The "OD O7" Blog

GENERAL TIPS

I love air travel.  It's my preferred way to travel.  I also love and have a fascination with aircraft types and seat configurations (i.e. popular aircraft for long, international routes - Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliners vs Airbus A380 and A350's, seat configurations on A330's and the "ole" Boeing 767 (2-4-2 - my wife and I love flying these "birds" as we always get the two seats, etc.).  Hopefully the info below is of some interest and help to you.

1.  Consider travel insurance.  Why?

              Medical Emergencies Abroad 

               a.  No foreign coverage: Standard health insurance and Medicare usually do not          

              pay for medical care outside your home country.

              b.  High costs: Foreign hospitals often require upfront cash payment for          

              emergency treatment.

              c.  Medical evacuation: Transporting you to a proper hospital or flying you home 

              during a severe medical crisis can cost tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket. 

            Trip Cancellations and Interruptions

            a.  Non-refundable costs: It reimburses prepaid, non-refundable expenses 

            like flights, hotels, and cruises if you must cancel due to illness, severe weather, or 

           family emergencies. 

           b.  Trip interruptions: It covers extra expenses or new tickets if an emergency forces 

           you to cut your vacation short and return home early.

         Travel Delays and Lost Baggage

         a.  Baggage loss: It reimburses you if your checked bags are lost, stolen, or damaged.

         b.  Essential purchases: It pays for basic items like clothes and toiletries if your 

         luggage is delayed for multiple days. 

         c.  Overnight costs: It covers meals and hotel rooms during sudden, extended 

         flight delays.

2.  Don't forget your important documents such as:  your driver's license (ensure it's a REAL ID or per TSA, you will have to pay $45.00 to process through security), passport, and any documents required for entrance into a foreign country.

3.  Download your airline's app: Check in online 24 hours before your flight, save your boarding pass to your digital wallet, and turn on notifications for real-time gate changes.

4.  Pack smart essentials: Keep all medications, valuables, and a charger in your personal item rather than a checked bag.

5.  Weigh your bags at home: Prevent surprise fees by weighing checked and carry-on bags before heading to the airport.

6.  Timing: Plan to arrive at the airport 2 hours before domestic flights and 3 hours before international flights.

POTENTIAL COST SAVINGS

1. Avoid peak season such as during the busier months of late May through July, Thanksgiving holiday week, and over the winter holiday season in late December.  For example, according to "Hopper data", on average, travelers can save 32%, or $112, on round-trip domestic airfare by going during September and October instead of peak summer months.

2. Travel midweek — For most locales, airfare and lodging are significantly cheaper midweek relative to the weekend, meaning flexible travelers can score big savings.  The easy rule: The dates that are probably the most convenient are probably the most expensive.  Sunday is generally the most expensive day to fly, data shows. Domestic airfare is, on average, 24% lower by flying on a Tuesday, translating to savings of about $85 a ticket, according to NerdWallet.  Domestic and international flights that leave on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday have historically been 12% cheaper than weekend departures, according to Google Flights data.  The midweek rule of thumb generally applies regardless of destination.

3. Book early

Experts recommend booking flights about one to three months ahead for U.S. trips, and even further ahead, maybe three to six months or more, for international trips.  Hotels are a bit trickier. In big cities with many options, the best prices will be just 48 hours ahead of check-in, Hopper found. However, best prices are typically one to two months out for popular destinations such as Miami or Cancun, and rooms in popular vacation cities can book up early.

4. Try a ‘dupe destination’ (i.e. swapping a popular destination for a lesser-known spot that's got a similar vibe or familiar amenities)

Data shows many travelers sought out cheaper duplicates, or “dupes,” of pricey destinations in 2023.  Applied broadly, tourists should look beyond the tourist hot spots and consider less-popular areas to save money, experts said.  For example, Europe is consistently the top destination for Americans traveling abroad. Round-trip airfare can easily cost more than $1,000 to many top European locales. Flying to certain cities can be much cheaper, though. For example, a flight to Lisbon or Porto in Portugal averages about $650 to $700. Similarly, flying to Athens instead of Santorini can save almost $400 on a round-trip ticket, while going to Naples instead of Palermo in Italy would save about $125. Likewise, those eyeing a trip to South America would spend $375 for an average round-trip ticket to Cartagena, Colombia, compared to about $900 to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Those going to Australia pay an average $1,214 to Sydney, but almost $1,500 to Melbourne.

Major airlines raise fees for checked bags:

A handful of airlines — Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines — recently raised their fees for checked bags this year. For example, United and American raised their respective first checked bag fee to $45 if prepaid at least 24 hours in advance or $50 if paid at the airport.

The race to upgrading the "old skool" first class section:  

Major airlines like Delta, United, and American are heavily investing in upgraded business class seats, suites, and enhanced cabin layouts to cater to surging demand for premium travel.

• American Airlines: Launching its new Flagship Suites featuring privacy doors and wireless charging as part of "Project Olympus" retrofits on its Boeing 777-300ER and 787-9 fleets, coinciding with the retirement of its international first class.
• Delta Air Lines: Investing over $1 billion to refresh its long-haul cabins, rolling out redesigned Delta One Suites with 3-inch longer lie-flat beds, memory foam with pillow-top cushions, dedicated shoe cubbies, and 24-inch screens starting on Airbus A350-1000s.
• United Airlines: Introducing its second-generation business class, featuring Polaris Studio front-row oversized suites with sliding doors, larger beds, 27-inch OLED screens, and wireless charging on incoming Boeing 787-9 deliveries.

Expanding international destinations from major "hub airports":

United recently announced the largest international expansion in its history adding 10 new international cities which fly from their major hubs of Newark, NJ, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles.  American expanded nonstop flights to Amsterdam, Netherlands (one of my all-time favorite European destinations), Reykjavik, Iceland, Vienna, Austria, and Porto, Portugal.  Delta continues to build out their "long-haul" international flights to destinations such as Malta and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.