, we don’t want to pay more for air tickets either (or for anything! ever!), but we think increased airfares are inevitable, and we would actually be willing to pay a bit more for a better product.

Two years: Black = USAir, Gray = Southwest, Green = Alaska, Dark gray = Northwest, Yellow = Delta, Orange = American, Purple = Continental, Blue = United, Brown = S&P 500.

Plan Early, Reserve Early, Buy Early

Neither we nor anyone else can know what will happen in the way of airfares, car-rental rates, or hotel availability for this coming summer travel season. But judging by $100-a-barrel oil and by some planning and reservations we’re making for ourselves, we might suggest you plan early, reserve early, and buy early.

It seems like airfares can only continue to rise – except for the occasional fare sale, it’s hard to imagine fares going down. As for lodging, over the last couple of years we’ve been making more reservations in advance – usually the first day or two at each location. But as we’re beginning to plan a September trip to Europe, we’re being told by property owners that places are already getting booked nearly full. Car reservations are generally almost always available, but if you’re price sensitive, shop around, book early (reservations are cancelable at no charge), and then keep an eye on rates as your trip gets closer. (We’ve found some of the best car-rental rates through airline partner offers on the airlines’ websites.)

Obviously, for short-notice or business travel, you’ll simply have to take what’s out there. But for big vacations, we can only reiterate: Plan early, reserve early, buy early.

Not much possibility of that any more.

More EU Countries Seek Visa Waivers

According to an International Herald Tribune/Associated Press article, three more EU nations in eastern Europe are seeking visa-free travel to the U.S. Homeland security secretary Michael Chertoff wants air marshals on flights and electronic travel authorization as part of any new visa waiver deals. Of course, EU officials claim the added security measures violate the privacy and restrict the civil rights of air passengers. Chertoff, of course, dismissed those concerns: “We must beat back those people who argue that any time we collect a little information or any time we place a secure document requirement in the law, it is somehow the end of civil liberties. We need to engage that and to make the point that it actually enhances civil liberties.” The unidentified nations which would thus benefit from “enhanced civil liberties” were presumed to be Slovakia, Hungary, and Lithuania.

London Heathrow Terminal Changes

London Heathrow airport’s new Terminal 5 was ceremoniously inaugurated by the Queen yesterday. Now the fun begins. Many airlines will be switching terminals at Heathrow, so if you travel to London a lot and have become familiar with “your” terminal, be ready for changes. Overall, the changes make sense, in that they will group airline alliance carriers together (unless alliances change in the future).

BCD Travel has a chart of the probable changes, and our friends over at The CrankyFlier also summarize the situation quite well. The changes will not happen all at once, but are spread out over the next year. Bottom line, check with your airline, and be ready for some new experiences.

What Does “Competitive” Mean in Tourism-Speak?

According to research from the World Economic Forum and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, the U.S. ranked seventh in “tourism competitiveness.” According to the report, the rankings “are based on a measurement of over 60 variables that impact a country's appeal in developing travel and tourism, including statutory regulations, health and safety, infrastructure, local price levels, and environmental and cultural aspects.”
The most competitive countries (out of 130 possibilities) were:
Switzerland
Austria
Germany
Australia
Spain
Great Britain
United States
Sweden
Canada
France

The End of Paper Tickets

Just for the record, beginning June 1, all airlines (with a few very minor exceptions) will go exclusively to electronic ticketing, according to the International Air Transport Association, a trade group representing 240 airlines. Most travelers already use electronic tickets anyway, so this should be a non-event. But for those of us who remember those multi-part forms with red ink "carbons" between copies, it’s a sad passing in the age of travel.

Capital One Cards

Since we’ve been writing this blog, the most frequently searched-for information has been regarding Capital One and ATM cards. Doing some recent research on Capital One cards, we’ve come across two new (to us) products you might want to consider.

First is a Capital One MasterCard “For Professionals.” We’ve noted that Capital One’s reward program basically gives 1.25 “miles” per dollar spent, and it’s a “refund” type reward, where you purchase any ticket from any source, and if you meet the points levels you receive a statement credit. Some folks think that 1.25 miles per dollar is a fine deal; others have noted the redemption limits aren’t always the best; still others think it’s the worst deal around. The new MasterCard now gives 2 miles per dollar, but comes with a $39 annual fee. If you like the miles/points schemes, it might be worth looking into this card, especially if you charge enough to make the annual fee a non-issue. Also note that like other Capital One cards, there are no foreign transaction fees.

The second card is a Capital One Platinum Debit Card. It doesn’t appear to offer any rewards and must be tied to a Capital One on-line checking account. (Capital One’s checking accounts are in line with those from other online banks, currently in the range of 3 to 3.75 percent interest.) Some folks like debit cards, to have a better picture of their spending. Capital One’s card does appear to offer “zero liability” (which has been an issue for debit cards in the past), and it also doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. Again, this may be a good possibility for international travel if you prefer a debit card.

Terms and conditions for any of these cards are, typically, long and complicated. Be sure to read everything about rewards, fees, etc. if you’re interested in these products.

Canada, We Like You, We Really Like You

According to a recent Gallup survey, Canada was the most favorably viewed nation by Americans. When we see surveys such as this, we immediately ask the question, “Why?” What’s the point? Is the U.S. government going to alter foreign policy based on the countries Americans “like” or not? Will tourism bureaus in the less-favorite countries begin advertising in Travel + Leisure? Why only 22 countries on the list? We could go on and on. For the record, the top five (in order) were Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, and Israel. The bottom five were Afghanistan, Iraq, The Palestinian Authority, North Korea, and Iran.

We still have no idea what this means, but Canada, you da best.

Montana Airport Security

There’s a great USA Today article about seven small Montana airports that currently don’t have security screening, but they want it. The TSA says the very small airports don’t justify the cost; Montana says security screening will help build traffic to those airports. We guess that Montana just wants all its citizens to be afraid, which is the only real point of U.S. airport security – to keep our citizens in a constant state of low-grade fear so we’ll be more docile with all aspects of government intervention in our lives. If so, we’d bet that TSA spends the money (said to be $2 million per year) so those 30 passengers a day (average combined from all seven airports) can be just as afraid as the rest of their fellow citizens.

Montana Ski Country

Art & Museum Travel

As if we didn't already have enough reasons to travel....
According to the newly released annual list of the most popular museums in the world by Art Newspaper, first place goes to the Louvre in Paris. The most popular exhibition during 2007 was at the Tokyo National Museum in Japan. Drawing the most attention at that exhibition was Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “Annunciation,” which was on loan from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
The top 20 most popular art museums in the world, as compiled by Art Newspaper:

• Louvre, Paris
• Centre Pompidou, Paris
• Tate Modern, London
• British Museum, London
• Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
• National Gallery of Art, Washington
• Vatican Museums, Vatican City
• National Gallery, London
• Musee d’Orsay, Paris
• Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid
• National Palace Museum, Taipei
• Victoria and Albert Museum, London
• State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg
• Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow
• Museum of Modern Art, New York
• Field Museum, Chicago
• Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo
• CaxiaForum Barcelona, Barcelona
• Moscow Kremlin Museums, Moscow
• Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The British Museum, London