Is your car rental company taking care of manufacturer recalls in a timely manner? Odds are, they’re not.

For many recalls, it’s not a huge deal. But every now and then, something horrible happens — such as a PT Cruiser which caught fire, leading its occupants to lose control and crash. After five years of litigation, Enterprise Rent-a-Car admitted liability, for not getting a hood fire recall taken care of.

Subsequently, the federal government has looked into rental car recall management:

In November, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was looking at nearly 3 million recalled vehicles from General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC that were sold to rental car companies to see how quickly they are repaired.
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Rental car companies are not legally required to complete recalls before they rent the cars to customers.

Some safety advocates have raised alarms that some consumers are unknowingly driving vehicles that were recalled and not repaired.

Bob Barton, president of the American Car Rental Association noted, that hundreds of recalls and service bulletins affecting millions of vehicles in North America are issued annually.

“In most cases, members place a ‘hold’ on recalled vehicles so they are not rented until the recall work is completed,” he said.

Because rental cars move around so much it can take weeks or months for the company to find out a model has been recalled, thus taking much longer for repairs to be done, advocates said.

I’m sorry, but that’s pretty weak: If a “hold” is placed on a specific VIN, it can be plugged into the database and blocked from rental. Dealerships are located nationally, so a repair can be taken care of anywhere. This lax attitude shouldn’t be given a pass.

For what it’s worth, the rental car companies are still apparently better at handling recalls than most individuals, “who often fail to get recalled vehicles fixed.” (No specific stat given, alas.)

If you’re concerned about your rental, I suppose you could fire up the internet and check the car’s VIN against the manufacturer’s recall database online. But will you, really?

For your convenience, here are the recall links for Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, and Honda. GM, Hyundai, and Kia, each of which are frequently included in the rental car pool, add an unfortunate hurdle to their search and require you to register as an owner on their website, which you probably don’t want to do with a rental car. Alternatively, call the toll-free customer service for the manufacturer if you’re concerned.

…But will you really check?

Sure, some airlines let you work in a free stopover. But Turkish Airlines goes one step further and offers up a free city tour on a stopover as short as six hours.

Maybe getting into a shuttle bus and tooling around Istanbul after seven hours on an Airbus isn’t your cup of tea, but if you’re up for it, then focus on the key term in that previous sentence: Free!

From the website for their program, IstanbulInHours.com, some of the details of the six-hour tour:

If you have a transit flight from Istanbul and have more than 6 hours waiting time for your connecting flight, you can visit our hotel desk to join our free city tour and experience the glamorous city that connects Europe to Asia as land and also as culture.

After you apply to our Hotel Desk which can be found at the airport, you will be picked up by a private tour guide and get to see most significant historical places of Istanbul. There are two 6-hour tours daily; one starts at 09:00 and ends at 15:00, and the other one is from 12:00 to 18:00. You will be taken to airport after your tour ends. The transportation in Istanbul and the transportation to and from the airport will be done by free shuttles.

All your transportation, meal and museum fees will be met by Turkish Airlines. If you have any further questions, please visit our FAQ page or contact us.

All transportation, meals, and museum fees are covered? Wow.

Are you going to get a full taste of Istanbul in six hours? Of course not. Will you be tired? Quite likely. But you’ll get a brief taste of some major sights.

How viable is it to actually take advantage of this? Remember, you need to be transiting Turkey internationally, not just making a connection from an international flight. Depending on your destination, the timetable may not make it possible.

Since I’ve never participated in these tours (or even been to Turkey, yet), I can’t vouch for the quality of the tours, so don’t take this as an endorsement, per se. But I really like the idea, so hats off to Turkish for offering this. Bonus points since they’re not just doing it for business class passengers. Even economy gets in on the action.

I’m curious to hear if others have any experience with this. If anyone out there has done a free Turkish Airlines Istanbul tour, post your story in the comments.

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Do-it-yourself boarding passes — either printed on your own computer or on your phone — are par for the course these days. I can’t remember the last time I used a kiosk, much less a check-in staff member…) But there are self-printed boarding passes, and then there are BOARDING PASSES.

A traveler by the name of William Bryson decided to see if a poster-sized boarding pass would be honored. He succeeded, and his blog has the photos to prove it. He made it through TSA — even getting some laughs — and onto his flight. He even hit the lounge. One photo is below, but check his site for the full photo timeline.

This isn’t 2011 — he actually did this over three years ago — but it’s new to me, and probably to you as well. (To put even more age on it, his boarding passes were on Northwest, which isn’t even a brand anymore…)

(Via Zug. Thanks, Andy!)

Downgraded: Prospects for carrying on liquids in the European Union
While the European Union’s European Commission is aiming to allow you to carry on liquids again — as we reported back in October — airports and airlines are actually fighting the EC and lobbying to keep the nearly five-year liquid restrictions in carry-on luggage:

In recent months, trade groups representing hundreds of airports and dozens of airlines have quietly stepped up the pressure on the European Commission to abandon its plan for a gradual easing of restrictions. From April 29, the change would allow passengers passing through Europe from a third country to carry liquids, aerosols and gels purchased either at an airport duty-free shop or on board a non-European airline. They are calling instead for the ban to remain in place until 2013, when Brussels has vowed to eliminate all cabin restrictions on such goods.

“The existing technology is not fit for the purpose,” said Olivier Jankovec, the director general of the Airports Council International Europe, a lobbying group based in Brussels that represents more than 400 airports. “We risk paralyzing the big hubs.”
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But the intense lobbying has so far failed to sway the commission, which committed two years ago to simplifying the often onerous security screening process. It remains a source of frustration for passengers who are forced to jettison drink containers, toothpaste, skin creams and even jars of marmalade before boarding planes.

Aides to Siim Kallas, the European transportation commissioner, said he remained unconvinced by the industry’s arguments and was satisfied by the performance standards set by European regulators for liquid-explosive detectors. Moreover, they said, the numbers of transfer passengers likely to be affected by this first phase of the plan should be manageable.

Upgraded: AA miles on Facebook
It’s a spin of the wheel, essentially, but you could earn a random number of American AAdvantage miles — between 100 and 1,000,000 — if you “like” the AAdvantage program on their Facebook page. I think these “like” campaigns are kind of lame, but hey, if you’re a Facebooker, have some free miles. Full details here.

Upgraded: Atlanta Braves parking for Delta SkyMiles Medallion members
I guess this is a thinking-outside-the-box perk for upper-tier Delta elite frequent fliers: Medallion-level members get access to a special parking area within the Green Lot for Atlanta Braves games at Turner Field. It’s not free parking — normal rates apply. I’ve never been to a game at Turner Field, but the Green Lot looks like it’s as convenient as it’s going to get.

Upgraded: Taiwanese analysis of American aviation
For those who appreciate the kitschy animations of global news by the Taiwanese animators at Next Media Animation, please enjoy this cartoon analysis of American aviation’s obsession with fees. Note the not-so-subtle digs at the age of U.S. flight attendants (ouch) and the ragging on US Airways in particular, going so far as to use their logo. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the video celebrates the triumphant Asian airline industry, singling out Cathay Pacific. Who knows, maybe Cathay paid for this episode. Watch it below.

Every few years, an airline comes up with the bright idea to ship high rollers to Vegas on classed-up scheduled service. “They’re big spenders! They’ll want to fly on limited-service commercial airlines, rather than on private jets!” Every time it’s offered up, it fails. (MGM Grand Air, anyone?)

And yet, like a zombie, this idea keeps coming back, hungry for the brains (and dollars) of investors.

So, once again, and yet, for the first time, the Las Vegas Sun reports that a startup, LV Air, is planning to fly four Boeing 767s between New York JFK and Las Vegas.

Some of this is actually interesting and creative. For example:

• The airline promises “straight to the room” baggage service. When passengers check a suitcase in New York, they won’t have to lug it from the baggage carousel to the hotel. It will be waiting for them in their hotel rooms.

• At flight check-in, passengers will get hotel front desk service, including room keys and have access to a 24-hour concierge line.

Not bad. I assume there’s no luggage fee, either.

Other features are more creepy than interesting:

• Smart-phone recognition software will be programmed so that front desk, limousine staff and club hosts will know immediately when a guest is within 100 feet of the front desk or entrance.

And then there’s the just plain weird:

• Onboard safety briefings will given by recorded holographic images of Las Vegas celebrities. Smith said iconic celebrities, living or dead, could present messages with that technology.

I think every airline should offer Liberace-themed holographic in-flight announcements.

And the airline’s model for filling seats?:

Smith plans to contract with casino companies to buy seats on the planes and give them to their best customers. The airline would reciprocate by feeding casinos its database of new customers reached in the New York area.

It’s nice that someone is thinking outside the box, and is looking to improve service. But will this ever work? I suspect that between the competition from private aviation and from commercial airlines (and their loyalty programs), this startup is going to get its block knocked off. Color me skeptical. Am I missing something?

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Exhale, United frequent fliers. Your Economy Plus isn’t going anywhere.

Rejoice, Continental frequent fliers. You’re getting Economy Plus!

After United merged with Continental a few months ago, and Continental’s management effectively took the helm, travelers had every right to fear that the extra legroom in the Economy Plus section might go the way of Continental Lite.

So it comes as some relief that the merged United-Continental announced their retention/expansion of the extra-legroom zone in economy today:

Today, United offers Economy Plus on all 359 mainline aircraft and more than 150 larger regional jets operated by United Express(R) carriers. When the multi-year conversion process is complete, the company plans to offer Economy Plus on more than 700 mainline aircraft, including all Continental mainline aircraft, as well as larger regional aircraft. When fully deployed, the new United’s fleet will include more than 40,000 Economy Plus seats, providing more than 122,000 Economy Plus seats each day, the largest amount of extra legroom economy seating available to customers of any airline in the world.

Details on where that extra space is coming from, and a specific timetable for the changes, are still forthcoming, but if you’re even an entry-level traveler with either United or Continental, this is good news. Not everyone upgrades to first, so at least you’ve got a fallback position with extra legroom.

It’s a win.