Fight or Flight

Have you ever had a fight with an airline fare, and it won? I've booked my fair share of great flight and vacation deals, but my recent misstep was a doozie, so I decided to use the misfortune as an example of what NOT to do!

Like stocks, airline fares fluctuate. Buy your ticket on a good, down day and you're happy. Buy it on a bad, up day and you're mad and out money. I was abruptly reminded of this fare dance when I booked a flight down south---apparently this youngish snowbird momentarily left her head in the clouds.

Fighting the Flight Recently my husband and I were in the market for a flight to Scottsdale, AZ. When we initially surveyed the options a month and a half before our departure date, the fare was $300 return YVR to PHX---not a bad price for a direct, weekend {friday - monday} flight. Why we didn't just book our flight right then is beyond me, but the story gets worse. A few days later, we remembered we had to book our flight, so we went back online and noticed it had gone up by $100. Great. At the time, we were on vacation in Mexico and again, forgot to book. I wish I could blame it on the tequila, but, I don't like it very much. Finally, the next day, we wised-up and booked the flight. The only problem? It was $200 more than a few days before. Yes, we could have flown out of an alternate airport or changed our dates for a slightly cheaper price, but it wasn't worth it. So, we swallowed our pride and handed over $500 to US Airways....thank God for the points on my travel reward card.

Taking Flight {Best Practices}

• Follow these recommendations {from Kayak's Chief Scientist} for the BEST TIMING to book a flight
• Set up a fare alert with Kayak or Yapta for the flight you're eying
• Worried your flight price will go down after you book? If so, Yapta can help you get back the difference.

Moral of the story: if you're within a month and a half of your estimated departure, don't fight the flight, just book it!

[photo by Victor Dee]

Q&A :: Code-Share Flights

Question If you book a code share-flight, where do you check-in? [Have travel questions you want answered? Send us an email and your question could be answered in our Q&A series!]

Answer Checking in If you're on a code-sharing flight, check-in at the operating airline's desk! If you check-in online, do so with the carrier from which you purchased your ticket.

Code-Sharing Code-sharing is ultimately a revenue-sharing agreement allowing airlines to extend their reach into cities outside of their regular routes by selling tickets on a partner's flight. Therefore, there's always an operating and selling/partner carrier(s). For example, let's say there's a flight from Vancouver to San Francisco operated by United, yet Air Canada and Air New Zealand (also Star Alliance members) are also selling tickets under their own flight codes for that flight. This triple code-share flight would have flight codes looking something like: UA102 for United (operating carrier), AC105 for Air Canada and ANZ 229 for Air New Zealand (partner/selling carriers).

Code Sharing Facts

• airlines don't typically code-share outside of their alliance, for example, Star Alliance or One World
• the selling and operating airline are required to be disclosed during the purchase process, as well as on your ticket and boarding pass
• the selling/partner carriers should always be identified on the terminal's status boards and at the gate
• need to change your itinerary or seat on your code-share flight? This is where things get tricky. Most airlines will suggest you contact the carrier that sold you the ticket, which may or may not be the operator.

Last year when flying from Milan to New York, I booked an Alitalia flight, checked-in at an Alitalia desk, and boarded an Alitalia plane, in other words, Alitalia was the operating airline. I learned after, this flight was apparently a Delta code-share. Upon arriving into JFK, customs would not accept that I was on an Alitalia flight, they wanted me to say Delta, so after a few words, I told them I was on a "Delta" flight. Trip Styler Tip: take note if you see if your flight is a code-share, in case you're asked.

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[image by rocksee]

Avoid Extras with Allegiant Air

[trip style = budget conscious]

Flying discount carriers like Allegiant Air can be a good thing when you pay the advertised rate. However, if you're not savvy when purchasing your seat, there are multiple hidden fees that creep up unless you know how to navigate the booking process.

{It's Travel Beauty Month, so don't forget to comment on our blog to win a great travel skincare set from Skoah. Details here.}

I can't tell you the amount of people who told me they got a good rate with Allegiant, but ended up feeling duped because they got charged for extras. If you even select a few of the extras, the price can skyrocket into the realm of legacy carriers or higher!  If you're trying to keep the price of your trip in-check, the extras aren't necessary, and here's how to avoid them:

Allegiant's Main Extras

• checked bag ($14.99 - $35 per bag and per segment)
• seat pre-selection ($11-14 per segment)
• priority boarding (Approx. $7 per segment... Only available if you've pre-selected your seat)

Keep the Price Low With Allegiant, purchasing your flight is a multi-step process--one that can be simplified and made more efficient if you know when to say NO to extras. After you select your flight's destination and dates...

1. Hotel: you'll be asked if you want to book a hotel. Say no, there's a small "no thanks" link at the bottom of the page.
2. Car: same deal, say no to rental car with the small "no thanks" link at the bottom of the page.
3. Scooter: who asks about a scooter rental? Same instructions as above.
4. Passenger Info: fill in the required fields to move forward.
5. Confirmation: this page is multi-function showing total trip cost, flight confirmation details and seat selection. Don't bother pre-selecting your seat, you can do that at the airport. Use the small link "remove all seat selections and priority boarding." When you click on this link, there will be a sneaky pop-up window encouraging you not to remove seat selection, but clicking it will ensure any priority boarding and seat selection is removed and you can advance for the same price.
6. Payment details: now you get to pay.

Other Tips

• Carry-ons are free with no weight limit and you're allowed two (ie - bag + personal item)
• If you want to ensure there's enough space for your carry-on on the plane, sit in row 15 or higher.  Planes are boarded from the back, forward. Because of the price of checked bags and Allegiant's mostly short-haul flights, most people bring carry-ons so overhead bins fill up fast.
• Fill up a water bottle after security or buy a bev on the plane. Everything on board, including water, is for purchase.
• Most allegiant planes board at small airports in the open air, so if it's raining you may want an umbrella to protect yourself from a soggy ride.
• If you really want to pay for priority boarding (which is not worth it) then you can check-in online, otherwise, you'll line-up and check-in at the airport.  (Pre-selected seating is required to purchase priority boarding)
• The seats on Allegiant's planes don't recline. It is likely they will on the planes that will go to Hawaii.

[photo by cliff1066]

Not all Layovers are Created Equal

A Marathon Ever ran a marathon through JFK, Heathrow or Hong Kong's International Airport?  I have, unintentionally. It's much easier running marathons with workout gear, Gatorade stands and cheering fans versus fully clothed, parched and stressed.

A Sweaty Flight Earlier this year, I arrived at my flight to Istanbul sweaty---awesome way to start a flight---thanks to my race through Heathrow. I didn't give myself enough time. I learned my lesson after begging the Turkish Airways check-in agents to re-open the desk and respectfully dodging the 100-person-long security line-up, followed by a brisk 30 min run from security to my flight---and that's not even half the story.

Not all Layovers are Equal Travel professionals know that not all layovers are created equal. If you're a DIY traveler booking your flight path online, you may not know the ins and outs of layover planning. It's not worth risking a slightly earlier arrival at your destination to try and beat the system of deplaning, customs, baggage and security. If you're about to book an international trip online, heed the timing recommendations below.

Layover Timing Recommendations Small Regional Airports - allow 1.5 hours Domestic Airports - allow 2 hours International Airports - allow 2.5 hours Multi-Terminal International Airports - allow 3 hours

Considerations

• Bigger, multi-terminal airports provide more opportunities for delays
• What are the security regulations for each leg of your flight? For example, Israel's immigration is known for very thorough questioning, so being at the airport at least 3 hours in advance is essential.
• Are you transferring to the same or a different carrier?
• Where are you going?

[photo by chadmagiera]

Go-To Carry-On Toiletries

In carry-on luggage, space is at a minimum. And really, who wants to take up valuable luggage 'real estate' with large deodorants, big toothbrushes or bulky creams for 'this' and 'that.'

To maximize clothing and shoe space, here are the go-to mini toiletries I keep on-hand for every trip near and far:

Ladies - fold-able toothbrush & mini toothpaste - mini deodorant - mini perfume - face wash wipes (these don't count as 'liquid') - general wipes (for sanitizing when you're out & about) - pre-packaged nail polish wipes (just in case) - mini face cream for night - mini sunscreen/day cream or sunscreen wipes (i like dermalogica wipes) - mini hairspray - mini brush - mini comb - razor (forget shaving cream) - tweezers - make-up [cover up, powder, blush, mascara, eye shadow, liner, lip stick] - vaseline (a go-to eye make-up remover, eye brightener/cream, lip gloss, moisturizer) *remember to put all liquids, including mascara, into a zip lock and take it out of your bag before it goes into the security scanner.

Men - foldable toothbrush & accompanying toothpaste - mini deodorant - mini cologne - face wash (although, you'll prob just user water or the hotel soap) - mini face cream for night (yes men, you should be using this) - mini sunscreen/day cream - mini hair styling cream - mini comb - razor - tweezers

[photo my own]