Drew G., Melbourne

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A good and important question Drew. Strikes not only cause significant delays and stress, they also cost planeloads of money for airlines. Of course, from a union and worker perspective, a timely strike is a valuable tactic, if not a desperate measure, to corral a foothold in mediation with management. Small comfort for those of us with the misfortune to be stuck in the airport at the time.

As I write this, a spate of strikes and combative labour disputes have hit airports across the globe, from Sydney to Athens, Cairo to Toronto. Sadly, this is only the wingtip of the 747. Word on the tarmac is that more will follow in England and parts of continental Europe. Put in those terms and it truly sounds like a pandemic.

So what to do as a humble, lone soul lost in airport purgatory? Unfortunately, few options exist. Just ask holidaymakers from Britain, who this past April were at the mercy of ground staff at airports across Spain. Goodbye Costa del Sol hotels, hello Cyprus! Similarly, closer to home, witness the damage done by the recent actions of baggage handlers, ground staff and customs workers in Australia. Surely, Qantas shares some of the blame as well.

In the face of a potential strike, all one can do is observe and wait it out. The decision to cancel a flight or holiday typically results in a loss for the customer. If, however, a strike grounds you before your flight home, the obligatory onus is on the airline to comp you accommodation, food et al in the interim. Anyone resourceful enough to find their way home can claim a fare refund.

Keep in mind, however, that longtime frequent flyer members may be able to secure a sweetheart deal as a result of their loyalty, which airlines fervently rely on more and more in these tough, competitive times for the industry. Make a fuss, who knows? Often, you can change your ticket for future travel sans fees anyway. Good insurance is important too – sometimes a thorough policy makes all the difference in the face of a disruption. Another little trick is to book a refundable ticket with another airline (pore over the fine print!).

At the end of the day, all we can do as travellers is hope for fair and peaceful negotiations between management and workers in order to minimise the prospect of a labour strike. Because when the decision to strike is ultimately made, everyone is hurt – but nobody more so than the individual ticket-holder.

Melbourne City Guide

Angela L., Glebe

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Good question Angela and one, I assume, on the minds of most prospective travellers of late. In these tough global economic times, where out of control fuel prices have made long-distance travel prohibitively expensive for so many, we can use all the help we can get. The new trend in the corporate world in fact, is to downgrade to “premium” economy from business class for frequent flyer executives in order to massage the bottom-line. Hard times indeed.

In order to get some help, however, you have to help yourself first. You have to be, in other words, like my frugal grandmother. A pesky haggle-machine infamous with local merchants, she was relentless with scissors and a coupon book and knew the price of apples and yarn within a 20 km radius. So be like my nan Angela. Be resourceful, get to know the lay of the land and research with implacable zeal. When you hit a level of confidence in your knowledge about flights, hotels and your overall itinerary, take some common sense steps to secure upgrades:

Ask and have a reason in mind. I hate to be glib but just ask. No joke! It stuns me how few people just come out and ask for a flight or hotel room upgrade. Like a shy schoolchild, I think some people quake at the thought of rejection or the wrong answer. Newsflash: there is no wrong answer! The worst that can happen is the person on the other end of the line says “No.” So do the obvious and ask first. And remember, the more specific your request (“I need more legroom because I have a newborn.”, “Can I get a room upgrade for my honeymoon?”), the more reason they have to grant or at least consider it. Another word to the wise: ask more than once. For example, if you book a flight well in advance, casually ask about a courtesy bump. But make sure to ask one more time at the last second – you just never know.

Schmooze. OK, so this is another form of ask but up another notch. “Schmooze” is not tantamount to “Beg” – desperation is very unsexy in negotiation matters – and involves a lot more savvy wordplay. Mention, for instance, that you are a loyal customer of airline X, hotel Y and never stray. Be nice but not obnoxiously polite, sincere but not maudlin and dress sharp. Believe me, it helps to look put-together and present a somewhat professional image. Other tactics to curry favour and get comps? Check in early and board late.

Loyalty and frequent flyer programs abound and do offer potential windfalls for very regular customers. They do come with inherent Catch-22s and pitfalls, however, so pore over the fine print … much like my grandmother at the kitchen table with her loupe and coupons.

In the end, patience and persistence yields rewards. So if you plan to fly from Sydney to London, for example, do a competitive analysis between Qantas, Virgin and British Airways. Make some calls, inquire, try to gain a little wriggle room for yourself. Then, take a look at hotels in London and see what kind of offers you can score. Go for it and do not be timid!

London City Guide

Jake T., Woolloomooloo

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Good question Jake. As a part-time aeronautics buff, I often wonder the same. So you want a shortcut to the Big Apple? Well, chew on this first: Concorde is the world’s only passenger aircraft capable of breaking the sound barrier. It may forever retain that honour. And this: Today’s Concordes are likely to be collecting dust in museums before the next step is taken in supersonic flight.

Those excerpts, taken from a July 2001 BBC article, paint a very pessimistic picture of supersonic travel. Of course, this was in the immediate wake of Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde flight which went down in flames on July 25, 2000 and took 113 lives in the process. You want to talk about deadly public relations disasters? This one was the mother lode.

Then this report, from CNN in 2007: There are active programs in Europe, Japan and the US looking into noise reduction technologies for supersonic flight. Supersonic craft of the future will also have a similar environmental impact as subsonic craft. Supersonic craft of the future are most likely to be small, seating eight to ten passengers, and initially used for business travel.

As Bob Dylan once wrote, the times Jake, they are a changin’. Again. A full 8 years after the demise of the Concorde, two different manufacturers stole the show at the recent Paris Air Show with plans to develop a new class of supersonic jets. Finally, it seems, a few intrepid engineers have hit upon a way to overcome problems of fuel efficiency, drag and energy consumption – perpetual banes of the aviation industry. Fuel alone, for example, represents more than one-third of the total outlay of a flight, which explains the nascent rise and almost prohibitive costs of long distance travel. Another obstacle: those pesky sonic booms, which restrict where supersonic planes can fly.

The aviation eye candy that was unveiled in Paris in June drew the attention of the mainstream press for a few reasons. One, the new supersonic planes trump the average jetliner by 25 percent or more. Second, one of them – the Hypermach SonicStar – is twice as speedy as the Concorde and will fly at altitudes that will allow window-seat passengers to see the curvature of the planet. Zany. Another important distinction between the two planes: Hypermach’s engine is 30 percent more fuel efficient than the Rolls-Royce engines of the Concorde.

The CEO of Hypermach, Richard Lugg, is a person to watch if you want to make landfall at JFK or LaGuardia in less time than it takes to watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy. His resolve to see the SonicStar project through could ultimately fasttrack supersonic flights toward a 2021 launch. New York to Dubai in 2.5 hours, London to Sydney in 3.5 hours and, yes, possibly, Sydney to New York in 5 hours – which will give passengers a full 15 more hours to freshen up and power nap in New York City hotels.

Imagine that.

Sydney City Guide

Allan C., San Francisco

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Strategic operates out of Brisbane and is a charter/passenger airline with a turbulent past (excuse the pun) that dates back 20 years. The airline was originally in the freight broker business and even had a stint as a carrier for the Australian Defence Force.

In the past couple of years, however, Strategic has made significant moves. Strategic moves, you could call them. One, apparently, is a name change. At the end of 2011, look for a complete rebrand for the airline, as they shift gears and become “Air Australia”. This is not official, of course, but as you can imagine, the new name would have a considerable impact PR-wise. Look out Qantas?

Well, not quite yet, though Strategic has made headlines in recent weeks, most notably when it won the right to fly to the United States and China. The kimono is now open, apparently, and you need not be an aviation expert to read the proverbial tea leaves (pardon the awkward double metaphor). Strategic obviously has an ambitious agenda for the near and medium-term and, happily, this bodes well for passengers. Competition is good, after all, and a new player keen to gain traction in the marketplace tends to ply fresh clientele with sweet offers. So definitely keep Strategic (or Air Australia by the time you make land Down Under) on your radar.

You could, in fact, be one of the first passengers to fly Strategic from Honolulu to Australia when the route opens up in September. Definitely a possible option from California. Hawaiian Airlines and Jetstar, most notably, fly in between the U.S. state and Oceania but another carrier could be a boon for passengers. As for China, Shanghai is the most likely city to join Strategic’s network.

In the interim, Strategic garners a lot of business from ever-popular routes like Melbourne-Phuket, Brisbane-Denpasar(Bali) and Perth-Denpasar(Bali). Other departure and destination points in the Strategic roster include Gladstone (Queensland), Townsville and, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, Port Hedland.

Melbourne City Guide

A good, low-cost Strategic trip to consider while in Australia is Brisbane-Townsville. Return rates run in the AUD 100-150 range; all in all, a manageable price to pay to get yourself to the heart of the Sunshine Coast in Far North Queensland in no time. Just a thought.

Townsville hotels

Another note about Strategic versus other comparable small carriers in the area. So far, the all-inclusive rates the airline offers seem to trump the competition. I did a little price comparison myself this week for routes like Perth-Bali and Melbourne-Phuket and Strategic came out on top. That could change at any time, of course, but worth a mention nonetheless.

Brisbane City Guide

Star Alliance - the biggest airline alliance in the world was founded in 1997 by 5 airlines, growing considerably through the years to 26 member airlines. Based on how often you fly, there are two types of membership for the alliance: Silver and Gold. With the first, you get priority airport stand-by and reservation waitlisting, while with the latter you also get priority boarding and baggage handling, preferred seating, lounge access or waived fees for extra luggage. With 4,000 aircraft, the alliance operates around 20,000 daily flights. Official website can be found here while joining the program and spending miles can be done here.

Partner airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International, United Airlines, Air New Zealand, All Nipponon Airways, BMI, Austrian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, LOT, Asiana Airlines, Spanair, Adria Airways, Blue1, Croatia Airlines, US Airways, TAP Portugal, South African Airways, Swiss International Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Air China, Turkish Airlines, EgyptAir, Continental Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Luxair

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Sky Team – the second airline alliance in the world was founded in 2000 and currently consists on nine full members and two associates members. Vietnam Airlines and Tarom are scheduled to join later in 2010. The alliance has two premium levels – Elite and Elite Plus, offering members preferred seating, priority reservation waitlisting , boarding, check-in and airport standby. Find out more about the alliance and register on the Sky Team website.

Partner airlines: Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, China Southern Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Airlines, KLM, Korean Air, Air Europa, Kenya Airways

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AAdvantage - started in 1981 by American Airlines, this was the first reward program introduced by an airline. It currently is one of the biggest in the world, with over 50 million members as of 2005. You can receive miles by staying at Caesar Park Buenos Aires hotels for example, renting cars from AA partners. With enough miles, you can opt for discounted car rentals, hotel rooms and other services offered through partnerships. Check the official website for more details.

Partner airlines: Alaska Airlines, Air Pacific, China Eastern Airlines, El Al Israel Airlines, EVA Air, Gol Airlines, Gulf Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Jet Airways, JetBlue Airways

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OneWorld – founded in 1999 with “oneworld revolves around you” as slogan, this is one of the three largest airline alliances in the world. As of November 2009, the OneWorld airlines fly to over 720 destinations in 142 countries. 328 million passengers fly on 8,300 daily flights. OneWorld received several awards marking the quality of their services, the most recent being “World’s Leading Airline Alliance” at the 2009 World Travel Awards. Based on the number of flights, there are three premium levels – Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, each having its own benefits: preferential seating, priority check-in, priority boarding, airport lounge access. For more info, here’s the OneWorld official website.

Partner airlines: American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malev, Mexicana, Qantas, Royal Jordanianan

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Choose your alliance according to your preferred destinations. Don’t forget to regularly check your alliance’s website for special promotions. For trading, purchasing or earning miles, head to the points.com website.

Air Canada
Despite spending a lot of money to upgrade their planes, Air Canada is still awful. Old planes with one big movie screen dominate their fleet. The food tastes like it was cooked a few years ago and complaints of surly flight attendants are common. There are groups all over the web dedicated to Air Canada’s shoddy record. The Facebook group “I’d rather walk than fly Air Canada” has 1,900 members.

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American Airlines
AA is canceling flights, cutting routes, firing employees, and charging you more money for fewer services. American has had a bad reputation for awhile and recent cost-cutting measures have only made things worse.

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Philippines Airlines
Antiquated planes make this airline one to avoid. The service is average and needless to say, no personal screens. The planes look old and feel old. You’ll barely see the screen while you shift around in seats older than the subtitled movie you’re watching. While the seats can be cheap, it’s an uncomfortable ride.

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Air China/China Eastern
Chinese airlines have a bad reputation among frequent fliers. I know frequent fliers who will pay triple the price to avoid one of these airlines. Old planes, poor service, and bad maintenance make flying these planes risky. They have awful service records and frequent problems. You can fly on them for cheap but why risk it?

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Gulf Air
Gulf Air flights may be cheap but you get what you pay for. Flights are frequently delayed or canceled without reason, the meals are poor, and the staff is unfriendly. Moreover, you won’t be compensated for any lost time and the staff will do nothing to accommodate you. In fact, they probably could care less. Gulf Air needs to take some lessons from Emirates and learn what service is all about.

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US Airways
US Airways consistently ranks near the bottom out of all American carriers. The airline now charges for water and snacks. That’s fine and expected on a low cost carrier but not for a full fare flight. Planes are late or delayed, staff unfriendly (you’d be too if you made what they made), and meals nonexistent. Worse yet, rate hikes and route cuts are expected in the near future.

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British Airways

Undoubtedly, British Airways is the most well known name in aviation, coming from Europe. A number of small airlines merged together in 1935 to form BA, which has it’s headquarter in London. The airlines was once regarded as the best in the world but lost a lot of ground in late 90’s and early 2000. Nevertheless, BA is making amends and the is again getting back on top of its game. The business and first class are regarded as very comfortable, overall service is attentive with generally nicely prepared, but at times not very well presented and oddly put together menus. The on flight entertainment system also in some flights needs updating.

Lufthansa

Another major name in Europe is that of Lufthansa. The German carrier is a well established airline that has been serving for more than 52 years now and is regarded amongst the best in Europe. Right from their check-in, one thing that is normally appreciated about the airline is their punctuality and friendly service. The flight crew is mostly very congenial and unlike some other carriers, tend to respond to the bell and can be seen walking between the aisles during the whole flight. The food quality is also fair with most planes features good IFA systems. On occasions, when the service fails to impress it’s customers, it tends to fail completely; then again we all have our bad days…

Austrian Airlines

During recent years, Austrian Airlines has emerged as a reliable and competitive airline in Europe. Their flights are almost always on time with very friendly and pleasant crew. The food quality is generally good and the cabins are at time shockingly clean and tidy. At times the aircrafts may feel a bit cramped, but generally service and comfort wise the airline is making a lot of loyal customers.

Air France

Based on their food quality, seat comfort, and Flight Attendants’ service, Air France would rank as fair. Being one of the oldest airlines of the region, they seem to have lost touch with the present day a little. There in-flight entertainment system is lacking in modern ingenuity and onboard entertainment options are also somewhat limited. The crew is ‘mostly’ pleasant but tend to be available only during meal services and seem to disappear in between. The cabins also need some updating and are considered rather dull and definitely not at par with the finer airlines. Normally there meals are good accompanied with nice wines, which is always a plus.

KLM Royal Dutch Airline

KLM merged with another European giant, Air France, in 2004. The airline gets mixed reviews from its customers. Usually, if your flight does not face any problem like delays, overbooking or any other such issue, the on-flight experience is generally good, with good service and attentive crew and reasonable meals. The aircrafts at times can be a bit shabby and untidy, but the bit that scores the least is normally their ground service. Most people getting in to some kind of pre-flight problem find it hard to get any help from the airline’s ground staff. Overall the standard of the airline is considered to have dropped after its merger with AF.

Overall it would be fair to say that the comfort and service standards that have been set my most Asian airlines, like Singapore, Thai and Cathay Pacific, are becoming increasingly hard for the rest of the world to attain; something obvious in the overall airline ratings from around the globe.

1. Singapore Airlines
Hailing from a small Asian country, Singapore Airline sure does challenge the very best in the business. The carrier’s annual passengers being more than the country’s total population is just one stat that shows its excellence. From timely arrival and boarding to on board entertainment, service and comfort, Singapore Airline is setting new standards for others to follow.

2. Qantas
Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited, or usually referred to as Qantas, is the national Aussie airline that is giving competition to the top airlines worldwide. With a strong Australian flavour to the service, Qantas has a four pronged service, ranging from the JetStar experience, where you have to pay individually for all food or entertainment on board that you utilize, to the ride with more frill in business class on the long hauls. The planes are mostly in great condition and the service is quintessentially Aussie; to the point and to the book, ‘alright mate?’

3. Cathay Pacific
The Hong Kong based carrier has a reputation for being one of the best in the world, even for rising in the ranks when the competition got tough with Qantas doing great too. The thing that lets the airline, Cathay Pacific, down is their smaller planes on some legs, which mean less leg space and a cramped feel. The planes are almost never late and the crew and on-flight meals tend to be great; with the exceptional customer service you expect from the costlier Asian airlines.

4. Qatar Airways
Not far behind the rest is the Qatar Airways. While there is room for improvement in their economy class service, the business class is said to be exceptional. In fact, their reason for scoring lower is the fact that economy passengers in the older planes have to make do with thick cramped seats, which are no match to their own newer planes with slick and slim seats in the economy class, with much better comfort levels. The food similarly tends to be better in the newer planes than in the older ones, which is another inconsistency that harms the image of the airline.

5. Thai Airways
With flight attendants dressed in the traditional Thai clothing, the airline exudes the country’s culture. They are known for their service ethics, but Thai Airways is said to be inconsistent; service is good on some flights but not on others, there is ample entertainment on some flight, for the rest you should take a book along since there is no TV. The inconsistency itself scores badly with customers. The Thai food served is reportedly good but their branching out to other cuisines fails to impress. The tickets are cheaper than competitors though, so while they look like they are trying to be in the top few, it is not completely working.

The decision has been made as the airline was facing a serious problem with its baggage backlog, and apparently, these sporting items were discovered to be the root cause of the problem, to the absolute disbelief of many. The reason sited for banning these items is their “large size and handling complexities”, a claim totally refused by the surfing community, in particular. The ban has been criticized even more as the airline has no problems carrying bulky items like bicycles, musical instruments and other sporting equipment for archery, skiing, golf and shooting etc.

The airline will definitely stand to loose some of its frequent flyers, as thousands of people in Britain are taking up the idea of surfing trips around the globe. According to various surf travel companies quite a few people have already booked surfing trips and are booked on BA as their carrier this coming winter, but after this surprise decision will probably have to reconsider their traveling options.

One reason for placing the ban could be the susceptibility of these items to breakage, while being handled in the loading docks and in the hold, which is something the avid surfers will definitely not be taking as a genuine excuse. Whether the decision will cost BA a lot in terms of passengers and revenue is yet to be seen, but as far as the surfer community and surfing trip organizers are concerned the last thing they want is for other airlines to follow in the foot steps of British Airways. Read more about this story through  Times Online, BA bans surfboards and canoes.