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.”
[...]
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?

(image)

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.

Downgraded: Moscow
For the sixth year in a row, Moscow has the most expensive hotel rates in the world for business travelers. The average Moscow rate fell 12 percent to 13,250 rubles ($452). Fell.

Upgraded: Flights from NYC to Tokyo
American Airlines is launching flights from New York JFK to Tokyo Haneda Airport. Haneda, which is closer to downtown Tokyo, not Narita, the primary international airport.

Downgraded, then Upgraded: United grounds, then fixes, its 757s
United grounded all 96 of its Boeing 757s yesterday, to perform required emergency updates to all the planes’ air data computers. A day later, the airline reported that only 15 flights were nixed, and that all planes were back online.

Upgraded: One-way rentals out of Florida
If you’re in Florida and looking to leave the state between April and June, Hertz is serving up one-way out-of-Florida rentals for merely $5 a day. Rates are good for a limited range of destination states, and for a max of 14 days, but $5 is cheap. No one-way drop-off fees, either. Snowbirds bring the car in, you bring it out. This isn’t necessarily something for everyone, but if it meets your needs, go for it. (via)

Downgraded: Hot cheese
Beware of hot cheese when you travel. Seriously. The headline: “Disney in Hot Cheese Lawsuit.” It’s quite sad, actually, for the kid who got hurt. Poor child, but wow, what a sentence: “[Walt Disney Parks and Resorts] has just received the lawsuit from a Californian couple who say their four-year-old Isaiah Harris was injured at Cosmic Ray’s Starlite Café [at Orlando's Magic Kingdom] when he toppled into a scalding hot cup of cheese that had been prepared for pouring over nachos.”

(image)

This is big news: In an era of increasing fees, nickel-and-diming, and shifting frequent flier mile award charts, Delta is going the opposite direction. Retroactive to January 1, 2011, Delta SkyMiles no longer expire.

Until now, you needed to engage in some sort of activity every 24 months — either by earning or redeeming miles — in order to keep your account alive. If you didn’t, poof!, your miles disappeared.

This move is primarily a change for the better for the infrequent Delta traveler. After all, if you were a regular Delta (or SkyTeam) customer, you weren’t really worried about the expiration date, since you kept racking them up.

Rather, this helps the little guy and is bound to build up a great deal of goodwill.

(image)