Obsession with Airline Seats

Airline seat assignments have always been something we get picky about. Why wouldn't we? When we're traveling like sardines, the little things start to count: aisle vs window or visa versa, near or far from a toilet, front of the plane vs the back, sitting in an exit row, etc...

Ever since booking travel became something everyone could do, seat assignments have become even more top of mind. Sometimes it seems like it's the only thing left that's customizable--yet some discount airlines now charge for assigned seats, while Continental has started a naughty trend of charging for exit row seats. Wow.

Either way, based on our obsession with choosing the right airline seat, sites like seatguru.com, seatexpert.com and airlinequality.com have sprung-up to help consumers pinpoint the best seats for their plane type. These sites are so granular that they'll even tell you about misaligned windows, exact leg-room measurements and seats that only partially recline.

Example Seat 25J on a Hawaiian Airlines 767-300 v2 Class: coach Seat Type: recliner & exit row Power: no Video: no Seat 25 J has a bit of extra legroom, but does not recline due to the exit behind. The tray table is in the armrest, making the armrest immovable and reducing the seat width. There is no floor storage during takeoff and landing. The close proximity of the lavatories can be bothersome.

Become an Airline Seat Expert Seat Guru I love the user-friendliness of this website. The example above is taken from this site--it's level of detail is astonishing.

SeatExpert Offering a similar service to Seat Guru, Seat Expert goes about providing seat information in a different, 3-step way. 1) enter airline, flight number and date of departure (don't worry if you forget all those details, the form even auto-completes). 2) multiple segments? no prob, you will be taken to a page where each leg is listed. Select the leg on which you are flying. 3) review the seat maps to see which are the best and worst seats on the plane. *If you know your flight number and departure date, this site is great for initial research, but make sure you also visit Seat Guru because in some cases, the information can be more detailed.

Airline Quality Like Trip Advisor, this website is completely user-generated with the world's largest selection of independent airline, airport, lounge and seat reviews for over 620 airlines and 645 airports.  Because the website is still growing some airline lounge reviews only consist of one or two contributions, but it's still helpful to browse.

Lost Luggage and How to Protect Yours

Some luggage  gets temporarily lost--like my husband's suitcase to AND from our honeymoon destination--and some gets lost for good.   How does it happen?  How can an airline lose MY bag?   Although the margin or error is reportedly low in the US, in January 2010 there were still approx 4.62 bags in 1000 that were 'mishandled.'

Into the Abyss According to the Air Transport Association, although 99.5% of bags get back to their owners within 5 days, there are the few that go into the baggage abyss. In the US, they end up at the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama, where they're sold to the public at bargain prices. In Canada, each airline is responsible for its own unclaimed luggage, hopefully resulting in greater accountability to get bags back to their rightful owners.

Protecting your Luggage

1. Although easier said than done, avoid flight connections
2. Travel with a carry-on
3. Label your luggage with your contact details on the outside AND inside of your bag. If you bag gets lost, airlines will search the inner contents for contact details.
4. Buy a Global Bag Tag, a heavy-duty metal tag whose serial number is entered into a database linking back to your name.  There is an initial fee for the tags, plus a yearly fee to keep your membership active.   Also consider the GPS bag tracker as well.
5. If you notice your bag is missing at the airport, file a report right away.  Many airlines have restricted timeframes within which missing luggage can be reported.

Finding your Luggage

• 24 hours - Most bags are returned within 24 hours
• 5 days - amout of time unclaimed bags are left around the terminal
• 6 - 60 days - bags sent to airline or central US warehouse and wait to be claimed
• 60+ days - donate bags and/or contents to charity & sell to salvage
• If there is no contact info on or in the bag, a description of the luggage and its contents are entered into World Tracer which acts as a lost and found system for 360+ airlines worldwide by matching bags with claims.  Word to the wise; this service only provides tracking for 100 days.

Other Hints

• most airlines don't offer much as far as compensation for lost of delayed luggage
• if your bag does get permanently misplaced, airlines won't cover contents like jewelry, lap tops, cameras or money (but really, who would travel with money in checked luggage?)
• although not cheap, here's an alternative to checking your bags: VirtualBellhop.com provides 'door to destination' baggage services.  As an example, when you ship a 50lb bag + standard golf bag from Seattle to Miami, the cost is approx: $190usd.

Planning Ahead for Airport Security Measures

As evidenced by the newest regulations resulting from the Dec 25th flight incident, new security measures are constantly being instituted in an attempt to protect airline passengers and crew.

Although it's nice to know that everything is being done to protect our security; the luster has definitely worn off.  Travel is not always fun. The good news is, as security measures tighten and relax to accomodate times of peace and threat, there are a few things that can be done to help you and security in the screening process.

1. Know the contents of your bag.  Although this sounds ridiculously obvious, and we all answer 'yes I've packed my bag, yes I know its contents'...yet...in the frenzy of packing at 2am for 7am flight, there are things us honest and frequent travellers may forget to take out of our bags like our water bottle, hand lotion (sans ziplock), hand sanitizer, etc.. HINT: Prior to dashing through security, do one last check of your bag.
2. Make things easy for the screening process.  Security personnel get crabby when you don't follow instructions and keep the often backed-up line moving.  HINT: Prior to being asked, take out any liquids, lap top, and smart phone from your bag; take off your shoes and place them on the belt (not in a bin); remove your layers and jewelry and keep your boarding card and passport in-hand while you walk through the metal detector.
3. Don't assume your belt buckle, earrings or bobby pins are going to be fine in the metal detector.  HINT: remove anything you think may set off the buzzer.  None of us wants a pat-down, so don't leave any room for error.
4. Less is More.  HINT:  When I travel, I purposely wear minimal jewelry, easy shoes to slip on and off, flexible clothing (no tight jeans) and avoid too many layers. Although layers are smart for the varying temperatures encountered during travel, don't wear so many that you have to take off 5 items just to talk through the scanner.
5. Adjust your attitude & take a chill pill.  Again, this too sounds like a dumb and obvious statement but at airports, both workers and passengers tend to get the knickers in a knot.  The reality is, someone is likely going to be rude to you, so try to respond with grace versus tactlessness.
6. Get screened upfront. HINT: Most countries offer programs like Nexus (canada/us border clearance process), whereby you engage in a pre-screening exercise and background check. Once approved you enjoy shorter line-ups and fewer questions.

What Not to do in Airport Security Last week I was going to through airport security and the high-strung man in front of me went through the metal detector, set it off and consequently received a pat-down.  Towards the end of the pat-down, in a fairly loud voice, the obviously annoyed man uttered "why don't you just strip search me."  To mu surprise the security personnel laughed it off.  In the wake of everything going on at the airports, I was shocked that someone would invite suspicion in such an overt way.  Not a savvy traveller.

How to Pack for Airport Security

Stuck in the Airport? Good iPod Game

With all the delayed flights in Europe, I suspect more than the usual amount of people will be stranded or delayed this holiday season.  It's a thought that makes me sick --especially after having it experienced it myself.

Other than reading books and magazines, listening to music/podcasts, eating and cat-napping,  I enjoy passing travel time & delays with my fave games for my ipod touch.  Yes, I have a touch because I am currently a blackberry user.

Although playing flight control while you travel may seem a little ironic or ominous, it is one of very few games that can hold my attention.  The objective is to land planes and helicopters--travelling at different speeds and coming from every direction--on a series of different runways.

Happy Landings.