Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ELTExpress (Flights.com) ( & 800/
TRAV-800; www.eltexpress.com) has
excellent fares worldwide, particularly
to Europe. They also have “local”
websites in 12 countries. FlyCheap
( & 800/FLY-CHEAP; www.1800fly
cheap.com), owned by package-holi-
day megalith MyTravel, has especially
good fares to sunny destinations. Air
Tickets Direct ( & 800/778-3447;
www.airticketsdirect.com) is based in
Montreal and leverages the currently
weak Canadian dollar for low fares;
they also book trips to places that
U.S. travel agents won't touch, such
as Cuba.
• Join frequent-flier clubs. Frequent-
flier membership doesn't cost a cent,
but it does entitle you to better seats,
faster response to phone inquiries, and
prompter service if your luggage is
stolen or your flight is canceled or
delayed, or if you want to change your
seat. And you don't have to fly to earn
points; frequent-flier credit cards
can earn you thousands of miles for
doing your everyday shopping. With
more than 70 mileage awards pro-
grams on the market, consumers have
never had more options. Investigate
the program details of your favorite
airlines before you sink points into
any one. Consider which airlines have
hubs in the airport nearest you, and,
of those carriers, which have the most
advantageous alliances, given your
most common routes. To play the fre-
quent-flier game to your best advan-
tage, consult Randy Petersen's Inside
Flyer (www.insideflyer.com). Petersen
and friends review all the programs in
detail and post regular updates on
changes in policies and trends.
LONG-HAUL FLIGHTS: HOW
TO STAY COMFORTABLE
• Your choice of airline and airplane
will definitely affect your leg room.
Find more details about U.S. airlines
at www.seatguru.com . For interna-
tional airlines, the research firm Sky-
trax has posted a list of average seat
pitches at www.airlinequality.com .
• Emergency exit seats and bulkhead
seats typically have the most legroom.
Emergency exit seats are usually left
unassigned until the day of a flight
(to ensure that someone able-bodied
fills the seats); it's worth getting to
the ticket counter early to snag one of
these spots for a long flight. Many
passengers find that bulkhead seating
(the row facing the wall at the front
of the cabin) offers more legroom, but
keep in mind that bulkheads are where
airlines often put baby bassinets, so
you may be sitting next to an infant.
• To have two seats for yourself in a
three-seat row, try for an aisle seat in
a center section toward the back of
coach. If you're traveling with a com-
panion, book an aisle and a window
seat. Middle seats are usually booked
last, so chances are good you'll end up
with three seats to yourselves.
• Ask about entertainment options.
Many airlines offer seatback video
systems where you get to choose your
movies or play video games—but
only on some of their planes. (Boeing
777s are your best bet.)
Don't Stow It—Ship It
Though pricey, it's sometimes worthwhile to travel luggage-free. Specialists in
door-to-door luggage delivery include Virtual Bellhop (www.virtualbellhop.com),
SkyCap International (wwww.skycapinternational.com), Luggage Express
(www.usxpluggageexpress.com), and Sports Express (www.sportsexpress.com).
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