Delta's baggage fees in the spotlight

Name: Budget Travel LLC
Price range: $

By Sean O'Neill

October 3, 2012

Numbers released this week show that the airlines are set to double the fees they earn from passengers this year to nearly $4 billion. The Economist has pointed out this detail:

"One airline stands above all the others for collecting the most from its customers to transport luggage and in complaints that those bags have been mishandled. This year Delta Air Lines has taken around $7.60 a passenger and received over five complaints from every 1,000 passengers."

Sigh.

Plan Your Next Getaway

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Airfare for $149 round trip, no names or dates required

A special sale from Direct Air allow you to buy round trip tickets for $149, all taxes and fees included, and you can decide later who is going to use them and when they're going to travel. Direct Air calls this promotion its Family Ties Sale. Beyond the great price, what really stands out is that you don't have to have firm travel dates, and you don't even need to know who exactly is going to be doing the traveling. These options are almost unheard in air travel today. You can purchase up to 20 round-trip ticket vouchers for use between October 15, 2009, and October 31, 2010. After buying, you receive a confirmation number, which later, once you're ready, you can use for booking flights over the phone at 877/432-3473. These vouchers must be purchased by September 27. There are no blackout dates, but the number of Family Ties vouchers accepted on each Direct Air flight is limited. What that means is that it may be difficult, if not impossible, to use these vouchers on peak travel dates. Booking early is a good idea. Direct Air flies primarily from B-list airports in the Northeast and the Midwest such as Worcester, Mass., and Kalamazoo, Mich., to hubs in the Southeast such as Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Orlando-Sanford, Fla. Read more about Direct Air and other upstart airlines at "Flying Under the Radar." For bookings, go to VisitDirectAir.com.

Inspiration

Down east delicious

Having worked in the kitchens of lauded New York City restaurants Blue Hill and Craft, chef turned culinary instructor Annemarie Ahearn knows the high-end food world. But at Salt Water Farm, her new oceanfront cooking school in a post-and-beam barn near Camden, Maine, the vibe is considerably more low-key. Students work with ingredients foraged or caught nearby or grown right on the premises—Ahearn's garden holds 75 varieties of vegetables and 25 types of herbs. Classes focus on seasonal recipes and range from the basics (bread making, pie baking) to elaborate lessons on how to prepare indigenous wild birds or big game. Bonus: Most sessions close with an alfresco group dinner overlooking the impossibly blue Penobscot Bay. 207/230-0966, saltwaterfarm.com, classes from $60 for two hours. —Lindsay Aveilhe, from the October 2009 issue of Budget Travel

Travel Tips

Insider tip: Chocolate in Zurich

Winner of the "best travel and food blog" award from Lonely Planet this year (as well as best travel blog award in the 2008 Weblog Awards) is Kerrin Rousset's My Kugelhopf. Rousset is an ex-pat who travels the world with an an especially sharp eye for sweet treats and cultural trends. She's based in Zürich, so we couldn't think of anyone better to ask for a tip on a great spot to visit in her city: "I can spend hours at Truffe, a tiny, beautiful chocolate shop in Zürich's Old Town. The owner, Elisabetta, organizes the chocolate by country of origin, and in the back there's a table where you can sit and drink a cup of the city's best hot chocolate or an espresso." You'll find her tip—along with many others from fresh faces in the travel community—in the October 2009 issue of Budget Travel.

Tips on traveling with technology from students and teachers

We recently asked Patrick Evans, marketing communications coordinator at STA Travel (the leading travel agency for youth travel) for tips on traveling with technology. He says he tries to resist the urge to stay too "wired" when traveling, as he feels it takes away from the experience. But sometimes he needs to bring his laptop. When hotel Wi-Fi doesn't function as promised, Evans recommends the Belkin Mini Surge Protector: "You cut down on carrying adapters because it acts as a surge protector and an outlet strip." An added perk: The built-in USB chargers let you power up a couple of gizmos at the same time as you charge your laptop. (Recently $15 at Amazon.) Patrick adds: "Some STA customers bring their cases for laptops and other electronics with them, but a lot of them will scrap cases and wrap their stuff in clothes. DSLR cables in T-shirts, for example—it keeps things protected, and it's a lot lighter." MORE How STA Travel folks use technology on the road SALE! At 1 p.m. ET, STA Travel is launching its "best ever Europe sale," with flights up to 40 percent off. Plus, additional discounts if you buy more than four nights of accommodation (hotel or hostel), any Eurail pass, or a tour, which are being discounted by 20 percent for this sale. Sale lasts until Monday, September 28. Details at STA Travel.

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