by George Hobica

A recent Airfarewatchdog poll revealed that after checked bag fees, the most hated airline fee is the one extracted for advanced seat selection. This used to be entirely free, but no more.

Say you log on to JetBlue’s Web site to book a flight. You choose one, you select a seat you like – paying $10 or more per leg for more room up front or in an exit row. Bang. You’re done.

Now try doing the same on Delta.com – what, you want an exit row? You want to sit up front? Better have your SkyMiles number handy.

Got none? Back of the bus, sir.

Let’s say you’re on the Web once more, surfing the site of Denver-based low-fare flyer Frontier. Here, you book the lowest fare available – clever you! – there will be no getting anywhere near a seating plan, let alone any selecting of favorite aisle seats up front. Not until 24 hours before takeoff, you won’t – and then, let’s hope that all that’s left isn’t the dreaded middle seat.
Still, things could be worse – there’s Allegiant Air, which charges between $4.99 and $24.99 to anyone – anyone – who wants to get near a seat map before the day of flight. Leaving you, of course, to wonder if that Orlando flight you paid $39.99 for is going to be the worst of your life, sandwiched between two terrifyingly loud, sugar-charged children who’ve never been to Disney World (and are also recovering from nasty colds, cough cough.) Unless, of course, you cough up.

These days, flyers who don’t like surprises ought to take heed when booking a flight. Rare is the airline with an advance seat selection process that mirrors any other; what seems so sensible for one (open up the whole thing, charge an arm and a leg for the really good stuff and bring in a nice chunk of change per flight) seems so difficult for others to grasp (Southwest, which clings to its no-seat-assignments-ever rule, which its loyal customers continue to pretend to not mind.)

Policies all over the place

While it can seem as if there’s no rhyme or reason to the way each airline handles the divvying up of seats on its planes, there actually is. If you take a look at this chart, which goes over the current seat selection rules for 16 airlines, a pattern emerges – legacy carriers such as Delta and American continue to try and please their frequent flyers first, holding back the best seats (among them, exit rows) for their most loyal customers. Those that are new, new-ish or focused on low fares (and less on loyalty) tend to be a bit of a free-for-all.

Some of the legacy carriers like United, want to have it all. They want to please their long-time customers, but they also find the lure of making a buck off of premium seating too much to ignore.

Thus, on United, you have Economy Plus, featuring five more inches of legroom in the upfront rows on all domestic and international flights. Elite frequent fliers are generally given these seats automatically. However, anyone can buy in, based on availability – rates start at $9 and go up to $109 for long-haul flights. United even sells a $425 annual Economy Plus pass, ensuring you’ll always have more legroom.

Other airlines that have resisted making such bold changes are now giving in; Continental, for example, recently announced a similar program, where premium seats (including exit rows) will be made available for a fee for those who want to log on within 24 hours of departure and select them; the airline has said these seats will not be available for purchase at the airport. When last we tried, attempting to select an exit row seat within 24 hours of departure on a Continental flight yields nothing more than a rollover message instructing you to “request at check-in.” But unless they’ve changed their minds, this is probably fixed by now.

George Hobica is the founder of Airfarewatchdog™, the most inclusive source of airfare deals that have been researched and verified by experts. Airfarewatchdog compares fares from all airlines and includes the increasing number of airline-site-only and promo code fares.

There are many extravagant vacations families can choose to go on this year.  Anywhere from trekking the Himalayas to hiking through the Amazon.  There seems to be a new fab on vacations coming out of France: Mock-Criminal Adventures.  Ultime Réalité , a French based firm that specializes in creating mock scenarios of criminal activity, have just announced a new role play…kidnapping!

The first step in the process is to submit to a series of physical and mental tests to make sure that the player is up to the challenge.  Afterwards, they are watched and followed by the firm until they see the right opportunity to kidnap the player.  The player is taken to a mini-prison, where they are punished and put in shackles for up to 10 hours!

And of course, there are party favors; you can request to have video taken of the whole journey, so you won’t forget a minute of this adventure.  As I am sure people will be lining up to give away their freedom, act soon and inquire Ultime Réalité to book before it’s too late.

There is a four night package that starts at $130 for children, or book the whole family of four for $829.  It includes accommodation, early admission to the theme park, and a three-day park ticket.  The best part of the deal?  You get to have breakfast at the fictional pub, Three Broomsticks!  Harry and his friends would always sip on a glass of butterbeer; maybe you will get lucky and get a chance to try it for yourself.  Are you excited about the Harry Potter Park?

Around 12000 people stormed Waikiki beach to be the first to view the opening hour of the show’s final season premiere, which airs nationally today!  People camped overnight and spent the whole day waiting to learn the secrets of the mysterious island.

The hit tv show on ABC, Lost, has become a national phenomenon since it’s initial season years ago.  People watch every episode, and linger to every line, making sure they don’t miss an integral part in the twisted plot.  Along with the brilliant writing is the gorgeous background of the set.  Lost takes place in the beautiful island of Oahu in Hawaii.  The original island scenes for the pilot were filmed at Mokulē’ia Beach, near the northwest tip of the island. Later beach scenes take place in secluded spots of the famous North Shore.

Fans are flocking to the island to see the sets of the show.  Check here for the latest deals at the Island!  Make sure to watch the FINAL season premiere tonight on ABC.  Will you be watching?

Starwood Hotels and Resorts opened their Element brand in New Jersey recently.  The hotel features 124 multipurpose guestrooms with modular furniture, swiveling flat-screen TVs, spa-like shower design, fully equipped kitchens, and custom-designed closets. The building hosts 2,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, 24-hour Restore gourmet pantry, Motion fitness center, chlorine-free pool, and indoor and outdoor public spaces where guests can enjoy free Wi-Fi access.

The Element branded hotels strives to provide comfort for their guests and their environment.  All appliances are Energy Star rated.  They use silverware and glassware to reduce waste generated by plastic utensils and paper cups.

You can now even use SeatGuru to check to see if your airline is eco-friendly!

Travel safe and don’t forget to Retweet!

JetBlue announced a sale today on winter fares to 55 destinations, from sunny to wintry.  The airline is offering fares as low as $39 on routes such as New York-Boston and San Francisco-Long Beach, Calif.  Blackout dates and other restrictions apply.  Sale fares will be available on JetBlue’s websitethrough Jan. 13th for travel through March 24th.  Fares may require an advance purchase of up to 10 days.

We would like to announce the brand new Hotels Search that we have on our website, please check it out to get the best fares on the web. Click Here to check it out.

The holidays bring about a time when people are shopping for presents and looking for holiday cheer.  Another priority comes with planning the ultimate New Years Eve.  Don’t let the pressure of trying to do something original get to you.  This year spend New Years at a popular vacation destination.  Here are some of cFares Top Picks:

#1- RIO De Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro is famous for its natural settings, its carnival celebrations, samba, Bossa Nova and hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon.

Every December 31, 2.5 million people gather at Copacabana Beach to celebrate New Year’s in Rio de Janeiro. The crowd, mostly dressed in white, celebrates all night at the hundreds of different shows and events along the beach. It is the second largest celebration only next to the Carnival. People celebrate the New Year by sharing chilled Champagne with total strangers. It is considered good luck to shake the Champagne bottle and spray around at midnight. Chilled Champagne adds to the spirit of the festivities.

#2- Goa, INDIA

The only place in the world where you can be treated like royalty with such a beautiful scenic background.  If you are in the mood to be a romantic couple for the weekend, make sure to stay in the luxury suites at some of the major hotels in the area.

#1- LAS VEGAS, Nevada

Where else can you have the chance to gamble away your money, and have the time of your life? Sin City is the ultimate destination for the party goer.  The downtown strip is closed off after 5pm, and turns into one massive block party.  Celebrate the new year with over 400,000 people from all over the world.

Whenever you accumulate miles, doesn’t it seem that there is never enough for one free ticket?  Doesn’t the airline say the itinerary you want is always in “High” season, so you have to double your miles.  Well, here are some tips that we aggregated about using your miles wisely:

- Call to check for award seats on a random night in the week, when down time is usually low.  Try late in the night around  1 AM.  The booker will have less to deal with at that time, and will most likely try and help you find the best route.

- Book ahead!  Don’t wait 1 month before, try 4-5 months before if you have that ability.

- Utilize connections.  If you don’t care about how many times you have to stop, tell the airline that you are willing to be flexible.