Air Travel

The world’s shortest international flight, 13 miles in length, is scheduled to begin service on Nov. 2, 2017. Operated by People’s Viennaline (www.peoples.at [in German only]), the flight goes from St. Gallen-Altenrhein Airport (ACH) in Switzerland to Friedrichshafen Airport (FDH), just across Lake Constance, in Germany, in eight minutes. There are two such flights a day; the one-way fare is €40 (near $45). 

Since being diagnosed in early 2013 with a heart condition, one requiring me to use supplemental oxygen, I’ve continued traveling both domestically and internationally. When planning a trip, however, I first consult my doctor to seek his opinion, making sure he sees no problem with my destination. Clearly, altitude, climate and the availability of nearby medical facilities enter into my plans.

Online travel broker CheapAir.com has partnered with the financing company Affirm (San Francisco, CA; www.affirm.com) to allow travelers to finance their airline ticket purchases by choosing 3-, 6- or 12-month repayment plans. 

With App in the Air, you can track your flights, receive real-time schedule and gate changes and access guides and maps to 9,000 airports worldwide. Quick links on the app assist you in hiring taxis and purchasing train tickets. (As of press time, train tickets are available only from London Heathrow Express and Moscow Aeroexpress.) The app also tracks miles flown for mileage programs.

A power outage on Aug. 8 at the Atlanta, Georgia, headquarters of Delta Air Lines forced the airline to cancel more than 2,000 domestic and international flights and delay thousands of others over the next week. Backup systems that were created to restore computer systems in the event of an outage failed. People holding tickets for canceled flights each were given a $200 voucher.

This month’s winner is ROSEMARY McDANIEL of Trenton, Florida:

On my first trip to Madeira, Portugal, in 2014, I changed planes in Lisbon for my 1½-hour flight to Funchal, Madeira. I was to be met by a private driver who would drive me to my apartment, so, upon deplaning and going through Immigration, I went outside and looked for someone holding a sign with my name on it.

For our spring 2016 travels, we set aside five weeks in March and April. In light of increasing reports of security problems in Europe, we looked south to Argentina and Chile. 

We’re independent travelers, so before leaving home we booked only our flights to Buenos Aires and our return flights from Santiago back to Florida, together with a 3-night hotel stay in Buenos Aires. Along the way, we waited until the last minute to make travel decisions in order to give ourselves maximum flexibility, booking flights and accommodations on the Internet according to our whims.