Expedia Cancels Relationship with American Airlines Over a Price Dispute
Expedia Inc. removed American Airlines’ airfares from its travel website today. They claim the new pricing model from AA is “anti-consumer and anti-choice,” making it harder to compare American ticket prices and options with those of other airlines, the online travel agency said in an e- mailed statement.
American doesn’t expect a “significant” drop in sales from Expedia’s move, said Ryan Mikolasik, a spokesman for American Airlines. On Dec. 23, Expedia omitted American fares from prime search displays on its site, though customers could still buy tickets. This widens the conflict between online travel agencies and airlines, such as American, that seek to drive more consumers to their own websites. Fort Worth, Texas- based American, owned by AMR Corp., has developed a system called Direct Connect that provides fare pricing and options directly to larger online travel agencies.
Last month, American pulled its listings off Orbitz Worldwide Inc., while Delta Air Lines Inc. notified three online travel sites -- CheapOAir.com, OneTravel.com and BookIt.com -- that it terminated them as authorized travel agents.
American spokesman Mikolasik said that while consumers can’t buy American tickets on Expedia anymore, the airline’s fares and schedules remain on Egencia, Expedia’s corporate travel website.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Monday, December 6, 2010
Travel App Review: AUTOSLASH.COM - Car Rental Site
AutoSlash.com
Very useful site when booking a rental car. It is superior to Priceline and other all in one sites, the search feature will automatically enter promo codes for you. It also tracks changes in pricing once you reserve your car, AutoSlash sends you an alert so you can re-book if the price drops. Rental car agencies are known for changing their pricing on a daily basis.
I used the site for a recent trip and compared to Priceline, I got a better price and it was easier to use. I was also impressed with the coupon section. I always find myself clipping coupons and not using them or misplacing them. The coupon page of AutoSlash is convenient.
AutoSlash.com also has a helpful blog on it's site that advises the traveler on the tips and tricks to get the most and spend less on their car rentals. Recently, they had a tip on their blog about how rental car companies charge you for "free airline miles" when you rent.
Whether you are travelling for the holidays or you travel for business, check out AutoSlash.com.
Very useful site when booking a rental car. It is superior to Priceline and other all in one sites, the search feature will automatically enter promo codes for you. It also tracks changes in pricing once you reserve your car, AutoSlash sends you an alert so you can re-book if the price drops. Rental car agencies are known for changing their pricing on a daily basis.
I used the site for a recent trip and compared to Priceline, I got a better price and it was easier to use. I was also impressed with the coupon section. I always find myself clipping coupons and not using them or misplacing them. The coupon page of AutoSlash is convenient.
AutoSlash.com also has a helpful blog on it's site that advises the traveler on the tips and tricks to get the most and spend less on their car rentals. Recently, they had a tip on their blog about how rental car companies charge you for "free airline miles" when you rent.
Whether you are travelling for the holidays or you travel for business, check out AutoSlash.com.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Philippines: Great Bargain for Beach Vacation
Do you have the Philippines Inside? You like the Philippines. The Philippines likes you.
The Philippines may be just about to rudely shove Thailand off the ‘best cheap beaches’ perch it’s occupied for the best part of two decades. While travellers argue long and hard about which is cheaper, there’s no denying Thailand is more popular.
The Philippines may be just about to rudely shove Thailand off the ‘best cheap beaches’ perch it’s occupied for the best part of two decades. While travellers argue long and hard about which is cheaper, there’s no denying Thailand is more popular.
For those who desire nothing more than to find great, undiscovered beaches, surf the odd wave and eat unique, distinctive food for under US$20 a day, the Philippines has the edge.
 |
| Camara Island, Pundaquit. San Antonio, Zambales. Philippines |
Add in the possibility of beach camping along the Zambales Coast or in the Bacuit Archipelago and you’ve got the recipe for timeless island hopping that suits any budget. Ferries link many idyllic destinations in the Philippines. Expect to pay around US$5 for each hour you’re on the water.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Free Airport Wi-Fi - at Raleigh-Durham Intl. Airport, the push continues
The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority is raking in more money from travelers who are willing to pay for wireless Internet service, but it is hearing more gripes from folks who want their Wi-Fi free.
According to the News and Observer.
"Your continuing to charge for wireless Internet is dated, non-competitive, and a bit bush-league in the modern world," said W. Steven Burke of Hillsborough, who heads the nonprofit Biofuels Center of North Carolina, in a comment posted at RDU's feedback website.
Airport officials worry that service quality would deteriorate if they switched to free Wi-Fi. But some travelers are complaining now that RDU's Wi-Fi is balky and unreliable.
About 8 percent of all outbound passengers at RDU go online while they wait to board their flights - up from 3 percent in early 2009, according to Mark Posner, RDU's deputy director for information services.
They use subscription services or pay AT&T $7.95 for a single day's online sessions. The airport collects 60 percent of each payment.
RDU will make about $240,000 in Wi-Fi fees this year, Posner told RDU Airport Authority board members recently. More travelers have complained that the service should be provided free - 65 feedback comments filed in the past two years. But the increase in paying customers makes RDU officials reluctant to change.
Twenty-five of the nation's 50 largest airports offer free Wi-Fi, Posner said. Some of these offer a hybrid, with the option of paid Wi-Fi for travelers who want a guarantee of higher bandwidth and faster Internet connections. The other 25 airports, like RDU, offer paid Wi-Fi only.
Some airports that switched to free Wi-Fi in recent years began fielding a different kind of complaint, Posner said - about poor Internet service quality. Travelers jammed the free service with streaming video and other heavy-bandwidth activity.
"You get the business people who say, 'I can't do my e-mail. I can't do my corporate stuff. Give me a paid option so I can get this done in 10 minutes rather than wait for 45 minutes,' " he said.
But the airport also is getting those complaints about poor quality with its $7.95 paid service. David Imre, a Baltimore executive who visits the Triangle once a month, says RDU's Wi-Fi is "maddeningly slow."
"Today I decided purposely not to buy it," Imre said by telephone Tuesday from RDU, as he waited for his flight. "Because it was onerous to log in, make payment, and try to use it. It seems to be a very thin pipeline.
"It's a bargain if I can get an hour or two hours of work done, but I want a service I can count on that is robust," Imre said.
A News & Observer reporter tried unsuccessfully to buy Wi-Fi service in RDU Terminal 2 on Wednesday, the busiest travel day of the year, when the airport handled about 32,000 passengers.
Posner checked with technicians and said the AT&T service was out of commission. Service was restored three hours later. He said AT&T has promised to triple the bandwidth to accommodate users.
"I'm not sure where we are with that project," Posner said. "I expected it would have been done by now."
Airport revenues would drop to about $80,000 a year if RDU adopted the hybrid mix of free and paid Wi-Fi service, Posner said. The money flow would change directions if RDU made Wi-Fi free for everyone; that would require extra spending to support an increased bandwidth demand.
Casey Manfrin, an Oregon-based marketing executive who has visited the Triangle twice since midsummer, was annoyed after spending 20 minutes in a failed effort to buy Wi-Fi at RDU.
"I was at the Boise airport recently, and they had big banners proclaiming that Boise was offering free Internet to improve the customer experience," he said.
"Here this is the Research Triangle, and this is supposed to be at least a moderately high-tech area," Manfrin said. "And it was my feeling that it was kind of old-fashioned and slow."
According to the News and Observer.
"Your continuing to charge for wireless Internet is dated, non-competitive, and a bit bush-league in the modern world," said W. Steven Burke of Hillsborough, who heads the nonprofit Biofuels Center of North Carolina, in a comment posted at RDU's feedback website.
Airport officials worry that service quality would deteriorate if they switched to free Wi-Fi. But some travelers are complaining now that RDU's Wi-Fi is balky and unreliable.
About 8 percent of all outbound passengers at RDU go online while they wait to board their flights - up from 3 percent in early 2009, according to Mark Posner, RDU's deputy director for information services.
They use subscription services or pay AT&T $7.95 for a single day's online sessions. The airport collects 60 percent of each payment.
RDU will make about $240,000 in Wi-Fi fees this year, Posner told RDU Airport Authority board members recently. More travelers have complained that the service should be provided free - 65 feedback comments filed in the past two years. But the increase in paying customers makes RDU officials reluctant to change.
Twenty-five of the nation's 50 largest airports offer free Wi-Fi, Posner said. Some of these offer a hybrid, with the option of paid Wi-Fi for travelers who want a guarantee of higher bandwidth and faster Internet connections. The other 25 airports, like RDU, offer paid Wi-Fi only.
Some airports that switched to free Wi-Fi in recent years began fielding a different kind of complaint, Posner said - about poor Internet service quality. Travelers jammed the free service with streaming video and other heavy-bandwidth activity.
"You get the business people who say, 'I can't do my e-mail. I can't do my corporate stuff. Give me a paid option so I can get this done in 10 minutes rather than wait for 45 minutes,' " he said.
But the airport also is getting those complaints about poor quality with its $7.95 paid service. David Imre, a Baltimore executive who visits the Triangle once a month, says RDU's Wi-Fi is "maddeningly slow."
"Today I decided purposely not to buy it," Imre said by telephone Tuesday from RDU, as he waited for his flight. "Because it was onerous to log in, make payment, and try to use it. It seems to be a very thin pipeline.
"It's a bargain if I can get an hour or two hours of work done, but I want a service I can count on that is robust," Imre said.
A News & Observer reporter tried unsuccessfully to buy Wi-Fi service in RDU Terminal 2 on Wednesday, the busiest travel day of the year, when the airport handled about 32,000 passengers.
Posner checked with technicians and said the AT&T service was out of commission. Service was restored three hours later. He said AT&T has promised to triple the bandwidth to accommodate users.
"I'm not sure where we are with that project," Posner said. "I expected it would have been done by now."
Airport revenues would drop to about $80,000 a year if RDU adopted the hybrid mix of free and paid Wi-Fi service, Posner said. The money flow would change directions if RDU made Wi-Fi free for everyone; that would require extra spending to support an increased bandwidth demand.
Casey Manfrin, an Oregon-based marketing executive who has visited the Triangle twice since midsummer, was annoyed after spending 20 minutes in a failed effort to buy Wi-Fi at RDU.
"I was at the Boise airport recently, and they had big banners proclaiming that Boise was offering free Internet to improve the customer experience," he said.
"Here this is the Research Triangle, and this is supposed to be at least a moderately high-tech area," Manfrin said. "And it was my feeling that it was kind of old-fashioned and slow."
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Vacation Tip: Lost Luggage
The best advice to is to prepare so your bags are not lost. Here are some things you can do to get control:
BEFORE LEAVING:
* Book a non stop flight. Minimize the chance of a failed transfer.
* Choose an airline with a good baggage record. Compare here.
* Pack your carry-on wisely so that you can live comfortably for a few days - medications and clothes - in case you have to.
* Remove old luggage tags to avoid confusion.
* Label your suitcase well - also tuck a business card inside - Lack of ID tags is why luggage ends up in the lost luggage clearing house and is resold.
AT THE AIRPORT:
* Check in on time, if not your bags may not make the flight.
* Make sure the desk agent places the correct destination tags on your bags.
* Hang onto your baggage claim ticket. Often, it is attached to your boarding pass and is frequently left behind on the plane.
AFTER LANDING:
* Be at the carousel when bags are off-loaded.
* If your bags are lost or delayed, file a report immediately at the airport and get a copy.
* Ask the lost-luggage counter for the airline's contract of carriage, this will spell out your rights.
* The Department of Transportation recommends following up with a certified letter to the airline's customer service department restating the details of the incident.
LESSON LEARNED:
Do your best to pack lightly and travel with carry-on only. With what you save in time, aggravation and baggage fees, you could purchase what you don't pack at your destination.
Cool web site about travel by American Express: www.TravelAndLeisure.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)