Essential iPhone Apps For Airline Seat Selection

Please welcome back guest blogger, Flying With Fish!

“What seat do I want?”

What airline passenger has not thought that singular thought to themselves while booking a flight? Selecting your seat on a flight is important, especially on a long flight. As a passenger you want comfort, maybe you prefer an aisle for access or a window for a view, but you should also know if you have restricted leg room, selected a row with no window, are assigned a seat with limited recline and many other variables that go into selecting ‘the right seat.’

As a frequent flyer I often fly the same airlines, same routes, same aircraft so I know exactly what seats I want. In general I am a window person, my preference is the A-side window as I tend to lean left while sitting up and sleeping and frankly it is embarrassing to find myself slumped over on someone’s shoulder in the middle of a flight. Knowing my sleeping habits, while crammed into a 17-inch (43cm) wide seat helps me pick my seats. When flying unknown airlines or aircraft with seating configurations I am unfamiliar with I don’t rely on the airline’s seating chart to make my decision. Rather than trust the airline I turn to two resources within my iPhone.

When I have access to the internet my first stop for airline seat research is Seat Guru. Seat Guru is well-known and well-respected as a very accurate resource for more than 85 global airlines. Seat Guru’s aircraft charts provide users with detailed seating charts for approximately 500 aircraft configurations. Seat Guru’s seating guide is accessible on the iPhone, or any other mobile device at http://mobile.seatguru.com.

A great flight tracking iPhone App that integrates Seat Guru’s detailed seating charts is ‘Flight Update.’ When users search flight information within ‘Flight Update’ they can check seating configurations for specific aircraft, as well as other detailed flight data. Like accessing Seat Guru directly, ‘Flight Update’ can only provide seating information when there is access to the internet.

For those times when you do not have access to the internet, such as when you’re sitting on the plane, or traveling internationally and do not want to incur international roaming fees, CXI Gaming’s ‘Airline Seat Guide’ is an excellent resource. ‘Airline Seat Guide’ provides users with access to detailed seating charts for more then 50 global airlines and over 300 aircraft configurations. The advantage to using “Airline Seat Guide” over Seat Guru Mobile (or Flight Update with Seat Guru) is that its content can be accessed anywhere at any time, without the need to have internet access.

Both Seat Guru and Airline Seat Guide offer users colour coded designations to indicate good seats, bad seats, standard seats, ‘iffy’ seats, seats with mixed reviews, seats with power ports, emergency exit seat, etc etc etc. There are numerous other tid-bits of information that I find invaluable such as seat width and pitch, location of lavatories, seats with video-boxes under them, location of overhead video monitors, type of in-seat power (AC, DC, emPower).

Any traveller headed out on a trip travelling anywhere should know the seats they are selecting. Not all seats are created equal and using Seat Guru and Airline Seat Expert can mean the difference between tolerating your seat for a few hours or detesting your seat for a few hours.

For more information travelling smarter and with less stress feel free to visit Flying With Fish at www.flyingwithfish.com

Happy Flying!

Steven Frischling

Founder The Travel Strategist & Flying With Fish

Web: www.thetravelstrategist.com

Blog: www.flyingwithfish.com

Twit: www.twitter.com/flyingwithfish

Virgin Atlantic

Sir Richard Branson

Virgin Atlantic as founded in 1984 and Sir Richard Branson had the vision to create an airline, where people love to fly and also where people love to work. One of the unique things about Virgin Atlantic is that Sir Richard Branson is not your regular CEO which reflected in the way that he runs his airline.

Virgin Atlantic is in fact the holder of every major award with recent achievements including the Skytrax 2008 World Airline Awards – World’s Best Business Class Lounge, Globe Travel Awards Best Scheduled Airline to US/Canada Favorite Airline, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine Readers Awards 2008 Best Long Haul Airline.

Fleet

VS fleet consists of 38 aircraft: 13, Boeing 747-400s, 6, A340-300s and 19, A340-600s. The average age of fleet is only 6 years and 11 months.

World Record Attempts

Sir Richard Branson has been involved in many world record breaking activities;

1986 His boat Virgin Atlantic Challenger II crossed the Atlantic Ocean in record breaking time.

1987 Virgin Atlantic Flyer was the first air balloon to ever cross the Atlantic.

1991 The Virgin Atlantic Flyer crossed the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Artic Canada at record speeds of up to 245 miles an hour! Now that’s fast.

1995 – 1998 Richard Branson made various attempts to circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon however the weather never prevented him from seeing this dream come into life. They were in fact beaten by a Swiss firm in 1999.

Innovations

‘Flying without Fear’ program was established on 4 April 1998. It helps people overcome their fear of flying.

It is a one day program that is aimed at conquering a person’s fear of flying. The program consists of a session run by a VS pilot in the morning that discusses safety but also teaches people about things such as what are the normal sounds that would be heard during a flight and why they occur. This is then followed by a session on relaxation techniques.

At the end of the day session, participants are given the opportunity to conquer their fear and participate in a short flight.

As recently seen on The View, where Whoopi Goldberg went through the program live on air on the April 01 2009 to conquer her fear of flying.

Did you know? That Virgin Atlantic also flies to many of the major destinations in the Caribbean such as Jamaica, Havana, Antigua, St. Lucia, Tobago, Grenada, Barbados.

For cheap flights where you can save up to 65% on Virgin Atlantic Flights go to CheapOair.com

US Airways Goes From Worst to First!

Airline Leaps from Worst to First among the “Big Six” Hub-and-Spoke Carriers

TEMPE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Feb. 9, 2009– US Airways (NYSE:LCC) officially became the nation’s number one on-time airline among the “Big Six” hub-and-spoke airlines for 2008 according to results released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) monthly Air Travel Consumer Report. For the year, 80.1 percent of US Airways’ flights arrived within 15 minutes of their published arrival time—the metric by which airlines’ on-time performance is measured by the DOT.

“The first place ranking amongst the Big Six for the year is a direct reflection of the hard work and determination of our 34,000 employees,” said US Airways Chairman and CEO, Doug Parker. “While 2008 was a very challenging year for the airline industry, our employees pulled together to deliver an amazing operational turnaround.”

Year over year, US Airways jumped from sixth to first in on-time performance among the six largest hub-and-spoke carriers (American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines and United Air Lines), achieving a 16.5 percent improvement over 2007.

“We know that time is very important to our customers and today’s report validates the importance we place on running a reliable airline. Our customers can count on us to get them where they want to go on-time,” Parker said.

And for the month of December, despite severe winter storm conditions, US Airways ranked first in on-time performance among the ten largest carriers. In 2008, the airline ranked among the top three in on-time performance nine times and finished among the top three in bag handling once, resulting in $500 in bonuses for every employee for 2008’s performance.

Virgin Atlantic All Set to Celebrate 25th Anniversary

Virgin Atlantic has started a £6 million advertising campaign to mark its 25th anniversary, which takes place in June this year. The television ad is set in Gatwick airport before the airline’s 1984 inaugural flight to New York. The ad features flight attendants and a pilot walking through the airport amid images of the 1980s such as a Rubik’s Cube, brick-sized mobile phones and an Asteroids video game. It also takes a sideswipe at British Airways by showing an aircraft with the words “Britain’s flag-carrier” above the Virgin Atlantic logo.

“The ads were intended to fight back against the doom and gloom in the airline industry” said Steve Ridgway, Chief executive of Virgin Atlantic. “While our competitors are feeling down in the dumps, our passengers want us to celebrate the transformation we’ve brought about in the industry since our launch in 1984,” he said. “You can count on Virgin Atlantic to raise spirits with some of our lowest fares ever and look into the future with optimism, as we did 25 years ago.”

Virgin Atlantic plans to unveil a range of special fares, campaigns and events in the run-up to the June 22 anniversary.

Obese Have ‘Right to Two Airline Seats’ in Canada

OBESE people have the right to two seats for the price of one on flights within Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Thursday.

The high court declined to hear an appeal by Canadian airlines of a decision by the Canadian Transportation Agency that people who are “functionally disabled by obesity” deserve to have two seats for one fare.

The airlines had lost an appeal at the Federal Court of Appeal in May and had sought to launch a fresh appeal at the Supreme Court. The court’s decision not to hear a new appeal means the one-person-one-fare policy stands.

The appeal had been launched by Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz and WestJet.

JetBlue Airways: Now The Largest Carrier At Westchester County Airport

Jet Blue Airways has done a major expansion at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y. The airline has nearly doubled its service from the convenient, customer-friendly airport. Yesterday, the airline began new daily nonstop service to Tampa , and today adds more flights to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and West Palm Beach.

The airline is proud to offer most seats to the most destinations — all aboard the most spacious jets — from Westchester County with its 11 roundtrips each day, including the only service to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and Tampa.

The Airline provides following daily flights from Westchester County Airport:

• Fort Lauderdale (3 flights)
• Fort Myers (1 flight)
• Orlando (4 flights)
• Tampa (1 flight)
• West Palm Beach (2 flights)

“In response to continuing demand for high-quality air service in suburban New York and Connecticut, JetBlue has grown its White Plains service from just four flights last year to 11 flights today,” said Marty St. George, JetBlue’s Vice President of Planning. “Travelers find Westchester County Airport to be an incredibly convenient option, making their trip to Florida to see friends and family, or just to get away for a few days, immediately enjoyable.”

Westchester County is one of seven JetBlue destinations in the Empire State; other cities with JetBlue’s acclaimed service include Buffalo, Newburgh, New York/JFK, New York/LaGuardia, Rochester, and Syracuse. JetBlue offers service from all seven cities to Florida, making the airline the busiest between New York and the Sunshine State.

JetBlue operates quiet, fuel-efficient, and full-size jets from Westchester County and boast 36 channels of DIRECTV(r) programming at every seat — the most free live television of any airline — in addition to more than 100 channels of XM Satellite Radio, all-leather seating, and industry-leading legroom. The experience is made complete by JetBlue’s award-winning crew members, who offer up unlimited free snacks and beverages, plus their acclaimed brand of customer service.

Jet Airway Lays Off 800 Employees, Expects to Cut More Jobs

Jet Airways, India’s top private airline terminated the services of around 800 flight attendants that were recently recruited as part of the planned expansion programme. The airline had planned for a continuous growth in the domestic aviation market and the implementation of the first phase of its international expansion programme. However the domestic market has declined by double digit figures in recent months.

Jet Airways said in a statement that the aviation industry in India, a $6 billion turnover industry, is expected to lose $2 billion in 2008-09. “The economic viability of the industry has been severely affected by the record high fuel prices and most recently due to the crisis of the financial markets globally and the downturn in traffic,” the company said in a statement.

Jet said it expects to cut more jobs. Its announcement follows a recent cost-cutting alliance with India’s second largest private airline, Kingfisher. However, the company clarified that its decision to lay off around 800 personnel was not as a result of its alliance with Kingfisher Airlines. “We wish to clarify that the reconsideration of our operations has been ongoing for some time now and this adjustment in personnel numbers did not result from the planned alliance with Kingfisher Airlines,” Jet Airways said.

As painful as it may be for every single person affected, this adjustment was inevitable in the greater interest of regaining viability of Jet Airways and to securing its economic health, the company added.

Pay Less and Experience the Business Class

In these days of no frill travelling, traveling in business class can be costly. While it’s just a matter of two additional inches of leg room and a meal in on smaller carriers, but on larger carriers, business class competes with first-class service for luxurious experiences. If you are flying economy, you can still get business-class-like experience with a little imagination and planning.

1. Check out the airport services like many airports now have the pay-per-visit “business class lounges” where you can rest up, work on the Internet, have a snack and feel as if you’ve paid for a full-fare business-class ticket.

2. Ask for upgrading the new sections between business and economy. These seats combine qualities of both at a cheaper price than regular business class.

3. Order vegetarian meals in advance. They are often served first and usually consist of fresher, healthier fare.

4. Pack your amenities kit like they offer in the business class. Bring eye shades, travel socks, an inflatable pillow, mints and a plastic bag containing a small bottle (3-oz.) of luxurious moisturizer, a mini toothbrush, three ounces of toothpaste and mouthwash.

5. Try to get seat in front of the plane. It’s a good place to be in case of razor-thin connection times.

6. Pack your non-liquid snacks for long lulls between meals. As many airlines don’t serve full breakfasts even on transatlantic flights-even on business class the breakfasts tend to be skimpy these days. So, packing your own supplements would be the best option.

7. Find a human to check in with, not a machine, and then ask for a bulk-head or an exit-row seat. You may not get one, but if you do, you’ll have a significant amount of bonus legroom. If none are available, ask for a row with an empty seat beside you.

8. Increasingly aware of baggage limitations, thefts and other potential problems, nowadays, many business travelers prefer to carry memory sticks instead of their bulky laptops. So, you can carry small portable entertainment system loaded with films.

Airline Shrinkage: Finding the Sweet Spot, a Biggest Challenge this Fall

With fewer options and less services, passengers may face some inconveniences this Fall.

Before heading for a vacation in fall, make sure that you get that sweet corner you are looking for. According to data compiled by OAGback Aviation Solutions, there has been an 8.1 percent drop in domestic seat capacity and an 8.9 percent decline in flights. Together these numbers represent the biggest contraction in the industry since 2001 and a potentially game-changing challenge to both the airlines and their passengers.

As far as airlines are concerned, it’s all about parking planes, cutting flights and slashing unprofitable routes in an effort to raise fares. But, are passengers willing to pay more for fewer services and greater inconvenience? “There are all these thousands of changes all over creation, but it’s not clear to the public what the changes are,” says industry consultant Bob Harrell. “People are used to choices — flights, timing, number of stops and they’re finding that those choices are no longer there.”

Earlier, due to intense competition many flights to vacation destinations used to keep their fares artificially low. Now, cuts are being implemented nationwide, as airlines trim service to small and medium markets. Like on September 2, ExpressJet will cease its branded operations altogether, eliminating service to Sacramento, San Antonio and 22 other cities. Other airlines are also implementing similar, albeit less extreme, cutbacks. By the end of the year, the Big Six legacy carriers will likely cut anywhere from 10 to 14 percent of available seats on domestic flights by the end of the year, and even Southwest and JetBlue have scaled back their expansion plans.

Now finding good deals and sweet spot between the supply of seats and the demand from those who’d fill them is more challenging than ever. “I’m not sure we’re out of the woods yet,” says Parsons, citing the possibilities of both more cutbacks and more deals. “Some destinations will have great airfares; some will have reasonable airfares; and some you’ll just want to avoid.”

American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia Ink Cooperation Deal

Today American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia have signed a joint business agreement on flights between North America and Europe and plan to expand their global cooperation.

This deal will benefit customers by providing easy, seamless and convenient travel to more global destinations with better connections, improved flight schedules and enhanced frequent flyer benefits. In addition, this will improve customer choice by enabling the oneworld global alliance, of which American, British Airways and Iberia are key members, to compete more effectively around the world with other global alliances.

Under the joint business agreement, the three airlines will cooperate commercially on flights between the United States, Mexico and Canada, and the European Union, Switzerland and Norway while continuing to operate as separate legal entities. They will expand their codeshare arrangements on flights within and beyond the EU and US, significantly increasing the number of destination choices that the airlines can offer customers.

Customers will also benefit from expanded opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and elite tier benefits on flights worldwide and continued reciprocal airport lounge access.

Gerard Arpey, the chairman and chief executive of AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines, said: “We believe our proposed cooperation is an important step towards ensuring that we can compete effectively with rival alliances and manage through the challenges of record fuel prices and growing economic concerns. In addition, we believe we will be more effective competitors with greater ability to invest in our products and services. As a result, this business agreement will create positive outcomes for our customers, shareholders, employees and the communities we serve.”

Willie Walsh, British Airways’ chief executive, said: “This strategic relationship strengthens competition by providing consumers with easier journeys to more destinations with better aligned schedules and frequencies. We are applying for EU US anti-trust immunity in a changed regulatory world where London Heathrow is open to any US or EU airline that wants to fly to the United States and where rival alliances have immunity.”

Fernando Conte, Iberia chairman and chief executive, said: “Customers will benefit the most from this relationship as they will have better connections to more destinations around the world. It will increase competition as the three global airline alliances will play under the same rules. We are taking a very important step towards consolidation which is necessary in today’s aviation industry.”

US Airways’ Fee for Bottled Water

Hit by high fuel prices and shrinking airline travel; on weekend US Airways announced a $2 surcharge for water and $1 for coffee aboard their flights, adding that only first class passengers on transatlantic flights could expect free water.

Further, passengers dismayed by US Airway’s fee for water may want to consider coffee or tea. US Airways will charge only $1 for those drinks, effective today, The Journal reported.

Stock analyst and frequent flyer C. Leonard Bauer said “The baggage fee was just a sneaky way to increase revenue, rather than do it directly through a fare increase,” Bauer said. “But charging for water? Coffee? Soda? It’s patently absurd and petty, and totally unbecoming the air travel industry in the United States. It’s another black mark for US Air, no question, and I can guarantee you they won’t get my business.” Bauer added that he does not have a rating on or own shares in any airline.

For now, other major carriers, such as American Airlines, Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines say they won’t charge for non-alcohol drinks, The Journal reported Friday.

Traveling with Pets

Air Travel with Pets

Everyone thinks of there pet as a family member and wants the best for them As much as we love our pets the airlines don’t consider them family members and place many restrictions on the transport of our dear lovable pets. Seasonal restrictions on carrying pets in the cargo area due to high heat or cold weather vary by destination and airlines. Size limits in the cabin, very specific types of pet carriers and limits on the number of pets traveling one each flight also applies. Many carriers restrict the breed of pet you may take. Such as restricting Pit bulls, large breeds or certain types of cats because of their breathing difficulties. Don’t be disappointed, call the airlines you’re interested in traveling on before you purchase your flights. As comforting as it might be while flying, your pet cannot purchase the seat next to you nor can they lie on your feet.

Baggage Fees Getting Out of Control

Gasoline prices are hitting an all time high, so even the smallest of airlines is looking at options to reduce cost. The obvious reaction is to start charging and restricting the number of bags you may check in and carry on. The airlines are changing and modifying their policies frequently, so Cheapoair.com recommends you call the individual airlines for details. An example is a major US carrier is now charging $15.00 for the first checked bag and $25.00 for the second bag. This is where all those packing tips you have ignored over the years come in handy. One suggestion is if you and your spouse are traveling together, put half of each clothes in each suitcase. This way if you one bag is lost you still have some clothes. Ladies, start really looking at whether you need to pack all those shoes you normally would. Consider purchasing all your toiletries in travel size once you arrive at your destination. They are affordable and you won’t have to carry the correct size plastic baggie through security. Remember bottom line is to check with each airline for baggage restrictions and costs.

Schedule Changes by the Airlines

Rising fuel costs and lower profit margin coupled with under utilized flights have been major cause of many Airlines making more and more Schedule changes to their existing Flights. Airlines and Travel Agency companies are making reasonable efforts to reach out to the passengers as per contact information available in PNR record to make them aware of schedule changes. It is also the responsibility of the passenger to check the itinerary and confirm with the Airlines prior to travel.

Airlines do not guarantee Flights departure and arrival times neither they are responsible for any miss-connection of Flights that may arise due to a schedule change.

Many Airlines offer refunds for their portion of Air tickets for a schedule change beyond 90 minutes in case schedule change is not accepted by the Traveler.

Using An “E-Ticket”? Remember Few Steps For Convenient Air Travel

Traveling with an Electronic ticket is the most convenient way to board a plane. No chance of losing or forgetting you paper tickets at home. Even with this convenient method there are still a few things to remember before heading out to the airport. Most critical is to call the airlines at least 24 hours prior to departure. Airlines are frequently changing their flight schedules at the last minute. If you are using an “E-ticket” remember to print a copy of your flight itinerary to take with you for check in. Some airlines allow you to print your boarding pass online 24 hours prior to your flight. Many carriers have convenient “kiosks”, if you have your printed itinerary you can input your confirmation code and print your boarding pass right then. This saves time and is available if you only have carry on luggage.

You must have your printed boarding passes to proceed through security and on to the gate. Above all take your valid government issued identification such as your driver’s license or passport for check in.