NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31

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Xref: sparky rec.travel.air:6317 news.answers:4867 Newsgroups: rec.travel.air,news.answers Path: sparky!uunet!wupost!udel!rochester!cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!crabapple.srv.cs.cmu.edu!mkant From: mkant+@cs.cmu.edu (Mark Kantrowitz) Subject: FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets 1/2 [Monthly posting] Message-ID: <airfare-1.text_725958031@cs.cmu.edu> Followup-To: poster Sender: news@cs.cmu.edu (Usenet News System) Nntp-Posting-Host: a.gp.cs.cmu.edu Reply-To: mkant@cs.cmu.edu Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 07:00:40 GMT Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu Expires: Mon, 15 Feb 1993 07:00:31 GMT Lines: 1295 Archive-name: air-travel/cheap-tickets/part1 Last-Modified: Tue Dec 29 16:40:27 1992 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.4 Size: 58124 bytes ;;; **************************************************************** ;;; Airfare FAQ, Part 1 ******************************************** ;;; **************************************************************** This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms and other information to mkant@cs.cmu.edu. An updated version of this file is posted once a month to the newsgroups rec.travel.air and news.answers. The version date for the file is located in the header near the top of the file. The list is also available via anonymous ftp from ftp.cs.cmu.edu in the directory /afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mkant/Public/Travel/ as the files airfare-1.text and airfare-2.text. Note that you must cd to this directory in one command, as intermediate directories are protected during an anonymous ftp. Of course, if your site is running the Andrew File System, you may access the file directly without using FTP. You can also get the file by anonymous ftp from pit-manager.mit.edu (18.172.1.27) in the file /pub/usenet/rec.travel.air/How_to_Get_Cheap_Airtickets, or by sending a mail message to "mail-server@pit-manager.mit.edu" with the subject "send usenet/rec.travel.air/How_to_Get_Cheap_Airtickets". ;;; ******************************** ;;; Copyright ********************** ;;; ******************************** Copyright (c) 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993 by Mark Kantrowitz. Use and copying of this information and preparation of derivative works based upon this information are permitted, so long as the following conditions are met: o no fees or compensation are charged for use, copies or access to this information o this copyright notice is included intact This information is made available AS IS, and no warranty is made about its quality or correctness. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Contents *********************** ;;; ******************************** Topics Covered (Part 1): Temporary Notes Standard Tricks Fare Classes Classes of Service Fare Types Special Fare Categories Flying Standby Getting "Bumped" Sympathy Fares, Emergencies Refunds Advance Purchase Fares Travel Agents Pets Lost Baggage Baggage Limits Hub Cities Flying International: Couriers, Consolidators Credit Card Voucher Offers Special Meals Airline Reservation Phone Numbers Frequent Flyer Programs Topics Covered (Part 2): Complaints and Compliments Glossary Miscellaneous Notes Other Sources of Information Further Reading Jetlag ;;; ******************************** ;;; Temporary Notes **************** ;;; ******************************** With the American Airlines fare restructuring, many discounted fares have been eliminated, ostensibly because "everything's cheap now". However, I am not eliminating the discussion of these discounts because they still apply to some airlines. In addition, I expect the fare restructuring to be largely temporary -- as soon as fares start creeping up again, some airline is going to announce discounted children's fares to attract families as a marketing move, and the other airlines will follow suit. [The fare restructuring seems to have ended. Airlines are starting to offer discounts again, so it pays to ask. --mk 12/15/92] Even though most airlines are now matching their lowest discount fares, it still pays to have your travel agent check several airlines. For example, USAir has a virtual monopoly out of Pittsburgh, some sometimes they don't feel the need to reduce the fares. If you don't mind making a connection, you can sometimes save some money by taking another airline. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Airline Antitrust Litigation *** ;;; ******************************** If you flew on American, Continental, Delta, Midway, Northwest, Pan Am, TWA, United, or USAir (domestic flights only) between January 1, 1988, and June 30, 1992 from one of the following airports Atlanta Baltimore Boston Charlotte Chicago (O'Hare) Chicago (Midway) Cincinnati Cleveland Dallas/FW Dayton Denver Detroit Houston (IAH) Indianapolis Kansas City Los Angeles Memphis Miami Mpls/St Pl Nashville Newark New York (JFK) New York (LGA) Orlando FL Philadelphia Pittsburgh Raleigh/Durham St. Louis Salt Lake City San Francisco San Jose Syracuse Washington (National) Washington (Dulles) you are probably eligible for part of the $364 million antitrust settlement. This settlement is in response to a suit charging that they conspired to fix prices through a computerized reservation system. If you write to Airline Antitrust Litigation P.O. Box 209 Philadelphia, PA 19107-9711 they will send you a claim form and instructions. If you've taken at least one eligible trip, you will get a $100 voucher good for travel on either Northwest Airlines only, or on the other airlines (the restrictions on the vouchers differ, see below). You choose which kind of vouchers you prefer, subject to availability. If you've taken at least 5 round trips or 10 one-way trips (or some combination), you will receive $250 in vouchers. If you've taken more flights, you can file additional documentation with your claim, and receive vouchers for 10% of the actual amount spent. This is a gross oversimplification of the terms of the settlement. If more than 2,689,840 claim forms are submitted, the base $100 amount will be reduced. If the total payout exceeds $364 million, the program ends. Certificates may be used only as partial payment toward a ticket; they may not exceed the price of the ticket. The vouchers have the following restrictions on the price of the ticket for which they may be used: Northwest Vouchers ===================================== Voucher Amount Ticket Price ===================================== $25 $100-200 $50 $201-300 $75 $301-400 $100 $401-500 $125 $501-750 $150 $751-1000 $200 $1000- Other Airline Vouchers =========================================== Voucher Amount Ticket Price (min) =========================================== $10 $50 $25 $250 $50 $500 $75 $750 $100 $1000 $125 $1250 $150 $1500 The first $100 in vouchers may be used immediately upon receipt. Of the rest of the vouchers, half may be used immediately and half after 6 months. Vouchers are valid for a period of 2 years. Tickets purchased using the vouchers are good for one year from the date of purchase. Vouchers may not be combined with any other special offer. Only you and your immediate family may use the vouchers unless you designate a different recipient when filing your claim. Vouchers are for use when purchasing tickets directly from the airlines, and may not be used when purchasing tickets from a travel agent. Vouchers may be used only for purchasing round trip tickets for travel within the continental US (Hawaii and Alaska are excluded, except for residents of those states). There are blackout dates during which the vouchers may not be used. Tickets purchased using the vouchers will receive frequent flyer miles. ;;; ******************************** ;;; General Notes ****************** ;;; ******************************** The information in this FAQ applies primarily to US domestic flights, though some information may also apply to international flights. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Standard Tricks **************** ;;; ******************************** Airlines give better fares to people who advance book because they are trying to encourage people to book as early as possible. If the airline were to lower fares just before flight time there would be a flood of people (on random flights) at the last minute. Airlines need an accurate estimate of the number of people and amount of baggage on a flight so that they can load the proper amount of fuel. (Meals and beverages also have to be loaded.) Moreover, people who book at the last minute are usually flying on business, and therefore the business is paying for it. People flying for pleasure usually know weeks or months in advance, and can't afford the prices that a business would pay. Thus it is to an airline's advantage to set rates according to the major differences between business and leisure travelers: o Business travelers fly mostly between 9 and 5, whereas leisure travelers can fly offpeak hours. o Business travelers buy tickets on very short notice, whereas leisure travelers plan trips well in advance. o Business travelers do not stay over a weekend (= Saturday night), whereas leisure travelers do. So airlines typically give discounts for people who stay over a weekend, flying offpeak hours, and purchasing tickets 7 days, 14 days, 21 days or 30 days in advance. For example, "Supersaver" or "Maxsaver" fares require that you buy your roundtrip ticket 7 days, 14 days, or 30 days in advance, and that you stay over a weekend (Saturday night). The price is usually the average of the two one-way tickets. (E.g., a 2-week advance PGH/BOS advance ticket is around $200 this way.) Since a regular 1-way ticket is so much worse, it sometimes pays to buy a round-trip ticket and throw away the other half (if you're only going one way). If you buy a round trip ticket and throw away the other half, make the first leg of the trip the destination, since some airlines will cancel the return trip if you don't show up for the first leg. For example, a round-trip to San Francisco from Pittsburgh with a one-night stayover is $1,333. However, the cost of a Saturday night stayover is only $479 if you order the ticket a week or two in advance. Purchasing two round trip tickets, one originating from Pgh and one from SF, and then using one half of each round trip ticket saves you $375. Note that for many airlines the discount fares depend solely on the date of the first leg of the trip. The price does not vary no matter when the return flight is (so long as you stay over a Saturday night). You could buy a flight with one leg in March and the return in November, and it would cost the same as if the return was in March. If you travel regularly to a particular destination, but don't stay over weekends, you can get the cheaper weekend rates by staggering your tickets. I.e., if you're flying from A to B and back Monday and Wednesday of Week 1, and the same Week 2, instead of buying roundtrip tickets for each week, buy a roundtrip ticket leaving A Monday of Week 1 and returning Wednesday of Week 2, and a second roundtrip ticket leaving B Wednesday of Week 1 and returning to B Monday of Week 2. This works out to be precisely the same flights, but since both tickets are over a weekend, you get the cheaper rate. The only problem is that you have to know your schedule in advance to make this work. Using the Pgh-SF example from above, this method would save you $1708 on a pair of midweek round trip flights. If you travel on offpeak hours and low volume days, the rates are cheaper. Thus to guarrantee a low cost flight, you have to be very flexible about where you are going, what time and day you are leaving, and how long you want to stay. Also important is when you make the reservation. If you make the reservation for an offpeak flight during the peak season (say, make a reservation for February just before Thanksgiving), you may be charged the peak rates. After the holidays some airlines lower their discount fares to attract customers. So you may be able to get a better fare by making your reservation right after the holidays. If you notice that the fare for your flight has been lowered after you bought the ticket, try calling the airline. Sometimes they will refund the difference between the price you paid and the lower fare. (You may have to go to the airport to get the ticket rewritten at the lower fare.) ;;; ******************************** ;;; Fare Classes ******************* ;;; ******************************** When airlines set their fares, they divide their seating into "classes", which are based on an analysis of past passenger purchases. Suppose you have a 100 seat airliner going from DC to SF. The rates might break down on a particular day as follows: 30 seats at $315 round trip, 30 days in advance 20 seats at $350 RT, 21 days in advance 20 seats at $375 RT, 14 days in advance 20 seats at $400 RT, 7 days in advance 10 seats at $450 RT, full fare, available until the last minute. Now if the time has elapsed within a given price group, then the fare will go up to the rate of the next price group. If they sell the quota of tickets for a price group, even if the time has not elapsed, then they can only sell you tickets at the next rate group price (which is naturally higher). So it can pay to make your reservations way in advance. (The number of seats available at each fare varies from day to day, depending on the airline's yield management algorithm.) Actually, it would be more accurate to say that airlines distinguish between classes of service and types of fares. A discount ticket (fare) for first class travel (service) could, in theory, be cheaper than an advance purchase ticket (fare) for thrift travel in the first class compartment (service). The best way to describe it is as a series of overlapping tiers of fares. There are five regular classes of service: First, Business, Standard, Coach and Thrift. Standard is practically nonexistent these days. Fares usually drop with lower class service. For each class except Standard there are six main types of reduced-fare tickets: discounted, night, offpeak, weekend, advance purchase, and excursion fare. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Classes of Service ************* ;;; ******************************** The following chart gives some of the letters used to designate each class of service. Note that Fn means Night/Offpeak Coach in the First Class compartment, and Yn means Night/Offpeak Coach in other than the First Class compartment. Regular Premium Discounted Night/Offpeak First Class F P A Fn Business Class C J D Cn Standard S Coach Economy Y B, H, M, Q, T Qn, Yn Thrift K L, V Vn, Kn Supersonic R No Reservation Service U In reality there is no difference between classes F and P, nor between classes C and J. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Fare Types ********************* ;;; ******************************** The following lists some of the letters used to designate different types of fares. This is distinct from class of service. A number (e.g., 7 or 14) usually means how many days in advance the ticket must be bought. Miscellaneous AP Advance Purchase EX Excursion Fare B Capacity-controlled Excursion Fares SW Offpeak; Saturday or Sunday W Weekend X Midweek US 48 contiguous states (not including alaska/hawaii) Economy KH Weekend KL Midweek/Offpeak MH Weekend (Discount Fare) ML Midweek/Offpeak (Discount Fare) L Capacity-controlled Inventory Standard SH Peak SL Offpeak V Offpeak Coach B Capacity-controlled Inventory BN Night Coach H Capacity-controlled Inventory, Coach/Night Coach V Offpeak YH Weekend YL Midweek/Offpeak Super Coach QH Weekend; applies Fri-Sun QL Midweek; applies Mon-Thur ;;; ******************************** ;;; Special Fare Categories ******** ;;; ******************************** All airlines have special rate categories, but you have to ask for them by name, since the agents are usually not familiar with them. You may even have to talk to the agent's supervisor. Below is a brief listing of different special fare categories, followed by a more in depth discussion of standby fares. Also, see preceding discussion of classes of service and fare types. For example, on TWA, class K, V, YC, and M fares are the cheapest. Children's fares: Children under 2 years of age travel free on US domestic flights. To be more accurate, the child must not occupy a separate seat (sits on its parent's lap), and must be accompanied by a fare paying adult passenger 12 years of age and over (the lap in which it sits). Additional children under 2 are subject to regular children's fares. On international flights you need a "lap child" ticket which typically costs about $100. Fares for children accompanied by a fare paying adult passenger and occupying a separate seat are cheaper than fares for unaccompanied children. Some carriers will not accept unaccompanied children under five years of age (some 8 years, some 12). Fares for accompanied children range from 50% to 100% of an adult fare (1/2 fare, 2/3 fare, 3/4 fare, 80%, 90%, full fare). Fares for unaccompanied children range from 50% of adult fare to 125% of an adult fare (1/2 fare, 2/3 fare, 3/4 fare, full fare, 1-1/4 fare). Clergy fares: Clergy get ridiculously cheap standby fares on certain airlines if they possess a certain type of "Clergy Identification Card". Military fares: US military personnel traveling at their own expense on authorized leave or pass may get signicantly cheaper fares. Discharged military personnel must complete all travel within 7 days of discharge date. Valid active duty US green identification card or separation orders must be presented. USAir has a 50% military discount. Also, any military person who is on active duty and either on TDY (temporary duty), emergency leave or regular leave, or any retired military person may sign up for space available travel on pre-scheduled military flights to any air force base (e.g., Hawaii, Boston, Florida). Active duty personnel have priority over retired personnel, and space is allocated in order of signup. Few flights, however, are scheduled more than 24 hours in advance, and you may need to go to your destination by a very roundabout route, since not every base has a lot of space-available flights. The cost is free from most bases, but some tack on a $10 or $20 charge for admin purposes. For long flights, they will sell you a box-lunch for $2.40. The planes may not be as comfortable as commercial flights. There are numerous books on space-available flights that military people can pick up at their PX/BX. They should also contact the PAX representative at their nearest base for more specific information. Senior Citizen fares: Certain airlines provide reduced fares for passengers 65 years of age and older. Passengers must carry proof of age (passport, birth certificate, driver's license or medicare card). Seats are usually limited. Standby fares: Flying standby can be one of the cheapest ways to travel. Adult standby passengers are enplaned on a flight on a standby basis subject to availability of space at departure time. This is only after all passengers with reservations for the flight have been boarded. Passengers from a previous flight who were bumped have priority. No advance reservations are accepted, but get to the gate early to put yourself first on the standby list. No stopovers are permitted on standby fares. [Many airlines no longer sell standby tickets at a special fare, but will sell you a standby ticket at regular fare.] Note that nonrefundable, nonchangeable tickets can often be used for standby travel (sometimes with a slight surcharge). Student fares: Some airlines give discounted fares to full-time students of an accredited school, college or university who are at least 12 years of age. Student ID card must be carried and displayed at the request of the carrier. Some restrict the age of the student to under some age (e.g., 22, 26 years of age). Stopovers are not permitted, and some require reservations at least 7 days before departure. [The USAir student discount was cancelled on May 30, 1992, as a consequence of the American fare restructuring.] USAir has a 10% discount on fares for full-time students. The student discount is combinable with supersaver fares (i.e., you get a 10% discount above and beyond the supersaver discount). The only restrictions are that (1) You must be a full-time student, aged 16 through 26. (2) You must show proof of age and student status to the agent when making a reservation (e.g., a college ID and driver's license) (3) The discount is limited to domestic travel. Students may purchase discount books of 10 tickets on the Trump (now USAir) shuttle for $499. Delta has a similar program for their shuttle. Age restrictions can be as low as 18-22 on these tickets (Continental 18-22, USAir 18-24 some routes, 18-22 others, Delta is 18-24). Times are restricted from 10am to 2:30 pm and after 7 pm. A variety of discounts are available if you have an International Student Identity Card. Ask your travel agent for details on how to get such a card and what discounts are available. Youth fares: Passenger must be between 12 and 22 (25 for international travel) years of age. Seats may be limited. Tickets must be purchased from the point of origin. Some require picture identification such as Youth Fare identification Card, birth certificate, government ID card or drivers license. Southwest gives the offpeak rate for *all* flights for youth (21 & under), although this is still more expensive than their supersaver fares. Family fares: Some carriers offer discounts on family travel. For the purposes of the discounts, a family is defined as a husband and wife with or without accompanying children age 2-17, or one parent with one or more accompanying children age 2-17. Age restrictions on children differ from airline to airline (some set the maximum age at 20 or 21 years; and some break children into two classes, 12 & under and 12-21). Some include legal guardian and grandparents within the definition of parent. It is usually not necessary for the family to travel under a common surname. Proof of family relationship must be established to the satisfaction of the carrier and all family members must travel together for the entire trip. Fares are typically 100% for first family member, 50% each additional. Some have further discounts. Conference Fares If you're flying to a meeting or conference, airlines will often offer a conference discount. This must be arranged ahead of time by the conference organizers and only holds for one particular airline. This airline is designated as the "official" airline of the conference, and is advertised in the registration brochure. Discounts are generally 40% off of full coach or 5% off of the best supersaver fare, with travel within 3 days of the meeting. The conference organizers receive one free round trip ticket for every 20 conference attendees who use the airline. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Flying Standby ***************** ;;; ******************************** On the other hand, an empty seat doesn't earn the airline any money. So some airlines offer what is called "standby tickets". Using such a ticket you are NOT guarranteed a seat on a particular flight, but on the next flight with empty seats. (In other words, standby means on a space available basis.) If there are available seats, flying standby can be much cheaper. If it is a busy day and the flights are full, you may have to wait several hours to get a seat, or maybe not get a seat at all. Don't fly standby on the day before Thanksgiving or the Sunday after, you won't get a seat. On Thanksgiving day itself, you're likely to find a seat. A standby ticket does not guarrantee you a seat, but if you do not absolutely, positively have to be there tomorrow, you can get some good deals. [Days which are bad for standby seats are usually good days for getting bumped.] Note that even if every seat isn't taken, an airline sometimes won't accept standby passengers because it might mean having to unload fuel to change the weight distribution of the aircraft. If you're on a later flight but get to the airport early, check with the attendant at the gate. You may be able to get on the earlier flight is there's space available (but this may result in your getting no "snack"). This works even for "non-changeable" tickets. One way to "ensure" the availability of standby seats is for the agent or the passenger to make a large number of regular reservations, and then an hour before the flight release the block of seats, virtually ensuring that standby passengers will get aboard at cheap standby fares. Travel agents don't do this very frequently, since the airlines don't appreciate it. This probably doesn't do you any good with the way airlines overbook flights. [And causes a lot of bad will with the airlines. If people start doing this frequently, airlines will probably eliminate standby fares.] Many airlines have eliminated the discounts for flying standby for precisely this reason. When flying standby, make sure you get to the gate EARLY. If several people are flying standby, you want to make sure that your name is first on the list. Note that connecting passengers, bumped passengers, etc., get priority over local boarding standbys. On really busy days it might pay to show up early for the *first* flight of the day, since standbys who don't make it will "roll over" to the next flight. Note that although most airlines no longer sell standby tickets, you can go to the gate agent at the airport with any unused ticket from that airline and ask to be placed on the standby list. Your luck will vary by airline and gate agent. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Getting "Bumped" *************** ;;; ******************************** Airlines tend to overbook their flights in case of no-shows. Occasionally this will mean that more people show up with confirmed reservations than there are seats on the plane. (Or if the flight is a particularly full one, it may exceed the weight limit even with empty seats.) The airline will ask if there's anyone willing to be bumped from the flight in exchange for compensation (e.g., USAir will give you a free round-trip ticket anywhere in North America). The airline will then put you on the next available flight to your destination, along with your free ticket. Vouchers are typically valid for only a year from date of issue. So another way to reduce the cost of flying is to purchase a confirmed reservation for 8-9 am or 5-6 pm on a weekday. These are the times most businessmen fly (trying to make early morning meetings or to get home for dinner in the evening), and hence when the airline is most likely to be overbooked. Airlines are also likely to be overbooked on Sunday nights and the beginning and end of holidays, since that is when non-businessmen typically fly. Receiving a free roundtrip ticket effectively cuts your air travel costs in half. And if you get bumped while using a previous free bump ticket, it gets even cheaper. If you have a confirmed reservation, and you notice the flight is overbooked but first class is underbooked and you don't necessarily want to be bumped, try being the last person on line. If you are lucky the coach and business class will be full, and they will have to upgrade you to first class at no charge. (Also, having a pre-issued boarding pass will decrease your chances of an involuntary bump.) This is risky, though, because you might wind up being bumped anyway, so only do it if you don't care whether you'll be bumped. It always pays to volunteer to be bumped, even if the flight isn't overbooked. If the airline needs adjacent seating for a family, they will sometimes bump you into first class if you are in a row by yourself. If you definitely want to be bumped, volunteer when you check in and again at the gate. This will give you priority if there are only a few bumps. Good days to get bumped include: Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Sunday after; couple days before and after Christmas; ditto with New Years. Friday afternoons, evenings, and Sunday afternoons and evenings also bump a lot. If the airline still has plenty of coach seats a day or so before the flight, it is unlikely that they will bump. Here's what some airlines usually give volunteers: Delta, United, USAir: Open roundtrip Continental: $$ vouchers for a roundtrip ticket. Amount depends on the route and the amount of overbooking. American, America West, Southwest: $$ off another ticket (usually $150 to $300; American has been known to go as high as $1000.) Dollar-denominated vouchers are not subject to tax, so they stretch further. Amounts depend on the degree of overbooking of the flight. United sometimes will also issue a dollar-denominated voucher. United bumps more than average, Delta less. Air Canada offers $150 cash or $300 in travel vouchers. Most bump tickets (vouchers) are non-transferable, so you must use them yourself. If you get bumped or your flight is canceled and need to stay at a hotel overnight, hotels near the airport will often give you a substantial discount if you ask for it (50% discount is not unheard of). Ask for the "Distressed Passenger Rate". Airlines also have overnight kits they can give you. If airline delays cause you extra expense, the airlines may be willing to help you out. For example, if the airline delay caused you to miss the cheap bus shuttle service to downtown, the airline may be willing to pay the difference between cab fare and shuttle fare. But in general, there aren't any policies for compensation (e.g., meals, hotel, etc.) that must be given to bumped and delayed passengers. Some airlines are very nice and will give you food coupons if you ask, some won't. Under Department of Transportation rules, an involuntarily bumped traveler who is delayed more than one hour but less than two on a domestic flight is entitled to $200 or 100 percent of the one-way fare, whichever is less (the airline must also honor the original ticket). For delays longer than two hours, the compensation doubles. Airlines can offer you a travel voucher (for a free domestic round-trip ticket) in lieu of cash, but must give you the cash if that's what you want. Airlines like bumped volunteers because free travel costs them less than the cash compensation they're required to offer involuntarily bumped passengers. (If the involuntarily bumped passengers are put on a flight which brings them to their destination within an hour of the original flight time, the airline has met its requirement.) Anything more is strictly the policy of the airline, which is stated in its Conditions of Carriage statement. (To obtain this statement, get it either from your travel agent or by writing to the customer affairs office of your airline. Be sure to ask for the full copy of the conditions; otherwise they'll give you just a three page summary of the limitations of liability sections.) Note that these rules do NOT apply to delayed passengers in general, just to bumped passengers. There are no rules governing compensation for volunteers -- airlines can offer as little or as much as it takes to bid you off the flight. Delta restricts reservations using volunteer bumped vouchers to two days in advance. Re-booking: Most volunteers are routinely booked on another flight within a few hours, but re-routing isn't a legal requirement. Before giving up your seat, ask when the next flight leaves, whether you'll have a confirmed or standby reservation and (if the flight is with another carrier) whether you'll have to pay additional fare. Negotiating: Most airline managers can escalate compensation offers in an attempt to get enough volunteers. So you might get a better deal by simply asking for one. American Airlines, which has the lowest rate of involuntary bumpees in the industry, tends to be the most generous with compensation for volunteers. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Sympathy Fares, Emergencies **** ;;; ******************************** If you have to go to a funeral, most airlines will give you 50% off of the discounted rate, at very short notice. They call this the sympathy fare. Similarly for a medical emergency. For example, Continental will waive advance purchase requirements for cheap fares for an emergency. This is their bereavement rate for people who have to attend funerals. Other airlines that do this are United and USAir ("compassionate fare"). American gives 50% off of the non-discounted rate, and will ask you for the name, address and phone number of the funeral home. This is a tradition carried over from the "funeral fare" of the railroad days. Airlines do this because it is simply good PR, and doesn't cost them all that much. Some airlines will only allow immediate relatives to get a sympathy fare. In any case you have to ask and sometimes be persistent as these are nonstandard and not widely publicized policies. Many low level airline workers are not aware of them or do not have the authority to allow them. United "Rule 120" describes the rules governing sympathy fares. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Refunds ************************ ;;; ******************************** In the same vein, many airlines will refund a ticket, even a nonrefundable one, for good cause. Medical emergencies, jury duty, and a death in the family generally qualify as a good cause for not using a ticket. Some sort of proof must be provided (death certiicate, note from doctor), and it is completely up to the airline as to whether or not the particular instance warrants a refund. Some airlines may issue a new ticket or provide a flight credit voucher instead of offering a refund. A useful trick for normal circumstances: When they ask for your name for printing on the ticket, use your first initial instead of your full first name. (Many airlines now require your full first name, even if you purchase the ticket through a travel agent.) Thus if you can't use your "non-transferrable non-refundable" ticket, your spouse or some other member of your family might be able to. Another trick is to have your travel agent talk to the airline, assuming you used him to purchase the ticket. Sometimes they will be able to swing a deal. Nontransferable tickets may still be useable by other people in your organization, if the address listed on the ticket was your business address. Normally a reservation will cancel out automatically if you don't purchase a ticket within 24 hours. However, if you ask the airline to invoice you, usually this timeout is extended to 10 days to allow enough time for the invoice to reach you. You can still pay the invoice using a credit card. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Advance Purchase Fares ********* ;;; ******************************** Typically, tickets must be purchased 4, 7, 14, 21, or 30 days in advance of the departure date. All require confirmed reservations. Seats are always limited. Most do not permit changes/cancellations, and those that do will usually charge you. Some require a roundtrip ticket, though there are some that give lower rates for one-way tickets. Most do not permit open-jaw travel (most require circle-trip for excursion fares). Some permit stopovers, and may or may not charge you for the privilege (typically $15-30 per stopover). Fares are often seasonal. For those that have a minimum and maximum stay period (e.g., stay over the weekend, must return 150 days after departure), the day of departure is not included as part of the minimum and maximum stay period. Children's rates are usually discounted against the applicable fare. (Some airlines now apply children's discounts against the highest fare only.) As usual, children must carry proof of age. Note that fares are almost always not applicable to/from intermediate points. This means a ticket from Boston to Chicago passing through Pittsburgh could be cheaper than a ticket from Boston to Pittsburgh! But, of course, you can get off at Pittsburgh so long as you don't have checked bags nor have subsequent legs on the same ticket. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Travel Agents ****************** ;;; ******************************** It pays to use a travel agent only if you know a *good* one. A good travel agent will know when a small change in your schedule can save you a lot of money. If you buy direct from the airline, you may not find out such information, since they will only quote you the rates for the times you ask. So if you're going to use a travel agent, make sure that you find one who is willing (and able) to search through the morass of fares and restrictions to find a good deal for you. A travel agent who just punches your data into the computer and tells you the prices is no better than the airline's 800 number. A good travel agent can probably save you about 10-15%. [Actually, if the airline goes bankrupt between ticket purchase and flight time, and you bought your ticket from a travel agent, you may be able to get a refund, especially from some of the larger agencies. If the airlines goes bankrupt within 10 days of the purchase of the ticket, the agency may not have paid the airline yet (they are allowed 10 days to do so), so you can ask them for a refund. Better yet, buy your airtickets with a credit card, and the federal credit protection act will allow you to get a refund from your credit card company.] Also, airlines sometimes sell bulk tickets to large travel agencies at bargain basement prices if they think they cannot fill the seats. So depending on the travel agency, you might be able to get a really good deal. Travel agents sometimes get complimentary tickets (e.g., one free ticket for every 25 sold), which they can sell as they wish. (These are called "Promotional Tickets" and are for standby travel.) But then again, travel agents get a commission on air tickets and hotels. The commission is a fixed percentage of the fare (if you order direct from the airline, the airline pockets the difference). So the agent can earn more money by selling you a more expensive ticket. So be cautious when using a travel agent. Look over the agent's shoulder and see if they're overlooking a really cheap flight. Since discount flights have restrictions on day of week and flight times, make sure that you let the travel agent know that you are flexible and will change a day either way if that will save you money. Airport ticket agents tend to be better informed than the people at the toll-free reservation number, since they often have to deal with special situations (missed connections, bumped people, etc.) that require really knowing the reservation system's ins and outs. But beware. Airport ticket agents are not beyond lying. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Pets *************************** ;;; ******************************** If you are travelling with a dog, you must say so when you make your reservation. All airlines will allow at most one dog in the presurized portion of the cabin (to prevent barking fights). The dog must be in a travel cage which fits under the seat in front of you and sedated. (If the dog is small, try to get a cage which fits under the seat, so you can keep watch on the pet. Otherwise, the dog will travel with the baggage, and you won't see the dog until the flight is over.) Some airlines will charge you extra (~$50) for a small dog or cat. America West and Southwest do not take pets. (Southwest will take seeing-eye dogs. I believe all airlines are required to allow seeing-eye and hearing-ear dogs to accompany their blind/deaf masters on flights.) AA, UA and US all take dogs. US charges $30. AA and UA charge $50. (Small dogs.) All carriers require a recent (10 days old or less) veterinary certificate of health, but rarely look at it. All airlines embargo pets if the outside temperature is in the 90's (or perhaps even 80's). AA won't carry a pet if the temperature is less than 45F (enforcement of this rule is uneven). UA says they won't handle pets when it is -10F. US says they always handle pets except on certain commuter flights. US allows you to bring your pet out to the gate and have it boarded just before you get on the plane. AA sometimes will, but usually won't, allow this. Many airlines require that the dog be given a tranquilizer supplied by your vet. The following is what the airlines charge (1-way) for a pet which fits under the seat in front of you, as of August 1, 1992. $30 Alaska $45 Delta, Northwest, USAir $50 American, America West, Continental, TWA, United ;;; ******************************** ;;; Lost Baggage ******************* ;;; ******************************** The domestic baggage liability limit is a minimum of $1250.00 per passenger. Some airlines may provide greater limits for checked/unchecked baggage. For international flights, the baggage liability limit is approximately $9.07 per pound ($20 per kilogram) for checked baggage and $400 per passenger for unchecked baggage. A minimum waiting period of one week is required before baggage can be declared lost. Airlines will not reimburse for currency, photographic or electronic equipment, rare and expensive jewelry or artistic works, or medication, unless prior arrangements were made (e.g., excess valuation insurance was purchased). Some credit cards will cover these items if the tickets were purchased with the card. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Baggage Limits ***************** ;;; ******************************** Checked baggage weight/size/number limits vary depending on the airline, the class of fare, and the country of origin. Typically one is limited to 2 pieces of checked baggage (excluding luggage carriers), each of which has a total length + width + height less than 60" (or 72") and weighs less than 70 pounds (32 kg). Unchecked baggage is usually limited to 2 bags, which must fit under the seat in front of you or in the overhead compartment. Purses, cameras, coats, and similar items are usually excluded from the limit. Garment bags are also often excluded, especially for first class customers. Sometimes the limit will be reduced to 1 bag, especially on very full flights. Oversize articles (e.g., skis, bicycles, moose heads) must be checked. If you do have excess baggage, it is cheaper to pay the excess baggage charges than to ship it by air freight. Rates airlines charge for excess baggage vary considerably, so it pays to call around before purchasing a ticket. Baggage limit rules are enforced very unevenly, particularly on flights which aren't very full. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Hub Cities ********************* ;;; ******************************** Try to avoid hub cities. For example, since USAir's hub is Pittsburgh, they have a virtual monopoly on flights to PGH, so if you're so unlucky as to be flying to Pittsburgh, the rates are not cheap. Occasionally you may be able to take a flight which makes a stop or connection at Pittsburgh, and walk off the plane in Pittsburgh (i.e., a ticket from Boston to Cleveland on a plane which makes a stop in Pittsburgh might be cheaper than a ticket from Boston to Pittsburgh on the same plane). This only works when you can carry on all of your baggage. (Or if your connecting flight is more than two hours after your flight arrives or on a different plane, you can usually arrange to claim your baggage at the hub and recheck it yourself. 8*) Several airlines are currently being investigated by the justice department for anti-trust violations based on their dominating the airports at their hubs. Here's a list of airline hub cities. I've asterisked those that I'm sure are monopolized by that airline. # indicates the main hub of the airline. Alaska Airlines (AS): Anchorage (ANC)#, SEA America West (HP): Phoenix (PHX)#, Las Vega$ (LAS), Columbus OH American Airlines (AA): Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW)#, Raleigh/Durham (RDU)*, SJC*, SJU, ORD, BNA, Continental Airlines (CO): Newark (EWR)#, Cleveland (CLE)*, IAH, DEN, MSY Delta Airlines (DL): Atlanta (ATL)*#, Salt Lake City (SLC)*, DFW, CVG, LAX, ORL, JFK and FRA (Frankfurt, FRG). Midwest Express (YX): MKE Northwest Airlines (NW): Minneaplois (MSP)#, Milwaukee (MKE)*, Memphis (MEM)*, Tokyo, BOS, DTW Southwest Airlines (WN): Dallas Love (DAL), Houston Hobby (HOU), PHX, ABQ TWA (TW): St. Louis (STL)*#, New York (JFK), Paris (ORY or CDG) USAir (US): Pittsburgh (PIT)*#, Philadelphia (PHL), Charlotte (CLT)*, Baltimore (BWI)*, Dayton (DAY)*, LAX, SFO, SYR, IND United Airlines (UA): Chicago#, DEN, Washington Dulles (IAD), SEA, SFO, Raleigh, Tokyo, LHR (London Heathrow) Airport Abbreviations and Hubs: ABQ Albuquerque, NM WN ANC Anchorage, AL AS ATL Atlanta, GA DL BNA Nashville, TN AA BOS Boston, MA NW BWI Baltimore, MD US CLE Cleveland, OH CO CLT Charlotte, NC US CVG Cincinatti, OH DL DAL Dallas (Love Field), TX WN DAY Dayton, OH US DEN Denver, CO CO UA DFW Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX AA DL DTW Detroit, MI NW EWR Newark, NJ CO HOU Houston (Hobby), TX WN IAD Washington (Dulles), DC UA IAH Houston (Intercontinental), TX CO IND Indianapolis, IN US JFK New York (Kennedy), NY PA TW LAS Las Vega$ HP LAX Los Angeles DL US MEM Memphis, TN NW MIA Miami, FL PA MKE Milwaukee, WI NW YX MSP Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN NW MSY New Orleans, LA CO ORD Chicago, IL AA UA ORL Orlando, FL DL PHL Philadelphia, PA US PHX Phoenix, AZ HP WN PIT Pittsburgh, PA US RDU Raleigh/Durham, NC AA SEA Seattle, WA AS UA SFO San Francisco, CA UA US SJC San Jose, CA AA SJU San Juan, PR AA SLC Salt Lake City, UT DL STL St. Louis, MO TW SYR Syracuse, NY US AA American Airlines AS Alaska Airlines CO Continental Airlines DL Delta Airlines HP America West Airlines PA Pan American World Airways TW Trans World Airlines UA United Airlines US U S Air WN Southwest Airlines YX Midwest Express ;;; ******************************** ;;; Flying International: ** ;;; Couriers, Consolidators ** ;;; ******************************** One way of getting cheap international flights is to fly as a freelance courier. There are a few companies which will pay you for the right to use your baggage allowance, yielding a heavily-discounted fare. Non-refundable, and usually very short notice -- 1-2 weeks. You do not deal with the baggage, other than to hand-carry a set of paperwork. You are allowed a carry-on. For example, the following courier company will let you fly as a courier to Israel (TelAviv) on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, round trip, for $525: Dworkin Cosell, (212) 213-0036. Other couriers include: Now Voyager NY 212-431-1616, Halbart NY 718-995-7019, IBC NY 718-262-8058, TNT NY 516-338-4180. There are risks involved, so be sure to use a reputable courier company and get references. Horror stories include stranded passengers, couriered luggage that contained contraband, and so on. Some books about flying as a courier include: o The Air Courier's Handbook, $9.95 Big City Books, PO Box 19667, Sacramento, CA 95819 o A Simple Guide to Courier Travel, $15.95 1-800-344-9375 Guide Books, PO Box 2394, Lake Oswego, OR 97035 o Travel Unlimited, $25/year Attn: Steve Lantos, PO Box 1058, Allston, MA 02134 o Travel Secrets, $30/year Box 2325, New York, NY 10108 Also, ticket consolidators (wholesalers, ``bucket shops'') are often 30-40% cheaper than buying direct from the airline. They buy blocks of unsold seats from the airlines and resell them at a slim margin. Such tickets are usually heavily restricted and are for a standard profile (e.g., no special meals, no changes, no transfers, no refunds). The Sunday NY Times travel section has a list of wholesalers. For example, Nippon Travel 800-662-6236. Although "consolidator" and "bucket shop" are often used interchangeably, they refer to different kinds of wholesalers. Consolidators buy large blocks of tickets at discounted rates direct from the airlines. The restrictions on these tickets are governed by the consolidator's contract with the airline, and not by the rules for published fares. Usually they sell only through retail agencies and not directly to the public. Bucket shops are retail agencies that specialize in getting discounted prices on tickets. They are familiar with the full range of consolidators for all the carriers (every airline has many consolidators) and in other techniques of fare construction, importing tickets, etc. International airfares are set by international agreement and regulated by the airline cartel, IATA. Most interantional airlines are closely related to, if not directly owned by, their national governments. Thus most governments have an interest in protecting the profits of their national airline, with the result that the IATA fares are artificially high. IATA rules prohibit discounting, and in some countries these rules are actually enforced. Bucket shops work around the rules by buying discounted tickets direct from the airlines or through consolidators. These tickets are discounted with restrictions that attempt to ensure that the airlines fill otherwise empty seats instead of diverting full-fare passengers to cheaper tickets. Some restrictions include limitations on the advertising of such tickets, forbidding mention of the name of the airline, or restricting the promotion of such tickets to a particular geographic or ethnic market. Another method of discounting tickets is through rebating a portion of the consolidator commission to the public. AirHitch (212-864-2000) is a consolidator which buys unsold seats very close to the wire. Their customers provide a window of times (or destinations), and AirHitch lets them know about available flights on extremely short notice. Not for the faint of heart. Courier Agencies in New York: Courier Travel Service 800-922-2359, 516-791-4600 Worldwide, but mainly to Europe. No fee. Now Voyager, Inc. 212-431-1616 Europe. Call between 11:30-18:00. Charges $50 registration fee. Halbart 718-656-8189 10am-3pm only East-West Express 516-561-2360 To Singapore only. World Courier 718-978-9400 9am-noon only. Requires personal interview in New York. Does not fly to Paris. Jupiter Air 718-341-2095, 718-656-6050 Hong Kong and Singapore. Dworkin Cosell 212-213-0036 Israel only. Courier Agencies in Miami: A-1 International 305-594-1184 Air Facilities 305-477-8300 Courier Agencies in Chicago: TNT Chicago 312-453-7300 Courier Agencies in LA: IBC Pacific 213-216-1637 11am-4pm City Link 213-410-9063 Jupiter Air 213-670-5123 Crossroads International 213-643-8600 3pm-5:30 pm Midnight Express 213-673-1100 Courier Agencies in San Francisco: TNT San Fransisco 415-692-9600 Afternoons only. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Unusual Travel Agents ********** ;;; ******************************** Travel Avenue is a Chicago-based travel agency that charges a fixed flat fee for each ticket ($10 domestic, $25 international). They will rebate to you the difference between their commission and their fee. You must, however, work out your travel plans in advance. Call 1-800-333-3335 for recorded information. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Credit Card Voucher Offers ***** ;;; ******************************** Several credit card companies offer vouchers for cheap airline travel as an incentive to enroll students. 1. American Express. Students who apply for the standard green card ($55/year) will receive four vouchers if approved. If you travel within the same zone the price is $129/ticket roundtrip; cross-zone travel is $189/ticket roundtrip (Mississippi is the dividing line). (The prices are $10 extra in the summer, and one of the vouchers is good for two tickets at $189 each.) There are some restrictions on destinations and some blackout dates. The vouchers expire 1 year after issue and are not transferrable (and the airlines do check your student id both at the ticket counter and at the gate). You must purchase your tickets with the AmEx card. The stay is for a maximum of 6 nights and must be over a Saturday night. To work around the non-transferrable restriction, use your first initial instead of your first name, and (if female) ask to have your maiden (alternately, married) name on the ticket (which allows you to substitute an arbitrary last name, if you're not bothered by the sleaziness). Although the current AmEx tickets are for travel on Continental Airlines, USAir will honor them for travel on USAir (non-summer coupons only; you may use the non-summer coupons during the summer, however). Give the following promotion code to the travel agent when using the AmEx/Continental vouchers for travel on USAir: H/CO AMEX STUDENT USAir seems less likely than Continental to check for student id. In general, USAir seems to accept coupons from almost any other airline. If you are a student, have an AmEx card and haven't received the vouchers, call the 800 number (1-800-582-5823 or 1-800-528-4800) and they'll send them out to your billing address. 2. Chase Manhattan VISA [ THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. ] Same cost structure as the AmEx/Continental vouchers ($129 if you don't cross the Mississippi River, $189 if you do), but for travel on USAir. Maximum stay of 60 days (Saturday stay not required). Tickets must be purchased within 48 hours of reservation. Valid student id must be presented at time of ticketing. Blackout dates around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and some destination-specific days. 3. US Sprint ;;; ******************************** ;;; Special Meals ****************** ;;; ******************************** Most of the major airlines will provide alternate meals on meal-flights upon request, if the request is made 24 hours in advance. Special meals include: Kosher, Muslim, Hindu, vegetarian, children, low-fat, low-salt, diabetic, low-glutin, and seafood. Simply ask for the meal when you make your reservation; there is no extra charge. The Kosher meals are glatt and double-sealed. Wilton Caterers is the largest supplier of these meals, although there are a number of smaller companies as well. If you will be having a special meal, be sure to let the flight attendant know as you entire the plane. Airlines sometime forget to load the meal (especially kosher), and if you let the flight attendant know, they can sometimes catch this. If the airline forgets to load your special meal, ask for a meal voucher. Even if you can't eat in the airport restaurants, you can buy nuts, candy or fruit at the gift shops and the airline will reimburse you within reason (e.g., $3-$5). ;;; ******************************** ;;; Airline Reservation Phone Numbers ;;; ******************************** AeroMexico 1-800-237-6639 Air Canada 1-800-776-3000 Alaska Airlines 1-800-426-0333, [1-602-921-3100] American 1-800-433-7300, 1-800-223-5436, [1-817-267-1151] America West 1-800-247-5692, [1-602-693-0737] British Airways 1-800-247-9297 Canadian Partners 1-800-426-7000 Continental 1-800-525-0280 (Dom), 1-800-231-0856 (Itl) [1-404-436-3300] Delta 1-800-221-1212, [1-404-765-5000] Northwest 1-800-225-2525, [1-612-726-1234] TWA 1-800-221-2000, [1-404-522-5738] United 1-800-241-6522, [1-312-825-2525] USAir 1-800-428-4322, [1-412-922-7500] ;;; ******************************** ;;; Frequent Flyer Programs ******** ;;; ******************************** Most programs (e.g., United, Northwest, American, USAir) will give you a free domestic roundtrip for 20,000 miles, a ticket to Hawaii or the Carribbean for 30,000, a ticket to Europe for 40,000 and a ticket to Australia or Asia for 60,000. Delta requires 40,000 miles for a free domestic ticket. Given joining bonuses and mileage promotions, one can often reach this with one overseas flight. Northwest and USAir give you a minimum of 750 (Delta, 1000) miles for each flight segment. Northwest will give you a one-way ticket for 10,000 miles. Air Canada 1-800-361-8523 Partners with Austrian, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, First Air, Singapore Alaska Airlines 1-800-654-5669 Partners with Northwest, TWA Aloha Airlines 1-800-486-7277 AAdvantage (American) 1-800-882-8880 Partners with TWA, Cathay Pacific, Singapore America West 1-800-247-5691 Partners with Air France, Virgin Atlantic Canadian 1-604-270-7587 Partners with Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa Continental 1-713-952-1630 Delta 1-800-323-2323 Partners with Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Japan Air Lines (no economy), KLM, Lufthansa, Singapore, Swissair Restrictions: US/Canadian residents only, only with voucher, travel must originate in US. Midwest Express 1-800-452-2022 Northwest 1-800-435-9696 Partners with KLM. TWA 1-800-325-4815, 1-800-221-2000 Partners with American, Alaska, Air India, British Airways United 1-800-421-4655 USAir 1-800-428-4322, 1-800-872-4738 ;;; *EOF*