Frontier Airlines to add new fees

Fees, fees, and more fees! Frontier Airlines is at it again. In an effort to become an “ultra low cost carrier”, Frontier Airlines is set to introduce new fees yet again.

To kick things off, Frontier has announced that it will start charging customers who book their tickets through third-party sites a $25 to $100 fee for carry-on bags, excluding certain members of its frequent flier program. Yes, you read that correctly. This fee is for carry-on bags. This is an effort to get more people to check their bags to free up overhead space on their planes. The $25 price is for passengers who check into their flights on the airline website. For those who check in at the airport, the fee can be as high as $100. The start date for this carry-on fee has yet to be announced, but should be announced at some point this spring. If that wasn’t enough, Frontier has also announced it will start charging $1.99 for what was once known as a complimentary drink.

As miniscule as it may sound to charge $1.99 for a drink, it is frightening to see the trend of adding so many fees for basic services. Europe’s leading no-frills airline, Ryanair, has already brought up the idea of installing coin-operated toilets and standing seats. That is an extreme case, but it goes to show you the mind-set of the airlines and how they are trying to increase ancillary revenue through increased fees. Don’t be surprised to see other airlines study this move by Frontier and follow suit.

Vegas cabs overcharge passengers $15 million worth in 2012

According to a recent report in the Las Vegas Sun, taxi drivers in Las Vegas overcharged passengers to the tune of almost $15 million last year. A legislative audit discovered that of the 6.6 million rides to and from McCarran Airport, an estimated 23% were “deceptively long”. This deceptive tactic is said to increase the average cab fare by about $10.

The report calls on the Taxicab Authority to take “preventative measures” in order to protect travelers. According to the Las Vegas tourism website, the average taxi fare from the airport to a hotel on the Strip is $11. Anything substantially higher than that may mean you are being taken advantage of.

This is something to keep note of for your next trip to Sin City. Of course, this should not stop anyone from enjoying their trip in Vegas, but should serve as a warning to keep an eye out for it.

Furloughs cause delays at many major U.S. airports

This past Sunday marked the beginning of furloughs at U.S. airports. The furloughs will reduce staff by around 10% across the country. The FAA is warning that some airports may see delays of up to 3 1/2 hours due to these budget cuts. Monday already saw delays across the country, with New York’s La Guardia and JFK airports reporting delays of more than an hour.

The FAA has been mandated to furlough all of its 47,000 employees through the end of September, in order to help with the $637 million the agency must cut from its annual budget. Nearly 15,000 of those employees are air traffic controllers. With nearly 10% of the controllers scheduled to be off daily, the FAA has no choice but to space planes farther apart in order to safely manage air traffic. Transportation officials have questioned the need to furlough so many controllers, in contrast to the Transportation Security Administration avoiding furloughs.

If Monday’s pattern persists, fliers can expect delays at many of the major airports. The airlines are doing their best to adjust to these conditions in order to keep operations running safely and efficiently, but there is only so much they can do to limit the delays. It is difficult to judge the full impact of these furloughs, as there are other contributing factors for some delays, in particular the recent string of bad weather in some parts of the country. With that being said, it is safe to say that these cuts will have a profound effect on fliers from now until the end of September.

Australia opens its automated border processing system to U.S. Trusted Travelers

Been thinking about traveling to Australia? Visiting the land down under is now even easier for U.S. Trusted Travelers. In late 2012, Australian Customs and Border Protection opened up its automated border processing system, SmartGate, to U.S. Trusted Travelers.

What does that mean exactly for a U.S. Trusted Traveler? Well, it means that now when you arrive in Australia, you can bypass the passport processing lines and self process using an ePassport. SmartGate uses facial recognition technology and biometric data to perform the customs and immigration check usually conducted by an Australian Customs and Border Protection officer.

To use SmartGate, there is no additional enrollment required. You simply need to be traveling on a valid U.S. ePassport and be over 16 years old. SmartGate is open to all U.S. Trusted Traveler members enrolled in Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI.

For more information on SmartGate and booking your travel to Australia, contact the POTHOS travel team at: travel@pothos.us.

 

United Airlines drops 787 through June 5th

United Airlines has announced that it will cut the Boeing 787 Dreamliner from its flying plans at least until June 5^th. The 787 has been grounded since January 16^th, in an attempt to resolve the problem with the aircraft’s lithium-ion batteries.

In total, there are fifty 787’s throughout the world that have been grounded. More than a month later, investigators are still trying to figure out what caused a battery fire in one plane and forced the emergency landing of another plane. The out of service aircraft has forced airlines to scrap their schedules until Boeing can resolve the battery problem. United, for example, was due to begin flying from Denver to Tokyo on March 31^st but has had to postpone until the 787 is cleared to fly. Boeing has been working diligently on finding a solution to the problem. How soon Boeing can fix the problem depends partly on the approval process by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

Most of Boeing’s customers have remained optimistic that Boeing will be able to come up with a solution very soon. All Nippon Airways, which has 17 of Boeings’ 787’s, has stood by the Dreamliner. ANA remain confident in the aircraft and hope they will be able to reassure their customers once the 787 is cleared to fly.

Although many customers will undoubtedly have safety concerns about the aircraft, Boeing remains firm in their belief of the aircraft. Boeing CEO Ray Conner, reiterated his stance recently, proclaiming: "I just want to reiterate that the 787 is still the game-changing aircraft it is meant to be". He also added that the solution Boeing has proposed “is not an interim solution. This is a permanent solution”. Many airlines will be keeping their fingers crossed that these statements are true and that these planes can get back in the sky sooner than later.

Visa facilitation can create five million jobs in G20 economies

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), visa facilitation is central to stimulating economic growth and job creation through tourism. Preliminary findings show that 656 million tourists visited G20 countries in 2011, with 110 million of them needing a visa. Millions more were deterred from travelling due to the cost, waiting time, and difficulty of obtaining a visa.

Great strides have been made in the past decades to facilitate tourist travel, but there are still important areas of opportunity. There are many possibilities for maximizing use of information and communication technologies in improving visa procedures. Improving the delivery of information and instituting eVisa programs are more examples of measures that can be taken to create jobs and encourage tourist travel.

The UNWTO estimates that over 5 million jobs in the G20 economies could be created by facilitating visas for these tourists. An additional $206 billion in tourism receipts could be generated by 2015. Clearly, this presents a great opportunity that many are looking to capitalize on. One such person is UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, who had this to say: “Small steps towards visa facilitation can result in big economic benefits. By facilitating visas, the G20 countries stand to gain five million jobs at a time of rampant unemployment across the world. These are in addition to the hundreds of millions of direct and indirect jobs already being supported every day by the sector.”

This latest report has brought to light the extent of this opportunity that has presented itself. It is simply too big of an opportunity to be ignored any longer. It will be interesting to see if the Governments of G20 countries will look into enhancing visa facilitation in support of job creation. Let’s hope so.

February 7th is National Fettuccini Alfredo Day!

Today, on this glorious 7^th day of February, we commemorate the invention of the world famous Fettuccine Alfredo dish. I am willing to bet that most of you did not even know that we had a national Fettuccine Alfredo Day. But lo and behold, February 7^th of every year is deemed the day to celebrate this wonderful dish.

Italian restaurateur Alfredo di Lelio created Fettuccini Alfredo in 1914 to help his wife regain her appetite after the birth of their first son. Its popularity in the USA stems from Hollywood stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks returning to the States after dining at Di Lelio’s restaurant on their honeymoon. Upon their return, they spread the word like wildfire about this new incredible dish. Before we knew it, Fettuccini Alfredo became one of the most popular dishes in America and remains so to this day.

Celebrate the legacy of Alfredo di Lelio and his creation by heading to your favorite Italian restaurant tonight and enjoying this dish. Or even better, if you are feeling more adventurous, prepare your own version at home and enjoy with friends and family. With all your newly acquired knowledge about the dish, you will assuredly liven up the party with all these fun facts!

 

Here is a quick and easy recipe from Giada De Laurentiis:

 

 

Ingredients

• 18 ounces fresh fettuccine
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 cups grated Parmesan
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Drain.Stir 2 cups of the cream and the lemon juice in a heavy large skillet to blend. Add the butter and cook over medium heat just until the butter melts, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

 

Add the pasta and toss. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of cream, and Parmesan to the cream sauce in the skillet. Add the lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Toss the pasta mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.