…the internal US leg. As it was a business fare, I was travelling First on Continental. The Continental flight was so close to being good, but just not quite there considering how much it costs. Though I believe these days not that many people actually pay the fare to be in First Class but are mostly there through upgrades. This may explain why the service is not as good as long haul First/ Business as on those routes they make more money as peopl…
…or me. The airlines on the London – Kefalonia route were either “low cost” airlines, like EasyJet and RyanAir, or charter airlines, like Thomson and Thomas Cook. Based on my charter airline flight experiences over the years I associate them with unsocial departure times, surly service, lousy food options and cramped and uncomfortable seats. As I am 6’ 2” tall (that is 185 cm for the metric minded) with long legs I had found the seat experience rea…
Continental United Airlines Business First Flat Bed Seat Continental / United Airlines Business First is a hybrid of First Class and Business Class service that the airline has been rolling out across their fleet. This is a review of the cabin, flat bed seat and service. This was the first time that I had flown Continental (now merging with United) out of London Heathrow to the USA. Before the changes in flight agreements, they were only code sha…
…ase in the cost of fuel, and the global downturn, added to the pressure on airlines. Fares seem to be on sale and offers more often than ever before, and it is well known that airlines like Virgin and their peers have often fallen in and out of loss. Is this pressure on costs affecting service? Especially on Virgin which has always tried to have little additions, and special add-ons, to make it a bit less formal than the old “flag carriers” like B…
…‑up to Christmas through to Easter time is large. And so, what some of the airlines do, like Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, is that you can check in away from the actual airport. So Virgin, for example, checks in as many of their passengers as possible at the hotels and take away their luggage. So when people arrive at the airport, they can just basically go through to a holding pen, if you’d like, to get onto the airport. Another growing wa…
…mmend or offer flights after 2pm, however, smart travellers know that many airlines only open their check-in desks two hours before a flight. So, a late afternoon or early evening flight means sitting at the airport for many hours, hanging around until check-in opens. I experienced that after sitting for four and a half hours in Athens’ airport for a 3pm flight after my Seabourn Greek Islands cruise. There was only one small café, a Mc Donalds and…
…se lines are offering cancellation right up to 48 hours before you embark. Airlines are also offering cancellation and amendment at really short notice for those flights they haven’t cancelled. So, I’m actually doing nothing regarding my bookings. I’m just letting them sit there and waiting to see what happens. This also means that I’m not putting more stress and strain on the cruise lines which are madly trying to solve the problems they’ve got a…
…trictly for that cruise line only, unlike airline loyalty programmes where airlines tend to be part of bigger groups. With One World, Star Lines and Sky Team, for example, groups of airlines offer membership, and as you build up status with those, you can benefit from that status on other airlines, and you can often move the points between them. This is not necessarily the case on cruises. I have very high Diamond status on Cunard, but if I go on…
…perfume etc away. If you really want something buy it on the plane as most airlines have a fairly good lien up and most UK airlines let you order on-line in advance these days and collect on the flight to make sure that it is in stock for you. Try and be patient. It is very likely flights will not go on time until things settle down and the airport authorities have increased the number of trained staff that they are now out recruiting. If the seco…
…have a journey to make and toilets are not always at hand. Always read the label and remember to rehydrate with water and rehydration salts, or sports drinks if you have diarrhoea.” On their site they have this travel hotspot thing: Find out more about Travellers’ Diarrhoea What are your tips? Add a comment on the blog or email and I will add: [email protected] ——————————————————– Sign up now to get updates from Gary Bembridge: Tips for Travell…
…it on this trip. The hotel is right next to the famous Century 21 discount label department store and an easy 10 minute walk to South Street Sea Port area with its shops and museums and the major drop off and pick up for the round Manhattan bus tours. But overall, it is not a very handy destination for tourists as far from the shopping areas and Central Park etc. Overall, I liked the room a lot but the noise of construction did wake me up earlier…
