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Federal government closed Tuesday; 16" of snow possible
Why a six-hour flight now takes seven. Airlines are increasingly padding their schedules, in part, to deal with bad weather conditions. Your airline seat may not have much padding, but the airline's schedule sure does. Full WSJ story.
American and Delta airlines say they have not set a date for resuming regular service to Haiti, and they continue to cancel flights for the next several days. Both carriers have operated relief missions approved by U.S. government officials, and they have carried people out of Haiti on return flights, but they haven't set target dates for resuming commercial flights. Haiti's lone international airport, in the capital of Port-au-Prince, is still not functioning normally since sustaining heavy damage in last month's earthquake. American and sister carrier American Eagle have continued to fly relief missions with the approval of the Defense Department. Some return flights have carried passengers approved by the State Department out of Haiti, Smith said. Delta Air Lines Inc. spokesman Anthony Black said the airline operated its latest relief flight out of Atlanta on Tuesday.
Fly in a premium cabin without paying a premium fare. Use your miles to upgrade.
Starting January 12, 2010, you can now request a United Airlines Mileage Plus Upgrade Award on most paid ticket classes. In exchange for that flexibility, upgrades for some discounted ticket classes will require both miles and a co-pay. DetailsThe art of keeping your wardrobe both versatile and fresh while living out of a suitcase. Tighter airport regulation, longer wait times and higher checked-baggage fees have made carry-on luggage a time-saving travel tactic. But packing for any amount of time on the road, with its combination of meetings, dinners and the gym, can be tricky. Packing all of that in a 22-inch suitcase is an art form. Handbag designer Devi Kroell, who travels frequently between her main offices in New York and factories in Italy and England, has mastered the art of keeping her wardrobe both versatile and fresh while living out of a suitcase. She recently shared her tips with The Wall Street Journal.
- WSJ: What is one easy tip for a business traveler living out of a roll-on suitcase? Ms. Kroell: One piece of advice that I have is that they should take items that are multifunctional. For the female traveler, pack things that fall into the day and the evening. Things that would fall into this category: a versatile jacket, something very feminine [and] not too businesslike that can be adapted to evening as well. Add clothing pieces that can be worn during the day and the evening. A simple dress can be dressed down for day and dressed up in the evening. Male travelers have it so much easier. All they have to do is change their shirt and their tie, and they're ready to go.
- WSJ: What other advice can you give both male and female travelers? Ms. Kroell: Pack knits so that you don't end up with unsaveable items. Knits are usually something you can easily roll up and stash in a suitcase. Knits can be easily unwrinkled and uncrinkled by hanging them in the bathroom while taking a shower. The little bit of steam that's going to come out will fix the problem. Any knit [is] fantastic to travel with.
- WSJ: What can travelers keep in mind before packing their bag? Ms. Kroell: [Put] tissue paper in between each garment that you put into the suitcase. It makes less wrinkles. Usually tissue paper combined with rolling garments with tissue paper in between, helps [keep] the garment fresh. They won't be as pristine as when you put them in the suitcase but they'll be in really good shape compared to what you would have them look like if you folded them and laid them flat. [Also, for my toiletries] I have my little zippered pouch and it's waterproof. If you put something in there and something explodes, or something gets squished, the zippered pocket usually solves a lot of these problems.
- WSJ: What is one thing the business man should pack if he wants to stand out in a crowd Ms Kroell: Socks! Pack socks in different colors. Men usually wear a suit and a white shirt and a tie and the obvious one is ties [but] that's a standard and not a tip because that's how men pack anyway. I think socks would definitely make them stand out. If you wear purple socks or red socks or green socks at least you'll get noticed. They're small and easy to stash into your [suitcase].
Lufthansa plans flights to Iraq. Baghdad and Erbil to be new Middle East destinations. As Iraq’s civil aviation continues to open up, demand for flights to the country is growing. Lufthansa is therefore examining the possibility of launching several new services to Iraq and is currently planning to serve the capital, Baghdad, and the city of Erbil in Northern Iraq from its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. Lufthansa aims to launch the new services in the summer of 2010, once it has obtained the necessary traffic rights. Further infrastructure requirements are also being examined. With the resumption of flights to Iraq, Lufthansa is pursuing its policy of expanding its route network in the Middle East, which it presently serves with 88 flights per week to 14 destinations in eleven countries. Lufthansa operated flights to Baghdad from 1956 until the start of the Gulf War in 1990. Erbil is already being served from Vienna by Austrian Airlines, which is part of the Lufthansa Group. From next summer, Baghdad and Erbil will be linked to Lufthansa’s hubs in Frankfurt and Munich and will thus be integrated into Lufthansa’s global route network. The fares and exact flight times with connections from and to the U.S., will be announced at a later date as soon as booking for the new routes opens.
Airline passengers flying to the U.S. from 14 countries with terrorism problems will face extra checkpoint screening at overseas airports according to the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA directive targets people flying from or through 10 "countries of interest" as well as the four nations that are considered sponsors of terrorism. The countries of interest are: Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen. The State Department lists four countries that sponsor terrorism: Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria.
Since December 17th at Washington National Airport (DCA), all Delta and Northwest flights depart from Terminal B, and all passengers should check in with Delta. As a result of these changes, the Delta Sky Club™ (formerly Northwest WorldClubs®) in Terminal A closed on December 12th. The other Delta Sky Club, is located in Terminal B above Gate 15.
How safe are international airlines? (Wall Street Journal article) Note that in the right column of this page under "Airline Links" that we have listed the three international airline rating bodies.
Where does the carbon dioxide offset money go? (BBC News) When booking a plane ticket to next month's United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, a little button that offers the chance to "offset" the carbon dioxide emissions appears. According to Easyjet, it will cost £1 each way to make the necessary reduction in emissions elsewhere. But where does that money go? Many are unsure, and some businesses are hoping world leaders will take steps to reform the industry. Full BBC story
Wash hands aboard flights NYT Editorial The new H1N1 flu has already been transmitted from one passenger to another on a commercial airline, and it is likely that more such incidents will occur if the virus resurges as anticipated this fall. The aviation industry and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have tried to reassure passengers that air travel is still safe, but so far they have done too little to try to limit the number of such transmissions. It is not practical to screen all airline passengers to identify those who harbor infection. A better approach is to educate the public on proper hand-washing and cough etiquette and to give them the hand sanitizer they need to keep clean. Yet on a recent full flight from Boston to Orlando, Fla., I was horrified to see that most of my fellow passengers failed to periodically wash or sanitize their hands. Several of my fellow doctors have likewise observed a lack of hygiene by airplane passengers, and no effort by airline personnel to educate people on the importance of washing their hands.
International Development News-
Travel Security and Safety-
Travel Safety advice from EWA
CHINESE NEW YEAR CRUISE, JANUARY 22, 2011, SINGAPORE TO HONG KONG, 14 - NIGHT LUXURY CRUISE ON THE AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES QUEST For a limited time, EWA has obtained low group fares on this special Chinese New Years cruise. Category 1A Veranda Staterooms, Deck 8 are only $3,431.43 per person, based on double occupancy. Rate includes cruise fare, port charges, taxes, and cruise care insurance. Air transportation is additional and may be booked with cruise. House wines with lunch & dinner, gratuities for housekeeping & dining staff, coffee, soda & bottled water are also all included.
For more information and to book contact Linda Olson 703.577.7717 or Linda@ewatravel.com Note: Linda will be on the above Jan 22, 2011 cruise. We welcome and appreciate your suggestions and comments (including commendations or complaints.
Note: To receive a response, please include your email address within the message.
