๚ Subject: Air Travel FAQ 3/5 Worldwide Airport Codes Archive-name: air-travel/world-airport-codes Last-Modified: Tue Jun 30 17:37:38 CDT 1992 This is one in a series of FAQ lists that are posted monthly. Postings 1/5 through 5/5 include this introduction. The charter of REC.TRAVEL.AIR is to serve as a discussion group for issues related to air travel (surprise!). This monthly posting of frequently asked questions (FAQ) is intended to prevent the recurrence of specific questions or types of questions that are either unanswerable, or are asked seemingly weekly. Some topics are mostly U.S./North American based, while others are global in interest. The information contained here is based on the best postings from the net on these subjects, and thanks are due to the netters who provided them. Information from international sources would be a welcome addition. (Please post or send to Laurie at bechtler@asdg.enet.dec.com.) As with any newsgroup, it is best to read it for a few weeks before posting anything, in order to see what topics are currently being discussed. Please keep in mind that air travel is subject to a complex set of rules, regulations, and agreements (official or unofficial) between governments, airlines, and ticket agencies. Information transmitted over the net is not definitive. Netters offer what they know with good intentions; however, no guarantee is made the that information contained in this list is 100% correct. Having said that, know then, that all information herein is offered AS IS with no implied warranty of accuracy whatsoever. Currently, the number of lists totals six. Five are posted by Larry Autry and maintained by Laurie Bechtler and Larry Autry . One FAQ list that is posted separately, is the article on "How to Get Cheap Airtickets" by Mark Kantrowitz . The subjects of these five lists are as follows: I. Intro and Answers to General Questions II. Airport Codes For North America III. Airport Codes For The World IV. Ticket Consolidator Article (Bucket Shops) V. Article About How To Prevent Jetlag ******************************************************************************** These codes are from: pal@regent.e-technik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de (Peter Loibl). I have replaced all of his tabs with colons so that the unix sort program can handle the file. I have also deleted all North American cities. From Peter's original posting: There might be some spelling errors - I had to translate some nations and cities from German into English. I have also split the former USSR into its new nations. There is only one airport from the USSR around I could not put into one nation, so I have named the nation it belongs to as CIS. The list does also not give the new nations from former Yugoslavia. I am always thankful for new codes. AAE:Annaba, Algeria AAL:Alborg, Denmark AAR:Aarhus, Denmark AAX:Araxa, MG, Brazil ABD:Abadan, Iran ABJ:Abidjan, Ivory Coast ABM:Bamaga, Australia ABS:Abu Simbel, Egypt ABX:Albury, Australia ABZ:Aberdeen, Great Britain ACC:Accra, Ghana ACE:Arrecife/Lanzarote, Spain ACH:Altenrhein, Switzerland ADA:Adana, Turkey ADB:Izmir, Turkey ADD:Addis Abeba, Ethiopia ADE:Aden, Yemen ADL:Adelaide, Australia ADX:Aktyubinsk, Kasachstan ADY:Alldays, South Africa ADZ:San Andres, Colombia AEH:Abeche, Chad AEP:Buenos Aires - Jorge Newbery, Argentinia AER:Sotschi/Adler, Russia AES:Alesund, Norway AGA:Agadir, Morocco AGB:Augsburg, Germany AGP:Malaga, Spain AGZ:Aggeneys, South Africa AHB:Khamis Mushayat, Saudi Arabia AHO:Alhegro Sassari, Italy AHU:Al Hoceima, Morocco AJA:Ajaccio, France AJN:Anjouan, Comores AJU:Aracaju, SE, Brazil AJY:Agades, Niger AKL:Auckland, New Zealand ALA:Alma Ata, Kasachstan ALC:Alicante, Spain ALF:Alta, Norway ALG:Algier, Algeria ALH:Albany, Australia ALJ:Alexander Bay, South Africa ALP:Alpeppo, Syria ALQ:Alegrete, RS, Brazil ALR:Alexandra, New Zealand ALY:Alexandria, Egypt AMD:Ahmedaba, India AMM:Amman, Jordan AMS:Amsterdam, The Netherlands ANK:Ankara, Turkey ANR:Antwerpen, Belgium ANU:Antigua, West Indian Isles AOI:Ancona, Italy AOK:Karpathos, Greece APS:Anapoils, Brazil APU:Apucarana, PR, Brazil APW:Apia, West Samoa AQJ:Akaba (Aqaba), Jordan ARN:Stockholm - Arlanda, Sweden ART:Oslo - Gardermoen, Norway ASJ:Amami, Japan ASK:Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast ASP:Alice Springs, Australia ASU:Asuncion, Paraguay ASW:Assuan, Egypt ATH:Athen, Greece ATQ:Amritsar, India AUA:Aruba, West Indian Isles AUH:Abu Dhabi, UAE AUR:Aurillac, France AUX:Araguaina, TO, Brazil AXA:Anguilla, West Indian Isles AXS:Armenia, Colombia AYQ:Ayers Rock, Australia AYR:Ayr, Australia AYT:Antalya, Turkey BAH:Bahrain, Bahrain BAQ:Barranquilla, Colombia BAU:Bauru, SP, Brazil BBI:Bhubaneshwar, India BBT:Berberati, Central Africa BBY:Bambari, Central Africa BCN:Barcelona, Spain BDA:Bermuda, Bermuda BDB:Bundaberg, Australia BDQ:Baronda, India BDS:Brindisi, Italy BDU:Bardufoss, Norway BEB:Benbecula, Great Britain BEG:Belgrad (Beograd), Yugoslavia (Serbia) BEL:Belem, PA, Brazil BEN:Bengasi, Libya BEO:Newcastle, Australia BER:Berlin, Germany BES:Brest, France BEW:Beira, Mozambique BEY:Beirut, Lebanon BFN:Bloemfontein, South Africa BFO:Buffalo Range, Zimbabwe BFS:Belfast - International, Great Britain BGA:Bucaramanga, Colombia BGF:Bangui, Central Africa BGI:Bridgetown, Barbados BGO:Bergen, Norway BGU:Bangassou, Central Africa BGV:Bento Goncalves, RS, Brazil BGW:Bagdad, Irak BGX:Bage, RS, Brazil BGY:Bergamo, Italy BHD:Belfast - Harbour Airport, Great Britain BHE:Blenheim, New Zealand BHO:Bhopal, India BHQ:Broken Hill, Australia BHV:Bahawalpur, Pakistan BHX:Birmingham, Great Britain BHZ:Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil BIA:Bastia, France BIO:Bilbao, Spain BIQ:Biarritz, France BIV:Bria, Central Africa BJL:Banjul, Gambia BJM:Bujumbura, Burundi BJS:Beijing, China BJZ:Badajoz, Spain BKI:Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia BKK:Bangkok, Thailand BKO:Bamako, Mali BLA:Barcelona, Venezuela BLL:Billund, Denmark BLQ:Bologna, Italy BLR:Bangalore, India BLT:Blackwater, Australia BLZ:Blantyre, Malawi BMA:Stockholm - Bromma, Sweden BME:Broome, Australia BMP:Brampton Island, Australia BNE:Brisbane, Australia BNK:Ballina, Australia BNN:Broennoeysund, Norway BNP:Bannu, Pakistan BNU:Blumenau, SC, Brazil BOB:Bora Bora, French Society Islands (Pacific) BOD:Bordeaux, France BOG:Bogota, Colombia BOJ:Burgas, Romania BOM:Bombay, India BON:Bonaire, West Indian Isles BOO:Bodo, Norway BOY:Bobo/Dioulasso, Burkina Faso BPN:Balikpapan, Indonesia BPS:Porto Seguro, BA, Brazil BQN:Agudilla, Puerto Rico BRC:San Claros de Bariloche, Argentinia BRE:Bremen, Germany BRI:Bari, Italy BRN:Bern, Switzerland BRS:Bristol, Great Britain BRU:Brussels, Belgium BSB:Brasilia, DF, Brazil BSL:Basel, Switzerland BTS:Bratislava, CSFR BTU:Bintulu, Malaysia BUD:Budapest - Ferihegy, Hungary BUE:Buenos Aires, Argentinia BUG:Bengueka, Angola BUH:Bukarest, Romania BUQ:Bulawayo, Zimbabwe BVB:Boa Vista, RR, Brazil BWN:Banar Seri Begwan, Brunei BWT:Burnie (Wynyard), Australia BXO:Bissau, Guinea Bissau BYK:Bouake, Ivory Coast BYU:Bayreuth, Germany BZE:Belize City, Belize BZV:Brazzaville, Congo CAB:Cabinda, Angola CAC:Cascavel, PR, Brazil CAG:Cagliari, Italy CAI:Cairo, Egypt CAN:Guangzhou (Canton), China CAS:Casablanca, Morocco CAW:Campos, RJ, Brazil CAY:Cayenne, French Guayana CBB:Cochabamba, Bolivia CBG:Cambrigde, Great Britain CBR:Canberra, Australia CCJ:Calicut, India CCM:Circiuma, SC, Brazil CCS:Caracas, Venezuela CCU:Calcutta, India CDG:Paris - Charles de Gaulle, France CED:Ceduna, Australia CES:Cessnock, Australia CFE:Clermont Ferrand, France CFS:Coffs Harbour, Australia CFU:Corfu, Greece CGB:Cuiaba, MT, Brazil CGH:Sao Paulo - Congonhas, Brazil CGK:Jakarta - Sukarno Hatta, Indonesia CGN:Cologne (Koeln)/Bonn, Germany CGP:Chittagong, Bangla Desh CGR:Campo Grande, MS, Brazil CHC:Christchurch, New Zealand CHQ:Chania, Greece CHT:Chita (Tschita), Russia CIA:Rome - Ciampino, Italy CIP:Chipata, Zambia CJB:Coimbatore, India CJL:Chitral, Pakistan CKS:Carajas, PA, Brazil CKY:Conakry, Guinea CLO:Cali, Colombia CLY:Calvi, France CMB:Colombo, Sri Lanka CMF:Chambery, France CMN:Casablanca - Mohamed, Morocco CMQ:Clermont, Australia CND:Constanza, Romania CNS:Cairns, Australia CNX:Chiang Mai, Thailand COK:Cochin, India COO:Cotonou, Benin COR:Cordoba, Argentinia CPD:Coober Pedy, Australia CPH:Copenhagen, Denmark CPQ:Campinas, SP, Brazil CPT:Cape Town, South Africa CPV:Campina Grande, PB, Brazil CRF:Carnot, Central Africa CSI:Casino, Australia CTA:Catania, Italy CTG:Catagena, Colombia CTN:Cooktown, Australia CTS:Chitose, Japan CUR:Curacao, West Indian Isles CVQ:Carnarvon, Australia CWB:Curitiba, PR, Brazil CWL:Cardiff, Great Britain CXI:Christmas, Line Island CXJ:Caixas do Sul, Brazil CXT:Charters Towers, Australia CZB:Cruz Alta, RS, Brazil CZL:Constantine, Algeria CZS:Cruzeiro do Sul, AC, Brazil DAC:Dhaka, Bangla Desh DAM:Damaskus, Syria DAR:Dar es Salam (Daressalam), Tanzania DBO:Dubbo, Australia DBV:Dubrovnik, Croatia (Yugoslavia) DBY:Dalby, Australia DDI:Daydream Island, Australia DEL:Delhi, India DHA:Dhahran, Saudi Arabia DJE:Djerba, Tunisia DJO:Daloa, Ivory Coast DKI:Dunk Iceland, Australia DKR:Dakar, Senegal DLA:Douala, Cameroon DLM:Dalaman, Turkey DNR:Dinard, France DOH:Doha, Qatar DPO:Devonport, Australia DPS:Denpasar/Bali, Indonesia DRB:Derby, Australia DRS:Dresden, Germany DRW:Darwin, Australia DSK:Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan DTM:Dortmund, Germany DUB:Dublin, Ireland DUD:Dunedin, New Zealand DUR:Durban, South Africa DUS:Duesseldorf, Germany DXB:Dubai, UAE DYA:Dysart, Australia DYU:Dushanbe (Duschanbe), Tadschikistan DZA:Dzaoudzi, Mayotte EAP:Basel/Mulhouse, Switzerland/France EAS:San Sebastian, Spain EBB:Entebbe, Uganda EBJ:Esbjerg, Denmark EBU:St. Etienne, France EDI:Edinburgh, Great Britain EDR:Emerald, Australia EGS:Egilsstadir, Iceland EIN:Eindhoven, The Netherlands EIS:Beef Island, Beef Island EIS:Tortola, Virgin Islands ELH:North Eleuthera, Bahamas ELL:Ellisras, South Africa ELS:East London, South Africa EMA:Derby (East Midlands), Great Britain EMD:Emerald, Australia ENC:Nancy, France ENF:Enontekioe, Finland EPR:Esperance, Australia ERF:Erfurt, Germany ERM:Erechim, RS, Brazil ERS:Windhoek - Eros, Namibia ESB:Ankara - Esenboga, Turkey ETH:Elat - Elat, Israel EVE:Evenes, Norway EVN:Eriwan (Erevan, Jerevan), Armenia EZE:Buenos Aires - Ezeiza/Ministro Pistarini, Argentinia FAE:Faroer, Denmark FAO:Faro, Portugal FBE:Francisco Beltrao, PR, Brazil FBM:Lumbumbashi, Zaire FBU:Oslo - Fornebu, Norway FCO:Rome - Leonardo da Vinci/Fuimicino, Italy FDF:Fort de France, Martinique FDH:Friedrichshafen, Germany FEZ:Fes, Morocco FIH:Kinshasa, Zaire FJR:Alfujairah (Fujairah), UAE FKI:Kisangani, Zaire FLN:Florianopolis, SC, Brazil FLR:Florence, Italy FMO:Muenster/Osnabrueck, Germany FNA:Freetown, Sierra Leone FNC:Funchal, Portugal FNI:Nimes, France FNJ:Pyongyang, North Korea FOR:Fortaleza, CE, Brazil FPO:Freeport, Bahamas FRA:Frankfurt/Main, Germany FRC:Franca, SP, Brazil FRJ:Frejus, France FRO:Floro, Norway FRW:Francistown, Zimbabwe FSC:Figari, France FUE:Fuerteventura, Spain FUK:Fukuoka, Japan FUT:Futuna, France, Pacific GAU:Guwahati, India GBE:Gaborone, Botswana GCI:Guernsey, Great Britain GCM:Grand Cayman, West Indian Isles GDN:Gdansk, Poland GEL:Santo Angelo, RS, Brazil GEN:Oslo - Gardermoen, Norway GEO:Georgetown, Guyana GET:Geraldton, Australia GEX:Geelong, Australia GFF:Griffith, Australia GHB:Govenors Harbour, Bahamas GIB:Gibraltar, Gibraltar GIG:Rio de Janeiro - Galeao, RJ, Brazil GIS:Gisborne, New Zealand GIL:Gilgit, Pakistan GJM:Guajaru Mirim, RO, Brazil GJN:Jounieh, Lebanon GKL:Great Keppel Island, Australia GLA:Glasgow, Great Britain GLT:Gladstone, Australia GNB:Grenoble, France GND:Grenada, Grenada GOA:Genua, Italy GOI:Goa, India GOO:Goondiwindi, Australia GOT:Goteborg, Sweden GOU:Garoua, Cameroon GOV:Gove (Nhulunbuy), Australia GOZ:Gorna, Bulgaria GPA:Araxos, Greece GPB:Guarapuava, PR, Brazil GRJ:George, South Africa GRO:Gerona, Spain GRP:Gurupi, GO, Brazil GRU:Sao Paulo - Guarulhos, Brazil GRX:Granada, Spain GRZ:Graz, Austria GTE:Groote Eyeland, Australia GTI:Groote Eylandt, Australia GUA:Guatemala City, Guatemala GUM:Guam, Pacific GVA:Geneva, Switzerland GWD:Gwadar, Pakistan GWE:Gweru, Zimbabwe GWT:Westerland, Germany GWY:Galway, Ireland GYE:Guayaquil, Ecuador GYN:Goiania, GO, Brazil GYP:Gympie, Australia HAC:Hachijo Jima, Japan HAH:Moroni, Comores HAJ:Hannover, Germany HAM:Hamburg, Germany HAN:Hanoi, Vietnam HAP:Whitsunday Resort (Long Island), Australia HAU:Haugesund, Norway HAV:Havanna, Cuba HBA:Hobart, Australia HDD:Hyderabad, Pakistan HDY:Hatyai (Hat Yai), Thailand HEL:Helsinki, Finland HER:Heraklion, Greece HFA:Haifa, Isreal HFT:Hammerfest, Norway HGH:Hangchow, China HGO:Korhogo, Ivory Coast HIR:Honiara, Australia HIS:Hayman Island, Australia HKD:Hakodate, Japan HKG:Hong Kong, Hong Kong HKK:Hamilton, New Zealand HKT:Phuket, Thailand HLA:Lanseria, South Africa HLP:Jakarta - Halim Perdanakusma, Indonesia HLT:Hamilton, Australia HMA:Malmo - Hovercraft Terminal, Sweden HMH:Home Hill, Australia HND:Tokyo - Haneda, Japan HNK:Hinchinbrook Isalnd, Australia HOG:Holguin, Cuba HOQ:Hof, Germany HOR:Horta, Portugal HRB:Harbin, China HRE:Harare, Zimbabwe HRG:Hurghada, Egypt HTI:Hamilton Island, Australia HUH:Huahine, French Society Islands (Pacific) HUY:Humberside, Great Britain HVB:Hervey Bay, Australia HWN:Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe HYD:Hyderabad, India IBZ:Ibiza, Spain IEV:Kiev - Zhulyany, Ucrainia IFL:Innisfail, Australia IGH:Ingham, Australia IGL:Izmir, Turkey IGU:Foz de Iguacu, PR, Brazil IJU:Ijui, RS, Brazil IKT:Irkutsk, Russia ILP:Ile des Pins, France, New Caledonia IMP:Imperatriz, MA, Brazil INI:Nis, Yugoslavia INN:Innsbruck, Austria INV:Inverness, Great Britain IOM:Isle of Man, Great Britain IOS:Ilheus, BA, Brazil IOU:Ile Ouen, France, New Caledonia IPC:Easter Island, Chile IQT:Iquitos, Peru IRG:Lockhart River, Australia IRO:Biraro, Central Africa ISA:Mt. Isa, Australia ISB:Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Pakistan IST:Istanbul, Turkey ITJ:Itajai, SC, Brazil ITN:Itabuna, BA, Brazil IVC:Invercargill, New Zealand IVL:Ivalo, Finland IXG:Belgaum, India IXR:Ranchi, India IXU:Chandigarh, India IXW:Jamshedpur, India IZM:Izmir, Turkey JAG:Jacobabad, Pakistan JAI:Jaipur, India JCB:Joao Pesso, PB, Brazil JDF:Juiz do Fora, MG, Brazil JDO:Juazeiro do Norte, CE, Brazil JED:Jeddah, Saudi Arabia JER:Jersey, Great Britain JHB:Johore Bahru, Malaysia JHE:Helsingborg, Sweden JHQ:Shute Harbour, Australia JIB:Djibouti, Djibouti JIW:Jiwani, Pakistan JKG:Joenkoeping, Sweden JKH:Chios, Greece JKT:Jakarta - Kemayoran, Indonesia JLR:Jalandhar, India JMK:Mykonos, Greece JNB:Johannesburg, South Africa JOE:Joensuu, Finland JOI:Joinville, SC, Brazil JPA:Joao Pessoa, Brazil JPR:Ji Parana, RO, Brazil JRO:Kilimadjaro, Tanzania JSI:Skiathos, Greece JTR:Thira, Greece JYV:Jyvaeskylae, Finland KAJ:Kajaani, Finland KAN:Kano, Nigeria KAT:Kaitaia, New Zealand KBL:Kabul, Afghanistan KBP:Kiev - Borispol, Ucrainia KBY:Streaky Bay, Australia KCE:Collinsville, Australia KCH:Kuching, Malaysia KCZ:Kochi, Japan KDD:Khuzdar, Pakistan KDU:Skardu, Pakistan KEF:Keflavik, Iceland KEL:Kiel, Germany KEM:Kemi/Tornio, Finland KGC:Kingscote, Australia KGI:Kalgoorlie, Australia KGL:Kigali, Rwanda KGS:Kos, Greece KHH:Kaohsiung, Taiwan KHI:Karachi, Pakistan KHJ:Kauhajoki, Finland KHV:Chabarovsk, Russia KID:Kristianstad, Sweden KIJ:Niigata, Japan KIM:Kimberley, South Africa KIN:Kingston, Jamaica KIR:Kerry County, Ireland KIW:Kitwe, Zambia KKE:Bay of Islands, New Zealand KKN:Kirkenes, Norway KLR:Kalmar, Sweden KLU:Klagenfurt, Austria KLX:Kalamata, Greece KLZ:Kleinsee, South Africa KMJ:Kumamoto, Japan KMP:Keetmanshoop, Namibia KNS:King Island, King Island KNX:Kununurra, Australia KOI:Orkney, Great Britain KOJ:Kagoshima, Japan KOK:Kokkola/Pietarsaari, Finland KRB:Karumba, Australia KRK:Krakau, Poland KRN:Kiruna, Sweden KRP:Karup, Denmark KRS:Kristiansand, Norway KRT:Khartoum, Sudan KSD:Karlstad, Sweden KSU:Kristiansund, Norway KTA:Karratha, Australia KTF:Takaka, New Zealand KTM:Kathmandu, Nepal KTR:Katherine, Australia KTT:Kittilae, Sweden KUA:Kuantan, Malaysia KUB:Kuala Belait, Brunei KUH:Kushiro, Japan KUL:Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia KUO:Kuopio, Finland KVA:Kavalla, Greece KWI:Kuwait, Kuwait KWM:Kowanyama, Australia KZN:Kasan, Russia LAD:Luanda, Angola LAE:Lae, Papua New Guinea LAI:Lannion, France LAJ:Lages, SC, Brazil LAY:Ldaysmith, South Africa LBA:Leeds/Bradford, Great Britain LBG:Paris - Le Bourget, France LBI:Albi, France LBQ:Lambarene, Gabon LBU:Labuan, Malaysia LBV:Libreville, Gabon LCA:Larnaca, Cyprus LCG:La Coruna, Spain LCY:London - City Airport, Great Britain LDB:Londrina, PR, Brazil LDC:Lindeman Island, Australia LDE:Loudres/Tarbes, France LDK:Lidkoeping, Sweden LDY:Derry (Londonderry), Great Britain LEA:Learmouth (Exmouth), Australia LED:St. Petersburg (Leningrad), Russia LEI:Almeria, Spain LEJ:Leipzig, Germany LEK:Labe, Guinea LER:Leinster, Australia LFW:Lome, Togo LGG:Liege, Belgium LGK:Langkawi, Malaysia LGW:London - Gatwick, Great Britain LHE:Lahore, Pakistan LHR:London - Heathrow, Great Britain LIF:Lifou, Loyaute, Pazifik LIG:Limoges, France LIL:Lille, France LIM:Lima, Peru LIN:Milan - Linate, Italy LIS:Lissabon, Portugal LJU:Ljubljana, Slovenia LKL:Lakselv, Norway LKO:Lucknow, India LLA:Lulea, Sweden LLW:Lilongwe, Malawi LNO:Leonora, Australia LNZ:Linz, Austria LON:London, Great Britain LOS:Lagos, Nigeria LPA:Las Palmas, Spain LPB:La Paz, Bolivia LPL:Liverpool, Great Britain LPP:Lappeenranta, Finland LRE:Longreach, Australia LRH:La Rochelle, France LRM:Casa de Campo/La Romana, Dominican Republic LRT:Lorient, France LSG:Ishigaki, Japan LSI:Sumburgh (Shetland), Great Britain LST:Launceston, Australia LSY:Lismore, Australia LSZ:Losinj, Yugoslavia LTN:Luton, Great Britain LUD:Luederitz, Namibia LUG:Lugano, Switzerland LUJ:Lusisiki, South Africa LUX:Luxemburg, Luxemburg LVB:Santana do Livramento, RS, Brazil LVO:Laverton, Australia LWO:Lvov (Lwow, Lemberg), Ucrainia LXR:Luxor, Egypt LYP:Faisalabad, Pakistan LYR:Longyearbyen (Svalbard), Spitzbergen, Norway LYS:Lyon, France LZR:Lizard Island, Australia MAA:Madras, India MAB:Maraba, PA, Brazil MAD:Madrid, Spain MAH:Mahon, Spain MAN:Manchester, Great Britain MAO:Manaus, AM, Brazil MAR:Maracaibo, Venezuela MAU:Maupiti, Society Islands MAZ:Mayaguez, Puerto Rico MBA:Mombassa, Kenya MBH:Maryborough, Australia MBJ:Montenego Bay, Jamaica MBM:Mkambati, South Africa MBX:Maribor, Yugoslavia MCP:Macapa, RJ, Brazil MCT:Muscat, Oman MCY:Sunshine Coast, Australia MCZ:Maceio, AL, Brazil MDE:Medellin, Colombia MDQ:Mar del Plata, Argentinia MDZ:Mendoza, Argentinia MEA:Macae, RJ, Brazil MED:Medina, Saudi Arabia MEE:Mare, France, New Caledonia MEL:Melbourne, Australia MES:Medan, Indonesia MEZ:Messina, South Africa MFF:Moanda, Gabon MFG:Muzaffarabad, Pakistan MFN:Milford Sound, New Zealand MFQ:Maradi, Niger MFU:Mfuwe, Zambia MGA:Managua, Nicaragua MGB:Mount Gambier, Australia MGF:Maringa, PR, Brazil MGH:Margate, South Africa MGQ:Mogadischu, Somalia MHH:Marsh Harbour, Bahamas MHQ:Mariehamn (Maarianhamina), Finland MIK:Mikkeli, Finland MIL:Milan, Italy MIM:Merimbula, Australia MIR:Monastir, Tunisia MJC:Man, Ivory Coast MJD:Moenjodaro, Pakistan MJL:Mouila, Gabon MJN:Majunga, Madagascar MJT:Mytilene (Lesbos), Greece MJV:Murcia, Spain MKR:Meekatharra, Australia MKY:Mackay, Australia MLA:Valetta, Malta MLE:Male, Maledives MLH:Mulhouse, France MLW:Monrovia, Liberia MMA:Malmoe, Sweden MME:Tees Side, Great Britain MMG:Mount Magnet, Australia MMK:Murmansk, Russia MMM:Middlemount, Australia MMX:Malmoe - Sturup, Sweden MMY:Miyako (Ryuku Islands), Japan MNL:Manila, Philippines MOC:Montes Claros, MG, Brazil MON:Mount Cook, New Zealand MOV:Moranbah, Australia MOW:Moscow - Sheremetyevo 2, Russia MOZ:Moorea, Society Islands MPA:Katima Mulilo/Mpacha, Namibia MPD:Sindhri, Pakistan MPL:Montpellier, France MPM:Maputo, Mozambique MQL:Mildura, Australia MQQ:Moundou, Chad MRS:Marseille, France MRU:Mauritius, Mauritius MRV:Mineralniye Vody, CIS MRZ:Moree, Australia MSQ:Minsk, White Russia MSR:Muenster/Osnabrueck, Germany MST:Maastricht, The Netherlands MSU:Maseru, Lesotho MTE:Monte Alegre, PA, Brazil MTL:Maitland, Australia MTS:Manzini, Swaziland MUB:Maun, Botswana MUC:Muenchen (Munich), Germany MUH:Marsa Matrah, Egypt MUX:Multan, Pakistan MVB:Mvengue, Gabon MVD:Montevideo, Uruguay MVR:Maroua, Cameroon MVZ:Masvingo, Zimbabwe MWD:Mianwali, Pakistan MXP:Mailand - Malpensa, Italy MYD:Malindi, Kenya MYJ:Matsuyama, Japan MYY:Miri, Malaysia MZF:Mzamba, South Africa MZG:Makung, Taiwan MZM:Metz, France MZP:Motueka, New Zealand MZZ:Manzini, Swaziland NAA:Narrabri, Australia NAG:Nagpur, India NAN:Nandi, Fiji NAP:Naples, Italy NAS:Nassau, Bahamas NAT:Natal, RN, Brazil NBO:Nairobi, Kenya NCE:Nizza, France NCL:Newcastle, Great Britain NCS:Newcastle, South Africa NCY:Annecy, France NDB:Nouadhibou, Mauritania NDJ:N'Djamena, Chad NDU:Rundu, Namibia NEV:Nevis, Nevis NGE:N'Gaoundere, Cameroon NGO:Nagoya, Japan NGS:Nagasaki, Japan NIC:Nicosia, Cyprus NIM:Niamey, Niger NKC:Nouakchott, Mauritania NLA:N'Dola, Zambia NLK:Norfolk Island, Australia NLP:Nelspruit, South Africa NNG:Nanning, China NOC:Knock, Ireland NOP:Lapu Lapu, Philippines NOU:Noumea, France, New Caledonia NRA:Narrandera, Australia NPE:Napier/Hastings, New Zealand NPL:New Plymouth, New Zealand NRK:Norrkoeping, Sweden NRT:Tokyo - Narita, Japan NSA:Noosa, Australia NSN:Nelson, New Zealand NSO:Scone, Australia NTE:Nantes, France NTL:Newcastle, Australia NTY:Pilanesberg/Sun City, South Africa NUE:Nuernberg (Nuremburg), Germany NVT:Navegantes, Brazil OAG:Orange, Australia OAM:Oamaru, New Zealand OBI:Obidos, PA, Brazil ODA:Ouadda, Central African Republic ODB:Cordoba, Spain ODE:Odense, Denmark ODS:Odessa, Russia OHD:Ohrid, Yugoslavia OHT:Kohat, Pakistan OIT:Oita, Japan OKA:Okinawa, Ryukyo Island, Japan OKU:Mokuti, Namibia OLB:Olbia, Italy OLP:Olympic Dam, Australia OMD:Oranjemund, Namibia OMO:Mostar, Yugoslavia OND:Ondangwa, Namibia OOL:Gold Coast (Coolangatta/Surfers Paradise), Australia OOM:Cooma, Australia OPO:Porto, Portugal OPS:Sinop, MT, Brazil ORB:Oerebro, Sweden ORK:Cork, Ireland ORN:Oran (Ouahran), Algeria ORS:Orpheus Island, Australia ORY:Paris - Orly, France OSA:Osaka, Japan OSI:Osijek, Yugoslavia OSL:Oslo, Norway OSR:Ostrau, CSFR OTP:Bukarest - Otopeni, Romania OUA:Ougadougou, Burkina Faso OUD:Oujda, Morocco OUH:Oudtshoorn, South Africa OUL:Oulu, Finland OUZ:Zouerate, Mauritania OVB:Novosibirsk, Russia OVD:Oviedo, Spain OZZ:Ouarzazate, Morocco PAD:Paderborn/Lippstadt, Germany PAP:Port au Prince, Haiti PAR:Paris, France PAT:Patna, India PAV:Paulo Afonso, BA, Brazil PBM:Paramaribo, Suriname PBO:Paraburdoo, Australia PBZ:Plettenberg Bay, South Africa PDL:Ponta Delgada, Portugal PEG:Perugia, Italy PEI:Pereira, Colombia PEK:Beijing, China PEN:Penang - International, Malaysia PER:Perth, Australia PET:Pelotas, PS, Brazil PEW:Peshawar, Pakistan PFB:Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil PFO:Paphos, Cyprus PGF:Perpignan, France PGZ:Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil PHC:Port Harcourt, Nigeria PHE:Port Hedland, Australia PHW:Phalaborwa, South Africa PIK:Glasgow - Prestwick, Great Britain PJG:Panjgur, Pakistan PKW:Selibi Phikwe, Botswana PLO:Port Lincoln, Australia PLZ:Port Elizabeth, South Africa PMI:Palma de Mallorca, Spain PMO:Palermo, Italy PMR:Palmerston North, New Zealand PMV:Margerita, Venezuela PNG:Paranagua, PR, Brazil PNH:Phnom Penh, Cambodia PNL:Pantelleria, Italy PNQ:Pune, India PNR:Pointe Noire, Congo PNZ:Petrolina, PE, Brazil POA:Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil POG:Port Gentil, Gabon POM:Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea POP:Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic POR:Pori, Finland POS:Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago PPG:Pago Pago, Amer. Samoa PPP:Prosperpine, Australia PPQ:Paraparaumu, New Zealand PPT:Papeete, Tahiti PQQ:Port Macquarie, Australia PRG:Prague, CSFR PRN:Pristina, Yugoslavia PRY:Pretoria, South Africa PSA:Pisa, Italy PSE:Ponce, Puerto Rico PSI:Pasni, Pakistan PSR:Pescara, Italy PTG:Pietersburg, South Africa PTJ:Portland, Australia PTO:Pato Branco, PR, Brazil PTP:Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe PTY:Panama City, Panama PUF:Pau, France PUG:Port Augusta, Australia PUJ:Punta Cana, Dominican Republic PUQ:Punta Arenas, Chile PUY:Pula, Croatia PVH:Porto Velho, RO, Brazil PVI:Paranavai, PR, Brazil PVK:Preveza/Lefkas, Greece PXO:Porto Santo, Portugal PYX:Pattaya, Thailand PZB:Pietermaritzburg, South Africa PZH:Zhob, Pakistan PZO:Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela QAB:Brusque, SC, Brazil QAU:Bededouro, SP, Brazil QAV:Benjamin Constant, AM, Brazil QBD:Barra do Pirai, RJ, Brazil QBN:Barra Mansa, RJ, Brazil QBX:Sobral, CE, Brazil QCB:Currais Novos, RN, Brazil QCC:Camacari, BA, Brazil QCD:Campo Bom, RS, Brazil QCH:Colatina, ES, Brazil QCJ:Botucatu, SP, Brazil QCN:Canelas, RS, Brazil QCS:Cataguases, MG, Brazil QCV:Garulhos, SP, Brazil QCX:Sao Caetano do Sul, Sp, Brazil QDA:Charquedas, RS, Brazil QDB:Cachoeirado do Sul, RS, Brazil QDE:Catanduva, SP, Brazil QDF:Consolheiro Lafaite, MG, Brazil QDG:Divinopolis, MG, Brazil QDO:Icoaraci, PA, Brazil QDP:Dom Pedrito, RS, Brazil QDQ:Duque de Caixas, RJ, Brazil QDS:Itsjuba, SC, Brazil QDW:Diadema, SP, Brazil QFS:Sao Franzisco do Sul, SC, Brazil QGA:Guaira, PR, Brazil QGB:Garanhuns, PE, Brazil QGF:Montenegro, PS, Brazil QGK:Palmares, PE, Brazil QGR:Pusso Alegre, MG, Brazil QGS:Alagorinhas, BA, Brazil QHE:Sao Bento do Sul, SC, Brazil QHL:Castunhal, PA, Brazil QHT:Teresopolis, RJ, Brazil QHV:Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil QID:Tres Coracoes, MG, Brazil QIH:Tres Rios, RJ, Brazil QJA:Jaragua do Sul, SC, Brazil QJU:Kanpur, India QLB:Lajeado, RS, Brazil QLI:Limassol, Cyprus QLL:Sao Leopoldo, RS, Brazil QLW:Lavras, MG, Brazil QMC:Mairiporu, SP, Brazil QMF:Mafra, SC, Brazil QMI:Mogi das Crazes, SP, Brazil QML:Mirpur, Pakistan QNA:Ballina, Australia QNB:Anand, India QND:Novi Sad, Yugoslavia QNE:Santa Maria, RS, Brazil QNH:Canoinhas, SC, Brazil QNS:Canoas, RS, Brazil QNT:Niteroi, RJ, Brazil QNV:Nova Iguacu, RJ, Brazil QOA:Mococa, SP, Brazil QOC:Osasco, SP, Brazil QOI:Cotia, SP, Brazil QOX:Mossoro, RN, Brazil QPE:Petropolis, RJ, Brazil QPF:Pompeia, SP, Brazil QRK:Arcos, MG, Brazil QRQ:Caruaru, PE, Brazil QRU:Rio so Sul, SC, Brazil QRZ:Resende, RJ, Brazil QSB:Sao Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil QSC:Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil QSD:Sao Gancalo, RJ, Brazil QSE:Santo Andre, SP, Brazil QSJ:Sao Jouo del Rei, MG, Brazil QTA:Atibaia, SP, Brazil QTD:Timbauba, PE, Brazil QTE:Sao Goncalo do Amarante, RN, Brazil QTO:Toledo, PR, Brazil QUR:Muriae, MG, Brazil QVB:Uniao do Vitoria, PR, Brazil QVH:Vila Velho, ES, Brazil QVR:Volta Redonda, RJ, Brazil QXJ:Caixas do Sul, RS, Brazil RAJ:Rajkot, India RAK:Marrakesch, Morocco RAO:Riberirao Preto, SP, Brazil RAR:Rarotonga, Cook Island RAZ:Rawala Kot, Pakistan RBA:Rabat, Morocco RBR:Rio Branco, AC, Brazil RCB:Richards Bay, South Africa RDZ:Rodez, France REC:Recife, PE, Brazil REG:Reggio Calabria, Italy REK:Reykjavik, Iceland REU:Reus, Spain RFP:Raiatea, Society Islands RGI:Rangiroa, Tuamaotou, Pacific RGN:Yangoon, Myanmar RHO:Rhodos, Greece RIA:Santa Maria, RS, Brazil RIG:Rio Grande, RS, Brazil RIK:Riga, Latvia RIO:Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil RIX:Riga, Lithuania RJK:Rijeka, Yugoslavia RKT:Ras al Khaymah, UAE RLT:Arlit, Niger RMI:Rimini, Italy RNB:Ronneby, Sweden RNE:Roanne, France RNN:Roenne, Denmark RNS:Rennes, France ROK:Rockhampton, Australia ROM:Rom, Italy ROS:Rosario, Argentinia ROT:Rotorua, New Zealand ROU:Ruse, Bulgaria RRG:Rodrigues Insel, Mauritius RSD:Rock Sound, Bahamas RTM:Rotterdam, The Netherlands RUH:Riyadh, Saudi Arabia RUN:Saint Denis de la Reunion, Reunion, Indian Ocean RVN:Rovaniemi, Finland RWP:Rawalpindi, Pakistan RYK:Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan SAH:Sanaa (Sana'a), Yemen SAL:San Salvador, El Salvador SAO:Sao Paulo, Brazil SAP:San Pedro Sula, Honduras SAY:Salisbury, Zimbabwe SBK:Saint Brieuc, France SBU:Springbok, South Africa SBW:Sibu, Malaysia SCL:Santiago de Chile, Chile SCN:Saarbruecken, Germany SCQ:Santiago de Compostela, Spain SDA:Bagdad - Saddam International, Irak SDJ:Sendai, Japan SDL:Sundsvall, Sweden SDQ:Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic SDR:Santander, Spain SDT:Saidu Sharif, Pakistan SDU:Rio de Janeiro - Santos Dumont, RJ, Brazil SEB:Sehba, Libya SEL:Seoul, South Korea SEN:Southend, Great Britain SEZ:Mahe, Seychelles SFA:Sfax, Tunisia SFG:St. Martin, St. Martin SFJ:Soendre Stroemfjord, Greenland SGD:Soenderborg, Denmark SGN:Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), Vietnam SHA:Shanghai, China SHJ:Sharjah, UAE SID:Sal, Kap Verde SIN:Singapore, Singapore SIP:Simferopol, Ucrainia SIS:Sishen, South Africa SIX:Singleton, Australia SJJ:Sarajevo, Yugoslavia SJK:Sao Jose dos Lampos, SP, Brazil SJO:San Jose, Costa Rica SJP:Sao Jose do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil SJU:San Juan, Perto Rico SJY:Seinaejoki, Finland SKB:St. Kitts, Leeward Insel SKD:Samarkand, Usbecistan SKG:Saloniki, Greece SKP:Skopje, Yugoslavia SKS:Skrydstrup, Denmark SKZ:Sukkur, Pakistan SLL:Salalah, Oman SLS:Silistra, Bulgaria SLU:St. Lucia - Vigle, St. Lucia SLZ:Sao Luis, MA, Brazil SMA:Santa Maria, Portugal SMI:Samos, Greece SNN:Shannon (Limerick), Ireland SOF:Sofia, Bulgaria SOG:Sogndal, Norway SOI:South Molle Island, Australia SON:Santo, Vanuatu SOT:Sodankylae, Finland SOU:Sothampton, Great Britain SPC:Santa Cruz de la Palma, Spain SPK:Saporro, Japan SPN:Saipan, Pacific SPU:Split, Yugoslavia SPY:San Pedro, Ivory Coast SRA:Santa Rosa, RS, Brazil SRZ:Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia SSA:Salvador, BA, Brazil SSG:Malabo, Equatorial Guinea SSH:Sharm el Sheik, Egypt SSZ:Santos, Brazil STM:Santarem, Brazil STN:Stansted (London), Great Britain STO:Stockholm, Sweden STR:Stuttgart, Germany STT:St. Thomas, Virgin Islands STV:Surat, India STX:St. Croix, Virgin Islands SUB:Surabaya, Indonesia SUF:Lamezia Terme, Italy SUL:Sui, Pakistan SUM:Agana, Guam SUV:Suva, Fiji SVD:St. Vincent, St. Vincent SVG:Stavanger, Norway SVL:Savonlinna, Finland SVO:Moscow - Sheremetyevo 2, Russia SVQ:Sevilla, Spain SWP:Swakopmund, Namibia SXB:Strassburg, France SXF:Berlin - Schoenefeld, Germany SXL:Sligo, Ireland SXM:St. Marteen, West Indian Isles SXR:Srinagar, India SYD:Sydney, Australia SYY:Stornway, Great Britain SZG:Salzburg, Austria SZK:Skukuza, South Africa SZZ:Stettin, Poland TAK:Takamatsu, Japan TAS:Taschkent, Usbecistan TAT:Poprad (Tatry), CSFR TAY:Taipei - Sungshan, Taiwan TBS:Tiblissi (Tiflis), Georgia TBT:Tabatinga, AM, Brazil TBU:Nuku'alofa, Tonga TCA:Tennant Creek, Australia TCB:Treasure Cay, Bahamas TCI:Teneriffa, Spain TCU:Thaba'Nchu, South Africa TED:Thisted, Denmark TEM:Temora, Australia TER:Terceira, Portugal TEU:Te Anau, New Zealand TFF:Tefe, MA, Brazil TFN:Los Rodeos (Teneriffa), Spain TFS:Reina Sofia (Teneriffa), Spain TGD:Titograd, Yugoslavia TGU:Tegucigalpa, Honduras TGV:Targovishte, Bulgaria THE:Teresina, PI, Brazil THF:Berlin - Tempelhof, Germany THG:Biloela, Australia THR:Teheran, Iran TIA:Tirana, Albanien TIF:Taif, Saudi Arabia TIP:Triplis, Libya TIS:Thursday Island, Australia TIU:Timaru, New Zealand TIV:Tivat, Yugoslavia TKS:Tokushima, Japan TKU:Turku, Finland TLL:Tallinn, Estonia TLS:Toulouse, France TLV:Tel Aviv, Israel TMP:Tampere, Finland TMS:Sao Tome, Sao Tome & Principe TMT:Porto Trombetas, PA, Brazil TMW:Tamworth, Australia TMZ:Termez (Termes), Usbecistan TNG:Tanger, Morocco TNR:Antananarivo (Tanannarive), Madagascar TOD:Tioman, Indonesia TOS:Tromsoe, Norway TOU:Touho, France, New Caledonia TPE:Taipei - Chiang Kaisek, Taiwan TPR:Tom Price, Australia TPS:Trapani, Italy TRD:Trondheim, Norway TRF:Sandefjord, Norway TRG:Tauranga, New Zealand TRN:Turin, Italy TRO:Taree, Australia TRS:Triest, Italy TRV:Trivandrum, India TRZ:Tiruchirapally, India TSA:Taipei (Domestic ?), Taiwan TSB:Tsumeb, Namibia TSF:Treviso, Italy TSV:Townsville, Australia TUK:Turbat, Pakistan TUN:Tunis, Tunisia TUO:Taupo, New Zealand TUU:Tabuk, Saudi Arabia TWB:Toowoomba, Australia TWU:Tawau, Malaysia TXL:Berlin - Tegel, Germany TYN:Taiyuan, China TYO:Tokyo, Japan UAK:Narsarsuaq, Greenland UBA:Uberaba, MG, Brazil UDI:Uberlandia, MG, Brazil UEE:Queenstown, Australia UET:Quetta, Pakistan UIO:Quito, Ecuador UIP:Quimper, France UKB:Kobe, Japan ULD:Ulundi, South Africa ULN:Ulan Bator, Mongolia ULU:Ulan Ude, Russia UMR:Woomera, Australia UMU:Umuarama, PR, Brazil UPG:Ujung Pandang, Indonesia URC:Urumqi, China URG:Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil UTN:Upington, South Africa UTP:Utapao (Pattaya), Thailand UTT:Umtata, South Africa UVE:Oyem ??/Ouvea ??, Gabon/Loyautte UVF:St. Lucia - Hewanorra, St. Lucia UVL:New Valley, Egypt VAA:Vaasa, Finland VAP:Valparaiso, Chile VAR:Varna, Bulgaria VBY:Visby, Sweden VCE:Venedig, Italy VCP:Sao Paulo - Viracopos, Brazil VDA:Elat - Ovula, Israel VDE:Valverde, Spain VEK:Velikiye Luki (Welikije Luki), Russia VFA:Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe VGO:Vigo, Spain VID:Vidin, Bulgaria VIE:Vienna, Austria VIJ:Virgin Gorda, Virgin Islands VIT:Vitoria, Spain VIX:Vitoria, ES, Brazil VKO:Moscow - Vnukovo, Russia VLC:Valencia, Spain VLI:Port Vila, Vanuatu VLL:Valladolid, Spain VLN:Valencia, Venezuela VNO:Wilna (Vilnius), Lithuania VNS:Varanasi, India VOT:Votuporanga, SP, Brazil VRA:Varadero, Cuba VRK:Varkaus, Finland VRN:Verona, Italy VST:Vasteras, Sweden VTE:Vietiane, Laos VXO:Vaexjoe, Sweden VYD:Vryheid, South Africa WAG:Wanganui, New Zealand WAW:Warschau, Poland WDH:Windhoek - International, Namibia WEI:Weipa, Australia WEL:Welkom, South Africa WGA:Wagga, Australia WHK:Whakatane, New Zealand WHM:Wickham, Australia WKA:Wanaka, New Zealand WIC:Wick, Great Britain WLG:Wellington, New Zealand WLS:Wallis, Wallis Archipel, Pacific WMB:Warrnambool, Australia WNS:Nawab Shah, Pakistan WOL:Wollongong, Australia WRE:Whangarei, New Zealand WSY:Airline Beach, Australia WSZ:Westport, New Zealand WUN:Wiluna, Australia WVB:Walvis Bay, South Africa WYA:Whyalla, Australia WYN:Wyndham, Australia XAP:Chapeco, SC, Brazil XMH:Manihi, Tuamaotou, Pacific XRY:Jerez de la Frontera, Spain YAO:Yaonde, Cameroon YNB:Yanbu, Saudi Arabia YOK:Yokohama, Japan YVA:Moroni, Comores ZAD:Zadar, Yugoslavia ZAG:Zagreb, Yugoslavia ZAZ:Zaragoza, Spain ZBO:Bowen, Australia ZDJ:Bern, Switzerland ZND:Zinder, Niger ZNE:Newman, Australia ZQN:Queenstown, New Zealand ZRH:Zurich, Switzerland ZSS:Sassandra, Ivory Coast ZTH:Zakynthos, Greece ZYL:Sylhet, Bangladesh -- Larry Autry Silicon Graphics, St. Louis autry@sgi.com ออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออ ๚ Subject: Air Travel FAQ 4/5 Ticket Consolidators Archive-name: air-travel/bucket-shops Last-Modified: Tue Jun 30 17:37:38 CDT 1992 This is one in a series of FAQ lists that are posted monthly. Postings 1/5 through 5/5 include this introduction. The charter of REC.TRAVEL.AIR is to serve as a discussion group for issues related to air travel (surprise!). This monthly posting of frequently asked questions (FAQ) is intended to prevent the recurrence of specific questions or types of questions that are either unanswerable, or are asked seemingly weekly. Some topics are mostly U.S./North American based, while others are global in interest. The information contained here is based on the best postings from the net on these subjects, and thanks are due to the netters who provided them. Information from international sources would be a welcome addition. (Please post or send to Laurie at bechtler@asdg.enet.dec.com.) As with any newsgroup, it is best to read it for a few weeks before posting anything, in order to see what topics are currently being discussed. Please keep in mind that air travel is subject to a complex set of rules, regulations, and agreements (official or unofficial) between governments, airlines, and ticket agencies. Information transmitted over the net is not definitive. Netters offer what they know with good intentions; however, no guarantee is made the that information contained in this list is 100% correct. Having said that, know then, that all information herein is offered AS IS with no implied warranty of accuracy whatsoever. Currently, the number of lists totals six. Five are posted by Larry Autry and maintained by Laurie Bechtler and Larry Autry . One FAQ list that is posted separately, is the article on "How to Get Cheap Airtickets" by Mark Kantrowitz . The subjects of these five lists are as follows: I. Intro and Answers to General Questions II. Airport Codes For North America III. Airport Codes For The World IV. Ticket Consolidator Article (Bucket Shops) V. Article About How To Prevent Jetlag ******************************************************************************** BUCKET SHOPS AND CONSOLIDATORS The following information was obtained from an anonymous posting, with only minor editing. There are two separate descriptions, from two different people, the second being an agent in a bucket shop. This person didn't reveal an identity for fear of getting in trouble, so don't post asking for the address of this bucket shop. This posting is very long but answers many questions about international ticketing. --description from first anonymous source-- "Consolidator" and "bucket shop" are sometimes used interchangeably, but aren't exactly the same. Consolidators are agencies that have discount agreements with the airlines. In most cases, especially with the U.S. and other big airlines, consolidators are wholesalers who sell only through retail agencies, not directly to the public. (I recall seeing a list in the Consumers Report Travel Newsletter of some consolidators who deal directly with the public. But retail customers will, of course, be charged more than wholesale customers.) In any case consolidators do NOT offer retail service. If you want a straightforward round-trip ticket, know what airline you want to go on, and exactly what dates, and that that airline has the best route and price, fine. But of course many itineraries aren't like that, and most people need a retail agent's help to figure out what's the best ticket for them. Any retail travel agent can buy tickets from consolidators, and most U.S. agents who do significant international ticketing are familiar with some of the biggest consolidators for major carriers. Bucket shops are retail agencies that specialize in knowing the full range of consolidators (every airline has many consolidators) and in knowing other techniques of fare construction, importing tickets, etc. for discount prices. Consolidators basically fall into three categories: (1) Wholesale only -- no retail sales or advertising. (You may have seen their names, however, in the validation box of tickets bought through a retail agency.) These are the consolidators most local travel agents know about. They generally deal only with round trips originating in the country where they are based, and seem to be most common in the U.S. They advertise heavily in the travel agency trade press. (2) Specialty agencies selling both wholesale and retail. Frequently an agency operating and retailing tours to a particular country will have a discount agreement with the airline it uses for its tours (generally the national carrier of the destination) and will also sell wholesale tickets on that airline. One reason they do the wholesale business, even if their markup on wholesale tickets is very low, is to boost their volume of production (sales) with the airline, as many discount contracts are contingent on a specified sales volume, and/or have year-end bonuses or additional commission rebates based on sales threshholds. Sometimes they are "general sales agents," that is, official representatives of an airline (usually a small one) that doesn't have service or its own office in a country. (3) Bucket shops. Many bucket shops negotiate their own deals directly with the airlines for routes where they can't get good (or any) discounts from (1) or (2). They use these deals for their own retail customers, and frequently also to other bucket shops. (Sometimes they negotiate these deals specifically to be able to export the tickets to bucket shops in other countries, as when a Singapore bucket shop gets permission to discount tickets originating in the U.S.) Bucket shops' own deals tend to emphasize one-way tickets, which are essential for constructing around the world tickets and which often aren't available for other consolidators. Enough on consolidators. As for getting tickets at the last minute: Airlines wait until they have a good idea how full their planes will be (based on advance booking levels) before they decide how deeply they need to discount their tickets to consolidators to fill their planes. So consolidator contracts with the airlines are subject to change, usually several times a year, and generally forbid sales of tickets for travel commencing more than a few months after the sale. Verifying prices with vendors around the world, and then importing tickets, can take a couple of weeks (unless you want to pay extra for air courier service). So you can't expect to get the best price, or to get your tickets, many months ahead (except for times like Christmas, when prices are set and planes fill up many months in advance). On the other hand, it shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks to get your tickets from a reputable, efficient agency -- barring complications. (The most common, and justifiable, complication, especially with a complex ticket, is that one of the rates has changed and a different source or fare construction has to be found. Customers find this hard to understand, but it isn't always possible to call or fax an oversees -- or even a domestic -- supplier to verify every fare in their wholesale tariff, which is always subject to change, before quoting a price to the customer.) As for what to do, I wouldn't think of buying an international ticket from a neighborhood travel agnet, even if I told them to try to find a consolidator fare. Depending on your itinerary, try either an agency specializing in that destination and/or a bucket shop. You'd be surprised how often local agents, when they have a customer for a weird destination or routing (especially around the world) simply buy the tickets from a bucket shop and mark them up to the customer. You'll get the best price if you shop around, but remember that rating an around the the world itinerary can take an hour of work (for which the agent is paid nothing if you end up getting the ticket elswhere). So don't be surprised that the fare isn't in the computer and can't be given off the top of the agents head; the agent will give only a very rough estimate of the fare unless you make clear that you are really serious about getting the ticket from that agency if the price is right. --description from a travel agent who chose to remain unnamed-- Bucket shops serve a limited and specialized subset of the air ticket market, and are mostly concentrated in a few world cities: London, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and San Francisco. Much smaller and less competitive bucket shop marketplaces include New York, Athens, and Nairobi. It's worth going far out of your way to deal with a bucket shop -- the overwhelming majority of travel agents don't even try to compete with bucket shop fares. For that matter, most agents couldn't construct the sorts of routings the better bucket shops specialize in (especially customized around-the-world itineraries) at ANY price. How do they do it? For one thing, simple specialization. Almost all air tickets sold in the U.S. are domestic round trips (the majority) or the simplest international round trips (mostly to resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico, or perhaps Europe). I haven't the faintest idea what the fare is to Cancun, and our agency policy is to tell callers flatly, "I'm sorry, we don't handle domestic travel." On the other hand, most agents have never booked a ticket to Moscow in their life, and might get one around-the-world customer a year. I get round-the-world enquiries every day. "You need to go to Manila, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Paris? No problem. Of course, no airline flies directly from Hong Kong to Moscow, so the route and the fare would be as follows..." How do they get their fares? That's an extremely complex question, which I can't answer fully both because (1) it would take too long and (2) I'm not supposed to divulge trade secrets (although my boss, so far as I know, isn't on the net -- and there is surprisingly little overlap between the hacker community and even the most skilled CRS [computerized reservations system] users, perhaps because travel agents are mostly women and hackers mostly men). Even a sketchy answer requires some explanation of fares in general: International airfares are set by interantional agreement and regulated by the airline cartel, IATA. Most international airlines are closely related to, if not directly owned by, their national governments. Most governments in turn have an interest in protecting the profits of their national airline, and the IATA fares are artificially high. IATA rules officially prohibit discounting, and in some countries these rules are actually enforced -- one reason some countries have no bucket shops whatsoever (although tickets originating in those countries can often be bought in other countries, if you know where to look). All official fares are "published" either in hardcopy (the OAG) or electronically to the CRS's. Most important, only published fares are shown in any CRS. That works OK for domestic U.S. fares, since with deregulation domestic carriers can publish pretty much any fares they want, and change them at whim. If they want to lower the fare, they lower the published fare. So getting the best domestic fare means learning how to search whatever CRS the travel agent uses (the major ones are pretty comparable on completeness of published fare listings), figuring out which seats on which flight itineraries it applies to, booking seats accordingly, and driving the ticket directly from the CRS (using its "auto-price" capability). Bucket shops subvert the airline cartel conspiracy against discounting in various ways. Airlines can contract with wholesalers ("consolidators") to sell tickets at less than published fares. The rules on routes, stopovers, seasonality, etc. for these tickets are governed by the contract, not by the rules for any published fare. Sometimes bucket shops contract directly with airlines and sometimes they buy and resell tickets from consolidators. Since the goal of the airlines is to get each passenger to pay the most they are willing to pay, airlines try to discount tickets in such a way as to fill otherwise empty seats rather than divert full-fare passengers to cheaper tickets. Frequently, they restrict how consolidator tickets can be advertised, such as forbidding mention of the name of the airline or allowing the discount fare to be promoted only to a particular geographic or ethnic market. It's common for tickets to be most heavily discounted in a place far (even thousands of miles) from where the ticket either begins or ends, so as not to depress the primary market. If a consolidator fare is TOO successful, the airline will raise the fare or terminate the contract. Many conolidators won't deal directly with the public, and net fare tariffs are confidential. One of the most important skills for a bucket shop agent is having a feel for the wholesale ticket market. It's one thing to ask your local agent to try to buy you a consolidator ticket. It's quite another for the agent to know who, and where, has the best price for what you want. Other consolidators, and some retail agencies (especially those with a large volume on one airline to one destination, such as those serving specialized ethnic markets) receive more than the standard commission on some or all of the published fares of a certain airline to certain destinations. This is permitted by IATA rules. The "incentive," "override," or "bonus" commission is officially forbidden to be rebated to the customer, but of course is. (In fact, bucket shops often end up with a smaller ppercentage commission than normal agencies.) Figuring the actual price to the passenger with such commission deals is particularly complex, since one must satisfy all the conditions of both the published fare and the commission deal. Net fare contracts usually have much simpler rules. (For example, the cheapest ticket may be issued at a higher fare that also has a higher commission. For this reason, and because net fare tickets usually carry the "full" fare as their official price, the "face value" of a ticket need bear no relation to the price paid. All else being equal, the HIGHER the face value of the ticket the better, since in general high-value tickets are more readily changed, rerouted, etc.) Finally, the bucket shop business is global. Your local travel agent might buy from a domestic consolidator, but they WON'T import your ticket from overseas, even if that would be much cheaper. The major bucket shops in SFO, HKG, BKK, SIN, and LON regularly buy from each other. Costs of DHL and international faxes are less than the wide international variations in ticket prices. Theres a lot more to it (especially in constructing routes and connections, which no CRS does well for complex international routes), but in many ways a bucket shop is simply a ticket broker, buying for its retail customers on the world wholesale ticket market. Most bucket shop tickets, if you inspect the validation, are not issued by the bucket shop itself. If you already knew exactly where to buy them, you could often get a slightly better price directly. But the odds are you couldn't find the best deal for yourself -- the whole system is DELIBERATELY stacked against just that. Round-the-world tickets are the epitome of the bucket shop agent's art. Don't be fooled by published around-the-world fares. They restrict you to the extremely limited routes of just one or two airlines. Only rarely are they the best deal; to put it another way, only the rare itinerary can be shoehorned into such a fare without mangling it. Most around- the-world itineraries can be best and most cheaply ticketed as a series of one way tickets from point to point. Constructing a round-the-world fare requires both deciding at what points to break the circle into segments and getting the best price for each segment (where each ticket may actually, with stopovers, cover several legs of the journey). On top of that, most people aren't sure when they start planning a round- the-world trip exactly what stops they want, or in what order. Good round-the-world agents are rare, even in bucket shops -- but your average travel agent doesn't even know where to begin. As for bucket shop reliability, it varies. Caveat emptor. They tend to be wheeler-deelers, and of neccessity they cut their margins thin. Find out how long they've been around. Check them out with the Better Business Bureau. See if they belong to the American Society of Travel Agents (which has its own arbitration system). Go to their office in person, if you can. If it's worth it to your peace of mind, pay by credit card so you can refuse the charge if you don't get your tickets. You'll probably be surcharged 2-5% for using a credit card, but its simple, cheap, and effective insurance. (One thing not to believe is favorable references. Except for complete frauds, even rip-off agencies have satisfied customers. The test is what they do when things go wrong.) For what it's worth, I have yet to encounter a completely fraudulent bucket shop, and most are pretty reliable. But you have to recognize that you can't expect the best service at the lowest price. It's especially important to remember that fares change constantly and that no estimate is certain until the tickets are actually issued. (Amazingly, airlines claim the right to increase fares even after tickets are issued, althought they never do.) -- Larry Autry Silicon Graphics, St. Louis autry@sgi.com ออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออออ ๚ Subject: Air Travel FAQ 5/5 How To Prevent Jetlag Archive-name: air-travel/jetlag-prevention Last-Modified: Tue Jun 30 17:37:38 CDT 1992 This is one in a series of FAQ lists that are posted monthly. Postings 1/5 through 5/5 include this introduction. The charter of REC.TRAVEL.AIR is to serve as a discussion group for issues related to air travel (surprise!). This monthly posting of frequently asked questions (FAQ) is intended to prevent the recurrence of specific questions or types of questions that are either unanswerable, or are asked seemingly weekly. Some topics are mostly U.S./North American based, while others are global in interest. The information contained here is based on the best postings from the net on these subjects, and thanks are due to the netters who provided them. Information from international sources would be a welcome addition. (Please post or send to Laurie at bechtler@asdg.enet.dec.com.) As with any newsgroup, it is best to read it for a few weeks before posting anything, in order to see what topics are currently being discussed. Please keep in mind that air travel is subject to a complex set of rules, regulations, and agreements (official or unofficial) between governments, airlines, and ticket agencies. Information transmitted over the net is not definitive. Netters offer what they know with good intentions; however, no guarantee is made the that information contained in this list is 100% correct. Having said that, know then, that all information herein is offered AS IS with no implied warranty of accuracy whatsoever. Currently, the number of lists totals six. Five are posted by Larry Autry and maintained by Laurie Bechtler and Larry Autry . One FAQ list that is posted separately, is the article on "How to Get Cheap Airtickets" by Mark Kantrowitz . The subjects of these five lists are as follows: I. Intro and Answers to General Questions II. Airport Codes For North America III. Airport Codes For The World IV. Ticket Consolidator Article (Bucket Shops) V. Article About How To Prevent Jetlag ================================================================================ A contribution from pete@Octopus.COM (Pete Holzmann). ================================================================================ My experience says go with the time adjustment regimen... As soon as possible before departure, set your watch to the final destination time zone, and do all you can to act as if the time were truly what your watch says. [I usually can't do this until I arrive at the airport :-(, due to last second rush...] I've traveled west (Singapore, Philippines, India) and east (Norway, England). Following this regimen has helped me avoid just about any signs of jet lag, except that 3 days after returning from India, I died for a day or so. That just might be attributable to the fact that I was totally worn out anyway :-) Overall, I've noticed a tendency to be a more tired on the return leg of any very long trip than on the outgoing leg. A few hints about actually following the "act according to destination time" advice: - The on-board airline routine is not at all designed to help you act as if you were on destination time. You can ignore the standard routine as far as light/dark and busy/quiet times go if you bring along eye shades and ear plugs (actually, a blanket in my face darkens things enough for me). - Meals are the really tricky part. I can't completely go without meals without getting my body a little upset. I try to just tell myself that this scrambled egg is a late evening snack, or this chicken with vegetables is a strange breakfast. It works! - Getting comfortable is really important. If I don't get some good sleep at an appropriate time, I end up very tired once I arrive. [I once ended up on a trans-pacific flight with a planeload of excited exchange students who talked most of the way across. THAT didn't work out so great for me!] - Remember that you can request alternate diets. Typical airline food is extremely high in protein. Something a little lighter weight ('heart healthy' 'vegetarian' or some of the other alternative menus) helps me a lot. At the very least, I try to avoid pigging out on sausage, etc. when I'm on a long flight. Youngsters: - Amen to bringing something to keep them busy. A favorite blankie is a really important thing to remember :-). - Some kind of hard candy or lollipop to suck on during takeoff/landing approach will help with the ear popping routine. - For your own and everybody else's peace of mind, make sure you know what your little one is up to all the time (I've seen too many kids either let loose or ignored in their seats (while they totally mangle a meal, dropping pieces on the neighbors, pouring drinks on the floor, etc... Yuck!)) I guess that's all from me... -- Larry Autry Silicon Graphics, St. Louis autry@sgi.com ๚ Subject: FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets [Monthly posting] Archive-name: cheap-airfare Last-Modified: Thu Apr 23 15:38:18 1992 by Mark Kantrowitz Version: 1.2 Size: 51761 bytes This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are also covered. Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms and other information to mkant@cs.cmu.edu. An updated version of this file is posted once a month to the newsgroups rec.travel.air and news.answers. The version date for the file is located in the header near the top of the file. The list is also available via anonymous ftp from ftp.cs.cmu.edu in the directory /afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mkant/Public/Travel/ as the file airfare.text. Note that you must cd to this directory in one command, as intermediate directories are protected during an anonymous ftp. Of course, if your site is running the Andrew File System, you may access the file directly without using FTP. You can also get the file by anonymous ftp from pit-manager.mit.edu (18.172.1.27) in the file /pub/usenet/rec.travel.air/How_to_Get_Cheap_Airtickets, or by sending a mail message to "mail-server@pit-manager.mit.edu" with the subject "send usenet/rec.travel.air/How_to_Get_Cheap_Airtickets". ;;; ******************************** ;;; Copyright ********************** ;;; ******************************** Copyright (c) 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992 by Mark Kantrowitz. Use and copying of this information and preparation of derivative works based upon this information are permitted, so long as the following conditions are met: o no fees or compensation are charged for use, copies or access to this information o this copyright notice is included intact This information is made available AS IS, and no warranty is made about its quality or correctness. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Contents *********************** ;;; ******************************** Topics Covered: Temporary Notes Standard Tricks Fare Classes Classes of Service Fare Types Special Fare Categories Flying Standby Getting "Bumped" Sympathy Fares, Emergencies Refunds Advance Purchase Fares Travel Agents Pets Lost Baggage Baggage Limits Hub Cities Flying International: Couriers, Consolidators Credit Card Voucher Offers Special Meals Airline Reservation Phone Numbers Frequent Flyer Programs Complaints and Compliments Glossary Miscellaneous Notes Other Sources of Information Further Reading Jetlag ;;; ******************************** ;;; Temporary Notes **************** ;;; ******************************** With the American Airlines fare restructuring, many discounted fares have been eliminated, ostensibly because "everything's cheap now". However, I am not eliminating the discussion of these discounts because they still apply to some airlines. In addition, I expect the fare restructuring to be largely temporary -- as soon as fares start creeping up again, some airline is going to announce discounted children's fares to attract families as a marketing move, and the other airlines will follow suit. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Standard Tricks **************** ;;; ******************************** Airlines give better fares to people who advance book because they are trying to encourage people to book as early as possible. If the airline were to lower fares just before flight time there would be a flood of people (on random flights) at the last minute. Airlines need an accurate estimate of the number of people and amount of baggage on a flight so that they can load the proper amount of fuel. (Meals and beverages also have to be loaded.) Moreover, people who book at the last minute are usually flying on business, and therefore the business is paying for it. People flying for pleasure usually know weeks or months in advance, and can't afford the prices that a business would pay. Thus it is to an airline's advantage to set rates according to the major differences between business and leisure travelers: o Business travelers fly mostly between 9 and 5, whereas leisure travelers can fly offpeak hours. o Business travelers buy tickets on very short notice, whereas leisure travelers plan trips well in advance. o Business travelers do not stay over a weekend (= Saturday night), whereas leisure travelers do. So airlines typically give discounts for people who stay over a weekend, flying offpeak hours, and purchasing tickets 7 days, 14 days, 21 days or 30 days in advance. For example, "Supersaver" or "Maxsaver" fares require that you buy your roundtrip ticket 7 days, 14 days, or 30 days in advance, and that you stay over a weekend (Saturday night). The price is usually the average of the two one-way tickets. (E.g., a 2-week advance PGH/BOS advance ticket is around $200 this way.) Since a regular 1-way ticket is so much worse, it sometimes pays to buy a round-trip ticket and throw away the other half (if you're only going one way). If you buy a round trip ticket and throw away the other half, make the first leg of the trip the destination, since some airlines will cancel the return trip if you don't show up for the first leg. For example, a round-trip to San Francisco from Pittsburgh with a one-night stayover is $1,333. However, the cost of a Saturday night stayover is only $479 if you order the ticket a week or two in advance. Purchasing two round trip tickets, one originating from Pgh and one from SF, and then using one half of each round trip ticket saves you $375. Note that for many airlines the discount fares depend solely on the date of the first leg of the trip. The price does not vary no matter when the return flight is (so long as you stay over a Saturday night). You could buy a flight with one leg in March and the return in November, and it would cost the same as if the return was in March. If you travel regularly to a particular destination, but don't stay over weekends, you can get the cheaper weekend rates by staggering your tickets. I.e., if you're flying from A to B and back Monday and Wednesday of Week 1, and the same Week 2, instead of buying roundtrip tickets for each week, buy a roundtrip ticket leaving A Monday of Week 1 and returning Wednesday of Week 2, and a second roundtrip ticket leaving B Wednesday of Week 1 and returning to B Monday of Week 2. This works out to be precisely the same flights, but since both tickets are over a weekend, you get the cheaper rate. The only problem is that you have to know your schedule in advance to make this work. Using the Pgh-SF example from above, this method would save you $1708 on a pair of midweek round trip flights. If you travel on offpeak hours and low volume days, the rates are cheaper. Thus to guarrantee a low cost flight, you have to be very flexible about where you are going, what time and day you are leaving, and how long you want to stay. Also important is when you make the reservation. If you make the reservation for an offpeak flight during the peak season (say, make a reservation for February just before Thanksgiving), you may be charged the peak rates. After the holidays some airlines lower their discount fares to attract customers. So you may be able to get a better fare by making your reservation right after the holidays. If you notice that the fare for your flight has been lowered after you bought the ticket, try calling the airline. Sometimes they will refund the difference between the price you paid and the lower fare. (You may have to go to the airport to get the ticket rewritten at the lower fare.) ;;; ******************************** ;;; Fare Classes ******************* ;;; ******************************** When airlines set their fares, they divide their seating into "classes", which are based on an analysis of past passenger purchases. Suppose you have a 100 seat airliner going from DC to SF. The rates might break down on a particular day as follows: 30 seats at $315 round trip, 30 days in advance 20 seats at $350 RT, 21 days in advance 20 seats at $375 RT, 14 days in advance 20 seats at $400 RT, 7 days in advance 10 seats at $450 RT, full fare, available until the last minute. Now if the time has elapsed within a given price group, then the fare will go up to the rate of the next price group. If they sell the quota of tickets for a price group, even if the time has not elapsed, then they can only sell you tickets at the next rate group price (which is naturally higher). So it can pay to make your reservations way in advance. (The number of seats available at each fare varies from day to day, depending on the airline's yield management algorithm.) Actually, it would be more accurate to say that airlines distinguish between classes of service and types of fares. A discount ticket (fare) for first class travel (service) could, in theory, be cheaper than an advance purchase ticket (fare) for thrift travel in the first class compartment (service). The best way to describe it is as a series of overlapping tiers of fares. There are five regular classes of service: First, Business, Standard, Coach and Thrift. Standard is practically nonexistent these days. Fares usually drop with lower class service. For each class except Standard there are six main types of reduced-fare tickets: discounted, night, offpeak, weekend, advance purchase, and excursion fare. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Classes of Service ************* ;;; ******************************** The following chart gives some of the letters used to designate each class of service. Note that Fn means Night/Offpeak Coach in the First Class compartment, and Yn means Night/Offpeak Coach in other than the First Class compartment. Regular Premium Discounted Night/Offpeak First Class F P A Fn Business Class C J D Cn Standard S Coach Economy Y B, H, M, Q, T Qn, Yn Thrift K L, V Vn, Kn Supersonic R No Reservation Service U In reality there is no difference between classes F and P, nor between classes C and J. Midway Airlines class Q tickets are Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday, except on certain blackout dates. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Fare Types ********************* ;;; ******************************** The following lists some of the letters used to designate different types of fares. This is distinct from class of service. A number (e.g., 7 or 14) usually means how many days in advance the ticket must be bought. Miscellaneous AP Advance Purchase EX Excursion Fare B Capacity-controlled Excursion Fares SW Offpeak; Saturday or Sunday W Weekend X Midweek US 48 contiguous states (not including alaska/hawaii) Economy KH Weekend KL Midweek/Offpeak MH Weekend (Discount Fare) ML Midweek/Offpeak (Discount Fare) L Capacity-controlled Inventory Standard SH Peak SL Offpeak V Offpeak Coach B Capacity-controlled Inventory BN Night Coach H Capacity-controlled Inventory, Coach/Night Coach V Offpeak YH Weekend YL Midweek/Offpeak Super Coach QH Weekend; applies Fri-Sun QL Midweek; applies Mon-Thur ;;; ******************************** ;;; Special Fare Categories ******** ;;; ******************************** All airlines have special rate categories, but you have to ask for them by name, since the agents are usually not familiar with them. You may even have to talk to the agent's supervisor. Below is a brief listing of different special fare categories, followed by a more in depth discussion of standby fares. Also, see preceding discussion of classes of service and fare types. For example, on TWA, class K, V, YC, and M fares are the cheapest. Children's fares: Children under 2 years of age travel free on US domestic flights. To be more accurate, the child must not occupy a separate seat (sits on its parent's lap), and must be accompanied by a fare paying adult passenger 12 years of age and over (the lap in which it sits). Additional children under 2 are subject to regular children's fares. On international flights you need a "lap child" ticket which typically costs about $100. Fares for children accompanied by a fare paying adult passenger and occupying a separate seat are cheaper than fares for unaccompanied children. Some carriers will not accept unaccompanied children under five years of age (some 8 years, some 12). Fares for accompanied children range from 50% to 100% of an adult fare (1/2 fare, 2/3 fare, 3/4 fare, 80%, 90%, full fare). Fares for unaccompanied children range from 50% of adult fare to 125% of an adult fare (1/2 fare, 2/3 fare, 3/4 fare, full fare, 1-1/4 fare). Clergy fares: Clergy get ridiculously cheap standby fares on certain airlines if they possess a certain type of "Clergy Identification Card". Military fares: US military personnel traveling at their own expense on authorized leave or pass may get signicantly cheaper fares. Discharged military personnel must complete all travel within 7 days of discharge date. Valid active duty US green identification card or separation orders must be presented. USAir has a 50% military discount. Note, however, that air force personnel can usually fly on military aircraft on a standby basis to any air force base for $20 (e.g., Hawaii, Boston, Florida). Senior Citizen fares: Certain airlines provide reduced fares for passengers 65 years of age and older. Passengers must carry proof of age (passport, birth certificate, driver's license or medicare card). Seats are usually limited. Standby fares: Flying standby can be one of the cheapest ways to travel. Adult standby passengers are enplaned on a flight on a standby basis subject to availability of space at departure time. This is only after all passengers with reservations for the flight have been boarded. Passengers from a previous flight who were bumped have priority. No advance reservations are accepted, but get to the gate early to put yourself first on the standby list. No stopovers are permitted on standby fares. Note that nonrefundable, nonchangeable tickets can often be used for standby travel (sometimes with a slight surcharge). Student fares: Some airlines give discounted fares to full-time students of an accredited school, college or university who are at least 12 years of age. Student ID card must be carried and displayed at the request of the carrier. Some restrict the age of the student to under some age (e.g., 22, 26 years of age). Stopovers are not permitted, and some require reservations at least 7 days before departure. For example, Midway has a 10% student discount. USAir has a 10% discount on fares for full-time students. The student discount is combinable with supersaver fares (i.e., you get a 10% discount above and beyond the supersaver discount). The only restrictions are that (1) You must be a full-time student, aged 16 through 26. (2) You must show proof of age and student status to the agent when making a reservation (e.g., a college ID and driver's license) (3) The discount is limited to domestic travel. Students may purchase discount books of 10 tickets on the Trump (now USAir) shuttle for $449. Delta has a similar program for their shuttle. A variety of discounts are available if you have an International Student Identity Card. Ask your travel agent for details on how to get such a card and what discounts are available. Youth fares: Passenger must be between 12 and 22 (25 for international travel) years of age. Seats may be limited. Tickets must be purchased from the point of origin. Some require picture identification such as Youth Fare identification Card, birth certificate, government ID card or drivers license. Southwest gives the offpeak rate for *all* flights for youth (21 & under), although this is still more expensive than their supersaver fares. Family fares: Some carriers offer discounts on family travel. For the purposes of the discounts, a family is defined as a husband and wife with or without accompanying children age 2-17, or one parent with one or more accompanying children age 2-17. Age restrictions on children differ from airline to airline (some set the maximum age at 20 or 21 years; and some break children into two classes, 12 & under and 12-21). Some include legal guardian and grandparents within the definition of parent. It is usually not necessary for the family to travel under a common surname. Proof of family relationship must be established to the satisfaction of the carrier and all family members must travel together for the entire trip. Fares are typically 100% for first family member, 50% each additional. Some have further discounts. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Flying Standby ***************** ;;; ******************************** On the other hand, an empty seat doesn't earn the airline any money. So some airlines offer what is called "standby tickets". Using such a ticket you are NOT guarranteed a seat on a particular flight, but on the next flight with empty seats. (In other words, standby means on a space available basis.) If there are available seats, flying standby can be much cheaper. If it is a busy day and the flights are full, you may have to wait several hours to get a seat, or maybe not get a seat at all. Don't fly standby on the day before Thanksgiving or the Sunday after, you won't get a seat. On Thanksgiving day itself, you're likely to find a seat. A standby ticket does not guarrantee you a seat, but if you do not absolutely, positively have to be there tomorrow, you can get some good deals. [Days which are bad for standby seats are usually good days for getting bumped.] Note that even if every seat isn't taken, an airline sometimes won't accept standby passengers because it might mean having to unload fuel to change the weight distribution of the aircraft. If you're on a later flight but get to the airport early, check with the attendant at the gate. You may be able to get on the earlier flight is there's space available (but this may result in your getting no "snack"). This works even for "non-changeable" tickets. One way to "ensure" the availability of standby seats is for the agent or the passenger to make a large number of regular reservations, and then an hour before the flight release the block of seats, virtually ensuring that standby passengers will get aboard at cheap standby fares. Travel agents don't do this very frequently, since the airlines don't appreciate it. This probably doesn't do you any good with the way airlines overbook flights. [And causes a lot of bad will with the airlines. If people start doing this frequently, airlines will probably eliminate standby fares.] Many airlines have eliminated the discounts for flying standby for precisely this reason. When flying standby, make sure you get to the gate EARLY. If several people are flying standby, you want to make sure that your name is first on the list. Note that connecting passengers, bumped passengers, etc., get priority over local boarding standbys. On really busy days it might pay to show up early for the *first* flight of the day, since standbys who don't make it will "roll over" to the next flight. Note that although most airlines no longer sell standby tickets, you can go to the gate agent at the airport with any unused ticket from that airline and ask to be placed on the standby list. Your luck will vary by airline and gate agent. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Getting "Bumped" *************** ;;; ******************************** Airlines tend to overbook their flights in case of no-shows. Occasionally this will mean that more people show up with confirmed reservations than there are seats on the plane. (Or if the flight is a particularly full one, it may exceed the weight limit even with empty seats.) The airline will ask if there's anyone willing to be bumped from the flight in exchange for compensation (e.g., USAir will give you a free round-trip ticket anywhere they fly). The airline will then put you on the next available flight to your destination, along with your free ticket. So another way to reduce the cost of flying is to purchase a confirmed reservation for 8-9 am or 5-6 pm on a weekday. These are the times most businessmen fly (trying to make early morning meetings or to get home for dinner in the evening), and hence when the airline is most likely to be overbooked. Airlines are also likely to be overbooked on Sunday nights and the beginning and end of holidays, since that is when non-businessmen typically fly. Receiving a free roundtrip ticket effectively cuts your air travel costs in half. And if you get bumped while using a previous free bump ticket, it gets even cheaper. If you have a confirmed reservation, and you notice the flight is overbooked but first class is underbooked and you don't necessarily want to be bumped, try being the last person on line. If you are lucky the coach and business class will be full, and they will have to upgrade you to first class at no charge. (Also, having a pre-issued boarding pass will decrease your chances of an involuntary bump.) This is risky, though, because you might wind up being bumped anyway, so only do it if you don't care whether you'll be bumped. It always pays to volunteer to be bumped, even if the flight isn't overbooked. If the airline needs adjacent seating for a family, they will sometimes bump you into first class if you are in a row by yourself. If you definitely want to be bumped, volunteer when you check in and again at the gate. This will give you priority if there are only a few bumps. Good days to get bumped include: Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Sunday after; couple days before and after Christmas; ditto with New Years. Friday afternoons, evenings, and Sunday afternoons and evenings also bump a lot. If the airline still has plenty of coach seats a day or so before the flight, it is unlikely that they will bump. Here's what some airlines usually give volunteers: Continental, Delta, United, USAir: Open roundtrip American, America West, Southwest: $$ off another ticket (usually $150 to $300; American has been known to go as high as $1000.) Dollar-denominated vouchers are not subject to tax, so they stretch further. Amounts depend on the degree of overbooking of the flight. United sometimes will also issue a dollar-denominated voucher. United bumps more than average, Delta less. Northwest bump tickets are non-transferrable. Air Canada offers $150 cash or $300 in travel vouchers. If you get bumped or your flight is canceled and need to stay at a hotel overnight, hotels near the airport will often give you a substantial discount if you ask for it (50% discount is not unheard of). Under Department of Transportation rules, an involuntarily bumped traveler who is delayed more than one hour but less than two on a domestic flight is entitled to $200 or 100 percent of the one-way fare, whichever is less (the airline must also honor the original ticket). For delays longer than two hours, the compensation doubles. Airlines can offer you a travel voucher (for a free domestic round-trip ticket) in lieu of cash, but must give you the cash if that's what you want. Airlines like bumped volunteers because free travel costs them less than the cash compensation they're required to offer involuntarily bumped passengers. (If the involuntarily bumped passengers are put on a flight which brings them to their destination within an hour of the original flight time, the airline has met its requirement.) Anything more is strictly the policy of the airline, which is stated in its Conditions of Carriage statement. (To obtain this statement, get it either from your travel agent or by writing to the customer affairs office of your airline. Be sure to ask for the full copy of the conditions; otherwise they'll give you just a three page summary of the limitations of liability sections.) There are no rules governing compensation for volunteers -- airlines can offer as little or as much as it takes to bid you off the flight. Delta restricts reservations using volunteer bumped vouchers to two days in advance. Re-booking: Most volunteers are routinely booked on another flight within a few hours, but re-routing isn't a legal requirement. Before giving up your seat, ask when the next flight leaves, whether you'll have a confirmed or standby reservation and (if the flight is with another carrier) whether you'll have to pay additional fare. Negotiating: Most airline managers can escalate compensation offers in an attempt to get enough volunteers. So you might get a better deal by simply asking for one. American Airlines, which has the lowest rate of involuntary bumpees in the industry, tends to be the most generous with compensation for volunteers. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Sympathy Fares, Emergencies **** ;;; ******************************** If you have to go to a funeral, most airlines will give you 50% off of the discounted rate, at very short notice. They call this the sympathy fare. Similarly for a medical emergency. For example, Continental will waive advance purchase requirements for cheap fares for an emergency. This is their bereavement rate for people who have to attend funerals. Other airlines that do this are United and USAir ("compassionate fare"). American gives 50% off of the non-discounted rate, and will ask you for the name, address and phone number of the funeral home. This is a tradition carried over from the "funeral fare" of the railroad days. Airlines do this because it is simply good PR, and doesn't cost them all that much. In any case you have to ask and sometimes be persistent as these are nonstandard and not widely publicized policies. Many low level airline workers are not aware of them or do not have the authority to allow them. United "Rule 120" describes the rules governing sympathy fares. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Refunds ************************ ;;; ******************************** In the same vein, many airlines will refund a ticket, even a nonrefundable one, for good cause. Medical emergencies, jury duty, and a death in the family generally qualify as a good cause for not using a ticket. Some sort of proof must be provided (death certiicate, note from doctor), and it is completely up to the airline as to whether or not the particular instance warrants a refund. Some airlines may issue a new ticket or provide a flight credit voucher instead of offering a refund. A useful trick for normal circumstances: When they ask for your name for printing on the ticket, use your first initial instead of your full first name. (Many airlines now require your full first name, even if you purchase the ticket through a travel agent.) Thus if you can't use your "non-transferrable non-refundable" ticket, your spouse or some other member of your family might be able to. Another trick is to have your travel agent talk to the airline, assuming you used him to purchase the ticket. Sometimes they will be able to swing a deal. Nontransferable tickets may still be useable by other people in your organization, if the address listed on the ticket was your business address. Normally a reservation will cancel out automatically if you don't purchase a ticket within 24 hours. However, if you ask the airline to invoice you, usually this timeout is extended to 10 days to allow enough time for the invoice to reach you. You can still pay the invoice using a credit card. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Advance Purchase Fares ********* ;;; ******************************** Typically, tickets must be purchased 4, 7, 14, 21, or 30 days in advance of the departure date. All require confirmed reservations. Seats are always limited. Most do not permit changes/cancellations, and those that do will usually charge you. Some require a roundtrip ticket, though there are some that give lower rates for one-way tickets. Most do not permit open-jaw travel (most require circle-trip for excursion fares). Some permit stopovers, and may or may not charge you for the privilege (typically $15-30 per stopover). Fares are often seasonal. For those that have a minimum and maximum stay period (e.g., stay over the weekend, must return 150 days after departure), the day of departure is not included as part of the minimum and maximum stay period. Children's rates are usually discounted against the applicable fare. (Some airlines now apply children's discounts against the highest fare only.) As usual, children must carry proof of age. Note that fares are almost always not applicable to/from intermediate points. This means a ticket from Boston to Chicago passing through Pittsburgh could be cheaper than a ticket from Boston to Pittsburgh! But, of course, you can get off at Pittsburgh so long as you don't have checked bags nor have subsequent legs on the same ticket. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Travel Agents ****************** ;;; ******************************** It pays to use a travel agent only if you know a *good* one. A good travel agent will know when a small change in your schedule can save you a lot of money. If you buy direct from the airline, you may not find out such information, since they will only quote you the rates for the times you ask. So if you're going to use a travel agent, make sure that you find one who is willing (and able) to search through the morass of fares and restrictions to find a good deal for you. A travel agent who just punches your data into the computer and tells you the prices is no better than the airline's 800 number. A good travel agent can probably save you about 10-15%. [Actually, if the airline goes bankrupt between ticket purchase and flight time, and you bought your ticket from a travel agent, you may be able to get a refund, especially from some of the larger agencies. If the airlines goes bankrupt within 10 days of the purchase of the ticket, the agency may not have paid the airline yet (they are allowed 10 days to do so), so you can ask them for a refund. Better yet, buy your airtickets with a credit card, and the federal credit protection act will allow you to get a refund from your credit card company.] Also, airlines sometimes sell bulk tickets to large travel agencies at bargain basement prices if they think they cannot fill the seats. So depending on the travel agency, you might be able to get a really good deal. Travel agents sometimes get complimentary tickets (e.g., one free ticket for every 25 sold), which they can sell as they wish. (These are called "Promotional Tickets" and are for standby travel.) But then again, travel agents get a commission on air tickets and hotels. The commission is a fixed percentage of the fare (if you order direct from the airline, the airline pockets the difference). So the agent can earn more money by selling you a more expensive ticket. So be cautious when using a travel agent. Look over the agent's shoulder and see if they're overlooking a really cheap flight. Since discount flights have restrictions on day of week and flight times, make sure that you let the travel agent know that you are flexible and will change a day either way if that will save you money. Airport ticket agents tend to be better informed than the people at the toll-free reservation number, since they often have to deal with special situations (missed connections, bumped people, etc.) that require really knowing the reservation system's ins and outs. But beware. Airport ticket agents are not beyond lying. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Pets *************************** ;;; ******************************** If you are travelling with a dog, you must say so when you make your reservation. All airlines will allow at most one dog in the presurized portion of the cabin (to prevent barking fights). The dog must be in a travel cage which fits under the seat in front of you and sedated. (If the dog is small, try to get a cage which fits under the seat, so you can keep watch on the pet. Otherwise, the dog will travel with the baggage, and you won't see the dog until the flight is over.) Some airlines will charge you extra (~$20) for the dog. I don't know about cats. America West and Southwest do not take pets. (Southwest will take seeing-eye dogs. I believe all airlines are required to allow seeing-eye and hearing-ear dogs to accompany their blind/deaf masters on flights.) AA, UA and US all take dogs. US charges $30. AA and UA charge $50. (Small dogs.) All carriers require a recent (10 days old or less) veterinary certificate of health, but rarely look at it. All airlines embargo pets if the outside temperature is in the 90's (or perhaps even 80's). AA won't carry a pet if the temperature is less than 45F (enforcement of this rule is uneven). UA says they won't handle pets when it is -10F. US says they always handle pets except on certain commuter flights. US allows you to bring your pet out to the gate and have it boarded just before you get on the plane. AA sometimes will, but usually won't, allow this. Many airlines require that the dog be given a tranquilizer supplied by your vet. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Lost Baggage ******************* ;;; ******************************** The domestic baggage liability limit is a minimum of $1250.00 per passenger. Some airlines may provide greater limits for checked/unchecked baggage. For international flights, the baggage liability limit is approximately $9.07 per pound ($20 per kilogram) for checked baggage and $400 per passenger for unchecked baggage. A minimum waiting period of one week is required before baggage can be declared lost. Airlines will not reimburse for currency, photographic or electronic equipment, rare and expensive jewelry or artistic works, or medication, unless prior arrangements were made (e.g., excess valuation insurance was purchased). Some credit cards will cover these items if the tickets were purchased with the card. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Baggage Limits ***************** ;;; ******************************** Checked baggage weight/size/number limits vary depending on the airline, the class of fare, and the country of origin. Typically one is limited to 2 pieces of checked baggage (excluding luggage carriers), each of which has a total length + width + height less than 60" (or 72") and weighs less than 70 pounds (32 kg). Unchecked baggage is usually limited to 2 bags, which must fit under the seat in front of you or in the overhead compartment. Purses, cameras, coats, and similar items are usually excluded from the limit. Garment bags are also often excluded, especially for first class customers. Sometimes the limit will be reduced to 1 bag, especially on very full flights. Oversize articles (e.g., skis, bicycles, moose heads) must be checked. If you do have excess baggage, it is cheaper to pay the excess baggage charges than to ship it by air freight. Rates airlines charge for excess baggage vary considerably, so it pays to call around before purchasing a ticket. Baggage limit rules are enforced very unevenly, particularly on flights which aren't very full. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Hub Cities ********************* ;;; ******************************** Try to avoid hub cities. For example, since USAir's hub is Pittsburgh, they have a virtual monopoly on flights to PGH, so if you're so unlucky as to be flying to Pittsburgh, the rates are not cheap. Occasionally you may be able to take a flight which makes a stop or connection at Pittsburgh, and walk off the plane in Pittsburgh (i.e., a ticket from Boston to Cleveland on a plane which makes a stop in Pittsburgh might be cheaper than a ticket from Boston to Pittsburgh on the same plane). This only works when you can carry on all of your baggage. (Or if your connecting flight is more than two hours after your flight arrives or on a different plane, you can usually arrange to claim your baggage at the hub and recheck it yourself. 8*) Several airlines are currently being investigated by the justice department for anti-trust violations based on their dominating the airports at their hubs. Here's a list of airline hub cities. I've asterisked those that I'm sure are monopolized by that airline. # indicates the main hub of the airline. Alaska Airlines (AS): Anchorage (ANC)#, SEA America West (HP): Phoenix (PHX)#, Las Vega$ (LAS) American Airlines (AA): Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW)#, Raleigh/Durham (RDU)*, SJC*, Continental Airlines (CO): Newark (EWR)#, Cleveland (CLE)*, IAH, DEN, MSY Delta Airlines (DL): Atlanta (ATL)*#, Salt Lake City (SLC)*, DFW, CVG, LAX, O Midwest Express (YX): MKE Northwest Airlines (NW): Minneaplois (MSP)#, Milwaukee (MKE)*, Memphis (MEM)* Southwest Airlines (WN): Dallas Love (DAL), Houston Hobby (HOU), PHX, ABQ TWA (TW): St. Louis (STL)*#, New York (JFK) USAir (US): Pittsburgh (PIT)*#, Philadelphia (PHL), Charlotte (CLT)*, Baltimo United Airlines (UA): Chicago#, DEN, Washington Dulles (IAD), SEA, SFO, Ralei Airport Abbreviations and Hubs: ABQ Albuquerque, NM WN ANC Anchorage, AL AS ATL Atlanta, GA DL BNA Nashville, TN AA BOS Boston, MA NW BWI Baltimore, MD US CLE Cleveland, OH CO CLT Charlotte, NC US CVG Cincinatti, OH DL DAL Dallas (Love Field), TX WN DAY Dayton, OH US DEN Denver, CO CO UA DFW Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX AA DL DTW Detroit, MI NW EWR Newark, NJ CO HOU Houston (Hobby), TX WN IAD Washington (Dulles), DC UA IAH Houston (Intercontinental), TX CO IND Indianapolis, IN US JFK New York (Kennedy), NY PA TW LAS Las Vega$ HP LAX Los Angeles DL US MEM Memphis, TN NW MIA Miami, FL PA MKE Milwaukee, WI NW YX MSP Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN NW MSY New Orleans, LA CO ORD Chicago, IL AA UA ORL Orlando, FL DL PHL Philadelphia, PA US PHX Phoenix, AZ HP WN PIT Pittsburgh, PA US RDU Raleigh/Durham, NC AA SEA Seattle, WA AS UA SFO San Francisco, CA UA US SJC San Jose, CA AA SJU San Juan, PR AA SLC Salt Lake City, UT DL STL St. Louis, MO TW SYR Syracuse, NY US AA American Airlines AS Alaska Airlines CO Continental Airlines DL Delta Airlines HP America West Airlines PA Pan American World Airways TW Trans World Airlines UA United Airlines US U S Air WN Southwest Airlines YX Midwest Express ;;; ******************************** ;;; Flying International: ** ;;; Couriers, Consolidators ** ;;; ******************************** One way of getting cheap international flights is to fly as a freelance courier. There are a few companies which will pay you for the right to use your baggage allowance, yielding a heavily-discounted fare. Non-refundable, and usually very short notice -- 1-2 weeks. You do not deal with the baggage, other than to hand-carry a set of paperwork. You are allowed a carry-on. For example, the following courier company will let you fly as a courier to Israel (TelAviv) on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, round trip, for $525: Dworkin Cosell, (212) 213-0036. Other couriers include: Now Voyager NY 212-431-1616, Halbart NY 718-995-7019, IBC NY 718-262-8058, TNT NY 516-338-4180. Some books about flying as a courier include: o The Air Courier's Handbook, $9.95 Big City Books, PO Box 19667, Sacramento, CA 95819 o A Simple Guide to Courier Travel, $15.95 1-800-344-9375 Guide Books, PO Box 2394, Lake Oswego, OR 97035 o Travel Unlimited, $25/year Attn: Steve Lantos, PO Box 1058, Allston, MA 02134 o Travel Secrets, $30/year Box 2325, New York, NY 10108 Also, ticket consolidators (wholesalers, ``bucket shops'') are often 30-40% cheaper than buying direct from the airline. They buy blocks of unsold seats from the airlines and resell them at a slim margin. Such tickets are usually heavily restricted and are for a standard profile (e.g., no special meals, no changes, no transfers, no refunds). The Sunday NY Times travel section has a list of wholesalers. For example, Nippon Travel 800-662-6236. Although "consolidator" and "bucket shop" are often used interchangeably, they refer to different kinds of wholesalers. Consolidators buy large blocks of tickets at discounted rates direct from the airlines. The restrictions on these tickets are governed by the consolidator's contract with the airline, and not by the rules for published fares. Usually they sell only through retail agencies and not directly to the public. Bucket shops are retail agencies that specialize in getting discounted prices on tickets. They are familiar with the full range of consolidators for all the carriers (every airline has many consolidators) and in other techniques of fare construction, importing tickets, etc. International airfares are set by international agreement and regulated by the airline cartel, IATA. Most interantional airlines are closely related to, if not directly owned by, their national governments. Thus most governments have an interest in protecting the profits of their national airline, with the result that the IATA fares are artificially high. IATA rules prohibit discounting, and in some countries these rules are actually enforced. Bucket shops work around the rules by buying discounted tickets direct from the airlines or through consolidators. These tickets are discounted with restrictions that attempt to ensure that the airlines fill otherwise empty seats instead of diverting full-fare passengers to cheaper tickets. Some restrictions include limitations on the advertising of such tickets, forbidding mention of the name of the airline, or restricting the promotion of such tickets to a particular geographic or ethnic market. Another method of discounting tickets is through rebating a portion of the consolidator commission to the public. AirHitch (212-864-2000) is a consolidator which buys unsold seats very close to the wire. Their customers provide a window of times (or destinations), and AirHitch lets them know about available flights on extremely short notice. Not for the faint of heart. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Credit Card Voucher Offers ***** ;;; ******************************** Several credit card companies offer vouchers for cheap airline travel as an incentive to enroll students. 1. American Express. Students who apply for the standard green card ($55/year) will receive four vouchers if approved. If you travel within the same zone the price is $129/ticket roundtrip; cross-zone travel is $189/ticket roundtrip (Mississippi is the dividing line). (The prices are $10 extra in the summer, and one of the vouchers is good for two tickets at $189 each.) There are some restrictions on destinations and some blackout dates. The vouchers expire 1 year after issue and are not transferrable (and the airlines do check your student id both at the ticket counter and at the gate). You must purchase your tickets with the AmEx card. The stay is for a maximum of 6 nights and must be over a Saturday night. To work around the non-transferrable restriction, use your first initial instead of your first name, and (if female) ask to have your maiden (alternately, married) name on the ticket (which allows you to substitute an arbitrary last name, if you're not bothered by the sleaziness). Although the current AmEx tickets are for travel on Continental Airlines, USAir will honor them for travel on USAir. Give the following promotion code to the travel agent when using the AmEx/Continental vouchers for travel on USAir: H/CO AMEX STUDENT USAir seems less likely than Continental to check for student id. In general, USAir seems to accept coupons from almost any other airline. If you are a student, have an AmEx card and haven't received the vouchers, call the 800 number (1-800-582-5823) and they'll send them out to your billing address. 2. Chase Manhattan VISA Same cost structure as the AmEx/Continental vouchers ($129 if you don't cross the Mississippi River, $189 if you do), but for travel on USAir. Maximum stay of 60 days (Saturday stay not required). Tickets must be purchased within 48 hours of reservation. Valid student id must be presented at time of ticketing. Blackout dates around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and some destination-specific days. 3. US Sprint ;;; ******************************** ;;; Special Meals ****************** ;;; ******************************** Most of the major airlines will provide alternate meals on meal-flights upon request, if the request is made 24 hours in advance. Special meals include: Kosher, Muslim, Hindu, vegetarian, low-fat, low-salt, diabetic, low-glutin, and seafood. Simply ask for the meal when you make your reservation; there is no extra charge. The Kosher meals are glatt and double-sealed. Wilton Caterers is the largest supplier of these meals, although there are a number of smaller companies as well. If you will be having a special meal, be sure to let the flight attendant know as you entire the plane. Airlines sometime forget to load the meal (especially kosher), and if you let the flight attendant know, they can sometimes catch this. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Airline Reservation Phone Numbers ;;; ******************************** AeroMexico 1-800-237-6639 Air Canada 1-800-776-3000 Alaska Airlines 1-800-426-0333, [1-602-921-3100] American 1-800-433-7300, 1-800-223-5436, [1-817-267-1151] America West 1-800-247-5692, [1-602-693-0737] British Airways 1-800-247-9297 Canadian Partners 1-800-426-7000 Continental 1-800-525-0280 (Dom), 1-800-231-0856 (Itl) [1-404-436-3300] Delta 1-800-221-1212, [1-404-765-5000] Northwest 1-800-225-2525, [1-612-726-1234] TWA 1-800-221-2000, [1-404-522-5738] United 1-800-241-6522, [1-312-825-2525] USAir 1-800-428-4322, [1-412-922-7500] ;;; ******************************** ;;; Frequent Flyer Programs ******** ;;; ******************************** Most programs (e.g., United, Northwest, American, USAir) will give you a free domestic roundtrip for 20,000 miles, a ticket to Hawaii or the Carribbean for 30,000, a ticket to Europe for 40,000 and a ticket to Australia or Asia for 60,000. Delta requires 40,000 miles for a free domestic ticket. Given joining bonuses and mileage promotions, one can often reach this with one overseas flight. Northwest and USAir give you a minimum of 750 (Delta, 1000) miles for each flight segment. Northwest will give you a one-way ticket for 10,000 miles. Air Canada 1-800-361-8523 Partners with Austrian, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, First Air, Singapore Alaska Airlines 1-800-654-5669 Partners with Northwest, TWA Aloha Airlines 1-800-486-7277 AAdvantage (American) 1-800-882-8880 Partners with TWA, Cathay Pacific, Singapore America West 1-800-247-5691 Partners with Air France, Virgin Atlantic Canadian 1-604-270-7587 Partners with Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa Continental 1-713-952-1630 Delta 1-800-323-2323 Partners with Air Canada, Japan Air Lines, Singapore, Swissair Midwest Express 1-800-452-2022 Northwest 1-800-435-9696 Partners with KLM. TWA 1-800-325-4815, 1-800-221-2000 Partners with American, Alaska, Air India, British Airways United 1-800-421-4655 USAir 1-800-428-4322, 1-800-872-4738 ;;; ******************************** ;;; Complaints and Compliments ***** ;;; ******************************** If you have a legitimate complaint about service, write a well-written letter to the appropriate people at the airline. This can often result in real results. But don't become a habitual complainer. Many airline customer service departments keep records of all complaints and compliments. If you complain too often, you'll get tagged as a flamer, and they'll ignore future complaints. If you are a frequent flyer and don't complain often, complaints can end up in travel discount compensation. Airlines do keep track of who complains and how frequently, so if you complain too often about trivial matters, your complaints won't have the same effect as they would if you complained about only important problems. Keep track of the names of all airline personnel you deal with, and be as specific as possible about dates, times, places, and flight numbers in your letter. Enclose copies of any receipts for expenses incurred because of missed/delayed flights. The Department of Transportation accepts consumer complaints about airlines and records, compiles, and publishes statistics on airline performance. The statistics are available in a monthly Air Travel Consumer Report. For a free copy, write to the Office of Consumer Affairs, US Department of Transportation, 400 7th Street, NW, Room 10405, Washington, DC 20590. 202-366-2220. The statistics vary a lot from month to month. On-time: Best -- America West Airlines 84.8% Worst -- Delta 74.3% Overbooking: Best -- American 89 involuntary bumps/19 million passengers Worst -- America West 1,805/3.7 million Mishandled baggage: Best -- Southwest Worst -- America West Customer Relations Departments of various airlines: Aloha Airlines Inc., Customer Relations, PO Box 30028, Honolulu, HI 96820. Alaska Airlines, Consumer Affairs, PO Box 68900, Seattle, WA 98168. America West Airlines, Consumer Affairs, 222 South Mill Ave., Tempe, AZ 85281. Continental Airlines, Customer Relations, PO Box 4607, Houston, TX 77210-4607. Delta Air Lines Inc., Law Dept, Hartsfield Atlanta Int Airport, Atlanta, GA 3032 Eastern Air Lines Inc., Consumer Affairs, Bldg 11, Rm 1433, Miami Int Airport, M Hawaiian Airlines, Consumer Affairs, Honolulu Intl Airport, PO Box 30008, Honolu Midway Airlines, Consumer Affairs, 5959 South Cicero Avenue, Chicago, IL 60638. Northwest Airlines, Consumer Affairs, Minneapolis/St. Paul Intl Airport, St. Pau Pan American World Airways Inc., Consumer Affairs Dept, 200 Park Avenue, New Yor Southwest Airlines Co., Customer Relations, PO Box 37611, Love Field, Dallas, TX Trans World Airlines Inc., Customer Relations, 605 Third Ave., New York, 10158. United Airlines, Customer Relations, PO Box 66100, Chicago, IL 60666. USAir, Consumer Relations, Washington National Airport, Washington, DC 20001. ;;; ******************************** ;;; On-line reservation services *** ;;; ******************************** Eaasy Sabare is an ailine reservation system. It can be accessed via Prodigy, Compu$erve, Delphi or GENIE for an additional fee. PARS TravelShopper is available on Compu$erve and Delphi. Official Airline Guide (OAG) Electronic Edition is available on Compu$erve, Delphi, direct TYMNET (with credit card billing). None of these save you the commission charges, so it doesn't save you much over calling the airline's 800 number or using a travel agent and asking lots of "what-if" questions. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Miscellaneous Notes ************ ;;; ******************************** The largest travel agency in the US is Thomas Cook Travel. Keep in mind that ticket agents and gate attendants are people, and if you're nice to them, they may be able to bend the rules. Seat assignment on most airlines starts 3 weeks in advance of the flight (some are 30 days). No seat assignments on Southwest and shuttle flights. Non-refundable, non-changeable, non-transferable tickets are the default; you might have to pay more to have a transferable ticket. But then you might be able to sell half your ticket, and thereby recoup some of your costs. (This only works on domestic flights, where you don't need to show a passport.) Bargain seats are almost always limited, so start looking early and be flexible with your times and dates. January, February, September and October are the slack travel months; ticket prices will be cheapest around then. Because of the way airlines price tickets, it is sometimes cheaper to buy a ticket from point A to point C making a mid-trip stop in point B (i.e., two tickets AC and CB) that it is to buy a ticket direct from point A to point B. Note, however, that if you do this your luggage should be carryons, since the airline usually checks the luggage direct to the ultimate destination. Also, some airlines will cancel your entire ticket if you skip one leg of the trip. Airports notorious for heavy traffic and air-traffic-control snafus: Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta, Logan Airport in Boston, O'Hare in Chicago, Stapleton in Denver, JFK in New York, and San Francisco International. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Other Sources of Information *** ;;; ******************************** The best source of information is the US Department of Transportation. All carriers must file their fares with them for tariff purposes. A variety of companies publish rate guides based on the US Department of Transportation files. The subscription prices are a bit steep, but your library may have some. ;;; ******************************** ;;; Further Reading **************** ;;; ******************************** Consumer Reports Travel Letter $37/yr, monthly Pox 53629 Boulder CO 80322-3629 800-234-1970 Best Fares Magazine (consumer edition): $58/year Best Fares, Inc. 1111 W. Arkansas Lane, Suite C Arlington, TX 76013 1-817-261-6114 Travel Secrets: $30/year Box 2325 New York, NY 10108 Travel Unlimited: $25/year Box 1058 Allston, MA 02134 Official Airline Guide, Pocket Edition: $82/year ;;; ******************************** ;;; Jetlag ************************* ;;; ******************************** To reset your clock, there are several things you can do: o Stay up 24+ hours and go to sleep at the normal time for your destination. o When you wake up in the morning, go for a half hour walk in the bright morning sunlight. o Do not eat right before you go to sleep. Eat a light dinner. o Eat your meals according to the destination time zone. o Do not drink any alcoholic or caffeine-based beverages during your flight.