Air Travel: Oh, Dear, What Can the "Manner" Be?

Yesterday's Daily Camera "Balance" section contained two articles on air travel -- and the deterioration of manners and just plain (just plane?) good sense. One called "Mind Your Manners--Especially at 35,000 Feet" was reprinted from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Reporter Marylynne Pitz wrote of two unpleasant incidents: one in which a Continental Express captain turned the plane around and taxied back to the gate when a mother couldn't quiet her one-year-old, and another in which "American Idol" finalist Clay Aiken fell asleep on a Continental flight with his foot on the armrest of the passenger in front of him. What is it with Continental? When Denver was one its major hubs, I flew so much that I was a Silver Elite member of its OnePass program. My delight at being upgraded to first class turned to dismay when the male half of a couple in the bulkhead seat across the aisle from me took of his shoes and socks and flew for hundreds of miles with his bare feet against the wall. Neither his lady friend nor the flight attendant said anything to him. I was tempted -- and in hindsight, perhaps I should have.

To remind us all to be better inflight neighbors, the reporter included a sidebar called "Tips for Being a Polite Seatmate":

Introduce yourself to your seatmate and excuse yourself politely if you need to get up and use the restroom.

If you wish to put your seat back, turn around and give the person behind you a polite warning so that you do not crunch his or her laptop.

If you sneeze or cough, cover your mouth with the inside of your elbow (the best spot) or your hand to cut down on the spread of germs.

If you're bothered by babies crying, come prepared with iPods or DVDs and headphones to drown out the noise.

If you're wearing open-toed shoes, try to keep your feet -- no matter how clean -- out of the breathing space of the passenger next to you or in front of you.

Try to keep your seat area clean -- throw out the cups and napkins when the attendant collects them -- as a courtesy not only to your seat mates but also to the passengers sitting there on later flights.

If you're trying to fit your carry-on in the upper bin and it doesn't fit, don't try to jam it in by crushing someone else's bag.

If you need to stretch your legs, walk back and forth but do not stand and hover over other passengers because you are invading their personal space.

To reduce potential crankiness, prepare for delays. Pack an inflatable pillow, granola bar, almonds, banana and a good book.

While talking on the plane, speak softly so as not to disturb fellow passengers who may be sleeping. Avoid asking personal questions.

Pay attention to body language. If your seat mate pulls out a book while you continue to chat, pay attention to that cue and end the conversation.

A companion piece by the Associated Press's Elizabeth White called "Time to Change Family Boarding?" It questioned the practice of permitting families with young children to preboard, "along with other special needs passengers." The article used Southwest as an example -- but I thought it was a rather poor one, since that economy carrier does not assign seats but rather assigns boarding groups according to the order in which passengers obtain their boarding passes.

I took my now-grown son on his first plane ride at age four-and-a-half months, and by the time he was five, he was already a veteran of several dozen flights, including two transatlantic roundtrips. Frankly, while pre-boarding with an infant makes sense, because parents have so much to juggle, I always thought that doing so with a toddler or energetic pre-schooler was just plain silly. I believed then, and still do, that permitting children to run around the airport and let of steam is better than loading them onto the plane first, strapping them in and making them sit down until everyone else is settled and hoping for no delayed take-off. IMHO, parents and small children with assigned seats should board at the very last minute.

Food & Wine Events in Colorado

If you're a foodie and/or wine lover in Colorado or will be traveling here, I posted an extensive roundup of food and wine events coming up in the next few weeks on my food/culinary blog.

Bed and Board, Here and Abroad

Two packages including accommodations and a fine meal at properties other than hotels offering half-board (breakfast and dinner) or full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner) just came to my attention. The hotels have the commonality of luxury, and the packages have the commonality of food orientation. Otherwise, they are very different.

The Denver Magnolia Hotel is offering a night's lodging for two in a king guest room (right) or suite and steak-and-seafood dinner at Morton’s The Steakhouse. Morton’s dinner includes two single-cut filets; a choice two from Colossal Shrimp Alexander, Jumbo Lump Crab Cake or Broiled Sea Scallops; choice of two from Caesar Salad or Morton’s Salad; choice of one Potato and one fresh vegetable to share; choice of two from Hot Chocolate Cake or Key Lime Pie. The package also includes transportation between the hotel and the restaurant, two cocktails at Harry’s bar in the hotel and the Magnolia’s trademark late-night cookies and milk.

Morton's normally charges roughly $11-$12 for these appetizers, $7 for a salad, $19-$24 per entrée, $5 to $7.50 for each vegetable or potato and $7-$9 for dessert. The package begins at $219 per couple, per night, and includes tax. Gratuity and additional menu items, such as beverages, are extra. If a steakhouse isn't your thing, the Magnolia also offers packages with Palomino, Maggiano’s Little Italy and The Keg. The Magnolia Hotel Denver is downtown at 818 17th Street; 303-607-9000 and 888-915-1110 (reservations).

Meanwhile, across the ocean, Starwood Hotels & Resorts of Italy, Malta and Croatia has launched interactive web campaign, “Taste the Mediterranean,” including accommodations, a three-course lunch or dinner for two in one of Starwood’s restaurants, "regional gastronomic delights" (whatever they may be) in the hotel room and daily buffet breakfast for two. Participating hotels, not all of which are in household-name locations to North Americans, are the Westin Excelsior & Grand Hotel in Florence; Le Méridien Gallia, the Westin Palace and Sheraton Diana Majestic in Milan; Le Méridien Rimini; St. Regis Grand Hotel, the Westin Excelsior Rome, Sheraton Roma Hotel & Conference Center in Rome; Le Méridien Lingotto in Turin; Hotel Danieli, the Westin Europa, Regina and Hotel Gritti Palace in Venice; Hotel Villa Cipriani in Asolo; the Westin Dragonara Resort, Le Méridien St. Julians and Le Méridien Phoenicia on Malta and Le Méridien Lav in Split.

The package must be booked by August 31 and is available through December 31. The “Taste the Mediterranean” package requires a minimum two-night stay and priced from 126 euros per room, per night. Double Starpoints will be awarded for this package. For reservations, go to the Starwood website and click the “Book Now” button beside the hotel of your choice.

Off-Season Steal of a Deal in Vail

Downside: This offer follows foliage season and precedes the heart of the ski season. Weather might be crisp and sunny, cold and rainy or some combination even on the same day. Early ski season conditions might be marginal or wonderful -- or both during any three-day period but probably not on the same day.

Upside: Lodging at fabulous resort hotel at three-for-almost-two room rates. Adjacent spa and fitness center, so you can create your own spa getaway, regardless of the weather. Vail plans to start running its lifts on November 16, so much of this promotion overlaps into the beginning of ski season, meaning that you can make some early turns when the mountain is uncrowded. Many local shops have great off-season clearance sales, and many restaurants offer bargain "locals' specials" during this time of year.

Details: The Vail Cascade Resort & Spa is offering a 25th Anniversary package with a third night's stay for $25 with two nights of lodging starting at $129 per night with no restrictions and for all room and suite categories. The offer is valid from October 25 through December 25, 2007. If you book between now and December 25, you are eligible to win one of 25 weekend getaways to the Vail Cascade. The 25 getaways will be awarded after December 25, 2007.
To reserve, visit the website and click on the “Special Packages” page (promo code “Anniversary”), or call 800-420-2424 and ask for the “Anniversary Package.”

Budget Package to the Azores

I've never been to the Azores, but with the soaring Euro and the declining dollar, a headline promising one autumn week on these Atlantic islands starting at $699 sounds like a good deal. Here's what I know: Azores Express, which seems to be an airline linked with a Boston-based tour operator, offers air/land packages featuring roundtrip air from Boston and hotels on the islands of São Miguel, Terceira and Faial -- three of the group's nine islands.

In the early days of trans-Atlantic passenger flights, Portugal's Azores Islands, Europe's closest point to the United States and just a four-hour flight from Boston, were a regular refueling stop. Flights from Boston depart Tuesdays and Fridays from September 2007 through October 2008, combined with a six-night stay at a choice of 12 hotels, including daily breakfast. For Tuesday departures, packages range from $669 to $1,079, per person, double occupancy (plus taxes and fees). Friday departures are $80 more, which is actually a decrease from last year's prices. I don't know why anyone would need business class for such a short flight, but it is available "for just a few hundred dollars each way," according to the tour operator.

The Azores are said to enjoy the warm breezes and spring-like temperatures year-round, with summer weather often lasting into late December. I read about "quaint seaside villages, bustling harbors and unique cities overflowing with architectural treasures. The islands offer churches, palaces, and museums framed by the sea and mountainous landscape. Travelers interested in taking the unbeaten path can walk around volcanic mountainsides, cool off in a natural swimming pool formed when volcanic lava met the cold sea or they can view a lush garden at the bottom of a volcanic crater." And it all sounds good.

Azores Express operates its flights with Airbus A310 aircraft. I could drop the names of hotels, but the only one familiar to most Americans is the Holiday Inn Azores. For more information, call 800-762-9995 or go to Azores Express' website.

To put this into perspective, a website called Perfect Escapes is offering a $699 package too: for one night in a rooftop terrace suite with private outdoor Jacuzzi at Miami's luxurious Regent South Beach, including champagne on arrival and breakfast for two. That "bargain" price is valid through September 30, the height of hurricane season. After that it rises to $799 a night for a couple of months and then, after December 1, to $900 nightly. Let me think: one night in Miami Beach or a week in the Azores? I know which I'd select for my money. What about you?

WILDCHILD is a Good Kid

In our culture, describing a youngster as a "wild child" has some negative connotations, but in Africa, every WILDCHILD is better positioned to contribute to the salvation of that troubled continent. Conservation Corporation Africa (aka CCAfrica), a safari company that operates 40 lodges in six countries, spearheads and participates in numerous conservation initiatives. One that really intrigues me is WILDCHILD, which has thus far provided conservation lessons to more than 11,000 youngsters from communities near parks, wildlife reserves and other lands where CCAfrica has lodges. I'm not clear on whether each child gets one lesson or whether a series of lessons is involved.

The program is funded by the sale of wristbands to lodge guests. The wristbands cost about $10, which is small change in the context of a safari, that run to thousands of dollars. Instilling the value of preserving the land and animals that surround these children will help sustain their culture and the natural environment at their doorsteps, perhaps keeping them in their communities rather than succumbing to the temptation of Africa's troubled cities. In addition to being available at CC Africa Safari Lodges, wristbands can be purchased by writing to guestshopping@ccafrica.com.

A safari in Tanzania exactly 11 years ago remains one of the most memorable trips, and I long to return. A link from the main CCAfrica site to the SafariASAP site might provide an affordable way to do so. It features special offers ed Hot Packaged Deals, Safari Auctions, Safaris To Go, the ASAP Hot List and exclusive Offers of the Month. One of the parks we visited was Serengenti National Park, which -- coupled with Kenya's Masai Mara -- is one of the world's great wildlife preserves. A six-night itinerary (three nights each in two luxury tent camps - Klein Under Canvas, right) includes transfers to and from Arusha International Airport, to and from the park, accommodations, three meals a day, and game drives and bush walks in the park for $2,173 -- according to the website, $3,618 off the regular price. The tricky part is the August 16 start of the trip, which doesn't allow much time for advance planning, but for anyone who is flexible and can get a good last-minute air fare, that's a terrific value.

Another link from CCAfrica's site took me to WILDWATCH, great for vicarious travel to Africa. It includes postings by the firm's guides describing wildlife sightings, updates on the great migration and more. A definite plus for anyone passionate about Africa and travel to Africa.

Travel Records on a "Stick"

One of the things I always intend to do before a trip is to note all of my vital information: passport number, airline, rental car and hotel reservation confirmation numbers, medical and dental insurance numbers, and so forth. I intend to keep them somewhere safe in case my wallet or purse goes missing. And I intend to keep it up to date when something changes. I'm usually in such a hurry that I never get around to it. So much for intentions.

Although it's been around for a couple of years, I just learned about the Portable Travel Profile, that might shake me out of this particularly procrastinating lethargy. PTP is a small digital storage device loaded with the software to record and store important travel information. I think I've heard these gadgets called "sticks." Just an inch long and less than half an inch wide, the PTP is a waterproof, stainless steel-encased mini-device that can be plugged into any desktop or laptop USB port to input additional data or retrieve information. How convenient is it to have passport, driver's license, insurance cards, fingerprints, emergency contacts, reservations information, phone numbers, legal documents, medical info and more on a keychain (really cool), on a chain around the neck (a tad dorky) or placed in a wallet or purse (neutral in the cool to dorky continuum) but most convenient for some travelers.

The company says that no technical or computer knowledge is required, because the included software guides you through filling out all the info on the computer and storing on the Portable Travel Profile device, which is password protected for added security.

The Portable Travel Profile can be purchased online (http://www.portabletravelprofile.com/), by phone phone (877-977-0389) or at retail stores for $49.95 ($54.95 CAD).