Here’s the catch: many airlines on the “don’t fly” lists of both the E.U. and the U.S. only fly within their own nations or bordering countries, so blacklisting a country or airline that doesn’t fly to yours is somewhat meaningless operationally. It does, however, provide wide-ranging travellers with a guide: do they want to fly an airline that may not follow international standards of training for crews or mechanics?

Of course, anyone who has flown regularly has a “worst airline” story about carriers that may or may not make any official “bad” list — but everyone likes to vent.

Some of the best storytellers are foreign correspondents, who travel to all corners of the globe in often dicey circumstances. One of them, Michael J. Totten, posted an article on his blog last year called, “The Worst Airline Company in the World” and it was all about a well-known European carrier that among other things, took a month to return a checked bag – covered in mould.

Safety tips for flying:
So what’s a flier to do? Well, it would be good practice to check the various lists and safey records of airlines – and keeping up with the news doesn’t hurt. But again, bad things can happen anytime, anywhere – and all you can do is be as prepared as humanly possible.

What should you do when flying? Here are some tips:
Watch Your Alcohol Consumption: The more alert you are, the better you’ll be able to respond to any emergency.

Keep Your Seatbelt On: Turbulence and other problems can come out of nowhere. Keep the belt on, even if the “buckle-up” sign is unlit.

Keep Quiet and Listen: The crew may give important directions – if you can’t hear them, you won’t know what to do.

Stay Calm: Easier said than done, but keep it together to make an orderly exit from the plane if so directed – panic slows everyone down.

Leave It All Behind: Anything you brought on board can be replaced, with the exception of yourself – if you take the time to fumble for that laptop or grab that purse, you may lose everything.

I read an interesting piece of news today about how Alaskan Airlines and Horizon Air are resorting to mobile services, in an effort to retain customer loyalty. The mobile services that these two airlines are currently offering are designed for the iPhone, BlackBerry and Microsoft Windows Mobile users and are hoped to improve their passengers travel experience and convenience.

These new services will enable passengers to make changes to their reservations, access airport information and potentially purchase tickets. Passengers can also check their flight status information, flight schedules, flight alerts and check-in 1 to 24 hours prior to their scheduled departure. Furthermore, passengers can use their “My Trips” feature to view their itinerary, change their seats, check their upgrade status and add an Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan number to their reservation. (for more information check out www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/database-crm/5632.html)

I believe that the more savvy Airlines are finally beginning to realize that with so many carriers and options available to travelers, retaining loyalty and repeated visits are becoming harder to achieve. Brand loyalty has been replaced by price consciousness thanks to the proliferation of budget carriers.

At last years WIT conference an ‘expert’ in the travel industry said that to retain customers, airlines and hotels need to offer more than just refurbished toilets and renovated rooms. What is missing is that little extra service that makes passengers and guests feel special and cared for. Being an ArrivedOK subscriber, I think the expert hit the nail on the head. Its no longer enough to offer the superficial trimmings that most hotels and airlines think us travelers require.

Instead, what we are actually looking for is convenience, and the knowledge that you care about how we feel. If an airline or hotel offered me the use of ArrivedOK FOC for flying or staying with them, I would consider traveling and staying with them during my next trip. Its those little extras, the intangibles that make us feel cared for, and that is what retains loyalty.

AUSTIN, Texas, November 30 /PRNewswire/ –

- www.arrivedOK.mobi Offers Monetization to Travel Social Networks, Provides Air Companies With New Ancillary Revenue Service and Customer Loyalty Tool.

ArrivedOK (http://www.arrivedok.mobi/hello), the personal flight arrival tracker finishes the phase of public beta and goes commercial now. ArrivedOK tracks air travelers’ cell phones in a mobile network when it is turned on after landing and instantly sends those tailored ‘Arrived OK’ messages to the designated recipients via SMS, email, and social media.

Logo: http://www.arrivedok.mobi/img/logo_arrivedok_full_01.png

The automated flight plan systems do not provide accurate reporting about flight arrivals all the time, which was demonstrated on November 19, 2009 when the glitch in US air traffic control network caused flight delays across the nation. Unlike other tracking services that use centralized flight status data, ArrivedOK tracks one’s actual appearance in the destination airport using individual mobile phone status.

“Even as a paid service, ArrivedOK SMS alerts allow the subscribers bypassing the heavy international roaming charges.” – says Andrey Deriabin, Director Business Development at arrivedOK.mobi Inc. “However, we’d like to make it completely free for the end users. So we are working on B2B partnerships that would allow subsidizing the mobile traffic generated by our subscribers. During the public beta phase we received very promising responses from air companies, which look for new opportunities in a time of economic hardship. While discount airlines primarily see ArrivedOK as a source of ancillary revenue, “majors” also consider it as customer loyalty tool, willing to subsidize the service to their frequent flyers.”

ArrivedOK also provides monetization opportunity to travel websites and startups. “There are a lot of travel-related social networking projects seeking monetization.” – says Andrey Deriabin. “ArrivedOK perfectly matches their audience. We’re currently doing test integration with selected sites, and will make ArrivedOK API publicly available until the end of the year via http://partners.arrivedok.mobi”

ArrivedOK has been selected as a Webby Awards 2009 Official Honoree in two categories: Best Use of GPS or Location Technology and Experimental & Innovation. The service is currently available worldwide except for the subscribers of the US and Chinese mobile networks.

    Contact: Andrey Deriabin
    arrivedOK.mobi Inc.
    Tel: +73833630139
    Cell: +79139859722
    Email: andrey.deriabin @ arrivedok.mobi
    Web http://arrivedok.mobi
    Mobile http://m.arrivedok.mobi

Distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of arrivedOK.mobi Inc.

209 – 215 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NL
Tel : +44 (0)20 7490 8111
Fax : +44 (0)20 7490 1255
E-mail : info@prnewswire.co.uk

Some airplanes and airport lounges are so impressive, you may not want to leave.

Is the thrill of flying gone? For most people these days, a commercial flight seems like a nightmare. You question whether the bags are getting better treatment than the passengers. While airlines are cutting back on amenities for coach travelers, they are shelling out big bucks to upgrade their first-class service. There are new seats with more entertainment options and larger lounges as airports try to pamper customers who pay top dollar for their flights.

Here is the first-class cabin of British Airways. Besides champagne, large seats and more than 200 entertainment choices, first-class passengers are also served afternoon tea. How British.

Source: ABC News

A great post by Tim Hughes about the Three (actually more) lies the travel industry keeps telling consumers. Many travelers will find them quite familiar:

“Again and again the travel industry thinks that lying to a customer is the best way out of an uncomfortable situation. As a consumer of online travel I have come across three standard lies that the industry keeps telling me. They are:

1. I would like to help you but “the system” wont let me;

2. The flight/hotel/boat/train is fully booked; and

3. The flight/boat/train is on time.”

Read more: Three lies the travel industry keeps telling consumers (with Qantas, Hilton and Virgin Express examples)