Category Archives: Air Travel

Using Flightstats To Find Availability

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There are some airlines that allow you to easily search award availability on partners such as United, American, ANA, Qantas…………….but sometimes not all partners can be searched, especially partners that are not in the airline’s main alliance.  A good example of this is Air Tahiti Nui.  You can book their flights with AA miles but you can’t see their availability on AA’s website or any other One World partner’s website since they aren’t a member of One World.  In some cases you can use Flightstats to see award availability.  On the Flights tab, click on “Availability”.

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For this example, business class is not available (I = 0) but there are 7 seats in economy (W = 7).

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Flightstats Airport Terminal Guides

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While Flightstats doesn’t have a guide for every airport in the world, they do have most of the major airports.  You can always Google the name of the airport to find the airport’s official website for greater details but the Flightstats are available on iPhone & Android apps which may be more convenient.

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On the Airports tab, click on Airport Terminal Guide.  Since Qatar Airways joined One World, some of us may be using Doha as a transit point so let’s go to the Middle East tab and see what the airport has to offer.  Maybe they have a lounge we can use or some good shopping.

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The map on Flightstats isn’t very good but we can see a few lounges (L)  On the Overview tab, they have a link to the official website where we can get more details.

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And yes, there is a pay per use lounge we can use if we wish.

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Does Your Flight Have A Tendancy To Be Delayed?

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This is another great use of Flightstats.  If you have various options for an award ticket and you want to avoid flights that are notorious for being late or cancelled, check this.  On the Flightstats home page, click on the Flights tab, then “On-time Performance”.  Type your route into the appropriate boxes.

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Now let’s see which flights have the best on-time record.  Ignore the codeshares and just look at the actual airlines who are operating the flights.  Look at the percentage of flights on time and how many minutes the delayed flights lost.

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Those last two AA flights are a worry.  In both cases the average delay was around an hour and between 57-73% of flights experienced some delay.  None of them were cancelled so at least that is good.  But if my final destination was elsewhere in Brazil, I would be leaving a very generous layover to make that connection!

If you click on AA929 at the bottom of the display, you can get more details.  17 out of 61 flights were either very late or excessive.

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Changi Transit Programme – Free Spending Money!

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Your transit experience in Singapore is now more rewarding. Redeem a S$40 Changi Dollar Voucher when you transit through Singapore, from now until 31 March 2014.

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Who is eligible?

 

  • Singapore Airlines and SilkAir customers whose point of origin, as stated in their e-ticket, is one of the following countries:
    Australia, China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey or the United Kingdom.
  • Customers must be on transit through Singapore, which means that Singapore is neither the point of origin nor the end destination in the e-ticket. For example, a passenger whose itinerary is “Sydney – Singapore – Hong Kong” would be eligible, but a passenger whose itinerary is “Sydney – Singapore – Sydney” would not be eligible.
  • E-ticket numbers should also begin with 618 or 629, and both inbound and outbound flights must be on Singapore Airlines or SilkAir.
  • For passengers whose transit (through Singapore) itinerary was issued over two separate e-tickets, please present the two e-tickets to the iShopChangi Collection Centre located within the transit areas of Terminal 2 or 3. Please note that voucher redemption is subject to the terms and conditions stated below.

Where can I use the voucher?

Issued while stocks last, the vouchers are valid for:
A one-time use in retail, food and service outlets located at the transit and public areas of Terminals 1, 2 and 3*
A one-time access to the Ambassador Transit Lounge at Terminals 2 and 3 for up to six hoursLounge usage includes showers with basic toiletries, light refreshments, free flow of non-alcoholic beverages, local and international reading materials, as well as complimentary Wi-Fi

*Changi Dollar Vouchers are not accepted at the following outlets:
Transit area: all Cheers outlets, all 7-11 outlets, all money-changing counters, Hermès (Terminals 1, 2 & 3), the left baggage counters (Terminals 2 & 3), the SATS Rainforest Lounge (Terminal 1). Public area: all money-changing counters, all hotel reservation counters, all Avis and Hertz Car Rental counters, All M1 Shop outlets and counters, all Passenger Meeting Services counters, all Cold Storage & 7-11 outlets, all NTUC & Cheers outlets, Presto Drycleaners (Terminal 3). Arrival Baggage Claim Halls: all outlets.

Where do I collect the voucher?

 

  • To claim your S$40 Changi Dollar Voucher, simply produce your e-ticket containing your full itinerary and arrival boarding pass at the iShopChangi Collection Centres, which are situated near the GST Refund counters in the transit areas of both Terminals 2 and 3.
  • The iShopChangi Collections Centres are located near the transit GST refund counters, and are open for 24 hours.

Terms and conditions

 

  1. Only effective for tickets issued on 01 October 2012 – 31 March 2014, both dates inclusive.
  2. Only effective for transit passengers whose departure date from point of origin is between 01 January 2013 and 31 March 2014, both dates inclusive.
  3. S$40 Changi Dollar Vouchers are valid from date of issue to 31 March 2014.
  4. A S$40 Changi Dollar Voucher may only be claimed once for each ticket issued, either on the outgoing or the return leg of the itinerary.
  5. Multiple vouchers may be used for payment.
  6. Vouchers may not be used with ongoing in-store promotions.
  7. Vouchers can be used in conjunction with Singapore Airlines Boarding Pass Privileges.

SpiceJet – India’s Low Cost Carrier With Great Service

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I had originally planned this adventure for sometime in 2015 at which time Sri Lankan Airlines would have been a One World member so I could have gotten the Bangalore – Colombo route for 4500 Avios.  Since I brought the trip forward, I would have to buy tickets since I couldn’t use miles for this route.

IMG_3047After checking all the local airlines, SpiceJet came in the cheapest but we would have to transfer in Chennai.

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You can easily book this ticket online and pay with a foreign credit card – unlike buses & trains which require you to jump through hoops!

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The YQ is way more than the base fare but I couldn’t find a way to fuel dump it!

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Since the entire ticket only comes to around $85 I wasn’t going to lose sleep over it!

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The one drawback was a 5 hour layover in Chennai from 7pm – 1am and there is nothing near the airport to do at that time of night.  The aircraft is a smaller one and our carry-on backpacks barely fit in the overheads which was annoying but no one challenged us or made us gate check them.

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The one advantage was that the seats were 2 x 2 so we didn’t have to share a bank of 3 with a stranger.  The crew were very friendly and a snack and soft drink were offered to everyone.  Of course you can’t compare to Singapore or Cathay Pacific but for a low-cost carrier, I thought they were pretty good!  Both legs departed and arrived right on time.

IMG_3058 Laying over in Chennai was a pita.  There was nothing to do but sit and wait.  I did have some Kindle books on my netbook, my husband people-watched and dozed off.  They won’t let you check in until 3 hours before the flight.  Chennai does have some nice artwork in the terminal.

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These little shuttle carts will take you from the arrivals terminal to international departures for free but they do expect a tip.

IMG_3063 IMG_3064 IMG_3065For once I was hoping for a delay as I really didn’t like arriving in Colombo at 2:20am but the flight was right on time!  Since we had only carry-ons we were off the plane in no time waving goodbye to the friendly crew!

50% Off Sale – Various Airlines In India

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If you’ve been reading my recent series on birding in Coorg or my series last year on birding in Kerala and are inspired to make your own trip you are in luck!  3 of India’s airlines are offering 50% off sales.  They had a similar sale last year too.  Use your miles to get to India, then pick up on some of these bargain domestic routes!

SpiceJet

IndiGo

Go Air

HT:  Live From A Lounge

If you are going to Delhi, why not tag on a visit to Bangalore, then to Coorg?

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Or combine Bollywood glamour with dazzling birds in Kerala!

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Copa & Lan Offer Cheap Fares To Central & South America

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Not enough miles?  Want a quick eco-trip to Central or South America?  These hit my email this morning.

LAN

Save to South America with Fares starting at $299. Book Now >>

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Celebrate the long weekend by booking an amazing trip to South America! Purchase your roundtrip ticket before January 21, 2014 at 11:59pm (EST) to fly to select destinations in South America from the U.S. with fares starting from only $299. Take advantage of this incredible opportunity to save on a romantic Valentines’ weekend or fun Spring Break getaway. BOOK NOW >>

COPA

Copa Airlines

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 Oficinas de ventas Call center

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Take advantage of our exclusive offers and enjoy the irresistible destinations that Copa Airlines offers through the Hub of the Americas.
Origin Destination Before Flash sale
from*
Boston Panama $660 $554
Boston Belo Horizonte $1352 $1113
Chicago Panama $570 $481
Las Vegas Panama $520 $441
1Los Angeles Panama $560 $473
1Los Angeles Bogota $603 $510
1Los Angeles Punta Cana $674 $573
2Miami Panama $410 $362
2Miami Cartagena $637 $519
3New York Panama $540 $457
3New York Lima $801 $670
4Orlando Panama $450 $384
4Orlando San Andres $680 $572
Tampa Panama $430 $368
Washington Panama $610 $513
Don’t wait any longer and travel to your favorite destination

Why Bangkok Is My Favourite Airport For Transit

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While some people prefer Singapore Airlines, I usually prefer Thai, especially if it is a business class award because of the fantastic ground service. There’s nothing like a relaxing massage sooth those aching muscles!  We had about 3 hours between flights on our India & Sri Lanka adventure so took full advantage!

The spa is in terminal C and a free 30 minute neck & shoulders or feet & calves massage is offered to anyone who is departing on Thai Airways in business class.  You do not get this benefit if you are on a Star Alliance carrier, even in business or first class.  If you are in Thai first class, you get a full body massage lasting an hour!

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They will offer you some juice while you wait your turn.  We only waited about 10 minutes.

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This is the room for the neck & shoulder massage.

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This room is for the foot massage.

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Exotic snacks in the lounge.

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Even the ladies’ room has a very “zen” feel to it!

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I was really glad the massage relaxed me enough to sleep as the planes on the Bangkok-Bangalore route weren’t nearly as nice as the ones on the Brisbane-Bangkok route (see previous review).

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Last Minute Specials: LAN – South America

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Get your 2014 eco-tourism and birding travel off to a good start with some really good fares on LAN to South America!

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  • Flights operated by: LAN.
  • Fare applicable to fly Economy.
  • Required booking class Q.
  • Minimum stay at the destination: 7 days.
  • Maximum stay at the destination: 2 months.
  • Travel must begin on or AFTER February 01, 2014.
  • Travel restriction: Valid for travel commencing on/after February 01, 2014.
  • Travel restriction: Travel must be finished by June 01, 2014.
  • Sales restrictions: Ticket must be purchased on or before January 06, 2014.
  • Travel permitted for flight departure the day(s) Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
  • Travel permitted for flight return the day(s) Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
  • Changes are permitted with a penalty of US$ 75 on or before date of flight departure.
  • Discount not permitted for childs and infants.
  • Changes are not permitted after date of flight departure.
  • Refund requests are permitted within 24 hours after the ticket is purchased.
  • Refunds are not permitted after date of flight departure.
  • From Miami Travel is not permitted in the following dates: From 14/FEB/14 Through 15/FEB/14.To Miami Travel is not permitted in the following dates: From 17/FEB/14 Through 18/FEB/14.
  • Government taxes and fees of up to 0 , varying by destination, are included and may vary slightly depending on currency exchange rates at the time of purchase.
  • Fares subject to change without previous notice. Seats are limited.
  • A September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 USD per flight segment that originates at a U.S. point is included in the fare.
  • Other restrictions may apply.