This year I have been doing a lot of traveling so I have come to appreciate the problems with airline travel. If you are traveling you might be interested in the following.
American Airlines says there is no such thing as a free upgrade –
The airlines are milking this high fuel cost situation for all they can get. A few days ago American Airlines said that you can no longer use your frequent flyer miles alone to upgrade from coach to business or first class. In the future they will require 15,000 miles plus $50 to upgrade on domestic flights and a whopping $700 RT plus upwards of 25,000 miles to upgrade internationally. Looks like there is no free lunch anymore as far as using AA frequent flyer miles to upgrade.
Good news for travelers taking computer laptops -
Business travelers will no longer be required to remove their laptops from their carry-on luggage under new rules announced recently by TSA. Now travelers with laptops will be able to open up their computer case and lay it flat on the X-ray belt. If your bag cannot be opened and laid flat then travelers will still have to remove the computer from the case. This new rule should dramatically speed up security screening time at most U.S. airports.
Here is an easy way to find out how long the security lines are at the airport –
The Transportation Security Administration keeps track of how much time it takes to clear security at all airports in the U.S. For example, if you are departing on Southwest Airlines (concourse B) from the Omaha airport on a Monday morning and arrive between 6am and 7am, you will find an average wait in line of 15 minutes with a maximum wait in line of 21 minutes. This is a great way to find out how early you need to arrive at the airport prior to your flight. Check out their web site at http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov/index.html.
American Airlines says there is no such thing as a free upgrade –
The airlines are milking this high fuel cost situation for all they can get. A few days ago American Airlines said that you can no longer use your frequent flyer miles alone to upgrade from coach to business or first class. In the future they will require 15,000 miles plus $50 to upgrade on domestic flights and a whopping $700 RT plus upwards of 25,000 miles to upgrade internationally. Looks like there is no free lunch anymore as far as using AA frequent flyer miles to upgrade.
Good news for travelers taking computer laptops -
Business travelers will no longer be required to remove their laptops from their carry-on luggage under new rules announced recently by TSA. Now travelers with laptops will be able to open up their computer case and lay it flat on the X-ray belt. If your bag cannot be opened and laid flat then travelers will still have to remove the computer from the case. This new rule should dramatically speed up security screening time at most U.S. airports.
Here is an easy way to find out how long the security lines are at the airport –
The Transportation Security Administration keeps track of how much time it takes to clear security at all airports in the U.S. For example, if you are departing on Southwest Airlines (concourse B) from the Omaha airport on a Monday morning and arrive between 6am and 7am, you will find an average wait in line of 15 minutes with a maximum wait in line of 21 minutes. This is a great way to find out how early you need to arrive at the airport prior to your flight. Check out their web site at http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov/index.html.
