Travel News

While perusing this pretty cool (but somewhat unreadable) chart about Airline Fees from Kayak, something occurred to me that probably should have bubbled up into my consciousness a little earlier: most airlines now charge for snacks. It’s crazy, isn’t it? Instead of a free snack that costs the airline $0.05, they now charge $2-$5 for a snack that costs them $0.25.

Maybe I’m just old, but I miss the days when flying used to be fun.

As part of the $160 million remodel to the MGM Grand Las Vegas, the iconic Lion Habitat will close permanently on January 31, 2012. MGM officials announced the decision on Dec. 28, 2011, but did not announce what will be replacing the lion habitat.

Since opening in 1999, millions of people have visited the 5,000 square foot glass encased habitat, viewed roughly twenty lions at any given time. The twenty lions in residence at the Lion Habitat are part of a group of forty lions that permanently reside at The Cat House, an 8.5 acre ranch on the outskirts of Las Vegas.

Lion trainer and habitat designer Keith Evans operates and cares for the 40 lions at The Cat House along with about 14 workers, and hopes to open The Cat House to public or private tour groups.

Passengers of up to four planes were stuck on the tarmac at Bradley Airport (near Hartford, Connecticut) for up to seven long hours due to the big East Coast storms this past weekend. Passengers of at least one plane, JetBlue flight 504, were stuck without food, water or bathrooms for the entire time. Even the pilot was begging the airport for help, asking for anything, including letting police on board to help deal with unruly – and panicked – passengers.

It’s hard to imagine what that could be like if you’ve never been through it (which I haven’t). The longest I’ve ever been stuck on the tarmac is about an hour, but you always feel like you’ll get off the plane soon. In the middle of a storm, with no help in sight, I’d definitely think about jumping down the slide and making a run for the terminal!

Sources:
NY Daily News
SunSentinel.com
MarketWatch

Another day, another city willing to do anything to raise funds. The latest is Chicago, with Mayor Rahm Emanuel saying he hopes that Governor Pat Quinn signs the already passed legislation. The legislation will allow casinos in Chicago and other parts of the state.

The Chicago Tribune estimates that casinos would help create at least 15,000 jobs and earn millions per month for the city, but the governor is worried that the legislation as currently written doesn’t provide enough protection for the public.

It will be interesting to see what happens. At some point, logic dictates that the governor will sign the bill. What effect will it have on the city? Chicago is a huge attraction in and of itself. It doesn’t seem as though many people will travel to Chicago just to gamble. But jobs are good, and more money for the city to spend on roads, bridges, and busses is a good thing, too.

Read more at the Chicago Tribune

So… yeah. I thought the story of the guy peeing on a kid from this week was bad enough, but noooo. A Cathay Pacific flight attendant and her boyfriend/husband got friendly and decided to snap a few pictures. Nothing wrong with any of that except she was in her Cathay Pacific uniform. Oh, and the pictures were taken in the cockpit, and may have been taken on a flight. People can be so stupid sometimes, seriously.

The mostly safe-for-work pictures are here, click through for the small-but-unpixellated completely NSFW versions. Naughty naughty.

Has common sense finally arrived with the TSA and airport security. Well not yet, exactly, but maybe it is coming. Last month at the Aspen Security Forum, TSA chief John Pistole talked about how the best security they have is intelligence. He said it was high time to “recognize that the vast majority of people traveling every day are not terrorists.” and the TSA would “try to apply some more common sense to the process.” Great news – security theater doesn’t do anything except keep people from traveling!

Read more at Wired

Yes, you read the headline correctly – in conjunction with Absolut Vodka, Korean Air has ordered ten new A380 aircraft which will have three in-flight bars. Called “Celestial Bars”, the new planes will feature two bars in Business Class and one in First Class. Only the first class Celestial Bar will be manned by an actual bartender, the two in Business Class will be self-serve. Because as we all know, businessmen are known for their ability to self-monitor their drinking while on business trips.

What about the poor suckers stuck in coach? You can look through the little porthole window if you’d like, but you can’t access the bars. Sorry!

Read more at Moodie Report

You might think that since the taxes that the FAA collects on airline tickets went dormant due to the FAA shutdown, travelers might be able to save a few dollars on their tickets. Unfortunately, you’d be wrong. As might be expected, most airlines quietly raised ticket prices to cover the missing taxes. And the result? Consumers pay the same prices for tickets, and airlines are making millions more per day.

How much, exactly? According to the New York Times, The taxes include a 7.5% levy on domestic tickets, $3.70 for each segment of the fight, and a $16.30 tax on international arrivals and departures. In the end, airlines are pocketing an extra $25 – $50 per ticket. Delta is making about $4-$5 million per day from the increased ticket prices, according to USA Today.

By and large the airlines are defending their actions, mostly. Jean Medina, a spokeswoman for the Air Transport Association, the airline industry trade group, said, “Basically, consumers are now paying the same as they did last week.” Glen Hauenstein, Delta’s Executive Vice President for Network Planning, Revenue Management and Marketing says “What the industry has done is simply to maintain prices at market-clearing levels.” What about American Airlines, once of the first airlines to raise their rates? “We adjusted prices so the bottom-line price of a ticket remains the same as it was before… expiration of federal excise taxes,” according to an American Airlines representative.

At least we can rest easy knowing that once the FAA budget gets approved, the rates will drop to make up for the taxes, right? Not so fast. According to the New York Times, “None of the airline industry experts I spoke to expected the airlines to roll back the new fare increases once the taxes are reauthorized.”

What can a traveler do? First, not all airlines raised their fees. Alaska Airlines, Spirit Airlines and a few others haven’t raised their fees. JetBlue did raise their fees at but is offering customers a refund (with a few catches), and now has eliminated the extra fees. We suggest flying through these and other airlines that haven’t raised their rates, and let the airlines that have raised their rates know how you feel! And keep an eye out for when the FAA is back in business – and watch those rates!

(Credit: KLAS-Las Vegas)

Roughly 50 showgirls from Jubilee, a Bally’s Las Vegas hotel and casino show, staged a protest march down the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday morning (July 21, 2011), protesting unadvertised resort fees in many of Las Vegas’ hotels. Fees can range from $4.99 to $24.99 per day, and cover the cost of newspapers, coffee, valet parking, and more, and are charged to room fees whether the services are used or not.

In the end, however, the protest was really just a marketing ploy by Caesar’s Entertainment. They have a no-fee policy, and the showgirls all for for the Caesar’s run Bally’s. The other big name entertainers at the protest included Marie Osmond, Donny Osmond, Penn and Teller, Jeff Timmons, and others, and they all work for Caesar’s Entertainment.

Regardless, it sure would be nice if resorts were upfront about resort fees. It’s frustrating to be surprised by a much higher than expected hotel stay, but unfortunately that happens almost everywhere. Cities love to stick it to travelers.

Video of the protest:

Imagining what it will be like to fly in 2050, Airbus is showing its vision for airplanes and a concept cabin for the future. Dubbed the “Vision for Aviation in 2050″, the aircraft manufacturer will be showing off its concept cabin to the public at the Paris Air Show next week.

Biometric Seats

Seats in 2050 will morph themselves to the body type of the person sitting in them, and will harness body heat to run holographic displays that will let the person play games or work.

Interactive Zone

Play virtual golf or other games in the “Interactive Zone”, one of the new was air travelers will be able to move about an interact.

Bionic Plane Structure

Future planes will have a more bionic structure mimicking bird bone structure. The new structure will be lighter and stronger, and will also have the ability to become transparent, giving fliers a chance for amazing views of the countryside and the night sky.

What the future holds for air travel is anyone’s guess at the point, and who knows which of the visionary items – if any – will be a part of air travel in 2050.