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From:
[email protected] (Mark Kantrowitz)
Newsgroups: rec.travel.air,rec.travel.marketplace,news.answers,rec.answers
Subject: FAQ: Air Traveler's Handbook 4/4 [Monthly posting]
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Date: 13 Aug 1997 07:56:28 GMT
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Summary: Tips about traveling by air, with an emphasis on saving money
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;;; ****************************************************************
;;; Airfare FAQ, Part 4 ********************************************
;;; ****************************************************************
;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz
This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The
focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are
also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to
Get Cheap Airtickets".
Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms
and other information to
[email protected].
*** Copyright:
Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved.
This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without
modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed. It
may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents
(e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines,
or other print form) without the prior written permission of the
copyright holder. Permission is expressly granted for this document
to be made available for file transfer from installations offering
unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet.
This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty.
*** Topics Covered:
Part 4 (Appendices, Miscellaneous):
Appendices:
[4-1] Airline Reservation Phone Numbers
[4-2] Flight Information
[4-3] On-line reservation services
[4-4] Complaints and Compliments
[4-5] Glossary
[4-6] Other Sources of Information
[4-7] Further Reading
[4-8] Phone Numbers Included in this FAQ
Miscellaneous:
[4-9] IRS Rules Change
[4-10] Airline Antitrust Litigation
[4-11] Miscellaneous Notes
[4-12] World-Wide Web (WWW) Resources
Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [4-1] Airline Reservation Phone Numbers
If the toll free number is incorrect, do me a favor and call
1-800-555-1212 to get the correct 800 number, and send me email with
the correction. Three or four of these numbers change every year. Note
that toll free numbers are valid only within the USA (sometimes in Canada).
Alaska Airlines 1-800-426-0333, 1-800-654-5669
Alaska Airlines 1-602-921-3100
American 1-800-223-5436 (Main)
American 1-800-433-7300 (Dom)
American 1-800-624-6262 (Itl)
American 1-817-267-1151
America West 1-800-235-9292
America West 1-602-693-0737
Continental 1-800-525-0280 (Dom)
Continental 1-800-231-0856 (Itl)
Continental 1-404-436-3300
Continental 1-800-343-9195, 1-800-421-2456
Continental 1-800-784-4444, 1-800-634-5555
Continental Express 1-207-941-6565
Delta 1-800-221-1212 (Dom)
Delta 1-800-241-4141 (Itl)
Delta 1-404-765-5000
Northwest 1-800-225-2525 (Dom)
Northwest 1-800-447-4747 (Itl)
Northwest 1-800-692-2345 (Asian Language)
Northwest 1-800-345-7458 (French Language)
Northwest 1-800-345-7414 (German Language)
Northwest 1-800-345-7411 (Spanish Language)
Northwest 1-800-328-2298 (TDD/TT Number)
Northwest 1-800-692-2746 (Cargo)
Northwest 1-800-638-7337 (VIP Same-Day Package Service)
Northwest 1-612-726-1234
Northwest 1-800-692-8687
Southwest 1-800-IFLY-SWA, (1-800-435-9792)
Southwest 1-800-531-5601, 214-263-1717
Southwest 1-800-533-1305 (TDD)
TWA 1-800-221-2000 (Dom)
TWA 1-800-892-4141 (Itl)
TWA 1-404-522-5738
United 1-800-241-6522 (Dom)
United 1-800-538-2929 (Itl)
United 1-312-825-2525
USAir 1-800-428-4322 (Dom)
USAir 1-800-622-1015 (Itl)
USAir 1-800-943-5436
USAir 1-412-922-7500
Hawaiian Airlines 1-800-367-5320, 1-800-367-7637
Air Midwest 1-913-537-1305
Air Nevada 1-702-736-8900, 1-800-634-6377
Air Wisconsin 1-414-739-5123
Alaska Island Air 1-907-772-4222
Aloha Airlines 1-800-367-5250, 1-800-227-4900, 1-800-803-9454
Aloha Airlines (TDD) 1-800-554-4833
Aloha Island Air 1-800-828-0806
American Trans Air 1-800-225-2995
American Trans Air 1-800-382-5892
Carnival Airlines 1-800-8-AIR-FUN
Carnival Airlines 1-800-437-2110
Chicago Express 1-800-264-3929
Kiwi International 1-800-538-5494
Kiwi International 1-908-353-3232
Midway Airlines 1-800-446-4392
Midway Airlines 1-800-621-5700
Reno Air 1-800-736-6247
Tower Air 1-800-221-2500
Tower Air 1-800-452-5531
Tower Air 1-800-34-TOWER (1-800-348-6937)
ValuJet 1-404-994-8258
ValuJet 1-800-825-8538
ALM Antillean Airline 1-800-327-7230, 1-800-327-7197, 1-800-531-4854
Aer Lingus 1-800-223-6537
Aero California 1-800-237-6225 Reservations
Aero California 1-800-524-9191 Packages
Aero Cancun 1-305-526-5341
Aero Costa Rica 1-800-237-6274
AeroMexico 1-800-237-6639
Aeroflot 1-800-995-5555
Aerolineas Argentinas 1-800-333-0276
Aeromar 1-800-950-0747
Aeroperu 1-800-327-7080/255-7378
Air Afrique (New York) 1-800-456-9192
Air Aliance 1-800-869-9000
Air Alma 1-800-463-9660
Air Antillean 1-800-327-7230
Air Aruba (Miami) 1-800-882-7822
Air Aruba (Miami) 1-800-858-8028
Air Aruba (Miami) 1-800-858-8038
Air Canada 1-800-776-3000
Air China 1-212-371-9898
Air Europa 1-212-888-7010
Air France 1-800-237-2747
Air France 1-800-237-2746
Air France 1-800-321-4538
Air Gaudeloupe 1-800-522-3394
Air India 1-800-223-2250
Air India 1-800-223-7776
Air India 1-800-255-3191 (Economy)
Air India 1-800-221-6000 (Cargo)
Air Italia 88-228-5730
Air Jamaica 1-800-523-5585
Air Lanka 1-800-421-9898
Air Margarita 1-800-326-0339
Air Mauritius 1-800-537-1182
Air Metro 1-800-871-1000
Air New Zealand 1-800-262-1234
Air New Zealand 1-800-262-2468
Air Niugini 1-714-752-5440
Air North America 1-838-792-4982
Air Pacific 1-800-417-2236, 1-800-227-4446
Air Panama 1-800-272-6262
Air Paraquay 1-800-677-7771
Air Peru 1-800-777-7717
Air Posta 1-305-871-3360
Air Trails 1-408-757-5144
Air UK 1-201-890-1796
Air Vantage 1-800-279-9383
Airianka 1-800-421-9898
Airways International 1-305-876-0170
Alitalia 1-800-223-5730
All Nippon Airways 1-800-235-9262, 1-800-262-9266
Aspen Airways 1-303-320-4747
Austral Airlines 1-305-823-4368
Austrian Air 1-800-843-0002
Avensa-Venezuelan 1-800-283-6727
Avianca 1-800-284-2622
Aviateca Guatemala 1-800-327-9832, 1-800-453-4703, 1-800-535-4148
B A S Airlines 1-800-245-3248
BWIA International 1-800-327-7401, 1-800-327-0204
Bahamas Air 1-800-222-4262
Balair 1-800-322-5247
Bangladesh Biman 1-212-967-7930
Bankair Commuter 1-800-922-7814
Bar Harbor 1-207-941-6565
Bemidji Airlines 1-281-751-1880, 1-800-332-7133
Big Sky Northwest 1-406-245-9449
Branson Airlines 1-800-422-4AIR
British Airways 1-800-247-9297, [1-800-AIR-WAYS]
British Midland 1-800-247-9297
Buffalo Airways 1-817-752-6855
Bush Air 1-907-543-2424
Business Express 1-203-623-5168
Canadian Air 1-800-426-7000
Casino Express 1-702-738-6040
Cathay Pacific 1-415-982-3242, 1-800-233-2742
Cathay Pacific Airways 1-800-233-2742
Cayman Airways 1-800-422-9626, 1-800-441-3003
Cayman Airways 1-800-343-6565 (Group Desk)
China Airlines 1-800-227-5118
China Airlines 1-800-624-2245 (Cargo JFK)
China Estrn Airlines 1-213-384-2703
Copa 1-800-FLY-COPA (1-800-359-2672)
Dominicana 1-800-635-3560
Dominicana Airlines 1-800-327-7240
Eastern Express 1-207-941-6565
Ecuatoriana 1-800-328-2367
Egyptair 1-800-334-6787
El Al Israel Airlines 1-800-223-6700
Emirates 1-800-777-3999
Ethiopian 1-212-867-0095
Faucett Peru 1-800-334-3356
Finn Air 1-800-950-5000
Finnair 1-800-950-5000
Garuda Indonesia 1-800-342-7832
Gulf Air 1-800-438-4853
Iberia 1-800-772-4642
Icelandair 1-800-223-5500
Japan Air Lines 1-800-525-3663
Jet South 1-800-JET-SOUTH
KLM 1-800-374-7747
KLM 1-800-777-5553
KLM 1-800-556-9000 (Cargo)
Kenya Airways 1-212-832-8810, 1-800-343-2506
Korean Air 1-800-421-8200
Korean Air 1-800-438-5000
Kuwait 1-800-4-KUWAIT (1-800-458-9248)
LACSA 1-800-225-2272
LOT Polish 1-800-223-0593
LTU Int Airways 1-800-888-0200
Ladeco 1-800-825-2332, 1-800-432-2799
Lan Chili 1-800-735-5526
Lloyd Aero Bollviano 1-305-374-4600
Lloyd Aero Bollviano 1-800-327-1502 (Cargo)
Lufthansa 1-800-645-3880, 1-800-581-6400
MGM Grand Air 1-800-933-2646
Malaysia Airlines 1-800-421-8641 (Reservations)
Malaysia Airlines 1-800-648-3273 (Rate Desk)
Malev Hungarian 1-212-757-6480
Malev Hungarian 1-800-223-6884, 1-800-262-5380
Martinair Holland 1-800-366-4655
Mexicana 1-800-531-7921
Middle East 1-800-664-7310
Midwest Express 1-414-747-4769
Midwest Express Airlines 1-800-452-2022, 1-800-334-1149
Morris Air 1-801-483-6464
Nigeria 1-212-935-2700
Olympic Airways 1-800-223-1226
Pacific Coast Air 1-800-426-5400
Philippine Airlines 1-800-435-9725, (1-800-IFLY-PAL)
Polish Air-Lot 1-800-223-0593
Polynesian 1-800-592-7100
Private Jet 1-800-546-7571
Qantas Airways 1-800-227-4500
Royal Air Maroc 1-212-750-6071, 1-800-344-6726
Royal Jordanian 1-800-223-0470
Royal Tonga 1-800-486-6426
SAS Scandinavian Air 1-800-221-2350, 1-800-225-5727, 1-800-742-0727
SKY BUS 1-800-755-9287
Sabena 1-800-955-2000
Sabena World 1-800-950-1000
Saudia Arabian Airlines 1-800-472-8342, 1-800-457-8329
Silk Air 1-800-745-5247
Singapore Airlines 1-800-742-3333
South African 1-800-722-9675
Swissair 1-800-221-4750, 1-800-221-6644
TAP Air Portugal 1-800-221-7370
Taca 1-800-535-8780
Taca 1-800-672-8321 (Cargo)
Tan Sasha Honduras 1-800-327-1225
Thai Airways 1-800-426-5204
Varig Brazilian Airlines 1-800-468-2744, 1-800-262-1706, 1-800-252-0403
Varig Brazilian Airlines 1-800-327-2392, 1-800-327-2604 (Cargo)
Viasa Venezuelan Itl Airways 1-800-468-4272, 1-800-221-6112
Viasa Venezuelan Itl Airways 1-800-327-4470, 1-800-445-5598
Virgin Atlantic 1-800-862-8621
YTA Freniva 1-800-382-4484
Yugoslav 1-800-752-6528
Zambia Airways 1-800-223-1136
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [4-2] Flight Information
OAG FlightCall 900-786-8686 ($.95/min)
Flight arrival/departure/gate information for 17 US airports
USAir Flight Info 800-943-5436
Arrival/departure/gate information for all USAir flights
American Airlines 800-223-5436
Arrival/departure/gate/schedules/fare information for all American
Airlines flights. Good explanation of why flight is delay. Even
tells you what the lowest possible price is.
Northwest Airlines 800-441-1818/800-225-2525
Arrival/departure information for all NW flights.
Delta Airlines 800-DAL-1999
Arrival/departure information for all Delta flights.
United 800-824-6200
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [4-3] On-line reservation services
Note: NONE of the on-line airline reservation systems provide free
access, and it is unlikely that they ever will. However PCTravel
provides online access to the Apollo CRS (see [4-12] below for details).
On-line airline reservation systems typically allow you to check fares
and schedules and make reservations on most airlines. You can also
pay for the tickets, which can then be sent by mail, or issued at the
airline's airport ticket counter or city ticket office, or by most
travel agents. Some allow you to maintain an online profile of
information to be inserted into your reservations, such as frequent
flyer number and special meal requests. These systems provide the same
basic scheduling and pricing data as the ones used by travel agents,
but with a different user interface, and restricted access to some
information.
The major airline reservation systems with online interfaces are Eaasy
Sabre (owned by the parent company of American Airlines),
Travelshopper (owned by Worldspan, formerly known as PARS), and
Official Airline Guide.
Don't assume that on-line reservation systems are necessarily
complete. In today's electronic age, all too often folks assume that
if information isn't available in electronic form, it doesn't exist at
all. A good travel agent will often be able to find you a cheaper fare
than you can find for yourself, especially for complicated
itineraries (e.g., unpublished consolidator fares). If you like using
an on-line reservation system, use it to identify possible flights and
times, and to get a feeling for the lowest fare, and then talk to your
travel agent. Be as flexible with your travel agent and you were with
the on-line system -- tell them how much you're willing to modify your
travel plans. But don't just give them the flights you found in your
on-line searches; take advantage of their expertise, and ask them if
they can find anything cheaper.
Eaasy Sabre can be accessed as a basic service (no additional fee)
from the following online services:
America Online ($9.95/month; two hours "free" access included.)
Compu$erve (1-800-848-8199; part of basic service, $8.95/month);
use the terminal interface version rather than the Compuserve
Information Manager (CIM).
Delphi ($10/month for four hours, or $20 for twenty hours)
National Videotex ($5.95/month)
Prodigy (1-800-822-6922)
Prodigy replaces the Eaasy Sabre interface with their own user interface.
GENIE provides Eaasy Sabre for free (other than the $4.95/month basic
service fee), assuming you use it during their off-peak hours, which
are 6pm-8am weekdays, all day holidays and weekends. Delphi has an
internet gateway (delphi.com), but one must still pay for the service.
PARS TravelShopper is available on Compu$erve and Delphi.
Official Airline Guide (OAG) Electronic Edition is available on
Compu$erve, Delphi, direct TYMNET (with credit card billing), GEnie
(for a surcharge), Dow Jones News Retrieval, and National VideoTex
(Premium Plus Service; $12/hour charge plus Premium surcharge of $6/hr
non-business, $9/hour business hours). It is also available on the
Internet (telnet to oag.com), but you have to subscribe first to get a
login userid. (For subscription information, press return when asked
for the member number.) The charges for the Internet service are $25
base, plus $0.47/minute peak, $0.17/minute offpeak for access, with
the first 15 days free. Call 1-800-323-4000 for a starter kit.
OAG is also accessible via Sprintnet from the hermes.merit.edu
gateway, but charges by the minute (17 cents/minute offpeak). It can
be fairly expensive, but since it has no monthly minimum, it can be
the cheapest for infrequent users. Also, if the last thing you do
before logging off is make or cancel a reservation, the session is
free.
None of these save you the commission charges, so it doesn't save you
much over calling the airline's 800 number or using a travel agent and
asking lots of "what-if" questions.
All providers of computer reservation systems are required to be
non-biased (e.g., even though Eaasy Sabre is owned by American
Airline's parent company, they don't preferentially list American
first). Some accomplish this by listing the flights in a particular
order, like
shortest non-stop flights
shortest flights with transit point(s)
shortest aggregate times for one-city connections
shortest aggregate times for multi-city connections.
but in random order within each category. Travel agents can, of
course, restrict the display to the flights of specific carrier(s).
The major computer reservation systems (CRS) are: Apollo (United,
USAir), EAASY SABRE (American), System One (Continental),
Worldspan-PARS (Northwest, TWA), and Worldspan-DATAS II (Delta). Each
carrier also has its own internal reservation system. All of the major
CRS's are interconnected, so you can make a reservation for one
airline on a system owned by a different carrier. However, in some
cases the connections are by TTS (yikes!), so it can take up to 24
hours to actually confirm the reservation. Some of the systems have
faster links (e.g., EAASY SABRE has fast links with United, Delta, and
Continental). When the reservation is complete, you'll get a record
locator number (6 alphanumeric characters). This number can allow a
travel agent to locate the reservation. (In general, even when placing
a reservation with a travel agent, it's a good idea to ask for and
record the record locator number.)
OAG sells subscriptions to "OAG Flightdisk", a flight schedule
information program that is updated monthly. It contains the same
flight information as the airline reservation systems. (Of course, you
can't make reservations with it, but this might be a cheaper
alternative than the online services for some people.) The cost is
$216 for the North American Edition (US, Canada, Mexico, and the
Caribbean), $216 for the European Edition (Europe, Africa, and the
Middle East), or $269 for the Worldwide Edition. It comes in DOS,
Windows, and Macintosh versions. For more information, write to
Official Airline Guides, 2000 Clearwater Drive, Oak Brook, IL 60521,
call 1-800-323-3537, or fax 708-574-6565. (Prices valid until
4/15/94.) OAG also sells (printed) subscriptions to OAG Pocket Flight
Guide for $70 a year (normally $87); it comes with a free subscription
to Frequent Flyer Magazine and a copy of the OAG Top Restaurant Guide.
Call 1-800-DIAL-OAG (1-800-342-5624) and mention special offer 2AZV6
to subscribe or for more information. (Offer valid through 3/31/94.)
For US domestic flight information and pricing, such services are
supposed to be as accurate as the information available to travel
agents and the airlines themselves. The same may not necessarily be
true for flights originating outside the US. Note, also, that
consolidator fares are NOT listed in online services, nor in the
databases used by airlines and travel agents. Consolidator fares are
obtained by calling up the consolidators themselves.
When making a reservation through an online CRS, it is best to also
do the ticketing through that CRS. Some CRS, like SABRE, will
automatically cancel the reservations if they aren't ticketed through
SABRE by some time limit. If the cancelation message isn't ignored by
the airline's computer, your reservations could wind up being
canceled, even if you've already purchase the tickets, leaving you
with a mess to straighten out.
More information on online CRS's can be found in John Levine's FAQ on
the topic, a copy of which may be found in
ftp.cs.cmu.edu:/user/mkant/Travel/
as the file online.faq.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [4-4] Complaints and Compliments
If you have a legitimate complaint about service, write a
well-written letter to the appropriate people at the airline. This can
often result in real results. But don't become a habitual complainer.
Many airline customer service departments keep records of all
complaints and compliments. If you complain too often, you'll get
tagged as a flamer, and they'll ignore future complaints. If you are a
frequent flyer and don't complain often, complaints can end up in
travel discount compensation.
Airlines do keep track of who complains and how frequently, so if you
complain too often about trivial matters, your complaints won't have
the same effect as they would if you complained about only important
problems. Keep track of the names of all airline personnel you deal
with, and be as specific as possible about dates, times, places, and
flight numbers in your letter. Enclose copies of any receipts for
expenses incurred because of missed/delayed flights.
When writing a complaint letter, tell the airline what it can do to make
you happy. If you're realistic and reasonable, giving them some
leeway, your complaints will be addressed much more quickly. Venting
anger in a complaint letter won't get you results. Remember, the
people reading your letter aren't the cause of the problem, and they
have to read thousands of angry letters. They're human beings, with
feelings. So if they get a nice, calm letter, that describes the
problem, suggests a solution, and says what you want to make you
happy, they are much more likely to respond positively.
If you're complaining on the spot (e.g., they lost your reservation)
and feel you're not making headway with the agent/clerk you're talking
to, try asking to speak to a supervisor or manager. Sometimes clerks
don't have the authority to address the problem. The more flexible you
are, the more likely they are to come up with a solution that
satisfies you. Losing your temper and getting loud and obnoxious won't
help. Remember, the person you're talking to probably wasn't
responsible for the problem, so yelling at them hurts them without
being productive. Keep the conversation at a calm and professional level.
(Breaking down into tears will get you a lot further than any quantity
of angry words. Why in doubt, start crying.) If you're making no
progress, try calling your travel agent collect and telling them about
the problem.
If the person you're talking to doesn't seem willing or able to help,
try talking to someone else. Different employees tend to give
different answers to the same questions. The person you're talking to
may not know the answer to your question, or may not have the
knowledge and/or authority to deal with the problem properly. Try
asking for that person's supervisor.
Whatever you do, please don't complain about something minor or make
meaningless threats. Saying "I'm going to tell all my friends to stop
using your airline" or "I'll make a post on netnews, nyeah, nyeah,
nyeah, nyeah" really won't accomplish anything, unless you happen to
be the CEO of a large multinational firm.
The Department of Transportation accepts consumer complaints
about airlines and records, compiles, and publishes statistics on
airline performance. The statistics are available in a monthly Air
Travel Consumer Report. For a free copy, write to the Office of
Consumer Affairs, US Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, NW,
Room 10405, Washington, DC 20590. 202-366-2220. The statistics vary a
lot from month to month. They receive 400-500 complaints a month from
consumers. Here are statistics for 1993:
On-time (within 15 minutes of schedule):
Best -- Southwest 88.0%
Northwest 85.7%
America West 79.9%
American 79.3%
TWA 77.9%
Delta 77.2%
USAir 76.7%
Continental 74.6%
United 73.7%
Worst -- Alaska 68.5%
Avg -- 83%
Overbooking:
Best -- American 89 involuntary bumps/19 million passengers
Worst -- America West 1,805/3.7 million
Mishandled baggage:
Best -- Southwest
Worst -- America West
Complaints per 100,000 fliers:
Best -- Southwest 0.10
America West 0.48
Delta 0.50
Northwest 0.55
USAir 0.58
United 0.67
American 0.88
Continental 1.28
Worst -- TWA 1.45
On average, airlines mishandle 4.75 bags per 1,000 passengers. An
on-time flight is one that arrives within 15 minutes of the scheduled
arrival time. Some airlines list longer flight times or connection
times to improve their standings in the DOT statistics, so take these
numbers with a grain of salt.
Current DOT rules exempt flights delayed by mechanical problems from
being counted as late. As of January 1, 1995, the exemption will be
eliminated.
According to a recent survey by JD Powers & Associates, for long
trips, customer satisfaction was highest on Delta, Continental, and
Northwest, and for short trips, customer satisfaction was highest on
Delta, Southwest, and Alaska.
Customer Relations Departments of various airlines:
Aloha Airlines Inc., Customer Relations, PO Box 30028, Honolulu, HI 96820.
Alaska Airlines, Consumer Affairs, PO Box 68900, Seattle, WA 98168.
American Airlines, 1-800-967-2000
America West Airlines, Consumer Affairs, 222 South Mill Ave., Tempe,
AZ 85281, 1-800-247-5692.
Continental Airlines, Customer Relations, PO Box 4607, Houston, TX
77210-4607, 712-987-6500.
Delta Air Lines Inc., Consumer Affairs, Hartsfield Atlanta Int Airport,
Atlanta, GA 30320, 404-765-2600.
Hawaiian Airlines, Consumer Affairs, Honolulu Intl Airport, PO Box 30008,
Honolulu, HI 96820-0008.
Northwest Airlines, Consumer Affairs, Minneapolis/St. Paul Intl Airport,
St. Paul, MN 55111, 612-726-2046.
Southwest Airlines Co., Customer Relations, PO Box 37611, Love Field,
Dallas, TX 75235-1625, 214-904-4000.
Trans World Airlines Inc., Customer Relations, 605 Third Ave., New
York, 10158, 914-242-3172.
United Airlines, Customer Relations, PO Box 66100, Chicago, IL 60666,
312-952-7843.
USAir, Consumer Relations, Washington National Airport, Washington, DC
20001, 703-892-7020.
Federal Aviation Administration/US DOT, 202-366-2220.
American Society of Travel Agents, Consumer Affairs Dept., 703-739-2782.
If you encounter problems as a result of buying tickets from a
fly-by-night organization (pun intended), contact the Better Business
Bureau, the state office of consumer protection, and/or the state
attorney general's office. You can protect yourself by using a credit
card to purchase the tickets and by confirming your reservation
directly with the airline.
If you ask the flight attendant for a comment card, they'll provide
one. (Most of the comment cards use business reply mail, so you don't
even have to pay for the stamp. But there isn't much space on the
cards, so you may be better off writing a letter and paying the
postage yourself.)
If you have a legitimate complaint that isn't being addressed (not
just a consumer out to see how much you can get out of the airline)
and you have tried all of the avenues discussed above, send a letter
to the airline by certified mail, return receipt requested. In this
letter begin with a summary of the problem you encountered, the steps
you took to try to seek compensation, the kind of compensation your
were seeking, and the airline's response so far. Do not get into a
long-winded story, and stick to the facts -- if your letter is longer
than a page or so, it's too long. Be as businesslike as possible in
this letter. (You should enclose with the letter photocopies of all
your correspondence with the airline, and a copy of your long-winded
detailed description of the events that transpired.) State that this
is your final attempt to resolve the matter directly with the airline.
Ask for a response by a given date, not earlier than one month in the
future. This will make it clear that you are serious in pursuing your
complaint. If you don't get a response, take the whole kit and
kaboodle to your lawyer, and feed the vultures.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [4-5] Glossary
Fly-by-wire aircraft
Fly-by-wire aircraft use a computerized control system that decides
how to best control surface movements, engine fuel-flow rates, and so
on. There is no direct connection between the pilot and the flight
control surfaces in this kind of setup. Instead, the pilot gives
instructions to the computer which interprets them, hopefully
correctly. The computer is able to update the settings hundreds of
times per second, something human pilots can't do, and in theory
results in a more efficient, smoother, and safer flight. Some more
recent planes are even able to land themselves. The controversy with
such planes concerns their failure modes. If the computer conks out
for some reason, it may not be possible for the pilot to dead-stick
the plane in for a landing, since some of the more efficient control
surfaces must have their parameters updated very frequently to remain
airborn. Also, some early fly-by-wire planes may have had programming bugs
that caused unexpected behavior. Finally, the Airbus A320, a
fly-by-wire aircraft, has been perceived as accident-prone,
allegedly because of the fly-by-wire system, though this has never
been proven. Currently the only fly-by-wire commercial airplanes
are the Airbus A320 and A340, with the A319, A321, A330, the Boeing
777 and the Tupolev TU204 entering production shortly. Many
military aircraft have been fly-by-wire for years. (For further
discussion of fly-by-wire aircraft, see the extensive RISK archives on
this topic.)
"Glass-cockpit" aircraft
Such aircraft are not fly-by-wire. They display several flight
instruments on a CRT screen in the cockpit, and have an integrated
flight management system (sophisticated autopilots) but still have a
direct connection between the cockpit control column and the control
surfaces. The MD-11 and some MD-80s are examples of glass-cockpit
planes that aren't fly-by-wire.
Overbooking
The airline practice of selling more tickets than there are seats
on the aircraft. Airlines like to fly full flights, the fuller the
better. Since on any given flight there are likely to be one or two
no-shows, the airlines tend to oversell the flight to compensate.
If more people show up than there are seats, the airline will first
ask for passengers to voluntarily give up their seats in exchange
for an incentive of the airline's choosing (e.g., typically a free
round trip ticket), and then if there aren't enough volunteers, the
airline will involuntarily bump some of the passengers. DOT rules
specify how the airlines must compensate involuntarily bumped passengers.
Blackout
Days during which a special fare does not apply. Usually days with
heavy traffic, such as the day right before a holiday.
DOT
US Department of Transportation
Codes
Every scheduled airline has a two character code, and most also
have a three-character code. For example, United Airlines is UA,
USAir is US, and Southwest is WN. Most charter airlines have two-
character codes, and some have three-character codes. Some airlines
share their two-character codes, and some airlines have more than one code.
Airports have three-character designations, with BOS for Boston, PIT for
Pittsburgh, and EWR for Newark, among others.
Code-sharing
Some airlines have "code-sharing" agreements with other airlines,
in which each airline may list flights on the other airline
under their own "code". Thus, when consumers purchase tickets from
an airline, the actual flight (or some segments of the flight) may
be on an entirely different carrier. These agreements typically
arise as special arrangements linking the routes of a US airline
with a foreign carrier. For example, United Airlines and Lufthansa,
USAir and British Airways, American Airlines and South Africa
Airways, etc. Travel on code-share flights is eligible for frequent
flyer miles on either airline.
ARC
Airline Reporting Company. A travel agency must be ARC approved
before it can issue tickets. When a customer pays a travel agent
for tickets, the travel agent sends the money to the ARC, which
acts as a clearinghouse for the airlines.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [4-6] Other Sources of Information
The best source of information is the US Department of
Transportation. All carriers must file their fares with them for
tariff purposes.
A variety of companies publish rate guides based on the US
Department of Transportation files. The subscription prices are a bit
steep, but your library may have some.
The Travelers' Tales Travel Resource Center provides travelers with
current information on international news, weather, discounted air
tickets, access to Internet travel newsgroups, currency rates and
where and how to use credit cards, and much more. The Travel Resource
Center was created by O'Reilly & Associates as an informational
companion to their Travelers' Tales books. The Travel Resource Center
is a free service, and can be accessed through the Global Network
Navigators' Marketplace section. (To view GNN or the Travel Resource
Center you must be able to support the WWW [World Wide Web] browser.
The URL for the TRC is
http://gnn.com/gnn/meta/travel/index.html)
To obtain a free subscription to GNN, send an email message to:
[email protected]. Additional information about this free service can be
obtained by writing to Allen Noren <
[email protected]>.
The rec.travel Library is available by anonymous ftp from
ftp.cc.umanitoba.ca:/rec-travel.
A WWW server for the library is
ftp://ftp.cc.umanitoba.ca/rec-travel/README.html
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [4-7] Further Reading
Consumer Reports Travel Letter
$39/yr, monthly
Subcription Department
Pox 51366
Boulder CO 80321-1366
800-234-1970
Backissues cost $5 and may be ordered from
Consumers Reports, PO Box 53016, Boulder, CO 80322-3016.
Best Fares Magazine:
Covers air fares, hotels, car rentals, etc. Includes a TravelAmerica
half-price hotel book and coupons for reduced airfares. Published monthly.
Consumer Edition: $58/year
Corporate Edition: $78/year (includes hidden cities in airfares)
Best Fares, Inc.
1111 W. Arkansas Lane, Suite C, Arlington, TX 76013, or
PO Box 171212, Arlington, TX 76003
800-635-3033 or 800-880-1234 or 817-261-6114 or 817-543-0538
Travel Unlimited: (World-wide courier flight information and travel tips.)
$25/year, monthly
Box 1058
Allston, MA 02134
Official Airline Guide, Pocket Edition:
Includes a free subscription to their "Frequent Flyer" magazine.
$82/year
1-800-323-3537
American Express Sky Guide:
$45/year (12 issues)
1-800-678-6738 x111.
Skyguide, PO Box 5146, Harlan, IA 51593-2646
Value-Season Traveler
Newsletter of travel discounts and special promotions. Each issue
also includes several helpful travel tips.
$48/year (12 issues, 12-16 pages per issue).
40% off ($28) for readers of the FAQ.
Sample issue available for $2 postage and handling.
On the Go Publishing, PO Box 091033, Dept 1108B, Columbus, OH 43209
Email:
[email protected]
Air Transport World:
Magazine for the airline industry (not a frequent flyer guide).
$50/year
ATW
Box 96732
Chicago, IL 96732
Citizens for Improved Air Travel
PO Box 9200
Washington DC, 20077-7512
202-873-4209
[Lobbying group?, but newsletter has some articles of interest.]
InsideFlyer
$33/year ($55/2-years), 12 issues. Outside the US add $5/year.
800-333-5937
4715-C Town Center Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80916-4709
719-597-8880
(You can also subscribe by sending email to
[email protected]
or calling 1-800-403-NEWS.)
The Official Frequent Flyer Guidebook - 2nd Edition, 320 pages.
Information about airline, credit card, hotel, and car rental programs.
Published by AirPress (publisher of InsideFlyer)
$14.99 plus $3 shipping in US ($5 in Canada/Mexico, $7.50 elsewhere)
1-800-487-8893
Some articles from InsideFlyer can be viewed at no charge on "The
Electronic Newsstand, a service which collects articles,
editorials, and table of contents from over 100 magazines and
provides them to the Internet community. The Electronic Newsstand
is accessible by Gopher at
gopher://gopher.internet.com:2100/
The direct URL is
gopher://gopher.enews.com:2100/11/travel/publications/flyer
or by telnet to gopher.internet.com (userid "enews", no password).
For more information, write to
[email protected].
Michael Wm. McColl, "The Worldwide Guide to Cheap Airfares", 5th
edition, Insider Publications, 1994. 256 pages, ISBN 0-9633512-1-4,
$14.95. To order a copy, write to Insider Publications, 2124 Kittredge
Street, 3rd Floor, Berkeley, CA 94704, call 510-276-1532,
fax 510-276-1531, or send email to
[email protected]. This book
discusses courier travel, charter flights, and bucket shops, and
includes extensive listings of courier travel agencies.
"Going Places: The High School Student's Guide to Study, Travel, and
Adventure Abroad", St. Martin's Press, $13.95. This book is compiled
by the Council on International Educational Exchange, and gives
information on more than 200 travel programs for students ages 12 to 18.
The European Travel Commission's 1994 guide to planning a trip to
Europe is available for free from European Planner/Dept. A, Box 1754,
New York, NY 10185.
For the "European Planning & Rail Guide", send $1 to BETS Planning
Guide, Budget European Travel Service, 2557 Meade Court, Ann Arbor, MI
48105.
For a free copy of "101 Tips for Adventure Travelers", call
1-800-873-5628, or write to 101 Tips, Overseas Adventure Travel, 349
Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139.
For a free copy of Northwest Airlines' Travel Tips booklet, call
1-800-358-3100.
For a free copy of "Discover America: A Listing of State and
Territorial Travel Offices of the United States", send a
self-addressed, stamped envelope to Discover America, c/o Travel
Industry Association of America, Dept. A, 1133 21st Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20036. It includes a comprehensive list of tourist
offices and phone numbers. Many tourist offices will send you free
maps and travel guides.
Marcus L. Endicott, "The Electronic Traveler: Directory of Tourism
Information Sources", 1994. 130 pages, spiral bound, $50 postpaid.
Available from M. L. Endicott, P.O. Box 20837, Saint Simons Island,
Georgia 31522-0437, USA. You can reach the author by email at
[email protected]. Forword by Steven K. Roberts (author of
"Computing Across America"). Fairly comprehensive listing of online sources
of travel information. Includes a list of numerous BBS systems in
addition to the usual Internet sources of information. Also has
descriptions of the offerings of the propietary online systems,
computer reservation systems, and so on. If you like reading FAQs,
it has the same feel as would a FAQ of online travel information sources.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [4-8] Phone Numbers Included in this FAQ
If the toll free number is incorrect, do me a favor and call
1-800-555-1212 to get the correct 800 number, and send me email with
the correction. 800 number information is also available from
http://www.att.com
Three or four of these numbers change every year. Note
that toll free numbers are valid only within the USA (sometimes in
Canada).
800 Information 800-555-1212
A-1 International Courier (Miami) 305-594-1184
AAdvantage (American) Frequent Flyer Miles 800-882-8880
ALM Antillean Airline Reservations 800-327-7230
AT&T Reward Program Frequent Flyer Miles (Phone) 800-7-REWARD
AUSTRAVEL Consolidator 415-781-4329
AUSTRAVEL Consolidator 415-781-4358 fax
AUSTRAVEL Consolidator 800-633-3404
Aer Lingus Reservations 800-223-6537
Aero California Reservations 800-258-3311
Aero Cancun Reservations 305-526-5341
Aero Costa Rica Reservations 800-237-6274
AeroMexico Reservations 800-237-6639
Aeroflot Reservations 800-995-5555
Aerolineas Argentinas Reservations 800-333-0276
Aeromar Reservations 800-950-0747
Aeroperu Reservations 800-255-7378
Aeroperu Reservations 800-327-7080
Air Afrique Reservations 800-456-9192
Air Aliance Reservations 800-869-9000
Air Alma Reservations 800-463-9660
Air Antillean Reservations 800-327-7230
Air Aruba Reservations 800-882-7822
Air Canada Frequent Flyer Miles 800-361-8253
Air Canada Reservations 800-776-3000
Air China Reservations 212-371-9898
Air Europa Reservations 212-888-7010
Air Facilities Courier (Miami) 305-477-8300
Air France Reservations 800-237-2747
Air Gaudeloupe Reservations 800-522-3394
Air India Reservations 800-223-2250
Air India Reservations 800-223-7776
Air Italia Reservations 88-228-5730
Air Jamaica Reservations 800-523-5585
Air Lanka Reservations 800-421-9898
Air Margarita Reservations 800-326-0339
Air Mauritius Reservations 800-537-1182
Air Metro Reservations 800-871-1000
Air Midwest Reservations 913-537-1305
Air Miles Program Frequent Flyer Miles 800-222-2AIR
Air Nevada Reservations 702-736-8900
Air New Zealand Reservations 800-262-1234
Air New Zealand Reservations 800-262-2468
Air Niugini Reservations 714-752-5440
Air North America Reservations 838-792-4982
Air Pacific Reservations 800-417-2236
Air Panama Reservations 800-272-6262
Air Paraquay Reservations 800-677-7771
Air Peru Reservations 800-777-7717
Air Posta Reservations 305-871-3360
Air Trails Reservations 408-757-5144
Air UK Reservations 201-890-1796
Air Vantage Reservations 800-279-9383
Air Wisconsin Reservations 414-739-5123
AirHitch Consolidator 212-864-2000
AirPress InsideFlyer/FF Guidebook 800-487-8893
AirTech Consolidator 800-575-TECH
Airbrokers Consolidator 415-397-4767 fax
Airbrokers Consolidator 800-883-3273
Airfares for Less Bargain Travel Agency 800-AIR-FARE
Airianka Reservations 800-421-9898
Airlines Antitrust 800-854-7264
Airways International Reservations 305-876-0170
Alaska Airlines Frequent Flyer Miles 800-654-5669
Alaska Airlines Reservations 602-921-3100
Alaska Airlines Reservations 800-426-0333
Alaska Island Air Reservations 907-772-4222
Alitalia Reservations 800-223-5730
All Nippon Airways Reservations 800-235-9262
Aloha Airlines Frequent Flyer Miles 800-486-7277
Aloha Airlines Reservations 800-367-5250
Am. Soc. of Travel Agts Complaints and Compliments 703-739-2782
AmEx Membership Miles Frequent Flyer Miles 800-AXP-MILE
AmEx Sky Guide Newsletter 800-678-6738 x111
America West Frequent Flyer Miles 800-247-5691
America West Reservations 602-693-0737
America West Reservations 800-235-9292
America West Airlines Complaints and Compliments 800-247-5692
American Reservations 817-267-1151
American Reservations (Dom) 800-433-7300
American Reservations (Itl) 800-624-6262
American Reservations/Main 800-223-5436
American Airlines Complaints and Compliments 800-967-2000
American Airlines Flight Information 800-223-5436
American Express Student Travel Vouchers 800-582-4800
American Express Student Travel Vouchers 800-582-5823
American Trans Air Discount Airline 800-225-2995
American Trans Air Discount Airline 800-382-5892
American Trans Air Reservations 800-225-2995
Aspen Airways Reservations 303-320-4747
Austral Airlines Reservations 305-823-4368
Austrian Air Reservations 800-843-0002
Avensa-Venezuelan Reservations 800-283-6727
Avianca Reservations 800-284-2622
Aviateca Reservations 800-327-9832
Avis Car Rental (National Number) 800-331-1212
B A S Airlines Reservations 800-245-3248
BFI Mark Air Reservations 800-627-5247
BWIA International Reservations 800-327-7401
Bahamas Air Reservations 800-222-4262
Balair Reservations 800-322-5247
Bangladesh Biman Reservations 212-967-7930
Bank One Travel Card + Free Tickets 800-694-9596
Bank One Visa Customer Service 800-945-2023
Bankair Commuter Reservations 800-922-7814
Bar Harbor Reservations 207-941-6565
Bemidji Airlines Reservations 281-751-1880
Best Fares Magazine Newsletter 817-261-6114/543-0538
Best Travel Service Consolidator 713-777-4886 fax
Best Travel Service Consolidator 713-777-4888
Best Travel Service Consolidator 800-800-4788
Big Sky Northwest Reservations 406-245-9449
Branson Airlines Reservations 800-422-4AIR
British Airways Frequent Flyer Miles 800-955-2748
British Airways Reservations 800-AIR-WAYS (247-9297)
British Midland Reservations 800-247-9297
Budget Car Rental (National Number) 800-527-0700
Buffalo Airways Reservations 817-752-6855
Bush Air Reservations 907-543-2424
Business Express Reservations 203-623-5168
CIEE International Student ID Card 800-438-2643
Canadian Frequent Flyer Miles 604-270-7587
Canadian Air Reservations 800-426-7000
Carnival Airlines Discount Airline 800-437-2110
Carnival Airlines Discount Airline 800-8-AIR-FUN
Carnival Airlines Reservations 800-8-AIR-FUN
Casino Express Reservations 702-738-6040
Cathay Pacific Reservations 415-982-3242
Cathay Pacific Airways Reservations 800-233-2742
Cayman Airways Reservations 800-422-9626
Center for Disease Ctrl It'l Health Info FaxBack Srvc 404-639-3311
Center for Disease Ctrl It'l Health Information 404-332-4559
Cheap Tickets Consolidator 800-377-1000
Chicago Express Reservations 800-264-3929
China Airlines Reservations 800-227-5118
China Estrn Airlines Reservations 213-384-2703
Citizens Consular Srvcs US State Department 202-647-3444
Citizens Emergency Ctr US State Department 202-647-5225
City Link Courier (LA) 213-410-9063
Compu$erve Online CRS 800-848-8199
Consumer Rpts Trvl Ltr Newsletter 800-234-1970
Continental Frequent Flyer Miles 713-952-1630
Continental Reservations 404-436-3300
Continental Reservations (Dom) 800-525-0280
Continental Reservations (Itl) 800-231-0856
Continental Airlines Complaints and Compliments 712-987-6500
Continental Express Reservations 207-941-6565
Copa Reservations 800-FLY-COPA
Council Charter Consolidator 800-800-8222
Council Travel (CIEE) Student Travel Agency 800-800-8222
Courier Travel Service Courier (NY) 516-763-6898
Courier Travel Service Courier (NY) 718-244-0101
Courier Travel Service Courier (NY) 800-922-2359
Crossroads It'l Courier (LA) 213-643-8600
Delta Frequent Flyer Miles 800-323-2323
Delta Lost 'n Found 404-714-7101
Delta Reservations 404-765-5000
Delta Reservations 800-THE-WEST (843-9378)
Delta Reservations (Dom) 800-221-1212
Delta Reservations (Itl) 800-241-4141
Delta Airlines Complaints and Compliments 404-765-2600
Delta Airlines Flight Information 800-DAL-1999
Discount Travel Itl Courier 212-362-8113
Dollar Car Rental (National Number) 800-421-6868
Dominicana Reservations 800-635-3560
Dominicana Airlines Reservations 800-327-7240
East-West Express Courier (NY) 516-561-2360
Eastern Express Reservations 207-941-6565
Ecuatoriana Reservations 800-328-2367
Egyptair Reservations 800-334-6787
El Al Israel Airlines Reservations 800-223-6700
Emirates Reservations 800-777-3999
Entertainment Books W/Discount Coupon (Continental) 800-445-4137
Entertainment Books W/Discount Coupon (Continental) 800-521-9640
Entertainment Books W/Discount Coupon (United) 800-513-6000
Ethiopian Reservations 212-867-0095
Euram Tours Consolidator 800-848-6789
FAA Complaints and Compliments 202-366-2220
Faucett Peru Reservations 800-334-3356
Federal Trade Comm. Telemarketing Travel Fraud 202-326-2222
Finn Air Reservations 800-950-5000
Finnair Reservations 800-950-5000
First Bank Visa Northwest Affinity Card 800-948-8300
Garuda Indonesia Reservations 800-342-7832
Gateway Express Courier (San Francisco) 415-344-7833
Global Access Consolidator 800-283-5333
Guide Books Guide to Courier Travel 800-344-9375
Gulf Air Reservations 800-438-4853
Halbart Courier (NY) 718-656-8189
Halbart Courier (NY) 718-656-8279
Halbart Courier (NY) 718-995-7019
Hawaiian Airlines Frequent Flyer Miles 800-367-7637
Hawaiian Airlines Reservations 800-367-5320
Hertz Car Rental (National Number) 800-654-3131
IBC Courier (NY) 718-262-8058
IBC Pacific Courier (LA) 310-607-0125
ISE $20 Rebate/Citibank 800-255-7000
Iberia Reservations 800-772-4642
Icelandair Reservations 800-223-5500
IntraTours Consolidator 713-952-0662
IntraTours Consolidator 713-952-2631 fax
IntraTours Consolidator 800-334-8069
It'l Student Exchange Student Travel Agency 602-951-1177
It'l Student Exchange Student Travel Agency (Dom) 800-255-7000
It'l Student Exchange Student Travel Agency (Itl) 800-255-8000
Japan Air Lines Reservations 800-525-3663
Jet South Reservations 800-JET-SOUTH
Jupiter Air Courier (LA) 310-670-5123
Jupiter Air Courier (NY) 718-341-2095
Jupiter Air Courier (NY) 718-656-6050
KLM Reservations 800-374-7747
KLM Reservations 800-777-5553
Kelly Monaghan Insider's Guide to Courier... 800-356-9315
Kenya Reservations 212-832-8810
Kiwi International Discount Airline 800-538-5494
Kiwi International Discount Airline 908-353-3232
Kiwi International Reservations 908-353-3232
Korean Air Reservations 800-421-8200
Korean Air Reservations 800-438-5000
Kuwait Reservations 800-4-KUWAIT
LAB League of American Bicyclists 800-288-BIKE (= 2453)
LACSA Reservations 800-225-2272
LOT Polish Reservations 800-223-0593
LTU Int Airways Reservations 800-888-0200
Ladeco Reservations 800-825-2332
Lan Chili Reservations 800-735-5526
Line Haul Services Courier (Miami) 305-477-0651
Lloyd Aero Bollviano Reservations 305-374-4600
Lufthansa Reservations 800-645-3880
MCI Long Distance FF Miles 800-755-2172
MGM Grand Air Reservations 800-933-2646
Malaysia Airlines Reservations 800-421-8641
Malev Hungarian Reservations 212-757-6480
Malev Hungarian Reservations 800-223-6884
Martinair Holland Reservations 800-366-4655
Mexicana Frequent Flyer 800-531-7901
Mexicana Reservations 800-531-7921
Middle East Reservations 800-664-7310
Midnight Express Courier (LA) 310-673-1100
Midway Airlines Discount Airline 800-446-4392
Midway Airlines Reservations 800-446-4392
Midway Airlines Reservations 800-621-5700
Midwest Express Frequent Flyer Miles 800-452-2022
Midwest Express Reservations 414-747-4769
Midwest Express Airlns Reservations 800-452-2022
Morris Air Reservations 801-483-6464
National Car Rental (National Number) 800-328-4567
National Airlines Discount Airline 800-949-9400
Nigeria Reservations 212-935-2700
Nippon Travel Consolidator 800-662-6236
Northwest Airlines Travel Tips Booklet 800-358-3100
Northwest Airlines Cargo Service 800-692-2746
Northwest Airlines Complaints and Compliments 612-726-2046
Northwest Airlines Flight Information 800-225-2525
Northwest Airlines Flight Information 800-441-1818
Northwest Airlines Frequent Flyer Miles 800-447-3757
Northwest Airlines Frequent Flyer Miles 800-327-2881
Northwest Airlines Frequent Flyer Miles 800-435-9696 (old)
Northwest Airlines Packages 800-727-1400
Northwest Airlines Reservations 612-726-1234
Northwest Airlines Reservations (Asian Language) 800-692-2345
Northwest Airlines Reservations (Dom) 800-225-2525
Northwest Airlines Reservations (French Language) 800-345-7458
Northwest Airlines Reservations (German Language) 800-345-7414
Northwest Airlines Reservations (Itl) 800-447-4747
Northwest Airlines Reservations (Spanish Language) 800-345-7411
Northwest Airlines TDD/TT Number 800-328-2298
Northwest Airlines VIP Same-Day Package Service 800-638-7337
Now Voyager, Inc. Courier (NY) 212-431-1616
Ntnl Fraud Info Center Suspicious Travel Offers 800-876-7060
OAG FlightCall Flight Information 900-786-8686
OAG Flightdisk Flight Information 708-574-6565 fax
OAG Flightdisk Flight Information 800-323-3537
OAG Internet Flight Information Starter Kit 800-323-4000
OAG Pocket Flight Guide Flight Information 800-DIAL-OAG (342-5624)
Olympic Airways Reservations 800-223-1226
Overseas Tours Consolidator 800-878-8718
Overseas Travel Advntr Free Tips 800-873-5628
Pacific Coast Air Reservations 800-426-5400
Passenger's Choice Consolidator 800-666-1026
Passport Services US State Department 202-647-0518
Philippine Airlines Reservations 800-IFLY-PAL (435-9725)
Polish Air-Lot Reservations 800-223-0593
Polynesian Reservations 800-592-7100
Price Club Travel Commission Rebater 800-800-8505
Private Jet Reservations 800-546-7571
Prodigy Online CRS 800-822-6922
Qantas Airways Reservations 800-227-4500
Reno Air Discount Airline 800-736-6247
Royal Air Maroc Reservations 212-750-6071
Royal Jordanian Reservations 800-223-0470
Royal Tonga Reservations 800-486-6426
SAS Scandinavian Air Reservations 800-221-2350
SKY BUS Reservations 800-755-9287
STA Travel Consolidator 800-777-0112
Sabena Reservations 800-955-2000
Sabena World Reservations 800-950-1000
Saudia Arabian Airlines Reservations 800-472-8342
Silk Air Reservations 800-745-5247
Singapore Airlines Reservations 800-742-3333
South African Reservations 800-722-9675
Southwest Reservations 800-531-5601
Southwest Reservations 800-IFLY-SWA (435-9792)
Southwest Reservations (TDD) 800-533-1305
Southwest Airlines Complaints and Compliments 214-904-4000
Sunline Express Holidays Consolidator 800-786-5463
Swissair Reservations 800-221-4750
TAP Air Portugal Reservations 800-221-7370
TNT Chicago (?) Courier (Chicago) 312-453-7300
TNT San Fransisco Courier (San Francisco) 415-692-9600
TWA Complaints and Compliments 914-242-3172
TWA Frequent Flyer Miles 800-221-2000
TWA Frequent Flyer Miles 800-325-4815
TWA Reservations 404-522-5738
TWA Reservations (Dom) 800-221-2000
TWA Reservations (Itl) 800-892-4141
Taca Reservations 800-535-8780
Tan Sasha Honduras Reservations 800-327-1225
Thai Airways Reservations 800-426-5204
Tower Air Discount Airline 800-221-2500
Tower Air Discount Airline 800-34-TOWER (348-6937)
Tower Air Reservations 800-348-6937
Travac Consolidator 407-896-0046 fax
Travac Consolidator 800-872-8800
Travel Avenue Commission Rebater 800-333-3335
Travel Bargains Bargain Travel Agency 800-872-8385
Trvl Industry of Am. Anon Tips about Crimes 800-474-8477
US Dept of Trans. Airline Performance Statistics 202-366-2220
US Dept of Transprttn Travel Advisory Number 800-221-0673
US State Department General Information 202-647-4000/5225
USAir Complaints and Compliments 703-892-7020
USAir Frequent Flyer Miles (itl awrd) 800-442-2784
USAir Frequent Flyer Miles (srvc ctr) 800-872-4738
USAir Reservations 412-922-7500
USAir Reservations (Dom) 800-428-4322
USAir Reservations (Itl) 800-622-1015
USAir Flight Info Flight Information 800-943-5436
UniTravel, St. Louis Consolidator 314-569-2503 fax
UniTravel, St. Louis Consolidator 800-325-2222
United Flight Information 800-824-6200
United Frequent Flyer Miles 800-421-4655
United Reservations 312-825-2525
United Reservations (Dom) 800-241-6522
United Reservations (Itl) 800-538-2929
United Airlines Complaints and Compliments 312-952-7843
ValuJet Discount Airline 404-994-8258
ValuJet Discount Airline 800-825-8538
Value Jet Reservations 800-825-8538
Varig Reservations 800-468-2744
Viasa Reservations 800-468-4272
Virgin Atlantic Reservations 800-862-8621
Visa Services US State Department 202-663-1225
World Courier Courier (NY) 718-978-9400
YTA Freniva Reservations 800-382-4484
Yugoslav Reservations 800-752-6528
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Subject: [4-9] IRS Rules Change
A recent IRS ruling allows companies to deduct the cost of lodging and
meals as a business expense when an employee stays over a Saturday
night in order to get a cheaper airfare, even if no business is
conducted on that day. The company does not have to report the
room and meals expenses as income to the employee.
As of January 1, 1994, the deduction for business meals and
entertainment goes down to 50% (from 80%). Business lodging continues
to be 100% deductible.
This is why many corporate travelers are now booking "Concierge Level"
rooms, which include complimentary breakfast and hors d'oevers. Since
these rooms are 100% deductible, the higher room rate is offset by the
savings vis a vis the IRS 50% meal and entertainment deduction.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [4-10] Airline Antitrust Litigation
The AirScrip certificates should have been mailed between December 15
and 31, 1994. The deadline for claims was June 1, 1993 (postmark). If
you have not received your certificates, or have any other questions,
write to Airline Antitrust Administration, PO Box 66, National Park,
NJ 08063-0066. Please do not call the court. (If you didn't submit a
claim by the deadline, it's too late. Over 4.3 million people filed
claims successfully.)
Class A claimants (1 trip) will get a booklet with $73 in coupons --
one $25, four $10, and one $8. Class B claimants (5+ trips) will get
a booklet with $79 in coupons -- two $25, two $10, and one $9. Class
C claimants (itemized trips) will get booklets of $25 coupons. The
coupons have blackout dates around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.
At first glance the booklet will appear to have twice as many
certificates. Don't get confused -- the bottom certificate of each
pair is to be used to get a replacement AirScrip certificate if you
should get a refund of a ticket purchased using a certificate.
[In a separate 18-OCT-94 settlement with state and local governments,
the airlines have agreed to give government employees traveling on
official business a 10% discount. This discount will provide up to a
maximum of $40 million in discounts during the 18 month period after
the settlement takes effect. Affected airlines include Alaska Air,
American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, TWA, United, and USAir. The
original antitrust settlement with consumers did not include state and
local governments.]
Vouchers are valid for three years and are effectively good for a 10%
discount on the price of round-trip tickets. You can redeem them
through your travel agent; you don't have to purchase the tickets
directly from the airline. Tickets purchased using the vouchers are
good for one year from the date of purchase. Vouchers may not be
combined with any other special offer. Only you and your immediate
family may use the vouchers unless you designate a different recipient
when filing your claim. Vouchers may be used only for purchasing round
trip tickets for travel within the continental US (Hawaii and Alaska
are excluded, except for residents of those states). There are
blackout dates around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years during
which the vouchers may not be used. Tickets purchased using the
vouchers will receive frequent flyer miles.
[Note: The above is a very rough summary of the details of the voucher
program. The rest of this section is from the original FAQ entry, and
may not necessarily apply.]
If you flew on American, Continental, Delta, Midway, Northwest, Pan Am, TWA,
United, or USAir (US domestic flights only) between January 1, 1988, and
June 30, 1992 from one of the following airports
Atlanta Baltimore Boston
Charlotte Chicago (O'Hare) Chicago (Midway)
Cincinnati Cleveland Dallas/FW
Dayton Denver Detroit
Houston (IAH) Indianapolis Kansas City
Los Angeles Memphis Miami
Mpls/St Pl Nashville Newark
New York (JFK) New York (LGA) Orlando FL
Philadelphia Pittsburgh Raleigh/Durham
St. Louis Salt Lake City San Francisco
San Jose Syracuse Washington (National)
Washington (Dulles)
you are probably eligible for part of the $364 million antitrust
settlement. This settlement is in response to a suit charging that
they conspired to fix prices through a computerized reservation
system. If you write to
Airline Antitrust Litigation
P.O. Box 209
Philadelphia, PA 19107-9711
they will send you a claim form and instructions. You can also call
them at 1-800-854-7264. (An alternate address is PO Box 267,
Pennsauken, NJ 08110.)
If you've taken at least one eligible trip, you will get a $100
voucher good for travel on either Northwest Airlines only, or on
the other airlines (the restrictions on the vouchers differ, see
below). You choose which kind of vouchers you prefer, subject to
availability.
If you've taken at least 5 round trips or 10 one-way trips (or some
combination), you will receive $250 in vouchers.
If you've taken more flights, you can file additional documentation
with your claim, and receive vouchers for 10% of the actual amount
spent.
This is a gross oversimplification of the terms of the settlement. If
more than 2,689,840 claim forms are submitted, the base $100 amount
will be reduced. If the total payout exceeds $364 million, the program ends.
Certificates may be used only as partial payment toward a ticket; they
may not exceed the price of the ticket.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [4-11] Miscellaneous Notes
The largest travel agency in the US is American Express. They bought
Thomas Cook Travel in September 1994, making them larger than Carlson
Travel Network.
Keep in mind that travel agents, ticket agents, and gate attendants
are people, and if you're nice to them, they may be able to bend the
rules. Be honest and tell them what you're trying to do, and they
will often be nice to you in turn. The same thing goes with airport
staff and flight attendants -- ask for help, don't demand it.
For travel within the US, you might want to get the LDDS-Metromedia
calling card provided by the American Travel Network and Hospitality
Services Group. LDDS-Metromedia is the 4th largest long telephone
distance company in the US. The LDDS-Metromedia card charges a flat
rate of 17.5 cents per minute for interstate calls with no surcharge,
regardless of the time of day. Most other calling cards add a
surcharge to the first minute and charge higher rates at peak times
during the day. The Metromedia card is free, has no monthly minimums,
billing fees, or other hidden costs. In-state rates are higher, as are
international calls, but those rates are still competitive. You do not
need to change your home or business carrier to get the card. For more
information, call 1-800-477-9692, fax 1-716-886-6569, or send email
to
[email protected].
Unpaid reservations are often cancelled by the airline 24 or 48
hours in advance of the flight, just after midnight. So if you want to
book a flight that is already full (e.g., changing your return flight
in the middle of the holiday season, getting a reservation for your
frequent flyer ticket), try calling the airline reservation number at
12:30 am. Note that the time zone matters here -- you have to call
after midnight in *their* time zone. This trick won't always work,
since the flight in question might have no cancellations. If it
works, you'll have to pay for the ticket by credit card, or, if trying
to change your flight, have all the flight information in front of you
(including your ticket) and pay for the change by credit card. After
midnight is also the best time to get the seat assignments you prefer.
When giving your name to your travel agent, be sure to spell it the
same way as on you passport. Many airline reservation systems don't
allow name changes on a reservation, so if you don't get it right the
first time, the agent may be forced to cancel and reissue the
reservation. If space on that flight is tight, they may not be able to
reissue the reservation under a different name. (Airlines do this to
prevent agents from using dummy names to lock in reservations for
cheap fares and changing the names later when they have a real person
to sell the ticket to.) For US domestic flights this isn't as much of a
problem, but when traveling overseas, they like the name on the ticket
to match the name on the passport.
Non-refundable, non-changeable, non-transferable tickets are
the default; you might have to pay more to have a transferable ticket.
But then you might be able to sell half your ticket, and thereby
recoup some of your costs. (This only works on US domestic flights, where
you don't need to show a passport.)
As a general rule, ALWAYS check your tickets upon receipt. If there's
an error and you don't point this out promptly, you may be stuck with
it. On the other hand, if the error isn't yours, and you paid for the
tickets by credit card, you can usually contest the charge through
your bank.
Record a list of your credit card numbers and the toll-free bank
telephone numbers, and keep it in a safe place at home. This will
help you if your cards are lost or stolen during your trip. You
should also carry a copy with you (to let you notify the banks as soon
as you find the cards are missing), but don't keep it in the same
wallet as your credit cards.
Confirm your flights one or two days before departure. It is also wise
to call the day of your flight to verify the departure time -- you
don't want to arrive at the airport only to discover that the
departure was moved up by an hour. Arrive at the airport at least an
hour before departure for domestic flights, two hours for
international and charter flights.
Keep receipts for any items you purchase while abroad. If you bring
foreign-made valuables with you on a trip abroad (e.g., jewelry,
photographic equipment, etc.), bring photocopies of the receipts or
other proof of ownership with you. You don't want to have to pay a
duty on stuff you brought with you.
If your flight is delayed, call your hotel to let them know you'll be
late so that they'll hold the room for you.
Bargain seats are almost always limited, so start looking
early and be flexible with your times and dates.
January, February, September and October are the slack travel
months; ticket prices will be cheapest around then.
Because of the way airlines price tickets, it is sometimes cheaper
to buy a ticket from point A to point C making a mid-trip stop in
point B (i.e., two tickets A-to-B and B-to-C) than it is to buy a
ticket direct from point A to point B. Note, however, that if you do
this your luggage should be carryons, since the airline usually checks
the luggage direct to the ultimate destination. Also, some airlines
will cancel your entire ticket if you skip one leg of the trip. (For
instance, if you discard the B-to-C part of a round-trip ticket from A
to C through B, you may find the tickets for your return flight
cancelled by the airline.)
Reconfirm your flights 2 days (48 hours) in advance for US domestic
trips, 3 days in advance for international travel. Flight schedules
are subject to change without notice, and you don't want to get caught
15 minutes for a flight that was moved up by half an hour. I've found
USAir to be very good about calling me to let me know about schedule
changes on tickets bought through their Ticket By Mail program.
Some non-refundable tickets can be changed by paying a fee,
typically $35. But you cannot change the departure, only the return
flight. The change must also conform to the rules under which the
ticket was purchased, or you'll have to pay the difference in fares.
Changes are also limited to the same class of service as originally
purchased.
Many gold cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) automatically provide
some form of insurance. Check if your homeowner's or renter's
insurance covers your belongings even when they aren't at home. Make
sure you're covered in case of loss or theft while traveling.
When talking to customs and immigration officials, answer all
questions directly and do not volunteer information. Have all your
travel documents ready before they ask for them. Keep receipts for
any purchases in an accessible location in case they ask for them. Be
sure to be clean and neat; an untidy appearance will arouse
suspicion.
If VAT (Value Added Tax) was added to your bill, ask the vendor for a
refund application. You may be able to avoid the VAT by having the
items shipped home. Address the package yourself, and ask for a
shipping receipt (bill of lading).
In addition to attaching a luggage tag to the outside of your luggage,
tape your name and address to the inside of the luggage. You may want
to tie a brightly colored piece of string or tape to the handle, to
make it easier to identify your bag. But remember, others may have the
same idea, so always check your tags to make sure you have the correct
bag.
Most airlines have a rule requiring you to show up AT THE GATE 15
or 20 minutes before flight time, or they will release your seat.
That's 20 minutes according to the watch of the gate agent -- give
yourself 10 minutes to spare. If you have your ticket and you're late
(e.g., 30 minutes or less to flight time, and there are long lines at
the main ticket counter), go directly to the gate. Baggage can always
be checked at the gate. But if your ticket needs changes or has to be
picked up, you can't go directly to the gate. If your flight is
leaving very soon and there's a long line, ask the people ahead of you
if you can cut in front of them (explaining why). Most people will let
you.
Airports notorious for heavy traffic and air-traffic-control
snafus: Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta, Logan Airport in Boston, O'Hare
in Chicago, Stapleton in Denver, JFK in New York, and San Francisco
International. All are also among the busiest airports in terms of
passenger traffic. Other busiest airports include Dallas Fort Worth,
London Heathrow, Los Angeles, Atlanta Hartsfield, Tokyo Haneda,
Frankfurt Main, Miami, Paris CDG, Newark, Hong Kong, and Detroit Metro.
Among the busiest routes in the US (and hence the most competitive)
are: New York to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Ft. Lauderdale, Los
Angeles, Miami, Orlando, San Francisco, San Juan, and Washington; Los
Angeles to Honolulu, Las Vegas, Oakland, Phoenix, and San Francisco;
Chicago to Detroit; Boston to Washington; and Dallas Fort Worth to
Houston. The busiest international routes out of the US are: New York
to London and Toronto, and Chicago to Toronto.
If you don't like delays, fly earlier in the day. A flight that
leaves early in the morning (before 8 am) often uses an airplane that
was at the airport the previous night, and so is already prepped and
ready to go. A flight that leaves in the afternoon uses an airplane
that started its day in another city, and hence is more likely to
suffer from delays (especially if it was delayed on one of its
previous flight segments).
Reward for Crime Tips: The Travel Industry Association of America and
Crime Stoppers International will pay cash rewards of up to $1,000 for
anonymous tips about crimes against travelers (including US and
foreign citizens on business and pleasure trips). To make a report,
call 1-800-474-8477.
If there's a promotion on airline A, you prefer to fly on airline B
(e.g., you're a frequent flyer on airline B), but airline B doesn't
have a similar promotion, you might be able to negotiate with airline B.
Try calling up airline B, state the terms of airline A's offer, and
say that if they match it, you'll buy the tickets right then and
there, otherwise you're going with airline A. This will sometimes work
quite well.
Car Rental Agencies, National Numbers:
Avis 800-331-1212
Budget 800-527-0700
Dollar 800-421-6868
Hertz 800-654-3131
National 800-328-4567
----------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [4-12] World-Wide Web (WWW) Resources
The World Wide Web (WWW) is a hypermedia document that spans the
Internet. It uses the http (HyperText Transfer Protocol) for the
light-weight exchange of files over the Internet. NCSA Mosaic is a
World Wide Web browser developed at the National Center for
Supercomputing Applications (NCSA).
Mosaic's popularity derives, in part, from its ability to communicate
using more traditional Internet protocols like FTP, Gopher, WAIS, and
NNTP, in addition to http. Mosaic can display text, hypertext links,
and inlined graphics directly. When Mosaic encounters a file type it
can't handle internally, such as Postscript documents, mpeg movies,
sound files, and JPEG images, it uses an external viewer (or player)
like Ghostscript to handle the file. Mosaic also includes facilities
for exploring the Internet. In other words, Mosaic is an multimedia
interface to the Internet.
The hypertext documents viewed with Mosaic are written in HTML
(HyperText Markup Language), which is a subset of SGML (Standard
Generalized Markup Language). All that is needed is just a few more
improvements, such as the ability to format tables and mathematics,
and a WYSIWYG editor, for HTML to greatly facilitate electronic
journals and other publications.
NCSA Mosaic for the X Window System is available by anonymous ftp from
ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu:/Mosaic/
as source code and binaries for Sun, SGI, IBM RS/6000, DEC Alpha OSF/1, DEC
Ultrix, and HP-UX. Questions about NCSA Mosaic should be directed to
[email protected] (X-Windows version),
[email protected]
(Macintosh), and
[email protected] (Microsoft Windows).
If you do not have a WWW client like Mosaic, you can search the WWW by
telnet to info.cern.ch. There is also an email interface; to use it,
send mail to
[email protected], and use lines like
www
http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/Web/Groups/AI/html/faqs/top.html
to retrieve the text of a particular URL (in this case, the AI FAQs page).
Rather than list all the URLs below, we've set up an "Air Traveler's
Handbook" Web page at the URL
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html
to contain annotated references to all these links. In the process,
we've substantially increased the number of links. Please send
suggestions for additional links to
[email protected].
----------------------------------------------------------------
;;; *EOF*
