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Although many people in the United States don’t have as much money in their pockets as they would like, that apparently isn’t going to slow down travel for Thanksgiving. According to research by Harris Interactive, the percentage of people who expect to travel for Thanksgiving is exactly the same as it was last year.

Although common sense may indicate that a poor economy would lead to more people staying home, apparently that will not be the case. The travel industry will happily accept the forthcoming busy time of year.

According to the Harris Interactive survey, 39% of people both this year and last year said they will travel for Thanksgiving. Of those people who are traveling, nearly 75% say they will travel less than 200 miles for the upcoming holiday.

If you are planning to visit family either across town or across the country, you won’t be alone. Although gas prices have lowered in recent months and good airline ticket prices can be found, there’s no doubt that many pocketbooks will be pinched making the Thanksgiving trips a reality.

The Harris Interactive survey was commissioned by Hotwire.com, which is a website that offers discount pricing on hotel rooms, rental cars, airfare and vacation packages.

If you are going to buy a ticket for a Continental flight you need to be aware of the airline’s policies and luggage fees. These fees are becoming more common in today’s airline industry, and it is important to know how they will affect you. Read the full story

Extend you FlyClear membership by an extra month when you register with this FlyClear security discount code:

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If you are going to fly Alaska Airlines you need to know that you may be charged for the luggage that you check. This is not always the case, but the airline does have fees in place for excess, overweight, and oversize luggage. Knowing these fees before you arrive at the airport will make things much easier on you.

At this time, Alaska Airlines allows you to check one bag without being charged. This is much better than many airlines that have decided to charge for bag number one as well as any extras. If you need to check a second bag you will be charged a fee of $25. Bags three through six are charged at $100 each, with seven or more bags assessed a fee of $150.

Additionally, you may also incur fees for overweight or oversize luggage. Bags weighing less than 50 pounds will not be assessed a fee. Those between 51 and 100 pounds will cost $50. Any bag weighing more than 100 pounds must be shipped as air cargo.

Oversize fees come into play for bags larger than 62 linear inches. Bags between 63 and 80 inches will be assessed a $50 fee. Those 81 to 115 inches will be charged at a rate of $75.

As you can see, Alaska Airlines allows each passenger to check one bag free of charge. But if you get into more than one bag or those that are too heavy or too big, you will have to pay additional fees.

photo credit: Cubbie_n_Vegas

If you need to check heavy baggage on an Alaska Airlines flight you should be ready to pay an additional fee. While you can avoid these fees with lighter luggage, sometimes this is not possible.

Bags that weigh less than 50 pounds will not be charged an additional fee. But those that weigh between 51 and 100 pounds will be charged a fee of $50. What if my bag weighs more than 100 pounds? In this case, you will want to get in touch with Alaska Airlines to see what your options are. In most cases, you will have to ship your bag via air cargo. Although this can be a pain, it is better to find out about this before you leave for the airport.

Many passengers find that a heavy bag is often times over the size limit of 62 linear inches as well. In this case, you will be assessed two separate fees.

When flying Alaska Airlines your best bet is to keep all of your bags under 50 pounds. By doing this you will be able to avoid excess fees that can add up in a hurry.

photo credit: Cubbie_n_Vegas

If you are a student who does a lot of traveling, you are well aware of how quickly the expenses add up. It is not uncommon for a student who goes home during the holidays while in college to rack up a significant amount in travel expenses.

Thankfully, Southwest Airlines now has a program that can help college students save money. The program, which is called the Southwest Airlines College Rapid Rewards Program, allows college students between the ages of 18 and 23 to earn free airline tickets. Simply pay for three round trip tickets from Southwest Airlines and you will then be eligible for the free ticket.

In Southwest Airlines’ normal Rapid Rewards program, it usually takes at least 8 round trip flights (16 credits) to earn a free ticket. However students will earn four bonus credits for enrolling, plus they’ll get one bonus credit for each one-way flight they make while they are enrolled in the program.

With 60 destinations, Southwest Airlines reaches most major college cities in the United States. To enroll, students can go to Southwest.com/rrenroll/college. On that page, you can read more about the program and complete your registration for the Southwest Airlines College Rapid Rewards Program. Every little bit of savings helps. Read more from the Seattle Times to learn about other special travel programs for students.

photo credit: Ack Ook

United Airlines announced they are doubling their fee for a second checked bag. The new $50 one-way fee will apply to airline tickets bought beginning Tuesday, September 16 for travel beginning November 10. The airline cited fuel prices for the reason behind the increase.

The new fee will be applicable to flights within the United States, to or from Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgins Islands. More and more airlines are beginning to up fees for extra baggage, inflight services, ticket changes and more.

In recent months, we have seen United along with Delta, Continental, U.S. Airways, Northwest and several other smaller airlines start to charge coach passengers for a second checked bag. United, Continental, U.S. Airways and Northwest also charge $15 for the first checked bag. Delta does not. Additionally some carriers are charging $100 or more for a third checked bag.

United says that airline fuel prices are still more than 50 percent higher than 2007, despite the fact that oil prices have fallen in recent weeks. After reaching a high of $147 a barrel, the price of oil was $96 on Monday. Hopefully this decline will continue and soon be reflected in jet fuel prices.

photo credit: ny156uk

Do you want to catch a nap on the plane? It will cost you!

It was announced on Monday that JetBlue Airways customers will now be charged for pillows and blankets. The company will offer an eco-friendly travel blanket and pillow for $7 on flights two hours or longer.

The blanket and pillow sets are just another of JetBlue’s recently charges to try to offset the rising cost of jet fuel. Customers can also purchase seats with extra leg room, which are expect to generate $50 million to the carrier in 2008. Additionally, there is a $15 fee for a second checked bag, translating into $20 million in revenue, plus a $100 ticket change fee, which should produce another $50 million in revenue this year.

Who knows how long the nickel and diming of airline customers will continue. But as long as fuel prices continue to rise airlines will try to find ways to recoup some of their costs. People are already cutting back on air travel. If prices continue to skyrocket, eventually many vacationers may turn away from air travel altogether, choosing to stay closer to home instead.

One plus is that JetBlue says the blanket and pillow kit will also come with a $5 coupon to Bed Bath & Beyond.