It’s finally here: the beginning of the end for the fees airlines charge to use your hard-earned miles.

Let me explain.  In the beginning you could accumulate enough miles for a trip, call the day before you wanted to leave, find a flight with a mileage seat and be on your way the next evening.  This flexibility was very valuable, because airfares generally rise to rip-off levels in the days leading up to a flight.  If you just had to be somewhere last minute, using 25,000 miles was a far better option than paying $1,500 to fly from LA to Chicago.

Eventually airlines realized this was costing them money so they started charging a fee for expedited service.  This was back in the days of paper tickets, roughly around the same time as the Commodore 64 and Super Nintendo.  And at the time, airlines were right to charge a fee: someone had to print out the tickets and FedEx them to you.  So an airline charging a $50 last minute fee was merely recouping its costs.  Fair enough.

But then came the era of the e-ticket (and the Game Cube).  And the costs incurred from issuing last minute tickets vanished: no more paper = no more FedEx.  And when travelers booked mileage awards online no airline staff had to get involved in the process.  Airlines were saving tremendous amounts of money.

So what did the airlines do?  Eliminate the fee in a gesture of goodwill to customers?  No, by this time fee revenue had become their crack cocaine and airlines were full-on junkies.  Fees went up, not away; they become staggered: no charge for booking more than 21 days out, up to $100 for booking with less than three weeks notice.

It took a recession and precipitous drop in demand to get here, but I’m happy to report that members of United’s Mileage Plus program can now live fee-free for last minute travel.  United has eliminated this bullshit fee so we can now use our miles at any time without having to pay for our “free” ticket.

This is great news for consumers and a step in the right direction for United.  However let’s not forget that United’s mileage program has a dark side more sinister than Lord Voldemort: they routinely block you from using your miles to book seats on their Star Alliance partners.

So while this fee elimination is a step in the right direction, United has some way to go before they’ll get my business again.

By now we’ve all heard about the tragedy of Air France 447.  More than 200 people lost their lives when the Airbus 330 dropped out of the sky for reasons that remain a puzzling mystery.

What strikes me as odd about this crash is that it happened during cruise.  Aircraft are far more accident-prone during takeoff and landing.  It’s very rare that something catastrophic happens mid-flight.  (For a great example of just such an occurance, see the story of British Airways flight 9.  The engines inhaled volanic ash and all four shut down.)

Because the incident happened over the Atlantic, recovering the flight data and cockpit voice recorders will be very difficult.  Here’s what we do know:

* Whatever took place happend very quickly.  The plane’s automated sytems sent out several warnings in rapid succesion, and apparently there wasn’t time for the pilots to issue a mayday call.  So it happened fast.

* There was a bomb threat made against Air France in Buenos Aires on May 27.

* Airplanes like the A330 are built to take a lot of punishment from the elements.  Repeated lightning strikes and even severe turbulence should not bring down a modern airliner like this mid-flight.  Airbus and Boeing test their designs extensively to make sure things like this don’t happen.

So what could have possibly caused this accident?  I’m no NTSB investigator, but based on the facts in hand I find both of the main scenarios unlikely.

The first is that some catastrophic sequence of events occured to bring the plane down.  It’s possible that flying through a thunderhead or a rapid succession of lightning strikes caused a fire on board which doomed the plane.  Again, planes are built to withstand a lot of environmental punishment, so this would truly be a freak accident involving some previously unforeseen and lethal combination of design faults.

The other possibility is terrorism.  Shockingly almost no one is talking about this (much like with TWA 800).  Without evidence from the wreckage itself we can’t draw many conclusions, but the recent bomb threats against other Air France planes in South America certainly deserve investigation.  The only reason I find terrorism unlikely at this point is that no group has claimed responsibility.  Most terrorist groups are nothing if not narcissistic.

In the end we may never know.  Discovering that Pan Am 103 was brought down by a bomb was pure luck; the flight was delayed out of Heathrow on departure.  If it had left on-time it would have been over the Atlantic when the explosion took place, making the investigation impossibly difficult.  Unfortunately that’s exactly the situation we’re in now.

That’s right, the city of legalized soft drugs, prostitution and many other types of debauchery.  So your blogger will be taking some R&R, partying with friends for Queen’s Day, and enjoying some homemade Dutch brownies.  And in honor of my latest euro trip…

I may come back.  I may not.

Okay kids, as promised.  Several years ago, I spent months compiling an ebook containing all of my most effective travel secrets.  My master plan was to sell said ebook on the internet and make lots of money to finance more travel and adventure, but I suck at marketing so it flopped.  So now you fellow malcontents get the benefit of my extensive travel knowledge and experience - for free!  This is the first in a series of posts about how you can understand the world of travel and use that knowledge to your benefit.

Earn free travel

With the possible exception of JetBlue, all U.S.-based carriers do it – they sell more of their product than they actually have.  And believe it or not, this is completely legal and is standard practice in the airline industry.

The reasoning behind this policy actually makes a lot of sense from an airline’s perspective: for almost every flight, there are passengers who don’t show up or who misconnect due to a late arriving flight.  By selling more seats than are actually on the plane, the airline is able to secure additional revenue and fill the maximum number of seats possible, as the airline is counting on a certain number of no-shows.  An empty seat on a flight, while ideal to have next to you, is not making the airline any money.  Airlines use complex formulas and historical data for each route to determine the ideal number by which to oversell a flight.  This is called yield management, and its goal is a flight that goes out completely full with lots of high-fare passengers.  The chaos of an airport, however, is the place where idealism and reality part company.

Years ago, long before your blogger became knowledgeable in the ways of travel, I was denied boarding on a flight for which I had a ticket.  It’s understandable for a ticket holder to be confused as to how the ticket doesn’t translate into a seat on the flight he has booked, but it does occasionally happen.  Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the process.

Voluntary and involuntary

If a flight is oversold, an airline will always ask for volunteers to go on a later flight before forcibly denying anyone boarding.  In exchange for taking a later flight, these volunteers typically receive either a voucher good for a roundtrip in the contiguous 48 states or dollar-denominated vouchers that can be used like cash to purchase future tickets on that airline.  The savvy traveler will always take the “bump” if she can spare a few hours.  This is also known as voluntary denied boarding, or VDB.  I have taken many bumps in my travel career and used the thousands of dollars in airline vouchers to travel even more.  I’ve even been bumped from a flight that was paid for with vouchers earned from a previous bump.

On some occasions there will not be enough volunteers to balance out the number of seats the airline has oversold.  In this case the gate agents will have to deny boarding to one or more passengers.  This is known as involuntary denied boarding, or IDB.  If you don’t have elite status and don’t want to end up getting bumped involuntarily, be sure to check in as early as possible.  Elites have boarding priority, so they never get bumped without volunteering.  Among non-elites, airlines use time of check in to determine who gets a seat in the plane and who gets a seat in the airport.

Should you get bumped involuntarily, you will need to know your rights.  If this happens, take out the airline’s Contract of Carriage (which you should carry with you) and look for Rule 240.  This rule details the compensation the airline owes you, which you may elect to take in cash.  The amount will vary depending on when the airline is able to transport you to your final destination.  Amounts are increased with every two hours of additional delay.  Airline gate agents do feel genuinely bad about denying boarding to unsuspecting passengers, so instead of getting upset with them, request that they put you in first class on the next flight.  You might be glad you asked.

The major airlines (save Southwest) have agreements with one another to accommodate you in this event, so if another carrier has a flight leaving soon for your destination, make sure you point this out to the gate agent and request to be placed on it.  As a rule an airline will try to accommodate you on its own flights, as this keeps costs down, but you have a right to get to your destination as soon as possible, especially in the case of an involuntary bump.

Taking bumps is one of the key concepts in making the airlines’ system work for you.  I flew to New Orleans in 2001 on American Airlines and took a bump on the way home.  After receiving a $400 travel voucher I flew home in first class, arriving about four hours after my original schedule.  The $400 was more than my original ticket to New Orleans cost and enabled me to book several more trips.

How do I get bumped?

If your schedule is flexible, be sure to check how full your flight is in the days before departure.  This can be done by calling the airline and asking if the flight is oversold.  There are also ways to check your flight’s load factor online; the best of the available tools is ExpertFlyer.  Its basic service costs $4.99 a month.

This tool will take a little bit of training.  After logging in, go to the Flight Availability tool and enter the departing and arriving airport codes.  Input the date; if it’s one-way journey, leave the return date blank.  Fill in the two-letter code for the airline you’re traveling on (AA, CO, DL, etc.) and specify your connecting airport, if any.  If you want to check a specific fare bucket (for upgrade or award availability) enter it into the Class field.  Click the Search button, and your results will appear on the page.

Here’s how to read and understand the results.  Let’s say you’re traveling from Seattle (SEA) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) on American Airlines and your flight looks like this:

F7 A7 P7 Y7 B7 H7 K7 M7 L7 V7 W7 G7 S7 N7 Q7 O0

Odds are you won’t be getting bumped from this flight, as there are at least seven seats (and likely more) left to sell in both coach and first class.  In American’s case, you can’t see more than seven seats in any fare bucket, but you can see less.  So if your flight looks like this you have a much better shot at getting bumped:

F3 A1 P0 Y2 B2 H1 K0 M0 L0 V0 W0 G0 S0 N0 Q0 O0

Note that the seats listed for each cabin are not cumulative; in this example there are three seats the airline will sell in F class, one of which they are willing to sell at the A class price.  And in coach there are two seats for sale total, at either Y or B prices, one of which the airline will sell at the H price.

For some airlines the results will enable you to see if award or upgrade space is available on a particular flight.  If your favorite airline is supported by ExpertFlyer in this way, this tool could save you a lot of time on the phone trolling for award availability.

ExpertFlyer is also an excellent resource for airport and airlines codes, finding a flight’s status, and seat maps.

So your flight is a good candidate for a bump, now what?  First, a word of caution: never count your bump vouchers before they’re in your hand.  The world of airline reservations is extremely fluid and changes by the minute.  That said, if your flight is mostly zeroes the night before, be sure to leave a little earlier than usual for the airport.  Once you’ve arrived, checked in (you should have done so online already) and cleared security, proceed to the gate for your flight, and make sure you’re there at least one hour before your scheduled departure time.  Approach the counter, smile and state that your travel plans are flexible and that you’d be happy to volunteer, if needed.  The agent will check the real-time load factor for the flight and, if volunteers are needed, will take your name and put it on the volunteer list.  If you’re absolutely determined to be first on the volunteer list, the ticket counter agents before security will sometimes add you to the list.  In many cases, however, they will direct you to inquire at the gate.  Not checking bags will help your case, as agents don’t want to deal with having to offload your luggage in the event they use your seat.

Volunteering is not without cost; you will need to remain in the gate area until most passengers have already boarded before you find out if you’ll be getting bumped.  If the airline doesn’t use your seat, you’ve probably lost any chance to bring that rolling suitcase aboard.  On the other hand, if the agent needs a seat in coach but there are open seats in first, you may get an upgrade to first class.

If the agent tells you that your seat is needed, congratulations!  Sit down and let him get the plane out on time.  That is his priority, and you will be taken care of you after the plane departs.  Be patient.

Types of compensation

There are two types of compensation issued to a passenger who volunteers to give up her seat.  The first is a free ticket voucher.  These are valid for travel anywhere in the 48 contiguous states.  Rules vary by carrier, but most have few or no blackout dates and aren’t too badly embargoed.  For example, United’s vouchers book into Q, V or W class and Alaska’s book into V; these fare classes are relatively easy to find on many flights.  Be aware that you will not earn mileage with these free tickets.

The savvy traveler requests the airline’s dollar-denominated vouchers.  These can be used for any new booking (domestic or international) and you will earn miles on your future flight.  All you need to do is find a flight you want to book and use the web or airline call center to put it on hold.  You will then have the option to go to the airport and use your vouchers to pay for the ticket, or mail them to the airline.

In certain scenarios, the free tickets can be a better value if, for example, there is a trip you know you’ll have to take and airfare is coming up at $500 to $600 or more.  Some vouchers have advance purchase requirements of a week or two.  Read the rules on the back of the voucher for specific information.

Happy bumping, and enjoy your free travel!

Talk about sinking to a new low: Rival challenges Virgin’s ownership status

Brief background: under current federal law, US airlines must be majority-owned by US companies and persons, and foreigners can’t have a voting stake of more than 25%.  When Virgin America was first formed, there was contention about this issue because of the obvious name connection with the global Virgin brand.  Virgin America overcame these objections (lodged by its rivals, of course) and obtained its operating certificate.

Today, Alaska Airlines is trying to revisit the issue.  It boils down to this: now that Virgin has established itself as a strong competitor in Alaska’s sphere of influence, (primarily on the LAX-SEA route) Alaska is resorting to dirty tricks in an attempt to eliminate that competition.

I have news for you, US-based airlines.  You suck donkey balls!  Virgin America is the best thing to happen to customers in the airline industry since the advent of the frequent flier program.  I’m sorry - I really am - that your products and services can’t compete with Virgin’s on its worst day, but that’s what competition is all about.  Evolve!  Improve!  Compete!

But leave dirty politics out of this.  If you can’t compete fairly, go sulk off in the corner while Virgin kicks your ass and takes your customers.

There’s a tendency for over-reach when laws are hastily written in response to major events.  We’ve already covered some angles on this, from flimsy search warrants to outright spying on US citizens.  As the LA Times recently reported, the Patriot Act’s remit now apparently extends to sassing flight attendants.

Here’s the Reader’s Digest version:

“Tamera Jo Freeman was on a Frontier Airlines flight to Denver in 2007 when her two children began to quarrel over the window shade and then spilled a Bloody Mary into her lap.

She spanked each of them on the thigh with three swats. It was a small incident, but one that in the heightened anxiety after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks would eventually have enormous ramifications for Freeman and her children.

A flight attendant confronted Freeman, who responded by hurling a few profanities and throwing what remained of a can of tomato juice on the floor.

The incident aboard the Frontier flight ultimately led to Freeman’s arrest and conviction for a federal felony defined as an act of terrorism under the Patriot Act, the controversial federal law enacted after the 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.”

_____

This is another shining example of over-reaction to a very specific problem.  There’s no doubt that air passengers should be held to a high standard of civility.  They are, after all, in very close proximity to hundreds of other people in an aluminium tube for hours at a stretch.  But some flight attendants - not unlike TSA employees - see their authority as ultimate and will brook no challenge.  Even on matters entirely unrelated to security, your blogger has witnessed power-heady FAs threaten passengers by summoning the coppers.

Flight attendants should enforce security rules.  No conga lines next to the cockpit door, for example.  But for authorities to categorize as terrorists in-flight drunks and reprimanding mothers is complete lunacy.  Save the one-way tickets to Guantanamo for people who actually pose a danger to others.