Travel Tips

Traveling by air these days is rarely fun. Traveling during the holidays can be an outright hassle. But, why not take some tips from the road warriors who travel all the time and have mastered the art of air travel with minimal pain. Here are six tips that will make this holiday season's travel woes a little less complicated and much more enjoyable.

Availability of a vast array of airline ticket prices is one that is perplexing to most airline travelers. Only a handful of people who control the complex formulas that go into the science and art of Revenue Management inside the caverns of today's airlines understand it. To both the seasoned and occasional traveler alike, getting the best value in an airfare is the elusive dream that is difficult to consistently achieve.

With the ever-increasing trend towards airlines charging to check even one bag it is tempting to carry-onboard any and all bags for your flight. But, the airlines are keenly aware of your desire to avoid the fees and are on the lookout for passengers who want to stuff as much into carry-on baggage. Here are some simple steps you can take to packing a bag for carry-on and still stay within the airline rules.

In today's economic climate, business travelers do what they can to help their company reduce necessary costs for travel by securing the lowest possible airfare available. The reality is that oftentimes the lowest airfare is not necessarily a cost savings for the company but an additional expense. Learn how to navigate "the system" to find the fare that's best for you -- and your employer.

With profits essentially non-existent, airlines are torn between selling Business and First Class seats (large profit centers for the airlines), and offering them to their most loyal customers in the form of upgrades. Hoping to sell them outright, airlines are not releasing Premium seating for upgrades until an hour (or even minutes) before the flight's departure. So now it becomes a race among frequent travelers to position themselves to obtain one of the few Premium seats. Everyone seems to have their own method and strategy for getting into position. We have one too.

You've managed to secure the cheapest airline ticket or the best value ticket based on your travel itinerary. Or, maybe you've managed to snare that elusive upgrade or free award ticket in First Class. That's terrific, but you're only halfway there to a great experience. So, where are you going to sit? On the wing?

As a traveler, you can either argue your case when faced with a screener who insists you dump that fresh bottle of water or you can simply take steps to avoid any unpleasantness that may ruin the start to that dream vacation or that important client meeting. We've provided you with a few of our tips here.

Travel expert John Lopinto addresses several questions commonly asked by business travelers. What's the best way to get an upgrade? Are fast-track security programs at the airport really worth it? What are fare buckets and how can I take advantage of them? John addresses these and other topics in this informative Q&A.

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