Airport Webcams

Check out this list of thirteen Airport Webcams around the world.

We'll try to track down more of these as this is a neat way to get a little orientation before travelling to a new airport or city.

More Great Fares from Allegiant

Although service is very limited in terms of days and markets, Allegiant offers some amazing fares to and from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Mesa Arizona. Here's an email from them about a special deal:

Offer valid between Los Angeles (LAX) to/from the following markets: Bellingham, Wash. begins May 2 Grand Junction, Colo. begins May 1 Northwest Arkansas (XNA) begins May 22 Billings, Mont. begins May 22 McAllen, Texas begins May 24 Sioux Falls, S.D. begins May 23 Des Moines, Iowa begins May 24 Medford, Ore. begins May 1 Springfield, Mo. begins May 3 Fargo, N.D. begins May 23 Missoula, Mont. begins May 2 Wichita, Kan. begins May 23

Allegiant Air Home Page

*Allegiant’s $15* one-way fares are extremely limited, are not be available on all flights and are non-refundable. Must be purchased between 3 a.m. PDT and 6 p.m. PDT April 15, 2009 for complete travel by Sept. 30, 2009. Valid only on nonstop flights to/from Los Angeles International Airport to/from select cities. Prices do not include PFC, segment tax or Sept. 11 security fee of up to $10.60 per segment. A segment is one take-off and one landing. A convenience fee of $13.50 per passenger will apply when booked on allegiantair.com. A convenience fee of $13.50 per passenger, plus $10 per segment, will apply when purchased through Allegiant Air call centers. When purchased at time of booking, a fee of $15 for first checked bag and $25 for second checked bag will apply per person, per segment. If purchased at flight check-in, a fee of $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second checked bag per person, per segment will apply. In all cases additional higher fees will apply for three or more checked bags. Fare rules, routes and schedules are subject to change without notice. Restrictions apply. Offer not valid on previously purchased tickets. This is a post-only mailing from Allegiant Air. Please do not attempt to respond to this message. Allegiant Air 8360 S. Durango Drive Las Vegas, NV 89113

Alaska Air WIFI challenges continue

Tech Flash is reporting that Alaska's WIFI service is popular but pricing issues remain. They say Alaska's fee is likely to be $15 per flight which I fear will prevent most users from taking advantage of the service. Although $15 does not seem to be excessive, budget conscious flyers will recognize that a few hours away from the internet won't do them any harm. I'd argue the optimal "price point" for in flight online services is somewhere between $5 and $10 which are still very high by the standard of free WIFI now available in many airports but represent a premium cost that consumers are "comfortable with" in flight as this is in the neighborhood of the cost of a snack box s and even on some flights beverages.

If the Airlines don't hurry up I think this market could literally dry up as ubiquitous broadband reaches most areas in the USA and customers choose to take a nap rather than worry about the few hours of non-connectivity between the WIFI at home, the Airport, and the destination hotel combined with their EVDO or broadband smartphone access.

http://www.techflash.com/Alaska_offers_details_on_in-flight_Wi-Fi_42973362.html

Airline Phone Numbers

Planning big trips is a big (though often very enjoyable) job and if you want good rates and flights you'll often find you need to call the airline at some point in the process. Here, courtesy of a nice list I found at Airtimetable.com , are phones and websites for many of the airlines around the world:

Aer Lingus...............................................

Aeroflot...................................................

Aerolineas Argentinas.............................

AeroMexico.............................................

Aeromar (Mexico)....................................

Aeromar (Dominican Republic)................

Aeropostal...............................................

Air ALM (Dutch Caribbean)......................

Air Calin ..................................................

Air Canada .............................................

Air Caraibes............................................

Air China ...(Chinese)...............................

Air Europa ..............................................

Air Fiji .....................................................

Air France ..............................................

Air India .................................................

Air Jamaica ............................................

Air Madagascar .....................................

Air Malta..................................................

Air Mauritius ..........................................

Air Nambia..............................................

Air Nauru.................................................

Air New Zealand ....................................

Air Pacific................................................

Air Portugal.............................................

Air Seychelles.........................................

Air Sunshine ...........................................

Air Tahiti Nui ..........................................

Air Tran Airways.....................................

Air Transat..............................................

Air Vanuatu ..(Qantas Res.).....................

Air Vegas ................................................

Air Zimbabwe .........................................

Alaska Airlines .......................................

Alitalia ....................................................

All Nippon Airways..................................

Allegiant Air............................................

Aloha Air ................................................

America West Airlines .........................

American Airlines ..................................

Asiana Airlines ......................................

ATA American Trans Air........................

Atkin Air...................................................

Atlantic Airlines .....................................

AtlasAir....................................................

Austrian Airlines ....................................

Aviacsa....................................................

Avianca...(Summa Group).......................

Aviateca ....(Grupo Taca)........................

Bahamas Air ...........................................

Bangkok Air.............................................

Bemidji Aviation.....................................

Big Sky Airlines ......................................

Braathens................................................

British Airways .......................................

British Midland........................................

BWIA International .................................

Calm Air...................................................

Canadian North.......................................

CanJet.....................................................

Cape Air .................................................

Cathay Pacific Airways ...........................

Cayman Airways ....................................

Chalk's Ocean Airways ..........................

China Airlines ........................................

China Eastern Airlines ...........................

China Southern Airlines ........................

Colgan Air ..............................................

Comair ....................................................

Condor ..(German)...................................

Continental Airlines ................................

Copa Airlines ..........................................

Corporate Express...................................

Corsair.....................................................

Croatia Airlines .......................................

Cyprus Airways .......................................

Czech Airlines..........................................

Delta Air Lines ........................................

DHL Express ............................................

Dragon Air................................................

Dutch Caribbean......................................

East Coast Services ................................

EgyptAir ..................................................

El Al Israel Airlines .................................

Emery Worldwide ...................................

Emirates Air ............................................

Ethiopian Airlines....................................

EVA Airways ............................................

Evergreen Int. .........................................

Finnair ....................................................

Frontier Airlines ......................................

Garuda Indonesia ...................................

Great Lakes Airlines ...............................

Gulf Air ....................................................

Gulfstream Airlines ................................

Hawaiian Airlines ...................................

HMY Airways...........................................

Hooters Air..............................................

Horizon Air .............................................

Iberia ......................................................

Icelandair ...............................................

Interstate Jet...........................................

Japan Airlines ........................................

Jazz (Air Canada).....................................

JetBlue Airways .....................................

JetsGo.....................................................

Kenya Airways ......(KLM).........................

KLM ....(Northwest)...................................

Korean Air ...............................................

Kuwait Air................................................

Lacsa .. (Grupo Taca)...............................

Lan Chile Airlines ...................................

Lauda......................................................

Lithuanian Airlines.................................

Lloyd Air Bolivaian LAB.........................

LOT Polish .............................................

LTU International ...................................

Lufthansa ...............................................

Lynx Air...................................................

Malaysia .................................................

Malev Hungarian ...................................

Martinair.................................................

Mesa Airlines .........................................

Mesaba Airlines .....................................

Mexicana ...............................................

Midwest Express Air................................

Naked Air................................................

Nantucket Airlines ..................................

New England Air .....................................

North Vancouver Air................................

Northwest Airlines ..................................

Olympic Airways .....................................

Pacific Coastal Air ...................................

Pacific Wings............................................

Pakistan Intl. Air.......................................

Pan Am ....................................................

Penair ......................................................

Philippine Airlines ..................................

PIA Pakistan............................................

Polynesian Airlines .................................

Qantas Airways .......................................

Qatar Air..................................................

Royal Air Maroc ......................................

Royal Jordanian Air.................................

Royal Nepal ............................................

Royal Tongan..........................................

Ryan Intl..................................................

Scandinavian Air..SAS............................

Saudi Arabian Air....................................

Scenic Airlines .......................................

Shuttle America .....................................

Silk Air ...(Singapore)..............................

Singapore Airlines .................................

SN Brussels.............................................

Solomon Airlines ...................................

Song Airlines..........................................

South African .........................................

Southwest Airlines .................................

Spanair ..................................................

Spirit Airlines .........................................

Sri Lankan .............................................

Sun Country Airlines .............................

Sunflower Airlines, Fiji ..........................

Suriname Airways .................................

Swiss.......................................................

TACA Airlines .........................................

TAP Air Portugal ....................................

TED.........................................................

Thai Airlines ..........................................

Trans Meridian.......................................

Travelair ...............................................

Tropic Air ..............................................

Turkish Airlines .....................................

Ukraine Intl Airlines ..............................

United Airlines ......................................

US Airways ...........................................

USA 3000...............................................

Ukraine Air............................................

Uzbekistan Airways...............................

VASP......................................................

Varig .....................................................

Virgin Atlantic .......................................

West Isle Air...........................................

WestJet Airlines ....................................

World Airways .......................................

Zip Air.....................................................

800-223-6537

888-340-6400

800-333-0276

800-237-6639

800-237-6627

877-237-6627

888-912-8466

800-327-7230

800-677-4277

888-247-2262

877-772-1005

800-982-8802

888-238-7672

877-247-3454

800-237-2747

800-223-2420

800-523-5585

800-854-1029

800-756-2582

800-537-1182

800-626-4242

800-677-4277

800-262-1234

800-227-4446

800-221-7370

800-677-4277

800-327-8900

877-824-4846

800-247-8726

800-388-5836

800-227-4500

800-255-7474

800-742-3006

800-426-0333

800-223-5730

800-235-9262

888-594-6937

800-367-5250

800-235-9292

800-433-7300

800-227-4262

800-225-2995

800-924-2471

800-879-0000

800-462-2012

800-843-0002

800-758-2188

800-284-2622

800-535-8780

800-222-4262

866-226-4565

800-332-7133

800-237-7788

800-548-5960

800-247-9297

800-788-0555

800-538-2942

800-839-2256

800-661-1505

800-809-7777

800-352-0714

800-233-2742

800-441-3003

800-424-2557

800-227-5118

800-200-5118

888-338-8988

800-428-4322

800-354-9822

800-524-6975

800-525-0280

800-359-2672

800-661-8151

Web Link

888-426-7628

877-359-6629

800-223-2365

800-221-1212

800-225-5345

800-233-2742

800-327-7230

800-554-0550

800-334-6787

800-223-6700

800-367-3592

800-777-3999

800-445-2733

800-695-1188

800-345-5556

800-950-5000

800-432-1359

800-342-7832

800-554-5111

800-553-2824

800-992-8532

800-367-5320

800-946-9247

888-359-4668

800-547-9308

800-772-4642

800-223-5500

877-359-4538

800-525-3663

888-422-7533

800-538-2583

866-448-5888

800-374-7747

800-225-2525

800-438-5000

800-458-9248

800-225-2272

800-735-5526

800-843-0002

877-454-8482

800-327-3098

800-223-0593

800-888-0200

800-645-3880

888-596-9247

800-552-9264

800-223-6884

800-627-8462

800-637-2247

800-225-2525

800-531-7921

800-452-2022

800-470-2020

800-635-8787

800-243-2460

800-228-6608

800-225-2525

800-223-1226

800-663-2872

808-873-0877

800-221-2552

800-359-7262

800-448-4226

800-435-9725

800-221-2552

800-264-0823

800-227-4500

866-728-2748

800-344-6726

800-223-0470

800-266-3725

800-486-6426

800-727-0457

800-221-2350

800-472-8342

800-634-6801

888-999-3273

800-742-3333

800-742-3333

516 622 2248

800-677-4277

800-359-7664

800-722-9675

800-435-9792

888-545-5757

800-772-7117

877-915-2652

800-752-1218

800-707-3454

800-327-6864

877-359-7947

800-400-8222

800-221-7370

800-240-6522

800-426-5204

888-733-6373

800-948-3770

800-422-3435

800-874-8875

800-876-0114

800-241-6522

800-428-4322

877-872-3000

800-876-0114

800-995-9912

800-433-0444

800-468-2744

800-862-8621

800-874-4434

800-538-5696

800-967-5310

866-432-1947

Airports in the Recession

As the recession continues and the country flirts with what is likely to be a depression, Airports are anything but immune to the economic crisis.

San Antonio Airport has delayed a planned expansion details and I'm confident that we'll see a lot more of this over the coming years.

Air traffic will almost certainly decline as business slows and travelers choose cheaper destinations for vacations, preferring to drive and save rather than fly. Although ticket prices no longer seem to reflect the huge fuel costs of months ago it seems unlikely this summer will bring a huge air travel boom. Most Americans are licking their economic wounds and although I have not seen study results yet, it's a very good bet that travel this summer will be down - I'd guess quite a bit unless we see the stimulus and TARP plans have immediate hugely positive effects that now appear very unlikely.

Continental Commuter Crash in Suburban Buffalo (Clarence Center)

Reports are confirming that 49 are dead in the Continental Commuter Crash near Buffalo NY. This was flight Continental 3407 from Newark NJ to Buffalo NY.

Families of possible victims of this crash can call 800-621-3263 for information.

A neighbor filmed the fire minutes after the crash:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPoqhEHKNQk

More from these sources soon:
Buffalo News
CNN
FOX

US Passport Card vs. Passport Book

The US Government has a new, lower cost option for travelers who will *not be flying internationally*. It's called the Passport Card and costs less than a regular Passport Book, though for anybody who thinks they are likely to fly internationally - including to or from Canada or Mexico, needs a full blown US Passport book.

Not sure about future travel plans? I'd say go ahead and get the book rather than the card. Wait times on Passports can be up to a month or even longer, so if opportunity strikes and you get a chance to travel internationally don't be caught without the proper documentation. An exception here might be for children or people who have absolutely no interest in flying internationally - in that case the card may save you over half the cost of a full Passport.

The following is from the US Government Passport website:


THE U.S. PASSPORT CARD IS NOW IN PRODUCTION!

We began production of the U.S. Passport Card on July 14, 2008. To date, we have issued over 700,000 U.S. Passport Cards. Applications for the U.S. Passport Card are being processed in approximately 3 weeks from the time of application.

The wallet-size passport card is convenient and less expensive than the passport book. However, the U.S. Passport Card cannot be used for international air travel. This new travel document can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry.

Note: A current or previous passport book holder, who is eligible to use Form DS-82 , may apply for a passport card as a renewal by mail. First time applicants for a U.S. Passport, and those not eligible to use Form DS-82, must apply for a passport card in person using Form DS-11.

The card has the same period of validity as the U.S. Passport Book: 10 years for an adult and 5 years for minors under age 16. The card costs $45 for a first-time adult passport applicant and $35 for all minor applicants under age 16, regardless of whether they are previous passport book or card holders. Adults who already have a fully valid passport book may apply for the card as a passport renewal by mail and pay only $20.