Interline Travel and Pass Travel Information for airline employees – passrider.com

When I travel I don’t really have much space for extras. Today, I carry around three travel adapters. One for the U.K., Australia and the other for the Rest of Europe. But I no longer have to do that as I found a universal travel adapter from Kanex that solves my issue.

In addition, I’ve found two other great travel tools from them.  Check them out here, enter the giveaway and if you need a WiFi hotspot, they are giving a 20% discount.

1. Kanex DoubleUp – this device allows you to charge two device that have USB connections at once. Just plug one end of the device into the wall outlet and plug your USB devices in to the other. It also has LEDs tells you when the units are charged. My issue has always been that my Mac has two USB ports and I use them for charging an iPad and my phone. But when I need to use my external drive, I’m now out of USB ports. This device solves that issue as I can plug it into the wall and then plug my USB devices into it. I’m sure you will find other ways to use it. Leave a comment below and let me know.
2. Kanex mySpot - I love this device as if you visit a friend’s house or a hotel that does not have WiFi but they have Internet access, you can instantly create a hotspot so that you won’t have to stay tethered to the ethernet cable. Plus the device is small enough to fit in your pocket. Our sponsor, Kanex is offering a $20 discount on this product through March 31, 2013, just use the discount code “MYSPOT20″ on their site when purchasing it. Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts on the device.
3. Kanex Travel Bud – My favorite device of them all is the Travel Bud. Before this device, I had three power adapters; one for Australia, the U.K. and the Rest of Europe.  They are clunky and took up valuable space in my bag. Now with the Travel Bud, I just have these compact adapters that comes in a single case and can actually fit in my vest pocket. If you try nothing else, try this nifty device.

You can purchase the Kanex MySpot at Kanex Products and receive a 20% discount by using the coupon code MTSPOT20 when purchasing the item at www.kanexlive.com. Also, if you enter the competition below you may win of the products. You must “Like” the facebook pages for Kanex and Passrider as well as optionally tweeting about the giveaway. You are awarded points for each task and each task improves your chance of winning.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

All devices generously provided by Kanex.

Have you ever gotten bumped because your flight was weight-restricted? I’m sure you have. Do you know what all this means? Here’s my attempt to explain it.

The aviation industry started with cargo and then people were added.  So as much as we think that people are the reason for flying, its really cargo.  More money is usually made from cargo and it does not complain .  An airplane is designed with what’s called a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW).  This is the combined weight of everything, the plane, baggage, fuel, cargo, people, food, etc., everything.  That weight should not be exceeded otherwise the airplane won’t take off or will require more runway to takeoff.  This MTOW is also dependent on atmospheric conditions as well as elevation.  So if the air is thinner, then the amount of weight is different than a sea level takeoff.  So what does that have to do with me getting bumped off a flight you ask?

Well, I’m glad you asked.  When that maximum takeoff weight is achieved, either passengers are left behind or cargo.  Usually its the cargo.  But if all the paid customers are accounted for and there are say twenty passriders on the list and it takes 7 to get to maximum takeoff weight, guess what, thirteen of you are not going.  So you will hear the agent say that the operations folks are doing the Math and trying to figure out if they can take you.  Then the flight goes out with empty seats and you are not so happy.

Sometimes, its not a cargo issue, but bad weather, so the airplane has to take more fuel as they have to fly around storms or there are headwinds (wind blowing against the plane in its direction of travel) so the flying time is longer than normal.  You usually hear weight restrictions in cities that are higher in elevation such as Cusco, Peru; Denver, CO; Quito, Ecuador or transatlantic or transcontinental flights.

Some airlines do bear that in mind though.  For example, Singapore Airlines realized that the Airbus A340-500 they used for Newark to Singapore could not make it on a full payload, so they adjusted the seating configuration so they would not have the issue.  today, what they do is just have 100 Business class seats on that airplane as opposed to the old Raffles and Economy class configuration they had initially.

How do you plan for this?  If its a known route that has weight restrictions, you’ll see a number of what’s called Held seats when you look at the PBTs (Passenger Board Totals).  This just gives you an idea as it may change when the flight is ready to go out.  You really have no control over this, except to make alternate arrangements if you can, i.e. look for flights that can get you to an alternate destination and know what time you have to bail in order to make that flight.  Good luck.

So the next time you get bumped off a flight due to weight restriction, the agent is not just being weird, you now know the reason for it.  What have you found in your travels? Anything to add or correct?  Please leave a comment below.

If you’re traveling to India, there are a few things you should be aware of before you embark on your journey. It’s controlled chaos at its best and the more informed you are the better your experience will be.  Here’s a checklist to use when planning your next trip.  Can you think of anything else? Please leave a comment below:

1. Be Patient
• It will all get taken care of, just not at the speed and efficiency to which you are accustomed.  The bus won’t show up and others will be fine with it, except you.  Just go with the flow as much as possible.
2. Get a visa before you depart if that’s the relationship your country has with India
• There are only a handful of countries that can get a visa on arrival. They are:
• Cambodia, Finland, Japan, Laos, Luxembourg, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam.
•  All other citizens have to apply for a visa before departing their countries.
3. Have a printed copy of your itinerary or your onward boarding pass if possible
• You will need this to connect to any flight in another terminal or to gain access to the departure terminal for your return flight. You can only access the terminal within 3 hours of your departure flight.
4. Have your hotel accommodation information sorted out
• I’m the quintessential travel who usually do not have a hotel booked.  However, this is something they may ask you for when traveling to India.  There are some places in the airports depending on which airport you use.
• Hotels.com can help you find last minute deals. Ensure that you print the reservations confirmation page to show to the Immigration authorities or the hotel when you arrive.
  
5. Get Travel Insurance
• This is really not just for India, but for all your other travels.  You never know what may happen on your trips, so being prepared for the unexpected with travel insurance is a good thing.  There are many different packages available from our partner World Nomads . You can buy, extend and claim onlineeven after you’ve left home.Recommended by Lonely Planet, World Nomads travel insurance is designed for adventurous travelers (and traveling to India is quite the adventure ) with cover for overseas medical, evacuation, baggage and a range of adventure sports and activities.
6. Get some Indian Rupees
• Use an ATM at the airport or the currency exchange counters on your arrival
7. Drink bottled water
8. Be cognizant of weight restrictions especially from Mumbai (BOM)
• Weight restrictions reduces the amount of seats available for space available travel. So while a flight will appear open, once you get to the airport, the agents will advise that there is a weight restriction and subsequently you can’t board.  This is why you have your backup tickets and/or alternate accommodation plans.
9. Get an Airport Lounge Pass
• You can use an airline Lounge card or invest in Priority Pass which will give you access to Lounges worldwide.
• Nothing like a shower in the airport before you depart especially if you are connecting and have a long layover.  Also, these lounges will give you free WiFi and food.  This is a worthwhile investment for all passriders.
  
10. A list of local airlines
• Air India (AI)
• Air India Express (IX)
• Indigo (6E)
• Go Air (G8)
• Jet Airways (9W)
• Kingfisher (IT)
• SpiceJet (SG)
11. Nonstop flights/destinations from India
• There are plenty of these and you should be familiar with them and have the appropriate tickets ready.  Typically, you have to be checked in at least one hour before the scheduled departure.  Also, your backup ticket must have the name of the airline on which you intend to fly, despite the fact that the agreement may say otherwise (i.e. “valid on all ZED carriers). Its no time to argue with the agent, although if you can reason with them it helps.
• Brussels, Belgium (BRU) – JetAirways (9W)
• London-Heathrow, England (LHR) – Air India (AI), British Airways (BA), Jet Airways (9W), Kingfisher (IT), Virgin Atlantic Airways (VS)
• New York-JFK (JFK) -
• New York-Newark, NJ (EWR) – Air India (AI),
• Tokyo-Narita, Japan (NRT)

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At the moment, I’m in Guam and will take the Island Hopper tomorrow to Honolulu, HI.  It makes five stops from GUM-TKK-PNI-KSA-KWA-MAJ-HNL.  It takes about 15 hours in all . Depart at 9:00a and arrive at 3:30a the same day .

Here is a mapping of the route.
Have you ever taken this flight? Please leave a comment below.

When planning a trip, there are so many things we have to thing about before we depart. Here are 12 Things to bear in mind:

1. Camera with charged batteries and empty card
   • Gotta do it, record your adventures, but be prepared, take extra cards and remember to charge those batteries beforehand
2. Charged Mobile Smart Phone
   • Simple, but we forget to do all the time
3. Backup Routings
4. Backup Tickets
5. Applicable Airline Phone Numbers
6. Applicable Airline Websites Bookmarked in Mobile Phone
   • With some airlines you have to list online, so its so much easier to bookmark the web sites.  Also for flight status, it makes it easier.  You can also download their mobile applications.
7. Check Loads
   • All too often we forget this one and get stranded someplace.  This helps you to look for alternate airports as well
8. Check-in Online
   • Ensures you get on that standby list 24 hours in advance as  it improves your priority of others with your same pass class
9. Change for Local Bus
   • This is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to get around so ensure you do some research and are prepared
10. Passport (if applicable
    • Ensure your passport is at least valid for 6 months after the date of your arrival and have a few blank pages for the passport/visa stamp.
11. Visa (if applicable)
    • If you are a U.S. citizens there are still a few country where a visa is required such as Argentina (on arrival), Australia (online), Brazil (prior to departure), Chile, (on arrival) People’s Republic of China (prior to departure) and Russia (prior to departure) to name a few.
12. Pen and Paper
    • You’ll need this to jot down flight information as well as other local information, plus filling out immigration forms if traveling internationally.

What other things would you add to this check list?  Please leave a comment below and share with fellow passriders.

As we are always on the go, it is essential that we know what mobile aides are available to you.  If you have a mobile device you can always point it to http://mobile.passrider.com and you can use a mobile version of the Timetable application you see on the right of this blog post.

In addition to this, several airlines offer mobile options.  Some of these tools allow you to check your position on the standby list (American and Continental), download timetables in PDF format, check-in and check flight status among other things.

For each of the various apps

1. Android-based phones – Go to the Android Market and search for the airline name
2. Apple products (iPad, iPhone, iTouch) – Go to the ITunes Store and search for the airline name
3. Blackberry Apps – Search for it on your Blackberry device in the Blackberry App World

Here’s my stab at it.

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know of anything I missed:

* has a Windows Mobile App as well.

If your answer is “never,” congrats, it will happen soon . My last time was about two weekends ago. I was trying to get on a Lufthansa (LH) flight on a Friday morning from Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) to Berlin, Germany (TXL). When I got to the gate and checked in, I noticed that I was #29 out of 31 on the list! At least I was not #31 huh? Well, as it turns out, only 12 of us made it. Not bad I thought, although I was not one of them.

My next option was another LH flight, but I figured I’d perhaps be the same place on the list. I had checked the schedules using passrider.com and realized that there is an Air Berlin (AB) flight about an hour and a half or so later. I changed terminals and thankfully, there were seats available and I made it.

So how has it been for you? How bad was the list the last time you got bumped? What were your alternate plans? We want to hear all about it.

Last night, the newest airline reality show “Fly Girls” premiered on the CW. The show is about the life and times of six flight attendants from the San Francisco-based Virgin America.

There are mixed reviews around the workplace this morning I’m sure, what is your take on it?

Here is an airticle on it – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1260576/Fly-Girls-reality-branded-sexist-demeaning.html#ixzz0jChU7vUK