A few weeks ago, I expressed dissatisfaction at the seemingly arbitrary restriction placed on duty free liquor purchases at Munich Airport. (On October 13, the duty free shop refused to sell me a liter of anything, saying that it wasn’t permitted for flights to the United States.)

I wrote an e-mail to the Munich Airport, asking why this was the case, considering that there was no German or European law that I could find requiring such strict limitations, and since the TSA’s published rule only required duty free purchases to be made “after security,” which this was. (Although, as is common for U.S.-bound flights, there was another redundant — and mind-bogglingly slow — security check at the entrance to the gate area.)

This past Friday, a representative of the Bavarian State Ministry of Commerce, Infrastructure, Transportation, and Technology responded. In German. (I had written to them in English, with the notation that I intended to publish their reply on this blog.)

Luckily I can read German… so here is my translation of the relevant bits:

At the time of your inquiry, only the TSA placed any restrictions on duty-free goods, including the “delivery at gate” procedure. Implementation of such a process was not possible for the shop’s managers. A separate duty free shop solely for the United Airlines and US Airways gates does not exist at the airport.

Since then, the EU-wide regulations governing the transportation of liquids and the purchase of duty-free goods have taken effect. With the implementation of these rules, duty-free goods may once again be purchased.

Click here for the complete reply in the original German (pdf).

I’m sorry, but this still doesn’t explain the intra-European variation between airports. If the TSA’s rules were so clear, then the procedures should have been standard. Other airports were not requiring delivery of liquids to the gate. This sounds like buck-passing by local airport officials or state bureaucrats.

Thankfully, at the end of the day, the standardization of rules across the EU means that such incidents may be less frequent. And you’ve got it in writing, Munich allows duty free purchases for flights to the U.S. That’s good.

But the EU guidelines remain a minimum requirement. Any airport, and any airline, can impose stricter rules regarding carry-on bags. Here’s hoping they don’t.

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Effective Monday, November 6, European Union member-states, Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland adopt a common set of new airport security rules. Once again, the zipper-top plastic bag industry is getting a boost.

The new rules essentially mirror the American rules. Small bottles in a clear plastic zip-top bag. Additionally, you’ll be required to remove your computer from your bag and you’ll need to remove jackets before entering the metal detector. Many, if not most, airports already followed these latter two rules, but the new guidelines are intendend to standardize security across the continent. The complete rules are here (pdf).

But be careful if you’re flying from Europe and then connecting in the United States. TSA permits liquids in 3-ounce containers or smaller. The European standard is 100ml — which equals 3.2 ounces, ever so slightly above the American cutoff. If you’re unlucky, you may find a nitpicking TSA agent who denies your 100ml bottle of shampoo. I hope it doesn’t happen, but it might. Be forewarned.

Discount intra-European airline SkyEurope is one-upping the Ryanairs and Easyjets of the world by offering tickets at NEGATIVE base fares. They claim to be the first airline to pay the passenger to fly with them.

And indeed, I was able to price out a one-way ticket from London to Bratislava on November 23 with a base fare of -₤1. Taxes and fees come on top of that of course, making it a ₤19.19 one-way ticket, so you’re still paying something for the flight. It’s a marketing gimmick, but still, that’s pretty cheap.

Book by midnight Sunday, October 22.

(Thanks to reader Lar!)
(image: tj.de)

Both Expedia and Travelocity rolled out similar features yesterday, allowing travelers buying airline tickets to placate their guilt over the environmental effects of air travel by purchasing carbon offsets. The way it works: You pay money to pay for trees and carbon-dioxide reducing environmental projects. The price you pay depends on the distance flown.

The programs are fully voluntary, and link up with existing programs such as TerraPass, which has been pushing carbon offsets for some time.

Amusingly, both Expedia and Travelocity claimed to be the first online travel agency to offer such a service. (If it’s a battle between press releases, Travelocity’s hit the wire an hour earlier. First to the gate!)

My question: Should they charge premium cabin passengers more than they charge economy passengers? On the one hand, you take up more room on the plane, as measured by square footage. On the other hand, you’re not really adding any more weight to the equation, so your presence in the front vs. the back doesn’t change the fuel requirements. Any ethicists out there want to take this on?

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Separately, the European Union is pushing for limits on the amount of greenhouse gases which airlines legally produce each year. Treating airlines like power plants, the system would allow for “carbon trading” — companies that go over their emissions quota are required to buy “credits” for their overage from cleaner competitors. Since companies thereby have incentives to reduce emissions, both by avoiding fees, and by potentially profiting off the sale of credits, emissions trading schemes are widely viewed as successful. We’ll see how it works in aviation.

Related:
- Are open skies dirty skies?
- Buy, not fly, green

Coalition of conservative groups rewards porn-free hotels
Anyone who’s ever worked behind the scenes at a hotel will tell you that the pay-per-view pornography is a profit center. Now a coalition of conservative groups in the U.S. is targeting hotel porn, charging that it violates a range of local obscenity laws, and trying to get the FBI involved. They’re also publishing a list of porn-free hotels. I’d rather see an investigation of obscenely-priced minibar items. Or how about fighting for quieter doors?

JetBlue rewards one flyer a free t-shirt (in exchange for his civil liberties)
It’s not just British passengers who are afraid that brown-skinned passengers are all terrorists. Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi architect and blogger living in the United States, was treated to absolutely moronic security treatment at JFK airport a few weeks ago. Wearing a shirt with Arabic and English lettering, his shirt apparently bothered people enough to warrant an intervention by JetBlue and unnamed security officers. They insisted he change his shirt. After much wrangling, and after JetBlue bought him a NYC souvenir t-shirt, he succumbed and got onboard. Ughh. See here for an interview and here for a photo of him in the shirt, as well as his firsthand account of the events at JFK.

TSA rewards passenger’s fear of his mother with a cavity search
Advice: It’s better to be embarrassed and admit you’ve got a penis pump in your suitcase, even in front of your mom, than to say it’s a bomb.

Delta rewards well-dressed flyers
Dress spiffy on Delta, and you might get a prize. Really.

Europe rewards all flyers…with a fingerprinting
Coming soon to all European airports: all travelers will be required to submit to iris-scans or fingerprinting.

Banks reward loyal clients by refusing them access to cash overseas
Calling your bank before leaving the country, notifying them you’ll be traveling abroad, is always a good idea, so they don’t place a lock on your accounts. But apparently, that may not be enough. Some banks are blocking all ATM transactions in certain countries. See here for the story, and check with your bank.

Sherman’s Travel rewards U.S. postal service by going offline
The travel-deals website is going old-media, with a new magazine targeting readers interested in “luxury value.” Sounds a bit like this blog’s motto, no?

Reward thieves by using public wi-fi
Not much of a surprise, but public wi-fi, including that offered by hotels, is not very secure. Use a VPN or other security service whenever possible.

Second-mover advantage? ASiQ possibly rewarded by Connexion’s demise
Inflight internet over the oceans may soon be shut down, but ASI Entertainment claims to be stepping in with their inflight internet product. If it works, it would only be a quarter of the speed of Boeing’s soon-defunct Connexion. But if papa needs an internet fix…

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The days of the 1-cent Ryanair fares may soon be over. And consumers will be better off.

If approved by 25 European governments and the EU parliament, the legislation proposed by the European Commission would force airlines to list the total price of a ticket up front. This means that all fees, fuel surcharges, taxes, etc., would need to be stated on websites and in newspaper advertising.

The legislation would also require that airlines charge European travelers the same fare, regardless of which country they call home. Sale fares could no longer be isolated to one country within the EU.

It’s about time. U.S. ticket sales are bad enough, with fares often advertised pre-tax, but the European airfare shell game takes the cake. Carriers like Ryanair falsely advertise ludicrously low base fares, which come with mandatory add-on fees that passengers may not even use — like the wheelchair charge that every passenger pays. The fuel surcharges on international flights are hardly any better. None of these fees are optional, and they go to the airline, not to any government. They’re really part of the fare, and should be treated as such. Period.

While many online travel agencies, and even some airlines, are working around this by giving the “total price” when you run a search, it’s still up to individual providers to decide whether they want to be honest with their customers or deceive them. The EC is right to be cracking down on this. I hope other governments follow suit.

Related:
- Senator slams surcharges
- Weakening airfare advertising regulation, redux
- U.S. regulators to weaken airfare advertisement rules?

As posted here, business class fares from North America to Europe are often on sale in the summer.

That sale begins today: Continental Airlines has opened what could be a business class fare war over the Atlantic.

One thing to keep in mind is the 60-day (!) advance purchase requirement for these “Z” fares. No last minute trips here…

Prices are particularly good out of Newark. Other airlines may be matching or beating these fares in coming days.

Soon, air travelers to France will be making a donation toward health care in the developing world. The cost will depend on the distance flown, as well as the class of service:

The French tax, which won’t apply to transit passengers staying in France for fewer than 12 hours, will reach 40 euros on first- and business-class tickets for flights outside Europe, and 10 euros per ticket for flights in Europe. For economy-class tickets, the levy will be 4 euros outside Europe and 1 euro within Europe.

Much like a Tobin tax, the plan potentially has two simultaneous goals: funnel money to health care in the developing world, and discourage frivolous travel.

Addressing representatives of 95 countries gathered at the conference, Chirac called the French tax on air flights a simple and neutral experiment. He said the tax revenues, estimated to be about $240 million this year, would be spent on programs to fight malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS in the developing world.

Airlines are, unsurprisingly, opposed to anything that raises the price of tickets without sending more money to their own accounts.

So far, Algeria, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom have adopted similar measures. An as-yet unspecified international institution such as the World Health Organization or the World Bank would administer the fund.