Airline http://www.trifter.com/tags/Airline New posts about Airline 10 Architectural Gems of the Resort and Hotel World http://www.trifter.com/Practical-Travel/Luxury-Travel/10-More-Spectacular-Resorts-From-Around-the-Globe-and-Beyond.205757 These are locations that will provide an experienced or modest traveler with a one of a kind stay. Enjoy!

Gamirasu Cave Hotel

Gamirasu Troglodyte Hotel is located in the heart of Cappadocia, Turkey near Urgup. The hotel boasts 18 rooms that have been completely restored and reopened in 1999. The hotel is situated in a retreat that has been there for over thousands of years. This hotel is a perfect honeymoon and wedding destination.

Marqués De Riscal

This luxury hotel located in Elciego, Spain is nestled in the "City of Wine". There are 43 guest rooms, including 11 suites that overlook the spectacular views of the country. There are fantastic restaurants, an indoor swimming pool, indoor Jacuzzi, and 14 spa rooms specializing in "wine therapy" treatments.

Blue Lagoon in Iceland

This lagoon is one of Iceland's most inimitable attractions. The lagoon uses geothermal seawater that is scientifically known to clear the complexion and aid in healthy skin. The trip will be a purely spiritual one filled with nature, scenery, and air that is clean and fresh.

Daintree Ecolodge



Located in Queens land, Australia, this resort is nestled in one the oldest living rain forests boasting 15 lovely villas in a tree house setting. It perfectly secluded for romantic honeymoons and secret rendezvous'.

Magic Mountain Hotel

Located in Panguipulli, Chile this lovely secluded hotel contains 13 rooms, and 11 cabins that can easily accommodate 4-6 guests. The name of the hotel was derived from Commander Pepe who called this hotel his home in the 70's and 80's.

Machu Pichu Sanctuary



This ancient hotel boasts some of the most spectacular views of this historical Inca settlement in Cusco, Peru. The lodge is the only hotel located within the sanctuary of the Manchu Picchu Ruins. It has 29 rooms and 2 suites which have the most spectacular views of this sacred place.

Woodland Park: The Hobbit Motel

Located in Otorohanga, New Zealand, Woodland Park is more like a motel for the more modest traveler. Woodland Park has 3 amazing options for sleeping quarters that include a "1950's Bristol Freighter Plane fully refurbished into 2 beautiful self contained motel units." A 1950's Rail Carriage spectacularly redesigned into a completely self enclosed unit.The last sleeping quarter is an underground motel known as the "First Hobbit Underground Motel" with spherical glass windows.

Quinta Real Zacatecas

A part of history is reborn in Zacatecas, Mexico where the 17th Century San Pedro bullring has been converted into a luxurious hotel. The hotel faces the city's primeval vaulted suspension bridge.

Hotel Puerta América

Located in Madrid, Spain this hotel boasts a different design on every floor depending on the taste of the guest. There are 12 floors and each and every room was created by a different designer so make sure you do your research before visiting. The front desk will provide a list of different floor plans when you check-in if you are unsatisfied with the room you were assigned to.

Kakslauttanen Hotel and Igloo Village



Located in Lapland, Finland these glass globes are offered for guests that would prefer a cold or warm night sleep. There are 31 cabins that are situated quite close to the Arctic Ocean and the Urho Kekkonen National Park

Propeller Island City Lodge

Located in Berlin, Germany this hotel is packed full of amazingly designed architectural rooms. There are 30 rooms that are all instinctively unique. Depending on your idiosyncratic and adventurous taste, you will choose your ability to have a one of kind stay.

Check out 10 Spectacular Resorts around the Globe for some more Travel destinations.

]]> Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:52:13 PST Airline Travel: It’s Just Not What It Used to be http://www.trifter.com/Practical-Travel/Air-Travel/Airline-Travel-Its-Just-Not-What-It-Used-to-be.174655 Gas prices affect everything and everyone. All you have to do is walk into any store and see the prices of products and how they have increased recently. The same holds true for the cost of your airline tickets. On average they have increased by ten percent and some airlines even more so than that.

If you have been following the news lately then you already know that many airlines are looking for many ways to keep the price of tickets down to a minimum as gas prices rise. This is not an easy task for them. If you want to get a better understanding of what I mean, all you need to do is look towards your own lifestyle. As gas prices have exceeded four dollars per gallon in many parts of the country what have you had to cut back on to make sure you can put fuel in your tank so you can get back and forth to work everyday.

The airline industry is no different. Today most airlines are looking for different yet creative ways to keep prices down. Some airlines have removed the service of all food and beverages while others have removed all unnecessary weight from the airplanes such as too many magazines.

Many of the major airlines have taken it a step further and now restrict the number of bags you can bring and their weight. They have even added a surcharge by as much as fifteen dollars per bag for any bag that you check in regardless of its weight. Before you fly or even before you purchase your ticket, call the airline you intend to fly with and see what kind of extra fees they will be charging you. While you are on the phone ask them how many bags you are allowed to check and what the maximum weight they should be is. The normal number and weight these days are two bags not to exceed fifty pounds per bag, and no you can not bring one bag that will weigh one hundred pounds. Even though it is the same weight, I am sure the airline employees do not want to carry anything that heavy.

Learn how to pack your bags properly and only bring what you absolutely need. If you can purchase it at your destination and it can save you room and weight in your bag then by all means do so. There is no need to drag something along when you can get it where you are going.

I own a hard case piece of luggage. The case by itself weighs twenty pounds and although I absolutely love the case I know in today's world of airline travel it is no longer practical. If you own a hard case switch to a soft case and carry anything that might be breakable with you on the plane (if you can).

Finally, beyond all the new rules and regulations that you will face these days when you travel, you can avoid any undo stress by getting to the airport at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours for international flights. You never know what issues may arise so by getting there early you will have plenty of time to deal with those issues and still make your flight.

]]> Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:14:52 PST An Awesome Travel Site http://www.trifter.com/Practical-Travel/Tips/An-Awesome-Travel-Site.138279 For all the traveling I've done and will do, one of things I've been frustrated over is trying to get the best fares at the best times. Of course, we have the many travel websites to help us, but all it would tell us are the best fares for the times that we specify. That was OK, but even my friends would say the prices are too expensive, but they would still pay what the going fares were.

Then one day, when I was checking out summertime fares to Seattle, a friend of mine told me about this website which she said few people know about right now. It's Farecast, and it's more than all the other travel websites could ever do. It's similar to The Weather Channel, you could say, in the sense that Farecast gives you a forecast of when fares will go up or down for a certain time of year. Also it advises you to buy now or fares will rise, or wait because fares will soon drop. It also gives you a 30-day window on when the fares will be cheapest---as well as expensive. When I tried it out, I knew exactly when to make the reservations for Seattle, and for what days.

Of course, it also does the usual price comparisons with other travel sites for airfare and hotels, and Farecast doesn't cover all airlines, just the major ones, so that's the one major drawback. However, it's better for my time and effort than going on the other travel sites. I saved roughly $60 using this site for the airfare to Seattle, and that sold me. So maybe this site won't be a closely guarded secret now.

]]> Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:52:26 PST Fly Away! The Ultimate Guide to Budget Airlines Travel http://www.trifter.com/Practical-Travel/Budget-Travel/Fly-Away-The-Ultimate-Guide-to-Budget-Airlines-Travel.109353 In the past, traveling by air was often considered a luxury because of the fact that airplane tickets cost such a substantial amount of money. Now, almost everyone can allow themselves to fly to their desired destination with the lowest airfares available. Using these great tips and links, airfare packages have never been easier to find cheaply

The concept of low cost airfares is not surprising, and it has become a new trend and phenomenon in the world of traveling. This concept has been well received by low and medium income families who can now also fly to their desired destinations. The foremost aim of the low cost airfare concept is to enable even more people to travel a great deal more often.

How Can Airlines Offer Such Low Cost Airfares?

The low-cost airline's main mission is to offer a more inexpensive, convenient and simpler form of transportation to its travelers. To achieve this mission, the airlines have to cut their costs to a minimum by eliminating some unnecessary expenditure.

The main feature of low cost carriers is that their airfares are extremely lower than other big-scale airline companies. In Europe, for example, their airfares are half or less than that the larger airline company's airfares. Many of these airfares are often lower than train tickets. Despite lower airfares, the profits of these airlines are often higher than larger airlines, with their sales profits going as high as 20 to 30%.

Low cost carriers do not use the major airports, instead they fly to and from secondary airports that are not necessarily the busiest. These secondary airports usually have lower operating costs than bigger major airports. Furthermore, the secondary airports are less congested and their “turnaround times” are shorter for the flights. Many European cities have more than one airport and for many small cities that are adjacent to the major cities, they often have their own airports. Because Europe's railways and highways use a very developed network, the passengers do not usually feel any inconvenience if the airports are located a little farther away from the major cities.

Low-cost carriers maintain lower labor costs because they mainly engage in short-distance business trips, and the pilots and crews do not stay overnight. Their wages are much lower than larger airline companies, and yet the average flying time is much longer. As the routes are allocated for only 2 to 3 hours for the short-haul flights, passengers are not usually provided with free meals. All foods and drinks sold are an addition.

No seats are reserved or allocated for passengers and so they will have to take any seats available, but luggage is allowed to be checked-in and taken on board.

The seating space in the plane is usually narrowed to allow more space for accommodating more passengers on board the flight. In this manner, their revenue can help in boosting their profits by at least 10%. Because flights are generally shorter, the passengers can easily accept the narrow distance between the seats.

These low cost airlines usually sell their air tickets via travel agents, travel-based search engines, and the internet, and do not need to rent a huge office space which may incur higher costs. By booking flights via internet or through an airline's call center, you do not have to pay a travel agent any commission, which would otherwise increase the airfares. You will end up saving even more money by not using travel agents to book a reservation.

Most low cost carriers cut their costs because no arrangements are made with any airline companies on flight transfers or connecting flights which would otherwise be reflected in the airfares. They employ pilots, flight attendants, operations personnel and mechanics who are specialized in a single type of aircraft, which saves the expenditure of re-training the staff, instead of maintaining a stock with parts for different types of aircraft. These are some of the reasons why the pricing is more affordable, economic and extremely low.

7 Essential Tips To Getting Low Cost Airfares



  1. The low cost airline companies will catch your attention with extremely low airfares banners or advertisements that require you to book the tickets 6 or 9 months ahead of the traveling date. You have to grab these opportunities by making a reservation from their respective websites. These airfares get sold very fast.
  2. Once the tickets are sold out, the low-cost seats will not be available anymore and you will have to pay more if you purchase the ticket later. You have to book the ticket immediately as it will last only 24 hours. In other words, you have to plan your trip earlier and book the ticket in advance. By doing this, you may be able to get the best deal that is worth every penny.
  3. Now, you need to get a list of low cost airlines. You may use the suggested list attached in this article to choose your desired traveling destinations. E-mail the airlines to obtain some details on when their companies offer a promotional trip package, when the low cost airfares are on sale, and when to look for seasonal or discounted airfares. Once you get a list from them, you can familiarize yourself with the low cost airlines that fly from your local or nearby airport to your desired destination. This information may also be included on your local airports website.
  4. With these e-mail lists at hand you will be one step closer to getting to know which new destinations are launched that can generally offer discounted or low airfares as an added promotion to attract tourists to visit those places. They also offer numerous packages which can include car rentals and hotels. This way, you can save money instead of paying for each particular aspect of the flight individually.
  5. Browse through the dates on low airfare searches in order to find out how much you can save. You will be surprised to find out that the rates for weekdays, weekends, school holidays, public holidays and seasonal holidays all have different rates. You should try to travel during the off-peak seasons in order to get the discounted or low cost airfare packages.
  6. Because flights are usually not fully occupied during the off season, you will receive better discounts. The airfare in general, is also less for morning flights than for evening flights because the airlines want to make sure the flight will be fully occupied before the plane takes off.
  7. In some cases, you will have to be patient while you wait for the release of cheap airfares. Some big airlines buy tickets in bulk and resell them at lower rates through the internet. This is because they want to sell as many tickets as they can to make sure that their flights are fully occupied.

It is important to do some research trying various sources while looking for cheap airfares. The information is usually available at sites set up by airlines, travel agencies, or travel-based search engine sites. Internet is by far the best option to let you to search through as many sources in the fastest and most most effective way to let you obtain all the information you want. Search engines like Kayak, Expedia, Travelocity or Mobissimo enable you to search travel sites for the cheapest fares by simply entering the date of travel and the destination. After you hit the Search button, all related flights information will be displayed on the screen. If you are happy with the airfare, you can book your ticket immediately.

Remember, do not make a quick decision. You should always check on multiple search engines like Kayak, Cheapflights, Iwantthatflight, Attitudetravel, Qixo, Whichbudge, Cheapair, SKYSCANNER, Wikipedia or Bookingbuddy to compare the airfares. The travel agencies can have prices much higher or much lower than another. Make sure that you check with the airlines about whether the airfare includes routes (direct flights, stopovers or connecting flights), refunds or extra charges, and if their rules for cancellations before buying the tickets suits you.

A hotel plus air package is often worth buying because the prices are offered at a rate lower than the airfare without the hotel accommodations. Lastminute.com has been found to have some of the the best deals in this field. The Travelocity who owns Lastminute is one of the best options for you to book your last minute travel reservations while still helping you save money.

Always make sure that you keep abreast of the different airfares offered by various airlines companies. The prices fluctuate like the stock market and the airlines may update their domestic fares up to two or three times a day. If you are serious about saving your money, you should really check them out regularly.

Try to combine two separate fares rather than buying an individual airfare which will probably cost you more. Travelocity or another travel-based search engine may provide you with even more information regarding combining fares.

Where to Get an Affordable, Economic and Low Cost Airfare?

The links below offer some of the lowest operating costs for airlines in Africa, Asia, Europe, America, Middle East and Oceania regions and were compiled from various resources.

AFRICA REGION

Morocco

Nigeria

South Africa

AMERICA REGION

Argentina

Brazil

Columbia

Canada

Mexico

United States

Uruguay

ASIA REGION

Bangladesh

China

Indonesia

Japan

South Korea

Malaysia

Pakistan

Philippines

Singapore

Sri Lanka

Thailand

Vietnam

EUROPE REGION

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Denmark

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Italy

Latvia

Netherlands

Norway

Poland

Romania

Russia

Slovakia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Turkey

United Kingdom

MIDDLE EAST REGION

Kuwait

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

OCEANIA REGION

Australia

New Zealand

I hope this article will be useful and helpful for those who wish to find the cheapest airfare available. Bon Voyage!

]]> Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:13:55 PST Top Secrets of Airline Fare That No Airlines are Happy to Disclose http://www.trifter.com/Practical-Travel/Air-Travel/Top-Secrets-of-Airline-Fare-That-No-Airlines-are-Happy-to-Disclose.68405 He narrates me a long story about the UP fares which every Airline is reluctant to offer. But if you find out how to know this UP fares then you can book your first class air ticket with less amount of money then usual. Different Airlines called this UP fares differently. Some called them as Y-UP other calls them Q-UP, M-UP, A-UP etc. Most Airlines also hide this fare from their websites. Many airlines also termed this UP fares as automatic upgrade or deeply discounted first class fares. As there is no first class code written on the ticket purchased with UP fares. So, corporate travelers benefits more whose company says NO First class.

I have browsed some Airlines websites and find out where they have hid their UP fares. I am giving you the methods to find the UP fares of three Airlines, for others you can find it for yourself by following the same techniques.

American Airlines

Finding the UP fair for American Airlines is not easy. Click on the “More Option” which is available on the search tool of their home page. Now enter your travel date and your name of the cities. Select “Fare” for the search method and click on “Business with Restrictions” option for the cabin. Lastly click on the “Action” and you will be presented with the UP fares along with other regular fares. Naturally this UP fares comes with some restrictions.

US Airways / America West

On their home page select the “One-way & Advanced Search” you will be forwarded to input-form page, write your date and name of the cities and choose the “Envoy/Business Lowest ticket type (cabin)” Lastly click on the button of “Continue Action”. You will get the result in which you will see the UP fares also.

Continental Airlines

Click on the advanced search tool which is available on their home page. You will be forwarded to the form page where you have to write your cities name and the date. Now click on the “Search Action”. You will get the result that includes the UP fares.

I hope now you must have got some idea of how to find the hidden UP fares from various Airline's homepage.

A Word of Caution

Many Airlines does not have any first class in their domestic flight. So, always make it sure that the flight you are selecting have a first class cabin before booking with UP fares.

Enjoy and do share your experiences.

]]> Sun, 23 Dec 2007 07:06:23 PST Cheap Airline Tickets: Pacific Blue $39 Opening Special http://www.trifter.com/Practical-Travel/Budget-Travel/Cheap-Airline-Tickets-Pacific-Blue-39-Opening-Special.41516 The opening special is only available through internet bookings and only on main routes. These flights will all be picked up over the next few days and mainly by the first year students who will be returning northward to catch up with family and friends over the Christmas break. Routes are as follows:

  1. Auckland-Wellington: Five direct daily return flights from 15 November. A special sale fare has been launched of $39 one way. Usual fares will start from $69 one way on the net.
  2. Auckland-Christchurch: Two direct daily return flights from 15 November. A special sale fare has been launched of $39 one way. Usual fares will start from $79 one way on the net.
  3. Wellington-Christchurch: Three direct daily return flights from 15 November. A special sale fare has been launched of $39 one way. Usual fares will start from $59 one way on the net.

Encouraging Better Prices

These prices will still make kiwis feel better and maybe allow students to go home between semesters. The new prices are still about $20 cheaper, per ticket than previous prices offered which is a 20% saving. Southern students have been disadvantaged in comparison to their northern peers, in respect of keeping in touch with parents, friends and family because of the cost of traveling.

It has been a longstanding joke to Kiwi's because it has generally been cheaper to fly from Auckland to Sydney rather than Auckland to Christchurch. It is easier to leave the country rather than settle here. The scenery is stunning in New Zealand and it upsets many traveled Kiwi's that for some New Zealanders there is more opportunity to get set up and financial in another country rather than in New Zealand.

It seems that another airline eying up our skies is Tiger Airways from Singapore. They are due to commence business in Australia in November. Air New Zealand has stated that the market is too small in New Zealand for three domestic airlines.

There was another company that has also put its plans on hold, Kiwijet, who are based in Nelson who were hoping to fill the space left by Origin Pacific, the company that collapsed a year ago. All interest in the skies around New Zealand could mean a major overhaul in general and that could mean better services and prices in general for Kiwi travelers.

]]> Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:50:59 PST Why I Like Air Tran http://www.trifter.com/Practical-Travel/Air-Travel/Why-I-Like-Air-Tran.34271 I just returned from a trip in which I had used Air Tran for the first time. In a nutshell, I'm impressed. It wasn't so much the planes that impressed me, as for the most part a Boeing is a Boeing is a Boeing, but the way passengers were treated and the airline's attitude in general.

American Airlines on almost any domestic flight now either makes you pay for your meal or if they do give you one, it's absolutely awful. I've even been on three plus hour flights that have had nothing more than general beverage service. Not even peanuts or pretzels! Air Tran though, even though it was just pretzels, was very consistent in their service. Better still was that if you asked for more to drink or more pretzels, you got them. Everything was always done with a smile.

Another nice little touch is that every seat has XM Satellite radio in it's seat arm. It's a minor point really, but in an age in which airlines seem to only care about cramming as many people into a metal tube to shoot across the sky, it's nice to see that there's still an airline out there that is willing to offer an extra comfort (no matter how small it may seem) to it's passengers. As if that wasn't enough, if you didn't already have headphones with you, they gave you a pair to use. No rental charges, no need to return them, just enjoy.

Even more than food and creature comfort, is the importance of having clothes upon arrival at your final destination. I was very pleased that not only did all of my luggage arrive with me, but it was all intact as well. In prior travels with American and United airlines I have had my luggage lost approximately 50% of the time. Fortunately it was almost always lost on the return trip, but it was still a major inconvenience. Air Tran on the other hand, lost nothing. Maybe it was careful handling and paying attention to detail on the part of the ground crews, or maybe it was the bright pink tags marked TRANSFER that helped things. Either way, not having your luggage lost is a good thing.

Then there's the icing on the cake, the arrival time. Of the four flights I took, every single one of them was on time or early. Two of the flights arrived thirty minutes ahead of schedule! It was quite a luxury to be able to arrive early for once. On prior trips, United hasn't fared too poorly, but American has caused me to almost miss connections due to unexplainable delayed arrival times. Worse still have been the numerous times in which American has arrived close to on time only to end up sitting on the tarmac for upwards of forty-five minutes before finally arriving at the gate.

Would I fly Air Tran again? You bet I would. It was a pleasure flying on an airline that didn't treat me like another head of cattle. It's been a long time since I've felt like a real traveler again and I look forward to it again.

]]> Thu, 12 Jul 2007 01:11:46 PST Flights to India http://www.trifter.com/Practical-Travel/Air-Travel/Flights-to-India.28854 American Airlines and Continental Airlines have flights between India and U.S. for since 2006. The airlines are working on service changes to attract customers. American Airlines and Continental Airlines are among the top 10 airlines globally, and their launch of non-stop flights between India and the US is paying dividends even before they have completed their first full year of operation.

Both airlines agree that the passengers have not dropped in off-peak seasons. However, they are not in a position where the airlines are making money. It is not normal that any airlines start making money during the first year of a new flight, as there is normally huge start-up costs involved in launching any new route. The airlines are normally not giving out any details on the financial condition of the route. Both airlines say that they have exceeded expectations in terms of quality of revenue and load factors. The airlines refused to speculate on the number of passengers they carried during the year.

American Airlines launched a daily non-stop service between Chicago and Delhi on November 16; Continental Airlines launched its daily non-stop service on November 2 last year. The airlines reported that over 1.5 million passengers had bookings on the US-India non-stop flights.

The biggest plus of these non-stop flights is the reduction in travel time between the US and India. The launch of the American Airline flight to Chicago from India saves between 1 hour 50 minutes and 2 hours 50 minutes, depending on which airline used when traveling to the US. Air India takes 17 hours and 45 minutes between India and Chicago while the same journey would take 18 hours 45 minutes on the German airline Lufthansa. American Airlines is only 15 hours and 45 minutes to Chicago from India.

Since the two airlines launched their non-stop flights with reasonable success, another American airline company has joined in with launching their own non-stop flight. Delta Airlines announced that from November 3 of 2007 it would start a daily non-stop flight service between Mumbai and New Your.

Air India is planning to get a brand new Boeing 777 next year to add to its fleet of airplanes. The addition of this new plane will be a great advantage for Air-India. Air-India plans to launch non-stop flights between India and several American cities.

The first year is going to be expensive with the extra expense of the new plane and start up costs so passengers will not be receiving any travel specials. Air India claims that they expect it will be at least two years before any specials become available passengers.

One other major problem for the Airlines and the American government is the threat of terrorist taking control of the planes or even worse planting bombs. The Indian government is working with the American government is trying to counter any such occurrences.

]]> Wed, 06 Jun 2007 06:27:37 PST