Travel Advisor

The shootout outside Jama Masjid on Sunday has worried various nations, especially those participating in the forthcoming Commonwealth Games (CWG). Concerned about the security of their people, the embassies of Australia, New Zealand and the United States have issued travel advisories for major Indian cities.

European travelers who until know had the right to travel to United States for Free have to shake up their packets as visa free travel is not anymore free because of the new regulations called ESTA.

ESTA stands for Electronic System for Travel Authorization and as of last Wednesday the right to travel to the United States means paying. The new travel tax to USA will cost $14 dollars.

ESTA regulation will cover 35 countries. Out of those 35 countries 22 are from the European Union. Their citizens are exempt from visa for stay of less than three months. However, since 2009, they must obtain an authorization, by sending a request via the Internet. Now, that authorization, the ESTA will cost money.

The ESTA fee will only apply to those travelers who request an authorization to travel to USA after September 8. A representative of the Department of Homeland Security, told Euronews that more than 26 million travelers have already obtained ESTA and they won't pay the new ESTA fee until their authorization is not expired.

ESTA is valid for two years and may be used for multiple entries. However, vacation tour operators in European Union say they are dissatisfied with this new regulation. Brussels says it will check to see if the new travel tax violates bilateral agreements between EU and the United States.
ESTA travel tax is to promote USA overseas.

Of the 14 dollars the $4 will be used to to manage the administrative costs. The rest will be used to support promoting the United States abroad.

Euronews also reports that if a traveler or a vacationer has a connecting flight in the United States he or she still has to pay the ESTA tax even if person is staying only for two hours. Now, if one is taking his or her entire family on a vacation and has a connecting flight in USA, this means a lot of travel tax pay.

Yet, some travel agencies in Europe say Washington has not done any promotion in the past year. Since 2001 the tourism to the United States has declined. The European News agency doubts if the new travel tax may help the boost tourism and travel to the United States.

Reference: Eueronews

Delta Air Lines Inc. plans to upgrade the seats on its Boeing 747s next summer, while cutting the number of seats in the plane's most expensive cabin.

Delta detailed the changes on September 2, which are part of a $1 billion plan announced in January to overhaul seats and make other customer improvements.

Beginning in the summer of 2011, Delta will add seats that recline flat in its Business Elite cabin on all 16 of its 747s, which mostly fly between the U.S. and Asia. New coach seats will include a nine-inch video screen with on-demand entertainment.

The new seats will be installed by the summer of 2012. Although the vast majority of travelers fly in coach, competition is intense for those travelers in the front of the plane because a single ticket on a long-haul flight can cost thousands of dollars. Delta's 747s currently seat 403 people, including 65 in Business Elite.

The new seating plan will eliminate 17 seats from Business Elite. Delta spokesman Paul Skrbec didn't elaborate on the change, or detail how much the 747 upgrade would cost.

UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, which competes head-to-head with Delta on Asia flights, also removed high-end cabin seats on many of the planes used on international flights, aiming to be able to charge more for those that remain.

Delta said the new 747 coach seats will offer more personal space and under-seat storage because of a new design that uses less space than older, heavier seats they replace. Delta said in January that it would spend $1 billion through mid-2013 to improve customer service, remodel existing aircraft and improve fuel efficiency, rather than buy new planes like some competitors.

Besides the 747, Delta is also adding fully flat seats in premium cabins on its Boeing 777s and 767s. Work on 767s is beginning soon and will run through June, Skrbec said. Work on the 777s begins in October and runs through July.

Delta said it will eventually have the lie-flat seats on more than 100 aircraft that make international flights.

news source: http://www.nydailynews.com

Air travel without a doubt is the fastest and the most convenient means to travel. If you are flying first class or business class, the experience is much better. Unfortunately, many travelers do not have the luxury of flying first class, unless you get a free airline upgrade. Getting your economy class airline ticket upgraded to first class may sound like a fairytale, but it does happen. It is true that getting a free upgrade is very unpredictable but one can increase the chances. For everyone out there looking to get their economy class tickets upgraded to first class here are some tips and tricks.

• The best way to increase your chances is by sticking with one airline instead of flying in different airlines. Join the airline frequent flier program. This way, even if you don’t get a free upgrade you will get access to airline airport lounges and so on.

• The best time to get a free upgrade is early afternoon and late evening.

• Another great way is to book your flight tickets when the economy section is full. You can known whether their economy section is packed or not by going through a false booking on the airline website. As there is so much competition, the airline may squeeze you to first class instead of turning you away.

• How you dress is very important. You need not wear a suit or a tie but at least dress like a business executive as airlines won’t be willing to upgrade a person wearing torn jeans and dirty shoes, to the first class.

• Be polite. Ask the check-in staff, ‘whether you are eligible for an upgrade’. Those traveling alone have a bigger chance of getting a free upgrade than those traveling in groups.