Delta Raising Baggage Fee

Delta on Tuesday boosted its fees for domestic travel to $23 for the first checked bag and $32 for the second one, up from $15 and $25, respectively. Try to get more in less bags but watch the weight limits. Take your essentials plus at least one change of clothes in your carry on.

Virgin America Offering Free WIFI Over the Holidays- Cool Gift

Meet the Top 9 Airlines Not Late

9 Airlines scored above-average in the Arrive on Time (withing 15 minutes) test: Hawaiian, Alaska, SkyWest, Frontier, ExpressJet, Southwest, Continental U.S. Airways and United- how come most of the regionals are on the West Coast?

Watch-out for Extra $10 Surcharges

Watch-out for $10 each way surcharges when traveling these dates: Nov. 29 & 30; Dec. 19, 26 & 27; Jan 2 & 3; March 14, 20, 21 & 28; April 11 and May 28th.

Just Got Back-

We spent a couple of weeks in the beautiful NorthWest USA- Oregon, Washington, Idaho and a bit of Montana- I will share some of what we liked over the next few days.

We made the mistake of taking a later flight from Florida through Houston and hit some storms. This caused us to miss our connection- need to fly earlier in the day in the summer.

Continental gave us a coupon for a Trip Interruption hotel service and they got us a nice room for $59- we paid because the delay was weather-related but at least it was reasonable.

More tomorrow- Mike

Top 10 Business Travel Tips #6

Void tickets rather than refund. If you return an unused ticket to The Travel Center before the end of the next business day, the ticket can be voided. It is as though the ticket was never issued in the first place, saving the cost of a refund fee. This is especially useful for penalty and non-refundable tickets.

Top 10 Business Travel Tips #4

Avoid changes. Anytime you change a reservation, you increase the chance that the fare will be more expensive. Airlines have a limited number of seats they sell at a promotional fare; the closer to the date of departure that you change a reservation, the less likely those less expensive seats will be available.

Travel Industry Myth #4

The lowest air fares are only available on the Internet. Again, not usually- a good travel agent not only has access to real-time airfares but also to consolidators, charter, and special relationships with carriers not available to the general population. Use your agent or their booking engine to get started-

Travel Industry Myth #3

It is better to book airline tickets directly from their sites- sometimes but often it can be more hassle than it is worth. And, many are now charging a booking fee as well. If you do book this way make sure it includes all the extra taxes and fees. Most travel agents and their sites (e.g. www.RealDealTravelGroup.com) you will notice all applicable charges are included.