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Be Prepared, Be Proactive, Be a Successful Traveler
December 7, 2009 | Permalink
To some modern road warriors, the ancient Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times,” pretty well describes life as a business traveler. Surprise airline baggage fees and changed or delayed flights would certainly qualify as “interesting” for most travelers.
One need only pick up a daily newspaper to see an article about airlines reducing the number of flights or completely eliminating service to some cities. According to one recent article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, most domestic airlines are boosting gross profits by increasing load factors. That means fewer flights with more people on each. For travelers, this can mean delayed, rescheduled or even cancelled flights.
About the best suggestion around is to be proactive and be prepared just in case yours is one of those “interesting” flights. Here are some ways you can be proactive in your trip preparation.
Know which airlines charge which fees. By charging fees for everything from making a phone reservation to checking a bag, airlines can up their revenue per passenger without raising their published rates. Farecompare.com has an updated list of the fees associated with each major U.S. domestic airline.
Check new itineraries. Any email from your airline containing an itinerary deserves VERY close attention. You can configure many email accounts to forward you an SMS text message from certain senders – doing this for emails from the airlines means you won’t have to log in to your email to check for itinerary changes.
Get acquainted with FlightCaster.com. While your airline might wait until the last minute to inform you of weather delays, FlightCaster uses an advanced algorithm to predict the likelihood of delay up to six hours before the airlines make the decision.
Know your options. If your airline drops your destination city, consider changing to an airport within a reasonable driving distance of your original city. AlternateAirports.com offers suggestions and distances for alternate destinations for over 110 domestic airports.
If an alternate arrival city is your best option, you will likely need a rental car. Extended Stay Hotels has partnered with Hertz to offer customers special rates and promotions on car rentals.
Airline travel may have gotten a lot more “interesting,” but you are still guaranteed the best nightly, weekly or long-term rates when you book online at the Extended Stay Hotels website. Road Warrior urges all travelers to pay attention, be prepared and always make Extended Stay Hotels your local headquarters for business or leisure trips.
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