A380 At JFK

There are now more than 30 A380s in service around the world, but it’s still a thrill to see one.

This one, in a photograph by my sister Maryanne Leblanc, is being unloaded at JFK simultaneously from two decks, using two jetways.

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Delta Adds Calendar Web Feature

I was looking for a better seat on my next Delta flight (no luck there) when I happened on a smart new feature on the airline’s Web site  – a link to add flight details to my electronic calendar with one click.

The feature works for Outlook, the Mac’s iCal and the Yahoo! and Gmail calendars.

I have to hand it to Delta, which has always been a leader in integrating its reservations system and its Web site.  A sweet little feature like that may not be enough to win my business on its own, but every little bit helps.

Delta Adds Flights From Bradley To Raleigh-Durham

Delta has announced that it will begin twice-daily flights Nov. 1 between Bradley and Raleigh-Durham, The Hartford Courant reports. Starting in October, Delta will start also flying once a week between  Bradley and Las Vegas and three times a day to Reagan National in Washington. Coincidentally, this news arrived just as I was booking my daughter on one of Delta’s last direct flights between Bradley and Los Angeles, which will drop off the schedule Sept. 26. Sadly, there will no longer be any transcontinental flights out of Bradley at all.

One-Day Sale At JetBlue

JetBlue is having a one-day sale on fares for Tuesdays and Wednesdays between Aug. 31 and Oct. 27.

The discounts are substantial, but availability is limited. For example, flights from Boston to Washington-Dulles are $39 each way, which comes out to $99 round-trip with taxes and fees. Fares from JFK to Aruba are $129 each way, which comes out to $347 with taxes and fees.

One day means buy those tickets today, Aug. 24, 2010, or forget about it.

JetBlue will start flying out of Bradley on Nov. 17, after this sale has expired.

Icelandair Launches Fare Sale

Icelandair has some falls sale fares from Boston, New York and Seattle kicking in to various European destinations. A round trip between Boston and London, for example, costs $626 with taxes and fees included. 

The fares are available from Boston for flights between Nov. 1 and  Dec. 10; New York , Nov. 15 to Dec 16 ; and Seattle,  Oct. 25 to Dec 16 .  Technically this is indeed a fall sale, but it seems more of a pre-winter sale to me.  Brrr.

The tickets must be booked by Aug. 26.  More details are available from airfarewatchdog.com and icelandair.com.

Could Passenger Rights Be Good Business?

It turns out that the airlines did not, as they claimed, have valid reasons for treating their customers like hostages.

The Department of Transportation reports that only three domestic flights were stranded for more than three hours on the tarmac last month — compared with 268 in July 2009. Last month was, not at all coincidentally, the first full month of new regulations that impose stiff fines on airlines that violate the three-hour limit.

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WineDiaper: Pamper Your Booze

It is well-known that in the spring of 2006 I pioneered the use of the vodka diaper for transporting alcoholic beverages in luggage.

Imagine my chagrin at finding that my idea has been adapted by the makers of the WineDiaper, which is said to “cradle your wine in a padded container” and is alleged to contain “absorbent material to quickly soak up any spills.”

My sister just used WineDiapers to transport two bottles of Georgian wine back to the United States, and I admit they arrived quite intact (and delicious).  And they looked considerably less bizarre than my Huggies-swaddled Russky Standart.

But seriously. Shouldn’t a purist use real diapers?

Delta Adds Flights From Bradley to Vegas, DC

After announcing that it will end nonstop flights from Bradley International Airport to Los Angeles (again), Delta has announced new nonstop flights to Las Vegas and to Reagan National in Washington, the Wilton Bulletin reports. The Las Vegas route, already served by Southwest, will be flown only on Saturdays. The Washington route, already served daily by US Airways, will be flown  three times a week. Oh, well.

Southwest Offers Fairness On Ticket Changes

I was reminded today of another reason to like Southwest Airlines: flexibility on changing reservations.

While most airlines charge a substantial penalty to switch flights, Southwest simply charges the difference in fare, if any. So when I had to change a reservation today for business reasons, the cost was just $84 — and that was only only because I changed my return from a Tuesday, when fares are lower, to a Saturday, when they tend to be higher. Had I changed it from Tuesday to Wednesday, there would have been no charge at all.

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Unbundling And Fees Explained

Airlines generally promote the “unbundling” of airfares as a means of giving consumers more choices on an a la carte menu of options, but it is really a euphemism for imposing fees for things that used to be included in the base fare. Joe Brancatelli exposes some other issues this practice has kicked up, including the difficulty it causes consumers in comparing fares and the cover it gives airlines to dodge taxes. Read about it in his illuminating Portfolio column.