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A recent post about selecting good seats on flights has good information for selecting airline seats when you make a reservation.
Often, though, I see better seats when I board the plane. If another passenger has not reserved that seat, then surely I can move there. Right?
Well, NO! Airlines usually will not let you sit where you want. Exceptions include flights without seat assignments (like Southwest and flights between Hawaiian islands) and flights with many, many empty seats.
I recently looked at my notes from last September when I flew nearly every other day with JetBlue’s all-you-can-jet pass. I jotted down that I moved up to row 1on 3 of my first 4 flights.
from flickr.com
- Here are some tips to move to a better seat.
First, look for better seats on your airline’s website. For JetBlue, passengers can check in online 24 hours prior to departure. I always look at the seat map and pick a better seat, if available.
Second, passengers can pay a fee for really desirable seats. Using JetBlue again (note: alas, JetBlue does NOT pay me for all of these mentions), passengers can pay a little extra to sit in a seat in rows 2 through 5 and emergency exit rows. These seats have more pitch.
Third, before boarding the flight, I usually ask the gate agent if there are better seats than what I have. I learned that JetBlue held on to row 1 seats for needy passengers (elderly, families, injured). I would kindly ask if I could be assigned a row 1 seat. I did not keep track of my success rate–but it was between never and always.
Fourth, when boarding the plane, if I see a better seat, I ask the flight attendant if I can move there. This is how I moved to row 1 on 3 of my first 4 JetBlue AYCJ flights. In fact, I did not think of changing seats for my first flight, due to the excitement–after all, I conducted my first interview, met the pilot and other AYCJers.
- TIP: I usually pack light and wait until the very end to board. When I am the last passenger to board and there are empty seats up front, flight attendants will almost always let me move there. Especially when there are still a couple dozen people trying to stow bags further back.
Fifth, as soon as the cabin door is closed, I will move to a better seat. I do not move to one of those premium (extra fee) seats but if I see an entire empty row, for instance, I will move there.
I hope these tips will help you be more comfortable on future flights because friends do not let friends sit in undesirable airline seats…
Charles McCool is an independent consumer travel advocate.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool).
© 2011, Charles McCool
Once upon a time, selecting a seat on a flight used to be easy–you would tell the reservation or gate agent window or aisle.
More people began flying and passengers started sitting in the middle seats. Airlines increased the number of seats on their craft. The pitch–space between the seats–decreased while the average passenger size increased.
From aerospaceweb.org
From suffocatingtraveler.com
Booking air travel is now essentially a do-it-yourself process, so savvy passengers should know how to select better seats on flights.
Most airlines allow passengers to reserve seats online…
… but how do you know if it is a decent seat or not?
Because most seats recline but some do not.
The pitch can vary among seats even on the same plane.
There are some convenient resources that review and grade airline seats.
SeatGuru.com is the “ultimate source for airplane seating, in-flight amenities, and airline information.” It shows cabin diagrams for planes for airlines all over the world. The diagrams are color coded–red for bad seats, yellow for some drawbacks, and green for good.
Two other sources are SeatExpert.com and AirlineExpert.com.
Because friends do not let friends sit in undesirable airline seats…
Charles McCool is an independent consumer travel advocate.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool).
© 2011, Charles McCool
Finding cheap flights requires more than just “asking” Kayak or Priceline. Kayak and Priceline–and other booking websites–are merely tools for finding the cheapest flights. Just like using a hammer or saw, the power of the tool depends on the ability of the user.
Being able to look for add-on fares is another skill to add to your travel skills tool box.
Below are three examples of add-on fares and how to save money, time, and stress with them. It is an excerpt from my book, Winning the Airfare Game, published in 2001.
© travel.latimes.com
Add-On Fares
Foreign airlines usually fly only from major gateway cities like New York and Los Angeles. Instead of buying a separate round-trip ticket to a gateway city to get a low transoceanic fare, save money with their add-on fare.
A major foreign airline offers flights to Cairo from New York for $500. They do not fly from any other U.S. city. They charge $550 to fly from Chicago and contract the Chicago-to-New York flights to another airline. Passengers pay less by using the add-on option instead of buying a separate Chicago-to-New York round-trip flight. Unfortunately, the $50 flight is not available by itself.
Another type of add-on fare is for travelers buying cruises and packages. These add-on fares are usually good values because cruise and package suppliers negotiate volume discounts with the airlines. Add-on flights for cruises and packages are usually with certain carriers and for specific flights, which may be inconvenient; for example, a connecting flight instead of a non-stop flight. Always see if there is a less expensive or more desirable flight; you may want to redeem a frequent flyer award, use a certain carrier, or take advantage of a stopover to visit friends.
Companies offering add-on flights assume the risk of delay or cancellation. They must make arrangements to meet the ship, tour, or flight. However, passengers are responsible when independently arranged flights do not arrive in time to meet the ship, tour, or other flight. Consumers can minimize this risk with travel insurance.
Flights connecting to longer flights are a third type of add-on fare that can save you money (or provide luxurious service). For one trip, the best value between Sydney and Cairns, Australia was on a Qantas flight that continued to Tokyo. The Sydney-to-Cairns flight is usually not crowded as Qantas is simply repositioning the 747 aircraft for the long Cairns-to-Tokyo flight. There were only a handful of passengers and I ended up in Business Class; actually, I requested a seat close to the front and was accidentally, I think, given a Business Class seat assignment. U.S. examples include Varig flights between Washington, DC and Miami (continuing to Brazil) and United flights between San Francisco to Los Angeles (continuing to South America).
Charles McCool is an independent consumer travel advocate.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool).
© 2011, 2001, Charles McCool
Thank you for visiting McCool Travel.
Did you miss anything this past week on McCool Travel? Topics included finding cheaper flights with open jaws, an interview with travel guru Roni Weiss, and more. Have you entered the McCool Travel contest yet? Easy and free!
The blog posts from McCool Travel this week:
May 31: McCool Travel Contest – Giveaway – Prizes
June 1: McCool Travel Tips: 5 Minutes With Roni Weiss
June 2: McCool Travel Tip: Open Jaw Flights
June 3: Fun With Capital Cities
June 3: McCool Travel: Fun with Typo Signs
Have a fantastic week. You can contact me directly by email (CharlesMcCool -at- gmail -dot- com).
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool).
© 2011, Charles McCool
Do you know about open jaw flights? Open jaw flights are a great way to save money and have more fun on trips.
from norcalblogs.com
Open jaw itineraries are one of my favorite travel strategies. I often fly into one airport and return from another, such as when I recently flew to Key West and returned from Miami. I actually bought two one-way tickets on two different airlines–and, in fact, used four different airports.
Below is an excerpt from my book, Winning the Airfare Game. I published the book in 2001 but it might be even easier now to get open jaw flights. JetBlue, as one example, sells reasonable one way flights wherever they fly.
Open Jaw Flights
Open jaw flights—flying into one city and back from another—offers travelers more flexibility than round-trip flights. Europe is ideal for open jaw flights because of its efficient and extensive train system. For instance, one can fly into Rome and return from London or into Amsterdam and back from Paris. An open jaw flight usually costs the average of each round-trip ticket.
Using a frequent flyer award for an open jaw flight is a great strategy. An open jaw award flight requires the same number of points as a round-trip flight. An award flight into Rome and back from London “costs” the same as a round-trip award flight to either London or Rome.
Costly rental car fees make open jaw trips too expensive for most U.S. routes. An exception is that most companies do not usually charge extra to return a car to another city in Florida. An open jaw flight into Tampa and from Miami (or any other pair of Florida cities) is possible.
A reasonable one-way fare between cities can make an open jaw flight possible. An open jaw flight from an East coast city to Portland (Oregon), and Las Vegas is possible because of low one-way fares between Las Vegas and Portland.
Open jaw flights can save travel time or let travelers see more during a trip. For an open jaw flight (from the East coast) into Los Angeles and back from Seattle, I used a frequent flyer award to travel from Monday to Friday—such a flight usually costs over $2,000. The rental car was $25 more per day than if it was returned to the pickup location. The additional cost of $125 (five days at $25 per day) can be justified, compared to the cost and time associated with driving back to Los Angeles from Seattle. Also, more time can be spent visiting new areas instead of doubling back through already visited areas.
North American open jaw scenarios include flying into:
• Tampa and back from Orlando (or any pair of Florida cities)
• Minneapolis and back from Detroit
• Honolulu and back from Kona
• Vancouver and back from Toronto (train between cities)
• Seattle and back from Anchorage (cruise between cities)
Charles McCool is an independent consumer travel advocate.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool).
© 2011, 2001, Charles McCool
Thank you for visiting McCool Travel.
Did you miss anything this past week on McCool Travel? Topics included debunking one cheap airfare myth, travel souvenirs, and much more.
The blog posts from McCool Travel this week:
May 16: Congratulations to Donna Hull, a McCool Travel Profile Subject
May 17: Travel Souvenirs
May 18: Cheap Airfare Myth: Never Buy on the Weekend
May 19: Songs of Morocco, Part 1
May 20: Songs of Morocco, Part 2
Have a fantastic week. You can contact me directly by email (CharlesMcCool -at- gmail -dot- com).
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool).
© 2011, Charles McCool
Many travel experts preach to never buy airline tickets on weekends.
I am here to tell you that it is a myth.
Why is it a myth?
To disprove a “never” statement, all I have to do is find one instance where an airfare is lower on the weekend.
“… but,” the experts say (in the above case, it is a WSJ article), “the average airfare is higher on weekend days.” Well, then, do not say NEVER buy airfares on the weekend. Say that airfare average prices or that most airfares are higher on weekends.
Silly me, people will not read an article unless it has an overblown, exaggerated title.
Examples
I bought an airline ticket this past Sunday. GASP.
On Sunday, the person I bought the ticket for was ready to buy. I had tracked the fare for a few days so I knew what the cheapest flight would cost.
It was the same price on Sunday. Not higher.
Another example. Last week, airlines came out with some great airfares to Hawaii. On Thursday, DC to Honolulu was $475.
On Saturday, it was $456. The weekend price was LOWER.
Should I say ONLY buy on the weekend?
McCool Travel Cheap Airfare Rule: Buy Your Airfare When It Is a Good Deal
The cheapest airfare might be on a weekday. The cheapest airfare might be on the weekend. Perhaps both.
Never say never. “Never buy airfares on the weekend” is a myth.
Use common sense. Do simple research, track airfares, and buy when you are ready and it is a cheap fare.
It could be a weekday, weekend, or holiday. Any day can be a great day for a cheap airfare.
Charles McCool is an independent consumer travel advocate.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool).
© 2011, Charles McCool
March Madness now signifies the NCAA (university) basketball tournament, where anyone and everyone fills out a bracket and is an instant hoops guru. A committee of experts selects and ranks the teams according to expectations and based on the season’s performance. The first series of games are then played resulting in at least one upset, blowing up most of the brackets. Yesterday was the first day of the 2011 and there were two major upsets. How is your bracket?
There is madness in airfare pricing. Experts and news sources are harping that airfares are increasing, yet there are incredible deals. If you are locked into a certain place and date for travel, the likelihood is that you will pay more. If you are flexible with your destination, dates, and carrier, you can find incredible deals.
While most summer airfares between US and Europe are over $1,000 and rising, I have been finding flights that cost less than $700. I found fares for under $500 between Washington, DC and Alaska (for July flights).
I want you to save money–to find cheaper flights.
Here are some resources for finding airfare deals:
- Flyertalk. I’ve said it before, I usually see incredible cheap airfare deals mentioned on FlyerTalk.com before anywhere else, especially in the Mileage Run forum.
- Airfarewatchdog. Look at fares to and from different destinations (sort by price). Sign up for fare alerts from your home airport(s). Follow them on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news.
- Kayak. When doing my own airfares research, I usually start with Kayak Buzz. For instance, I will enter WAS for From (for all Washington, DC area airports), select Europe for To, select Jul 2011 for Leaving, and click Select. The list currently shows nine destinations with airfares under $800. Not all of those cheap flights will still be available but it is a great starting point.
Share your thoughts by leaving a comment. Also see McCoolTravel.com‘s previous 8 Great article on getting cheap airfares.
For frequent travel deals, follow me on Facebook (McCool Travel) and Twitter (@CharlesMcCool).
© 2011, Charles McCool
