Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with airlines

Traveling tommorow and have lost my photo id. What to do?

jeremias — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:45:43 -0800

I have likely lost my drivers license and am traveling tomorrow morning. I'm with the family and am planning on contacting the airline and arriving early. But need some advice on what else to do to make sure I make it home. I have all my other id (credit cards, etc., although the only photo id I have is for a Costco card. Unfortunately, no other "govt. issued" id.). It's likely that my license was put into another bag and is thousands of miles away, so I'm not filing a police report which some online articles have suggested.

I'm flying on American from California to Boston and there's a transfer in Dallas (it's possible I will have to go through security here again, as we did this on the beginning trip).

Besides showing up early and being real nice, any advice on how to manage this?

Airline scam or not?

boots77 — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:43:23 -0800

Why would a major airline help desk consultant ask for my phone number? Was I scammed? Last week while traveling, I called my airline help line to see why my plane was delayed and if there would be any further delays that he knew of. He was very kind and told me that he wasn't sure why my flight was delayed, but as of that point in time, there were no other known delays coming up regarding that flight. Then the person asked me for my phone number so that his airline could contact me if there was any other delay information regarding this flight. I thanked him and gave him my number. Immediately afterwards, I wondered if I had done the right thing.

As a sidenote, I am an American and am pretty sure that my airline farms out much of its phone help to India and the person on I was talking to seemed to have a thick Indian accent. I guess with all of the news about international phone scams, etc... I worried more about this than usual.

Was I scammed into giving out my cell phone number? And what is the worst that can happen to me here if I was scammed (he had my phone number, and any other frequent flyer information he was able to pull up on his computer).

I am a bit nervous because I have already had my identity stolen once and used internationally. Any thoughts. Thanks.

I noticed that the voice of the person helping me had a distinct Indian accent. I know that many phone services are farmed out to foreign countries so this

fly me to the moon...

crazylegs — Sun, 04 May 2008 11:00:52 -0800

How many person-miles are flown every year by commercial airlines? I can't seem to find any statistics online that address this specific question. I want to know how many person miles are flown annually by all commercial airlines worldwide. Meaning: airlines x total miles flown x number of passengers on each flight. Can anyone help?

How can I search for cheap, last minute flights out of a particular city, but with no particular destination in mind?

decoherence — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:01:27 -0800

I often find myself with an open weekend and an urge to fly to no place in particular, just to go exploring. Whether it's Sioux City, Billings, or Biloxi, I figure I can entertain myself anywhere for a weekend. Are there websites that allow you to search for cheap, last minute flights from a given origin, irrespective of destination? Most sites require you to enter a destination, which makes the whole process a lot more difficult.

Should I fly Zoom?

bluefly — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:12:48 -0800

Has anyone ever flown Zoom Airlines for a transatlantic (or other long) flight? I had never heard of them until recently, and the reviews online aren't very good. This is probably due to the fact that disgruntled people take it to the Internet, so I'd like to know of your experiences, good or bad. I'm kind of interested in how no-frills it is. Is it comparable to flying British Airways? They seem to have lots of extra charges for seat selection and water (!) which didn't seem too good to me. But the fares in general are pretty cheap, so those charges might not be too bad. Thanks so much.

Booking Continental flights with Alaska points.

chrisfromthelc — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:14:09 -0800

Has anyone used Alaska Airlines points to book Continental flights? BoA (who I just joined) offers an Alaska Airlines rewards debit card. Which, is great, since I use my debit card like it's going out of style.

However, I live in Houston, TX, which is Continental territory. Alaska does not fly out of here. They are, however, a partner with Continental. As far as Alaska's site, it simply says to call them to book a Continental flight.

My question is...has anyone out there done it, and did you run into any issues when trying to do so?

Drive or fly on upcoming vacations?

forthright — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 11:53:09 -0800

Advice please on whether to drive or use airlines for two upcoming vacations my wife and I are planning. Issues involved are flying itself, the airlines, package deals. Beyond the decision itself any info related to the trips themselves, airline or money saving advice would be helpful. I live in the general vicinity of Philadelphia, PA USA and the two vacations my wife and I are planning are to Disney World in Florida, and to the Grand Canyon area (this year and next respectively). We are not retired so vacation time is a factor, but so is money to some extent. We have driven to Disney World in the past, stopping over night, but I doubt we could get enough time off from work nor enjoy a drive to/from the Grand Canyon.

More specifically, I have never enjoyed flying, though I did a lot for business in the late 70's and early 80's, then I swore off. Seats tiny, bigger seats too costly, pressurization, some aspects of roller coaster rides which I also hate, possibility of bumps or weather delays or missed connections, etc.

Of course, now we're talking post 9/11 and since I haven't flown in 25 years I am totally out of tune with airports and airlines. I did an AskMe search before posting this question and my worries were only confirmed. Lots of vacation ruining possibilities appear to exist for those who do not know all the ins and outs of 21st century flying. I did not find (at least) any posts identical to this one.

My kind, loving wife would be willing to adapt to whichever decision I make (yes, she's a saint). But I don't want to continue to be a problem. Is there a way, armed with sufficient information and preparation, to make the airline experience bearable for me? I don't have to love the idea, but I also want to enjoy the vacations.

As for economics, I gather it's a little more clear cut (?). There's the cost of the mileage on the car including gas and depreciation vs. the cost of the airline tickets minus any savings due to package deals.

Flexibility the car wins, but it loses on sheer boredom (since we have to make time on the trips, we eventually have to get back to our jobs).

Thanks to everyone kind enough to read this long, sincere question, regardless of whether you had time to reply!

To check or not to check?

indyz — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:29:50 -0800

Will Southwest Airlines count my messenger bag as a "personal type item" or as another carry-on item? I'm flying Southwest from Chicago to Phoenix for three days early next month. Southwest allows one bag up to 10x16x24 inches as well as one "personal-type item" which includes "purses, briefcases, cameras, food containers, or laptops (case included)". I am going to be packing my clothes in a small rolling suitcase, which easily fits the carry-on size limits. I also usually carry a messenger bag with my laptop, MP3 player, camera, and a couple of books. It is one of the medium messenger sized bags, about the size of a briefcase, and smaller than many backpack-type laptop cases.

Will I be able claim the suitcase as a carry-on item and the messenger bag as my personal item? Or will I be forced to check the suitcase? I know that it might come down to a particular screener or gate agent making an on-the-spot decision, but has anybody had any recent experience with a situation like this, especially with Southwest?

I can't go back to coach! There are trolls down there!

awenner — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:04:52 -0800

How the *$ did I manage to get a first-class flight at a discount price from an online travel retailer? Lest it sound like I'm sock-puppeting, I'll refrain from mentioning the exact website.

I just got back from Mexico, having flown on United First for the return leg. I didn't pay anything extra, nor did I request to be placed in first class. How did this happen?

Details: my parents booked the flight for me, and using [#####.com] found a reasonable price for a return flight from Boston to Puerto Vallarta via Chicago. According to them, when the time came to choose seats for the return leg, only four were available, all of them in the single digits, and all first class. At no point were they asked to pay more; if they had, believe me, they wouldn't have booked the flight. I believe the total cost was in the $400 range, though I can find more details if necessary.

Here's the last thing: when I got to the Puerto Vallarta airport and tried to get in the advance checkout line, I was told that I needed to present a K-Card (proof of membership in United's premium club.) What I surmise from this is that somehow my discount flight option gave me first class seats, though I'm completely at a loss over how it came about. I'd love to know how to make it happen again.

I'm happy to provide additional information/proof to speed along this investigation.

Happy 2008, all!

Hoggle needs your help!

AsRuinsAreToRome — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 15:58:28 -0800

How can we get my pug on our flight so he can spend Xmas with us on the East Coast? So, my girlfriend and I have thoroughly read through American Airlines' policy on flying with dogs. Putting our pug in a kennel in cargo is not an option. Our little brachycephalic friend would either freeze or suffocate back there. So he needs to be in the cabin with us. He meets the weight requirement of being 20 lbs or less, but when we got back from PetSmart with the largest dog tote we could find that still was admissible according to American Airlines' pet rules page: ( http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/travelInformation/specialAssistance/travelingWithPets.jsp), our pug didn't fit comfortably. And he certainly wasn't able to turn around.

Is there any way we can get our delightful pug, Hoggle, home from Los Angeles to Newark, NJ on the plane with us? One of our friends mentioned that if your dog is registered as a thereputic animal there isn't an airline around that can deny him passage on their flights? Is this true?

Any help on the subject would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Can you one-way to Bom-bay?

ageispolis — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:39:04 -0800

Can you fly into India with a one way ticket? Trying to book flights for an upcoming trip to India and Southeast Asia. We're planning on landing in Mumbai. I don't have a set end date of when to come home so I would like to fly into India with a one way and then buy my ticket home overseas. I heard this is the cheaper method and also allows more flexibility. However, when speaking with the travel agent to book my reservation, she asked me if I was certain I could enter India on a one way. I have no idea, I checked a few embassy websites but couldn't find out any information. Anyone know first hand if this is possible?

Thanks.

United Airlines Hiring Office Location in Chicago?

ggypsy — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 19:45:42 -0800

What is the address for United Airlines hiring offices in Chicago for employment interviews? It's a long shot, but I have an interview tomorrow morning with United. I received the e-mail with the address on my BlackBerry e-mail a couple weeks ago, but when going to retrieve it tonight prepping for my interview, I can't find the information. The only published number I can find is to reservations, which is overseas and can't help me. Does ANYONE have a lead on this? Even an office I can call first thing in the morning (my interview is at 9:30am) and explain my situation to? I'd be eternally indebted.

Cheap flights -- do they exist in general?

rolypolyman — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 21:11:32 -0800

Is it possible to get an ultra-cheap roundtrip out of the DFW area to anywhere, just for the sake of flying? I have a nearly-4 year old son who would love a plane ride, but I haven't seen any truly cheap tickets since the Southwest Airlines "Peanut Fares" days. If not, I'll just wait for a real vacation to come up one day.

Lost items from luggage - what can I expect?

jessamyn — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 20:10:36 -0800

I flew with JetBlue last month. Some small items were missing from my luggage when I arrived at my destination. I am trying to figure out how far I want to go with this to try to 1) get reimbursed for lost/stolen items and 2) get them to make their legal documents reflect their actual policies. I'd like some advice from people who have dealt with airlines and their luggage policies to help me strategize. When I arrived in Puerto Rico from Burlington Vermont, three things were missing from my luggage. They were all together in one pocket that had a few other things still in it. The missing items were

1. laptop dongle cable to connect my laptop to a LCD projector (annoyingly spendy on a mac)
2. longish USB cable for my camera
3. battery charger for my camera

Total cost for this stuff is about $75-100. No sentimental value. Annoyance value not having this stuff on my work vacation. I filed a claim. Jet Blue denied it saying they don't cover "electronics" according to their Contract of Carriage. My assertion is that the cables and charger aren't electronics as specified in their contract or as that word is commonly understood. Everything else in the section (page 16, section F) they don't cover is something valuable or expensive [rare books, laptops, cameras, jewelry] and there is no "and other stuff like this sort of stuff" language like "computer equipment" for example. When I spoke to them on the phone they said basically "there are a lot of things that aren't in the contract that we don't cover." I said that if that was true, they had to do a better job of writing their legal documents.

In any case, I sent them a written letter saying that they had until July 1 to either reimburse me for my stuff or we could talk about the contract of carriage in small claims court. I got an email from them a few days ago basically saying that while they weren't responsible for reimbursing me for the lost items, they would send me a $150 travel voucher because I had a bad customer experience. While I appreciate that, I still think lots of people are going to be screwed out of their phone chargers and the like because of Jet Blue's poorly written document and loose policies. Also using the voucher means I'd have to fly JetBlue again, which I probably would anyhow, but it still bugs me as a gesture from them.

I have a lawyer -- a friend who is a lawyer -- and she says this one is really up to me. So I was wondering if anyone has taken an airline to small claims court and won, or had any experience arguing with airlines over lost luggage items in any way that they found particularly effective or successful? Is spending $50 on a small claims filing to get back $100 over a principle a really dumb way to spend a few hours this summer? Despite my somewhat aggrieved tone, I could pretty much drop this if it seemed like the right thing to do, I'm just not sure yet what the right thing to do is. Since Jet Blue has been rewriting a lot of their documents after the tarmac incident it seems like a well-timed set of letters might actually do some long term good, but I may just be being ridiculous. Advice welcome, thanks.

Flying High

forwebsites — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 04:23:27 -0800

Tell me all you know about a career of an airline cabin-crew and how should I prepare for it's interview coming up next week? Apart from presentability, what other qualities do they look for? Also, I am way over-qualified for the job, and it's a industry-cum-profile shift for me which I don't mind, but how do I stop that being an impediment to my selection? I am about to appear for an interview with a leading Middle-east airline next week. The ad states, if short-listed there will be further selection process during the week. My question is two-pronged:

a) With respect to the interview on hand, what should I focus on my resume to increase my chances? I have already highlighted my customer-support roles, Arabic lang skills, and penchant for travelling and interacting with people. What else will they grill me for over a course of one week? How do I convincingly explain this mad (definitely unconventional) leap I am taking, which is effectively a step-down for most people to my interviewers?

b) Coming from a computer engg. background with relevant experience, am I crazy-mad for applying to this job? I am looking at it as a stepping stone to shift my career path from IT to travel-hospitality industry. So I'd like to know what is the typical work-week like for them? What kind of career growth/shift is available for cabin-crew members? Are there any chances of shifting to ground-services after a year or two? Are there any redflags that I may be missing why I should NOT be considering this job? I have done some basic home-work but would still appreciate any thoughts or comments out there.

The reason I am applying for it is because this is pretty much the only position which doesn't require prior training/exp'ce of hospitality industry, I like the idea of being a crew-member insofar as what I know as a passenger, and I satisfy all other requirements as stated in their recruitment ad. The airline is a profitable with good future prospects and recruiting heavily. So I think I can be a shoo-in if I get things right with a little preparation.

Thanks.

Flying the Friendly Skies...

matty — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:00:24 -0800

There was a story last week in the news about a woman who gave birth while on a Delta Airlines flight from Munich to Atlanta.... This article goes into the details, but it left out something that got me wondering.

It doesn't mention the mother's nationality, however it DOES mention that the baby was born somewhere over Washington, DC.

If the mother was a foreigner, can the baby claim US citizenship because he/she was born in American Airspace? After all, if a Cuban can make it to American soil, he's eligible for citizenship, right?

Would it make a difference if the baby was born on a foreign carrier in American airspace instead of being on a Delta flight? (e.g. the aircraft was Air-France).

If it did make a difference that the aircraft was of a foreign registry, would that difference be negated if the flight in question was a code-share with an American carrier? (e.g. you're physically flying on Lufthansa but your ticket is issued by Delta)

Crazy question, I know - but I can't stop wondering about it.

I'm newly married! I want more legroom!

pdb — Mon, 07 May 2007 09:28:51 -0800

Can airline ticket counter employees be bought? Me and the future Mrs. pdb are now just me and Mrs. pdb. We're leaving for our honeymoon tomorrow, and being, well, not rich, we of course booked into economy class on British Airways, when what we really wanted to do was to book into Economy Plus.

So my question is, are airlines at all similar to Las Vegas? Will a well placed $20, a ton of courtesy, and an explanation that it's our honeymoon do us any good whatsoever upgrade-wise, or am I just being hopelessly naive?

Looking for information on cheapest airline travel routes

nitsuj — Sun, 06 May 2007 17:21:45 -0800

If I wanted to fly from one mainland to another -- North America to Asia, for instance -- but I'm willing to fly out of any city in North America to any city in Asia, how can I find out the cheapest route? Is there a website that says, for instance, that LAX->HND (Tokyo) is the cheapest US-->Asia flight, and it is cheapest from April-June? Is there a chart somewhere? Help!

A travel site that includes all airlines, or a list of excluded airlines?

mdion — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 08:27:22 -0800

Are there travel websites that include all airlines, including discount ones like Southwest? Or, do all these websites exclude the same discount carriers, and which carriers are excluded? Like most frequent travellers (I imagine), I use a combination of travel sites (travelocity, orbitz) and airline sites (aa, delta) to look for cheap fares. I know that the biggest sites exclude discount carriers like Southwest. Is there a site out there that crawls even the discount carriers?

I've scanned the two posts, and was happy to find farecast, sidestep, and kayak. But do sidestep and kayak capture all the discount providers? Or am I stuck trying to figure out which discount carriers go where I'm going and going to their websites?

Paper Tickets

PHINC — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 01:26:28 -0800

If I buy a paper airline ticket, via the Internet, in a foreign country that does not have paper tickets delivered to it by some airlines, can I show up to my flight ticketless and have them print me a new boarding pass? I'm in SE Asia and am headed back to the states in March. The cheapest prices for flights I can find are for paper tickets, not e-tickets. It seems some airlines will only ship paper tickets via UPS to European countries. This just seems horribly stupid to me. Does anyone know if there is a way around this paper ticket debacle?

Why is my flight delayed?

dhanlon — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 11:50:35 -0800

Why is my American Airlines flight (Sun Feb 25 at 7:50p) from Atlanta to NY-Laguardia cancelled? And why is the next available flight Tuesday morning at 6:50a? Now I know there's weather hitting New England, and it might be icy for a while. But a 36-hour gap between the originally scheduled flight and the next available one? Obivously this question could be perceived as a sarcastic or a place to complain about the general ailments of the US airline industry. But I really want to know the logistics of this situation. Somehow I feel it will help me not scratch my eyes out.

Do I have to check luggage through to my final destination?

kickingtheground — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 18:50:34 -0800

I'm considering skipping out on the last leg of a domestic US trip (AA). If I do this, can I check luggage, and simply ask it not to be checked through to my final destination? Or am I stuck with carryons only?

How can I have an airline let me use my wife's ticket?

jeremias — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 18:02:11 -0800

How can I have an airline let me use my wife's ticket? Tommorrow my wife and 5 year old son are booked on a flight on American Airlines. I would like to take her place, but AA tells me they cannot change names on the ticket.

Surely someone out there has had success doing something like this. I'm sure they feel there good reasons that one person can't use someone else's ticket, but I need to make this happen.

An extra layer of bureaucratic nightmare is that the trip was booked through Travelocity and American Airlines is claiming that because of this they couldn't change the names even if they wanted to. (Which reeks to me of passing the buck). Calls to Travelocity resulted in the same answer.

At no cost to you, something that would mean so much to them.

lannanh — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 17:06:15 -0800

Can airline miles be gifted to a charity cause or person? This new years, I had friends from NYC visiting me in SF. New Year's Day my friend suffered from an aneurysm due to a rare genetic condition called Moyamoya. She is currently in a coma at SF General and needless to say this has been extra difficult due to the distance she is from her family.

She has not woken up yet and I am guessing she will not be moving any time soon. We are doing as much as we can on both coast to fundraise for airfair, car rentals, meals etc. for her family but we were thinking it would be extra helpful if there was an easy way that people could donate any travel miles they may have accumulated.

Is this possible, does anyone have any experience with this? Also, any other creative fundraising ideas are appreciated.

How do I get the best possible fare on air fare?

mi6op — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 21:34:02 -0800

What are the "tricks of the trade" when it comes to getting the cheapest airfare possible? Besides getting into the airmiles programs, how do I know when to book my ticket? Here is the situation that sparks my concern mostly:

I'm going to Florida, (Ft. Lauderdale or Orlando) to be with my girlfriend for Valentines day. I will be leaving from Ohio, (Canton Akron or CAK is my closest airport, I also use PIT and CLE).

Today is November 1st and Valentine's day is 3 1/2 months away. But the tickets are currently in the low $300 range. I travel to Ft. Lauderdale pretty often and the aveage price I see ranges from $150 - $200 round trip.

I know airlines post specials every now and then but I guess my main question is when and where should I start looking to find a good fare for a certain date?