Cancellations and Delays Cascade Systemwide

Thousands of flights across the Eastern Seaboard have been cancelled.  Even airports with no weather issues are experiencing delays and cancellations due to domino effects of the storm.  Delta Airlines reported that 30% of its flights have been cancelled today.  Travelers should check and re-check as changes could continue for at least the next two days.  Most airlines have issued waivers allowing changes without penalty.  Due to reduced capacity, alternatives may be limited or non-existent. www.premieretravel.com

VP Biden: La Guardia "A third world country airport- I'm not joking"

Last week, Vice Presdient Joseph Biden pointed to La Guardia as a fine example of "third world country..." airport.  He is right.  Not only that VP Biden is right about La Guardia , but he might as well point the finger at JFK and Newark and hundreds of other airports around the U.S.

The travesty is that travelers have been paying big taxes for so many years which the FAA levies.  It is a bewildering assortment of taxes, user fees, 9-11 fees and best of all "Passenger Facility Charge" aka PFC (Government loves acronyms).
Here's the explanation from the FAA about the "PFC":

The Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) Program allows the collection of PFC fees up to $4.50 for every boarded passenger at commercial airports controlled by public agencies. Airports use these fees to fund FAA-approved projects that enhance safety, security, or capacity; reduce noise; or increase air carrier competition.

The U.S. has one of  the highest tax rates in the world.  The FAA and most Airport Authorities are doing virtually nothing with these funds.  As a result, many of our airports are outdated, overcrowded and just plain bad.

Southwest Scores Big Win at Reagan Washington National

Just in-Southwest Airlines won 54 landing and take-off slots at Washington Reagan Airport.  You will see more Southwest liveries taxiing at National.  Welcome Southwest!
www.premieretravel.com

Rolling European Air Control Strike Adding To Travel Woes

A disrupting rolling strike by air traffic controllers in Europe is starting to impact air travel within the continent.  Passengers are advised to check the status of their flights.  Many flight cancellations have been announced and carriers are bracing for more. www.premieretravel.com

Accidental Fares: Deliberate?

So many times now, we have seen and heard airlines posting ridiculously low fares by "accident", that one might wonder if these accidents are becoming such great publicity stunts for the airlines.  The story goes similar in each instance:  An airline loads fares into the system that are a fraction of the cost of the actual fares.  Social media buzz and publicity ensues increasing web traffic to the carrier, followed by the anguish over whether the airline would honor those "accidental" fares. Lo and behold, they do!  Only a handful to a few hundreds of tickets might be sold at discount, but airlines reap tons of publicity that have spawned a cottage industry of "fare alerts" websites that will alert you of such anomalies.  Bottom line is this stunt is more effective than the cost of paid advertising.  Do not be surprised to see more of these "accidents" in the future. www.premieretravel.com

Plastic, Not So Fantastic!

Credit card companies, banks and airlines continue their aggressive drives to add card members.  The awards and incentives are supposedly keep getting better with promises of more miles, priority boarding, lounge access, and free checked bags as some of the examples of how card users are enticed.

The airlines however keep moving the goal posts.  Availability of free tickets are more scarce than ever, along with upgrades.  It will cost more miles to do anything and most of the points will not help the status of the flyer.  Almost all "free" tickets cost processing fees and are subject to hefty penalties if changes or cancellations happen.  Some of the perks are quietly disappearing.  For example American Express Platinum card holders will no longer have access to the American and USAirways lounges. 

This is not to say that paying cash is better, however with the cyber security breaches that are now quite common, the continuous dilution of benefits and the inability to use miles earned brings the whole concept into question for some users.  If you find yourself saying, "I have all these miles that I don't know what to do with", you need to subscribe to newsletters that show you what you can do and how.  There are experts out there that have some good advice of what to do with your miles. Otherwise, stick to credit cards that simply give you cash rebates. www.premieretravel.com

United Transcontinental Bonus Miles Through March 31

United has a great offer for mileage lovers:
Experience United's transcontinental p.s. flights between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles or San Francisco. Here's how your miles can add up:

Fly roundtrip in	Earn bonus award miles
United BusinessFirst®	15,000
Full-fare United Economy®	10,000
Select discounted United Economy	5,000

To qualify, register and book your travel today, then fly between January 7 and March 31, 2014.
http://www.united.com/web/en-US/apps/mileageplus/promotions/registrationDetails.aspx?promoCode=TB9M62&utm_source=TPG+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=decaa08efa-TPG+Daily+Newsletter+MC&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2b0b8ee2b7-decaa08efa-44188789