Airfare 101: The Best Time To Buy Airline Tickets

England's Observer newspaper has reported findings of a study by 2 renowned economists- Makoto Watanabe and Marc Moller. They have actually developed a mathematical formulae to derive their findings as part of their research into airline pricing. Now the exciting part. According to their research, the optimum time to buy an airline ticket in advance is 8 weeks out. They have also discovered that prices rise in the afternoon which they believe is due to the airlines' assumption that business travellers buy at work in the morning. From my 25+ years of travel industry experience, I can also add that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are also the best days to both buy airfares and to travel at the best price. So, buy as soon as you can and buy on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning. Got it? Airfare 101.

Travel Bucket List: Dubai

Dubai has it all. The World's tallest building; an indoor ski hill inside a mall and the Burj Al Arab Hotel- the world's only 7 star hotel. My wife and I stayed in a 2 bedroom suite- 3,600 sq. ft. and valued at $5,500 USD per night. The butler is included (to make drinks, draw a bath in your jacuzzi, press the elevator button, etc.) But breakfast is not- $200 USD for 2. Still, it is a hotel and trip to put on your "bucket list". After you have seen "new" Dubai, you need to get over to the Dubai Creek area and see "old" Dubai- simple local restaurants, markets, and the people. Definitely worth the trip and out of the ordinary.

Airline Fees- It's Your Choice!

Airline fees have grown both in number and in dollar volume over the past number of years. They are literally worth millions, and in some cases, billions to major airlines. They can make an airline profitable or not. (A little known fact- Air Canada was the first major airline in North America to start charging fees back when they "unbundled" and reduced their number of fares to only 5 in the late 90's. Ironically there are once again many different fares and sources for airfares). The rationale for fees is simple-user pay and pay only for what you want. Airlines state that fares would be that much higher if they didn't charge fees. The airline fee list includes: check-in bags, extra bags, extra leg room, meals, pillows, frequent flier points, preferred check-in, airline lounges, advanced seat selection, change fees, travel assistance. Something might have been left off and the list is undoubtedly growing as I type! Anyway, fees are not going away and the time has come to move on. Get the services that you want and need to enhance your travel experience. Leave the others alone!

The Need for Business Class

Economy class is cheaper than Business Class but at what cost to the employee? A new study presented at the Business Travel Market in London confirms that there is a negative impact on colleagues who travel on the cheap. Travel is a demanding sport particularly when you are travelling overseas. A long flight coupled with a significant time difference makes for a trying few days in a foreign land. Having your head hit the conference table because you are overly tired and jet lagged is not good! Business Class lets you relax, work, sleep properly and have a nice meal. A taxi is like business class compared to lugging bags through a subway/tube turnstile. I always use an extra hotel night the day before a meeting to get well rested and in sync with the local time and surroundings. A good hotel helps to make you feel comfortable (like the Flemings Mayfair London in this picture). A business trip is an investment in money, time and the traveler. Travelers need to feel good and at the top of their game for the investment to pay off and the trip to be successful!

Air Travel of the Future

The see through and transparent plane- coming to a runway near you by 2050! If you have a fear of flying, you better get over it. See for yourself:

Holy Volcano- again!

It seemed like April 2010 all over again when another Iceland Volcano blew its' top this past week. Panic set in for many travelling in Europe. Last year, airspace was shotdown for 5 days- this time it looked like deja vu all over again! During the past year, millions of displaced travelers spent fruitless hours on hold with airline call centers endeavouring to find their way back home. Millions of others, who had booked their reservations through travel agents, were rebooked in a timely manner. Travel agents, most of whom are paid nothing by the airlines for their efforts, worked around the clock to assist their customers. A form of travel insurance and a simple time saving relationship that pays off big time when the world seems like it is coming to an end!

The Most Common Travel Complaints

Airlines top the list of complaint sources. Most travelers are frustrated by cancellations, changes, and flight delays and the lack of communication and advanced warning of same. Travelers are not happy with leg room and the size of seats in economy class. Travel suppliers in general, and airlines in particular, are great at adding extra or ancillary charges. Fees for bags, seat selection, food, drinks, credit card surcharges and more. Tour operators usually charge extra for single travelers. Many hotels charge for Internet access. What to do? Complain! Complain to the employee you are speaking; if possible complain to management on duty; and then send an e-mail or letter to corporate headquarters.

An unclean hotel room is unacceptable. An in-flight smelly toilet is not good enough. The list goes on but too many paying customers just put up with it. Don't. Ask for a different hotel room. Tell the airline counter agent that the airline needs more food choice on board. It really doesn't take many voices and negative opinions to get things fixed and changed (especially in the sensitive travel business).

Mexico- Still a Great Vacation Spot!

Mexico is a country known for its history, beauty, beaches, food and hospitality. Unfortunately, it’s also known for hurricanes and lately violence. The negative press related to violence has affected tourism- not to a huge degree but definitely to a noticeable one. The facts are true- there is violence related to drugs and drug cartels. But the drug cartel problems are mostly near the U.S. and Mexican border. Sometimes a tourist gets caught in the action but it’s almost always gang against gang or against the government trying to stop the violence. The popular resort towns are as safe as ever!
Here are my general tips for travel to Mexico:
-Don’t go to Acapulco, Tijuana or some of the other northern cities and towns due to internal violence (I wouldn’t go there anyway). I would go to Cancun, Los Cabos, Ixtapa, Cozumel and Manzanillo in a heartbeat.
-Investigate upgrade availability at your resort before you book. For a few hundred dollars more, you get a suite with ocean view, private dining lounge access, in-room dinner for 2, VIP boat cruise and more at the Great Parnassus in Cancun.
-The Government of Mexico says you can only use Mexican Pesos. Not true. The American Dollar is still king and accepted readily along with Pesos (Note- if you pay in USD, your change may be in Pesos). If you take public transit in Cancun, you can pay $1 USD or 10 pesos.
-Find a travel agent who knows Mexico. Based on your budget and needs, you’ll stay at the resort that is right for you and you will have a great Mexican vacation!

Travel Reviews- Fact or Fiction?

There are a whole raft of travel review sites out there. The most well known is undoubtedly Trip Advisor. And a whole lot of people use them to form opinions. Big mistake. In an unscientific survey, here's the breakout for every 5 reviews. 2 out of 5 reviews are actually written by hotel/resort staff (I'm not kidding). "It was the best resort ever/it was the most amazing vacation I've ever had/everything was perfect". Another 2 of 5 reviews are written by people who would never be happy under any circumstance (and/or by competing hotels/resorts- again, I'm not kidding). "It was the resort ever/it was the worst vacation ever/everything was horrible". 1 of 5 reviews is maybe worth looking at. Here's a better way to get a review that is a real review: talk to someone you know who has actually been there. Better still, talk to a travel agent who has had several people go where you are thinking or can make a strong recommendation based on your needs. Tell them what you are looking for and put them to the test! And, when you get to the hotel/resort and something is wrong, deal with it (don't put up with it if it bothers you). When I first go to my room, I quickly figure out whether or not it is what it is suppose to be. If I don't like the room, I turn right around and go back to the front desk and tell them to change it. If there is something worse still, I talk to the manager. The point- don't overthink your holiday or trip before you leave based on reviews. Especially reviews that are fiction! If you think that your trip is going to be lousy, it probably will be!

Internet on the Road

On a recent trip to London, I was staying at my favourite little hotel- The Flemings Mayfair. A great rate thanks to Uniglobe- $165 pounds including breakfast and VAT. Only problem- like so many hotels- is the internet charge. 22 pounds per day. I opted to grab a coffee at the nearby Starbuck's on 2 afternoons and get free internet with my 2 pound coffee. Internet is the still the common and chargeable item with most better hotels. Odd because the Hampton Inns of the world have free Internet (and often half the room rate of the better hotels). With all the portable devices that we all have, isn't it about time that all hotels provide it as part of their offering?

Online Travel- Update

So now to update the post below and to really emphasize the point that online retailers display what they want and choose to display, here's the next part of the story. Expedia has announced that they have dropped American Airline's fare altogether (and from Hotwire and TripAdvisor as they own those as well). Orbitz has removed AA fares as of December 21st. The story is not over and will probably increase in magnitude. Let the buyer beware when dealing online! The key point for you, the consumer, is- are you seeing the full choice of travel options?