My Death Valley Travels -- and Airlines' Death Rattles

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, but I've been traveling.

I was in Death Valley National Park for several days, staying at the historic Furnace Creek Inn, which will have Internet access next season (this inn closes during the summer) but does not at this time. I'll post a longer report about Death Valley's history and natural wonders when I can.

But meanwhile, as a teaser, I'll just note that the park is phenomenal and fascinating: famous as the continent's hottest, driest, lowest-elevation place, but its 3 million acres also include stark desertscape of salt flats, mineral deposits, sand dunes and multicolored rock layers, surrounded by mountains some of which still are capped with the last of winter's snow. This has been a good -- not a great, but a good -- wildflower year, and I caught just the tail end. The beautiful flower here is called the Desert Five-Spot, which looks a bit like a lavender Japanese lantern whose rounded petals surround five bright red spots in the center.


Another Airline Bites the Dust

While I've been unconnected to the on-line world, big news in travel is the continuing (and worsening) litany of airline woes. Two scheduled and one charter carrier recently folded. Late last week, Columbus, OH-based SkyBus went under. Aloha Airlines, which declared bankruptcy some 10 days ago was 61 years old. SkyBus, a discount carrier with 11 destinations and big dreams, had not yet celebrated its first anniversary. Delta, United, American and others have announced various cost-saving measures. Just when the leaner and meaner aviation industry had returned to profitability, literally and figuratively sky-high jet-fuel costs have killed off some carriers and weakened others. Major media will continue to report on rumored or planned airline mergers or deaths of the biggies, but in this blog, I am concerned with the impact on travelers.

Travel Insurance Tips

I received the following message from QuoteWright, and online travel insurance provider. These tips are worth paying attention to when you plan your next travels:

In the past several days 3 airlines have suddenly ceased
business. Travelers can use travel insurance to help protect
themselves but there are a few things they should know before buying:

1. Buy travel insurance from an independent source rather than from the travel provider. Travel Insurance policies offered by tour operators, cruise lines, or airlines either don’t cover their own financial default or they exclude the financial default of the company from whom you purchase your coverage.
2. Check the insurance plan to see if they have a list of airlines or travel companies that they either will or will not cover. One company, Access America, provides a list of companies they will cover while two other companies, Travel Guard and Travelex, provide a list of companies they will not cover.
3. Buy travel insurance very soon after they make a deposit. Default protection is only available if you purchase your travel insurance within 10 to 21 days of your initial deposit. The time period varies with each company and plan so our advice is to do it within 10 days to ensure that you have the maximum flexibility.
4. Review the coverage carefully. Some plans will have a “waiting period” after the coverage is purchased before the default coverage goes into effect. In some cases this is 14 days after you buy the insurance. Another reason to buy coverage early.
5. Buy your trip or airline ticket through a travel agent. Some insurance plans exclude coverage if you have purchase your trip directly with the travel company. Most travel insurance plans will not, however, to have the maximum flexibility you should purchase your trip through a travel agent, whether locally or online, rather than buying direct.
6. Always use a credit card for the payment of your ticket or trip. In the event of a default you might be able to dispute your charge and have the credit card company remove it from your billing. This is fine if it happens prior to your trip but doesn’t help much if you are traveling at the time of the default. If that happens other airlines might offer you an alternative flight on a standby basis but it can still result in delays and additional expenses that would be covered by many travel insurance policies.

These are all ways that a consumer can minimize their risks. You can never
eliminate all risks but you can take prudent measures to minimize them before
you travel.”