Travel News

Harriet Baskas Travel writer

Starting with tickets purchased Sunday, June 15th, American Airlines now charges a $15 fee for a first checked bag. United Airlines announced a similar first-bag fee policy for tickets purchased as of June 13th.  US Airways will begin collecting $15 for the first checked bag starting July 9th.

As you know, airline baggage policies can change without much notice, so if you have a specific question, call the airline directly and read the detailed policies posted on each airline’s Web site.

In the meantime, here’s some general information about some of the new baggage fees:

Q: If I bought my American Airlines, United or US Airways ticket months ago, will I have to pay the $15?

A: No. Check each airline’s Web site for specific details, but in general, if you purchased your ticket before the new policies officially go into effect, you will not be charged the $15 fee.  For example, according the American Airlines Web site: For travel within the United States, customers who purchased domestic economy class tickets on or after May 12, 2008, but before June 15, 2008, may still check one bag for free and check a second bag for $25 each way. However, customers who purchase domestic economy class tickets on or after June 15, 2008 will be charged $15 each way for the first checked bag and $25 each way for the second checked bag. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Airline Travel | Comments (0)

Taiwan and China agreed Friday to ease decades of tight restrictions on travel and tourism between the mainland and the island state that Beijing views as a breakaway province.

The agreement, reached during groundbreaking talks in the Chinese capital, comes a day after Taiwan’s representatives said they had reached a consensus with their Chinese counterparts on exchanging permanent representative offices.

Such missions would mark a huge step forward in establishing contacts and mutual trust, although Taiwan’s chief negotiator, Chiang Ping-kung, emphasized that officials in Taipei still needed to approve the measure.

“There is still a long way to go for normalization of cross-strait economic and trade exchange,” Chiang told reporters after the signing of the transport and tourism pacts.

Taiwan has banned direct scheduled flights from China ever since the sides split in 1949 amid civil war and victory for Communist forces led by Mao Zedong.

The new agreement allows for 100 charter flights every weekend between 13 different cities in both places.
Find mutually agreeable solution: Hu

Later Friday, Chiang and his delegation met for talks with President Hu Jintao.

Afterward, Chiang told reporters he had raised the issue of Taiwan’s participation in international affairs.

“I told Hu … that the two sides both belonged to the Chinese race and we should make positive contributions to the international community together,” he said.

Chaing said Hu agreed with him, and suggested that Taiwan and China seek mutually acceptable solutions.

Beijing’s Communist administration considers Taiwan part of its territory and refuses to recognize the government in Taipei, which means negotiations must be carried out by semi-official bodies.

The agreements reached this week are seen as a victory of pragmatism over politics, with the parties setting aside their ideological differences to strengthen booming trade and investment ties.

In other areas, the sides remain far apart. China continues to build up its military, especially its missile force, to back up its threat to invade Taiwan if the island declares formal independence or refuses demands for political unification with the mainland.

Beijing also opposes Taiwan’s close ties with the United States, as well as Taipei’s desire for diplomatic recognition and participation in the United Nations and other international bodies.

Posted in Airline Travel | Comments (0)

By Andrew Ehrenkranz

A single-engine Cessna carrying two Kenyan government ministers crashes into the Masaii Mara hillside about 100 kms (60 miles) from Nairobi, killing everyone on board. In the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, a Sudan Airways Airbus A-310 en route from the Syrian capital of Damascus explodes on landing at Khartoum International Airport. Miraculously, almost half of the passengers survive and manage to escape the burning fuselage. And this was just yesterday, Tuesday, June 10.

Africa is, far and away, the world’s most dangerous place to board an aircraft. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the number of major accidents per million takeoffs in Africa amounted to 4.31 in 2006, compared to a worldwide average of only 0.65. According to Giovanni Bisignani, the head of the IATA, Africa’s accident rate is still nearly six times the global average. This sorry record has led to the European Union including 74 African airlines on its 91-strong global blacklist of planes barred from EU air space. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the country’s vast size and severely-limited road network makes it heavily dependent on air cargo, all 54 of the country’s airlines are banned. With 20 crashes since 1996, including a Hewa Bora Airways DC-9 that killed 40 people, including 37 on the ground when it overran the runway in the east Congolese city of Goma on April 15, the D.R.C. has the worst safety record in sub-Saharan Africa. In the United States, only two African airlines qualify for landing rights.

Read the rest at http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/ov/archive/2008/06/11/danger-in-african-skies.aspx

Posted in Airline Travel | Comments (0)

QUEENSLAND’S tourism industry is bracing itself for more bad news after Virgin Blue’s chief hinted that flights may be cut and a new luggage tax implemented.

Virgin Blue chief executive Brett Godfrey hinted on the Nine Network yesterday that the airline would be looking at capacity cuts to destinations such as the Gold Coast.

He also said a luggage tax was being considered due to the high cost of security and baggage processing.

This comes days after Qantas and Jetstar scaled back domestic and international flight services to offset rising fuel costs.

Queensland Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said today the industry knew more bad news would come and was turning its attention to attracting foreign airlines.

Ms Boyle said she and Queensland Tourism had been in contact with foreign airlines and a list of potentials was being compiled. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Airline Travel | Comments (0)