Category Archives: Trip Reports

a hammock on a beach

Saturday Reader Question: What Dish Would You Travel For?

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Do you and your friends talk about food and amazing meals you’ve enjoyed, places you’ve been and places you have yet to visit, and your airplane experiences? Sure you do! Last week, my friends and I were having just this type of fun conversation and we asked each other three questions: what dish would you travel for? Where are you embarrassed to say you’ve not yet been? And what is your dream plane? So since it’s Saturday and the last day of the month, let’s relax a little and have some fun with these questions. Here are my answers to these 3 questions:

What dish would I travel for? The hummus in Jerusalem came to mind first. Then the mussels in New Zealand. They are amazing. The osso buco in Milan was the best ever. I could eat the pesto, made in the Cinque Terre area of Italy, every day.

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a blue and red airplane with black text

Southwest Refundable Ticket Changes: Refundable No More

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Seems like we all need to do a better job of reading the fine print. Why? Well, here’s an example from Southwest. I don’t fly Southwest as often as many people I know do. And I’ve made plenty of mistakes and epic fails when it comes to their rules and regulations. Many of my family members are Southwest devotees, so I’ve started keeping a closer eye on Southwest and their programs. Because, after all, I know I’m going to get all the complaints questions from my cousins if I don’t keep them informed :)

a blue airplane on a runway

Is there REALLY nothing to hide?

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a logo with a circular design

Will you be at Aviation Geek Fest in Seattle this Weekend?

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Buenos dias everyone, I’d love to know if any of our readers are going to be at Aviation Geek Fest this weekend! This unique event is hosted by the Institute of Flight (best known for the Future of Flight Aviation Center and Boeing Tour) with support from Airline Reporter, and is billed as “the most important event for commercial aviation fans from around world.”

The author (wearing a hoodie with yellow, orange, red, and grey stripes) standing in front of an airplane tail. The tail is orange with a grey numeral 8 in the background and the numbers 747 in white in the foreground.

Tonei standing in front of a Boeing 747-8i tail at Aviation Geek Fest 2016

Some highlights of this year’s schedule include:

  • A Friday night social on the Strato Deck at the Future of Flight Aviation Center, overlooking the Paine Field flight line
  • VIP tours of Boeing’s Everett and Renton aircraft facilities, as well as one of several aerospace engineering companies (I’m going to be visiting Esterline)
  • Opportunities to explore the Future of Flight Aviation Center and the Museum of Flight
  • Box lunch aboard a vintage American Airlines 727

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a black and orange road with white lines

Big Changes to the AutoSlash Car Rental Booking Process

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I booked a rental car today and then as I always do, I gave the booking to AutoSlash so they could find me a better deal. When I got the email saying AutoSlash had found me a cheaper price, I clicked through to see the deal, but I immediately knew something was different. The interface was different and then I realized they sent me to Priceline.

a screenshot of a web page

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Basic Economy Buyer Beware: The Good, the Bad & Mostly Ugly

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To say Basic Economy fares are frustrating and confusing is an understatement. Regardless of how often you travel, this fare category is something we all need to understand, especially so we don’t book these fares without intentionally meaning to. That’s what happened to my friend. Maybe it’s happened to you too? She’s not blaming the airlines, though. She didn’t quite understand and didn’t pay good attention to what she was booking. But she won’t make that mistake again! In talking to her, I realized it would be a good idea to explain what Basic Economy fares mean and to understand what restrictions are placed on your ticket.

The three legacy airlines all have a Basic Economy category. Delta was the first one to introduce these fares, but now United and American Airlines have them as well. Each of them have their own set of restrictions. In general, though, the restrictions usually mean: NO advance seat selection, NO carry-on baggage allowances (your personal item will have to fit under the seat in front of you), last to board, NO accruing miles for the trip, fares are non-refundable and non-changeable, and other restrictions. Delta’s policy is slightly different on a few of these, so check each airline carefully. The legacy airlines see this as competing with what we might call the Low Cost Carriers such as Southwest and JetBlue. Or competing with the Ultra Low Cost Carriers such as Frontier and Spirit.

a screenshot of a flight schedule

Delta flight options with various fare classes

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