A recent article in USA Today got me thinking. What kinds of amenities does PDX need to be a truly premier international airport? The article lists the top-10 amenities the best airports in the world offer. Among them: live music, wine bars, art galleries, napping pods, free wireless internet, laptop chargers, day spas, and convenience stores.

PDX does pretty well in some of those categories. The Port brings in live musicians during most major travel periods... including Spring Break.

PDX also has a wine bar... along with a sushi bar... and a Stanford's... so travelers are covered when they're forced to hang out. Those of us who spend time on our laptops at the airport know about the free wireless internet... one of the best investments the Port has made.

But what about a place to take a nap? How about a place to grab a massage?

What would you like to see changed or added at PDX? E-mail me and let me know... and maybe we'll see some top-shelf additions to Oregon's busiest airport.

Posted by at 10:06 AM | Permalink

Friday, March 24th will mark the busiest day PDX has ever seen. Roughly 55,000 passengers will travel through the airport. In fact, there isn't a single seat available... every single flight, all day long, is booked solid.

It's gonna be a mess for the next week... especially early in the morning and late at night. So here's some things you can do to make your life a little easier!

- Get there early. I know... we hear this all the time. But it really does matter when the airport's jammed. They tell you 2-hours, but I always try for 90 minutes. Unless I'm parking there. Which leads me to my next tip.

- Get there EXTRA early if you're parking in the economy lot. Last Christmas, I flew out of PDX and tried to park in economy, but there were NO SPOTS when I got there at 6am. The lot was FULL. They had us parking on the side of the road. It took at least an hour to park and get to the terminal. I just made my flight (by about 48 seconds). So follow the 2-hour rule if economy parking is in your future.

- Take the MAX. It runs every 15-minutes in both directions, with the first train getting you to PDX at 4:45am... and the last one leaving PDX at 11:55pm. It costs $1.80 each way. A lot cheaper than $8/day for economy parking... or $12/day for long-term. For more information, check out Tri-Met's MAX page: http://www.trimet.org/schedule/r100.htm.

- Check-in on-line. Most airlines will now let you check-in for your flight, 24-hours ahead of time, on their websites. You can choose seats, and print-out boarding passes at home. Then you just drop-off your bags at the airport. This can save you an hour. And if you're flying Southwest, it can get you to the front of the line in the mad-scramble for the best seats.

- Check-in at an e-ticket machine. If you can't check-in at home, use an e-ticket machine at the airport, instead of waiting in-line for an agent. These PDX airlines have e-ticket check-in: Alaska/Horizon, America West/US Airways, American, Continental, Delta, Hawaiian, jetBlue, Northwest, Southwest, and United. Air Canada, Big Sky, Frontier, Lufthansa, and Mexicana do not offer e-ticket check-in at PDX.

- Choose the shortest security line. This is a new one at PDX this Thanksgiving. The Port opened a "concourse connector" linking the A, B, and C concourses to the D and E concourses behind security. It was supposed to be for passengers connecting from Alaska and Horizon flights (on A, B, and C) onto the international flights to Tokyo and Frankfurt (on D). But... saavy travelers have quickly found they can use the D and E security checkpoint (with its typically shorter lines) to get to their gate on A, B, or C. It could save you 15 or 20 minutes at peak times. This should give you a good look at what I'm talking about: http://www.flypdx.com/PDX_Terminal_Map.aspx.

- Check with the TSA before you pack your carry-on. Their list of allowed items changes every now and then, so it's a good idea to take a look at this: http://www.tsa.gov/public/interapp/editorial/editorial_1012.xml

So, you're not flying... but you have to drop someone off, or pick someone up. Here's some things to speed-up that process, too.

- Park on top of the garage. We all want to park on Level 4, because it has the skybridges that go directly across to the terminal. But this time of year, it's always packed. You'll waste time trying to find a spot there. So just go to Level 7, atop the garage, and park right next to the elevator. It'll end up saving you a few minutes.

- Quick Pay is your friend. You'll find the Quick Pay terminals on Level 4 of the parking garage and in the underground connector between the Terminal and the garage. Pay for your parking here, and you'll breeze right out of the parking gate.

- Use the Cell Phone Wait Lot. It's near the air cargo area on the south side of Airport Way, and it's free for people picking-up passengers. Park there, and have your family/friends call you when they grab their bags. Then you can drive around and have them hop-in, without having to pay for parking. BEWARE: You can not park here and leave your car. You'll get a ticket... or be towed.

- Pick-up on the upper level. Sure, the signs say the upper level is for departures. But most of the time, and especially at night, the lower level is jammed with "pick-ups." Avoid that by picking-up your family/friends up above. And save a lot of time by using the upper, outer roadway. But don't stay too long, and don't leave your car, because the Port of Portland Police aren't too excited about people who do that... and they'll likely tow you.

Finally, have a great trip!

If you have any more tricks you use at PDX, let me know. My e-mail address is jpenning@kgw.com. I'd love to hear from you!

Posted by at 8:29 PM | Permalink

If you're still looking for that Spring Break trip, it's time to book. Fares are higher this year than they have been in past years, primarily because a record number of Americans will be flying in March and April. The 9/11 backlash is over... and most of us are ready to travel longer distances when we get away.

There are a number of websites I use when I'm booking my trips. It takes a little extra work to do your booking the way I do mine, but it could very easily save you some money.

The first thing I always do is get a feel for what airfares are running by checking Expedia.com. Expedia is one of the best sites, I find, when comparing fares by airline, and by the number of en-route stops. But (the folks at Expedia don't want to hear this) I never book my ticket there.

Once I find a good deal at Expedia, I go directly to the airline's website. Almost always, I'll find the fare $5 cheaper per person on the airline's website... because that's what Expedia charges in fees. So if I find a ticket on Expedia, flying on United, for example, for $200, I'll go to the United website and book the ticket for $195. If you don't know the airline's web address, I've posted a full list for all the airlines that fly out of PDX at the end of this blog.

If you aren't finding any good deals that way, go to Hotwire. It's a website that offers discounted airfares. The airlines "dump" extra capacity on Hotwire, at 20 to 50% off the regular fare. Hotwire won't always have a good deal... but if you catch it at the right time, you can get a huge discount.

Sometimes vacations are a lot less stressful if you book them as a package, with airfare, hotel and car included. But it's often hard to tell if you're getting a good deal when you're looking at one huge bill for everything. You have to trust a website, if you're going to book a package on-line. That's why, if I'm booking a complicated package, with multiple destinations, multiple hotels, or international travel, I use a travel agent. Their $20 booking fee is well worth it for a complicated itinerary.

If you're looking to book a simple package, I like Orbitz. It's run by the airlines, and they put package deals right on the front page. You'll save between $50 and $300 by booking your travel as a package here.

Also, Expedia has a special Spring Break Page, with all kinds of ideas on cheap travel for March and April.

If you're trying to find a good place to go, or you want to know more about the city you've selected, I recommend Fodor's. Their website has great information about things to do, restaurants, and hotels. They also have a list of good deals on the left side of their homepage.

After you find that good deal, but before you book, I recommend you get the most out of your travel by checking Flightstats. It's run by a Portland company. It compiles all the on-time information for every flight in the US. You can type in the flight number of the one you're thinking about booking, and it will tell you what your chances are of being on-time. It also tells you things like average delay, and number of cancellations.

Meanwhile, Seatmap.com has a comprehensive listing of all airline fleets in the US, and many from around the world. The site walks you through the seatmap of the plane that will be used on your flight. It tells you which seats are good, and which to avoid. I always use it before I book.

One more thing to remember: Southwest Airlines doesn't list its fares in any of the on-line booking engines. To get fares for Southwest, you must go to its website. Southwest also offers travel deals... but again... only on its website.

If you know of any good deals for Spring Break, I'd love to hear about them! E-mail me at jpenning@kgw.com.

Appendix: Airlines and Non-Stop Destinations at PDX

Air Canada: Vancouver, BC.
Alaska Airlines: Anchorage, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Orange County, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose.
America West Airlines/US Airways: Las Vegas and Phoenix.
American Airlines: Chicago O'Hare and Dallas/Ft. Worth.
Big Sky Airlines: Moses Lake.
Continental Airlines: Houston Bush Intercontinental and New York/Newark.
Delta Air Lines: Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Salt Lake City.
Frontier Airlines: Denver.
Hawaiian Airlines: Honolulu and Kahului/Maui.
Horizon Air: Billings, Boise, Burbank, Denver, Eugene, Fresno, Klamath Falls, Medford, Moses Lake, North Bend/Coos Bay, Oakland, Ontario, Pasco, Pendleton, Redding, Redmond/Bend, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Barbara, Seattle, Spokane, and Vancouver, BC.
jetBlue Airways: New York Kennedy.
Lufthansa German Airlines: Frankfurt.
Mexicana: Guadalajara.
Northwest Airlines: Detroit, Honolulu, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Tokyo/Narita.
Southwest Airlines: Albuquerque, Boise, Chicago Midway, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Oakland, Phoenix, Reno, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Jose, and Spokane.
United Airlines: Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Eugene, Los Angeles, Medford, Redmond/Bend, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington Dulles.

Posted by at 2:16 PM | Permalink

A friend of mine, named Carol, flew from Savannah, Georgia, back to Portland this week, after visiting with her family in the southeast. She took Continental, through its Newark hub, not only because it offered a good fare, but because of its reputation for good customer service. Continental is one of the few US airlines that still offers full-service on its flights, including hot meals. But it turns out, the service wasn't even up to the standards you'd expect on the cheapest of "no-frills" carriers.

Carol assures me the on-board product was just fine. It was the way Carol was treated on the ground that made her trip so miserable.

Carol's flight left Savannah just after noon on Wednesday... on-time... no issues. She arrived in Newark a little more than two-hours later... around 2:30pm. When she booked her flight, she was scheduled to leave for PDX at 5:30pm. Carol was expecting a three hour layover in Newark. But when she checked the departure monitor... it showed the Portland flight leaving not at 5:30... but at 7:10pm. An hour and 40 minutes later. Not a delay. The airline had changed Carol's schedule... without ever telling her.

Airlines change departure and arrival times frequently... at least a few times a year. In that respect, Carol's story is not uncommon. What is uncommon is the fact that Continental didn't bother to let Carol know about the change. Normally an airline will send both a hard-copy letter, and an e-mail, informing passengers when their flights are changed. Carol says Continental did neither. Carol’s layover in Newark was re-scheduled for 4 hours and 40 minutes... and, by the time she found out, there was nothing she could do about it... except sit and wait.

Carol's story got me thinking: did Continental violate a law by not informing her of the changes to her flight? I did some research. What I found isn't just surprising... but also frustrating for the thousands of passengers who have similar problems with the airlines.

The airlines aren't required to tell you anything. Continental is not alone. Once you buy a ticket, your airline can change the departure time, change the arrival time, and it isn't required to offer you a different option, or a refund.

In fact, contrary to the widespread belief, there is no passengers' bill of rights.

In 1999, some members of Congress tried to pass a passengers' bill of rights. It laid-out a set of specific rules, by which the airlines were to handle each and every cancellation or delay. Quoting from the bill, it would have made "an air carrier liable to each aircraft passenger for an excessive departure or arrival delay of the aircraft." The bill went onto require "an air carrier that cancels a flight on the date it is scheduled for reasons other than safety to provide each passenger air transportation in a timely manner to the destination for which such passenger purchased the air transportation and a refund of the amount paid for air transportation."

The bill never made it out of the House. It's big opponent? Continental Airlines.

Continental's Chairman and CEO at the time, Gordon Bethune, wrote, "[Continental's] employees recognize our ability to provide excellent customer service without the laws of the nation being punitively held to us."

Despite that, the American Society of Travel Agents is still fighting vigorously for a passengers' bill of rights. On its website, it says passengers deserve "timely, complete and truthful information and courteous assistance regarding delays, cancellations, and equipment changes."

It goes onto say, "the consumer keeps the bargain with the airline by paying for the ticket. If the airline fails to provide the transportation it promised, the consumer is entitled to know why, and to adjust travel plans accordingly."

That kind of a law could have made Carol's trip through Newark a lot more pleasant than Continental's "excellent customer service" did.

Comments? E-mail me at jpenning@kgw.com.

Posted by at 4:29 PM | Permalink

Alaska Airlines says it's found no evidence of a systemic problem with the pressurization system on it fleet of MD80 and 737 jets. As NewsChannel 8 reported, Alaska had a series of six similar incidents between the end of December and the end of February, where planes had to make unscheduled landings. The airline says a fleetwide inspection turned up nothing unusual.

Meanwhile, in an interview with The Seattle Times, Alaska Chairman Bill Ayer says the company is on the right track. He told the Times, "As I look back at the decisions that we've made, I would say that they have largely been the right decisions. Certainly the direction has been right."

Bill Ayer, Alaska's Chairman and CEO (Photo Courtesy Steve Ringman, The Seattle Times)

Ayer cites the fact that his airline is one of only three in the US to turn a profit in 2005. Alaska made $55 million. A relatively modest profit for an airline with more than a hundred jets and a dominant position in most major West Coast markets. But the only airline to turn a larger profit was Southwest, which made $489 million. AirTran, which doesn't fly to PDX, and concentrates on its Atlanta hub, made $3 million.

Alaska did much better than Portland's other carriers. Compare it's profit to United's $557 million loss; American's $681 million loss; Northwest's $1.7 billion loss; or Delta's staggering $2.2 billion loss.

Alaska and it's sister airline, Horizon, continue to operate Portland's largest hub. Together, they connect passengers from all over the Northwest to flights up and down the West Coast, at PDX. They continue to add service here... with a new PDX-Reno route starting in April.

An Alaska Airlines 737-700 lifts off from the runway at PDX (Photo Courtesy Airliners.net).

Alaska says it will continue to expand. The airline has more than 30 737-800's on order. Those new planes are being equipped to fly long, overwater routes, which has fueled speculation Alaska might soon begin flights to Hawaii.

PDX to Hawaii is certainly a possibility, but Alaska would face stiff competition against a couple of its partners. Both Hawaiian and Northwest operate daily flights from PDX to Honolulu, and Hawaiian operates four weekly flights from PDX to Maui. More likely is Seattle and Anchorage to Hawaii... but you can be sure the Port of Portland will be lobbying for new flights.

For those of us in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington, the better Alaska does, the better our service will be at PDX. Alaska has shown a repeated pattern of adding flights at its Portland hub, and it will continue to do so as PDX sets new passenger records.

Posted by at 10:58 AM | Permalink