Boeing 737 MAX Buckle up: Summer could be a bumpy ride for air travelersSFGate - Chris McGinnisExpect to see plenty of airport crowds this summer as passenger numbers hit a record high for the peak season. Memorial Day weekend traditionally marks the beginning of the peak summer travel season as
United's unusual upgrade saleSFGate - Chris McGinnisUnited has a short-term sale on upgrades to its extra-legroom Economy Plus seats. Most of those roomy Economy Plus seats near the front of the cabin are normally snapped up by elite-level members of its
Passports Americans will now have shorter waits at British airportsSFGate - Chris McGinnisThe U.K. now allows arriving U.S. citizens to use ePassport gates for faster entry. At London airports last summer, international passengers waited in hours-long passport control lines to enter and exit
Deal Alert: Summer flights to Tahiti for $629SFGate - Chris McGinnisUnited and French Bee are offering sale fares as low as $629 roundtrip on summer flights to Tahiti Last year French Bee and United launched new nonstops between San Francisco and Tahiti. Ever since then,
Helicopters How to cross the Bay in 10 minutes by helicopterSFGate - Chris McGinnis, Tim JueA Bell 206 Ranger similar to the one used for Blade's Bay Area flights Sick of the Bay Area's worsening traffic gridlock? Who isn't!? If the misery of sitting in bumper-to-bumper bridge traffic has become
Honolulu, HI Routes: Easier Tokyo, More SFO, United, Alaska, Delta + moreSFGate - Chris McGinnisThe newest carrier in the San Francisco-Honolulu market is Sun Country Airlines, which flies the route with a 737-800. In route news this week, The U.S. has approved new service to Japan for four U.S.
United Airlines Saving SFO’s owlsSFGate - Chris McGinnisUnited project moves the birds from airports to golf courses Two years ago, United Airlines launched a "raptor relocation" program at its Newark International hub, and now it is bringing that project San
United States Excruciating: Travelers wait 2-3 hours in airport immigration linesSFGate - Chris McGinnisArriving passengers at SFO and other airports face unpleasant surprise Hundreds, if not thousands, of travelers forced to stand in line for two hours to enter the US at SFO immigration In early May, frequent
John F. Kennedy Eye-catching TWA Hotel opens at New York JFKSFGate - Chris McGinnisEero Saarinen's classic 1962 TWA Flight Center at New York JFK serves as the public areas for the new TWA Hotel. Several airports are adding new on-site hotels these days, but none of them capture the
Alaska Airlines This summer's 12 cheapest flightsSFGate - Chris McGinnisPeak season deals are hard to find, but we've uncovered a few- like Las Vegas as low as $100 roundtrip! (Image: Jim Glab) If you are planning to take flight on a budget this summer, now's the time to ahead
Airlines With El Al, SFO lands new flights, Alaska Air gets a new partnerSFGate - Chris McGinnis, Tim JueBusiness class on El Al's new Dreamliner flights between SFO and TLV With an eye on expanding to more cities in the United States, El Al Israel Airlines will begin flying non-stop between its Tel Aviv
American Airlines Airports: Southwest to Hilo + San Jose's new jet, + SFO death, LAX, DFW + more airport newsSFGate - Chris McGinnisSouthwest Airlines announced that it will soon fly to Hilo, on the eastern side of Hawaii's "big island." Photo from SWA's inaugural flight to Honolulu on 2019. In airport news, Southwest announces a Hawaiian
American Airlines Routes: Israel, Austin, London, Fiji, Italy and moreSFGate - Chris McGinnisEl Al next week begins service to Tel Aviv from San Francisco. In route news, El Al kicks off new San Francisco service on Monday and Frontier adds an SFO route; Norwegian will increase SFO-London frequencies
Travel Industry Is a travel recession in the wings?SFGate - Chris McGinnisIs demand for travel cooling off? Maybe. Travel demand is almost always a good predictor of what's to come for the overall economy. It's like the canary in the coal mine. When consumers and big companies
Wi-Fi Delta starts testing free Wi-Fi- will you log on?SFGate - Chris McGinnisDelta is testing free wi-fi aboard a handful of its jets and could expand it fleetwide. Two months ago, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in an interview that the company planned to move toward free in-flight
Pregnancy Job loss, pregnancy, injury? How to keep airline elite statusSFGate - Chris McGinnisAt some airlines, a rainy day won't ground your elite status Delta said this week it has a new benefit for SkyMiles elite-level members who have to curtail their frequent travel when something happens
New York City So you wanna fly to New York City this summer?SFGate - Chris McGinnisWhether you are cheapskate, or highfalutin, there's a good fare for you Whether you are a cheapskate or fancy flier, there's a fare for you to NYC this summer! If you're planning a trip to New York City
Qantas Qantas to retire Boeing 747 from SFO serviceSFGate - Chris McGinnisQueen of the skies flies away for good December 4 Australia's Qantas Airways will retire its Boeing 747 from the San Francisco-Sydney route on December 4, 2019, the carrier announced today. It will replace
AMEX Using AmEx rewards points for airline upgradesSFGate - Chris McGinnisUse your AMEX points to upgrade to TAP Air Portugal lie flat business class seats which are 6 feet long fully reclined American Express cardholders who belong to the Membership Rewards program can now
Airlines Routes: El Al to Israel, SJC to Hawaii, More UK from SFO, Delta to India, AA, Lufthansa, moreSFGate - Chris McGinnisIn honor of its inaugural flight to San Francisco on May 13, El Al created a special livery that includes the Golden Gate Bridge. Las Vegas, another new El Al destination, is featured on the other side.
United Airlines Review: United celebrates a new nonstop to AmsterdamSFGate - Chris McGinnisAirline throws a Dutch themed party at the gate, wow passengers with flowers At United's inaugural SFO Amsterdam flight, there were dozens and dozens and dozens of Tulips In late March, United Airlines
San Francisco Bay Area Gotcha! Rental car toll fees can stingSFGate - Chris McGinnisCharging someone $32 to cross the Golden Gate Bridge is "simply wrong" Paying highway tolls in your rental car used to be easy – you said hello and handed your money to the human toll collector. Just you
Mexico City Airports: LAX, Ontario, San Francisco, New Orleans, JFK, Mexico CitySFGate - Chris McGinnisA roundup of major airport news you need to know New Orleans' new passenger terminal opening has been delayed from May 15 until the fall. In airport news, demolition has started in Delta's Terminal 3 Los
Lyft SFO to move all Uber, Lyft pick ups to central parking lotSFGate - Chris McGinnisA new ride-sharing pick up and drop off area on the top floor of the central parking garage at SFO Finally! To put an end to the curbside chaos that has developed in the years since ride-sharing became
Boeing 737 MAX Boeing 737 MAX flight cancellations hitting California fliers especially hardSFGate - Chris McGinnis, Tim JueMany fliers in California will feel the brunt of airline cancellations caused by the prolonged worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX airplane when the busy summer travel period gets underway in June.
Airbnb How Marriott, Airbnb turf battle benefits travelersSFGate - Chris McGinnisThe two 500-pound gorillas in the lodging business have long offered consumers two different types of products and experience, but that is starting to change as Marriott is moving into home rentals in
Business Class First, business class consolidator discounts: Worth the risk?SFGate - Chris McGinnis, Tim JueThe deals seem too good to be true: round-trip first or business class airfare for far less than you'd expect to pay. They're hard to ignore: hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars off for a cushy,
Hawaiian Airlines Routes: Air Italy at SFO, Finnair, United, WestJet, JetSuite, Boutique Air, Hawaiian, Mokulele, AsiaSFGate - Chris McGinnisAir Italy's new SFO-Milan flights will only operate through October. In route news this week, Air Italy's new SFO service is seasonal only; Finnair starts seasonal San Francisco flights; United adds SFO-Zurich
Lyft Lyft testing taxi-style queues for airport pick upsSFGate - Chris McGinnis, Tim JueSan Diego is test site for idea that might work for SFO Lyft will test a tried-and-true airport pick-up method that could alleviate the headaches of drivers and riders stalled by crowds and traffic at
