News Update: Alaska Airlines Offers More Overhead Space, Greyhound Adapts to Next Generation and Airport Charges for Breathing Clean Air

Alaska Airlines to Increase Size of Overhead Bins

Los Angeles Times - July 14, 2014

Boeing's Next-Generation 737 and 737 Max planes © Marian Lockhart / Boeing

Alaska Airlines announced that it will be the first airline to get Boeing's Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX planes, which are equipped with overhead bins designed to handle 50% more luggage than standard bins. The new bins will hang a few inches lower than traditional bins, and are said to hold about 174 standard carry-on bags. This will allow more passengers to carry on their personal items without worrying about overhead storage space running out.

#MyTake: The boarding process has gotten a little ridiculous in recent years, especially after airlines started charging for checked bags a few years ago. Now, people are cramming as much as they can into their carry-ons so they don't have to pay, and bins are filling up quickly because people's bags are incredibly large (yet still manage to fit up there, somehow). In order to snag that limited space, people line up around the door and crowd in as quickly as they can. It's a nightmare. So having more overhead bin space is a great solution, and Boeing has guaranteed that at least 50 more bags will be able to fit in the bins of its new planes. That is a lot of extra baggage–no pun intended–people can take with them.

European Travel is Up...

Travel Pulse - July 14, 2014

Europe is still the world's No. 1 tourist destination, according to the results of the European Travel Commission report "European Tourism 2014 - Trends & Prospects." The report found that Europe had 563 million international arrivals and more than 50 percent of the market share for worldwide tourism. Despite the positive news, it's uncertain how long Europe will hold the top spot, especially with all the other alternatives out there. The ETC acknowledged that it must continue to innovate with its offerings and marketing to inspire and excite potential travelers.

#MyTake: Europe has long been a popular destination, so it's no surprise that it's at the top of the tourist destination list. However, I am slightly taken aback that other destinations have not overtaken it yet. Think about it, so many places around the world are much more accessible thanks to the advances in airline technology and the expansion of populations – not to mention all those modern-day adventurers exposing us to the lesser-known places. The fact is that travelers are evolving, and Europe is no longer the exotic destination it once was even five years ago. The unfamiliar coasts of Southeast Asia have gotten a lot of attention from travelers lately. I can count at least a dozen people I know who have visited Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam in the last six months. Europe has a lot to compete with, especially as more and more destinations entice travelers seeking the new and undiscovered.

Greyhound Revamps its Image for the Next Generation

USA Today - July 14, 2014

Greyhound has been around for 100 years (2014 marks that moments birthday!), and the company has been revamping its image to appeal to the next generation of travelers. The company now offers free Wi-Fi on much of its upgraded fleet, offers new express routes with non-stop service to major cities and will roll out a mobile app for more convenient booking. Greyhound is also touting its extra leg room (something you don't get on a plane without spending more money) and its complimentary internet that keeps you connected the whole trip (again, unlike airlines that charge for that perk). The company says it plans for more than 90% of its coaches to be either brand new or refurbished by the end of the summer, and these upgrades include leather seats, power outlets and free Wi-Fi. Bus stations have also been updated with plasma TVs and eco-friendly amenities.

#MyTake: While bus travel lost much of its appeal when airlines and trains took off, it is still a convenient and economical way to travel. And many Millennials can take advantage of a cheap ticket and a trip that lets them stay connected the entire time. Plus, the hassle of airports (security lines, baggage fees, long wait times, weather delays) has given Greyhound an opening to promote it's frequent trips, low fares, no wait times and plenty of storage space. Those sound pretty nice to someone who might be fed up with airlines. Still, the time factor continues to be something to combat. Even with getting to the airport two hours early, a flight from one end of the country to the other is still much faster than a bus.

Airport Charges Passengers for Breathing Clean Air

CNN - July 11, 2014

In a world of never-ending travel fees, we're used to paying for priority seating and checked bags. Now, one airport in Venezuela has started charging for "clean air." Basically, anyone flying out of Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas has to pay a fee of $18 (127 bolivars) to pay for a new air conditioning unit that the airport says "eliminates contaminants" and injects ozone into the atmosphere to improve the environment. 

#MyTake: I have almost become numb to all the new fees that keep popping up in air travel. But this is just petty. I really don't have any analysis of why the airport thinks this is necessary. And according to twitter comments, the airport should be focusing on other things besides the air quality. Apparently the bathrooms are horrible, the toilets have no water and there are stray dogs wandering around. Also, this newfangled AC doesn't seem to actually make the airport any cooler, according to travelers. So, basically, this is just annoying and shouldn't have been implemented.

News Update

There has been a lot going on in the travel world as of late, it's been hard to keep up.

Once again, all eyes are on the cruise world, as a stranded Carnival Cruise ship, Triumph, is towed to a port in Mobile, Alabama. The ship has been without power, for the most part, since Sunday when a fire took out the propulsion system, leaving it unable to sail. The sewage system is out, meaning there are no working toilets or showers, and the heating and air-conditioner have malfunctioned, resulting in nearly unbearable heat . The ship was floating in the Gulf of Mexico about 150 miles off the coast of Yucatan, before tug boats began pulling it to shore. Passengers have been sleeping in hallways or on decks to get relief from the heat and stench, and have been forced to wait in lines for hours just to get a small portion of food. Carnival secured buses and over 1,000 hotel rooms in New Orleans for when passengers finally arrive back on shore. They can choose to get on a bus and head to Galveston or Houston, or spend a night in New Orleans and catch a charter plane the next day, Carnival said. The company is covering all travel-related expenses. Passengers will also get a refund, $5000 and a credit toward another cruise--though I'm sure most of the some 4,100 people on board will be avoiding cruises for a while after this horrible experience.

As expected after nearly a year of rumors, discussions, and speculations, US Airways and American Airlines agreed to merge for the hefty price of $11 billion. The deal will create the nation's largest airline. This will allow them to better compete against United and Delta Air Lines, which have both expanded through mergers. The merged airline will be called American Airlines and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of the year. This is most likely the last major consolidation we'll see in the airline industry, at least for a while. So what does this mean for us? Well, we'll have four major airlines from which to choose, as they control about three-quarters of the U.S. market. Customers of the merged airline will have more choices and increased service across a larger network, the airlines said. The new company will have more than 6,700 daily flights to 336 destinations and 56 countries. I know this will affect a lot of people who are frequent fliers of both airlines, and the airline said there will be no changes to those programs at first. I, on the other hand, will continue to book flights on my preferred airlines--Frontier, JetBlue , and UnitedContinental.

For anyone who experienced frustrating delays on a trip last year, you may be surprised by this next little tidbit. Airline on-time rates were at a nine-year high in 2012. Airlines also reported a record low in the number of mishandles bags. Carriers ended 2012 with an on-time performance rate of 81.9%, making the year one of the best three years out of the last 18. Long tarmac delays also dropped, as only 42 that exceeded three hours were reported, down from 50 in 2011. The overall flight cancellation rate remained stagnant, averaging 1.29%. Despite the positives seen in airline performance, consumers complaints still went up slightly--I guess it takes a lot to please us.

Next time you want to upgrade, why not opt for a luxury car rental? This segment of the car rental industry is on the rise, and many people can do it without spending that much more than they would for a full-size sedan. Enterprise expanded its "Exotic Car Collection" to 13 locations in six states; while Hertz said rentals of luxury vehicles grew 15% in 2012. As a result, the company added the Porsche Panamera to its fleet in certain locations. A new company, called Silvercar, entered the mix, renting only silver Audi A4s with customized technology. Rates to rent these cars run the gamut from under $100 to nearly $1,000 a day, and many companies will offer special discounts or promotions, since these rentals are less frequent. Personally, I'd go for the Bentley GTC for $800 a day.

And now another update from Boeing--because we haven't heard enough about this. Boeing conducted two test flights of its 787 Dreamliner as it looked for the cause of the battery problems that grounded the planes. The company said it examined microscopic crystals, called dendrites, can cause lithium-ion batteries to short-circuit and fail, but they are not the main focus of the investigation. Officials are also examining whether a manufacturing defect, the charging process or the battery design could have led to the initial fire.

This week, people around the world celebrated Mardi Gras, with bright costumes, colorful beads, spectacular parties and parades, and, of course, delicious food and plenty of libations. Obviously, the party cities of New Orleans and Rio De Janeiro were the place to be on Fat Tuesday. While thousands of people flocked to these cities over the weekend, there were plenty of other locations holding their own celebrations.

And finally guys, this is for you. If you are tired of having to buy gifts and flowers for your girlfriend on Valentine's Day and take her out for a nice dinner, then perhaps you should live in South Korea. Here, Valentine's Day is when women shower men with gifts. It is also just one of the many romantic days in a series of calendar-dictated holidays in the country. Next is March 14, called White Day, when men gift women with candy. And on April 14, Black Day, singles who did not receive any gifts head to local restaurants to enjoy some jjajyangmyeon, or "black noodles."

So there you go, a quick update of some of the big--and not so big--news stories.

On a more personal news-worthy note, my trip to Australia/New Zealand is 21 days away! I cannot wait! Please know that I will update with stories and pictures as much as possible while I am gone, but most of the recap will occur upon my return. Please send me gift requests prior to March 8. (No guarantees you'll get exactly what you want, but at least I offered.)

Observations in the Travel World

I have been chained to my desk as of late and, as a result, travel excursions have been limited. However, the number of travel stories I have read has been quite abundant, and my thoughts have been reeling all day--let's face it, the last few days--about everything that has been going on. So, in an effort to get my thoughts out there--and to finally post something after a long absence--I've decided to discuss some of my observations.

American Airlines

As many of you may or may not know, American Airlines is not doing so hot. In fact, its stock prices fell to their lowest point since 2009 last week, and there have been rumors that it will file for bankruptcy. American is the leader in declines among major airlines, and investors said they think the airline will run out of cash reserves. What's worse? Other airlines saw a drop in their stocks after news of American's poor performance, causing many of them to cut capacity and, possibly, raise fares--two things that are never good for travelers. So what does this mean? Well, it could lead to the downfall of one of the largest airlines in the U.S., a company that felt it was too big to fail back in 2008 when the recession started and was the only big name that did not file for bankruptcy protection at that time. It certainly is not a promising sign for the airline industry, especially since analysts expect air travel demand to slump at the end of this year, even with the busy holiday season ahead. I, personally, have only flown American a couple times in my life, and I've never been all that impressed with it. I usually opt for UnitedContinental or a budget airline like Frontier. In all honesty, this kind of failure may be exactly what American Airlines needs to turn things around. But bankruptcy is, for now, only a rumor, and there is no telling if it will actually happen.

New Planes, New Seating

After a three year delay, Boeing finally delivered its first 787 Dreamliner to All Nippon Airways a couple weeks ago, and UnitedContinental said it will fly the jet in 2012. The new jet uses technology like lightweight composites and advanced propulsion that are said to increase fuel economy and environmental sensitivity. While I may not get the chance to fly on one of these jets in the near future, it is still exciting to see something so innovative come on the scene. I can only imagine the passenger experience these new planes will provide. Since UnitedContinental plans to use them on only two international routes--Houston to Auckland, New Zealand; and Houston to Lagos, Nigeria--I guess I will need to save up as much money and vacation days as possible in order to book a ticket.

In other plane news, Lufthansa reconfigured the seats in its jets, allowing it to add more rows while still providing passengers with plenty of legroom. I know what you're thinking, it doesn't seem to add up. How can you squish seats together, adding at least two to three more rows, and still give people more room? Well, you install thinner seats. The airline replaced thick foam padding with strong mesh and placed the magazine pocket at the top of the seatback to give passengers more room for their knees. I think this is a trend we will be seeing more often, since many airlines are being forced to cut flights due to financial woes and are trying to find more ways to bring in revenue. Adding extra seating will help make up for money lost from other cuts. Plus, the seats still take into account passenger comfort and satisfaction, meaning everyone wins!

The Airbus A380 is a double-decker jet that seats about 500 passengers, but Korean Air has rolled out its own layout with 407 seats. It has three sections: first class, prestige or business class, and economy class. The entire top deck is for prestige class and the first class suites have 24-inch HD screens. Also, it will have a duty-free shop at the back of the plane, as well as three bars: a self-serve bar on each deck and a "Celestial Bar" in the back of the top deck. Um...I think the description says it all.

Cheap Tickets/Giveaways

LAN Airlines, a Chilean carrier, selected a Latin American-themed restaurant in New York City where it gave out free vouchers for round-trip tickets to South America. Yeah, that's right. If you were at Nuela last Thursday night, you were one of the lucky diners who recieved a free flight. It doesn't seem fair that those people should get that kind of prize just for being in the right place at the right time, but it's all part of a larger marketing campaign for the airline. And let's be honest, I wouldn't complain at all if my dinner was interupted by a woman handing me a free flight to a foreign country. In fact, that would make my meal even more enjoyable.

Even though I didn't get a flight for free, I was able to take advantage of a limited-time holiday sale from Southwest Airlines. I had been scouring the travel websites the last couple weeks trying to find a reasonable price for a flight home for Christmas. However, I was not having much luck finding anything for under $300, so I figured I would hold off the search for another week, and lo and behold a deal came along. I was able to snag one-way tickets on Chicago-Denver routes for $99! And over Christmas...a definite steal in my opinion. So now I've booked my holiday trip home and I am so excited that I get to spend the money I saved on more gifts for my family! (Or on a new pair of shoes for myself, but I'm not that selfish.)

In Closing...

Those are the travel stories and experiences that have been on my mind lately. I apologize for not having anything more exciting, but I do hope to follow up with some destinations pieces in the coming days. So feel free to chime in on these topics and leave comments and opinions. I love reading them!