Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Wednesdays With Wendy - July News!

Hi there!

Thanks for stopping by to check out my BLOG!
I hope you're having a very nice and relaxing summer so far, and enjoying this beautiful South Eastern NC weather (or the weather wherever YOU are)!

The BLOG this week features some tips for your summer vacation flight, "7 Ways to Avoid Checked Baggage Fees" provided by Travel Columnist, Christopher Elliott ...a health video on "Secrets to a Better Night Sleep"- from the Today Show website. And, a great house you don't want to miss in Wendy's Featured Listings section!
"7 Ways to Avoid Checked Baggage Fees"
Article provided by the Christopher Elliott, Travel Columnist for MSNBC

Tis' the season for family vacations and romantic getaways. Find out ways you can save money at the airport so, you'll have more for your vacation!

Like just about every other airline passenger this summer, Elizabeth Rodgers wants to avoid any unnecessary fees. So on a recent flight from Los Angeles to Boise, Idaho, she tried to carry all of her luggage on the plane.

She didn’t get far.

As Rodgers boarded the cramped regional jet, passengers were being asked to gate-check most of their carry-ons. A flight attendant tagged her extra bag without charging her $15. “I checked it for free,” says Rodgers, a technology writer based in Los Angeles.

Sidestepping this year-old airline rule was pretty easy up to this point. Flight attendants and gate agents routinely waved passengers with too much luggage through, hoping to avoid a confrontation. But now that baggage fees are generating serious money — they accounted for $1.5 billion in 2008, according to the Transportation Department — airlines are less likely to let the surplus bags slide.

For example:
  • US Airways this month began charging $5 on top of its $15 fee for a first checked bag if you don’t pay for it in advance.
  • Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines started charging $50 for the second checked bag on flights to Europe.
  • Alaska Airlines added a checked-bag fee, too: $15 for the first bag, $25 for the second.

Airlines are spinning the changes in a clever way. My favorite explanation comes from US Airways, which rationalized its new fee as a way to offer customers “the convenience of prepaying to check their bags online.”

It’s clear that airlines are depending on ancillary revenues in general, and luggage fees in particular, more than ever. Meaning air travelers must be more vigilant than ever about avoiding them. The days of passengers like Rodgers eluding a $15 or $50 fee are numbered. A proposed new law would see to that. It tasks the Transportation Security Administration with limiting the number of carry-ons travelers can bring through security checkpoints. Not hard to see the airline industry’s fingerprints all over that bill.

What to do?

1. Bring less.
Obviously, the best way to avoid paying for a checked bag is not to bring one in the first place. “Keep your bags as light as possible,” advises Barbara DesChamps, author of “It’s In The Bag: The Complete Guide to Lightweight Travel.” How can you tell if your luggage is overweight? I’ve been testing a Balanzza digital luggage scale that’s very portable and, at a $24.99 list price, doesn’t break the bank. Don’t take this advice too far, though. Pack a change of clothes, and for goodness sakes, wear something on the plane. US Airways passenger Keith Wright might have benefitted from that advice. He disrobed on a recent flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles, and ended up in the slammer.

2. Fly a no-fee airline.
JetBlue Airways doesn’t charge for the first checked bag. Neither does Southwest Airlines. In fact, it doesn’t charge for a second bag, either. Both of these companies have acknowledged what the rest of us already know: People travel with at least one bag. Shouldn’t we be rewarding these airlines with our business?

3. Look for loopholes.
They still exist. For example, US Airways exempts all of its frequent fliers, passengers traveling to and from Europe or Asia, Star Alliance Silver and Gold status members, unaccompanied minors, first class passengers and active duty military. Is anyone left? Mark Mitchell, American Airlines’ managing director of customer experience, recently told me that only 1 in 4 passengers pay luggage fees.

4. Ask someone else to pay.
Hotels are mindful that first-bag fees can hurt their business, so they’re offering to cover the fees. One of the first was Kimpton hotels. My friends over at Amelia Island, Fla., have a new program called “Pack Your Bags for Amelia Island” that offers air travelers an $80 room credit for checked baggage fees. If you have to pay for a checked bag, why not pass the bill off to someone else?

5. Get creative.
Passengers like Carolina Moore, a marketing consultant in North Las Vegas, Nev., are finding interesting ways of avoiding the fees. When she flew with her nine-month-old son recently, she discovered that consolidating her purse, diaper bag, car seat and port-a-crib into two large (and barely legal) bags allowed her to avoid paying the $15 fee. “So, I guess I didn’t really break any of the rules,” she says. “I just stretched them to capacity.”

6. Exploit policy differences.
Airlines don’t have uniform luggage rules, so when you’re flying on two or more airlines, use that to your advantage. Consider what happened to Kristi Nelson when she flew from Oahu to Portland recently. A Hawaiian Air agent in Lihue asked if she wanted to check her bags all the way through to the mainland. “You bet I do,” she said. “I thought for a minute and wondered how we would pay the baggage fee for our Northwest flight from Honolulu.” But when she landed, no one bothered to charge her.

7. Mail it.
Federal Express, UPS, the postal service, or a company like Luggage Forward can help you avoid the fees, but often, these options cost far more than what the airlines are charging. Then again, they’re probably more reliable. An overnight delivery service is far less likely to lose your belongings.

To view this article and others like it, visit the Today Show website
"Secrets to a Better Night Sleep"
Video with Dr. Carol Ash, Medical Director at Somerset Medical Center

Getting your zzzzz's...Learn secrets and tips on how to get that much needed sleep!

For more information and videos on health, visit the Today Show website
Wendy's Featured Listing
4511 Regent Drive, Wilmington - 28412

This is a very attractive, well maintained home! It is located in the popular Fairfield Park neighborhood and is just a short distance to shopping, beaches and the hospital. Enjoy casual living in this all brick, 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home. The house sits on a prime lot with expert landscaping and backs up to a large wooded area with a pond. Lot is also parallel to an easement allowing yard to look bigger. The open floor plan features formal dining room, open kitchen with bar, large master bed with sitting area, walk-in closet, luxurious bath with glass tile shower and separate garden tub. There are hardwoods in all main living areas, canned lighting and ceiling fans throughout, gas fireplace and bonus room with bath which is 4th bedroom. Appliances included; built-in microwave, oven, dishwasher, refrigerator, washer and dryer. This great neighborhood has a community pool, tennis courts, clubhouse and trails. Old fairgrounds to be developed. A one year warranty is also included.















CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO!

Single Family Home
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2 Full, 1 Half
Square Feet: 2101
Year Built: 2004
MLS Number: 435362

For more information on this property and other featured listings, email me wendy@seacoastrealty.com or visit my website
CARTUS Relocation Referral Network -
Did you know that I can help your family and friends buy or sell real estate
anywhere in the United States!
Since Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty is affiliated with CARTUS-
the world's largest relocation network -
I can connect your loved ones with a relocation expert ANYWHERE in the country!
So, the next time you know someone thinking of buying or selling, CALL ME!
I'll make sure they receive the same courteous and professional service I provide for my clients!
I hope you have enjoyed reading my BLOG and have a great week!
As always, if I can help with any of your real estate needs,
please don't hesitate to call or email me!

Cell - (910) 279-3983
Office - (910) 202-3627
Fax - (910) 795-4268
Wendy@SeaCoastRealty.com
WendyInWilmington.com
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)