Arnold Schwarzenegger’s lobbying hasn’t nailed it down for California completely — Branson is considering both San Francisco and New York. British entrepreneur Richard Branson said on Monday the Virgin USA start-up airline, which is tentatively set to launch sometime next year, has narrowed its choices for a home city to San Francisco or New York. … “I can’t at this stage confirm whether it’s going to be Airbus or Boeing … I think the airline is going to need about 50 planes,” he said
More on Amtrak Discounts
I keep an updated list of Amtrak discount codes on this blog. Frommer’s publishes such a list as well. Here’s what they have to say about the matter: The best of the bunch is code V822. It will knock fares down by 20% on all unreserved trains as far north as Albany, as far east as Boston, as far west as Harrisburg and as far south as Virginia. There are no blackout dates, and you can travel as late as Dec. 16 on this code. When you’re picking your train on Amtrak’s site, look for trains with a “U” symbol under the “Accommodations” column — those are the unreserved trains. If V822 doesn’t work, try V729, a very similar discount. Want to try the high-speed Acela train? Use code V711 for Acela and Metroliner trains…
Coded messages
I blogged recently about airlines communicating with each other about pricing through the media, since anti-trust rules preclude them from discussing their pricing directly. Airlines also communicate with each other through arcane ‘fare basis codes’. Every airfare carries with it a several letter code which is used to identify the rules and restrictions associated with the ticket. On Friday Delta loaded a fare of ~ $98 between Chicago and New York … no advance purchase or Saturday stay required. The fare basis was UA0TN. Get it… UA, for United Airlines, which is headquartered in Chicago?So sometime on Saturday United loaded a fare of ~ $98 between New York and both Cincinnati and Atlanta, Delta’s two East Coast hubs. Delta sent United a message, and United sent one back. United’s fare basis is TNMX. The first…
IcelandAir Mistake Fare Honored
The $61 IcelandAir mistake fare was covered in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday (thanks to an alert reader for the heads up) and in Friday’s Rocky Mountain News. Cheap Tickets helps people fly on the cheap, but customers may never again see a deal like the one offered this week. A computer glitch on the company’s Web site allowed numerous fliers to book round-trip tickets from the United States to Reykjav’k, Iceland, on Icelandair for under $100 – far less than the normal summer fares. … On Thursday evening, Cendant Corp., owner of Cheap Tickets, said it was honoring the fares. It did not say how many of the dirt-cheap tickets had been purchased, and Iceland-air did not return a phone call. Speculation is that at least 800 tickets were purchased at the $61…
More Cheap New York Airfares – Atlanta and Cincinnati for $100 roundtrip
United has retaliated against Delta’s $100 Chicago-New York roundtrip with a $100 fare between New York and Delta’s hubs in Atlanta and Cincinnati.The fare basis is TNMX, and I just priced it on Orbitz without any problem.Best part is, just like the Delta fares, there’s no advance purchase or Saturday night stay required.
Northwest Fly Free Faster 4 – 10,000 Bonus Miles
Northwest’s Fly Free Faster 4 promotion begins on June 1. Register first and them complete one “qualifying activity” and five “partner activities” by August 31st for 10,000 bonus miles. (The “qualifying activitiy” can come in the middle of or even after the “partner acitivities” – the order is unimportant.) Qualifying Activity The activities which will qualify you for the bonus: Credit one flight segment on Northwest, KLM or Northwest Airlink to your Northwest frequent flyer account “Apply, be approved and pay the annual fee for” a new Northwest Visa (although some folks have gotten free Visa cards and still qualified in the past, your mileage may vary). Sign up for service with MCI, Nextel, T-Mobile, or EarthLink (using a promotion that earns Northwest miles) Purchase a new one-year WorldClub membership Purchase 5,000 WorldPerks miles through…
America West is Promoting their Los Angeles Service
Book and fly 2 roundtrips on America West’s nonstop coast-to-coast service from LAX (to Boston, New York JFK, and/or Washington-Dulles) by November 15th and receive a free companion ticket good for travel to any of America West’s nine nonstop destinations originating from LAX. Registration required.
Attention Bay Area Travelers
Free off-airport parking in Oakland from May 25 through August 31.
$65 + tax, Chicago-New York roundtrips
Delta is offering a $65 + $43 tax ($107.90) roundtrip fare between Chicago O’Hare and New York’s LaGuardia or JFK. This seems to be available throughout the next year, doesn’t require a Saturday night or minimum stay, and doesn’t even require advance purchase. The fare seems to be available everywhere — at Delta.com, Cheaptickets.com, and Orbitz… The fare basis is UA0TN.Update: Still available at 9:15pm Eastern.
The Source of Delta’s Woes?
A piece in the Cincinnati Post wonders whether Delta would be in such huge financial trouble if they hadn’t done so much to alienate their best customers. The movement led by the airline’s Platinum Medallion-level frequent fliers has included ads in USA Today, a roving billboard outside a stockholders’ meeting and a negotiating session with Delta executives. They say they were trying to save Atlanta-based Delta from itself and potential bankruptcy. If Delta had listened to them, some say, the airline might not be struggling for its survival. Delta for years attracted customers with its SkyMiles program, and many of its most loyal passengers — those flying at least 25,000 miles a year — enjoyed benefits such as upgraded seats and free flights. But in 2002, Delta reworked SkyMiles. It cut in half the frequent…
