New Security Measures for Some Flights Into the U.S.

In response to the attempted terrorist attack of a U.S. Airliner Friday, word comes of added security measures for certain international flights bound for the United States. This includes prohibiting passengers from getting up out of their seat or carrying any personal items in their lap during the last hour of a flight and tighter restrictions on carry-on bags. Some sources are reporting a complete ban of electronics on flights, including on-board entertainment.

But these new measures are not being applied consistently and some travelers have reported little, if any noticeable changes in security. In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said, "These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere." This story is still developing. Visit Reuters for the latest.

U.S. Senator Calls for Probe of Frequent Flier Programs

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer is calling for a federal review of complaints by consumers that they are losing millions of frequent flier miles without notice in confusing agreements.

Schumer wants to establish industry rules for frequent flier programs that are billed as a free benefit to help attract and retail customers. There are few restrictions now on how airlines can manage and redeem the miles. Read more.

Real Talk on Buying and Selling Airline Vouchers Online

By Mike Grasso

These days finding a great bargain often means a simple visit to Ebay or Craiglist. On these sites a potpourri of goods are available, often for a fraction of their retail price. Included in these listings are airline travel vouchers and free tickets. But most airlines restrict the sale or barter of travel credits, and word of harsh punishments, such as voiding the credit, and/or closing members' frequent flyer account, have been reported in a few cases. So what do you do if you are in the market to unload your travel credits or find heavily discounted certificates? Here are some suggestions:

Selling your credits? This often happens for people receiving electronic discount codes or paper certificates which reduce the airfare price and/or offer a free ticket. The rules of use are usually spelled out on the certificate, so read them carefully. Usually a "transfer" to another person can be done, provided no money or goods are exchanged. If you do opt to sell it (I did tell you selling is probably not allowed, right?), then consider selling to a trusted buyer, or a friend. Another suggestion: Free travel credits make great stocking stuffers for the holidays, and without the worry about getting caught selling them.

Buying travel credits? Really think this through folks. There are plenty of scammers out there as well as many honest folks trying to sell (albeit "illegally") legitimate goods. If it sounds to good to be true...ya, it probably is. If the person selling the travel credit on Ebay has few or no previous ratings, would you trust them? Similarly, if buying from Craigslist, how will you ensure an electronic credit, for example, hasn't already been redeemed, or the seller won't redeem it shortly after you buy it? Although sellers often list the terms & conditions of transferability in their posting, how will you know they have listed ALL of them? These are many of the questions you should be asking yourself before considering a purchase. And the obvious - do the benefits outweigh the potential risks?

Having said all that, I personally know people who've bought and sold airline credits over the years with few difficulties. But, as mentioned earlier, the airlines have reportedly penalized some unlucky folks for doing the same. So before you decide to put yourself in the market for travel vouchers, weigh the pros and cons, and if you decide to buy or sell, do so with plenty of caution.

New Border Crossing Rules Now in Effect

New security rules for land and sea border crossings went into effect on Monday. The rules, part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) were originally intended to start in 2008 but were delayed due to concerns on how they might impact commerce. The initiative states all U.S. citizens must present a passport, passport card or enhanced drivers license when entering the country. Some citizens may also use a trusted traveler document, which require background checks and often used by people crossing the border regularly for business. A similar requirement for entering the country by air went into effect in 2007. 

What is Back-to-Back Ticketing? (Hint: It’s a No-No)

By Mike Grasso
http://www.inflightout.com/

Did you know there are literally dozens of pages of rules and regulations that apply to your airline ticket? It’s true. For example, check out United Airlines contract of carriage, which contains 47 pages worth! Now that looks like some fun reading. On the plus side, most of us will never need to know about most of those rules. But recently a reader wrote in asking about one such rule termed, “back-to-back” ticketing. Specifically, she wanted to know what happens if she is caught making this creative type of airline ticketing.

Back-to-Back ticketing occurs when two or more tickets are purchased for the purpose of circumventing rules of a particular ticket, such as advance ticketing or Saturday night stay requirements. Here is an example of two tickets purchased for flights between San Francisco and Chicago:

--Ticket 1: San Francisco to Chicago July 7 (Tuesday) (A)
Chicago to San Francisco July 12 (Sunday) (B)
Total cost: $170

--Ticket 2: Chicago to San Francisco July 9 (Thursday) (C)
San Francisco to Chicago July 13 (Monday) (D)
Total cost: $170

Notice a Saturday night stay requirement is met in each of the tickets, thereby ensuring the low airfare. But, if you intention is to actually fly July 7 (Tuesday) and return on July 9 (Thursday), you would not meet the Saturday night stay requirement, and be subject to a much higher airfare – perhaps up to $800.

One workaround is to purchase two tickets, as shown above. Then utilize the July 7th outbound ticket (A) and July 9th return ticket (C), and throwing away (B) and (D). This would meet the Saturday night requirement. Therefore, in this example, purchasing two round-trip tickets is far cheaper than a single round-trip.

Sound easy enough yes? Well bad news – it’s “illegal.” Most airlines spell out in their contract of carriage that this type of ticketing is not allowed. Perpetrators are subject to having their mileage account closed, pay a penalty, or perhaps even get billed for the actual cost of the ticket (the $800 ticket). How will the airline know if you did this? Using your name and mileage account number on the two tickets is a good hint! One workaround is to purchase ticket 1 with one airline, ticket 2 with another. But again, you heard it here, this type of ticketing is not generally allowed. So, proceed at your own risk.

United Adds Minimum Stay Requirements & Bumps Up Fares

Late Breaking News...
In the continuing battle against rising costs, United Airlines announced in a press release today that they will bring back minimum-stay requirements on nearly all routes, even in markets where they compete with low-cost carriers. The minimum stay requirements apply to those flying on the cheapest fares and for flights starting October 6th. Under the new rules, in order to score the cheapest ticket prices, a minimum stay of 1-3 nights will be required.

And about those cheapest fares...United also announced a system wide increase in fares, from $1-$90 each way. That now makes the least expensive ticket on United Airlines to be $69 each way. It seemed like just yesterday we were showered with $39 airfares from the Bay Area.

inFLIGHTout recommendation: If you have a same-day return flight and you want to avoid the minimum stay requirement but still score the best fare, consider purchasing one-way tickets in each direction. (This does not work in some markets, as United often charges extra for a one-way ticket). For example, rather than a round trip ticket from SFO-Las Vegas, purchase a one-way ticket there, and one way ticket back. The price might be better than the round trip price since it circumvents the minimum stay requirement.

United Drops 'Minimum 500 Mile' Accrual Policy

In an email to customers today, United Airlines announced they are doing away with awarding a minimum of 500 miles on short flights. The policy to date awarded 500 miles even for flights that were shorter - such as down to Los Angeles or Las Vegas. With the changes, mileage plus members will receive credit only for actual miles flown.

In effect in makes sense. You earn miles for what you fly. But particularly for business travelers who travel short distances, the rounding up of mileage accrual to 500 miles was icing on the cake. Effective July 1st, the icing goes away. All travel from July 1st on is subject to the reducing earning standard.

This change aligns with a similar policy change U.S air implemented earlier this year.

Denied Boarding Compensation going up to $800

Starting next month, if you are involuntarily denied boarding on a U.S-based carrier, the airline must pay you up to $800 for the inconvenience. You can thank the Department of Transportation for following through with their commitment to improve the passenger flying experience.

How it works: You have a confirmed reservation, but the flight is oversold. The airline will ask for volunteers to be "bumped." If too few people volunteer, the airline is forced to involuntarily deny boarding to selected passengers, often those who check-in late or without seat assignments.

Under previous rules, the airlines would pay $200 for many involuntary denied boardings, and $400 if you arrived more than 4 hours later than your originally scheduled time. This compensation hasn't been revised since 1978. But starting in May, these payouts double!

ManyBag and LapChildren Fees from Spirit Airlines

By Mike Grasso

Spirit Airlines currently permits checked bags on their flights for a $5-$10 fee (the lower reflects bag payment made online versus the airport). Effective February 20th, that fee doubles; $10-$20 per bag. More than 3 bags will cost an additional $100 bucks each. You may haul a free carry-on and one personal item onboard the plane free of charge.

While other airlines charge excess baggage fees, Spirit takes it to a higher level. American and United for example charge $80 and $85 respectively, for a 3rd checked bag. Southwest, even with the introduction of charging a fee for the 3rd bag (effective January 29), it will set you back only 25 bucks. Spirit is truly leading the way in higher baggage fees.

Want to bring a LapChild along during your Spirit flight? (They don't count as the free carry-on). Children under the age of 2 are not required to purchase their own seat, but come May 1st if they're going to sit in your lap, those little people incur a LapChildren fee of $25 bucks each way on Spirit Airlines.

To compare LapChild fees, SkyBus, often referred to as the lowest of low cost carriers operating in the U.S, charges $10 for each segment a child is parked on your lap, but they also charge as little as $10 bucks for a flight; the added fee seems reasonable there. Otherwise, this type of fee doesn't really exist with other airlines in the United States. So in sum, that infant of yours will soon pay for his/her share of onboard oxygen and fuel costs when flying Spirit Airlines.

In defense of these fees, the airlines are struggling to cut costs, and a few pounds of infancy do add a few bucks to operating costs. It's possible then, in the larger airline world, we might expect other airlines to follow Spirits move on similar LapChildren fees, and modify their existing ManyBag fees.

Background on Spirit Airlines:
Spirit Airlines inaugurated flights from San Francisco Airport in 2006, but does not currently offer routes from the Bay Area; it's unknown whether the airline pulled out completely, or seasonally. Spirit offers a huge network of routes throughout the East Coast and the Caribbean.

Fare Basis Code: Unscramble to reveal the mystery behind your fare

By Mike Grasso
Decoding the Fare Basis of your Airline ticket. Oh what fun!
Understanding the pricing strategy behind the fare basis can help you realize the different fares available for a particular route, saving ya oodles of money.
Caution: Now entering the murky waters of airfare pricing.

A fare basis code (different from the confirmation number) applies to all purchased airline tickets. Each code explains how your fare was calculated, the restrictions on it and more. They usually aren't printed on your boarding pass, occasionally found on your receipt, or sometimes no where to be found & you just have to call the airline directly to find it out. Hint: Travelocity is pretty good about giving at least the first letter "booking class" when you view rules of a selected airfare. Let's look more into fare basis codes:

Below is a sampling of fares available for San Francisco to Las Vegas:

The "L" fare basis code is the cheapest $44 each way. The "14" in the code signifies the ticket must be purchased 14 days in advance. The remainder of the codes can signify peak or off peak or minimum stay requirements. If you were purchasing a ticket 10 days before departure, the computer would display a $99 "W" fare because you meet the requirement of a 7 day advance purchase. Of course if the airline has sold out of the "W" fares, then it looks for the next higher priced tier- in this case a "V" fare. Finally, the "Y" fare is a refundable fare with 0 day minimum purchase; you can walk up to the ticket counter to purchase - and pay the $407 fare that luxury comes with.

Fare Basis Purchase as early as Fare
LA14ON9 29 Oct 07 $ 44
WA7NGZ 22 Oct 07 $ 99
VA3NGZ 18 Oct 07 $ 109
YTED0 15 Oct 07 $ 407

This is a simplified version of how to unscramble your fare basis code. In reality there are several fare basis codes, and sub-categories, since airline pricing is pretty complex. Here is a link for SFO-SEATTLE (scroll to the bottom part of the screen) if you want to look at some additional fare basis codes. You can also check your own itineraries and try to decode the mystery behind fare basis. BTW - fare basis codes are different from the airlines confirmation code.

An important thing to remember is the airline allocates a particular number of seats for each fare basis. They don't want the plane full of people buying cheap tickets! So maybe 10 of the "L" cheap cheap tickets are available, and 15 of the "W" still pretty cheap tickets. Once the "L" tickets are sold out, then everyone else gets "W" or higher fares. So when you book a ticket for 2 or more people, if there is only 1 cheap cheap seat left, most of the time the computer doesn't split your reservation where 1 person gets the "L" and other the "W" fare - both end up getting the "W" more expensive fare. In other words, if your buying for 1 person, the fare is cheap, but buying for 2 in this example, the fare isn't as cheap per person. In this example, you might consider booking this as 2 separate reservations so at least 1 person can take advantage of the lower price.

Of course the fare basis is only 1 piece of the pricing pie. The airline may not offer multiple tiers of pricing on some routes because of a lack of competition or expected higher demand. In this case, all the fares may be high when you perform a search. Best advice: Keep at it. Check prices periodically, airlines have sales, and sometimes they even have unannounced short-term deals which the general public never hears of unless they just happen to stumble on it.

In the meantime, have fun with your fare basis code - decode. Use the link provided above and change your cities and dates in the address bar line to suite your needs. With this information, you can find all fares published and the restrictions with each, enabling you to make an informed decision for airline tickets.