Wednesday, September 26, 2007
6 Cheeky Ways To Get An Upgrade On Your Air Ticket
Some business travellers exercise more ingenuity and cunning finding a way around their company travel policy, than they use in their actual job.
Many business travellers shed tears at the demise of Concorde. Blagging their way onto Concorde represented the pinnacle of transatlantic travel achievement. Few company travel policies allow such luxury, but Concorde rarely flew without a majority of business travel passengers.
Concorde flights spawned many excuses. Shorter time without a cigarette, fear of flying, creativity etc. Since Concorde retired, first class became the main goal - followed by business class, or maximum air miles.
Company travel managers can actually save their companies vastly more money than negotiating with travel suppliers. If someone flies economy instead of business, that's often worth about four tickets.
But the big company employee still holds a bag of tricks :
* Medical
* Schedule
* Late Booking
* Hotels
* Inefficient Systems
* Promotion
Medical grounds provide good excuses for upgrade. Did you hear the expression 'economy class syndrome' ? It refers to deep-vein thrombosis. This, undoubtedly unpleasant and dangerous condition, produces the biggest increase in business class upgrade requests. Many people actually hand over a medical certificate to support their claim know any doctor friends ?
A good trick manipulates Schedules. This works well for people collecting air miles. Simply arrange your meeting so you can only get there using your preferred flight.
Book late, hoping economy sells-out early, and only business class seats remain. This common ploy usually fails if company policy requires an advance notice period.
Even if you can't get your preferred flight upgrade, a 5 * hotel will help soothe your disappointment. Although travel managers carefully monitor air travel and car hire, they're less likely to have local hotel knowledge. You can find yourself in a far superior hotel than company policy really allows.
Your company may run a strict travel policy. But inefficient systems prevent them actually detecting your abuse. Try to find out how your company checks its business travel. Does the travel agent provide reports ? Are you forced to use a corporate card that itemizes all your expenses ? Even if they do, not all companies actually analyze the data. Search for chinks in your companies travel policy armour.
Finally, if all else fails, get promotion ! Yes, if you get a senior management position you can ignore your own rules. Or you might finally be entitled to the standard of travel you feel appropriate to you.
Using these six ways, and any others you can think of, every business trip soon becomes a luxury you can look forward to.
Air Fare
The key to finding low-cost airfares is flexibility, know-how and even luck.
Some tips are given here for a chea air fare:
* Use insider language when you search for a flight
If you book directly through an airline, specifically ask for the lowest published fare. If you don't, you could get a higher fare on the same flight, same seat. In fact, tickets are classified by everything from restrictions on cancellation to numbers of days before flight time. A seat with more restrictions and a lower price is fine for the average pleasure or business traveler.
After asking for the lowest fare, inquire for any available promotions on that day or coming up soon.
* Use the Web to shop for cheaper flights
Comparing fares used to be a full-time job. No more. Frequent travelers can learn about fare wars online, via e-mail or by fax.
* Look for promotions
Special promotions are offered all the time by airlines, usually in concert with a credit card company or a retailer.
* Buy APEX'
If you book directly with an airline, plan ahead enough to get an APEX (Advance Purchase Excursion) fare. Buy your tickets seven, 14 or 21 days before the flight and stay over a Saturday. Tickets are nonrefundable, but often can be exchanged for a $100 fee. On domestic flights, APEX costs about one-third or less than the regular fare. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic shave an extra $100 off if you book 90 days or 45 days ahead respectively. Airlines change fare policies quickly, however, so call airlines regularly.
* Book through consolidators
Consolidators are companies that buy blocks of tickets from airlines and resell them at a discount from 30% to 60%. The only catch is that you may not get frequent-flier miles and changing plans may be more restrictive. You can call directly or use a travel agent. Some airlines have their own consolidators.
* Look for creative booking strategies
If you like puzzles, you can book that $224 round trip special from Boston to Miami for mid-April, then fly to the Bahamas for another $193. The round trip from New York is about $501. You save $84. Especially for long flights or offbeat destinations, this can work wonders. But if the savings are relatively modest, then you must decide if convenience is worth the extra price.
* Consider charter airlines
Charter companies hire airplanes and fill them to the brim. It's not my favorite way to travel for several reasons.
* Companion fares for two
Airlines often offer special companion fares to induce you and your significant other to choose that carrier. The fares are often based on a higher priced ticket for the first traveler, but offer significantly reduced rates for the second passenger. The sum total is less than if you bought two tickets at even a discounted rate.
Flying for less is not a difficult task. Just because the person next to you paid full freight to fly in a crowded coach section of a cross-continent flight doesn't mean you have to share in that experience.
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
By: Jacky Uy
Jacky Uy writes for www.cheapairfareguide.info where you can find out more about cheap airfare guides and other topics.
Travel Blog
Many business travellers shed tears at the demise of Concorde. Blagging their way onto Concorde represented the pinnacle of transatlantic travel achievement. Few company travel policies allow such luxury, but Concorde rarely flew without a majority of business travel passengers.
Concorde flights spawned many excuses. Shorter time without a cigarette, fear of flying, creativity etc. Since Concorde retired, first class became the main goal - followed by business class, or maximum air miles.
Company travel managers can actually save their companies vastly more money than negotiating with travel suppliers. If someone flies economy instead of business, that's often worth about four tickets.
But the big company employee still holds a bag of tricks :
* Medical
* Schedule
* Late Booking
* Hotels
* Inefficient Systems
* Promotion
Medical grounds provide good excuses for upgrade. Did you hear the expression 'economy class syndrome' ? It refers to deep-vein thrombosis. This, undoubtedly unpleasant and dangerous condition, produces the biggest increase in business class upgrade requests. Many people actually hand over a medical certificate to support their claim know any doctor friends ?
A good trick manipulates Schedules. This works well for people collecting air miles. Simply arrange your meeting so you can only get there using your preferred flight.
Book late, hoping economy sells-out early, and only business class seats remain. This common ploy usually fails if company policy requires an advance notice period.
Even if you can't get your preferred flight upgrade, a 5 * hotel will help soothe your disappointment. Although travel managers carefully monitor air travel and car hire, they're less likely to have local hotel knowledge. You can find yourself in a far superior hotel than company policy really allows.
Your company may run a strict travel policy. But inefficient systems prevent them actually detecting your abuse. Try to find out how your company checks its business travel. Does the travel agent provide reports ? Are you forced to use a corporate card that itemizes all your expenses ? Even if they do, not all companies actually analyze the data. Search for chinks in your companies travel policy armour.
Finally, if all else fails, get promotion ! Yes, if you get a senior management position you can ignore your own rules. Or you might finally be entitled to the standard of travel you feel appropriate to you.
Using these six ways, and any others you can think of, every business trip soon becomes a luxury you can look forward to.
Air Fare
The key to finding low-cost airfares is flexibility, know-how and even luck.
Some tips are given here for a chea air fare:
* Use insider language when you search for a flight
If you book directly through an airline, specifically ask for the lowest published fare. If you don't, you could get a higher fare on the same flight, same seat. In fact, tickets are classified by everything from restrictions on cancellation to numbers of days before flight time. A seat with more restrictions and a lower price is fine for the average pleasure or business traveler.
After asking for the lowest fare, inquire for any available promotions on that day or coming up soon.
* Use the Web to shop for cheaper flights
Comparing fares used to be a full-time job. No more. Frequent travelers can learn about fare wars online, via e-mail or by fax.
* Look for promotions
Special promotions are offered all the time by airlines, usually in concert with a credit card company or a retailer.
* Buy APEX'
If you book directly with an airline, plan ahead enough to get an APEX (Advance Purchase Excursion) fare. Buy your tickets seven, 14 or 21 days before the flight and stay over a Saturday. Tickets are nonrefundable, but often can be exchanged for a $100 fee. On domestic flights, APEX costs about one-third or less than the regular fare. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic shave an extra $100 off if you book 90 days or 45 days ahead respectively. Airlines change fare policies quickly, however, so call airlines regularly.
* Book through consolidators
Consolidators are companies that buy blocks of tickets from airlines and resell them at a discount from 30% to 60%. The only catch is that you may not get frequent-flier miles and changing plans may be more restrictive. You can call directly or use a travel agent. Some airlines have their own consolidators.
* Look for creative booking strategies
If you like puzzles, you can book that $224 round trip special from Boston to Miami for mid-April, then fly to the Bahamas for another $193. The round trip from New York is about $501. You save $84. Especially for long flights or offbeat destinations, this can work wonders. But if the savings are relatively modest, then you must decide if convenience is worth the extra price.
* Consider charter airlines
Charter companies hire airplanes and fill them to the brim. It's not my favorite way to travel for several reasons.
* Companion fares for two
Airlines often offer special companion fares to induce you and your significant other to choose that carrier. The fares are often based on a higher priced ticket for the first traveler, but offer significantly reduced rates for the second passenger. The sum total is less than if you bought two tickets at even a discounted rate.
Flying for less is not a difficult task. Just because the person next to you paid full freight to fly in a crowded coach section of a cross-continent flight doesn't mean you have to share in that experience.
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
By: Jacky Uy
Jacky Uy writes for www.cheapairfareguide.info where you can find out more about cheap airfare guides and other topics.
Travel Blog
The Best Way To Travel With Your Equipment
At one time or another, you are going to have to transport your equipment, even if it's only a half hour away to the local club where you contracted to play. Whether you transport your equipment in a truck, van, or SUV, the important thing is to make sure that everything is protected not only from the weather, but also from any bumps that may occur in the road. To do that, you want to make sure that you have everything protected with either a blanket or an instrument covering. You need to make sure that they don't bump against each other and don't have an opportunity to fall during the drive.
If your venue is some distance from where you live, and you need to fly or take the train, you may find that your equipment is not quite as subject to bumping as it is on the highway. That doesn't mean, however, that you should be any less cautious. You still want to protect your equipment, especially on a plane where you may be subject to turbulence. Even if your equipment is insured, you don't want to have to worry about it being damaged before you reach the venue, and have to make arrangements to rent equipment to use for your show.
For local venues, a van is much better than a truck or even SUV because of the size the ease of putting instruments into it. An SUV can be somewhat small for transporting a large drum set, and a regular truck offers no protection in case of rain. The latter may be find if you find yourself in a bind, but when it comes time to buy a vehicle for transporting band equipment, a cargo van is your best choice. In fact, you may want to put some cushioning in the back of the van perhaps carpet the sides, especially if you don't plan to use the van for any other purpose. This will save you from having to tote along extra padding when you travel with the equipment. The earlier you learn how to properly transport your equipment, the easier it will be later if you choose to go national with your act and have to move the equipment more frequently and transport it for longer distances.
Keeping everything protected and safe means that when you get to your destination, you know that everything will be ready to go right on stage for practice and performance. Take all of the precautions now, and you will reap many benefits later in the time savings and longevity of your instruments' lives. Don't try to cut corners with your protective equipmentbuy the best that is on the market.
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
By:
Brian Avery is a freelance editor for Rockin Drum Store. Read more and find great deals and discounts on Rockin Drum Store products at www.RockinDrumStore.com/index.aspx.
Travel Blog
If your venue is some distance from where you live, and you need to fly or take the train, you may find that your equipment is not quite as subject to bumping as it is on the highway. That doesn't mean, however, that you should be any less cautious. You still want to protect your equipment, especially on a plane where you may be subject to turbulence. Even if your equipment is insured, you don't want to have to worry about it being damaged before you reach the venue, and have to make arrangements to rent equipment to use for your show.
For local venues, a van is much better than a truck or even SUV because of the size the ease of putting instruments into it. An SUV can be somewhat small for transporting a large drum set, and a regular truck offers no protection in case of rain. The latter may be find if you find yourself in a bind, but when it comes time to buy a vehicle for transporting band equipment, a cargo van is your best choice. In fact, you may want to put some cushioning in the back of the van perhaps carpet the sides, especially if you don't plan to use the van for any other purpose. This will save you from having to tote along extra padding when you travel with the equipment. The earlier you learn how to properly transport your equipment, the easier it will be later if you choose to go national with your act and have to move the equipment more frequently and transport it for longer distances.
Keeping everything protected and safe means that when you get to your destination, you know that everything will be ready to go right on stage for practice and performance. Take all of the precautions now, and you will reap many benefits later in the time savings and longevity of your instruments' lives. Don't try to cut corners with your protective equipmentbuy the best that is on the market.
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
By:
Brian Avery is a freelance editor for Rockin Drum Store. Read more and find great deals and discounts on Rockin Drum Store products at www.RockinDrumStore.com/index.aspx.
Travel Blog
