Air Travel

On July 6, after an 11-hour flight from Seoul, South Korea, Asiana Airlines flight 214 crashed at the San Francisco International Airport (SF0) as it was landing. Of the 291 passengers and 16 crew, two passengers died on the scene, another died nearly a week later and about 180 people were injured. 

The plane came in too low and too slowly, and the landing gear and tail section of the Boeing 777 plane were broken off on a seawall on the approach. Passengers exited and were evacuated before a fire took over. Investigations into the cause of the accident are ongoing.

A friend and I were on a tour of India in November ’12 that had six internal flights, and with airport security we never were sure what would or would not be allowed in our carry-ons. Each airport seemed to make up its own rules about security, even with group check-ins. 

Passengers couldn’t get into any airport without a boarding pass or eticket. Each passenger was checked at the door before entering. 

Travelers flying out of the Benito Juárez International Airport near México, D.F. (Mexico City), Mexico, should be aware that airport security agents may confiscate their contact lens solution and certain other liquids from their carry-on baggage. That’s what happened to me on Dec. 22, 2012, in Terminal 1.

The brand-new Kuala Namu International Airport (code KNO) is now operational on Sumatra, Indonesia. Located about 32 kilometers (20 miles) from Medan, the fourth-largest city in Indonesia, it has replaced the Polonia International Airport. 

The new airport is the largest of the seven major airports in Indonesia. It can manage up to 8.1 million passengers per year and has runways that can handle large, wide-body planes. International airlines using the airport are Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, AirAsia, Firefly Malaysia, SilkAir and Mihin Lanka.

Shareholders at US Airways Group approved a plan for the airline to merge with American Airlines. If the merger is approved by government regulators as expected, the result of the $11 billion merger will be the world’s largest airline. The new American Airlines would remain headquartered in Dallas-Forth Worth and would stay with the rewards program of the airlines alliance oneworld®. 

In May, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and US Airways all raised their ticket-change fees from $150 to $200 for US domestic, restricted-class tickets. In July, Alaska Airlines increased its change fee from $75 to $100, and in August Air Tran increased its to $150. Only Southwest still charges no fee and issues a flight credit.

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 451st issue of your monthly foreign-travel magazine, the one about which subscriber Judy Gallagher of Freeport, Illinois, wrote, “It is the best travel magazine I have ever seen.”

En route to any of a dozen destinations in Africa, chances are you’ll need a layover in Johannesburg. For years I’ve used the deluxe airport hotels for convenience, that is, until I discovered Sunrock Guest House (11 Park St., Kempton Park, Johannesburg, South Africa; phone +27 11 394 3772, fax 088 011 394 3772).

British Airways’ business-class seats on flights between Tampa, Florida, and England’s Gatwick Airport have been reconfigured,* with, basically, every other seat facing forward and the others facing rearward. That’s great for a couple but a bit awkward if you’re facing a stranger. Side privacy screens alleviate this but in flight only. 

The crews on each flight that my husband, Harry, and I took in April and May 2013 were the best we have encountered in a long time.

A month before my husband, Thom, and I took a trip to Italy, April 16-May 10, 2013, we bought Italy train passes from the Rick Steves website; Eurail passes must be purchased in the US and, within six months of purchase, must be validated in Europe before your first train ride. Our 4-day, single-country Saver Pass (for two people traveling together) cost $454 for the two of us, riding in second class.