Pacific Coast or Baja California Cruise $199+ per person

Sure...sure... you will be tucked away in a 180 square foot windowless room, but you do get complimentary room service down there!



Travelocity is advertising some pretty good cruise deals this week. The 3-night Norwegian Pacific Coast cruise runs roundtrip from L.A to Vancouver, while the 4-night Carnival Baja trip runs roundtrip Long Beach to Catalina to Ensenada. There are some inexpensive Bahamas and Gulf of Mexico cruises to be had as well. Many of these offer a $25 onboard ship credit when using your Mastercard for payment. Still some good sail dates left in late Spring and early Summer. Book soon.

$1 ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles

The original story of MEGAbus first appeared in inFLIGHTout back on August 5th - here

Then last week the L.A times did a write up on the Mega experience. Could this be a good alternative to flying to/from L.A? Could long lines at the airport, plane delays and tiny seats be a thing of the past? Or, do you get what you pay for? (As low as $1.00). Check out the L.A Times MEGAbus tour review here.

A few good fare finds this morning:
San Francisco to Los Angeles $78/roundtrip + tax on Virgin America
San Francisco to Cleveland, OH $144/roundtrip +tax on United Airlines
Both fares available 7 days a week including weekends.
virgin america sale and farecompare

Southwest Airlines Promo: Fly 3 - Fly Free

FIRE, FIRE! The California travel market is on FIRE - with HOT airline deals continuing.
Southwest, JetBlue and Virgin America operating all brand new routes out of the Bay Area are fighting each other (and the larger airlines such as United & American) for market share. For example, once Southwest Airlines starts SFO-LAX service in November, there will be over 100 daily flights operating this route between all the airlines. This equates to sizzling hot deals for folks like us.

And here's the latest example (see previous posts for other deals)

Southwest Airlines is offering a free trip within the 48 states after you fly just 3 round trips within California August 27-December 31st and/or SFO-Las Vegas between November 4th and December 31st. This applies to newly booked tickets only.

Full details here!

DING! Fares today from Southwest Airlines are HOT!

Oakland to Los Angeles $36/each way + tax (That's $92 bucks roundtrip, taxes included!)
Oakland to Ontario $36-$39/each way + tax
Monday-Saturday travel September 1 - October 31 only

Sacramento-Philadelphia $70/each way + tax

Tue/Thu/Friday travel September 4-28 only

You must have the DING! fare program downloaded on your computer to qualify for these fares.
DING! is available at Southwest.com

Virgin America: My experience & Feedback

Virgin America launched its first flight last week - August 8th. The day began with delays in New York City causing the inaugural flight to be grounded until the weather passed. Once the skies cleared up, Virgin America finally began to fly.

The following day I hopped aboard a short-hop Virgin America flight from SFO-Los Angeles to marinate myself in all the fancy shmancy features the airline has been hyping itself with.


At the Airport:
VX flies out of the International Terminal at SFO. Two thumbs up to begin with!

The international terminal is spacious, clean and fun; unlike traditional domestic terminals where passengers are packed into gates likes herds of cattle, the international terminal at SFO with its high ceilings, dimmed lighting, and massive walkways allow travelers more space and freedom.

Inside the terminal looking out, giant planes representing countries from Europe and Asia prepare load the masses. Flying out of this terminal invokes an excitement, a thrill that you are about to embark on a great journey somewhere soon. Virgin America flying out of this terminal seemed appropriate.


On the Plane:
Stepping aboard the plane it immediately feels unlike any other domestic plane. The cool & hip interior lighting gives way to brand new leather seats throughout the cabin and in-seat personal entertainment systems. Passengers can watch live TV, listen to music, play games or purchase movies. You can also order food and drinks from your seat. Order your favorite drink(s) and then press the "checkout" button and the order in theory will be delivered to you. It's a neat little service, in particular when snacks and foods are offered on long-haul flights. There are some kinks to be worked out and some educating passengers on how to get drinks on a flight. For example, if you wait for the trolley and flight attendant to come by, you may go thirsty.
















Overall Thoughts and Experience:
Virgin America has been successful in presenting a fresh and sexy image of their airliner. From check in, through the air, and back on the ground, Virgin America proved it is trying to make a difference in U.S. air travel. But, after much hype and publicity, it is now time for the company to really step up and make good on their promise of creating this new type of airline.

Although staff throughout the airports and on board were (super) friendly, a few lacked the ability to answer specific questions about the airlines frequent flyer program or on airline policy. Also, my outbound flight (and the return) were delayed, and incorrect information was initially dispatched to waiting passengers about the cause for delays. Virgin America must take ownership of delays and not fallback on second-class customer service seemingly comfortable with other mainline carriers.


The on-board entertainment system had a few problems, mostly with the satellite TV - to be expected sometimes. But every time the flight attendants made announcements, the games feature on the entertainment system kept resetting which meant players had to start from the beginning. 2 of the screens would later lock up entirely. The handheld remote failed to work in one of the seats as well.


I'm excited for Virgin America and hope to see announcements for new routes in the coming months. Before this however, I'd like to see the company properly train front-line staff and work out some of the initial problems encountered during their 1st week in operation.

Megabus pulls into the Bay Area this week

MegaBus is expanding their coach service to the San Francisco Bay Area. Beginning Wednesday, Bay Area buses begin rolling non-stop from the Bay Area to Los Angeles city center with travel time less than 7 hours.

So where is the flight tie-in since this is a travel blog?

OK There is no direct connection! But, with the first 4 seats on each coach costing a mere $1 each (there are 56 seats total on each bus), a fairly quick ride south dropping you off near downtown L.A and 3 X daily service - including a "red eye" bus ride (leave 1130pm arrive L.A 6am), it's certainly worth considering over a flight to LAX.

What about Greyhound? (oh yea...Greyhound)

They're still around, and with a well established infrastructure of schedules and routes, it would seem Megabus is driving against some stiff competition. Megabus asserts however that their low price, tiered pricing structure (tickets never cost more than $36 each way) and non-stop service make them a superior product.

What I see absent from their press release is how coach service will meet a need for travelers. In the U.S at least, shady stories are ever present as it relates to Greyhound, not the least bit because of where the bus stations are located. A marketing campaign to drive people onto the buses because of a superior product such as service, onboard movies/entertainment or buy-on-board food is needed. The company should also remove itself from the present image of a dark, seedy Greyhound Bus Station by emphasizing where bus drop off points are located (ie: Cal-Train Station in the exciting SOMA, or near Dodger Stadium in L.A).

Still, Megabus is an option people have as an alternative to air travel, at least to Los Angeles for now. While I doubt business travelers are lining up to purchase, small groups of friends may find some fun riding the bus down to L.A for the weekend. Megabus

Source: Megabus Press Release

Alaska Airlines Fall Sale announced today. Selected city examples;
San Francisco - San Diego $39 each way ($98 roundtrip, taxes included)
Sacramento - Palm Springs $69 each way
Sacramento - Portland $49 each way
San Francisco - Los Angeles $44 each way

Book now, for travel September 5-December 18th.

Competition heating up for flights to Australia

V Australia Airlines, Virgin Blue's new trans-pacific airline received Australian regulatory approval to start flying from Australia to the West coast of the United States. Airline officials declined comment on which cities would be served, but San Francisco and Los Angeles are considered the most uncompetitive long-haul air routes in the world, with Qantas having a strong-hold over all other carriers. Additionally, based on demand, the San Francisco Bay Area has demonstrated a need for additional service to to Australia. The initial rollout calls for 10 weekly flights to the U.S West coast.

V Australia still needs U.S government approval, but says its plans are to fly by the 4th quarter 2008 when brand new 777-ER planes are delivered.

JetStar, another Australian based low cost carrier had previously reported targeting the Bay Area with service direct to Australia by the end of 2007.

Contributing source: The Australian

Airfare War Continues: Bargains for Bay Area travelers

Round 2 of the fare war comes 24 hours after United Airlines temporarily dropped fares in markets the new airline Virgin America will be flying starting August 8th.

Late Friday evening JetBlue and Southwest matched or beat Virgin America's introductory fare offerings for routes from the Bay Area (OAK/SFO) to Los Angeles and New York. For example: Southwest is offering $99 each way OAK-NY LaGuardia. Fares are available for non-peak travel days, usually Tue/Wed/Sat for travel beginning on or after August 8th.

United punches away at Virgin America's intro fares

ROUND 1 630pm
After nearly 16 hours of swift ticket sales by San Francisco startup airline Virgin America, United Airlines is punching back hard, beating away at Virgin's introductory fares.

United has loading the following amazing fares;
SFO-Los Angeles $65rt taxes included (that's $22 each way + tax!)
SFO-New York $160rt taxes included
SFO-Washington $150rt taxes included
These fares are confirmed and available for travel August 9th through November 11th and are subject to availability. Looks like the New York flights require 1 stop (Chicago, Washington, etc) for that fare. "L" class inventory. Use Farecompare.com to find these fares. Get'em while they last.

1245pm Virgin America Update
VirginAmerica website seems to be having difficulties handling the masses. The site has been up and down through the morning.
Alternatively, you can book Virgin America tickets through ORBITZ

Here is a run down on their offerings:
-from$44/each way to/from Las Vegas or Los Angeles and San Francisco
-from $139 each way to/from New York and San Francisco

Flights start August 8th to L.A and N.Y
You can call 1-877-FLY-VIRGIN to make reservations ( I was able to get through in less than 10 minutes).

Be sure to sign up for their flying club frequent flyer club program on their website.

Virgin America begins selling airline tickets

Breaking News 10:30am: After years in the making...Virgin America began selling tickets early today on their website http://www.virginamerica.com/. Initial flights are San Francisco - New York and San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Redeem 15,000 American Airlines miles for short hop awards
American announced today the return of their Short-Hop Economy MileSAAverSM Awards which allows folks to redeem 15,000 AA miles (instead of the regular 25,000 miles) for flights up to 750 miles. In the Bay Area that means SFO or San Jose-Los Angeles or Orange County and San Jose to San Diego. Valid for travel September 1 - February 28, 2008.

Santa Rosa Airport expands commercial air service

Santa Rosa - Sonoma County Airport which in 2006 reintroduced commercial air service is about to expand even further. Currently Horizon Airlines, the only commercial air carrier at SRA airport, provides twice daily service direct to Los Angeles, and one flight daily to Seattle. Starting October 28th, Horizon will introduce a flight direct to Portland Oregon, and an additional flight to L.A, all on Q-400 turbo prop planes.

Horizon Airlines is known for their complimentary wines and microbrews and great onboard customer service. Horizon is affiliated with Alaska Airlines who combined offer service to destinations across North America.

Frontier drops some SFO routes

Amidst stiff competition, F9 is pulling out of the San Francisco - Los Angeles market, and it seems SFO-Las Vegas route as well, both beginning in July.

They will continue to operate SFO-DENVER flights with connecting service throughout North America, including its newest destination Costa Rica.

September 11, 2006 NEWSLETTER

Good day and good night to all. Here is the latest INflightOUT newsletter. Note the new address i'm sending it from; to reduce the spam-o-grams into my personal account where these newsletters were previously dispatched from. As always, muchas gracias amigos for the positive feedback and offerings related to this newsletter. It's a pleasure to make it for ya. Feel free to forward to friends. -Mike

150 easy American Airlines miles for watching a 2 minute video clip on Bose Noise-Cancelling headphones.

Mileage News
Next month United begins charging $50/$75 fees for travelers redeeming United miles within 14 and 7 days of departure date. This may be to encourage last minute travelers to buy the more expensive (last minute) fares rather than using miles. Fee not applicable to 1K's and up. Similar fees are charged by other airlines as well. United continues however to allow free changes to award tickets - should your travel needs require it. A huge plus for the United mileage plus program.

American Airlines Short Hops allow for a 10,000 mile reduction when redeeming miles for flights of 750 miles or less. Valid through February 2007.
Example, SFO-LOS ANGELES or SANTA ANA or NEW YORK-BOSTON, CHICAGO OR MONTREAL, Canada ( normally requires 25,000 miles to redeem, but under this promotion is only 15,000 miles. Similar to the United promo running through 2006.


Double Southwest Airlines RapidReward credits for college students up to age 23 (not us old folk still in college) who sign up for RR program. Forward this deal to a young'un you might know. =)

$50 off now Orbitz.com Hotel bookings + another bonus later. Good coupon!
Book a hotel or hotel + flight package for 3+ nights by October 8, 2006 and receive $50 off instantly when you use SAVENOW promotion code. Good for travel by December 31, 2006.

Airbus' 380 SuperJumbo went on it's first test flight - with passengers last week. The Jumbo jet now expected to be released in 2007 will permit cabin seating up to 555 people!
No U.S-based airline has signed on to purchase one of these giants yet, but San Francisco International is one of only a few U.S airports equipped to handle this hunk'a machinery should foreign airlines choose a San Francisco routing.

HOT Fare Deals as of Monday Night
SAN FRANCISCO to
Los Angeles $49 each way FRONTIER AIRLINES
London $503 round trip (taxes included!) DELTA AIRLINES November, December - about $100 more for February, March 2007
Pittsburgh PA $185 round trip (taxes included) AMERICAN AIRLINES Through March

OAKLAND to
Santa Ana/Orange County $98 round trip (taxes included) ALASKA AIRLINES through mid October
Burbank, LAX, San Diego $49 fun fares each way SOUTHWEST AIRLINES (may need to book by midnight tonight)
(example: fly to LOS ANGELES for New Years celebrations)

INTERISLAND Hawai'i flights as low as $29 each way on Hawaiian, Aloha and Go Airlines through 2006. An amazingly inexpensive fare. Tickets to be purchased by 9-12-06.

Pretty decent Hawai'i air+hotel packages from NorthwestAirlines Vacations from $335/person (double occ) for a few weeks in October and November.

Historically speaking, the months of October and November generate some rock-bottom fare deals throughout Western Europe (ie: <$450). Be patient, but also keep checking websites like farecompare.com for limited-time fare drops.

Travel Tip: When traveling outside of the U.S, it's a good idea to make a photocopies of your passport and leave with a trusted friend and bring a copy with you - seperate from your actual passport. This reduces the potential for a vacation-gone bad. Some have suggested scanning your passport and emailing a copy of yourself so you have an electronic copy available as well.


"What to do when bumped from a flight" (When your flight is cancelled) NY Times article


"A traveler must have the back of an ass to bear all,
a tongue like the tail of a dog to flatter all,
the mouth of a hog to eat what is set before him,
the ear of a merchant to hear all and say nothing."
Thomas Nashe