News Bits on the Ever-changing Flight Experience
October 16, 2007. To start the week off in luxury vacation rental news, here are several news items about the airline industry.
The New York Times reported that "Discounters Are in for the Long Haul," examining low-cost carriers offering long-distance flights. These revolutionary offerings cut the price and the layovers, giving business and international flyers a competitive edge. One example: A British businessman cut his flight to Hong Kong from several layovers and up to $8,000 round-trip down to a direct flight at $980 one way.
As part of the continuing efforts to phase out paper tickets, the International Air Transport Association announced cell phone technology that will allow travelers to check in using a bar code sent to their cell phones. "Passengers will register their cell-phone number when buying a ticket and receive a bar code by text message," the Associated Press reported. "Check-in staff will scan the bar code directly from cell phones, doing away with the need for a boarding pass. Alternatively, passengers can also receive the code by e-mail and print it out."
And, of course, there's news on the security front, this time involving a feature seen previously in science fictions films. The Phoenix airport is testing a full-body scanner, according to USA Today. Passengers will walk through a scanner that will create an X-ray-like image, allowing officials to look for contraband hidden on the body. The controversial measure has attracted criticism from civil rights groups for its invasiveness, but supporters say it could virtually eliminate pat-downs, which some passengers find equally humiliating.
