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Many frequent travelers swear by ExpertFlyer, which lets you see the availability of each booking class, including some award seat booking classes. It’s a useful tool, but it’s not free.

Enter SeatCounter.

Admittedly, SeatCounter doesn’t have all the features of ExpertFlyer, such as actual fare rule information, but it DOES offer an overview of how many tickets are available for sale in each booking class. You don’t get price information, but you can see how many seats are actually for sale in each fare booking code.

For those looking to grab frequent flyer award seats or check the availability of upgrades, this is a particularly helpful site. You just need to know the letter to look for. That varies by airline, but SeatCounter offers some keys at the bottom of their results pages.

Tip: If you’re looking for a single airline’s availability, especially if looking for award seats, enter that airline’s two letter code TWICE in the “favorite airlines” boxes.

Back on December 29, passengers on board American Airlines’ flight 1348 from San Francisco to Dallas experienced the textbook definition of airline hell. A delayed takeoff due to a mechanical. A weather-related diversion to Austin, where no one was allowed to deplane for nine hours. Overflowing toilets. Minimal food. All trapped on board an MD-80. Scott McCartney’s account of the flight is the definitive treatment.

Passengers on board that flight, and their equally angry compatriots from other flights, are still fuming. Their lawyers claim that the airline has never apologized for the treatment. Now, they’re calling for the U.S. Congress to pass a passengers’ bill of rights.

The European Union already has a passenger bill of rights in place. Most famously, it calls for cash payments when the airline delays you for reasons other than weather or acts of God.

See below for the complete Passenger Bill of Rights proposal. Remember, this is just a proposal, as written by a law firm representing angry travelers, and some of it may be pie-in-the-sky. (Do they really think they can control codeshare partners? Good luck with that!) But are they on to something? Read below, then sound off!

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All danger, all the time. Hide the kids!

Dangerous hotel: Hilton closes hotel due to norovirus
The Hilton near Washington Dulles Airport was closed last week due to an outbreak of the norovirus, which infected over 100 people in the hotel. What is this, a cruise ship??

Dangerous flight: Plane aborts takeoff, skids off runway
A Northwest DC-9 went off the runway in Milwaukee after pilots “discontinued takeoff” thanks to an engine problem. No one was hurt. An engine problem? On a Northwest DC-9? A plane that hasn’t been built since 1982, yet is still the workhorse of Northwest’s operation? Unheard of!…

Dangerous flight… for the pilot
A Continental Airlines pilot died in-flight en route to Puerto Vallarta from Houston. The copilot landed the plane at McAllen, Texas.

Dangerous security lines?: Does CLEAR actually hurt security?
Security guru Bruce Schneier has an interesting op-ed in the New York Times. He argues that the registered travel program and its increasingly popular iteration CLEAR actually damage security, because the background check provides a false (and easily exploited) sense of security. Go read.

Dangerous shirts. Again.
Remember the guy who was nearly kicked off a flight from London to Melbourne because of the “George Bush: World’s Number 1 Terrorist” t-shirt he was wearing? Looks like his month in Australia is over, and he decided to wear the same shirt on the flight back. This time, Qantas didn’t let him on board. I still think it’s a pretty silly restriction on the part of the airline, but the guy is clearly looking for publicity.

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United Airlines may be improving the food and seats in first class, but for the majority of air travelers, they’re not winning any points.

And I don’t just mean the pretzels they eliminated. The latest lap in the ongoing race to the bottom is in the Mileage Plus program. The airline is cutting the lifespan of its miles in half, from 3 years to 18 months, for accounts without any activity.

Granted, anyone who spends or redeems any miles whatsoever, whether they’re flying, renting a car, buying stuff through the airline’s online mall, or filling out a survey, during that 18 month period restarts the clock. But for infrequent flyers with low balances in their accounts, hoping to scrape enough miles for a domestic coach ticket, this matters.

Even worse, they backdated it to July 2006, so the clock has already been running.

Last year, US Airways did the same thing. But at that time, immediately following its merger with America West, US Airways was in the process of rebranding itself as a low-cost carrier, a la Southwest or jetBlue. (Whether it is actually a low-cost carrier or not, that’s another story. But it’s the image they’re striving for, even making their ticker symbol “LCC” on the New York Stock Exchange.)

Low cost carriers have tended to put shorter lifespans on their miles. But United isn’t marketing itself as a low cost carrier. If anything, they’re trying to shape themselves as a premium brand. This isn’t how you do it, United.

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Reader Julie writes:

I read this problem-solver article in the Washington Post last week but I’m not satisfied with the answer the newspaper gave.

Why would a person with a $711 [airline] credit not be allowed to use that voucher on a $500 ticket? Isn’t there anything the woman could have done?

Yes, Julie, there is.

Here’s the background:

After canceling a trip on United Airlines, Sarah Anderson of the District was left with a $711 credit. An agent told her she couldn’t use the credit for a $500 ticket, even though she was willing to forfeit the difference. “This seems crazy to me, since it would be my loss,” Anderson wrote […] Many international nonrefundable tickets state that any value of an unused ticket must be applied toward the purchase of a new ticket at an equal or greater fare, said United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski. She added, “This tends to be common throughout the industry.”

A stupid rule, indeed. If Ms. Anderson had wanted to put that credit to use, she should have requested a ticket in a higher (more expensive) fare class for the same flight. The phone agent was pricing out the itinerary as cheaply as possible, but that most certainly wasn’t the only fare for sale.

Idiotic, I know, but United won’t give partial refunds of unused vouchers, so you might as well get SOMETHING for the voucher rather than letting it expire. (It’s a crappy policy. American’s policy of issuing vouchers for any leftover balance is far better.)

Note also that you might end up paying a small sum of cash in order to use the voucher, since the total fare has to exceed the certificate’s value, and you’re responsible for the difference.

It’s dumb to have to buy a more expensive ticket in order to get any value from a voucher, but if that’s the only way to use hundreds of dollars of credit that will otherwise expire worthless, it’s still worth doing.

Related:
- Reader mail: Why is a $75 airline voucher only worth $30?

Two updates on the airport security front. One good, one bad.

First, the no-fly list is being revised. Downward! While the actual length of the list is a secret, TSA chief “Kip” Hawley told a Congressional oversight committee that the list was to be cut in half. Considering how often you hear complaints about people being on the list by mistake, and then trying in vain to get their names removed, it’s good to hear that something at the TSA is moving in the right direction.

…And then there’s the bad news:

Hawley also came out in opposition to the bill approved by the House of Representatives which would mandate inspection of airplane cargo. As it stands now, your suitcases are screened, but other cargo isn’t.

Hawley commented: “If you spend all your resources opening boxes and not applying your resources more generally, that opens up another vulnerability,” Hawley told the Senate Aviation Subcommittee. “The adaptive terrorist will go there.”

The “thudding” sound you may hear in the background is me hitting my head against my desk. If cargo isn’t being screened at all NOW, isn’t THAT where “the adaptive terrorist” will try to stash the bad stuff? Why would the head of the TSA effectively declare that cargo is something the TSA does not intend to screen? It’s an invitation, nay, a dare, to potential terrorists seeking to actually smuggle a bomb (or even themselves) on board.

In the meantime, the TSA is thankfully searching passengers for contraband pies.

Related:
- Cavalcade of security news: Fingerprints, liquids, and suspicious looking devices
- Liquids liberated, but free speech still threatened in airports

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Miles Part 1: United Airlines alters its online booking bonus
Say goodbye to the 1000-mile booking bonus on United.com. It’s been revised to 500 miles for the roundtrip. BUT… while they taketh away, they also now giveth an online booking bonus of 250 miles for one-way trips, and 500 for circle-trips and open-jaws. Unfortunately, they still aren’t plugging the codeshare hole: If ANY of your flights are on a United codeshare partner (other than United Express or Ted) or if the itinerary includes any connections on another airline, you won’t get the bonus. Asinine.

Miles Part 2: Delta limits your routings for frequent flyer mile redemptions
When you’re trying to get from point A to point B, nonstop flights are usually the preference. But if you’re cashing in miles to travel halfway ’round the world, it’s sometimes nice to break up the trip a little, even if only for one night, to spend a little time in a city along the way. (On international routings, many programs allow you to break up the trip without penalty if there are less than 24 hours layover.) Delta is making such itineraries harder to create. Domestic itineraries will be limited to two stops each way, and international itineraries max out at three stops. If you’re not flying from a major hub, this might affect you more than you think. Gary Leff has the lowdown.

Miles Part 3: US Airways ending partnership with Qantas
Frankly, I’m amazed this hasn’t ended earlier, since US Airways is in Star Alliance and Qantas is in oneworld. As USA Today’s Ben Mutzabaugh reports, you’ll have until February 28 to earn US Airways miles on Qantas. February 28 is also your deadline for booking Qantas award tickets with US miles, though your deadline for flying on that ticket is January 31, 2008.

Free gold status with Hilton?
Not sure if this will work, but Gary Leff (again!) offers a possible way to get Hilton Gold for free. Use this link and enter code EMOD.

Free dream vacation?
CondeNast Traveler’s Wendy Perrin invites you to submit a description of your dream vacation. The winner gets what they ask for. Be creative!

January 18 is William Shatner Travel Blog Appreciation Day
Not sure why, but two — count ‘em, two! — separate blogs written by journalists draw lessons on the travel world by reference to William Shatner. Coincidence, or providence? Benet Wilson invokes the prime-time Shatner in discussing the TSA, while Chris Elliott salutes “The Shat” and his Priceline-hawking skill. I have no relevant Shatner link-ups to make, so I’ll just slap up an image of his amazing 1968 album, The Transformed Man. Update: Shatner’s album has been remastered and re-released! Wow. His renditions of “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “Mr. Tambourine Man” are legendary. Here’s the reprint at Amazon.com. (aff. link)

Chicago area to Phoenix area for $1
New discount airline SkyValue is offering $1 tickets from Chicago-Gary Airport (in Gary, Indiana) to Mesa Williams Gateway Airport (outside of Phoenix). Kickin’ it Ryanair style! Alas, the $1 flights are only available on January 24, but return flights are only $79 plus taxes. And the taxes are low, since neither airport seems to charge a passenger service fee. I found (but didn’t buy) long-weekend roundtrip tickets for $91.80 per person, all-in. SkyValue flies Boeing 737-800 jets. Their website is jaw-droppingly horrendous, like it was designed by a teenager in 1996. (via CheapFlights)

FedEx installs first anti-missile system on a commercial jet
We may not be safe from missile attacks in the air, but our overnight deliveries are. The first anti-missile system on a plane was just installed.

“Singapore Girls”: A sexist stereotype or a national treasure?
Regardless of your stand, Singapore Airlines’ flight attendants may be undergoing a makeover.

If you thought hotel pay-per-view was racy now…
…Just wait until they start offering live-action pay-per-view. It’s coming.

Yesterday’s post on Virgin America may have prematurely written off their chances of success, despite their sassy use of petitions and viral videos.

Late yesterday, the airline announced a corporate restructuring, which, in their claims, reduces the whiff of excessive foreign ownership, the factor which previously grounded the company. Britain’s Virgin Group will hold 2 seats on the board, or no more than 25% of the votes. The list of changes to the corporate structure is outlined in a press release. (Now, why didn’t they do this stuff earlier, when it was obvious their application was going to be shot down??)

This will hopefully convince regulators that Virgin should open for business. I think it will work. And soon enough, you’ll be able to play Doom, chat “online” with people in row 25, watch satellite TV, or ponder who the genius is who decided white leather seats were a good idea on a commercial airplane.

Viva competition!

Related:
- Virgin America wants your vote, teases you with glimpses of their planes
- U.S. government says Virgin America is un-American

Virgin America, the airline whose operating certificate was denied by the U.S. government because it was deemed to be a foreign entity, and thus in violation of law mandating American ownership of domestic airlines, isn’t giving up. (Background here.)

The CEO of the airline, Fred Reid, is pitching the airline’s comforts, especially the seatback entertainment system (I’m amused by the chat room feature), which is pretty nice. But he’s not just marketing the airline’s offerings. He can’t, after all. They don’t fly anywhere yet. So he’s asking people to sign a petition at their website, letVAfly.com.

As dumb as I think protectionism is for the airline industry, the law is the law, and the airline hasn’t done enough, it seems, to convince regulators otherwise. Their ownership structure is absurdly convoluted (hat tip to CrankyFlier). How will a petition, even if it’s signed by thousands of people salivating for better inflight entertainment or 110V power sockets, help get this airline off the ground? That doesn’t change their ownership structure.

In any case, the video below offers the cabin tour. What do you think?

The good folks over at FareCompare want to know what you think will happen to Delta in the great merger game, so they’ve set up a poll. It’s not quite making book on the outcome, but they’re trying to see what the public thinks will happen.

(And no, the TradeSports/Intrade people haven’t set up a wager for airline mergers. Yet.)

Click here for the poll.

Jared Blank found a promo code for JetBlue online, but the deal is even better than he says. Sure, you can fly from New York to Pittsburgh one-way for $11 plus tax, if that floats your boat, but the code is valid nationwide, not just on that short flight. You can save $17 each way or $34 roundtrip off any JetBlue fare, including the rock-bottom cheapies.

To get the discount, you have to start your search on the coupon code page here to start. In the “promotion password” box, enter “SEVENTEEN” and click enter. Then run your search as normal.

Yes, it’s a promo aimed at young girls who read Seventeen Magazine. Yes, as an adult male, I worry about using that code and getting tagged as a perv by the feds. But no, that wouldn’t stop me from using it anyway to save some green on airfare!

Book between January 13 and February 14, 2007, and complete travel by February 14. Consider this an early Valentine’s Day love note from “Seventeen” to you, with every “i” dotted with a little heart.

Traveling from (or through) Britain? If you’re departing on or after February 1, 2007, and you’ve already got your tickets, you need to check with your airline to make sure you don’t owe more money.

The reason is the increase in the Air Passenger Duty, announced in December, with monies intended to go toward projects that reduce global warming. (See here for a backgrounder, including some speculation on how the increased taxes might boost traffic at Frankfurt, Paris, or Amsterdam.)

For tickets purchased before the tax went into effect, you’re not exempted. British Airways is covering the tax for its customers, but (unsurprisingly) easyJet and Ryanair aren’t. And making matters worse, it’s YOUR responsibility to find a way to pay the taxes before your flight. If you don’t pay, you don’t fly.

How much can you expect to pay as a supplement?

Air passenger duty will rise from £5 to £10 for economy-seat passengers taking domestic and European short-haul flights, and from £20 to £40 for economy-seat travellers on long-haul flights. Business and first-class passengers will face bills of £40 for short-haul flights and £80 for long-haul.

Check your airline’s website as soon as possible. Expect plenty of angry flyers, and plenty of mayhem at British airports in February.

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