AIRLINE
10 February, 2009

American Airline will be strapped for cash
American Airlines will begin this summer to transition to cashless cabins onboard flights within the United States and to and from Canada. On these flights, American, a founding member of the global oneworld(R) Alliance, will only accept major credit cards or debit cards for onboard purchases such as headsets, fresh light meals, snacks and alcoholic beverages.

"Moving to a cashless cabin allows us to streamline the inflight sales process for both our customers and flight attendants," said Lauri Curtis, American's Vice President - Onboard Service.

Flight attendants will use a hand-held Onboard Sales Recorder to charge credit and debit cards, eliminating the need to search for small bills or change. The airline has been using these user-friendly devices since May 2006. American Express(R) and other major credit and debit cards will be accepted. Receipts will be provided to passengers upon request.

Wi-Fi takes flight, but not everyone is happy
by Steve Surjaputra
It wasn’t so long ago that when you went on a business trip you could tell your boss that you will be unreachable for a few hours. Now that wireless Internet service is spreading among U.S. airlines, you can’t use that excuse anymore.

Delta and American have installed the service on about a dozen planes and other carriers are planning to test it. The service costs about $10 for three hours and more for longer flights. It will also help those that suffer from web withdrawal.

According to a recent report, this new frill can be a cause of tension among passengers in a packed plane. One flight attendants’ union is even worried that terrorists can use it to plot their next attack.

Another inescapable fact is that the airplane can now be a mobile office.

Brent Bigler, a financial planner living in Los Angeles, reportedly paid $12.95 on a recent American Airlines flight checking his e-mail and searching the Internet. He even e-mailed a friend that he would be late for dinner when his flight was delayed.

Bigler does say that there is a downside.

This could be the same thing as what happened with cell phones and BlackBerrys. Once it’s cheap and ubiquitous, employers might expect employees to participate. I may feel guilty if it was a Monday and I napped or read and didn’t use the Internet to do work.

Airline executives also realize that there could be other issues.

Delta has told its flight attendants to treat overly enthusiastic users of Wi-Fi like people who drink too much. In other words, cut them off if they start bothering others around them.

The Association of Flight Attendants, which represents 55,000 employees at 20 airlines, except Delta, say that Wi-Fi is a potential threat to flight attendants’ ability to keep order in the cabin.

Corey Caldwell, a union spokeswoman, says that your duties involve securing the safety of the cabin, not acting as censor police. It just adds another layer of duties inside the cabin, which take away from the main requirement that flight attendants are on board for. 
Caldwell is also worried that terrorists can communicate with each other on board or with conspirators on the ground using Wi-Fi, although she does admit that their ability is currently limited.

Travelers who do take advantage of the service say it works well for video clips like those on YouTube, but it’s not fast enough for streaming live events or television programs.

American Airlines is currently offering its service on 15 Boeing 767 jets. If the test is successful, they are considering expanding the service to its entire domestic fleet, although it hasn’t decided whether it plans to do so.

Delta offers the service at $9.95 for flights three hours or less and $12.95 for flights longer than three hours. No domestic carrier offers the service on international flights, although Delta is exploring it. If 150 passengers buy three hours of time, it could mean an extra $1,500 in revenue per trip.

So how successful is the test? Delta said the service is too new to accurately gauge its popularity. American would not say how many travelers were using the service.
Published on February 10, 2009·

Southwest Tests onboard Wi-Fi
Southwest began testing onboard Wi-Fi Internet connectivity, on one 737. It is partnering with Yahoo to offer an inflight homepage. The service will be free during the test period which is to last a few months and include three more aircraft that are in the process of being equipped. 

New Bill To Restore Travel To Cuba
House Bill H.R.874 was introduced by William Delahunt (d-MA) to restore the right of Us citizens to travel to Cuba on February 4. If you want to support the bill you can contact the Latin American Working Group, 424 C St. NE, Washington, DC, 20002 or call    202-546-7010. To read the text of the bill go to http://www.moon.com/blogs/cuba-costa-rica/freedom-travel-cuba-bill-introduced-congress

US Airways Changes Its Size Limits For Carry-Ons
The airline changed its size limits from 51 linear inches to 44 linear inches. Linear inches are length + width + height. The airline said it was probably the last one to accept the 51 linear inches as 44 linear inches is pretty much the global industry standard. Overhead space is very limited today because of the baggage fees, so if you are travelling US Airways make sure your carry-on is the right size or you will have to pay.

Remember Club Med for summer, start NOW.  Swing with your kids and grandkids at Huatulco in the trapeze camp.

The 10 most romantic B & Bs and below,  
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29104982/ 
www.sleepinginairports.com/
www.airlinemeals.net/
www.seatguru.com/

The average price of gas in the 50 states
http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/sbsavg.asp
Mapquest Gas Price Comparison Map This is really an amazing tool that will help you save a ton on gas over time! The site is at: http://gasprices.mapquest.com/index.jsp
Here, you can just plug in your address and get prices from all the local gas stations, sorted by cost. http://www.gasbuddy.com/ and http://www.gaspricewatch.com/ are also good alternatives. Even better, you can access this on your Mobile Phones by using wap.mapquest.com or gasbuddytogo.com. That way, you’ll always know where the cheapest gas station closest to your location at any time you’re on the road!

Let me leave you with some reasons to travel ---- CALL ME!

birthdays, anniversarys,
bachelorette or bachelor parties
wedding showers
baby showers
kidnap your partner trip (I have made up a kidnap note)
family reunions
family travel
spa trips

If you need to email me, please write me at travelbylil@yahoo.com

Interesting Links 

Atlantis
Carnival
Princess
Classic Vacations
Four Seasons
Viking

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