The idea of stand up “seats” doesn’t seem to be make much sense though, but the price of around £5 is very affordable. The problem has to do with safety regulations that require seat belts during takeoff, landing, and periods of turbulence. It’s hard to have a seat belt when you don’t have a seat. It’s still a clever idea though… we can always use a little more innovation.

(Photo: aromano)

Now, a few violations are normal in almost any kitchen (yes, scary, but still true), but the number and scope of them is a little scary. Three caterers were cited – LSG Sky Chefs Gate Gourmet, and Flying Food Group. You probably recognize their trucks as they load up your flight, if you’ve ever watched them, and they were cited for cockroaches, storing food at improper temperatures, unclean equipment, and use of works with poor hygiene. It’s pretty gross.

The last place I want to get sick is on an airplane…

(Photo: littledebbie11)

Unfortunately, the Passenger’s Bill of Rights doesn’t protect passengers in this scenario. The bill of rights mostly protects you from being stuck on a plane for a million hours and a few other issues, but it doesn’t protect you against strikes.

What will protect you, at least a little bit, is being aware of labor negotiations of the airline you’re flying with. While imminent strike is something to look for, just seeing labor issues isn’t enough since Spirit Airlines and its pilots have been in negotiations for more than three years.

Yikes.

This is a pretty nice perk for Delta SkyMiles cardmembers because you’re likely to be flying Delta Air Lines anyway. If you fly Delta frequently enough, this might even give you a reason to get the Delta SkyMiles card because it can save you a significant amount of money. When you sign up for a Delta SkyMiles card, you usually can get several thousands miles in frequent flyer miles and, if you travel a lot, these checked bag savings can pay for the annual fees.

The fee appears to be $179 a year plus $50 to convert an individual to a family plan. Whether or not they will overcome the problems that faced the original Clear will remain to be seen.

(Photo: hyku)

• Your miles will convert to the new system, whichever direction they go.
• Both airlines are part of the Star Alliance, which lends credence to the idea that your miles will be fine. This works out better because instead of having Continental miles and United miles, you would consolidate and have one larger balance
• More opportunities to use those miles, as they have slightly different coverages.

We’ll see if this ends up being a net win for the rest of the ticket buying population.

Yep!

National Park Week, April 17th to April 25th, is a program put on by the National Park Service and an opportunity for families to experience our nation’s parks absolutely free. The Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced this week that all 392 parks will have free admission for the week. Normally, 146 of the parks charge an entrance fee ranging from $3 to $25. In addition, on Saturday, April 24th, there will be special programs including National Junior Ranger Day, where Junior Rangers will receive a certificate, patch, or pin.

Eurail Passes

A Eurail pass is primarily a train ticket that allows great freedom when travelling in Europe that is only available to non-European residents. There are many options, and because of which, a wide range of costs. A great resource that goes into depth on Eurail passes is Rick Steves’ Europe website. It goes over the different type of Eurail passes and their individual pros and cons. The general idea is that you purchase a ticket that has a set number of days that you can use it for as many train trips that you want to go on. It has to be validated before its used, and if used properly can save you a lot of money and time!

The Good:

Flexibility!
When using a Eurail pass you can board a train without stopping at the ticket office. Its quick and allows you great flexibility. Once on the train and in a seat you just write down that day’s date on your pass and it acts as your ticket. This allows you to have the most flexible travel schedule so you can board any trains. There are a few exceptions, including overnight trains and some trains that require reservations, but for the most part you are able to travel with great freedom.

Add-Ons
With a Eurail pass you get additional discounts and it can be used for more than train trips! Some of the best freebies are the free transport on International Ferries, the scenic river cruises in Germany, and Swiss Lake Cruises!.

The Bad

Expensive
The tickets range for youth travelers (26 or younger) from $297 (5 days, 2 months, 3 neighboring countries) to $1316 (21 countries, 3 months unlimited travel). The best prices are for those 26 years old and under, but don’t despair if you are over 26, you still can find some good deals if you are travelling with a companion (15% discount). The Eurail is expensive but if you are doing lots of long trips, it may be a worthwhile deal.

Overall?

How do you know if the Eurail pass is for you? The way we determined this was to look at the trips we were going to take, find out the prices and then directly compare it to the price of the similar pass. Our five day pass valid for travel in Germany and Switzerland ended up costing about the same as our per day travels for that 5 days but made it comparable and with the added flexibility made it a good choice. I used Rick Steves’ map of prices/times and his worksheet to determine what would be a good deal. (He also has country specific maps if you’ll be mostly travelling in one country.)

Side Note:

The last time I was in Europe I lived Germany in a dormitory-style apartment building while attending school at Universitat Dortmund.

(That’s me in the front row, third from the right.)

This allowed me to purchase a DB Card, which gave me 25% off all my train tickets. I compared it to the Eurail pass and it was much cheaper since the majority of my traveling was going to be within Germany. If you’re going to be living in one country and doing most of your traveling in that country check out its’ discount passes for a cheaper way to travel!

Fortunately, as of yesterday, the Department of Transportation introduced new regulation that would fine airlines up to $27,000 per passengers for tarmac delays of three hours or more. Airlines would also be required to provide food, water, and adequate bathroom facilities during “long delays.” The captain of the plane would have the authority to exceed the three hour limit given security or safety concerns.

U.S. Airlines Can Face Big Fines For Long Delays [New York Times]

I first read about this at Gadling and I agree with their assessment of it – it’s completely insane. I also agree that if the United States were to implement this, other nations would do the same for Americans visiting them. While it’s only $10, the whole idea of it just seems a little silly.