Written by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
Free meals in coach? Holy throwback! After a months’-long trial, widely reported, Delta will begin serving complimentary coach-class meals, beginning on March 1, on its flights between New York and both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Then, on April 24, the service will be expanded to include select coast-to-coast flights to and from Seattle, New […]
The post Free Coach Meals Coming to (Some) Delta Flights appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
If you’re among the legions of travelers who ease the boredom and discomfort of flying by tuning into a movie or TV show on the plane’s seatback monitor, the latest move by the world’s largest airline will come as a disappointment if not a surprise. American Airlines has disclosed that its new Boeing B737 MAX […]
The post The Days of Seatback TV May Be Numbered appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
For generations of air travelers, Boeing’s B747 jet, the four-engined behemoth with its distinctive hump, epitomized elegance in long-haul flying, harkening back to an era when travel was more refined, less exasperating. That era is long gone, and the B747 is disappearing from the skies as well. Only two U.S. airlines, Delta and United, still […]
The post Fly on the Iconic B747 Jumbo Jet? Yes, but Time Is Running Out appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Jamie Ditaranto @ SmarterTravel
It’s a moment every traveler dreams about. You scan your ticket at the gate, walk through the jet bridge, arrive at the entrance of the plane, and turn left. Goodbye economy, you’ve got a business-class ticket for your international flight. Whether you lucked out on a work trip, saved up your points, or just decided […]
The post 9 Thoughts You Have Your First Time Flying Business Class appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
“JetBlue Becomes Only Airline with Free, High-Speed Wi-Fi at Every Seat.” That’s the headline of today’s news release from JetBlue. Making JetBlue’s free Fly-Fi Wi-Fi available on every plane, at every seat, is a significant achievement, to be sure. It’s a real value-add to JetBlue’s product. In fact, the airline somewhat understates Fly-Fi’s benefits: Unlike […]
The post JetBlue: ‘Only Airline with Free, High-Speed Wi-Fi at Every Seat’ appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
Wi-Fi access isn’t free on Alaska Airlines flights. But at least for the next year, the airline’s passengers can use inflight Wi-Fi to send and receive unlimited texts for free. Here’s how it works: Free chat is available on flights with Gogo Wi-Fi. “Availability on other flights may vary” Chat is text-only—no videos, photos or […]
The post On Alaska Airlines, e-Chatting Is Now Free appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week. If it was a good deal—or a notably bad deal—from an airline, hotel, or car rental loyalty program, you can read all about it here, and plan your travel accordingly. Americans Would Rather Work Than […]
The post Recap: The Week’s Biggest Travel Stories and Best Deals appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
Tired of slow inflight WiFi, or worse, no WiFi at all? Southwest has you covered. Or will have you covered, when its newly announced upgrade program is in place. By the end of next year, all 700-plus Southwest aircraft will feature onboard WiFi. That’s not the case today, as the carrier’s B737-300 Classic planes lack […]
The post Southwest Promises Three Times More Bandwidth for Inflight WiFi appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
The debate over inflight phone-calling raged hot and heavy two years ago, with the opposing forces seemingly gaining the upper hand. The Association of Flight Attendants called for an outright ban on the calls. A no-call bill was introduced in Congress. The DOT signaled its general opposition to inflight cell use on safety grounds, in […]
The post DOT Again Raises Specter of Inflight Phone Calling appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
It was almost exactly a year ago that JetBlue announced that Amazon Prime members could stream Amazon video inflight. At the time, the two companies also promised that the partnership would be expanded to allow TrueBlue members to earn points for Amazon purchases sometime in 2016. “Sometime” was a long time in coming, but it […]
The post Shopping Alert: Earn JetBlue Points for Amazon Purchases appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
Inflight WiFi is good. Even better is free inflight WiFi. No, there’s no industry trend toward offering free onboard Internet access among the airlines—JetBlue is the exception—as there has been among the major hotel chains. And there isn’t likely to be any time soon. The economics of WiFi-in-the-sky and WiFi-on-the-ground are different. And besides, charging […]
The post Free Inflight WiFi from T-Mobile appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
AirlineRatings.com, which bills itself as “the world’s only safety and product rating website,” is best known for its airline safety ratings. But it also rates airlines on other dimensions of interest to a broader segment of the traveling public. Its just-published Airline Excellence Awards goes beyond safety, in an attempt to identify the world’s top […]
The post Another ‘World’s Best Airline’ List, with a Surprise Winner appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
There’s an ongoing debate among travel junkies concerning what’s commonly referred to as premium economy. Specifically: When does an airline’s coach product legitimately deserve to be called premium economy? Is a couple of extra inches of legroom enough to qualify for the “premium” designation? An upgraded inflight entertainment system? Better meals? Priority boarding? More frequent-flyer […]
The post Delta’s Premium Economy, Coming in 2017. The Real Deal? appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
If you’re among the privileged few whose pocketbook or corporate travel policy allows you to fly business class, you’re in for an upgrade. The Big Three full-service carriers have all recently introduced new international business-class services, including seats and associated amenities. Bloomberg, which reviewed the new business products, characterized them as “glossy offerings that can […]
The post U.S. Airlines Upgrade Business Class. Which Is Best? appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Carl Unger @ SmarterTravel
On the heels of news that it will debut “bare fares” in early 2017, USA Today reports American will also add a seating class at the other end of the spectrum. The airline will launch premium economy on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft in February, making it the “first U.S. airline to officially offer a true international-style premium […]
The post Premium Economy Coming to American appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
Conde Nast Traveler gets a lot of mileage out of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards, slicing and dicing feedback from 300,000 travelers into a dizzying array of categories, sub-categories, and sub-sub-categories. Not only is there a ranking of the best cities in the world, there’s also the best small cities in the U.S. The world’s […]
The post Conde Nast Readers’ 20 Favorite Airlines. Are They Yours? appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Ashley Rossi @ SmarterTravel
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but holiday travel means delayed flights, long security lines, and grumpy passengers. Here are 10 new books sure to keep you entertained during any stressful holiday travel ordeal. Best New Books for Holiday Travel More from SmarterTravel: 9 Travel Mistakes You’ll Make at Least Once […]
The post 10 Great New Books to Soothe Holiday Travel Delays appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
As in any walk of life, among travelers, there are good guys and bad guys. Naturally, you and I fall squarely in the good-guy category; here, we’re all above average. Still, it’s worth considering what makes a bad actor, travel-wise, and reality-checking our own habits. You know, just in case. As comprehensive a list of […]
The post 21 Things Flight Attendants Hate About You appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Carl Unger @ SmarterTravel
United has decided to delay implementation of its low-frills economy product, according to Skift. This low-price, bare bones fare class, dubbed Budget Economy, is aimed squarely at discount carriers like Spirit, which famously offer ultra-low fares with equally ultra-low perks and extras. Budget Economy was supposed to debut right around now, but has been pushed back several months due to “changes” with […]
The post United Delays Basic Economy Class, For Now appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreWritten by Tim Winship @ SmarterTravel
Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week. If it was a good deal—or a notably bad deal—from an airline, hotel, or car rental loyalty program, you can read all about it here, and plan your travel accordingly. Delta Ups the Ante with […]
The post Recap: The Week’s Biggest Stories and Best Deals appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read More