I Fly to Work

Star Alliance Releases iPhone App

Frequent flyers on the Star Alliance have a new tool for their travels.  The new "Star Alliance Navigator" app was released for iPhones in July. 

According to the announcement, the Navigator app features flight search and tracking across the entire Star Alliance, as well as airport maps, city guides and more. 

Since I fly SkyTeam loyalty programs I won't be evaluating it, but Star Alliance members may want to check it out.

 

 

Flight Tracking, Flight Search, and Airport Information

Airport Stress? Consider alternate airports

Flying out of "alternate airports" like Orange County or Milwaukee can save money and stress, according to this survey by Harris Interactive.  

The study shows 88% of respondents had "a happy experience" at alternative airports.  Any time you hear the words "happy" and "airport" near each other it's worth listening.

In my experience smaller airports usually have shorter lines and fewer crowds.  Case in point: given a choice between flying from Los Angeles and Orange County I'll choose Orange County nearly every time.  Only once have I had to stand in line more than 5 minutes at Orange County.  I can't say that for LAX.

Before you decide to give up the hubs to fly alternate-only, there's a few caveats to be aware of

• Alternate airports don't have many airline lounges.  Lounge members need to decide if they're willing to trade comfy seats and business services for the lower stress airport experience. 
• If your flight is cancelled or delayed you may have fewer choices to get home.  If you absolutely, positively need to get to your location do what you can to maximize your chances.  Be sure to book an early flight and double-check it's on-time record.
• You'll have fewer dining options.  Granted, since the restaurants in the hubs aren't usually anything to write home about this is a pretty minor point.  Some small airports have great little cafes, and some don't.

Do I always fly from alternates?  No.  But I do enjoy them when it makes sense.  You might too.

The Airplane Seat Shuffle: Another good reason to check in early

Friday's "exit row aisle" seat morphed into a "rear row center" seat at check-in.  Thank goodness I checked in online and early, when I still had time to select myself back into the exit row.

The seasoned travelers out there are nodding; you know what happened.  Delta needed to use a different plane for the flight than originally planned.  For whatever reason, it happens.

New business travelers: take this as yet another reason to check in online as early as you can.  Give yourself your best chance possible to ensure a good seat.

One of the Best Perks of the Road Warrior Life

Yes, there’s at least one great reason to work on the road.  Really.

Let’s face it: life on the road can be tough.  Some road warriors take to it like ducks to a pond, not able to imagine life without the swim.  Others barely tolerate the time away from family and the morning “what town am I in” confusion. 

What’s the perk?  Location independence!  I’m working today in Albany, NY.  Albany is not my home town.  I’m three time zones away from my own comfy bed and the pugs who greet me at the door.  My TomTom iPhone app tells me my nearest customer is a 10-hour drive away.

I’m in Albany to visit my 3-week old granddaughter.  I flew in on a mileage ticket (thanks to a partnership between Alaska and American airlines), took 3 days’ vacation, and am working remotely from Albany this Thursday and Friday. 

My customers are happy wherever I call them from (obviously this only works if I don’t have an onsite customer visit scheduled).  My manager still enjoys the benefits of a productive employee.  And most importantly, when I hold my granddaughter in the living room of my proud son and daughter-in-law, our family is together.

Free airfare to my cross-continent family, and the ability to work from there when I’m low on vacation?  Priceless

Late-Night Airport

Here's what the Minneapolis airport looks like at 11:00 p.m.

Flying isn't all fun and excitement.  Today I sat 5 hours in Spokane waiting for a plane, then another hour ON the plane, and arrived half-way to my destination in the middle of the night.  Tomorrow morning I get to catch the 7am flight from Minneapolis to finish this marathon...

Night night everyone!

News: Alaska Airlines 25-Minute Bag Guarantee

One of the reasons I try to avoid checking my bag is it takes SO LONG to get it back in the baggage claim.

It looks like Alaska Airline's decided there's some room to one-up the competition on this issue.  They're in the middle of implementing a Baggage Service Guarantee.  According to this service, if your bag isn't in Baggage Claim within 25 minutes of when the plane parked at the gate, they owe you $25!  Or if you prefer, 2,500 Alaska Airlines miles. 

Since at least half my flights are on the west coast, I try to stick with Alaska Airlines as much as possible.  Hmm...maybe I'll check my bag the next time I fly to California.

[Note:  This guarantee ends December 31]

Trying to Sleep on a Plane? Here's Some Tips

Sleeping on a plane comes easily for a few people - my husband being one of them. For the rest of us, trying to sleep on a plane is frustrating to the max. I could sleep more easily in a room full of hyperactive kindergartners than an economy-class plane seat.

If you have problems sleeping on a plane, here are some tips to help.

Get the right seat: try for a window set, in a row where seats recline (some seats don't.) Being in the window seat lets you lean against the wall when trying to rest. The downside of sitting in the window seat is that it's much harder to get to the aisle if you need to use the facilities. Life's a tradeoff.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol: this should be common sense. Caffeine makes us jittery, and alcohol makes us sleep less deeply. Be aware that studies show the effect of alcohol on a plane is double that of drinking on the ground.

Give yourself room: having enough legroom can make a big difference in your ability to get comfortable. When traveling on a long flight, I make a point of only carrying on one bag...and putting it in the overhead storage. I try to only put my laptop, a couple books, and my sleep accessories in the underseat storage.

Try to fall asleep early: it's usually easiest to enter a drowsy state during takeoff. I'm told that during takeoff the cabin has decreased oxygen levels and an increased G-force. The combination of these makes us drowsy. Whatever the reason, I do tend to nod off more easily prior to getting into the air.

Use sleep accessories: a pillow and blanket are crucial to managing your comfort. Earplugs (wax, not foam) and eye masks make a big difference as well.

Before you head out for your next flight, take a few minutes to prepare with some of these tips. You'll have a lot better chance of catching some z's, finally sleeping on a plane.

Five tips for Choosing an Airplane Seat

Knowing how to select a seat on the airplane is one of the marks of an experienced traveler.  You can survive any seat for a quick 1-hour hop.  But on longer flights, or a series of short hops in a row, you'll appreciate good seats.  In my case, my neck and back tell me the difference pretty quickly.  And if I planned to work on the plane, I need a seat that gives me access to my laptop bag.

Here's the list I run through when choosing a seat.

1. Is a First Class upgrade available?  First Class upgrades win, always.  Having said that, I once had a First Class passenger ask for my Economy seat because mine was a bulkhead.  I was more than happy to trade with him.  Usually, free upgrades aren't available until you acquire frequent flyer status -- or in the case of United Airlines, until you earn upgrade certificates.
2. Is an exit row seat available?  I SO love the leg room of exit row seats.  There's some downsides to exit rows.  The seat next to the window usually has less padding and sometimes doesn't have an arm rest.  If I'm in the exit for more than an hour, I avoid the window seat.
3. Aisle or window?  The window seat gives a little more shoulder room.  It also usually has a wider space under the seat in front of you.  On the other hand, a window seat is usually colder thanks to that window.  My rolling laptop carrier figures into my decision.  If I want to work on the plane I'll choose the window seat since the carrier always fits under the seat in front of me.  If I'm just going to read or knit I'll choose the aisle and put my carrier in the overhead.  My carrier's too wide to fit under many aisle seats.
4. Front or back?  Unless you love noise and chaos, choose a more frontward seat.  People who rarely travel (read: families and those who haven't earned frequent flyer status yet) nearly always end up in the rear of the plane.  It's nearly always quieter towards the front.  Oh, and if you're flying United you definitely want to sit towards the front.  United's Economy Plus seats have extra legroom -- love it.
5. Am I familiar with the plane's configuration?  There's five flights I know very, very well.  On any other flight I'll take a quick look on SeatGuru.com.  Before you head over there, take a look at the booking information for your flight.  You'll need to know what type of plane your flight's on.  Once you know that, SeatGuru can show you the configuration of that plane on each airline.  (Did you know that different airlines configure the same plane differently?)  The seat map key uses red, yellow, and green to point out particularly bad or good seats, as well as tell you why the seats were ranked that way.

When you book your next business trip, take a few moments to run through this list.  You'll be glad you did.

Experienced travelers: what other criteria do you use when choosing a seat?  I'd love to hear your suggestions.