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Dear Traveller
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US
Airways have followed United Airlines lead on charging $25 for a
second checked bag. In addition, Air Canada's move to charge extra
for "unregistered" oversize sports equipment, reported in
our last newsletter, may be a harbinger of other, surreptitious
attempts to increase baggage revenues. Certainly, it's worthwhile
checking the weight of your bags before departing for the airport, as
excess baggage fees have gone through the roof lately.
It's
important to understand the logic that carriers use. With aviation
fuel costs skyrocketing, saving weight has become an increasingly
important factor - the more weight you carry, the more fuel you use.
Some years ago, American Airlines removed the complimentary magazine
racks on their aircraft after some lateral thinking guy in their
accounting department calculated the impact that a few extra pounds
weight per aircraft made on their total annual fuel costs. Other
airlines rapidly followed suit.
So
if the airline industry were able to change the packing habits of the
travelling public to one bag per trip, the fuel savings would be
enormous. For the moment, it seems we can continue to check two bags
per person. In the future, we may have to weigh the costs of dry
cleaning and laundry against the charges for that second bag. Let's
face it, $200 will launder or dry clean 15 garments almost anywhere
in the world! We'll keep you posted.
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If you've experienced lost baggage
recently, you are not alone. The number of lost or mishandled baggage
has doubled in the past five years to an annual rate of 4.6 million,
according to the US Department of Transportation. SITA reports that
30 million bags worldwide did not arrive at the carousel on time last
year, costing the airline industry a staggering $2.5 billion
annually. The roots of the problem are apparently increased airport
and passenger congestion, a more complex baggage screening process,
and tighter turnaround times.
Here
are some steps you can take to reduce the chances of losing your
bags.
- Avoid
arriving late at the airport. Checking bags close to the
deadline significantly increases the risk that they will not
make the flight on time.
- Similarly,
if your journey involves a connection, the more time you allow
the better, particularly if you are changing carriers. A
"legal" connection is no guarantee of your bags making
the connection - they cannot run to the gate!
- Before
you leave home, make sure you remove any existing tags from your
bags and label all your luggage with your name and the contact
information for your destination. It's a good idea to include
contact information on a label inside your bags, in case the
outside label gets damaged or removed during the transfer
process.
- Many
bags look alike, so using a distinctive type of bag or marking
your bags with coloured tape will make it easier to find your
bag on the carousel.
- Be
alert at check in. Verify that the tags attached to your bags
are labelled with the correct 3- letter code for your
destination, and make sure that you have received a claim tag
for every bag that you check.
- Pack
important and valuable items such as medication, jewelry,
cameras, keys, and laptops in carry-on luggage. If there is
room, pack a change of clothing in case your bag is delayed
rather than lost - this can avoid wasting time at your
destination.
Two
further suggestions. Airlines offer very limited compensation for
loss or damage so it is a good idea to make sure your home insurance
policy and/or credit card includes comprehensive coverage for losses
while travelling. If not, then take out travel insurance at the time
of booking your flight - the first time you use it you will realize
the value in peace of mind. And if your airline loses your bags, file
a claim immediately with your airline.
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Destination Profile - New York
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 Ask a seasoned traveller for their
three favorite cities and you can bet one of them will be New York.
Where else offers the mix of cultural, dining and shopping
experiences? Where else offers the sheer energy of its people and the
excitement of its architectural setting? Despite its scale, New York
is easy to get around. Nowhere in Manhattan is more than a six dollar
cab ride from anywhere else and the once- feared subway can whisk you
from anywhere to anywhere for far less.
There
are many hotels located in Manhattan that offer luxurious
accommodation, ideal for a fabulous weekend away. These include the
The Four Seasons, the Mandarin Oriental, the Ritz Carlton, and the
fabulous newly renovated Fairmont Plaza. Alternatively, you can
choose one of the exciting boutique hotels, such as The Royalton, The
W New York, or the Paramount.
If
you are looking for a less costly alternative, hotels like The Hotel
Westminster in Livingston, New Jersey offer excellent accommodations
and facilities at a third of the price of the equivalent hotel in
Manhattan. Located just a few minutes from the Mid-Town direct line,
you can travel by New Jersey transit into Penn Street Station in 30
minutes. Porter Airlines is now flying from Toronto Island Airport
into nearby Newark Airport with fares starting from $120 each way.
Once
there, New York is there to be explored. First timers will want to
visit the Empire State Building, Central Park, the shops of 5th
Avenue and maybe take in The American Museum of Natural History or
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. More seasoned visitors may prefer the
latest exhibit at The Guggenheim - Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece
opposite Central Park. Hurry and you'll catch the remarkable
Alexander Calder retrospective at MOMA which closes April 14. New
York Theatre is second only to London for its variety and depth.
Current musical productions include the usual suspects that have
already had a run in Toronto, and also interesting revivals of Rogers
and Hammerstein's South Pacific and the legendary Chorus Line. Plays
opening soon include Patrick Stewart in Macbeth, Laura Linney in Les
Liaisons Dangereuses and Morgan Freeman and Frances McDormand in
Clifford Odet's The Country Girl. Ian McShane also continues his
successful run in Harold Pinter's masterpiece The Homecoming
New
York dining experiences are legendary, and it's impossible to profile
them here. If you are a steak lover, try the new Smith and Wollensky
restaurant Quality Meats, but bring a big appetite with you. Sunday
Brunch at Tavern on the Green is still a celebrity watching
experience, and if you want a taste of true New York life, try one of
the surviving delis for lunch - Katz Deli on East Houston is our
favorite. If these suggestions seem passé, you already know New York
well, and you know it well enough to know it's irresistible in the
spring. Contact your TTI Vacation Travel Specialist to arrange your
next trip.
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British Airways - Terminal 5 Now
Open
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The long awaited Terminal 5 at
London Heathrow Airport is now open and almost all intercontinental British
Airways flights will be operating through the new facility by May 1,
2008.The new terminal promises to solve many of the problems of
connecting by BA through Heathrow. Besides offering a variety of
sophisticated, time saving options to increase the speed of check-in
and security, the terminal will allow connecting passengers to
quickly transit through the airport to connecting British Airways
flights to 90% of all international and domestic destinations.
In
its initial design, the terminal consists of two buildings, connected
by a rapid transit system that departs every 90 seconds and takes
just 45 seconds to complete the journey. In 2010, a third building
will come into commission. British Airways claims that it will take
just 20 minutes from arrival to transfer through border control to a
connecting Terminal 5 flight. For those terminating at Heathrow,
Terminal 5 is also equipped with the latest baggage handling
facilities, which should reduce time spent at the carousel.
Departures
features two security check points that BA promise will keep delays
to a maximum of five minutes; Biometric fingerprinting for domestic
passengers, minimizing boarding delays and allowing domestic
passengers to share facilities with international passengers, and a
variety of retail stores to tempt you while you wait to board the
aircraft. BA Club members and First Class passengers are promised a
new level of luxury in the lounge facilities including a spa
available to arriving and departing travellers.
About
10% of all British Airways destinations will be operating temporarily
(until 2010) though redesigned facilities at Terminal 3. These
include Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Nice, Helsinki, Dallas, Houston,
Singapore, Bangkok and Sydney. Although British Airways promise frequent
bus transit between Terminals 5 and 3, we believe the transfer
experience will be little different for the weary Canadian traveller,
en route to these destinations, until 2010. Hopefully, GTAA will
visit Terminal 5 soon, and maybe incorporate some 21st century
technology at Pearson. We won't hold our breath.
For
more information check out the new Terminal 5 website at www.terminal5.ba.
com
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More on Passport Renewals
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Last
year, we told you about the new passport requirements for travel to
and through the U.S. and also warned you of the increasing delays in
processing new and renewed passports. Last August, Passport Canada
revised their processes to allow eligible Canadian Citizens* to renew
their passports through a simplified renewal process. The good news
is that the new process really works, particularly if you complete
your application on-line before going to the passport office. This
puts you into a priority status and can save hours of wait time at
the Passport Office.
To
remind you, the Simplified Passport Renewal Program will allow
eligible Canadian citizens to renew their passport using a shorter
form and without submitting documentary evidence of citizenship,
supplementary identification and a guarantor declaration. Passport
applicants will only be required to submit the shorter form along
with two new photos, the application fee and their last passport.
To
be eligible:
- You
must be residing in Canada at the time you apply.
- You
must have resided in Canada at the time of your previous
application.
- You
must be 16 years old or over at the time of your previous
application.
Your previous passport:
- Must
have been valid for five years.
- Must
have been issued after January 31, 2002.
- Must
have never been damaged or reported as lost or stolen.
- Must
have been issued under your current name.
The
new Simplified Passport Renewal Program application form is available
at all Passport Canada service points and through Passport Canada's
Web site, and is accepted at all of Passport Canada offices, through
receiving agents and by mail.
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Powered
by Nuts: In February, nuts from the Amazon rainforest were used to
power a Virgin Atlantic 747 from London to Amsterdam. This is the
first time a commercial airplane has used anything other than oil
products to fly.
Paper
Tickets going the way of the Dodo: In 90 days, you will no longer be
able to obtain a paper ticket for international flights. The 240
airlines that make up the International Air Transport Association
(IATA) have agreed to use paperless tickets exclusively.
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In
previous editions of this newsletter, I have found some aspect of the
travelling experience to rant about. This time I want to take a
positive perspective. For those of us who travel extensively for
business, flying is often necessary but not something we look forward
to per se. There is, however, one journey I always approach with a
keen sense of anticipation - the flight that takes my family and I
away for a vacation.
I
am reminded of a quotation from Sir Richard Burton; not the Welsh
actor who twice married Elizabeth Taylor, but the famous English
explorer, translator and author. This Richard Burton was not known
for reciting "The Arabian Nights," but translating them.
He
wrote: "the gladdest moments in human life, methinks, is the
departure upon a distant journey to unknown lands. Shaking off with
one mighty effort the fetters of Habit, the leaden weight of Routine,
the cloak of many Cares, and the slavery of Home, man feels once more
happy, The blood flows with the fast circulation of childhood, afresh
dawns the morn of life "
At
this time, when many of us have just returned from a mid-winter break
from the snow and ice of the hardest winter we can remember, I hope
you enjoyed a refreshing and satisfying break. For those of you who
are planning their next trip, be assured our vacation travel
specialists are ready to help you make that a journey to look forward
to and remember fondly for years to come.
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