August 14th, 2008 by Zuriana
Airlines are adding more and more fees to help keep up with the high cost of fuel. At least that’s what they’re telling us. US Airways recently began charging for a beverage (no not alcohol-that price probably has tripled). Jet Blue is charging for a blankie. Southwest appears to be the only airline that is anti-fees as evidenced by their new slogan ”Fees don’t fly with us.”
Need help deciding which airline will leave you with money in your pocket for excursions, siteseeing or shopping while on your honeymoon? Take a look at Time Magazine’s survey on which airlines are the stingiest. (PDF version)
Posted in Airline, Honeymoon, Travel, Wedding || No Comments
August 7th, 2008 by Zuriana
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Darren McWalters, left, and Katie Hodgson, right, are wed while standing on flying airplanes. My first thought was “how exciting”. My next thought was for the audio guy that had to ensure the guests could hear the ceremony.
I love this wedding because it is:
a) unique
b) creative
c) outside of the box
Allow Zuriana’s Elegant Occasions to help you plan a wedding that is “outside of the box”.
Posted in Airline, Airplane Wedding, Creativity, Married, Unique, Wedding, Wedding Planner, bride, groom || No Comments
July 17th, 2008 by Zuriana
Chris Steinbruckner of Travel Dimensions is our guest blogger this week. Today Chris has offered an excellent guide on all of those airline fees! Take a look:
I wanted to comment on some of the fees airlines are now charging. There are baggage fees, overweight fees, fuel surcharges, security fees, food for purchase, aisle seat fees, reserved seat fees etc. You may have heard most airlines are now charging for 2nd checked bags on DOMESTIC flights not International flights. Some have now instituted fees for the 1st checked bag. Delta mistakenly charged passengers prior to the date the fees were to go into effect; the airport personnel are so confused they are charging everyone baggage fees for Delta so in some cases we are seeing rebate coupons for the $25 fee. I hope the travelers will forward these for the rebates. We in the travel industry are against all the fees. The preference is to include the fees in the ticket cost; but the airlines feel that could hurt the business traveler looking for lower ticket prices. Many hotels now charge resort fees, the cruise lines are charging fees for various items such as specialty coffees, fitness classes; computer use; cell phone coverage, alternative dining choices, water, sodas, alcoholic drinks etc. That is one of the reasons many guests still prefer an all inclusive resort where they know what the cost is before they go outside of perhaps a spa treaments or an optional excursion. We find more and more of our clients are booking all inclusive resorts that offer meals, drinks, and watersports. It does make a difference in the bottom line on the cost.
Keep in mind also that most airlines have baggage weight allowances and fees for overweight bags that can add up quickly as its cumulative. When traveling together, it is suggested that each traveler have their own bag to prevent being overweight using one large bag. I am personally trying to lighten up my luggage as much as possible. There are new attendants at the major airports keeping watch on the carry on bags for size limits. We advise travelers to check these size limits online before departure for those carry on bags size and weight, as airlines continue to make changes.
We strongly advise guests to review the airline websites prior to departure and ask about fees and surcharges before booking so there are no surprises. Many guests are also not aware that many of the Caribbean islands charge departure taxes from $20 plus payable in cash at the airport prior to departure. If a guest is not working with a travel agency, it is a good idea to check the island’s website to research the departure tax and be prepared.
I am including an article that is up to date as of July 10th on airline fees that is useful; however this should be used as a guide as changes continue to take place.
http://i.slimg.com/sc/sl/graphic/u/ul/ultimate-guide-to-airline-fees.pdf
Regards,
Chris @ Travel Dimensions
CTA, MCC
301-570-0263
Specialist to Hawaii and Sandals
Member of the Association of Wedding Professionals
traveldimensions@comcast.net
Posted in Airline, Guide, Honeymoon, Travel || No Comments
July 15th, 2008 by Zuriana
Chris Steinbruckner of Travel Dimensions has graciously offered to be a guest blogger and provide some great travel tips that you will find invaluable. I will post some of her tips this week.
“So many of us today have frequent flyer mile programs and have been promised free tickets, upgrades and special treatment as part of a group of loyal flyers of a particular airline. However, so much has changed today regarding frequent flyer miles that I thought I would offer some information.
When booking award tickets, many airlines are now charging fuel surcharges of $25 per ticket, or online fees to book an award ticket of $5 or more plus it is more and more difficult to use only 25,000 miles for a domestic ticket, several of my friends have had to use 50,000 miles for a preferred status ticket for a domestic ticket. In the past you could reserve a first class ticket with 50,000 miles. I am going to include an article link about this information, I found it very helpful. It’s titled, “The Miles Pile Up; the Value Declines” It was a travel article in the New York Times. It states by the time you pay for an award credit card, the fees etc, for a few dollars more you basically could have bought a ticket. The articles also offers some tips on a better credit card that also earns you hotel awards. Its interesting reading. If you cannot link to the article, copy and paste into your browser.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/travel/13pracfflierfees.html?_r=1&ref=travel&oref=slogin
Regards,
Chris @ Travel Dimensions
CTA, MCC
301-570-0263
Specialist to Hawaii and Sandals
Member of the Association of Wedding Professionals
traveldimensions@comcast.net
Posted in Airline, Frequent Flyer, Honeymoon, Travel || No Comments
