Archive for the ‘Miscellany’ Category

(Photo: FatMandy / Flickr)

Dear TICKET Readers:

Happy New Year and thanks very much for taking the time to respond to our recent survey, which revealed some interesting traits when it comes to you and your travel habits.

Thanks also for all the unsolicited kudos that came through in your comments… Awww shucks…. we were surprised and heartened by all the warm fuzzies. Thank you.

When we decided to create this survey, we thought we’d be lucky to get 100 responses… but a whopping 620 of you took the time to participate, which means we spent hours happily pouring through and tabulating all the responses.

Here’s a round up of the results:

How long have you been reading The TICKET?

Whoa! Check out the number of loyal readers who’ve stuck with us over the eons. Many of you harkened back to the days in the 90’s when subscribers happily paid $39 a year for a monthly newsletter sent via US Mail!

• 48% have been reading for one to five years (we appreciate the biz!)
• 40% have stuck with us for more than five years! (Gee tanks, folks!)
• 12% discovered The TICKET less than one year ago (welcome, newbies!)

Who decides which travel suppliers you use?

TICKET readers are clearly an independent group—83% said that they decide for themselves which suppliers to use while just 10% said that their boss or corporate travel department told them what to do. Many also said that their buying decisions are frequently influenced by ads and editorial in The TICKET.

How much do you fly?

The big surprise here was that 17% of you take more than four round trips per month—or 40 trips per year. That’s a lot of time on a plane! The average TICKET reader takes around two trips per month, or 24 in a year.

Where do you sleep?

Two thirds of TICKET readers spend the night at hotels between one and six nights per month. But get this, nearly 20% spend more than 10 nights per month in hotels—that’s 120 nights per year!

What type of metallic status do you have?

Nearly everyone said that they hold medallion status on Delta– no surprise there!

• 23% are platinum
• 21% are gold
• 17% are long suffering silvers
• 15% are diamonds (and get all the upgrades!)

Some of our long time readers are now retired, which means that 23% no longer have any status at all—or they spread their biz around among several carriers.

Where do you cheat on The TICKET?

TICKET readers are a well-read bunch, but when they don’t get what they want from us, they most often turn to: Joe Brancatelli, Chris Elliott, The Points Guy, FlyerTalk, Milepoint, USA Today, AJC and Clark Howard.

Do you fly much over water?

Two-thirds of TICKET readers jet off to international destinations one to three times per year. 11% go overseas four to six times per year and 5% go beyond borders seven or more times per year. 26% stick closer to home with no international hops.

No surprise here: TICKET readers are big spenders!

• 33% shell out between $20,000 and $50,000 per year on travel
• 14% spend between $50,000 and $100,000 per year
• 6% spend more than $100K per year

Another interesting stat: TICKET readers collectively spent nearly $60,000 year last year on Delta tickets purchased via links from the site. THANK YOU!

TICKET readers’ households are very comfortable financially.

• 18% earn between $100,000 and $150,000 per year
• 17% earn more than $250,000 per year
• 14% earn from $150,000 to $200,000 per year
• 9% earn between $200,000 and $250,000 per year

You all are also very discreet—26% chose not to disclose their annual household income—which leads us to believe that there are many more in the top income brackets.

How old are you?

We knew that many of our readers were “mature” but we were surprised how few of them are very young—only 1% are less than 30 years old.

• 32% are from 30-50
• 31% are from 51-60
• 27% range from 61-70
• 5% are older than 70

Any suggestions on how we can pull in some of those young bucks?

Are you a media socialite?

When it comes to social media, TICKET readers are mixed—about 40% of you are very active, checking in on Facebook, Twitter or Linked In once or more per day, and another 40% check in a few times per month. But a surprisingly large contingent—23%– say that they never check in on social media sites. (If you are not following us on Twitter or Facebook, COME ON and join the fun. By following us, you are likely to get more money saving travel news faster…)

Do you have any more feedback, comments or suggestions for about The TICKET? Any ideas on potential advertisers or other sources of funding? Please leave your comments below, or email Chris!

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By the time you get back to the office on Tuesday, business travel season will have kicked in and road warriors can begin to reclaim their space at airports, on planes and at hotels. But given recent fluctuations in financial markets and economic uncertainty….what’s it going to be like out there over the next 4-6 months? Are travelers cutting back? Are fares and rates rising or falling?

At the recent Global Business Travel Association convention in Denver, I wrangled interviews with some of the most important executives in attendance— from the likes of American Express, British Airways, Southwest Airlines, Best Western and Singapore Air. I asked them about their outlook for the fall business travel season…. click on the PLAY button above to hear their answers.

What’s your outlook? Do you plan on traveling more, less or about the same amount this fall compared to last fall? Has the recent roller coaster ride in financial markets clipped your wings at all? Please take a peek at the 3-minute video, and leave your comments below!

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Book your trips here:

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HOTWIRE: Great hotel deals and $13.95 per day rental cars with low Hotwire Hot-Rates!

Hey Folks: The new gig at BBC.com is demanding a lot of my time lately. Please take a read over the following recent columns. Enjoy!

–Chris

>“Babies vs Business Travelers: Who is more annoying on the Plane?” offers advice for dealing with the crying, kicking, sick or peek-a-boo babies on board.

>“Prescriptions for Jet Lag” takes a look at all the pills (Rx and others) out there to help frequent travelers perform well when overseas.

>“Sleeping Well” offers tips on how to get better sleep in hotels.

>“Cloud Computing” reveals the benefits of this techno-buzzword for business travelers.

>“Big Summer” offers advice for dealing with the whopper of a summer travel season that is upon us.

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(Photo: Chris McGinnis)

As part of the festivities surrounding the grand re-opening of SFO’s Terminal 2 this week, Virgin America invited media (including your TICKET editor) and VIP’s on a special flight out over the Pacific where we met up with the new Virgin Galactic spacecraft.

This shot was taken from a Virgin A320 looking down on the Marin County coast, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. (See below for a fun one-minute video; more photos here.)

After flying over the Gate and then over the Bay, both aircraft landed in tandem at SFO. Spectacular! We then taxied to Terminal 2 where a big reception and tour awaited.

Onboard notables: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Virgin Chairman Sir Richard Branson.

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KEEP SCROLLING DOWN>>>>>to the next post!

Early this fall, we put out a call to creative TICKET readers asking them to submit short snippets, poems or haikus about travel situations in which they wished they had a nice hot cuppa Starbucks VIA coffee. (Starbucks is sponsor of The TICKET.)

Wow! Y’all are a creative bunch! Especially when it comes to caffeine. We sent the 40 entries up to Seattle for judging by Starbucks executives and  are proud to present the winners below! Congratulations! Winners have received a month’s supply of Starbucks VIA Ready Brew coffee for their efforts.

>With coffee-infused romance in mind, TICKET reader Shirley wrote: “In October I will be traveling to North Carolina (Cashiers to be exact) to stay for a week at a condo in the mountains. I can think of no greater pleasure than to have Starbucks coffee when I wake up in the mornings or before a fire at night. Please consider me as a candidate for the Starbucks product which I am sure will live up to the other products I have used before. I am 75 years old and will be traveling with my friend, Bill, whom I have known for 70 years however we were both married to other people (recently died). Seems like a romantic thing to do– have a Starbucks coffee by the fireplace.”

>Reader RG went on a poetic roll, submitting four haikus. (We tried to write up a few of these ourselves, and it’s not easy!) Great effort, RG!

1>
I’m in such a rush.
Oh, this security line.
I need my VIA!

2>
Always on the go,
I really need my VIA.
It’s my sustenance.

3>
Always on the go,
I really need my VIA.
It keeps me going.

4>
My mind’s on coffee,
Waiting in security.
Gotta be VIA

>TICKET reader MJB makes a good marketing point here…that VIA comes in de-caf, too. “My job takes me to all areas in the southeast, but my home office is in Wisconsin, so I go there a couple of times a year. I only drink decaf coffee. I have found that the VIA packets are PERFECT for me when I travel. Recently though I was in a situation where I didn’t have a VIA packet…I was at my home office in Wisconsin and everyone was having their morning jolt of coffee; I went searching for my VIA packet and didn’t have one! I would have paid BIG BUCKS for one of those tiny little packets that day!  After writing this e-mail and thinking back to that morning/day, I am going to get up from desk right now and go and fix myself a decaf VIA cup of coffee!”

Thanks, folks!

Okay, now it’s back to sipping on a mug of the newest version of Starbucks VIA– Christmas Blend!

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airtran.com | delta.com | Hotwire

With Halloween and the election behind us, the next big calendar item is Thanksgiving. If you are hitting the roads or the skies later this month, read up. There’s plenty to know about the upcoming peak season:

FARES UP. In addition to the slew of new airline fees, airfares are higher this year. Farecompare.com reports that holiday airfares are up about 17 percent over last year. According to Travelocity, the average Thanksgiving season fare for domestic trips is running about $378 roundtrip this year. While that may seem high, consider this: Travelocity says that the average Christmas/New Years week fare this year is $457.

FORGET WEDNESDAY. The TUESDAY before Thanksgiving has emerged as one of the busiest travel days for of the peak Thanksgiving week– even busier than Wednesday.

FULL WEEK. In recent years, an increasing number of Americans are taking the full Thanksgiving week off. This means that you should expect the Friday and Saturday before Thanksgiving to be very busy.

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SUNDAY-MONDAY. The Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving will be the busiest travel days of the season. Sunday’s busy because that’s when everyone wants to get back home. Monday is busy because you’ve got business travelers headed back out for work on Monday morning along with the Thanksgiving laggards headed home. IMPORTANT: Expect big security line back ups on Monday morning; arrive early just in case.

PACKED FLIGHTS AND AIRPORTS. The Air Transport Association expects 24 million travelers during the 12-day Thanksgiving travel season. That’s up from 23 million last year. Despite the increased demand, airlines have been slow to un-park their planes (or buy new ones) so you should expect every flight to be full or even oversold.

DRIVING IT HOME. Despite the focus on air travel, the fact remains that 80 to 90 percent of all trips home for the holiday are by car. Good news: Gasoline is only a dime-per-gallon more expensive than this time last year. As always, traffic-averse drivers should try to avoid high-volume times such at Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving and Sunday afternoon after.

SWEET SPOT. If you want to breeze through the holiday with little or no hassle, try to travel during the Thanksgiving sweet spot: Thursday, Friday and Saturday are the slowest travel days of the week. Smart drivers leave Thanksgiving morning and get back Saturday night. Three days with the family is plenty, right?

AIRLINE FEE FOR ALL. Despite all the media attention, infrequent travelers might be surprised by new airline fees for checked baggage this year. Here’s what you need to know:

>Only JetBlue and Southwest do not charge for the first checked bag. (JetBlue does charge for the second one; Southwest does not.)

>Only one airline, Spirit Air, charges for carry on bags. ($45 for bags that don’t fit under the seat.)

>All other airlines charge $50 to $70 round trip per checked bag.

>Bags that are overweight or oversize are subject to crazy-high fees, so beware.

FAT STAT. The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics says that airlines raked in a whopping $1.6 BILLION in checked baggage fees in just the first six months of this year! (This is a big reason airlines are finally, after years in the red, reporting profits this year.)

BAG FEE REBATE. Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and other hotels in the InterContinental Hotels Group will rebate $50 in checked baggage fees to those who spend two weekend nights with them. Kimpton Hotels is doing the same– but only if you are charged for a second bag.

SHIP BAGS. If you can’t fit everything into a carryon, consider shipping your bags. UPS and FEDEX stores are happy to ship your baggage, but you have to ship them 3-5 days ahead of time via ground, in order to beat the cost of airline fees. Also be aware that distance matters when you ship bags. The UPS Store tells me that a 35 lb. bag shipped via ground from Atlanta to Denver costs about $25; if you shipped the same bag all the way to San Francisco, it would cost close to $50.

LUMPY SOFA OR HOTEL?. One bright spot in the overcrowded, overpriced holiday season is that hotel rates can hit yearlong lows during Thanksgiving. This is especially true at hotels located in or near office parks that cater to business travelers. These properties are dead during holidays, so you can scoop up outstanding bargains. To get the most for your money check out the big spacious rooms (many as big as efficiency apartments) at so-called “extended stay” properties such as Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites or Homewood Suites.

DEAD WEEKS. If you have the flexibility to postpone Thanksgiving season trips, consider traveling during what are known in the travel industry as “dead weeks.” During the first two weeks of December and the first two weeks of January, crowds vanish and prices plummet. The main exception to this would be New York City– due to the shopping season, the first three weeks of December are the busiest and most expensive of the year.

Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA LINKS FROM THE TICKET! It helps us help you!

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The weak, plasticky and unsatisfactory in-room coffee experience

As you may have read in previous issues, The TICKET has partnered with Starbucks to get the word out about VIA, its new line of instant coffee, among frequent travelers like YOU!

Starbucks VIA is perfect for those times you find yourself deprived of good coffee on the road. You know what I mean…like when your only option is that weak tea-like brew you find on hotel breakfast bars. Or worse, when you don’t have time (or money!) for room service and the stuff produced by the “coffee” maker in your hotel room is your only option. Ick! Then there are also those times when the coffee urn runs dry at that all-morning meeting…

With Starbucks VIA, just keep a pack in your briefcase or carry-on bag to ensure a really good cup of coffee no matter where you are. All you have to do is add hot or cold water. The taste is amazing—I honestly have a tough time telling the difference between VIA and the real thing. (>>>Click on the ad to the right for more info about VIA>>>)

How would you like to give Starbucks VIA a try for a month, for free?

Here’s all you have to do:

Leave a comment below or send me an email describing a travel situation where you WISHED you had a pack of Starbucks VIA to get your day off to a good start with a REAL cup of coffee. THAT’S IT!

Just two or three lines are all I’m looking for. But if you are feeling especially creative, send it along as a poem…or haiku*…or a photo. If you are already a fan of VIA, tell us why.

I’ll pick what I feel are the top three entries, and those folks will get a one-month supply of Starbucks VIA and a nice new mug sent to them. Easy!

I look forward to hearing from you!

*HAIKU: a 3 line, one stanza poem with a syllable count of 5, 7, 5.

I’m still a little bit star struck.

Last week, on the first leg of my journey home from my summer vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., I traveled with one of my all-time favorite singers and songwriters, Carly Simon.

Here’s what happened: As we were walking along the pier to enter the queue for the ferry back to the mainland, a woman in a billowy white dress, a big handbag, blonde hair and a very familiar face walked up behind us in line.

Carly Simon looking and sounding great at 65 on the ferry between Martha's Vineyard and Woods Hole, Mass. (and me!)

I looked at her and smiled, then looked away, and then a little bell went off in my head. I turned and looked again, and she smiled back at me, and I stuttered something like, “Did anyone ever tell you that you look like. . . um wait a minute. . . are you Carly Simon?” As a long-time fan, I knew that she lived on Martha’s Vineyard, so the possibility was not completely far fetched.

She smiled and said, “Yes, I am,” and seemed eager for a friendly chat, so I engaged. Read the rest of this entry »

CREDIT CARD ACT NOW IN EFFECT. The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act took effect on Feb 22, will force more consumer-friendly practices on card issuers. But it will also increase competition among banks for lucrative affluent customers with good credit ratings (i.e. TICKET readers!) according to an interesting article in Business Week.  Customers with credit ratings of 750+ should expect to receive more bonus rewards, solicitations and promotional offers. Speaking of affluent customers, here’s a nugget of info from the article that we did not know: “American Express dominates the market for affluent users, with individual card purchases averaging $9,342 in 2008 compared with $2,672 for Visa and $2,300 for MasterCard. Its cardholders have average credit scores of 754 compared with 722 for the rest of the industry.” (Disclosure: Travel Skills Group, the publisher of this blog, engages in occasional consulting work for American Express.)

CAR RENTAL SURPRISES CONTINUE. We keep hearing similar stories from TICKET readers about rapacious car rental rates. Here’s another…”I’m an Avis Preferred First Member.  Last night I tried to make a reservation in Boston in April (not Easter weekend).  The airlines are having a great sale ($128 RT midweek) so I decided to see about visiting kids and grandkids.  The airfare for 2 was about $320 with taxes, etc. but the car (economy) was $375!!!! Fully one third of that was taxes and garbage.  I am aware of this imbalance and realize it’s been going on for a while, but in this economy, it seems bizarre.  I realize, or at least I’ve heard, that the car companies have cut back the number of cars available in order to keep the price high. To get the best deal, I booked it at Orbitz for $100 less.  Here’s the problem or challenge: Avis won’t let me use my Avis Preferred First status with the rental. I really don’t care about the mileage but I was annoyed to think that I’ll be forced to check-in at the counter. No manner of questioning from either Orbitz or Avis produced any answer.  Customer service??  Not!  Anyway, keep up the good work!”–JL

VEGAS WILL BE PACKED. All indications are showing that this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (Jan 7-10) is going to be full to overflowing. Why? Pent up demand. This time last year we were all in economic shock. Attendees for CES and many other conventions were forced to cancel their plans. With things looking up this year, everyone wants to go back. So expect FULL flights between ATL and Vegas, full hotels, and the necessity of restaurant reservations. The city is expecting in excess of 100,000 visitors for this, the city’s largest event of the year.

HILTON HHONORS. Hilton is increasing the number of HHonors points required for award redemptions starting on January 14. Most reward categories will require an additional 5000 points for a free night stay. Stays at Hilton’s poshest brand, the Waldorf=Astoria Collection, are now pretty much standardized at 50,000 per night in the low season and 60,000 in high season. (TIP: Redeem points before Jan 14 on the old schedule and you’ll save.)

http://hhonors1.hilton.com/en_US/hh/landing/RewardFAQ/index.do

MISCELLANY

DEAD WEEKS. (SEE VIDEO) If you’ve got some flexibility in your travel schedule, don’t forget that the first three weeks of January are considered “dead weeks” in the travel industry. This is when travel demand plummets and you’ll find some of the very lowest prices of the year if you can take off at the last minute. It’s a great time to troll for bargains on last minute sites like Hotwire or name your own price sites like priceline.com. You can also find tons of last minute deals on cruises departing Florida and Gulf Coast ports. You’ll also find incredible weekend deals at luxury hotels located in downtown areas. And this year, with AirTran launching service to Jamaica, Aruba and the Bahamas, (and Puerto Rico) you will find lots of last minute bargains to warm weather destinations. Also, all those nice new hotel rooms in Las Vegas are a steal (except Jan 6-10 when the Consumer Electronics show is in town.)

PER MILE RATE CHANGE. The IRS recently announced that, starting January 1, 2010 it would lower the standard mileage rate to 50 cents per mile, down from the current 55-cent rate (and a high of 58.5 cents in 2008) The IRS standard mileage rate is the maximum amount you can deduct from your taxes for business use of a personal vehicle. It’s also used as a guideline for companies reimbursing employees who use their personal vehicles on company business.

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TIME TO SKI: Have you seen the snow in Colorado? That photo was taken in Crested Butte last week! Most slopes don’t open ’til the end of November, but Delta’s reduced fares on its nonstop B737 flight between ATL and Steamboat Springs/Hayden, Colo., for this winter. If you travel off peak in January, you can fly for just $258 round trip. That’s a remarkable deal for a flight that does NOT require a stop in Denver and then a drive up to the mountains. You land, get off the plane and you are there. (Compare that to ATL-Vail nonstops currently going for $350 roundtrip. Even Salt Lake is pricey in Jan…when we checked fares were close to $400 roundtrip. Denver’s running about $284 round trip.)

DELTA-AMEX CREDIT CARD NEWS: American Express is removing the 60,000-mile earnings cap on its regular Delta SkyMiles card, and the 100,000 Gold Skymiles card cap effective in February. (Platinums never had a limit.) That’s good news for those who are frequent flyers AND frequent spenders with accounts that could easily exceed 60,000 or 100,000 miles in a year. Speaking of Amex, have you heard about its new Premier Rewards Gold card? This is a great card for folks who spread their biz among several airlines (probably best stick with Delta SkyMiles card if you are Delta heavy). Anyway, the Premier Rewards card offers triple Membership Rewards points for every dollar spent on airlines, double points for gas and groceries, one point for everything else. Plus, you get a 15,000 point bonus for the first $1000 spend, and then another 15,000 bonus if you spend $30,000 in a calendar year. You can then turn around and convert those points into miles with Delta or 16 other airlines. Or, you can “pay with points” for a ticket on ANY airline, any time with no blackouts. Fee is $175, but waived for first year. Not bad! (Disclosure: We are engaged in a consulting project with American Express.)

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BEFUDDLED BY THE BLACKBERRY? While your TICKET editor has moved along from a long string of Blackberries to the new T-Mobile MyTouch (the “Google phone”), I recall how good it felt to learn a new Blackberry trick, like clicking the N button to go to the next email, or preventing pocket-dialing with standby mode…Anyway, USA Today put together a really helpful article offering up some smart shortcuts. Be sure to see the tips offered up by readers in the article’s comments box. (Thanks to my travel blogger buddy JohnnyJet for sending this my way!)

SO LONG FSB. We’ve long enjoyed reading FSB-Fortune Small Business magazine (and actually did some freelance writing for it for many years) and were saddened to learn that Time Inc decided to shut it down last week. FSB was distributed for free to American Express Small Business cardholders and not sold in newsstands or by subscription.

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CALL ME! This week Expedia eliminated the $25 fee it charged to speak to a human travel agent. All major airlines charge a $25 fee when you call, speak to a human, and this human actually books your trip. This means that if you’d like to call in your travel reservations instead of doing it online, it makes more sense to call Expedia (1-800-EXPEDIA) than to call the airlines. Go figure.

THEFT OF CHECKED BAGS. Now that airlines are charging us up to $100 round trip for the honor of checking out bags with them….this happens: Last week authorities in Phoenix busted a husband and wife team who would drive to the airport with a horse trailer, spend the day stealing bags off the luggage carousels and storing them on the trailer, then taking the hocked bags back to their house and selling the contents at weekend garage sales! Remember when airlines used to have guards stationed at baggage claim who matched bags with tags? That service was eliminated in airline cost cutting measures nearly a decade ago. Now that airlines are making tidy profits from their bag fees, they need to bring back the tag matchers…do you agree?

TINY NEW AIRLINE. Did you know that there’s a new airline flying between ATL, Macon and Athens? Each leg is just $39. Check out the Georgia Skies website here: .

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STOCKHOLM. Delta will eliminate nonstops between ATL and Stockholm in March, but will still offer one-stop flights via JFK

MORE FREE WI-FI. This is getting crazy! Here’s yet another way to get free in-flight internet this winter: Now through Dec 31, all AirTran passengers that buy one in-flight Wi-Fi session will get their second Wi-Fi session free.

GO GREYHOUND. The bus is learning from the plane….did you know that Greyhound now offers bus passengers the option of paying a $5 fee to board the bus first and not have to wait in line with others? And on some routes in the Northeast, it’s offering free onboard wi-fi.

Don’t Forget! BOOK ALL YOUR ONLINE TRAVEL VIA LINKS FROM THE TICKET!

airtran.com | delta.com |  Hotwire

Spain's Smoldering Antonio Banderas

Where do you want to go on your next business trip or vacation? This might help:

A recent poll of 15,000 women revealed that the world’s best lovers can be found in Spain, Brazil and Italy. The worst? In descending order: Germany (too smelly), England (too lazy) and Sweden (too quick). The Dutch were fourth worst (too dominating) and Americans came in fifth worst (too rough).

The poll was conducted by a global research firm www.onepoll.com asking women from 20 countries to rate countries based on the sexual experiences they’ve had with nationals of each. It first appeared in the London Telegraph and has made the rounds ever since. Read on for the full best/worst list:

Read the rest of this entry »

BUSINESS MEALS AND ENTERTAINMENT DEDUCTION TO INCREASE? Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) introduced a bill that would increase the deductible portion of business meal and entertainment expenses, currently set at 50 percent. The proposed legislation would up that percentage to 75 percent for 2009 and 80 percent thereafter. Not a bad idea! We think this would definitely help the beleaguered restaurant biz. According to National Restaurant Association research, raising the deduction to 80 percent would boost business meal sales by $6 billion and create an $18 billion increase to the overall economy.

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