November 29, 2006
Holiday Travel Making You Sick?
Here's an ethical question: many employers offer sick time to their employees to cover the rare cases when one succumbs to illness severe enough to prohibit them from working. Usually, this only impacts one or a few people at the workplace and someone can usually cover, or the work can just be put on hold until the employee gets well. But consider the airline industry. What happens when a flight attendant or a pilot gets sick? What if this happens during the busy holiday travel season when there may not be reserves available to cover for a sick employee? Now, compound this with the ever-growing tension between labor and management at the airlines and potential "sick outs" right at the peak of holiday travel? How is an employer to know whether one is truly sick? How is an employee to feel if they truly are sick during a busy travel time? What responsibilities do these employees have, if any, to the traveling public? Is it ethical to call in sick in order to disrupt your company's operations?
Just a few things to think about as you sit on your next flight.
Posted by Derek at 06:21 PM | Comments (1892)
October 17, 2006
A Game Plan for Frequent Flying
Before the beginning of each frequent flier program year, it's generally wise to develop a strategy for earning your desired elite status on the various airlines; a game plan, if you will. Mistake fares complicate these game plans, but in a good way. Usually, mistake fares are either a) extremely cheap, or b) a reasonable price, but in a booking class that qualifies for an additional bonus towards elite status. Occasionally, mistake fares will satisfy both conditions, thus creating the proverbial "icing" on top of the mistake fare cake. So, when mistake fares come up, they either satisfy your game plan more than you were anticipating, or they greatly satisfy it.
A little over a week ago, I satisfied my game plan for next year already with a mistake fare from Vancouver, B.C. to Bucharest, Romania . . . times three tickets. And, they were in a booking class that gives a bonus towards earning elite status.
Yes, I realize the luck I've been having is almost extraordinary, and as such, I'm going to savor it all.
Posted by Derek at 11:04 PM | Comments (204)
July 04, 2006
Who needs merchandise?
I'm designing merchandise for the Northwest forum at FlyerTalk. I had a crazy idea yesterday morning, and now I'm going through with it. :)
The store will be located here when I open it: http://www.cafepress.com/worldperksforum
Posted by Derek at 06:07 PM | Comments (104)
June 27, 2006
The Best Things in Life Are Free
I've been to Asia and back since we last met, but really, isn't that becoming the norm these days? Unsolicited communication has never been a strong point for me, so the previous statement shouldn't be much of a surprise. Maybe the blog was to help encourage spontaneous communication, but it obviously hasn't been working. I'll keep working at it, I suppose . . .
Today's update/tidbit: I've figured out a semi-reliable way to get a free hotel room almost anytime and anywhere I need it, but only within the U.S. The gist of it is that one of the 2*-quality hotel chains offers a best rate guarantee program; if you find a lower rate on another website, you can get the first night of your stay for free. And with a little bit of effort, it's not too difficult to find a lower price. Most of the time I only need one night somewhere. But, if you're savvy, there's a quite obvious way to make this work if the duration of your stay is longer than one night . . . however, I'll leave that excercise up to the student.
So, I can fly for free (standby, of course), and I can potentially get free nights of lodging. I've found a way to get a car rental from airports on the order of about $23/day + taxes when good public transit is not available, and eating cheap isn't too difficult to manage.
It's fun, I don't know any other way to put it. Things like those mentioned above are little "tools" that I can carry with me to help make my life a little easier, enjoyable, and perhaps more spontaneous.
Now, if you hear a knock at your door, maybe you should answer. It just might be someone besides Ed McMahon. ;)
Posted by Derek at 10:29 PM | Comments (36)
May 06, 2006
The Coast is Always Changing
I've got 3 trips coming up in the next week -- well, four if you count my one day jaunt to Chicago -- and I really haven't done much planning for any of them. I haven't had much time to devote solely to planning, only a few minutes here and there to look something up or verify a quick name, place, or price. Next Sunday/Monday I'll be using my non-revenue benefit from my brother to head to Chicago to get my Chinese visa. This shouldn't be a big deal; the only thing I'm concerned about is making my flights. As cool as Las Vegas is, I'd rather not be stranded there next weekend. Next, I'm heading off to Hawai'i on a mistake fare. I know I want to go to Kaua'i for most of the time, but I haven't really done a lick of research on lodging, costs, etc.
There's a backpacker hostel there that I'm thinking about, but again, I haven't done due dilligence. Then in the middle of Hawai'i, I have to fly to Toronto, another fare mistake. I spend a day there and, again, I've got no reservations anywhere. Do I just "Priceline" a cheap place near the airport and hang out, or do I go downtown and pay a little more, but see a little more? Dunno. Then it's back to Hawai'i. Back to Kaua'i or stay on Oah'u? I dunno there, either.
All this and I get back home for 2.5 days, then we're off for a 16 day trip through SE Asia, up to China, and back to HKG. I've made no hotel reservations yet and have had only a few contacts with hostels to this point. We've got most of the airline tickets bought, but that's about it. Really, we've got a shell of an itinerary and we've yet to fill in the ooey-gooey goodness that makes a trip.
Hopefully in about a week, everything will be taken care of and I'll be able to feel a little more at ease. One good thing about all this travel, though, is when combined with what I've already done this year, I will have almost retained Platinum status for another year. That's always nice to wrap up early so there's no rush come Thanksgiving/Christmastime to get a few trips in.
Oh, and it looks like the mistake from Toronto to Cyprus is back on for early August. And I've already promised to visit a friend in China and another in Korea sometime in August/September.
. . . I guess I'm not quite done for the year. :)
Posted by Derek at 11:10 AM | Comments (1)
April 07, 2006
On the Ethics of a Mistake
I think by now, even the casual traveler has heard of the mythical "mistake fare", an airfare unintentionally posted online either by an airline or a travel agency. The most recent one of note was probably a $51 trip to Fiji from Los Angeles. Well, last year, I started getting in on some of these mistakes. There are about half a dozen "good" ones that come up each year. For me, I went to Madrid for $75, I went to Acapulco for $89, I'll be going to Hawaii for ~$130, and from Hawaii, I will be visiting Toronto for $93. These prices all include taxes and fees, etc. Most of these were listed as $0, so the balance are the exhorbinant taxes we all pay every time we fly. Two days ago, I got in on perhaps the best deal I've seen yet.
$39+tax for a roundtrip Business class ticket from Toronto to Cyprus, totaling about $178 after taxes on Alitalia, Italy's national airline. It's normally about a $3000 ticket. My brother and I are going in August, and I got my parents tickets between Christmas and New Year's. Read the story — or I should say the fallout — here:
So is this ethical? Do we as consumers have the right to a price offered, even if it is quite obviously a mistake to us? If we book something at a low fare, should it be honored? Should we feel guilty about booking it? Does the airline or travel agency have an obligation to honor their mistake?
These are all things to think about, and I plan to as I'm reclining in my Alitalia business class seat on the way to Rome. :)
Posted by Derek at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)
March 01, 2006
Good Things Come in Threes
Last week I booked yet another mistake airfare. This time, it is from Honolulu to Toronto on Northwest. How will I get to Toronto, you ask? Well, last November I booked a mistake fare from Atlanta to Honolulu for $132 all-included. I was able to book this new mistake fare for travel during the time that I will be in Honolulu (on the first mistake fare), and for $93 all-included. Since good things come in threes, I now need a mistake fare from Minneapolis to Atlanta, preferably sometime during the end of May. ;-)
One can wish, right?
Posted by Derek at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)