Tagged With "low-wage"
Comment
Re: France Train Service, SNCF, Expands Low Cost Trains and Buses
It's great news for budget travelers. I took the Ouigo train from to Marseille in 2013 and loved it.
Comment
Re: New trend? Some airlines end toll-free calls
Yet another drop in service, but one that likely will have minimal impact on most customers. If it saves millions of dollars, and the savings are used to reduce company overhead (say instead of bonuses for executives), I think consumers will be supportive.
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
We flew Norwegian in May, Orlando-Oslo and were really impressed. The 787 made such a difference and we arrived feeling fresh. The moister air, bigger windows and lighting made a world of difference in how we felt post trip. We brought a decent sized carry-on and personal bag each for free too. As far other extra fees, we didn't pay any. They charge for food or drinks, but we just bought those at the airport. And I think they also charge for blankets, but we brought jackets to cover with and...
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
This is sounding very promising, Rob. I can think of no reason to pay more money to pay with miles than for a ticket on Norwegian. I have enough miles to go around the world and only the first leg (or last, depending) is more expensive using miles. It makes no sense. So you were able to carry on your main bag plus a smaller one? I'm speaking of the limits for discounted coach tickets (aka "steerage").
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
Amazing the way these calculations work out. We're going to England next spring, using American Airlines points. The flight selection offered us flights on British Airways and American. The AA flights cost the points plus government fees. The BA flights cost the points plus the government fees, plus enough surcharges to make a $1000+ difference. If I only had the BA flights, I'd certainly rather find a low-cost carrier! It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming year as Aer...
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
The carry-on limits are posted on the site. Still we were a little worried but there were no problems. We each took a carry-on and a personal bag on for free. A note that my same carry-on was too big for Air China so Norwegian had decent limits.
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
The website states the limits for a carry-on bag are (approximately, stated in cm) 21 x 16 x 9 inches, and 10 kilos/22 pounds. Plus a "small" item that fits comfortably under the seat. Were your bags within these guidelines, Rob?
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
I think that's very similar to American Airlines carry-on allowance. A lot better than EasyJets etc. Whether my bag was over, I can't say. My original bag was lost by Megabus, if you can believe it, so I had a different bag and clothes than what I was planning on The thing about the 787 is there's actually room for the carry-on. in the overhead.
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
I've checked my bag for years but it sounds like in this case it'd be worthwhile to pack light and carry it on. My usual, without trying, is about 13 kilos, so 10 isn't a huge stretch. Sounding like an interesting possibility.
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
I was just reading a Chris Elliott piece on when people get so fed up with air travel they stop flying altogether. He interviewed a man who owned a travel company, Spencer Carlson and the positive airline example he gave was Norwegian. So it seems like my good experience is the norm with them. Here is this link: http://www.seattletimes.com/li...-to-take-it-anymore/
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
I can live indefinitely with 2 sets of clothes, 1 to wear & 1 to wash, 1 extra pair of shoes, all in a day pack. I wouldn't necessarily WANT to do it, but I could, rather than stop flying if, say, the airlines reduced baggage limits to 10 pounds altogether. It's the same old story, I figure, if for any reason, you can't or won't travel (time, money, fed up, whatever), you just don't want to enough. One excuse is as good as another. Good to hear about Norwegian. I repeated the exercise...
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
Continuing my search for an economical way to use my miles and avoid absurd fees, I tried a combination of 2 one-way flights, one with miles, one on Norwegian. One way on Norwegian is as low as $286. If I avoid using BA with points, flights on AA to Paris are 20,000 miles (before May 15th) plus a $5 fee (excellent!) but with a stupid schedule, 3 flights and 2 days to get there. And 1 possibility available. All the rest are BA flights, $326 in fees + 20,000 miles. Next thought, why is AA...
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
The AA-BA mashup is tricky, yes, but not as devious as it may seem. Between New York and Paris, for instance, AA has only two non-stops a day; BA has a half-dozen (or more, including Open Skies). And, BA has many seats LON-PAR, so availability is greater. A similar situation exists on this side of the ocean, where BA feeds many AA domestic flights. It's sometimes possible to get around better if you don't mind one stop...we've used AA to Madrid paired with Iberia to Paris (Iberia's charges...
Reply
Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
Call it whatever you like, but I seem to have missed your point. But, no matter, MY point was simply that I see no excuse for charging astonishingly different prices for the same product, transportation from point A to point B, on partner airlines ostensibly selling the same thing.
Comment
Re: Behind the Rides: Orlando leads U.S. in visits and low-wage jobs
I am not sure if an employee working in tourism in NYC would have a higher quality of life even if paid more. Orlando at least is cheap. Also many folks in the tourist trade make a lot of their earnings from tips which rarely are fully reported as income. So I never know what to make of studies like this
Blog Post
Mexico low-cost carrier adds U.S. flights
Volaris, a Guadalajara-based Ultra Low-Cost Carrier (ULCC) that has an extensive network in Mexico and also serves cities in the southwestern U.S. is pushing to increase its U.S. business by adding flights to further destinations, especially ones with...
Blog Post
They believe they can fly...but signs are not good!
America's most persistent attempt at starting a new airline is out there again, looking for crowdfunding to get off the ground. First as Family Airlines, and since 2010 as Avatar Airlines, they've been trying for take-off since 1992, with plans for an...
Blog Post
AA talks tough on discount competition, sees change ahead
American Airlines, the world's largest air carrier, isn't planning to let any Davids mess with its Goliath market share. CEO Doug Parker says that if smaller rivals take advantage of fuel price drops to add seats and then discount them to take market...
Blog Post
Not just passengers want free WiFi...ask Spirit!
Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant are U.S. ultra-low-cost carriers famous for wanting a nickel for everything they don't charge a dime for—and they're also among the very few U.S. carriers not offering WiFi. If you've wondered why,...
Blog Post
More river cruises cancelled, but some hopeful signs
CroisiEurope's Leonardo da Vinci on the Neckar at Heidelberg Continuing problems with low water in European rivers, as described in several recent TG NewsLinks, are disrupting more cruise plans by most operators...but at least some see hope in...
Blog Post
New trend? Some airlines end toll-free calls
Pay-to-talk may be coming soon to more reservation and customer-service centers Frontier Airlines has announced the end of its toll-free customer service line, joining a number of airlines and other companies who've decided that the cost of...
Topic
Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
Looking for flights to Europe on which to spend my miles and being astonished by the fees, I had a look on the Norwegian site and was amazed in the other direction, by how cheap the fares were from the West Coast. Until I started trying to...
Blog Post
Low water puts some European river cruises on hold
Low water in the Danube, 2012 If it seems like only yesterday we were reporting on European river cruises being canceled because high waters were blocking ships from sailing under bridges...well, it was. On May 7, we reported problems on the...
Blog Post
France Train Service, SNCF, Expands Low Cost Trains and Buses
Frances train service, SNCF, is expanding its low cost TGV service, Ouigo and tripling it's fleet of coaches called Ouibus. Ouigo was set up in 2013 to run TGV trains from Paris to the south of France, namely the cities of Lyon,...
Blog Post
Dec. 8, 2017: Low Force Waterfall, Tees Valley
A lovely English waterfall beautifully captured by photographer Ian Cook.
Blog Post
Frontier cuts fares 12% and cuts amenities to 0
Denver-based Frontier Airlines, whose goal is to become an "ultra low-cost" carrier, has dropped its fares by about 12% (which works out to about 18% below Southwest on competing routes). The fare cuts come with a big "but" but with no...
Blog Post
Behind the Rides: Orlando leads U.S. in visits and low-wage jobs
Orlando last year passed New York as the world's and nation's top tourist city, but it also has the lowest median pay of the top 50 U.S. cities, with many of the theme park employees among those living at or below the poverty line, according to...
Blog Post
Low water again affecting Rhine shipping
Low water levels in the Rhine are causing problems for shipping, and may affect river cruises.
Blog Post
American joins the 'basic economy' movement
American is shifting gears on competing with the ultra-low-cost carriers; instead of discounting regular fares, it will add a new 'Basic Economy.'
Blog Post
Cheapest airlines may not be the ones you think!
Sharpen your pencil: The discount and ultra-lowcost carriers are not always the cheapest choice!
Blog Post
Allegiant dips a toe into the NY market
Ultra-low-cost carrier Allegiant gets its first New York area flights, and also adds Denver and Ogdensburg.
Blog Post
United, AA to offer "basic economy"—that's the Spirit!
Ultra-low cost carriers like Spirit are pushing the majors into the no-frills arena. United has announced it will follow Delta next year, and offer "basic economy" style fares with no baggage, upgrade or airport privileges, and American has indicated that it's exploring the idea, too. Fares like that—Spirit calls it a "bare fare"—have been the staple of flying on the ULC carriers such as Spirit and Frontier, but the majors have resisted up to now because they have wanted to...
Blog Post
Value Alliance unites 8 Asian low-cost carriers
Eight Asian low-cost airlines are hooking up their booking and ticketing to make it easier for travelers to choose them over growing rivals.
Blog Post
Dry winter shakes up Alpine ski and travel industry
Low snowfalls are a big problem for ski resorts in France, Italy and Switzerland, with skiers waiting to the last minute to see where there's snow.
Blog Post
Frontier adds 42 routes; $39 intro specials posted
Ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier is adding 42 new routes to its network, including two new cities in "over-priced and under-served" areas.
Blog Post
Sweden's record lows snarl transport
Temperatures set record lows two days in a row (as low as -45F), stopping trains and immobilizing buses in northern Sweden
Comment
Re: United, AA to offer "basic economy"—that's the Spirit!
Change at the low end of American's menu of fare options isn't the only one they plan for economy flying. An upscaled version of premium economy will be rolled out, starting next year, for long-haul flights. http://www.aa.com/i18n/urls/pr...title=premiumeconomy
Comment
Re: United, AA to offer "basic economy"—that's the Spirit!
They do have a great game going: Take it away from you, and then ransom it back. And there's more...in the next couple of days, Gumbo will have a news update about what may be ahead for the premium end of the plane, too!
Comment
Re: Dry winter shakes up Alpine ski and travel industry
This photo could be California for the last several years. I have a friend near Milan who mentions the drought regularly. But the CA snow pack for the last couple of months is well above normal now, with more expected, so I suspect the same will be true before too long in the Alps. If one's heart's desire is a having a business free from outside effects (weather, war, politics, etc.) maybe tourism isn't it.
Comment
Re: Dry winter shakes up Alpine ski and travel industry
You may well be right about what's in store for those ski areas; below is the Accuweather summary for this winter in Europe. It appears that those ski areas are in line for some harsh weather before winter is over, although they've already lost considerable business. Our forecast in New York is for a "snow drought," and after last year, I'm ready for one!
Comment
Re: Low water again affecting Rhine shipping
As the Jet Stream crosses the Atlantic Ocean it frequently finds a new line to follow. The rain bearing winds - destined for Europe - have now been pushed up to Iceland then onto Scandinavia for the past few months So while I've been out watering the Tomato plants - its been raining in not so sunny Spain. One man's meat is another man's poison I suppose.
Blog Post
Savannah, Georgia Bus Tour
Jonathan L takes us on a bus tour and mansion hop around Historic Savannah
Blog Post
Low-Fare Florida-Scandinavia Flights in the Air Today!
Norwegian Air Shuttle's first Fort Lauderdale to Copenhagen flight is off today, to be followed by flights tomorrow and Sunday to Oslo and Stockholm.