With the long 4th of July holiday weekend upon us, America’s airports — and planes — will be full. There will be overbookings. People will be bumped. Should you be one of them?

Enter BumpTracker — the site that collects reports on what the airlines are offering to volunteers, and on which routes. Bumptracker (much like UpgradeSuccess, mentioned here two weeks ago) relies on travelers for its info. Feed the beast: Let them know when you’ve been bumped. (Some of the info is pretty old — guys, I think you can safely remove TWA from the list and no one would mind…)

There is a cottage industry of sorts out there, with flyers intentionally booking flights at predictably busy times, with the hope that the airline will offer a bump. In fact, some people try to be bumped multiple times on the same day. It’s all within the rules.

As long as you’re flexible and are willing to fly later than the time you booked, you could make out pretty well with such a scheme — free tickets, vouchers for travel, or even cash, depending on where your flight is heading. (Warning: The free ticket may not earn miles. Tickets bought with dollar-denominated bump vouchers generally DO earn miles.)

Check out the archives on BumpTracker to see how your airline has been treating its customers. If you really want to wonk out, download your airline’s “contract of carriage” from the company’s website and search for “denied boarding.” The contracts set out the terms of both voluntary and involuntary bumps, so you know the minimum to which you’re entitled.

Posh all-business class Eos Airlines did the unthinkable last month: It broke even. Business must be going well: The airline, which flies New York-JFK to London-Stansted in Boeing 757s configured with 48 seats, has been flying at 70% capacity and will add a second daily flight to the schedule in September.

All-biz competitor Maxjet has been showing similarly full planes, but hasn’t made any statements as to profitability. Maxjet, too, is adding flights and leasing more planes.

I still stand by my earlier comments that Maxjet, while providing a great value for a reasonably posh flight, is still not a serious business airline. It’s luxury class for tourists — and that’s terrific! Nothing wrong with that, but it ain’t business.

But let’s put aside gripes about the seat… what’s the food like? Enter AirlineMeals.net, the web’s repository for photos and menus of inflight dining, past and present. It’s an amazing resource, and worth your perusal, much like opening up a time capsule. But it also lets you see what various airlines around the world actually offer in terms of inflight service.

Maxjet’s food looks good. (Virgin Atlantic’s food looks nicer, though Virgin also charges two to three times as much for airfare… but check out that dessert at #117!)

Eos isn’t included in airlinemeals.net yet, but I found the adjacent photo on flickr. And they have real metal knives! (Gasp!) Someone alert the TSA!

(image)

“Hotel” rooms gone to the dogs
Some unscrupulous New York apartment managers are listing their units as “boutique hotels” through online booking agencies. Angry tourists find such “amenities” as a foldout sofabed that can’t fold out, because the room is too narrow. Sweet. Folks, we’ll say it again: Don’t book a hotel room, especially one you’ve never heard of, without looking it up on TripAdvisor first. Research!

Dogs gone to the hotel
Marx and Lenin would cite this as proof that capitalism has reached its highest and final stage: Hotels such as the James in Chicago, the St. Regis in Aspen, and the Loews Coronado Bay in San Diego are offering room service for pooches, with a full array of luxury spa and resort services. Some of the dog food menu items made my mouth water, which either says bad things about my tastes or amazing things about their pet menus.

Free food and wine, maybe even for your dog
Why pay the $75 fee for a puppy snack when you can eat and drink free in your hotel? HotelChatter mentions the Banks Mansion of Amsterdam, where the minibar is free, snacks and drinks are always available, and the breakfast is complimentary. While other hotels might use the economistically logical technique of lowering the room rate and then hitting you with the extras later, the Banks includes it all in the base rate. Did I mention free wine?

Light up my life
Smokers are no longer a security threat (though you may want to give them their own airline): TSA officials recommend that lighters be allowed back on board. Maybe they’re just tired of disposing of the 30,000 lighters they confiscate EVERY DAY.

Airline security komedy hijinx
The Onion: “Baggage-Handling Mixup Sends Dirty Bomb to St. Louis”

I can’t drive 55
The United States’ interstate highway system turned 50 years old yesterday. Chicago-based drivers celebrate on the Edens Expressway with a 55-minute drive from Lake Cook Road to the junction, blasting Sammy Hagar all the way.

Make you sweat ’til you bleed
Self-serving deodorant-maker Old Spice names “sweatiest cities in America.” In a shocker, Phoenix comes out on top, despite its legendary “dry heat.” Phoenix mayor Skip Rimsa received a year’s supply of deodorant as a consolation prize. But with three of the top ten cities in the desert, charges of foul play should be afoot. Reports of bribery, focusing on the Washington, DC judge, are unconfirmed.

Paging Mr. Freeze
Maybe the people in sweaty cities should just invest in an air-conditioned shirt. Hopefully you don’t have the get the freon recharged too often.

Free fallin’
Old news — from 1972, in fact — but still… Flight attendant falls from 33,000 feet (without parachute) and survives. If she’s not already there, Vesna Vulovic should be in the flight attendant exhibition at the International Women’s Air & Space Museum in Cleveland.

The free drinks are back, baby!

Well, sort of. Economy class travelers on Delta’s international flights will be able to have ONE complimentary alcoholic beverage with their meal, including their suggestively-named “Mile High Mojito,” starting Saturday, July 1.

Most US-based carriers have put a $5 price tag on booze in economy, while European and Asian carriers have still let the liquor flow. It seems that Delta will give you one free drink, but will charge you for any extra. Nonetheless, it’s nice to see any amenities restored to coach travel.

The airline will also reintroduce amenity kits with eyeshades, earplugs, etc., and printed menus to the economy cabin. (Couldn’t the menu simply be a business card that reads “chicken or pasta”?)

(image)

Reader Pete writes in:

Hi, I’ve got award tickets to Brazil booked on Varig. I used my U.S. Airways miles a while ago, and we’re going to a wedding in Rio. I’ve read that Varig Airlines is cancelling flights and is in danger of shutting down entirely. What happens to my tickets if Varig stops flying? Thanks!

Well, Pete, you may want to change those tickets to other flights, or you are going to be sweating it out. Varig (short for Viacao Aerea Rio-Grandense), was Brazil’s largest airline for years, though it’s fallen on hard times lately, and it’s been crushed domestically by competitors TAM and Gol. Recently, flights have been cancelled, planes have been repossessed, and even a last-minute bailout offer by Varig employees fell short — they couldn’t come up with the cash. Another offer is pending, but the airline is very much at risk of going belly-up.

You’d be in good company if you change your tickets. Even the Brazilian national soccer team rebooked their tickets. They’re flying home from the World Cup on Lufthansa.

If I were you, I’d call US Airways and see if you could rebook your tickets. Visit the Star Alliance website first to see what your routing options are, and offer these as suggestions to the phone agent when you call. Since you’re flying to Rio, presumably from the United States, you might ask for a rebooking onto United, a fellow Star Alliance member. If you’re flying from Europe, try for Lufthansa. But, since Varig is still technically flying (and you didn’t indicate when you’d be flying to Rio), any change will probably cost you money; it’s entirely up to the folks at US Airways. If Varig shuts down, you’ll probably be able to make changes for free. Ask for a fee waiver if they intend to charge you for the change.

Alternatively, if rebooking the award isn’t an option, consider cancelling the award tickets (recrediting your account) and buying tickets with real money. You’ll feel safer knowing you’ll actually attend the wedding.

If you must (or want to) risk it and stick with the existing Varig itinerary, you may want to look into travel insurance to cover you in case of flight cancellation. Check with the credit card you used to pay any taxes or fees, too, to see if some automatic coverage is included. Before you pay for any insurance, make sure they cover 1) frequent flyer tickets, and 2) Varig.

Good luck, and keep us posted…

(image)

Last week, British Airways, American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and United Airlines were named as subjects of an investigation into price-fixing, accused of artificially inflating ticket prices across the Atlantic by moving up fuel surcharges in tandem. The fact that fuel costs have risen is no surprise — the accusation rests on the means by which the airlines came to share common pricing, not the reasons behind the increase per se.

Adding some spice to the story, Virgin was the whistleblower, according to Reuters, trying to bring down BA. (All the while participating in the collusion. Nice work.)

But now, they’ve all also been named in a lawsuit that hopes to gain class-action status. The plaintiffs, building on the existing investigation, accuse the airlines of bilking the public. (My question: These four airlines all fly to London-Heathrow. Why isn’t Continental, who flies to Gatwick, included? Their prices aren’t any lower.)

It looks bad for British Airways, and they’re throwing some of their executives overboard. But common pricing doesn’t always necessarily mean illegal behavior. Airlines load thousands of fares (and surcharges) into the global computer networks every day. Seeing changes, whether up or down, other airlines respond. It might be collusion if secret meetings took place, during which airline executives conspired to raise the price of tickets. (This is what Virgin suggests happened — a BA executive allegedly contacted Virgin about the fuel charges.)

Perhaps in response to these accusations and the negative publicity, there are actually some deals on BA and Virgin from the US to the UK. Virgin’s economy class sale is worth checking out, and British Airways has an interesting luxury package offer for those interested in flying business class.

The business class deal — ~$6000 for TWO roundtrip business class tickets and a three night stay in top London accomodations (the Sanderson, the Berkeley, Claridge’s, or the Savoy) — is good value for business class tickets, and it’s a shot across the bow of all-biz class carriers Maxjet and Eos. (BA offer via Fodor’s)

(image)