Thursday, July 23, 2009

Wi-Fi in the Sky??

I just received communication from USAirways that they are now going to offer Wi-Fi in the sky!

WOW!

I'm pleasantly surprised by this new announcement!!!

Here is a little more detail according to USAir:

"Although the cost of service hasn't been determined yet, Aircell's current prices for Gogo Inflight Internet range from $5.95 to $12.95, depending on the length of flight and type of Wi-Fi enabled device used. We'll be sure to let you know more as we get closer to the early 2010 launch date."

Awesome...

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Travel iPhone Apps

Christopher Elliott, you're the best!

Here are his personal recommendations for his 5 favorite iPhone apps to use while traveling:

Aroundme — Where’s the nearest hospital? How about a good hotel? If you’ve ever landed in a city and wondered “what’s close by?” then this little app is the perfect traveling companion. It tells you where to find the closest banks, bars, gas stations and movie theaters, thanks to your iPhone’s built-in GPS.

Cheap Gas! — In your search for inexpensive fuel, it’s impractical (not to mention wasteful) to drive through your neighborhood to take a real-time survey. This free app does all the work for you, pinging the site GasBuddy and displaying the cheapest fuel in your area. Want to get there? This app will show you a map, too.
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CheckPlease — If you’ve ever wondered how much to tip your server at a restaurant, this is the app for you. Just type in your total, give it a percentage, and it handles the rest. Perfect for someone like me, who is really bad with numbers. This app even lets you split the bill among several people. There’s a 99 cent version that cuts out the ads and a better display, but for me, the free version works just fine.

FlightTrack — Ever wondered where in the world your flight is? FlightTrack offers a ready answer, allowing you to follow any flight worldwide. You can scan live flight maps that include weather radar, check gate numbers, and search flight schedules up to 11 months in advance. This nifty app even allows you to send an email update with your flight status to a friend or colleague. The basic version of this costs $4.99.

WorldMate — For most business travelers, WorldMate needs no introduction. Its new iPhone app offers a variety of must-have features for any traveler, including a currency converter, flight updates, integration with Google maps, and an online travel planner with the ability to consolidate your itinerary. Some of the more advanced functions require that you plunk down $39.99 for the “gold” app, but if you travel a lot, it’s worth the investment.

http://www.tripso.com/today/5-almost-free-iphone-applications-you-absolutely-must-take-on-your-next-trip/

United Airlines charging travel agents?!!!!!?!!!!!?!!!!!?

Seriously.........
What is this world coming to, when the airline won't allow travel agents to issue a ticket to the client credit card?
I'm not sure if you have read the many many many many many articles on this recent issue, but PLEASE write to your state senator, and make the airlines understand that ultimately it's the CONSUMER that suffers when changes like this are made.

The consumer always loses, when airlines get greedy!

As quoted in USA Today: "Credit card processing costs are escalating at a high rate," says United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski, noting that United's distribution costs, which include credit card fees, totaled $710 million last year. "We're continuing to explore ways in the current economic environment to reduce our costs and run an efficient airline."

Unbelievable.

Please contact your congressman to REJECT this new policy, and make sure that the other airlines won't follow suit.....
Click here to find your United States Senator; click here to find your U.S. Representative.

To read more click on any of these website articles below:

USA Today article

Eye For Travel article

Breaking News 24/7 article

Another USA Today article

Thursday, July 9, 2009

United Breaks Guitars Story

Have you heard about the United Breaks Guitars video?

It's super cheesy, and funny, and yet a little sad at the same time!!!

Hopefully the airlines will take this as a lesson on what 'not' to do with their customers baggage!!!
Here is the link to You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Enbcchicago%2Ecom%2Fnews%2Flocal%2FUnited%2DBreaks%2DGuitars%2Da%2DSmash%2DHit%2Don%2DYouTube%2Ehtml%3Fyhp%3D1&feature=player_embedded

Here's the article describing what happened:
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/United-Breaks-Guitars-a-Smash-Hit-on-YouTube.html?yhp=1