Airlines Still Trying to Make Passenger Boarding Less Annoying

Most of us have experienced long delays while boarding a plane or waiting to approach our seat. Some airlines are testing different programs to make it a smoother process for passengers. Read some of the ideas being tested:

 

Airlines Still Trying to Make Passenger Boarding Less Annoying

• By Jason Paur
• 08.28.13
• 6:30 AM

Passengers board a Vietnam Airlines flight from both ends of the plane. Photo: Kevin Jaako / Flickr

Deep breaths. That’s usually what it takes to stay sane while watching somebody search for their neck pillow while standing in the aisle with 100 other passenger waiting to get to their seats.
Loading an airplane quickly and efficiently isn’t an easy task. It should be, and could be, but the humans involved can’t seem to get with the program. It’s a perennial problem for passengers and airlines alike, because every minute we save loading is a minute spent getting where we’re going. We love this because it means less time dealing with airlines, and airlines love it because it means more time in the air – which is where they make their money.
With this in mind, airlines are spending a lot of time trying to determine the best way to get us into our seats. If you’ve flown with more than one airline, you’ve no doubt noticed the process is far from standard – there are almost as many boarding procedures as there are airlines. This problem has been pondered by mathematicians and scientists, and they’ve yet to come up with a definitive answer. But there have been a few promising experiments this summer, so we may finally be nearing the day when we’re not all waiting for the person in 17D struggling to get his overstuffed suitcase into the overhead bin.
The most unusual — and deceptively simple — idea is simply opening the door at the rear of the plane in addition to the door at the front. Alaska Airlines is trying this at a few airports, including its home base in Seattle and Mineta San Jose International Airport in San Jose, California. The idea isn’t entirely new — many airlines, including Alaska, open the front and rear doors at those airports where there is no jetway, only a staircase leading to the tarmac.
“We’ve been doing the dual-door boarding at some of our Mexico destinations for a while,” says Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan. But now the airline has a new tool to help facilitate using both doors at other airports. “Because of the solar-powered ramp, we’re testing the idea of dual-door boarding at airports where we didn’t have it before.”
Yes, a solar-powered ramp. Mounted on wheels, the ramp can be driven to the backdoor of the airplane, and passengers make two switch-back turns down the ramp to the ground, providing an alternative to stairs for easy suitcase rolling and wheelchair access.
Using the aft door to unload passengers can reduce the turnaround time by up to 10 minutes, according to Alaska. Egan says the airline will continue to evaluate the data and feedback collected, but for now it’s a pilot project there’s no word yet on whether the process will be expanded to other airports.
One of the big reasons boarding has slowed to a crawl is more people are carrying more stuff aboard in an effort to avoid the ubiquitous baggage fees. Trying to drag a bag or two down a narrow aisle and hoist it overhead adds time to the process, especially when the plane is packed.
With that in mind, American Airlines is experimenting with letting those who checked their bag or, in some cases, those with just one bag they’ll put under the seat, board first. Ideally, these passengers will simply walk to their row and sit down. The airlines says the technique is occasionally abused by somebody who hoists a carry-on in the overhead bin, but overall it’s shaved a few minutes off the boarding process.
Although airlines commonly board by sections – Rows 35 through 25, for example – it’s generally a free-for-all with regard to where in that section you are. United continues to use the “outside-in” method of seating window passengers first, then middle, then aisle seats. But this summer the airline has been organizing passengers in better defined lines at the gate for each group. The hope is there will be less of a bottleneck as everyone thinks it’s their turn to get on the airplane.
Now if they could do something about the people who yank on the headrest in front of them every time they get up…

Sandals Resorts in Jamaica

There are 7 Sandals resorts located in Jamaica. The resorts are all unique in size and location. There is a resort and room for every traveler's need. Each property has its own variety that may include swimout lagoon suites, oceanfront butler suites, 2 story loft suites and suites with a private pool/whirlpool. Some room upgrades offer concierge amenities that include room service and the Club Level welcome room with snacks and beverages. Butler rooms give you personalized service beyond the room. They will attend to your needs at the beach and provide extra service to enrich your vacation. The smallest is Sandals Royal Plantation which is an upscale, boutique resort in the Ocho Rios area. Sandals Grande Riviera is also located in the same area but the largest of all resorts.

Take the time to watch the video. Sandals offers many 'inclusions' such as snorkeling, scuba diving, catamaran cruises and much more depending on the resort. Please call our experienced travel agents to find the right Sandals property for your stay. 636-625-8747

https://www.brainshark.com/travimp/Sandals_Jamaica

 

Best Amusement Park Attractions at Sea

The Cruise Lines are adding some thrilling rides on the newer ships. These are not the same old ships from the past. Check out some of the attractions available on certain ships:


AquaDuck. When I first tried this first-of-its-kind water coaster at sea on the Disney Dream, I screamed and got soaked as I whirled – with ocean views – around the top deck and through the ship's smokestacks. The 765-foot coaster can also be found on Disney Fantasy.
AquaDunk. Set to debut on the Disney Magic in October, this three-story, fast and wet thrill slide will be attached to the ship's funnel. In the prototype, you climb a tall staircase, enter a cube, the door closes, the floor opens and you drop feet first. A 20-foot section even juts off the side of the ship with nothing but the sea below.
North Star. Debuting on Royal Caribbean'sQuantum of the Seas in November 2014, a windowed capsule will stretch off the ship on a mechanical arm, providing cruise passengers with views of the ship from above and the sea in every direction (if not a rush, at least breathtaking).
Ripcord by iFly. Simulated skydiving comes to the high seas next November with the debut of this experience on Quantum of the Seas. You fly in the air in a pressure controlled space.
The Plank. Not for the faint of heart, on the largest ropes course at sea on Norwegian Breakaway and the soon-to-debut (in January) Norwegian Getaway, the 40-plus attractions include this piece of track, where strapped into your harness you, indeed, walk the plank – eight feet off the ship with nothing but the ocean some 180-feet below.
Free Fall. Among the five waterslides on Norwegian Breakaway is this multi-story, feet-first drop-slide, breaking records as the fastest waterslide at sea; you reach speeds of 2.8G. It will also debut on Norwegian Getaway in January.
Epic Plunge. The Norwegian Epic brought to cruising the first tube slide and the largest bowl slide at sea, The Epic Plunge, where you whip around on inflatable tubes before you drop.
Twister. Added this year on Carnival Sunshine (formerly Carnival Destiny) as part of a $155 million redo, Twister, a 334-foot-long slide appeals to thrill-seekers, especially the portion that shoots out over the side of the ship.
Zipline. Passengers on the world's largest ships, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, can glide on a zip line with views of your ship's open-air Boardwalk area nine decks below.
FlowRider. Found on five Royal Caribbean ships (and also a feature on next year's Quantum of the Seas), the FlowRider simulates surfing by creating challenging mini-waves in a contained on deck attraction.

10 Expert Tips For Leisure And Business Travel, Part 1

            

 

Larry Olmsted, Contributor            

Whether you are headed to Paris, Peru or Peoria, these expert travel tips can save you time, money and hassle. Photo: Wikipedia

Because I have been a full-time travel journalist for nearly 20 years, and have covered aviation, hotels, and many related topics, I get a lot of questions from people traveling and requests for advice from those planning trips. Today I’ve consolidated some of my most useful general travel advice, and I’ve also rounded up top tips from the some of the most expert travel professionals I know. These cover a wide range of subjects but should make your travel experience better and easier in the future.
1. Use ATMs For Cash Overseas: I am probably asked more about currency exchange than any other single topic by would-be international travelers, and it amazes me how many frequent travelers I know make the biggest mistake, exchanging money at the hotel front desk (usually a terrible rate) or at airport exchange counters (questionable rate and often fees). Instead, withdraw money from foreign ATM machines using your bank ATM card. You usually get a better exchange rate and no exchange fee. Most out of network ATMs do charge a fee per transaction, but many US banks offer premium accounts that waive such fees – that’s what I have, and I travel so much it saves me hundreds a year just in ATM transaction fees. Another benefit is that I can take out money in safer, smaller increments, reducing my exposure to theft or loss to what I have in my pocket for the next day or two, versus bringing a big wad of US cash to exchange. I always do carry some US currency on trips as a backup in case I go someplace where my ATM card doesn’t work – but this has never, ever happened to me in dozens of countries on every inhabited continent. Almost without exception, there will be an ATM from a major local bank in the airport when you arrive. If you do find yourself needing to actually exchange currency, go to a bank.

2. But Skip Cash Overseas and Use Credit Cards As Much As Possible: This comes from aviation and business travel guru Chris McGinnis, founder of Travel Skills Group and an ultra-frequent road warrior. McGinnis puts out two free online travel newsletters that are absolute musts for travelers frequently utilizing Atlanta’s airport or flying Delta, Airtran or premium cabins on foreign carriers (The Ticket), or those using San Francisco and/or United (Bay Area Traveler). “While overseas ATMs are convenient, many banks charge exorbitant transaction fees, so when overseas, I now make purchases with credit cards (vs. cash) as much as possible. For example, my Chase Sapphire Preferred card does not charge ‘foreign transaction fees’ of 2-3% per transaction like many other cards do. Plus, when using a credit card, you get the very competitive ‘wholesale rate’ on the exchange.” You also get a degree of protection on purchases, especially anything you have shipped home, if it arrives damaged or not at all. McGinnis raises a great point many travelers are unaware of, that most credit cards automatically impose an extra – and steep – fee just for transactions abroad. As he chooses his Chase Sapphire Preferred, I always use my Chase United Airlines-branded Presidential Plus card when overseas for the same reason – no fees.

3. Use Hotel Concierges to Make Advance Dining Reservations: I got this one years ago from fellow travel journalist, author, and award-winning broadcaster Michael Patrick Shiels, who has been everywhere from Cuba to Morocco, the UAE to Thailand, and every country in Western Europe. I’ve used Shiels’ advice several times, in France, Spain and elsewhere, and it has worked like clockwork even for hard to get reservations. This is especially useful if you area a foodie who researches where you want to eat in advance, or if you are celebrating an anniversary at a top restaurant. Even though many foreign restaurants now have websites that take bookings, lots of great ones still don’t, and if you call they often don’t speak English. Instead, just email the concierge at the hotel you are staying before you leave home, tell them when you want to eat and where and let them take care of it. Even if you can do it yourself, the concierge at a top hotel like the Four Seasons or Peninsula has more clout and is likely to get a better table and the time you want.  One more thing – don’t forget to tip the concierge when you arrive. (You can see more of Shiels’ travel and golf writing here)

4. Get a Local or International SIM Card & Use Skype or Similar: Another question I get a lot is about phone calls when overseas. I wrote about this here at Forbes.com at length last year. If you have an unlocked phone, great, if not buy a cheap extra cell phone, then either get a SIM card from the country you are visiting upon arrival, usually the cheapest solution and rates for a single visit. If you travel a lot to different places, you can get a discounted multi-national one like I have from Telestial.com that works in over 100 countries at rates much lower than US carriers offer travelers, with all the bells and whistles like voicemail and data. And for calling home, now that just about every hotel and lots of other places offers WiFi, there is no reason to ever pay more than the ridiculously low rates for Skype and other internet based calling, whether it is through your smart phone, tablet or laptop. I recently used Skype on my iPad to do a video conference call for the first time from Ireland, and it could not have been easier (or cheaper).

5. Use a Travel Agent for Plane Tickets (and More): Multiplying travel search engines and airline comparison sites have given the average traveler the illusion that they can beat the market. They cannot. There is no fare or routing you will find that a good travel agent cannot also get, but the opposite is far from true. Good travel agents routinely perform airfare “miracles,” and can even redeem your award miles when you can’t. And now that many airlines won’t let non-frequent customers book aisle or window seats in advance, or charge extra for them, this is another “upgrade” travel agents can offer. I just did this when flying a carrier I don’t usually use domestically and have no status on, so I had my agent assign me aisle seats on every leg. I’ve written at length here at Forbes.com about the myriad reasons why luxury travelers need to use a travel agent, from hotel room upgrades to “impossible” reservations to unique access to otherwise off limit activities. But travelers of any budget can benefit from using a quality travel agent for plane tickets – especially when something goes wrong, which it often does. If your flight is cancelled, I absolutely assure you that you will do better calling your travel agent for help than waiting on hold at the airline’s 800 number – along with everyone else.

Be Flexible When Traveling

When traveling, itineraries can change and flights cancel. As agents we have felt the disappointment from clients and unfortunately from personal experience. We have been notified of client's cruises and flights cancelling. Our job is to help you find alternatives if possible. Sadly, we are at the mercy of these companies. Believe us that we feel your pain. Mother nature doesn't always cooperate such as closing airports or changing the course of cruise ships. When a cancelled flight prevented us from reaching our cruise in time, we created a new plan to make the best of the situation. It was a year later before we cruised again. The bonus was taking a longer cruise with more people.

Mechanical issues on the cruise ships have been escalating. We had an agent with her sailing cancelled a few weeks prior to travel dates. There was a client with an entire group of people celebrating a special event. Their sailing cancelled only 2 days before travel. It affects everyone so please understand when it happens to you....you are not the only one. If a ship cancels a sailing, there are thousands of others in the same situation. When an airport closes, we are talking thousands of people being stranded from home or unable to reach their destination.

It comes down to being flexible and realizing things happen our of our control. Make the best of your vacation and understand that problems can arise. Allow more time for TSA if warnings are issued or airports are experiencing long delays. Business travelers know this more than anyone. We are glad to answer questions or assist when travel plans don't go as expected.

Biggest Travel Mistakes

Overpacking is a huge mistake that we have all made. It gets better with experience when you find you are bringing back clothes/shoes not used. Take extra ziplock bags for items purchased during your travel. We always advise our clients to check with credit card and cell phone companies before traveling. There may be an international plan available to save money on phone calls or internet usage while traveling abroad. Here is the article:

 

Doh! 20 biggest travel mistakes

By Chuck Thompson, CNN

August 2, 2013 -- Updated 0705 GMT (1505 HKT)

(CNN) -- The CNN Travel staff has put in some hard miles.

Collectively, we've touched down on every continent on earth and we're closing in on every country.

But we're nowhere near perfect travelers.

Every one of the travel chokes on this list comes from painful personal experience -- often multiple times repeating the same mistakes. (We're nothing if not persistent.)

What are your biggest travel mistakes? Add them to the list in the comments section below.

1. Overpacking

At home, with your complete wardrobe available, there's no reason not to run through work, workout and working-the-clubs outfits in a single day.

But when your life is crammed into a couple bags, your fashion morality changes.

Those socks you wore on the plane should be good for another go.

The purple tee you slept in ought to be alright for a third wear.

Yesterday's undies? Well ...

According to a recent survey by Travelodge, two-thirds of travelers typically return from a trip with at least six unworn outfits.

The lesson: You don't need a new set of anything for each day of a trip. Figure on at least two wears for (almost) everything.

2. Not buying something you like as soon as you see it

You think you're gonna circle back to that shop.

You think you'll see a cheaper, better version somewhere else.

You won't.

That evocative street painting or those Metallica nesting dolls you didn't buy? Now not having them will haunt you for the rest of your life.

When you see something you like, just buy it and live without regret.

3. Not checking your phone plan before traveling abroad

What you call "international roaming" your phone carrier calls "shareholder dividend!"

A week of texts from Singapore or St. Lucia shouldn't cost more and hurt worse than open heart surgery. But it happens all the time to travelers who fail to check their phone plans before departure.

Near? Far from it.

4. Trusting "near city center" descriptions

"Near city center" is like a Bible verse -- open to vast interpretation.

When you find the money you saved on your "near city center" hotel is being spent on 30-minute commutes and outrageous taxi fares, you know you've committed one of the cardinal sins of travel.

Related note: Except by purely technical definition, if you're staying near the convention center in Portland, Oregon, you're decidedly not staying "downtown" (as is popularly advertised) by any local sensibility.

5. Taking the "super" shuttle

Wait on the curb for a ride in a sweat-soaked van and risk being the last one dropped off on a nine-hotel run, all in the name of saving a few bucks?

Your time is worth more than that.

Adam Carolla brilliantly sums up this classic travel blunder in his book, "In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks."

"The shuttle is the worst $20 you'll ever save. It adds 90 minutes to whatever a Town Car or cab would have been. You have the unenviable choice between being dropped off last or being dropped off first and having a bunch of losers who can't afford cab fare and have no friends or loved ones with cars knowing exactly where you live."

Perfect way to ruin an arrival -- shampoo snot.

6. Not tightening shampoo caps ... all the way

Those cute, little trial-size shampoo and conditioner bottles are really handy -- until they magically burst open in-flight, spreading a layer of glycerol soap snot all over your bag.

7. Thinking you know the perfect time to book a ticket

There's an art to reading the tea leaves of the airlines' protean pricing schemes, but there's some muddled science to it, as well.

According to Travelers Today, research conducted by CheapAir concluded that you can find the cheapest fares 79 days before domestic flights and 81 days before international flights. But Kayak found the optimal timing for a cheap-ticket purchase is 21 and 34 days before domestic and international flights, respectively.

Meanwhile, researchers at Texas A&M University simply found that Saturdays and Sundays are best for finding discount fares.

The golden rule?

There's no golden rule. Tickets are cheapest when they're cheapest.

Congrats, you just saved 50 cents. Now go get your blood pressure checked.

8. Trying too hard to chisel out a bargain

There's no faster way to become embittered with the locals than going toe-to-toe with a market full of hungry sales people and shopkeepers.

Yes, we understand there's principle involved, but do you really need to whittle the equivalent of fifty cents off the price of an embroidered handbag that's going to sit in the back of a closet anyway?

Just buy the damn thing and spare your heart the cortisol burst for when it actually needs it.

9. Not changing money at the airport

When traveling internationally, the conventional wisdom is that only amateurs change money at the airport, because the exchange rate for foreign currency will be better in town.

It usually is, but often not by that much.

A recent check of the dollar-to-pound exchange rate in London Heathrow was $1.71 to £1 (with no commission for changes more than $300).

Near Oxford Circus the exchange rate was advertised at $1.62 to £1, also with no commission.

Using these rates, converting $300 at the airport would get you £175.43 as opposed to £185.18 on the street.

So, you can hit the city like a cashless bumpkin and spend an hour hunting up an acceptable place to change money or, for less than £10, arrive with some local coin in your pocket.

Convenience factor alone makes it worth changing at least a nominal amount of cash at the "ripoff" place at the airport.

On the plus side, you're also getting in your day at the gym.

10. Underestimating the hell that is Heathrow

Speaking of London, it's easy to underestimate the several hundred miles of concourse you'll likely be obliged to traverse and the time-consuming security searches that create jumbled queues and make travelers look more like internment camp refugees than cosmopolitan jet setters.

Arriving anything less than two hours before an international flight is risky, but even a longer cushion can get dicey.

Imagine walking across a football stadium and you start to get an idea of the Andean trek from the Heathrow Express station to the swarm of travelers clamoring to get on lifts that will take them merely to their start of the Oz-like journey through Terminal 1.

11. Buying cheap flip-flops

You think, "I'm only gonna wear 'em for a week, I might not even take 'em home, why buy the good ones?"

The answer comes when you blow out a toe strap and shred the bottom of your foot a mile into a hike across the local lava beds.

And now you have to go back.

12. Fearing street food

No one wants to get sick on vacation, but why travel all the way to Thailand or Mexico and not eat the local grub?

The locals don't like food poisoning any more than you do. If they're in line, consider the place vetted and assume you're going to be fine.

(Cue angry commenters with the "I almost died from a tainted falafel" and "the locals are immune to bacteria" histrionics below.)

Buy a drum on your trip? Sounds dumb.

13. Buying a drum on the first day of a three-month trek across Asia

We know, this is the antithesis of travel mistake number two, but there are some balls and chains you really don't want to lug around the subcontinent.

Not because you'll make instant enemies with everyone in your hostel when they spy you struggling top-heavily into the dorm, but because a) you'll never play the thing, and b) you'll get back home, walk into the new Authentic Beats music shop that replaced your favorite bookstore while you were away and find 10 superior examples of your exact instrument.

14. Over-reliance on guidebooks

Making a travel plan using only your guidebook is like making a plan to stand in line at the bank for a week.

Guidebooks are great -- we use them all the time -- but it's best to pull just one or two suggestions per day from a guide that thousands of like-minded travelers have read or downloaded.

15. Not buying the full insurance policy

We're not a bunch of free spenders -- except when the boss whips out the company credit card at the pub -- but a lot of the mistakes on this list come down to adding a significant amount of stress to your life in the name of saving a few bucks.

If you actually end up needing the travel insurance you purchased (a move a significant percentage of our staff thinks is silly in the first place), you're going to want the full coverage.

Just because you're in a country where the beer is cheap, it doesn't mean the healthcare is.

That bargain insurance policy might pay for your flight home when you crash your motor scooter on a winding road in some island paradise.

But it won't cover the $5,000 in stitches and sponge baths you racked up during your three-day international hospital stay.

Pity the friends back home who'll have to scroll through the lot of them. Assuming he has any.

16. Obsessive photography

The obsession/obligation to document every street scene, statue and starter course kills the spontaneity and visceral experience that should be the backbone of travel.

It's now so easy to take photos that one click leads to another.

Before you know it, you have 300 pictures on your phone comprising old buildings, blurry sunsets and plates of food.

Congratulations. Your trip is now defined by low-quality images on a handset that, trust us, nobody back home wants to spend 20 minutes scrolling through.

17. Not checking visa requirements before departure

Carnival Rio!

It's a nightmare come true when you get turned away at the ticket counter on departure day because you didn't realize Brazil requires citizens of your benighted country to secure a visa before travel.

18. Attempting Berlin in a weekend

At 344 square miles, Berlin is a metropolitan Goliath, larger than New York City (301 square miles), and, as the first-time visitor quickly learns, with just as many places to see, eat, drink, shop and get lost.

19. Using a credit card to get cash

This is the fastest way of paying through the nose for the privilege of paying through the nose.

Credit card companies charge a high transaction fee (up to 15%) for using a card to get cash.

These special transactions also attract a higher associated fees than other purchases: the ATM-owning bank will charge a fee; if you're withdrawing a foreign currency the exchange rate will be miserly; and if you're not paying off your balance each month, credit card companies in some countries will apply your partial payments to normal purchases (with a lower interest rate, say 9%) before applying them to those cash advances (which have a much higher interest rate), milking your desperation for every pitiless penny.

"As I recall from the website, we were staying somewhere around here."

20. Not printing out reservation details

They're already on your phone and computer, so why bother with hard copies of your hotel name and address?

Because your phone, computer, tablet and other electronics might not work with the local network as soon as you land, especially after crossing oceans.

Now where are you supposed to go?