“With companies feeling the pinch of the disastrous economy as much as the rest of us, a lot more of us are likely flying “budget” airlines for business more than ever.

After flying AirTran and Southwest, I was about to declare the latter as the best of the low-cost airlines - until i flew JetBlue. It was my first experience with tarmac to tarmac satellite TV and, while i didn’t get much work done, I thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment (if that’s what we can call watching the markets tank).

The TV wasn’t quite enough of a distraction from the small middle seat I was crammed into, but I have read that JetBlue has expanded its roomier seat section (up to 38″ of leg room for a mere $10 charge), which may make it a more attractive option for the business traveler. ” ( via businesstravel.about.com) by Greig Waddell

Pointswizard.com Spin: Read more Battle of the Budget Airlines

“(Budget Travel’s anonymous confessor has worked as both a ticket agent and a departure-gate agent for a major airline. He has since left the industry.)

When it comes to flight changes and delays, Budget Travel’s confessor says, “sometimes the agent is the last one to know.”

Airline agents may go out of their way to get kind passengers onto new flights when theirs are delayed.

No training
New airline ticket and departure-gate agents are hard to find these days. Not only are the wages awful, but flying for free — the one perk of the job — is becoming virtually impossible because planes are always packed with paying customers.

To save money, many airlines also aren’t giving new employees the same job training they once received, leaving inexperienced agents on the front line to deal with passenger complaints. Once, on a trip I took after I had stopped working as a ticket agent, I had to show a new hire where to look in the system to find my reservation — she had no idea what she was doing.

Cut off
The airline I worked for had a very antiquated computer system. We had about a dozen operating systems in the company. There were separate systems for mapping flight routes, filing lost-luggage claims, and keeping track of reservations — but not all of them could relay data to each other. To top it all off, the computers at the departure gates didn’t have Internet access.
The popular belief among disgruntled travelers that gate agents purposely keep passengers in the dark about flight delays isn’t really true — sometimes the agent is the last one to know what’s going on.

Good behavior
It used to be that if you tried a little smooth talking or even brought a cookie to the gate agent, you might be able to score an upgrade. Not anymore.

Because the airlines are increasingly focused on the bottom line, free upgrades are incredibly hard to come by. Still, it pays to be nice to the agents: After a few kind words, they may go out of their way to reroute you on a partner airline if your flight is delayed.

I turned on the charm myself one time when I was facing a long delay on the way to the Caribbean. Smiling politely, I went to a partner airline’s ticket counter and asked the agent to please reroute me. Several hours later, I was lying on the beach, sipping a tropical drink.

Personal info
Ticket agents are always updating Passenger Name Records, or PNRs. These computer files, which contain basic details on passengers’ trips, are accessible to most agents at check-in counters and departure gates.

Agents generally use PNRs to record special requests by passengers, but sometimes they also comment on a person’s behavior.” (via cnn.com and BudgetTravel.com)

Pointswizard.com Spin: here the link to read the rest

“This info comes from Peter Greenberg, The Travel Detective:

American Airline 767 - Two secret seats on domestic flights, 17H and 17J. On international flights, these two seats, located across from the galley and actually curtained off as a special section, are designated “crew rest” seats. They can be sold for domestic flights.

American 757 - Ask for 10A or 10F. They are window seats, but because there is no 9A or 9F you’ll have more legroom.
Delta 757 - Same as American 757 but seat 20A.
United 757 - Same as American 757 but seat 8A.

Northwest 757 - Same as American 757 but seat 16F or 15E.
USAir 737-200 - Same as American 757 but seat 11A or 11F.
United 767 - In business-class ask for either 10A or 10F. These are single business-class seats, with petite desk areas on their sides.” [tesh.com]

Here’s your secret weapon for fighting airline delays, cancellations, and missed connections:

Rule 240.

Before airline deregulation in 1978, Rule 240 was literally a federal requirement. Nowadays, it’s a term describing what individual airlines will do for late or stranded passengers. In fact, the major airlines have filed “conditions of carriage” with the U.S. Department of Transporatation (DOT) guaranteeing their respective Rule 240s.

If your flight is delayed or cancelled, or if you’ve missed your flight connection, these policies may give you free meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, phone calls, and other amenities. You may be booked on a substitute flight — even on another airline — and you may be compensated or given a full refund if the flight problems persist.

How can you use Rule 240 to protect your rights?

Always carry a printed copy of your airline’s Rule 240. Though the DOT requires airlines to keep a Rule 240 copy available for passengers at every ticket counter, don’t count on that.

(Click on your airline’s name below for a copy of its official Rule 240.)

Read Rule 240 carefully before you use it. Many airline ticket agents do not know these policies, so you should be the expert

For example, Rule 240s generally apply only to delays that are absolutely the airline’s fault, such as mechanical delays. They do not apply to what the airlines call “force majeure” events: weather, strikes, “acts of God,” or other occurrences that the airlines say they cannot control.

Be polite but very firm about your rights under Rule 240. You’ll win most battles at ticket counters when you say the phrase “Rule 240″ and show the agent your printed copy of the airline’s policies. However, don’t hesitate to keep going up the chain to supervisors if you’re not satisfied. Sometimes, airlines will even go beyond Rule 240 requirements in the name of customer service. (Not always, but it’s worth a shot!)
The Pointswizard.com Spin:
click blue line above , then scroll down and find the airline you need-click and then print it