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Surely St Patrick’s Day is a time when beer enthusiasts may be ready to toast a Guinness or a green beer in the patron saint of Ireland’s honor.

In terms of beer, pubs and the airport (yes the three go together here) - there is a guide for that. Cheapflights lists several pubs with airport locations, and suggests local or popular beers for each. It’s a fun read.

I’ve summarized the guide in - Airport Lover’s Beer Guide - from Cheapflights.com - Some of the Best Airport Pubs and Beer in the United States, and have linked to the original seven page guide.

Slainte!

Hyougushi / Flickr

Beer at Airports - For St. Patrick’s Day originally appeared on About.com Air Travel on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 00:20:30.

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Southwest Airlines has launched a 72 hour sale - good until Friday night, for flights to/from Philadelphia. Flights are priced at $30, $60 and $90 one way depending on the cities involved.

Book by Friday night, March 19, 2010 and travel by May 26.

Sample one way airfares include

• $30  between Philadelphia and Raleigh/Durham
• $60  between Philadelphia and Chicago
• $90  between Philadelphia and Denver

Southwest Airlines - Philadelphia Deals originally appeared on About.com Air Travel on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 11:12:50.

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A sampling of some of the cheap, discounted, airfare specials on sale this week…this week it is a mix of intro airfares, promo codes and vacation packages.

Apple Vacations has a pretty big sale on right now. All inclusive packages (7 nights) for Mexico and the Caribbean are starting at $599, and their Europe and Hawaii destinations are also discounted too. The travel dates vary by destination. Some are for last minute travel dates in March, many run later, into the summer months. Several departure cities are available. Book by March 25, 2010.

Southwest Airlines Vacations has a promo code that is running for virtually all of their vacation package destinations which makes this promotion that bit sweeter. Book a flight and hotel package to any Southwest Vacations destination and save up to $200. Use promo code: SAVENOW. Book by March 22.

For the traveler looking to fly overseas, Air Berlin is keeping it simple to get a promo code. Just fill out a brief form on the page and get your code. Seems to be good for all of their European destinations when originating out of the United States. The offer is a promo code that will save you an extra $60 on a roundtrip airfare. Book by April 30. Travel must be completed by the end of July.

Frontier Airlines has introductory airfares for several new routes. New routes include - Branson, Mo.; Grand Rapids, MI; Long Beach, CA; Madison, WI; Newport News/Williamsburg, VA; Santa Barbara, CA; and Green Bay, WI. Book by April 15. Travel dates go all the way into the end of September - September 28, 2010.
Sample Airfare - One way airfares include Long Beach / Cancun $ 129.

Airfare Travel Deals this Week - Cheap Airline Tickets

image from the public domain

Airfare Specials This Week - Week of March 15, 2010 originally appeared on About.com Air Travel on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 00:22:35.

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It’s always nice to save an extra buck or two on airfares. This set of deals is geared for students, for a huge variety of destinations.

STA Travel is offering extra discounts via promo codes for booking online. All of these discounts end on March 31. The values range from $15 to $20 a ticket. Also, the NOFEE code waives the booking fee and can be used for student exclusive tickets that cost at least $100 booked at STATravel.com.

Other discounts offered by STA Travel are for travel to points all over the world. For Europe - $15 off Alitalia Student Tickets with code AZ15. Mexico - $15 off Mexicana Student Airfare with code MX15. For Asia (not just South Korea but places such as Bangkok and Hong Kong - $20 off Korean Air Student Tickets with code KE20. Australia - $20 off QANTAS Airways Student Tickets with code QFE20. And for several South American destinations - $15 off Aerolineas Argentina Student Airfare with code AR15.

With all of the mentioned discounts you must book directly via STA Travel.

Student Airfare Discounts - Book by March 31, 2010 originally appeared on About.com Air Travel on Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at 00:03:17.

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It’s not exactly the busiest holiday travel period, but there are some Saint Patrick’s day-themed airfare specials / travel packages on offer. From green beer to being Irish for the day, some of the different Irish-loving destinations.

Cheapflights has several suggested itineraries including  Ireland and Toronto, Canada. It is obvious and important to start with where St. Patrick’s Day began, and Cheapflights looks at Dublin as a destination for St. Patrick’s Day.  The flights from Houston to Dublin from $636 between March 17 - 23.

North America’s tallest tower at 553 meters (605 yards) is the CN Tower and will have a green glow for St. Patrick’s Day.  Toronto also hosts one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the world. Cheapflights quotes flights from Los Angeles to Toronto available from $409 for March 17 - 21. 

CheapOair also has several travel suggestions for St. Patrick’s Day including Boston, known for its deep Irish roots. CheapOair cites Boston flights from March 15 to March 22, 2010 starting at $132 roundtrip - enjoy the  parade, walk the Irish Heritage Trail, and visit some of Boston’s many Irish pubs.

St. Patrick’s Day Travel originally appeared on About.com Air Travel on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 00:01:06.

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Let’s see if these scenarios sound realistic: it’s better to book at the last minute; you can change the name on your ticket anytime; and if your flight cancels you can walk over to another airline and take their flight. These are some of the topics that probably better fall into air travel mythology than reality.

Airline tickets have changed so much in the past dozen years. Remember when it was a novelty to have an electronic ticket? Some of the rules have changed, some have never changed, and some are misunderstood.

Let’s address some of the myths about airline tickets, and see what a ticket can and cannot do for you.

Top 10 Airfare and Airline Ticket Myths…

Common Airfare Myths originally appeared on About.com Air Travel on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 21:42:35.

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It’s a good week for airline promo codes to save you a bit extra on your next flight or travel package. JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and Air Berlin are all offering discounts via promotional codes right now.

JetBlue is making it pretty easy to get a discount - just sign up for its getaways alerts. Sign up for their email alerts and get $50 off a JetBlue getaway. Must sign up by March 12 and book a getaway by that date. Definitely a quick way to save some money if you are planning a trip on JetBlue soon.

Southwest Airlines Vacations has a promo code that is running for virtually all of their vacation package destinations which makes this promotion that bit sweeter. Book a flight and hotel package to any Southwest Vacations destination and save up to $200. Use promo code: SAVENOW. Book by March 22.

For the traveler looking to fly overseas, Air Berlin is keeping it simple to get a promo code. Just fill out a brief form on the page and get your code. Seems to be good for all of their European destinations when originating out of the United States. The offer is a promo code that will save you an extra $60 on a roundtrip airfare. Book by April 30. Travel must be completed by the end of July.

Airfare Specials - Promo Codes - Week of March 7, 2010 originally appeared on About.com Air Travel on Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at 11:17:05.

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Having worked for an airline for over 15 years, friends often ask about how to get free upgrades. Are there any particular strategies that can secure a bigger seat for you flight? The short answer is if you are entitled to it yes, and if you aren’t then you kind of need luck on your side. But luck can turn into opportunity for a few of the top 10 ways to get upgraded from economy class to coach.

If you are a top tier frequent flyer then you know you have a good shot at upgrades, but the infrequent traveler may need to dress the part, volunteer to be bumped, etc. to have a chance to sit up front.

Top 10 Ways to Get Upgraded on a Flight

Getting Free Upgrades originally appeared on About.com Air Travel on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 13:33:26.

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Early Saturday morning, February 27, 2010 - an earthquake of 8.8 magnitude hits Chile. The earthquake is said to have been hundreds of times more powerful than the one that leveled much of Haiti in January, and is believed to be one of the most powerful earthquakes in history. Chile may have building codes that were established to make buildings more earthquake-proof, but an earthquake of this magnitude is extremely rare and extensive damage is to be expected.

Google has set up a people finder service for those looking for friends and family in Chile. Chile’s second largest city, Concepcion, was hardest hit and CNN is reporting that curfews, partly for fear of looting, are in place.

In terms of air travel, the main airport in Santiago has been closed, and affected airlines are permitting flexible rebooking policies including - Air Canada, American Airlines, LAN, and Delta Airlines. Because of tsunami fears, several airlines have been permitting penalty-free changes for flights to Hawaii.

Chilean Air Travel Post-Earthquake originally appeared on About.com Air Travel on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 00:17:51.

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The fear of flying - aviophobia - is seemingly common to those of us who see the panicked look on the faces of some travelers. The palpable anxiety, the clasped hands, the odd emotional outburst are all different visible signs of a passenger who may be nervous or afraid to fly. Certainly, often it is just that a passenger wants to get on that plane and out of here, but the numbers of people afraid to fly are large.

Think about it - how many people do you know love to fly, or have a smile of comfort when an aircraft bumps around during turbulence. At the same time the numbers who suffer from fear of flying seems an imprecise science. I have read anywhere from 5-40% of all flyers have some degree of fear when it comes to flying.

Given that the fear of flying is a real presence in air travel, tips and resources for conquering this phobia or anxiety may be helpful if you are a nervous flyer, a fearful one, or just get those butterflies in the stomach as you anticipate your flight.

Air Travel Assistance - First Time Flyers and Fear of Flying
Fear of flying courses and treatment

image courtesy of Arlene Fleming

Fear of Flying - Overcoming Aviophobia originally appeared on About.com Air Travel on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at 01:14:18.

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