Travel Show 7: Play It Again, Sam

Posted by Patrick Wiscombe on June 21, 2010 under Travel Show Podcasts | Be the First to Comment

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In this edition of the Travel Show, we talked about:

• American’s “Boarding and Flexibility” option
• Flight attendant helps land American flight
• Door snaps off American flight
• New York pianos
• Cruising industry not affected by oil spill
• Expedia expands in Las Vegas

American Airlines has introduced the “Boarding and Flexibility Package,” which allows passengers who buy tickets on the carrier’s website also to purchase perks that include being among the first to board a flight. The “introductory price” for the package ranges from $9 to $19 one way and varies based on the market and routing. The package also includes a $75 discount off the regular $150 fee charged on many fares if you need to change your itinerary and allows you to be on standby for an earlier flight for free. This summer, American will offer early boarding as a stand-alone option for a flat fee of $10 each way. Air travelers will be able to buy the perk at self-service check-in kiosks up to one hour before their flight is scheduled to leave. The airline is emphasizing the package gives air travelers the flexibility to customize their trip based on their needs. Passengers who pay the early boarding fee won’t be the very first on the plane. That privilege will still be reserved for American’s elite status members and passengers with special needs will be allowed to board early without paying anything extra. United Airlines offers a “Premier Line” service starting at $19, which gives passengers priority boarding. Southwest Airlines charges $10 for its “Early Bird Check-in,” which promises air travelers “a better boarding position.” Ryanair charges $5 for priority boarding.

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PODCAST SPONSOR: The Digital Zone is sponsored by Cliphanger.

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A flight attendant with a pilot’s license stepped in to help land an American Airlines flight in Chicago this week. The first officer became ill last Monday with flulike symptoms an hour or so into flight 1612 from San Francisco, California, to Chicago. The plane, carrying 225 passengers and seven crew members, landed safely at O’Hare International Airport. The first officer was taken to the hospital immediately by paramedics waiting on the ground. He was treated and released. Patti DeLuna has been a flight attendant for 32 years, with 14 years flying for American Airlines.

The door of an American Airlines jetliner snapped off when the plane rolled away from a gate at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. None of the plane’s 200 passengers on the just-landed flight from Sao Paolo, Brazil, were injured last week. The company said it was unclear if the crew failed to set the brakes or if the Boeing 777′s brakes had failed but the company said the wheels weren’t chocked. The plane was sent to the repair shop to be fixed.

Anyone who gets a sudden itch to tickle the ivories will be able to play free public pianos in 50 places throughout New York City, from the Coney Island boardwalk to the Metropolitan Museum. An art installation touring the world is making its first U.S. stop starting today, Monday. For two weeks, people can play pianos all over New York City, at famous landmarks like the Lincoln Center, the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Staten Island ferry terminal and Central Park’s bandshell. The New York installation will be the largest in the project’s history. It is double the size of the previous largest project — 30 pianos in London last year. Each of the 60 pianos to be installed throughout New York has its own attendants responsible for its care that involves unlocking the keyboard at 9 a.m. every day and deploying a heavy tarp over the instrument if it rains. The pianos were donated for the cause and have been painted and decorated by artists. The pianos will be delivered to 27 locations in Manhattan, 10 in Brooklyn, five in Queens and four each in Staten Island and the Bronx. Most pianos will be open for song until 10 p.m. After the art installation concludes, the pianos will be donated to schools and hospitals.

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PODCAST SPONSOR: The Travel Show with Patrick Wiscombe is sponsored by GetAwayToday.com. Get an extra $10 off your Disneyland Resort vacation just for using promotion code CASTLE at checkout.

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While some beach destinations in the Gulf region have experienced visitor cancellations related to the oil spill, the cruise industry is alive and well, according to CruiseCritic.com. Carnival Cruise Lines, which sails ships from New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., said in a statement that its captains may make “slight course alterations as necessary to avoid the most heavily impacted spill areas.” The company is also inspecting ship hulls for oil residue. But the company said it was “not anticipating any interruptions to our normal cruise schedules.”

Expedia said it will add 130 new jobs in Las Vegas by the end of the month and said the new positions are mainly travel agents and support staff.