Daily Roundup--February 1, 2012

Busy day for the daily roundup:

UK Airport operator BAA has lost its appeal and will have to sell London’s Stansted airport. BAA owns Heathrow, Southampton and three airports in Scotland as well as Stansted.

American Airlines is dropping service to Halifax, Nova Scotia beginning in April. But that’s not the big AA news today. The bankrupt airline also announced plans to cut its workforce by 13,000.

Did you know your frequent flyer miles may be taxable? Citibank thinks that in some cases they may be and is sending out 1099’s. (But not to everyone.)

I’ve never flown Spirit Airlines. My desire to fly them didn’t increase when they started charging for carry-on bags. And with this new charge, I want to fly them even less.

Delta Airlines has redesigned their boarding passes.

Do you enjoy a cocktail while traveling yet abhor the exhorbitant fees the arilines charge? If so, this may be the best advice you can get. And after reading it, the contents of my 3-1-1 bag may change. LOL

Have you ever met someone special on a plane and then regretted not getting their contact information before parting? Well, now there’s a new service that might help you reconnect.

Thanks to our friends at Frommers, a slideshow of “What Not To Wear While Traveling.” Okay, come clean, who’s actually worn some of these?

How about another slideshow? This time, “The World’s Smallest Countries.” How many have you been to?

Comments

[Paula Bag Lass]

“The World’s Smallest Countries.” How many have you been to?


One out of the ten = Monaco.

[Gary Williams]

Enjoyed the Frommer's fashion article. It is true that there are those among God's laws I do not understand and so must simply honor them as the commandments of my Creator. But do any theologians in the room understand why He prohibits socks with sandals? Or, for that matter, socks with shorts? Are socks too sacred to be gazed upon by profane eyes?

[Alan B]

While clearly a 50 ml "miniature" bottle will pass TSA, it is not clear if it is otherwise legal to utilize that while on board a flight. Might someone clarify?

Beyond that, clearly one cannot bring an outside bottle of liquid through TSA, not even a bottle of water. But, I do think that one can bring an EMPTY bottle, then fill it once past security, or buy an overpriced bottle in one of the shops. My newest "personal" item, the REI Boarding Bag, in fact has not one but two elastic mesh pockets that will hold a 500 ml bottle.

[Frank@OBOW]

The "law" says you can bring any liquid, except those on the list of dangerous ones, on board an aircraft as long as the container only holds 3.4 ounces. So, you can bring booze and water as long as it's in a container no bigger than 3.4 oz. (100 ml). And yes, you can drink--legally.

However, the airlines don't want you to bring booze on board because they would much prefer to sell it to you. While drinking your own booze might be against the airlines "rules" it's not against the law.

If you want to bring a larger container, it has to be empty or checked.

[cc]

I have traveled to two of the "smallest countries in the world"= Monaco and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Maybe one day we will be able to add Malta to the list.