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Parents say “packing light” is not the solution to hassle-free air travel
Source: US News.com
It seems parents who travel with their children are lashing out at family travel bloggers and Budget Travel online. According to the website, parents are tired of hearing the useless suggestion to “just pack light” in order to avoid baggage fees or lost luggage.
While I do agree that it is often best to pack light or ship your important items ahead of you, I think we, the family travel experts, should come up with a better, more effective solution for families who travel by air.
Budget Travel | Sean O’Neill
An interesting discussion broke out in the comments on our recent post about whether shipping your bags to your destination is smart.
It began with this comment from G:
“Every time there is a post like this, someone chimes in with the useless comment that I should travel lighter.
Well, I travel with two car seats, a stroller, two children, two adults and we travel internationally and stay for weeks.
We actually come with a few empty bags (to buy the great bargains in the US for my children’s feet, especially) but really—a DSLR, three compact cameras, a netbook, a Macbook, a large business required Dell laptop, two Nintendo DS, a bunch of coloring books, dolls and the Kindle (which has lightened my load) as well as chargers and adapters.
Do these folks have any idea what it’s like to travel as a family?…”
Family travelers urged to get to the airport extra early
Source: telegraph.co.uk
It’s really no surprise. Airlines have always overbooked their flights, just in case passengers don’t show up. It’s actually a great strategy, well, until now.
More airlines are bumping confirmed passengers today, due to low numbers in air travel. Airlines are under more pressure to fill the planes to the max. The minute it’s time to board and your family is nowhere to be found, you can expect to lose those seats. I’ve actually had this happen to me a few years ago. Luckily, I was flying solo, but it wasn’t pretty.
My advice to avoid being bumped, get to the airport extra early, two hours before the departure of a domestic flight and four hours before the departure of an international flight. I’ve found it just makes for a better prelude to a family trip when you arrive at the airport early enough to get your bags checked, get through security, let the kids play, grab a coffee, go to the restroom and be at peace, instead of stressed out about missing the flight or getting bumped.
Los Angeles Times | Hugo Martin
Based on the numbers, America’s major airlines are doing a better job of getting us to our destinations on time and with our luggage in tow — assuming we can get on the flights.
Not only is the rate of lost luggage lower than it has been in years, the on-time performance for the nation’s biggest airlines reached a record 88.6% in November, the best rate since the Bureau of Transportation Statistics began keeping track of the numbers in 1987.
But there is a growing trend that spells trouble for travelers: More passengers are getting bumped from flights.
In the first nine months of 2009, the rate of ticketed passengers who were denied boarding was 1.22 per 10,000 travelers, compared with 1.12 in the same period in 2008.
That equates to nearly 54,000 passengers involuntarily bumped in the first nine months of 2009, up from about 47,000 fliers in the same period in 2008.
The bumping increase is largely a result of the slumping economy, which has reduced airline demand and prompted carriers to eliminate flights and fill planes to the max — or beyond. Indeed, it is no secret that airlines routinely overbook planes because they expect that some passengers won’t show up for a flight.
“The carriers overbook to account for the no-show factor,” said David Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transport Assn., a trade organization of the nation’s largest airlines. “Airline seats are perishable, and once the seat has left the terminal the opportunity to sell it is gone.” (READ MORE)
Increased delays and limited cabin service has spiked private jet bookings
I’ve always thought that booking a private jet for long haul flights is the way to go for families. I’m hearing that the rates to book a private plane are more affordable than ever.
In today’s report, it clearly states that the recent terrorist act isn’t the direct reasoning behind more private flights. Passengers simply want more control, like, knowing that their flight will get to its destination on time and there will be meal service. You know, typical things that we’ve come to expect when we fly.
Elite Traveler.com
December 27, 2009 – NEW YORK, NY — Winter storms combined with late travel plans and increased marketing efforts have spurred a spike in private jet flights over the Christmas holiday. However, executives of several private jet companies contacted by Elite Traveler said that Friday’s terrorism attempt against a Delta Airlines’ flight operated by subsidiary Northwest Airlines has not specifically led to new bookings.
With reports of delays due to increased security procedures, including additional screening for international flights bound for the U.S., plus new limitations on cabin service, commercial airlines are once again facing the difficult situation of making air travel less convenient.
Among the new policies being implemented is making passengers remain seated during the final hour of their flight and turning off inflight moving maps showing an aircraft’s location. The latter, according to various news reports has resulted in some flights operating without inflight entertainment, and combined with airport delays, making holiday family travel more difficult.
“That incident (the Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit) just reinforces the differences between private and commercial travel,” Woody Harford, Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of CitationAir told Elite Traveler. However, he added, his company’s increase in business has been “a result of our relaunch more than any commercial incident.” In the Fall the operator changed its name from CitationShares to CitationAir by Cessna followed by a major marketing blitz. (READ MORE)
Families urged to ship gifts to prevent baggage theft
Associated Press
Many of you will be heading to the airport this weekend, but before you do, consider shipping your gifts for loved ones via UPS or Fed Ex. Baggage theft is on the rise. In today’s article carousal crooks are thinking up clever ways to swipe those gifts from your checked luggage. This post is not intended to inject fear, it is simply FYI.
The Wall Street Journal | Scott McCartney
As travelers get ready for holiday flights, they might want to skip tucking presents into their checked suitcases this year. That’s because baggage theft is on the rise.
This year, Delta Air Lines Inc. baggage handlers were caught rifling through suitcases in the belly of airplanes in Hartford, Conn., pocketing laptops, cameras, iPods, GPS units, jewelry, watches and earrings, according to Lt. J. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police.
Authorities also broke up a ring of airline thieves in St. Louis who, according to Lambert Airport Police Chief Paul Mason, were targeting soldier’s bags that were shipping off to war. Baggage handlers pulled soldiers’ duffels off a conveyor belt in a tunnel, stashed loot and then picked it up later, taking it home under their coats or in backpacks. Among the stolen items recovered: laptops, electronic game systems, cameras, cigarettes, battery chargers, sunglasses and firearms. (READ MORE)
New Report Finds the Best and Worst Airlines for Luggage
AirTran ranks No. 1 for racking up fewer than two baggage complaints per thousand passengers. That’s according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s October 2009 Air Travel Consumer Report (which tracked baggage complaints for domestic airlines between August 2008 and August 2009).
According to the report, passengers lessen their chances of misplaced or lost luggage significantly by the carrier they choose. That’s interesting. This is worth checking out.
Travel + Leisure, Sarah Gold
Though it happened a few years back, Kathy Dragon remembers her worst baggage-handling nightmare like it was yesterday. The owner of a cultural walking tours company, Dragon’s Path, Dragon had flown from Miami to Paris to meet a group that she’d arranged to lead on an eight-day trek through Provence.
Her luggage, however, didn’t make the rendezvous. Consequently, Dragon had to mobilize her tour without maps, a first-aid kit, or any clothes but the ones she’d shown up in. Over the next week, in between increasingly frustrated calls to her airline and its affiliated delivery company, she led her group on all-day walks wearing a pair of borrowed men’s hiking boots that were several sizes too big.
“Of course,” Dragon remembers, “my bags finally showed up on the last day — just in time to bring them on the flight home.” (READ MORE)
United Airlines Takes a Cool First Step
This is a great start to something BIG! 
Kudos to United Airlines for getting to the root of the problem. I digress, this is just a start, but it’s great, nonetheless.
United Airlines now offers an annual fee of $249. to check up to two bags for up to eight, get this, eight companions. Right now, from what I understand, this option is only open to their Mileage Plus members, but I’m sure that’s going to change once they see how successful this program can be, if it’s done correctly. By being done correctly, I mean, allowing members to pay the annual fee and then give them the royal treatment when they check-in for future flights by not hasseling them about how many bags and blah, blah, blah. I did read that weight restrictions will still apply so please read the fine print before you proceed.
Now, if we can just find a service or membership that guarantees that your luggage will arrive when you do 
.
Web|Flyer
United Airlines Mileage Plus members can now buy an annual pass to cover checked baggage fees for the member and up to eight companions for an introductory price of $249.
The annual pass applies to United and United Express flights on travel within the U.S. or on international flights. The Premier Baggage subscription does not include fees assessed for oversized or overweight bags or for checking more than two bags. The pass is linked to your Mileage Plus account so when you enter your frequent flyer number when making reservations, checked baggage fees will automatically be waived for you and your companions for one year.
The cost to check one bag roundtrip is $30 when paying online and $50 for a second bag. Pay at the airport and you’ll need to pay $40 for a first bag and $60 for a second bag roundtrip. On international flights, the first bag is free and a second bag may cost between $54 and $90 depending on your destination and whether you pay online or at the airport.
If you generally travel alone and check one bag, the pass is only worth the $249 price if you travel more than eight roundtrip flights on United. And if you complete nine or more flights per year on United, you might already have elite status that includes two free checked bags. However, if you aren’t elite and regularly travel with a partner or your family, the pass will probably pay for itself after three or four trips.
Recent Survey Shows Airlines Lost 32.8 Million Bags in 2008
I would think that with the new baggage fees, one could guarantee their luggage will arrive to its final destination safe and sound. Well, according to a new survey, “Luggage is lost or delayed for a host of reasons, including faulty bar-code readers, inattentive airline employees, theft and illegible luggage tags.”
Parents, it’s the last leg of summer. It’s a good idea to pack your essentials in your carry-on luggage to ensure you have what you need to get you through for a few days, in case your luggage is one of many to go missing.
The Seattle Times
Has an airline lost your checked bag? If it did, you’re not alone. A new survey estimates more than 32.8 million bags were lost worldwide in 2008.
According to statistics compiled by the Swiss-based SITA, an air-transport communications company, nearly 90,000 bags are temporarily lost daily and 1 in 3,000 passengers lose a bag permanently.
The European Union is considering action to address the long-standing frustration of passengers whose bags are lost. EU Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani said it could ask member countries to create special agencies to tackle travelers’ complaints about lost bags that airlines and airports do not answer. “It’s a very serious and very important problem,” said Tajani. (READ MORE)
The New York Times Asks the Experts: How Air Travel Can Be Made Less Annoying
My favorite topic of them all, air travel. This story hit the sweet spot for me. While it was fun to read what the experts thought could make air travel less annoying, like arriving on time, a friendly staff and less fees, there’s still something missing. We need ammenities for parents flying with their children. I could writing a list that spans from Oakland to Vegas, but what’s the use? I’ll spare you the details.
Chime in, how do you think air travel can be made less annoying for passengers with children?
The New York Times
The airline industry is suffering through one of its worst summers ever, with travelers pulling back on spending and fuel costs rising. Passengers who can still afford to fly are facing higher baggage fees, fewer flights and less and less contact with airline staff (though there appears to be a limit to how low-service an airline can go).
Granted, the airline industry is struggling for survival and customers are accustomed to cramped seats, no food and long delays. Still, we asked some airline and travel experts what might done to make air travel less miserable.
- Patrick Smith, commercial airline pilot
- Benét J. Wilson, Aviation Week
- Brett Snyder, crankyflier.com
- Holly Hegeman, PlaneBusiness.com
The Transportation Security Administration May Receive the Go Ahead From Congress to Police Carry Ons Before Passengers Hit the Gate
The rope is getting tighter at the airport. You may have thought getting through security was hassle enough, now, Congress may pass a bill for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to monitor your overstuffed, trying to prevent extra fees, carry on before you hit the gate. Seems the increase in baggage fees has prompted several travelers, especially parent travelers, to over pack their carry on luggage causing huge problems in the overhead bins.
I’m so close to just throwing my hands up. Why has it come to this? It seems as time goes on, society is making it more and more difficult to get around this world by air. I say, let’s take a look at Amtrak or other creative ways to travel. I think I may begin an investigation on the best method of travel for parents.
The New York Times, Joe Sharkey
TALK about the frustrations of trying to squeeze too much stuff into too little space — the subject of last week’s column on the airplane overhead bins.Wow, do people feel strongly about this issue. I got about 300 e-mail messages, many expressing strong disapproval of a bill in Congress that would require the Transportation Security Administration to police the size of carry-on bags at the checkpoints, long before the bags become a problem at the boarding gate or in the airplane aisle.In an interview, Gerard Arpey, the chief executive of American Airlines, expressed the industry’s objection to making a federal case out of carry-ons.Mr. Arpey said American already tried to head off oversize bags at the lines approaching security. “I don’t know why we need Congress to intervene,” he said. Like many airlines, American has always had employees near the security check-in lines, though readers said enforcement was spotty.Mr. Arpey said he was recently flagged at security at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, where his carry-on was measured in one of those box templates. “Luckily, it fit,” he said.Clearly, though, the passengers I heard from in such volume don’t think the airlines were doing enough to dissuade passengers from lugging onto planes carry-on bags that obviously exceed the size limits.But many of those responding said that shifting the carry-on policing duties to federal security officers would create more delays at checkpoints, divert officers from their main jobs and add more confusion and frustration for anyone whose bags was rejected. Those people would then need to skulk out of line, march back to an airline counter to check the bags and then get back in the security line.“Can you imagine the backup at security when the Clampett family tries to take the kitchen sink and cement pond with them to grandma’s?” wrote Bob Hatzo.Of course, many readers said that the airlines themselves created the overburdened overhead bin problem when they began charging $15 or more last year to check bags. While domestic airlines have raised more than $1.5 billion in extra bag fees from last year through the first quarter of this year, the charges have also resulted in passengers bringing stuff on board that they would have previously checked.I’ll try to give you a general idea of how people responded to last week’s column.First of all, there was a strong sense that some fellow travelers blatantly flout the rules, with no regard for others. “I saw a guy get on with a duffel bag that looked like a body bag, a backpack and a guitar,” Michael O’Malley wrote.As to the flight attendant I quoted last week who said that business travelers tended to follow the rules far better than leisure travelers, not everyone agrees.“Contrary to what you said in your column, I found business travelers even worse, filling the overheads not only with their oversized luggage, but with their computer cases, etc., instead of at least putting those under the seat,” Margaret Fridecky wrote of a recent trip between Los Angeles and New York.On the other hand, a former corporate travel consultant recalled a flight in which a woman returning from her honeymoon took up an entire overhead compartment to lay out her wedding dress full-length.Others said they missed or nearly missed flights because a bag that seemed to fit within the rules was arbitrarily flagged by an airline employee. Some complained about shopping bags, in excess of the standard allowance of one carry-on bag and one personal bag. Some female travelers indicated that they firmly believed a purse should not be counted in the two-item limit.Some readers think all carry-ons should be banned. And many frequent travelers wish that others would simply learn to pack efficiently and travel with less. Still, many people said they carried on certain bulky things like photographic equipment and musical instruments because they worried about damage and theft from checked bags.And if you board early, stash your carry-on in a forward bin and then trudge to your seat in the rear of the plane, here’s a news flash: People notice that and hate it.Meanwhile, one reader, David Ochoa, addressed the problem mentioned last week of items falling out of overtaxed overhead bins and possibly causing injury. “Helmets may be a safety requirement for passengers in aisle seats,” he wrote.Let’s not go there, David. I can imagine airlines busily acquiring stocks of bicycle helmets and slapping a $20 fee on each one.
TSA Encourage Travelers to Use Full Name When Booking Flights to Support New Terrorist Watch Program Called Secure Flight
If your name is Samantha, but you go by Sam, you’ll need to make your plane reservation using your FULL name starting later this summer. The New York Times reports that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wants passengers to get into the habit, now, of reserving tickets under their birth name, in order to comply with the new Secure Flight program’s rules.
The New York Times, Susan Stellin
The Transportation Security Administration is getting ready to take over responsibility from the airlines for checking passengers’ names against terrorist watch lists, and is advising travelers to start booking airline tickets using their full name as it appears on their driver’s license or passport.Later this summer, the agency will also begin requiring airlines to ask passengers for their birth date and gender during the ticketing process, information the carriers will then transfer to the T.S.A. The goal is to help make the watch list matching process more accurate.
But it turns out that what’s in a name is more complicated than many reservation systems are currently prepared to handle. So the airlines are telling passengers not to worry if there is no place to enter a middle name when purchasing a ticket, or no field for a date of birth.
“I think the most important thing for passengers to know is that when their airline is ready to ask for that information, they’ll ask for it,” said Tim Wagner, a spokesman for American Airlines — advice that was echoed by other carriers.
While the T.S.A. has announced Aug. 15 as a target date for the airlines to begin asking for each passenger’s full name, gender and date of birth, and has already begun publicizing the program, called Secure Flight, the agency acknowledged that it would go into effect in phases as the airlines update their systems.
“What we’re trying to do is make the public aware that these changes are coming,” said Paul Leyh, the agency’s director for Secure Flight. “If your name is Jonathan Smith and you travel as John Smith and your license says Johnny Smith — get all those things aligned.”
The government’s aim is to streamline the process of checking travelers’ names against its watch lists — a task currently handled separately by each airline — and to collect more detailed information so passengers with names similar to those on the watch list are less likely to be mistakenly detained.
Asking for a birth date, for instance, decreases the likelihood that a child with a name close to one on the list would be subject to an additional search — one example of a false match that has led to complaints.
As part of the Secure Flight program, travelers who have gotten caught up in some type of name problem and go through the process to get their identity cleared will be assigned a “redress number” that they can then enter when booking a flight.
This number, along with the other passenger information, will be sent to the T.S.A., which will check it against terrorist watch lists and tell the airline whether the traveler is cleared to get a boarding pass, should be subject to an additional search or is not allowed to fly.
“Secure Flight is going to allow us to clear over 99 percent of passengers,” Mr. Leyh said.
For travelers who are cleared, the T.S.A. will keep passenger information on file for seven days. For those who are a potential match, it will be kept for seven years and for confirmed matches, it will be stored for 99 years.
Concerns about data storage and privacy were among the issues that held up the transfer of name-matching duties from the airlines to the government, which was mandated by Congress in 2004.
While many of those objections have been addressed by narrowing the scope of the information collected, there are still concerns about the quality of the watch list data.
“To be precise, we support the fact that the government is now trying to make its matches more accurate,” said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which has been advocating for stronger privacy protections since Secure Flight’s inception.
“The problem with Secure Flight is that there’s still not adequate transparency or redress for people who are placed on the list,” Mr. Rotenberg said. “As we know from the latest report from the inspector general, the list is riddled with errors.”
The change will probably also create frustrations for people who go by different names and have to standardize the name listed on their passport, driver’s license and possibly frequent-flier accounts.
“I’ve got Francis on my passport but I’ve always gone by Frank — my state I.D. and all of my frequent-flier accounts are Frank,” said Frank Ritchotte, who handles logistics for an audio and visual equipment manufacturer and flies about 150,000 miles a year.
“Now I have to go back and change everything to Francis, which is going to be a pain,” he said.
Complicating matters, he said, “I’m a ‘Jr.’ as well. None of my documentation says ‘Jr.’ except my passport.”
Mr. Ritchotte said he heard about the coming change through his company’s travel department, but felt the information released by the T.S.A. so far had been confusing.
“There hasn’t been a clear message about what you have to do and exactly when you have to do it,” he said. “It’s another thing that’s a hassle.”
Among the concerns raised by fliers are names with hyphens, foreign characters, spaces or just initials and people who have two middle names or have not fully adopted a married name.
“Nicknames are going to be one of the bigger issues,” conceded Paul Flanigan, a spokesman for Southwest, which aims to start collecting the Secure Flight data in October.
Currently, many airlines do not offer a place to supply a middle name when booking online, but for now, the message seems to be: If we don’t ask for it, you don’t have to tell us.
“We’re telling customers, do business with us as you’ve always done,” said Kent Landers, a Delta spokesman. “When the systems are ready to accept the data, we’ll advise passengers.”
