Daily Roundup--January 27, 2012

Spanish airline Spanair has ceased operation as of today. It ran out of money.

Choice Hotels will soon start a systemwide upgrade to its Comfort Inn and Comfort Suite hotels.

Mokulele Airlines, a tiny Hawaiian based regional airline, will soon offer flights between Honolulu and London (Luton) with a stopover in Rockford, Iliinois. And I’m not kidding.

American Airlines is currently under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Delta is thinking about buying American. USAir is also thinking about buying American. As of today, Delta is thinking about buying USAir. You need a scorecard just to keep track.

And if you’re really confused about all of this, and flying through San Francisco (SFO), you can relax in their new Yoga room.

Daily Roundup--January 26, 2012

Starting today, airline advertising must include all mandatory fees and taxes when quoting fares. No more $50 fares that wind up costing $400 after all the fees and taxes are added. You’ll know from the start what it will cost. However, extra fees such as for checked baggage, premium seating, etc., is considered optional and will not be included. 

Alaska Airlines will no longer distribute prayer cards with the meals. I wonder if it’s because they no longer distribute meals?

The TSA has started using advanced imaging machines at 25 more airports.

Eagle Creek has come out with a new line of superlightweight packing cubes and folders. I saw some in a store today and they are really lightweight. (Very similar to the Sea to Summit sil fabric.)

Happy Australia Day to all of our friends from “Down Under”!!!!!!!

Gear Review: Tom Bihn Aeronaut--updated

Four and half years ago, Brad, the founder of this site, did a review of the Aeronaut. You can find it here:

 OBOW Review of the Tom Bihn Aeronaut.

Please read that review because much of what I would say was already said in that  review.

Go ahead. Read it. You will be tested.

Okay, now that you’ve read it….You did read it?……No…..go back and read it. I’ll wait…………

All right, I’ll take your word that you read it. (But I know some of you are cheating.)

I agree with just about everything Brad said. (Oh, you’ll note that it seems like I respond in the comment section. That’s not me, that’s Brad. When I took over the site all of the webmaster postings were changed from “Brad” to “Frank@OBOW.”  It’s a technical problem with no fix from Squarespace. Sorry.)

First, let me update a few changes to the bag since that review:

—there are the famous Tom Bihn “O” rings in every compartment of the bag including the mesh pocket on the main compartment flap. (The pocket on the inside of the main compartment flap is now mesh.)

—the Breve is no longer available. (There is a “Breve” but it’s not a junior Aeronaut. The name is now used for a streamlined Ipad case.)

—prices on everything have gone up. The Aeronaut is now $240.

—two compression straps have been added to the main compartment.

—-some colors have changed.

—an optional waist strap is available.

I, too, give the Aeronaut 5 stars. To be honest, I’ve wanted this bag for a long time. And even though the good folks at Tom Bihn have sent lots of items to review, I paid my own, hard-earned, much coveted, personal money for the Aeronaut, associated packing cubes, and a few other pieces of “Tom Bihn bling.”

I haven’t regretted spending one cent.

I own eight carry-on bags. (While that seems like a lot, when you run a website like this one, lots of “light travel” products seem to arrive at my door.)

But this will soon change. At least half of those bags will be sold. Why bother keeping them to collect dust? With the Aeronaut, I can’t imagine too many scenarios when I will need anything else.

The Tom Bihn Aeronaut is now my number one go-to bag. It is the King of my carry-ons.

Need I say anything else?

Okay, I will say something else. Unless you are restrained, it is possible to put so much stuff in this bag it will weigh as much as a baby elephant. I don’t know if Tom took a weekend course at Hogwarts or something, but this bag just continues to take more and more stuff. And to some that’s dangerous. Especially to those whose packing philosophy is to keep going until the bag is full.

But on the bright side, if you don’t pack it to the gills, and leave a little “breathing room,” the bag can be “molded” to fit almost any airline sizer or overhead compartment. (With the square main section, I find rolling clothes to work better than folding.)

I should mention, since receiving the Aeronaut, my Tri-Star has been giving me the cold shoulder now that it has been relegated to second place. I don’t own a Western Flyer—well, at least not yet. Or a Co-Pilot, or a ……oh, no, here we go again. Some people collect stamps, others snow globes, I collect travel gear.

I admit it,  I’m a travelgearaholic.

Daily Roundup--January 23, 2012

I guess you could call this article “Ode To The Overpacker.” I don’t think any of those interviewed will be coming to this website.

Carnival Cruises is offering the passengers of the Costa Concordia 30% off their next cruise. Wow, what a deal!!!!!

Pricelline is killing off Captain Kirk!!!  Well, not really. However, starting today, the discount travel service will begin airing a commercial where The Priceline Negotiater (played by William Shatner) is killed off. RIP

Sen. Paul Rand (R-KY) had a little run in with TSA this morning  in Nashville. Was it a glitch in equipment or did it have anything to do with the fact that the Senator is an outspoken critic of the agency? You decide.

We were included in the article 60 lilnks every student traveler needs.

Daily Roundup--January 20, 2012

Southwest Airlines has named six more cities that will be dropped from AirTran’s routemap this August.

Carnival, the owner or the Costa Concordia, says it will conduct a “a comprehensive audit and review of all safety and emergency response procedures” across all nine of its brands.

When you travel outside your home country, do you take out travel health and medical evacuation insurance? Or do you at least check to see if your own health insurance will cover you?

Daily Roundup--January 19, 2012

Heathrow Airport will operate a temporary terminal on August 13, to expedite the departure of approximately 10,000 athletes from the area. That’s the day after the Olympics end. My suggestion: not a great day to travel to, from, or through London.

More cracks are being found on the wings of Airbus 380’s. Airbus says the planes are safe. No word as to why an Air France A380 enroute to Toronto today declared an inflight emergency and returned to Paris.

While there are lots of hearings being planned in wake of the cruise ship tragedy in Italy, including one by the U.S. Congress, experts say don’t expect to see any major changes anytime soon.

President Obama signed an executive order today to help make international travel to the U.S. easier.

Daily Roundup--January 18, 2012

We don’t talk much about cruising on this website but in lieu of the terrible accident in Italy last week, would that stop anyone here from taking one? The cruise industry thinks it it may hurt them in the short term.

 “TSA Pre,” the screening program aimed to get some passengers through the process faster, has begun at LAX.

Next month, American Airlines will start offering free wine and beer on most of their international flights.

Southwest Airlines is updating its cabin interiors including  new, lightweight seats which will weigh less, recline less and offer more underseat storage for carry-on bags.

SOPA/PIPA

I’m sure many of you  have noticed today that some major websites have gone dark or have changed to protest the proposed SOPA and PIPA bills before Congress.

While the intent of these bills is to stop “foreign” copyright infringement, the way they are written, all internet website owners and bloggers could be subject to both fines and jail time for what is written by either them or their contributors. This includes  forums and bulletin boards.

Should these bills pass, it would be more than likely that I would have to close this website. I would be so limited in what I could write for fear of being sued or having federal agents outside my door with an arrest warrant.

I wouldn’t be able to do honest gear reviews for fear the owners of the product I was reviewing would say I infringed on their copyright by either calling it by name or taking pictures of it. I wouldn’t be able to comment on any company for the same fear. I would be forced to shut the Reader’s Forum.

I urge all American citizens who  like this website to go to the link below, sign the petition and let your elected representatives in Washington know you are against these bills. Thank you.

Google: End Piracy, Not Liberty.

On some websites, people are urged to contact their elected officials directly. However, it seems the Senate doesn’t want to be bothered and has blocked the contact pages from the Senate website. Isn’t it nice to know your elected officials really don’t care what you think, only the thoughts of their corporate contributors.

Daily Roundup--January 17, 2012

How would you like to be flying over the Atlantic Ocean and hear an announcement telling you the plane was about to make an emergency landing in the water? That happened on a recent British Airways flight between Miami and London. Luckily, it was an error.

Delta Air Lines and Westjet will soon start codesharing some of their flights.

Virgin America begins service to Philadelphia in April. Flights will be from LAX and SFO.

Did you know there are plenty of places on the web where you can get free e-books for your e-reader?

Gear Review: Battle Lake Outdoors--Sports & Travel Bag, Small

A few weeks ago, one of our readers alerted me to a bag that he thought looked very similar to a Tom Bihn Aeronaut

Except for the large front rectangular pocket, it looks something like the Aeronaut, especially with those two end pockets.

So, I contacted the company, Battle Lake Outdoors, to see if they’d be interested in sending one for review. They were, they did, and here it is.

First, let’s get the big question out of the way. It is not an Aeronaut, it is nowhere near an Aeronaut and if you turn the bag around, it looks the same. And…no backpack straps whatsoever.

But wait. Don’t stop reading. This is still a bag to consider.

Let’s get the specs out of the way. It measures 22 x 10 x 8 (2200 cu in) according to the website and by my calculations weighs about 1.3 lbs empty. It’s made of 1000d Cordura Plus  and has YKK zippers throughout. (Top of the line in material and zippers.) The bag is unlined but does have double stitching.

There are five zippered external pockets—two large rectangular ones, two end pockets and one smaller zipped pocket on the outside of one of the end pockets. The other end pocket has an external open pocket that has a key fob.

It comes with a shoulder strap and the bag has not two but four “D” rings to allow you to choose how to carry it. There are end pulls that are attached to the top of the bag, not the actual ends. The main compartment has a large u-shaped zippered opening.

The bag is made in the USA (Minnesota) and costs….are you ready…….$67.

In a nutshell, this is a bag to consider if you are very good at packing light, don’t need any real bells and whistles, like lots of external pockets, and don’t need  backpack straps.

I’m not sure how well it would stand up to the rigors of constant airline checking but with this bag you shouldn’t have to check it. (Although, when packed to take photos, the bag measured 21.5 x 17 x 9.5 which is oversized as a carry-on for most airlines. Pack carefully.)

If you plan to carry a computer or tablet, don’t rely on the bag alone for cushioining. I’d suggest some type of padded case.

The bag comes with a shoulder strap but do yourself a favor and get a Tom Bihn Absolute Strap especially since there are no backpack straps. I also wish the main carry handles were a little longer. They’re very short.

With all that, this is still a bag I can recommend. Even if you’re just looking for a good quality gym or overnight bag, this is a good, affordable choice.

The company has lots of other bags and travel related products all of which are made in the USA.

You can buy the bag directly from Battle Lake Outdoors.

Daily Roundup--January 12, 2011

It looks like AMR Corp, the parent company of American Airlines, which recently filed for bankruptcy protection, may, as they say on Wall Street, be “in play.” The WSJ is reporting that USAir, Delta and a private equity group are all thinking of making a bid for the legacy carrier.

Daily Roundup--January 11, 2012

In an effort to save money, some airlines have replaced their widebody aircraft on transatlantic flights with the narrow body Boeing 757. This saves lots of money especially on routes that didn’t normally fill the larger planes. Except, there’s one problem. the 757 doesn’t have the range of the widebodies and in case of bad weather they need to make an unscheduled stop to refuel. This has been increasing over time and caused many passengers to miss connections. So, if you’re flying across the “pond” and have a connection at either end, you might want to check out the type of plane you’re flying.

How about a positive TSA story? A screener at Newark Liberty airport found $5,000 in cash  on the floor and turned it in.  It was found loose,  near a United Airlines check in desk for elite flyers. No cameras around. So far no one has claimed the money or filed a report for the missing money.

Daily Roundup--January 10. 2012

Remember the cupcake TSA confiscated in Las Vegas just before Christmas? Well, they’ve now officially responded as to the reason. What I really love is the last line: “The TSA points out that fliers are permitted to take cakes, pies and cupcakes through security checkpoints, but adds that such items may be subject to additional screening.” I guess it’s true; the real purpose of “enhanced” pat downs is to grope my cupcakes.

Admission fees will be waved this weekend througout the entire U.S. National Park System in honor of the 3 day Martin Luther King holiday weekend. And you know what free admission means?  Crowds.

Daily Roundup--January 9, 2012

American Airlines will close both its Burbank and Delhi stations. That means the end of flights from  Dallas to Burbank  as well as Chicago to Delhi. Personally, I will miss those DFW-BUR flights. I’d much prefer to fly into Burbank than LAX.

Weighing of Carry-On Bags

I’d like to start a non-scientific survey geared towards NON-WHEELED bag travelers.

If you are a non-wheeled bag travelers and have flown an airline with a carry-on weight restriction of say less than 9kg (19 lbs) or so, please answer the following questions:

1) Airline & weight limit
2) Boarding city and destination
3) Make and model of bag
4) color of bag
5) Was your bag weighed?
5a) If your bag was weighed and overweight, was it checked or were you allowed to carry on?

(Sorry to those who travel with wheels. Nothing against you but it’s not pertinent to this survey.)

Daily Roundup--January 5, 2012

Happy 2012. Lots to talk about and catch up on after a needed holiday break.

American Airlines woes are continuing. As of today, their stock has been delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. It will now sell over the counter. The new symbol is AAMRQ.

Before the end of the month, new rules will take effect in the U.S. that require airlines to disclose all fees and taxes in ads and ban them from adding new fees after purchase It will also give passengers making certain  types of reservations the right to hold them for 24 hours without payment or to be able to cancel them without penalty during that same time period. Guess who’s not happy? The airline industry.

The European Union passed a carbon emissions trading scheme geared towards airlines. Since this will bring extra costs to the carriers, they plan to pass those charges to the passengers. Lufthansa has already raised its fuel surcharge fees and Delta Airlines will do the same. So far, only China Airlines said it will not pay the tax.

The TSA’s PreCheck trusted traveler program is expanding. New airports, including JFK in NYC, will start the program.

Thanks to Paula Bag Lass for sending me this list of the best and worst travel behaviour in 2011. (Note, I kept the Canadian spelling.  :)  )

Daily Roundup--December 22, 2011

The parent company of British Airways is buying BMI, a smaller British airline, from Lufthansa. Why would they want a money losing airline? They don’t. It’s the coveted landing slots at Heathrow, the busiest airport in Europe, they want. With the aquisition of BMI, BA will hold about 50% of the landing slots.

The union representing UPS pilots is challenging, in court, the recent FAA rulings about pilot fatigue. The union says cargo pilots, who fly similar aircraft as the passenger airlines, should have been included.

The TSA has started a new helpline for for disabled passengers and those with medical conditions,  who have questions about the screening process.

A little humor from Doonesbury

Daily Roundup--December 21, 2011

The FAA today mandated new rest rules for airline pilots. It’s been a long time in the making. Too bad, for safety’s sake, we have to wait two years for them to be implemented.

Some industry experts, however, say the new rules don’t extend to enough pilots.

It looks like Alec Baldwin isn’t the only one to not turn off electronic devices during take off and landing.

Daily Roundup--December 20, 2011

According to the Travel Goods Association:

eBags has announced sales are up 31.4% compared to last year’s holiday season.
• Mobile sales account for 8.6% of total sales
• eBags private label sales are up 98% compared to last year
• eBags sales through Amazon.com are up 100% compared to last year
• Luggage sales are leading the way, up 44% compared to last year

I wonder if this could be a sign that travel, as well as the economy, could pick up in 2012?

American Eagle is phasing out its ATR-42 turboprops from DFW. Routes previously serviced by the turboprops will now be served by Embraer jets. ATR’s will still operate out of Miami and San Juan.

Spirit, the only U.S. airline to charge for carry-on bags, will earn an estimated $50 million in 2011 from those exact fees.  Uh, oh.  Let’s hope other airlines don’t get too greedy.

Most of us know to be watchful when going through airport security checkpoints to make sure none of our stuff is taken. But are you just as vigilent on the plane itself? Airfare Watchdgog’s George Hobica points out a few things in this Huffington Post column.

As the holiday season has now officially begun, let me wish all of you a happy and  healthy holiday season. Safe travels to all who will be doing so this time of year. Daily Roundup will be sporadic through the New Year as we take time away from the computer to catch up on much needed rest. 

I am behind on the revamp of this site as real life has been busier than expected. Look for changes in 2012 to include not only a new look but also more blog postings featuring news, reviews, commentary and possibly even trip reports.

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Daily Roundup--December 19, 2011

Okay, you’re headed to Vegas for the holidays and  you meet that person of your dreams…well, at least your dreams for the time you spend in Vegas. But your new SO is hesitant to go further than a few cocktails—wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Take him, or her, to the soon to be opened wedding chapel at the Cosmopolitan Hotel.  Not only is it the first street level wedding chapel to look out over the Vegas strip, and allow passerby’s to look in, but they also offer a “faux” wedding ceremony for people who want to “try out” a wedding ceremony yet not have to deal with divorce later on.  Fake rings included.

Two new flight search websites help you find the best flights with your frequent flier account in mind. However, not all airlines are taking part.