(Of course, we know there are two sides to every story. This is the “con” side. For the many reasons some travel advisors do choose to sell air, see “Earning an Extra $50K: Travel Advisors Who Sell Air Say It’s Worth the Effort | Travel Research Online.”)

Liability issues. Time wasted. Late night calls. And the new DOT ruling about refunds that takes effect this week just adds one more reason to the litany of why many travel advisors hate to sell airline tickets.

“Selling air? Don’t.” That’s the succinct advice from Rich Greenway, owner of Greenway Travel Group-Dream Vacations. And he is not alone. Read the rest of this entry »

With no profit to show since Covid, Spirit Airlines is discussing a possible restructuring in preparation for declaring bankruptcy, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

Citing “people who are familiar with the matter,” The Journal said Spirit has been talking bankruptcy since its failed merger with JetBlue Airways. The airline is struggling to compete with the big carriers, and was hard-hit when a recall of turbofan engines grounded many of its planes, including many that were supposed to fly to the new airport in Tulum, Mexico. Last month it furloughed 186 pilots.

As part of its efforts to enhance the bottom line, Spirit has been cutting flights and making changes to the services it offers. This summer it rolled out a premium “Go Big” fare class that offers a larger seat and early boarding, lifted its checked baggage limit from 40 to 50 pounds, and did away with change and cancelation fees.  Just this week it suspended nonstop service between Cleveland and Orlando, effective Nov. 5.

And still, it reported its 11th consecutive quarterly loss in August.

It’s been five years since the federal government announced that it would require REAL IDs for travelers over 18. But in just a year from now, the regulation actually is likely to take effect.

Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act was the result of a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission that the Federal Government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses” before allowing people to board a commercial airplane. The Act establishes minimum security standards for driver’s licenses that are used as identification, and prohibits certain federal agencies—including the Transportation Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—from accepting IDs that do not meet the Act’s standards.

Delayed three times over the past five years, the requirement likely actually will take effect on May 7, 2025. Beginning on that date, a driver’s license will only be acceptable ID at the airport if it has a REAL ID seal.

While many travelers will need to get a new, compliant driver’s license even to fly domestically, many other forms of ID are also acceptable, including:

• A US passport book or card
• An enhanced driver’s license, available in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington
• A DHS trusted traveler card (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• A US Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
• A permanent resident card
• A border crossing card
• An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized, Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe
• An HSPD-12 PIV card
• A foreign government-issued passport
• A Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
• Transportation worker identification credentials
• A US Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
• A US Merchant Mariner Credential
• A Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)

Since driver’s licenses are issued by the states, each one has its own requirements for a REAL ID. But DHS requires as a minimum proof of your full legal name, date of birth, social security number, and two proofs of address of your principal residence.

Note that while these forms of ID will get you on a plane, they can’t be used to travel across any border, including Canada or Mexico, DHS points out.

For more details on REAL ID, go to REAL ID FAQs | Homeland Security (dhs.gov)

Surely Delta expected some push-back from customers when it announced changes to its loyalty program last month. But the carrier this week said it has listened to the disappointment its frequent flyers expressed—and is cutting back on the cut-backs.

“Over the past few weeks, many of you have shared feedback about the changes we announced to Delta’s SkyMiles Program,” the email from CEO Ed Bastion said. “What’s been most clear to me is how much you love Delta and the disappointment many of you felt by the significance of the changes. Your voice matters, and we are listening.”

In response, Delta has lowered the Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD, or dollars spent) requirements at each tier of the program. Here’s how they compare with the previous announcement:

• Silver Medallion Status: from $6,000 to $5,000 MQDs
• Gold Medallion Status: from $12,000 to $10,000 MQDs
• Platinum Medallion Status: from $18,000 to $15,000 MQDs
• Diamond Medallion Status: from $35,000 to $28,000 MQDs.

In addition, Platinum, Platinum Business, Reserve and Reserve Business American Express Card Members will now receive a head start of 2,500 MQDs per card.

Perhaps the most contentious part of the changes involved access to Delta Sky Lounges, to which many Delta SkyMiles® and American Express credit card holders until now have had unlimited access. To cut down the growing crowds there, Delta had earlier cut the number of visits per cardholder. But now the following rules will apply:

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve and Reserve Business Card Members will now receive 15 days of Delta Sky Club access per year, up from 10 announced last month.
• Delta Platinum Card® and American Express Business Platinum Card will receive 10 days of Delta Sky Club access per year, up from 6.
• Each “Delta Sky Club visit” includes entries within a 24-hour period, including the departure city, connecting airports and arrival destination. A same-day round trip would count as one visit.
• Holders of Delta SkyMiles® Reserve, Reserve Business, or Platinum Cards from American Express also will be able to purchase club access for $50 per visit.
• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve, Reserve Business, Platinum Card, and Business Platinum American Express Card holders will earn unlimited Delta Sky Club Access after spending $75,000 on an eligible card in a calendar year. Unlimited access would continue for the remainder of the current Medallion Year as well as the following Medallion Year. Card spend tracking begins on January 1, 2024 for the 2025 Medallion Year.
• Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access under the current policy is available until February 1, 2025.

Delta also announced improvements to its Choice Benefits program, where Platinum and Diamond Medallion members now will be able to select various perks, such as SkyClub membership or bonus miles, and to choose an MQD Accelerator for the following qualification year.

Perhaps the most significant improvement involves Delta customers who have been saving up MQMs. Beginning in 2024, they can redeem 100,000 MQMs to maintain their level of status. If you have 500,000 miles that you earned and rolled over for the past few years, for example, you can use them to keep your status for the next five years, regardless of the other changes.

“I know the modifications we have made won’t solve for every disappointment,” Bastian wrote. “Our goal is to do our best to ensure we deliver the service and benefits your loyalty deserves.”

We recently wrote about how we were observing a downward trend in airfare prices (at least seasonally). For example, September roundtrip economy flights between Asheville, North Carolina (where we live) and Paris, France (where we wish we lived) are running in the $2,000 range. In October, those fares drop to the $500 range. We’re seeing business class fares significantly lower in November.

This piqued our interest in further researching trends in airfare. After all, the costs of flights has the potential to make or break a river cruise trip Read the rest of this entry »

CLEAR lovers will lose one benefit of the program in 2025, as the TSA says it will begin requiring them to produce a REAL ID or passport at airport checkin.

The CLEAR program is based on two premises: it takes you to the very front of the checkin line, and its biometric checkin process means you do not have to pull out your ID. But beginning in May, 2025, that second advantage seems about to disappear.

TSA in July announced it already is screening a limited number of randomly selected CLEAR travelers after “security incidents.” There reportedly have been three cases in which travelers managed to get through the CLEAR line without having valid ID, prompting a congressional investigation.

For an annual fee of $189 (plus $60 for up to three family members), CLEAR offers its own lanes at TSA checkpoints in more than 50 airports. Rather than standing in the ever-growing checkin lines, travelers walk up to the CLEAR kiosk, scan their eyes or fingerprints, and then are guided to the very front of the checkin lines, including the Pre-Check line if they are eligible.

While the cost may sound high, many credit cards cover the fee, promotions often are available, and frequent travelers from busy airports find the program to be a great timesaver.

It’s a great year for travel to Argentina—and the combination of American wanderlust and intrepid travelers headed to Antarctica is helping lift passenger numbers and load factors to new records.

That’s all good news for Aerolineas Argentinas, the national flag carrier and local Delta Airlines partner, which has seen record numbers for 2023 and into 2024. To keep the momentum going, the airline is ramping up new promotions for the fall shoulder season and planning a new route to an airport in downtown Buenos Aires.

“We want to promote Argentina as a destination for US passengers, to give people a taste of our beautiful country and the opportunity to know Argentina in the low season,” says Marcelo Bottini, regional director for North and Central America, the Caribbean, Oceania and Asia.

From August 15 through December 10, travelers can fly to Buenos Aires from Miami for $571 or from NY for $651.

Hopefully, before the promotion ends they also will be able to fly direct to Aeroparque Jorge Newberry (AEP), which is just 10 or 15 minutes from downtown. For now, all flights are to Ezeiza Ministro Pistorini International Airport (EZE), which is on the outskirts of the city. But Aerolineas plans to fly three flights a day to AEP on Airbus 330 jets, hopefully beginning this month. “We’re just waiting for final approval from IATA, which we expect any time,” Bottini said.

Aerolineas Argentinas has been having a strong year so far, with international bookings up 52% year-over-year, record numbers of visitors in July, and its highest ever load factors for the winter season of 2023. It also flew 300 charter flights to Ushuaia, the launching point for Antarctic cruises and “a very high-demand destination.”

While most visitors come for a week or more, Argentina is a great destination for a long weekend with an international flair, Bottini says. From art museums to cafes to local markets, “you have everything—and for $10 you can get a very good wine or a very good steak. It’s a great value.”

Storms are getting bigger, airplane parts are hard to come by, and the aviation industry is understaffed. So what’s a travel advisor to do when air travel is one big snafu and less dependable than ever?

To a certain extent, it depends on where your customer base is. In New York, for example, Laurie and Paul Bahna, owners of a Dream Vacations franchise in Plainview, found an easy option for taking the flying out of the equation altogether: cruising out of your home port.

“Paul and I truly believe that people are really tired of the airline cancellations,” Laurie says. “So many customers are saying that airline prices are very high and the airlines are just not consistent Read the rest of this entry »

Pack your patience, they say. But in the past couple of months, when my work took me to Alaska, Egypt, and Mexico, I quickly understood that you need to pack more than that.

In the hot and crazy Summer of 2023, travelers are welcoming anything that can help calm their nerves, avoid sunburn or just keep themselves together in the busy airports and cruise terminals. To that end, I’ve put together a list of some interesting items and gadgets that have come across my desk and caught my eye in the past month or two. Read the rest of this entry »

Even as President Biden promises to crack down on tacked-on fees in the travel industry, American Airlines has rolled out a new one.

Effective immediately, travelers on international flights booked in basic economy now will be charged $75 for the first checked bag, $100 for the second, and $200 for the third. The fee applies “per person, each way, even if you purchase or get an upgrade that includes free checked bags,” the AA website notes Checked bag policy − Travel information − American Airlines (aa.com).

American partner British Airways also no longer allows a free bag in basic economy. Flying a code-share Qatar flight on AA will not help either; Qatar’s website notes that “where a code-share or interline flight is part of an itinerary that begins or ends in the USA or Canada, baggage allowances applicable at the itinerary’s origin will apply throughout.”

So far, United and Delta have not changed their policies, and still offer one free checked bag on international flights.

I guess you could safely say that flying was embedded in my DNA. My grandfather was the President of Republic Aviation and was responsible for building the P47 Thunderbolt. My dad flew in World War II, and my Uncle Al also flew single-engine airplanes. It only seemed natural to earn my private pilot’s license back in 1983.

Today’s story involves a near land-based catastrophe. It was colder than expected the morning when my Uncle Al and I were going to satisfy our urge to take to the skies over Morristown, New Jersey. The sun was shining brightly when we arrived at the airport but the overnight cool air lingered, which made it difficult to start the single-engine.

Rather than jeopardize the remaining juice in the battery, Uncle Al Read the rest of this entry »

Funny how things change. “Check in” used to mean you had arrived at the airport and were ready to fly. It told the airline you had gotten to the airport on time and hadn’t got stuck in a traffic jam and missed the flight. But now you can check in online the day before your flight. The airline doesn’t know if you have made it to the airport until you have boarded. Or if you check a bag. This time I checked a bag. Later I wished I had gate-checked it.

My flight from Newark to Kansas City was my first in nearly two years. I used to fly about once a month. Since the onset of Covid layoff it’s been a long time of not setting foot in an airport. It was wild to plunge back into the madness. I forgot how mad it is.

I had planned to use Uber to get to the airport, but the app on my phone wasn’t working. It needed an update to even function. And time was fleeting. I updated the app, but then it wouldn’t take my credit card. My account showed an old expiration date, and it wouldn’t let me update the information. “You already have this card on file,” it commanded. “Try another one.” I didn’t want to use another one. But I did. You can’t argue with an app Read the rest of this entry »