A few holiday angst travel avoidance reminders…
With the legacy carriers all booked to the brim during the upcoming holiday peak travel period, here are a few last minute tips that may keep you from experiencing a ruined Christmas trip.
First off, bear in mind that the carriers have reduced their capacity on practically all routes—yet are experiencing more demand than ever.
What that means for you?
Many prime time flights are overbooked, so if you arrive to the check-in counter late there’s an even greater chance of being bumped—whether you’re holding a confirmation or not!
And since the next flights to that same destination are probably fully booked as well, good luck getting a seat even later that same day.
RULE NO. 1: GET TO THE AIRPORT EARLY!
If your carry-on luggage consists of Christmas gifts, DON’T wrap them until you get to your destination because there’s a better than good chance TSA will make you unwrap the packages. So you’re best off to pack any wrapped gifts in your CHECKED luggage.
But…..
When you check your bags, make sure that they don’t weigh more than 50 pounds.
Depending on the poundage, USAirways, American, Delta and United will charge you anywhere from $100 to $200 for EACH overweight checked bag!
Southwest charges $75 for overweight checked bags.
And ABOUT those bag fees you’ll experience with the legacy carriers, they’re all $25 (in each direction) for the first bag and $35 for the second.
Bags still fly free at Southwest.
Finally if planning to take your dog or cat along, the in-cabin transport cost has gone up.
A pet in the main cabin will set you back $125 each way with the legacy carriers and your kennel must fit under the seat.
(Southwest still only charges $75 for the pet but is increasing the fee to $95 beginning January 15.)
Come to think of it, with cheap gas, you may be better off making a road trip.
Very essential.
hey hearne…the comment about obese people having to buy two tickets
is a rel story…why don’t you print it….its somwthing everyone talks about
and its true….
That’s it? Get to the airport early and don’t pring pets? Bloody useless, more like.
However, if you want to surprise you child by having his birthday in a special
place, then look for the right party venue. Talking about the food
and beverages, the birthday cake can be baked in the shape
of a huge cupcake and you can added colorful icing or
sprinkles on top of it. You will first need to
make sure that everyone knows about your swishing party and
what is involved by sending out invitations or
advertising if it is a larger scale event.