Tagged With "low-cost carrier"
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Re: Belgium and Sweden see night-train link
I haven't found a definitive answer to that; the nearest I have come is speculation that DB is concerned about competition with existing conventional trains along the route; DB is the major carrier on the route, but they are clearly not doing much of a job of it as the schedule I've linked here shows. The minimum number of train changes is 2, with some itineraries requiring 8! And the ones with only 2 or 3 changes sell for nearly $200, compared to $70 with 8 changes. I'd think a direct...
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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.
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Re: EU Court rules baggage fees legal
Baggage fees are often avoidable. Links from AirFareWatchdog.com's newletter this morning included this one , a SmartTravel.com piece on ways to do it. While the suggestions don't generally apply to the low-fare airlines such as Spanish carrier Vueling, the subject of DrF's news, they can certainly help us avoid domestic charges.
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Re: Frequent Flyer Strategy - Delta
Great tip! We're usually both on FF tickets so we haven't had this issue, but L.A. in July will be different. Not sure which carrier we'll be on, but we'll watch for it.
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Re: Is it a plane? Is it a Ship? City of St Petersburg, River Tyne.
I was so curious about this ship, I just had to look it up! Turns out to be a custom-built (for Nissan) roll-on/roll-off car carrier, designed to reduce fuel use by its aerodynamic shape. Here's a video about it...
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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.
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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...
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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").
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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...
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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/
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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.
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Re: Say 'Cheese' and board your flight? Maybe
While JetBlue is testing 'selfie' check-in, this morning's e-mail brought a notice from GOL, the big Brazilian carrier, announcing that it has implemented facial recognition check-in, and claims to be the first airline in the world to fully do so. Smile and watch the birdie!
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Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop
I think I'm seeing better ticket prices than I have for several years now, so I'm not sure if this is completely true. But it could just represent a biased sampling (Canada, more than US flights).
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Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop
Overall, for U.S. airlines, the trend is up; last month all the majors went along with a $2 average increase on almost all fares. Those fares, of course, are subject to competitive discounting on specific flights or routes; Alaska and Delta have been battling over the Seattle market all year, for example, affecting prices on those routes.
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Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop
With Airline consolidation the last few years and some budget airlines changing their image and prices, there doesn't seem to be that downword pressure for most prices in the US
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Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop
The cost of an Airline Ticket has little to do with the cost of a barrel of oil. That's why I can fly to Sydney Australia for the same price as I can to New York. That's 3500 miles to New York or 10,500 miles to Sydney. Same price. It's solely based on the principle of how much juice you can squeeze from an orange.
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Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop
While it's true that competition and cupidity rather than cost are the basis of pricing, fuel does factor in: when fuel is high, the airlines add surcharges, and when fuel costs drop, they seldom remove them!
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Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop
Airlines and many other companies are determined to squeeze the public to the last drop of juice. Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_fixing_cases and see that there's no honour amongst thieves. Steal from one man and its theft. Steal from a thousand and its Corporate Policy.
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Re: For those who hate Heathrow, Gatwick plans new allure
Gatwick, if selected, will have much better transportation than now; in fact, they are committed to building it even with one runway. Every 2.5 minutes, into Central London. DrF: Gatwick is hoping this will bring some North American flights again; US Airways was the last North American carrier into Gatwick, and they stopped in 2009, sucked into the great vacuum of Heathrow. Gatwick used to have a lot of N. America business back when restrictive legislation limited the number of their flights...
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
I flew on Spanish budget carrier, Vueling, this past spring. It was a pleasant enough flight, but the aircraft had the tightest pitch of any airline I've ever been on. The pocket in the seat in front of you, where magazines and the air sickness bag are stored, was removed to allow for crowding of rows and even my knees were wedged in tightly to the seat back in front of me (seats couldn't be reclined, for obvious reason). I'm not sure how a seriously tall person could ever fit in.
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Re: A Price War over Trans-Atlantic? TravelGumbo interviews Norwegian Air
I wish them success. And I hope they start flying into Canada. We could a new low cost carrier here. Nice piece, Rob, thanks. I found it very informative.
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Re: A Price War over Trans-Atlantic? TravelGumbo interviews Norwegian Air
I recently saw a cheap fare from Norwegian posted on The Flight Deal website. What struck me is what they said in the post (below) and how it really demonstrates the same Skytrain price matching problem . I do think consumers have to think that if they choose the legacy carriers price match ,instead of Norwegians, there might not be these lower fares in the future that Delta or United will match. " Norwegian is a low cost carrier so they will charge you for everything – advanced seat...
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Re: Europe's cost-of-living has wide range
There are websites devoted to helping people sort out the possibilities worldwide. This is one I've found useful: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings.jsp
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Re: More airlines join PreCheck; total is now 72
Room for one more! The total is now up to 73, with Brazilian low-cost carrier Azul joining the crowd.
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Re: A shout-out for Ryanair...no kidding!
Ireland's Ryanair has overtaken Lufthansa as Europe's biggest airline by passenger numbers. Lufthansa's 109.7 million passengers last year fell short of the 117 million passengers reported by low-cost carrier Ryanair last week, a 15% increase on the previous year, as Ryanair pulled in passengers with low prices. Any airline that gets me across Europe for $15 US (one way) can be as rude as they like. But Ryanair have always been a courteous and professional company to deal with. Delta and...
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Re: Vienna's Naschmarkt: 500 years of food
A wonderful display of fruit and vegetables Paul. No - never too many photos. I could be there myself ! Really enjoyed that excursion into epicurean delights. Not so sure about some of those prices, but they certainly looked fresh as could be. I'm just going back for another look - I'm sure I could smell the Pataks Curry ! The Stinkefrucht "Dorien" comes from Singapore as your photo says. But if you take it on public transport there - you will be pushed off the bus !. You may see it hanging...
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Re: Campaigners ask: Can the QE2 be saved?
A sad story, but not unusual. People get attached to ships, maybe why they're called "she" instead of "it". My son was in the Navy, on the magnificent aircraft carrier USS Ranger, CV61, one of several of that name, the first in 1777, commanded by John Paul Jones. The end of his tour was also Ranger's last, after a voyage to the Persian Gulf for a goodbye battle. Retired just afterward (1993) and stored in Bremerton, WA, I read yesterday that as I write this, Ranger is sailing under tow...
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Re: How do you buy your travel?
Interesting topic and rather timely as I am in the midst of finalizing my plans for my upcoming trip. Hotels: This upcoming trip the first I've used Booking.com. I have used a variety of sources in the past (i.e. Travelocity, Expedia, etc.) and have also found that booking directly through the hotel is sometimes cheaper...sometimes. But, I love the option to be able to change or cancel my reservation, if needed. Flights: I prefer to book directly through the airline. Have never used a...
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Re: U.S. regs may delay Norwegian's Cork-Boston route
Norwegian Air Shuttle got their EU flight license approved for their Irish subsidiary airline ,Norwegian International ,in Feb. 2014. Under the Open Skies agreement, they should be allowed to fly between EU countries and the US. How the DOT is justifying taking over two years to approve their foreign carrier permit, when it normally takes a month, I don't know.
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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
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Re: Ryanair changes its tune: Plans for future growth tied to better customer service
He is a smart business man : "20 May 2013 - Ryanair , Europe's only ultra-low cost carrier (ULCC) today (May 20) announced (record) annual profits of €569m, up 13% on last year" Its only Americans who hate Ryanair because they take the bait every time Michael O'Leary throws a wild punch ! He's great ! Like Travel Rob, we've used the carrier many times and never been disappointed.
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Finnair Adds A350s, plans to retire A340s
Finnair, a OneWorld carrier, has ordered 10 more A350s from Airbus. The A350, a new plane that competes with the Boeing 787 won't be pioneering new routes for Finnair, though; they will mainly replace 4-engine A340s with the more efficient 2-engine...
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Update: Loyalty Programs and Credit Cards
For some of us, credit cards are more than a convenient way to pay—they are the lifeline to free travel through loyalty programs. Between points for purchases and bonuses for opening or upgrading credit card accounts, it's possible to get quite...
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Airbus A380. No new customers in 2014
Apparently the massive two level Airbus A380, capable of passenger loads in excess of 600 passengers, failed to generate a single new customer in 2014, according to this story by Bloomberg Businessweek. The only buyer so far this year was a...
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$240 NY-London, LA $320: Norwegian Air
Norwegian Air Shuttle, a low-cost carrier that has begun flying trans-Atlantic from Oslo now plans to offer service by this summer to NYC and LA from London Gatwick. The announced fares are $240 each way to NY and $320 to LA--less than half the cost...
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Allegiant Rapidly Expanding Routes in the Northeast
Allegiant Air is rapidly adding routes in the Northeast. Such as this route from Burlington ,Vermont to Orlando just announced today. http://www.burlingtonfreepress...05/NEWS07/311050019/ In fact ,it now serves more cities than any other low cost US...
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Wow! Iceland Express successor adds U.S. flights
The headline's not a pun; Wow Air is the company that bought budget carrier Iceland Express in 2012. The carrier will now re-enter the U.S. market with roundtrip Boston-Reykjavik-London Gatwick flights, connecting in Reykjavik with its other European...
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$399.00 RT Per Person -New York to Milan
This is a good sale on Emirates ,a high rated airline. You must buy two tickets for this price. I saw this-Feb 8 to Feb 16 $399.00 per person total when you buy two tickets. Read More:...
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Aer Lingus may become part of British Air/Iberia group
International Air Group, the parent of British Air and Iberia, has made an offer to buy Aer Lingus, now owned 30% by RyanAir and 25% by the Irish government, and unlike two previous offers, the board of the Irish flag carrier has agreed to consider...
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Airlines Cancelling Again, Waiving Fees: Check your carrier
Ahead of the new northeast storm expected to begin Sunday night, airlines are cancelling flights, over 2500 as of Sunday morning, to avoid stranding travelers, crews and planes. In general, they are waiving change fees for travelers who rebook from...
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Frontier's raising bag fees; will the other "low-costs" follow?
Frontier Airlines, which last year joined Spirit and Allegiant in the ULCC (ultra-low-cost-carrier) class that seems to mean ULC (ultra lots of charges) for most folks, is raising its fees for checked bags. The only checked bags that will not go up by...
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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...
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Delta makes its 20-minute bag guarantee permanent
Delta's guarantee that your bags will hit the conveyor belt in the terminal within 20 minutes of landing, announced as a test a few months ago, is now permanent. Delta passengers whose bags don't appear in time are eligible to fill out an online form...