I have a hectic few days planned across 3 cities in 2 countries with little margin to reschedule.  When I checked yesterday I saw a storm warning with 120km/h winds and severe thunderstorms forecast for 2 of those cities.  I went into contingency planning mode.

• Can I reschedule if needed? Will the fares allow me to be proactive or will I need to wait until close to departure when the airline may (or may not) be more lenient?  If I reschedule when would I reschedule to?
• What do I need to do in the event of significant delays? Do I have any medication with me sufficient for a long delay? Contact numbers for accommodation, airlines, ground transport and venues booked, and of course the people I’m meeting.
• Are there other flight options I can take?  Print off a relevant timetable in case of problems.  Include other routings and other airlines where this is sensible.  Have phone numbers for other airlines to hand.
• Consider what accommodation changes I may need – check availability and have phone numbers to hand.
• In poor weather I may need to change ground transport options at short notice. Do I have taxi phone numbers for each place?
• I normally travel super-light. Should I take more than normal for this trip in case I get stuck somewhere?
• Recheck the weather forecasts and flight statuses for each airport periodically.

With Mexicana shut down a few days ago there have been announcements by some airlines of new routes to Mexico and added frequencies.  From the excellent Airline Route blog, we have the following changes made in the past month (since Mexicana started dropping services):

• Aerolineas Argentinas – new route Buenos Aires to Mexico City
• AeroRepublica – new route Bogota to Mexico City
• Air Canada – extra Montreal to Mexico City flights, and new route Vancouver to Mexico City
• Alaska – extra Los Angeles to Mexico City flights
• Avianca – extra Bogota to Mexico City flights
• British Airways – adding codeshares on some American Airlines flights to Mexico
• LAN Peru – extra Lima to Cancun and Lima to Mexico City flights
• United – extra Los Angeles to Mexico City flights
• Virgin America – new routes San Francisco and Los Angeles to Cancun
• Westjet – new route Quebec City to Cancun

Further changes are expected in coming weeks.

A reminder the $14 fee for USA’s visa waiver visa in drag (aka ESTA) kicks in 8 September.  You don’t have to wait for your current ESTA approval to expire to seek another so there is no reason not to apply in the next week for a new approval.  Type in cbp.dhs.gov after the http:// and click on ESTA.

The site was very sluggish when I renewed my ESTA so it might be a good idea not to wait until the last minute in case of problems.

The how to get to series of posts have now been updated for TAM and Aegean joining Star Alliance, Shanghai leaving Star Alliance, Vietnam Airlines and TAROM joining Sky Team.  Apologies for the delay.

Advice has been changed for:

• Bolivia
• Burma (aka Myanmar)
• China
• Vietnam

Flying to central Asia on an award ticket, an around the world fare or other discounted air fares has long been problematic.  This is because there have been few flights to Central Asia and most of these originate in Europe.  Backtracking between Europe and Asia is not permitted on round the world fares.  Availability of award and discounted paid seats are also relatively low.  Flying to central Asia is becoming easier as more flights to the region are being added, and with a rule change.

In Star Alliance, Asiana provides a Central Asia connection with South Korea through flights to Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Tashkent (Uzbekistan), while various airlines fly from Europe.  In Sky Team, China Southern Airlines now provides flights from China to several cities in Central Asia with Aeroflot providing connections to Europe.  To date Oneworld has no service to central Asia other than on codeshares.

With the pending entry of S7 to Oneworld, the rules for the Oneworld Explorer RTW have been amended to include Central Asia within the Europe continental definition, which means back-tracking is permitted.  S7 flies to all the major cities in Central Asia so these will all be available from later this year.

Some free access availability tools (eg seatcounter.com) have recently stopped working, apparently the old ITN interface is no longer available.  Paid subscription availability tools still work at KVS (some methods are unavailable but decent coverage remains) and Expert Flyer (not affected).

Scott McCartney has a nice summary on the Wall Street Journal of the pros and cons of the airline alliances.  Gary Leff‘s comments on the article focus on United’s starnet blocking.

Translating the global coverage of the alliances into useability for mileage earning and redemption takes care, and to be fair is a big enough topic on it’s own let alone in a summary such as this. Scott touches on some aspects such as the current restrictions on American and British Airways frequent flyer members for flights between USA and UK, the number of destinations served, and the influence the location of primary hubs has on travel useability.

Scott mentions one place where Oneworld is lacking coverage - China.  I think there are other significant holes in the Oneworld network, for example Africa.

The key advice is that choice of airline alliance is relatively important for most frequent flyers, and the single biggest factor in the choice should be based on where you travel (or want to travel).

In the last couple of weeks I have looked at how far and wide you can travel on Star Alliance flights and on Oneworld flights, and now I do the same for the Sky Team alliance.

The airline alliances connect many places all around the world. Last year I mapped which countries are reached by each alliance. Since then the global reach has been added to by new alliance members and by new destinations for existing alliance airlines.

Another way of looking at it is shown by Passport Stamp maps showing the countries served by Sky Team (below).

Vern is an expert writer on a variety of topics including travel, world politics, and staying healthy. He’s also a writer on a new Q&A site, answering questions with his expertise in a variety of topics.

The Healthy Traveler: Tips For An International Wanderer

When you think about your upcoming travel adventures, how do you see yourself in the daydream – healthy, robust, and ready to take on anything, or coughing, frail, and ready for a nap?

Every international wanderer knows that if you don’t want your daydream trip to turn into a sickly nightmare, you need to take some simple steps to ensure your health as you travel. Here are a few basic tips for keeping you on your toes and enjoying your adventures to the fullest – after all, no one wants to find out if French bacteria say “Oui, merci!” 

• Rest Up Ahead of Time – Most bugs that get you down in the form of colds, flus, and other transient (but disruptive!) illnesses do their damage by getting through a weakened immune system. Keep those white blood cells in fighting shape by ensuring you get lots of rest before your travels, because as we all know once you’re out there globetrotting sleep takes a back seat to fun.
• Bring Anti-Bacterial Soap – For the healthy traveler, this might be one of the most important things to happen. Ever. Anti-bacterial soap can go anywhere and kill almost anything. It doesn’t need water, and it is sold in a variety of sizes, meaning you can have one for just about every pocket, plus one for your carry-on bag, plus one for your checked luggage. Don’t go anywhere without this serious life saver! 
• Hydrate with Water – Keeping hydrated is just as important for your immune system as sleep. In addition, staying hydrated can keep you from feeling jet lagged and also help flush out any toxins or bacteria from your system before it can take root and cause problems. Drinking lots of water is always a good rule of thumb. Some countries even have better drinking water than in the US, so you might not always need to drink bottled water. Check with the locals, or a tour guide if you have one to see what their thoughts are on the drinking water in your area. 
• Don’t Pet the Llama…or any other animal – As cute as that llama in the Andes might be, refrain from touching at all costs. Animals are massive carriers of germs and one of the number one ways unsavory microscopic beings get transferred into human bodies. Take all the pictures you want, but just try to stay away from those cute little critters, no matter how cuddly they look!
• BYOP: Bring Your Own Pharmacy – It’s always a great idea to carry a mini pharmacy with you when you travel to not only keep you prepared for any problem but also help you deal with little inconveniences, like headaches, gas, bloating, and the runs. Also, who knows where you might end up and what types of medicines they will have there…do you really want to try to explain you need aspirin to a village healer in Ethiopia? You should, however, be concerned with explaining your medication to the authorities. So, before you head out on your next adventure be sure to check with your information sources on any particular restrictions that have to do with bringing pharmaceutical drugs into other countries. 

Bon Voyage!

Last week I looked at how far and wide you can travel on Star Alliance flights, and now I do the same for the Oneworld alliance.

The airline alliances connect many places all around the world. Last year I mapped which countries are reached by each alliance. Since then the global reach has been added to by new alliance members and by new destinations for existing alliance airlines.

Another way of looking at it is shown by Passport Stamp maps showing the countries served by Oneworld (below).   

See also the global reach of Sky Team.