Orbitz Might Lose American Air Flight Search

American Airlines Wants to Change Orbitz Contract

As of December 1 there will be no American Airlines flight listings on Orbitz. Why? American wants more money from Orbitz sales. Currently there is an intermediary that handles the search and booking between the two entities. American wants a direct connect so their costs are reduced. As I see it, one problem from Orbitz’ perspective is that one of the intermediaries, Travelport, owns 48% of Orbitz. Kind of double dipping, I suppose. Getting rid of the middle man would only stand to benefit American.

What will the fallout be for Orbitz if an agreement isn’t reached by December 1? As a consumer I would feel that Orbitz could no longer provide me with all possible flight options. American happens to be my airline of choice now so it would totally rule out Orbitz for me.

Who else uses Orbitz for American flight planning? Would you continue to use Orbitz if you could not search for American flights?

Years ago we started covering our travels by getting insurance because of elderly sick parents. There was no telling if we would have to fly back to attend to their needs.

Some travel insurance companies have come and gone but there are some very solid A or A+ companies that are excellent. My go-to online agent is www.insuremytrip.com. Their customer service is exemplary, their website is easy and gives all the possible information needed and the process takes minutes. Put in your trip and personal information and the next screen will show you a long list of plans and prices. Click the compare boxes of the plans you want to see. You will have a side by side comparison of all the benefits of the plans you have chosen. If you need more information about any item, you can click on it and another small screen will give you details.

You need to think very carefully about what kind of coverage you need. Do you want to be covered for financial default of a tour company? Are you concerned about H1N1 coverage (very complicated by the way – call insuremytrip for advice)? Do you need excess coverage for your luggage? Is there a pre-existing medical condition that you need covered? Most plans require payment within 14-21 days of your first deposit on a trip to kick a pre-existing condition waiver into effect. Read the small print.

American Express Global Travel Shield allows refunds up to the date of departure, which I haven’t found in any other policy. That could be important if your trip is fully refundable and you change your mind about the trip. Most companies keep your money even if you cancel your trip. My other favorite company is TravelEx.

Each trip may require different coverage. Maybe you want coverage for cancellation for any reason. It is expensive, but available in some cases.

Caveat: I have never, ever found coverage from a tour company or cruise line that was as comprehensive as policies available from travel insurance companies. The coverage available from cruise lines and tour operators usually is more expensive for less coverage. It is generally a very bad idea. Furthermore, if your cruise line or tour company goes into financial default, will their coverage hold up? Possibly but not necessarily. You want to have that safeguard in place. Remember Renaissance Cruises stranding their passengers when they went out of business in 2001? You want your costs and the remainder of your cruise paid back to you.

The cost of travel insurance is something we just budget into our total cost of trips. I am currently caught without, since I normally don’t buy insurance for an inexpensive domestic trip. It would have cost me $35 to insure this weekend’s trip. I may not be able to go and will lose about $450 in non-refundable costs that would have been covered. It might be a costly lesson.

Fly in business class comfort for free

(And Other Perks of Mega Miles in Your Frequent Flyer Account)

My freebie travel guru, Frugal Travel Guy, gives me the ammo I need to rack up the miles for free trips, almost always business class. Those that amass a zillion miles on business flights and attain some kind of elite status are doing it the easy way and I have miles envy. Finding other methods to get my miles is like looking for the yellow brick road with no Google mapping. Scrounging for miles is a part time job. My friends think I am crazy. I think they are lazy. Miles in the bank for me are the same as a Ferrari in the garage to some. It is my ticket to my free business class travel habit. Who wants to fly for 8-15 hours in the back of the bus? I prefer a flat bed with a comforter to a 19” wide seat and 18 degree recline with a two year old kicking my back.

Here is what I have accomplished in the last 5 months:

• 25,000 Continental miles – Chase Bank checking account with debit card
• 25,000 Continental miles – Chase Bank business checking account with debit card
• 6,239 Continental miles – Chase Bank checking from spending and bonuses
• 100,000 British Airways miles – British Airways Chase Visa sign up and $2K spending
• 30,000 miles – United Business Visa sign up
• 14,479 United miles – United Business Visa spending and bonuses
• 17,000 American miles – Citibank Savings account
• 30,000 American miles – American Airlines Citibank card sign up
• 11,323 American miles – American Airlines Citibank spending and bonuses
• 15,000 Delta miles – SunTrust checking and debit card
• 15,000 Delta miles – SunTrust business checking and debit card
• TOTAL 289,041 miles

There are tricks to accomplishing all this. First and foremost you need to know how to find these mile accumulating opportunities. I highly suggest that you follow the Frugal Travel Guy. He is the guru and a terrifically nice guy to boot. He will lead you to all the deals. Take his word for it. He really knows his stuff and lives what he preaches.

Have a comfy trip in your flat bed, eat a meal with something other than plastic and choose a nice glass of (free) wine to go with your dinner. Don’t pay for checked bags, go through a short, fast check-in line, and get higher baggage weight allowances. And one of my favorite perks of flying international business class is the admission to the business class airport lounges. Telling you about the Frugal Travel Guy will be perhaps the best advice I ever give you.

Oops - not what you want to see on the carousel. My bag wasn't quite this bad!

Lost or Damaged Luggage – Who Pays?

It was such a great purchase, an absolutely beautiful retro-designed suitcase covered in tweed fabric with a leather belt around it. There were 9 flights ahead of me and a lot of checking in and out over a month long trip. I was confident that this was the ultimate spinner. Four wheels meant no sore back or dragging that case behind me. It packed so well, or maybe I am the whiz packer, that I had almost ½ of it empty. I loved that suitcase. Note the past tense.

When it circled around on the baggage carousel after the first two flights, it was clear that my wonderful new suitcase had been abused. Badly. Not only was the fabric marred with black grease on all sides, the zipper was split in one place (thank goodness for that belt), and the fabric was torn on the edges. It turned out to be a complete waste of time to file a report. The second airline blamed the first airline and nothing was going anywhere. Luckily nothing inside the case was missing or damaged so the claim was limited to the brand new case itself.

Luggage damage, loss or theft of items within is not a slam dunk claim. Upon my return to the US, I debated how to claim the loss. I had several options. I could forge forth trying to claim it with the first airline since it was documented by its partner overseas. My travel insurance company would no doubt handle it.

Here is what you need to know. When traveling within the US, federal law sets the limit of recovery at $3300. Not bad but depending on your clothes spending habits that could be the cost of one outfit and that doesn’t include the Manolos. Here is the bad news: the Warsaw Convention limits, which most international airlines use as a guide, sets recovery at about $9.07 per pound. If you are allowed only 44 pounds per bag, as is typical, that comes in at about $400. That wouldn’t have even covered the cost of my new spinner. That is to say that the US airlines have a much higher limit for reimbursement than international airlines.

Here is the answer to protecting your investment in your suitcase and its contents. Excess baggage coverage is available for a relatively minimal cost at check-in, particularly inexpensive from foreign airlines. Who would have known? Has anyone at check in ever offered the coverage to you?

Another option is travel insurance. However, you will never receive enough from a regular policy without additional coverage. The norm seems to be $1000 – $2000 per policy. Your credit card may provide some coverage also. Possibly among all potential insurers – airline, travel insurance, credit card – you may eke out enough to cover a loss. However, and here is the kicker, you need all the receipts (yah, right) for your clothing, suitcase and Manolos and then they will all be depreciated by the airline.

Be wise and get the excess baggage coverage from the airline if it is an international airline (cheap coverage). If it is a domestic airline and your bag and its contents are worth more than $3300 then spring for airline excess coverage. It would be a sad ending to a memorable trip not to have a means to recover your loss.

My spinner was the only issue for me, not the contents. The suitcase manufacturer, in a great public relations move, replaced my suitcase with a new one. Thanks, Samsonite! Because great customer service deserves my loyalty, I now am a lifelong fan. How have you dealt with baggage damages or losses? Let us know!

The Nook is only 12 ounces and 1/2 inch thick - perfect for travel.

Being able to consolidate some of my packing into smaller devices is incredibly helpful in dealing with weight limits and sheer bulk when traveling. It was one of the reasons that I was excited about my new Nook. It turns out there are many more reasons that the Nook is a great travel device.

While planning a trip, I establish many files including one for each hotel/car/air/cruise reservation. I also have a file for each destination that gives information on walking tours, restaurants, sights and anything else of interest. Now I can load all these documents on my Nook and carry it with me as my one source for everything. I foresee it being useful in cities as we take a walking tour or scope the territory for a restaurant. The Nook will easily fit in my backpack, my Scottevest or in a handbag. I will be able to leave my travel guides at home.

The Nook isn’t compatible with Word docs so I convert them to PDF files easily and then load them on my Nook. Go to Microsoft.com and download “Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF.” After you download the add-in, open your file, click Save As and then click PDF. Follow the instructions on the Nook website for side loading the PDF file to your Nook and you will be ready to travel.

With the Nook’s capability to increase storage with a microSD card, I can use my Nook’s as my travel MP3 player. The Nook is a multi-tasker: you can read your books or use your files while listening to your music.

I am amazed at how little battery drain there is with the Nook. A very long flight – no problem. Often my Nook only needs recharging every couple of weeks. If you are traveling with a laptop, you can charge your Nook via the USB cable. If you want to plug it in, attach the wall plug to the USB cable and plug it in. Don’t forget if you are traveling internationally to take a converter and transformer.

Load your ebooks before you go, download your music on your microSD card and install it in your Nook and side load your documents on your Nook. Now you have a great travel device!

The not-very-pleasant easyJet personnel in the waiting room at Charles de Gaulle in Paris pushed the baggage measuring rack around the room and made passengers with suspect pieces place them in the device. Mind you we had all checked in at the easyJet desk, where their personnel had already scoped our carry-ons. The couple next to us had a small suitcase with wheels extending past the allowed dimensions. They had paid for priority boarding but were sent out of security, back to check-in, had to pay 22 euros and go through security again only to join the general boarding process.

Don’t think you will escape scrutiny or be able to sneak an extra centimeter past easyJet personnel. They are obviously trained to cut no slack for anyone.

Cover It Up!

that is the case.

What do you do when you are seated near someone hacking and sneezing on a plane? In general we are far too courteous to speak up and try and have the person moved or removed but maybe that is what we should do. Would a flight attendant help out? Any FAs out there care to comment about their airline’s policy on removing obviously sick people?

Poorly Protected Cruise Buffet

Cruise ships are a whole different issue. Buffet lines are standard on any ship, with food exposed to everyone’s sneezes and coughs, spoon handles accumulating dirty hand germs and kitchen employees who may or may not be exercising the best of personal and kitchen hygiene. Some cruise lines are manning their buffets with personnel so that there is a much reduced chance of airborne germs and germ laden hands coming into contact with food and utensils.

Every cruise line I have sailed since the novo virus scares has the antibacterial gel at the entry to dining rooms and buffet lines. Some cruise lines place personnel next to the gel and practically tackle you if you try to pass up the gel squirter, kind of like a bouncer. Make certain that your gel has at least 60% alcohol or it won’t do the job.

What do you do to protect yourself? It depends on your level of paranoia. My level is high so I go to the extreme. I leave home with antibacterial gel in my carry on and a refill in my suitcase. For flying I use Nozin, an orange scented liquid put on a swab then rubbed around the edge of your nostrils. I don’t know if it works or not. I haven’t ever gotten sick when I did use it for what that is worth. Others use Airborne. Some people take antibacterial wipes and wipe down their armrests and tray table. That makes a lot of sense. When do you think they were last disinfected? The same philosophy should be engaged in a hotel room and cruise cabin particularly with door handles, toilet handles, faucets, telephones and TV remotes.  Don’t use any communal pens – carry your own. Keep your hands off counters and desks. Wipe down the communal computer keyboard with wipes. Wash your hands diligently after visiting the casino.

Don’t touch door handles with your bare hands after you wash them. Use a paper towel or your elbow. Keep your hands far away from your mouth, nose and eyes. Sneeze into the crook of your elbow. Keep tissues handy also. Wash hands or use a squirt of gel after blowing your nose.

What to do if you start feeling flu symptoms and you are away from home? Hopefully, your doctor will have pity on you and give you and each traveler a prescription for Tamiflu or other anti-viral medication. If you start feeling sick, quarantine yourself the best way possible. Do your fellow travelers a favor and do not fly when sick. Stay in your hotel room or your cabin, call off the maid or cabin steward for their own safety, have meals delivered to your room or cabin and be doubly cautious within your confines when you touch anything that could spread it to your traveling companion. Drink a lot of fluid and take something for your temperature to stay more comfortable.

What a happy note in today’s airline customers-are-dirt-under-our-feet attitude! Airfares reductions after you book on jetBlue can be credited to your TrueBlue account.

If you book a flight on jetBlue, make sure you have signed up for a TrueBlue account. Sign up for airfare alerts on Yapta and AirfareWatchDog for your flights. You will be notified via email if the fare changes. Call jetBlue and ask for the refund, which will be credited to your TrueBlue account and is good for one year from the date of your call. You must call jetBlue because if you do the change online, you will be charged the change fee of $100. Obviously that will negate the positive effects of the fare reduction.

We are booked on a flight from San Juan to Orlando one way after a transatlantic cruise. The fare when we booked was $119. It went down to $89, at which point I called jetBlue and asked for the credit. Another terrific plus is that they credited my TrueBlue account with the total reduction of $60, rather than splitting it between our two accounts. Today I was notified via my alerts that the fare had gone down again, this time to $59. With another call to jetBlue, I received another credit of $60 to my TrueBlue account.

It just doesn’t get any better with an airline. jetBlue has won me as a dedicated customer.