Smart travel for road warriors

With the economy on the uptick, businesses are re-strategizing and that means more meetings. It’s likely that more business professionals will be packing their bags and hitting the road this year than last.
In a recent U.S. Travel Association Study, researchers found that more than 75 percent of customers prefer in-person meetings, and an overwhelming majority [...]

Detroit tops airport satisfaction study

Many air travelers know: Getting through the airport can make flying look easy.
Whether it’s hunting for a parking space, waiting in line to check bags, making it through security, finding your gate and scrounging for a decent meal — the mad scramble to finally buckle in can be as exhausting as spending your flight confined [...]

Cash back may be better than miles programs

Now that many U.S.-based airlines are charging co-pay fees for upgrading from economy class to business or first, and considering some of the other fees you’ll now pay to use your frequent flyer miles, Airfarewatchdog suggests you think twice if you’re collecting most of your miles with a credit card.
Sure, the bonus miles you can [...]

The sky’s not the limit: options for flier miles

Airlines have been tinkering with their frequent flier programs to spur loyalty. Increasingly they’re giving customers the option to buy more than plane tickets with their rewards, and that may offer more bang for your buck.
AirTran, Delta and United are among carriers that allow their frequent fliers to use their credits or miles to pay [...]

Ryanair to slash Dublin flights, blasts high costs

Ryanair, Ireland’s major airline, announced Thursday it will slash its Dublin flights by 19 percent this summer and cut 150 jobs in protest at airport fees and an Irish government passenger tax.
Chief Executive Michael O’Leary blamed government-regulated charges, rather than Ireland’s recession, for a rapid fall over the past year in Irish traffic. The Dublin [...]

American Airlines parent posts loss on weak demand

American Airlines parent AMR Corp (AMR.N) posted a quarterly loss on Wednesday, capping a year of economic turmoil and weak travel demand that battered the industry.
But revenue declines were less severe than some analysts had expected, and the company’s shares inched up more than 1 percent.
“The smaller declines in both revenue and (traffic) suggest that [...]

New restrictions add to air-travel headaches

New security restrictions swiftly implemented following a botched attempt to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day are making air travel more burdensome and could discourage some business fliers, key customers for the airlines.
Passengers will likely face longer lines at checkpoints and less freedom to move around the airplane during flight. Leisure travelers, such as [...]