travel souvenirs — part 12

Delft houses from KLM (c) 2020 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

If you've flown KLM business class, you'll recognize this souvenir. Passengers on long haul flights to or from Amsterdam are presented with a choice of blue Delft china houses designed to resemble actual historic buildings in the Netherlands. I've even to the Royal Delft factory and seen the process by which the pottery is painted with the iconic Delft blue and then glazed. Of course, that was 51 years ago in the summer of 1969 — so I'm dating myself.

I've acquired these four Delft houses over the years...

73 — De Posthoorn 

83 — Museum Van Loon

33 — De Dubbelde Palmboom

7 — Bols House

KLM has a comfortable business class with lie-flat seats that offer a good night's sleep on your way over the pond. Amsterdam offers convenient connections to destinations all over Europe, avoiding the madness of transfers in Paris or London. Get in touch for specially discounted business class fares when packaged with hotel stays or car rentals... or click here to discover the value-added Virtuoso amenities you can score at Amsterdam's most elegant luxury hotels.

Click here to sign up for the Ourisman Travel Newsletter.

copyright (c) 2020 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

our impulse travel purchase

the itinerary of Baltic Delights, our Windstar cruise

This was an impulse purchase. Here's the story of how it came to be...


Act I — an intriguing itinerary

The dream of this trip began last August (11 months ago) when a travel blogger I follow wrote about Tallinn. In his words,

Europe in general has so many charming “old towns,” though Tallinn has the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. Period. The old town is large and adorable.

Tallinn sounded so interesting. Searching Virtuoso.com, I looked for itineraries including Tallinn and found what is shown above — a Baltic cruise on Windstar, a boutique luxury cruise line. A lot of these places are on my bucket list — Copenhagen, Tallinn, and especially St. Petersburg, Russia where the cruise will dock for two full days.

The prices were reasonable for a 10-day luxury cruise, but I was hoping for travel agent rates — I've been spoiled; there were none to be had. So this cruise went on the back burner, and I forgot completely about it, until...


Act II — a compelling cruise fare appeared

Last Monday, just eight days ago, Windstar sent out an email blast with agent familiarization fares. By a stroke of luck, there was an agent's rate for the very sailing we had been looking at. I applied for the rate, but everything depended on finding...


Act III — reasonable air

When it's just one month before departure, the least expensive business class air fares buckets have usually sold out. Note: I'm not going to fly from San Francisco to Europe if I can't lie down flat and get some decent sleep on the way over. Bottom line — there's lie-flat business for about $6500 per passenger round-trip, but at that price, the trip was a no-go.

So I began searching. Could I accomplish some travel agent magic on my own behalf? Yes!!! I eventually discovered a consolidator rate to Copenhagen and back from Paris (not Stockholm) for about $2350 per passenger, round trip. I spent some Amex points for the inexpensive flight from STO to CDG ... and ended up with four bonus nights in Paris!


Act IV — so the cruise is on

Let it be known, I'm not a cruiser — at least not to this point — but Claire and I have grown more and more excited about our Windstar adventure as we've started planning our days. There are many sources for shore excursions — Windstar itself but also independent vendors like Shore Trips and Viator. We've looked into all of them, read the tour descriptions, and have become more and more...


Act V — ... excited to go!

We're actually surprised at the degree of excitement we have for this trip. After all, we travel so much. We even have an epic trip to Australia at the end of September ... but we're giddy with anticipation for this Windstar cruise.

Sometimes making an impulse travel purchase is the very thing to do. By the way, Windstar just published an Independence One Week Sale with prices as low as $1599 ... get in touch if you'd like to make your own impulsive travel purchase! 

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

5 reasons to use a travel advisor to book air

Norwegian Airlines 787 at OAK (c) 2019 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Note: I am not an air agent. I specialize in luxury hotel bookings. Want the best luxury hotel in Paris or London given your preferences, I can help with that decision. And I'll get you value-added hotel amenities for no extra cost — like complimentary daily breakfast for two, $100 hotel credits, and sometimes upgrades even at the time of booking. For air bookings, I turn to my colleagues at Brownell Travel's Air Desk or Virtuoso Air.

Here are five reasons to use an experienced air advisor, especially for complicated international itineraries. Inexperienced consumers, armed only with the internet, often make expensive mistakes, all in the attempt to save money.

1. Connections that make sense. Is that connection long enough (or is it too long)? Should you avoid connecting at that particular airport? Is there a non-stop flight you should consider instead? An experienced travel advisor will sweat questions like these so you don’t have to.

• While that 50 minute connection at CDG might be legal, your dash through the immigration and the airport will be stressful and tiring ... with a high chance you'll miss your connection.
• Will you have to switch terminals? Passengers who switch terminals at LHR have to wait in long queues just to catch the shuttle bus between terminals.
• Beware of itineraries that make you change airports. Some options that come up on the British Airways website require taking a 35 mile bus ride from Heathrow to Gatwick (good luck during rush hour!). Always look for an alternative, even if it costs more.

2. Be protected in case you misconnect. I've read many stories about unknowing travelers who've done something like the following: After searching the internet to find the absolute lowest price, they bought one ticket on British Airways to London, then bought a separate ticket on AirFrance to connect to Paris.  They are unaware of how much can go wrong. Always book your connecting flights on the same airline (or their partner airline) and ensure they're on the same ticket. It's then the airline's problem if you misconnect. If your connecting flights are ticketed separately, you'll be out of luck:

• If you miss your connection, your non-refundable ticket is void, and you’ll have to buy a new ticket at the full, non-discounted, last-minute fare.
• Good luck if you intend to check your baggage to the final destination. You'll be in for an unpleasant surprise if the two airlines do not have inter-airline baggage agreements. You'll need to go through immigration, retrieve your checked baggage, check in again at the front of the airport, then re-enter immigration and security all over again. If you miss your connecting flight, you'll have to buy a full-fare ticket.

An experienced air agent will protect you from mistakes like this.

3. Flight monitoring. What happens when there's a schedule mishap? if your flight across the Atlantic is delayed, and it appears you'll miss your connecting flight, there's nothing you can do from the middle of the ocean. But an experienced air agent can monitor your flights and solve the problem before you even know something's wrong.

4. Time, money, and comfort. You will pay a service fee when using an air agent, but it can still save you time and money. Here are some possible ways you can benefit:

• Hate paying for seat assignments on BA? A savvy air agent can do this with no fee.
• Sometimes booking a code-share saves on taxes and fees.
• Is there a better itinerary that google flights doesn't know?
• Sometimes it pays to put all legs of a multi-segment itinerary on one ticket. Sometimes it pays to split the flights up among several tickets.
• Do you want a flight with a true lie-flat business class seat?

An expert air agent can advise about all these issues.

5. Intelligent, coordinated travel planning. Your flights and itinerary should coordinate to provide you the most convenient connections available. An expert travel advisor, working on your behalf throughout the entire planning process, can ensure your trip flows as smoothly as possible.

Note, I'm talking here about expert air agents. Just because someone works at a travel agency doesn’t mean they know what they're doing. I read a post yesterday on fodors.com. This traveler wanted to spend a week in Paris, then visit Spain or Portugal. But, she wrote the forum asking for advice, “our travel agency wants us to return home from Paris.” She apparently wandered into a travel agency and sat down at the desk of someone who didn't know what they were doing.


Here are some questions you should ask when choosing a travel advisor:

• Are you a member of the Virtuoso network? Using a Virtuoso travel advisor is the only way you can enjoy exclusive Virtuoso amenities at over 1300 luxury hotels and resorts around the world.
• Are you experienced with booking international air or — if not — do you have access to international air experts at your agency?

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

eliminating stress at the airport

This You Tube video, entitled "Stupidly Long Unnecessary Queue at Heathrow Airport," illustrates the issue I'm writing about. Like many of my articles, this was prompted by a question posed in a post on fodors.com. What time should she leave her Paris hotel to catch a flight departing Paris CDG at 10:20 a.m. The advice came back — depart your hotel at 6 a.m. She replied, asking whether it would be safe to leave at 7 a.m.? Answer: NO!!!

Here's my personal approach, knowing that others prefer to live dangerously! I strategize to minimize stress when I travel. When planning my departure time, I take into account everything that can go wrong — including traffic jams, unfamiliarity with the airport and its procedures, and long lines for check-in, baggage drop-off, security, and passport control. I assume the worst scenario and take that into account when planning my departure time.

Some tips for dealing with logistical stress.

(1) Leave yourself plenty of time! I don't mind waiting at the front of a line when I'm early, but I hate waiting at the back of a line when I'm late.

(2) Consider the option of public transportation during rush hour. I often take BART to the San Francisco airport to avoid a drive over the Bay Bridge during rush hour, especially if there won't be enough passengers in the car to use the carpool lanes.

(3) Checked baggage and running late? Use the skycaps outside the terminal doors. MUCH shorter lines, and even if you tip $1 or more per bag, that's a small amount to pay to eliminate stress.

(4) Fly in Business Class or First. You'll enjoy much shorter check-in lines and have priority access through the security lines.

(5) Get Global Entry which includes TSA Pre-Check. The latter gets you into a shorter, quicker line and spares you the inconvenience of taking off your shoes and jackets and removing your laptops and bag of liquids from your carry on. Global Entry saves you from queueing at US Immigration on your return and gets you into an expedited Customs line.

(6) Airport lounges typically provide a haven of sanity when you do get there early and have time to burn. Instead of grabbing a bolted-down seat by the gate, head to your airline's lounge (or use a Priority Pass Lounge). Many credit cards provide lounge access. American Express Platinum gets the cardmember free access into a Delta lounge (or into an Amex Centurion Lounge at a number of airports). There are credit cards that provide American and United lounge access ... and a Priority Pass Select card.

(7) VIP airport services can also save you time and stress where available. At Paris Charles De Gaulle (which the original question was about), you can get both a departure service (meet-and-greet curbside; fast-track through check-in, immigration, and security; lounge access; and escort to the boarding gate) and arrival service (meet-and-greet at the gate; fast-track through immigration and customs, assistance with luggage, and escort to your waiting limo).

copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

connections at CDG

Making a connection in Paris? Be aware that making a tight connection at CDG can be a rushed, anxiety-producing undertaking. I was reminded of CDG's logistical difficulties by a recent email from a client (copied with permission).

Thought you could help me out with this logistical question. We arrive into Paris CDG at 8:25 am. We plan to take a train to Avignon upon arrival, ideally out of CDG. Online I am directed to Rail Europe which shows a 9:58 am departure and a 1:58 pm departure. The 9:58 am seems tight with customs, but if it's at all possible, that would be much more ideal than waiting around for the afternoon departure.... Do you have any views on best options?

A 90 minute air-to-air connection is actually a legal connection at CDG but one fraught with potential difficulties. Here's a short list of things I would get worried about:

1. What if your flight departs late? While there's some wiggle room in schedules, lots of things can lead to a late departure. A late inbound flight. Mechanical difficulty. Holding the flight for late connecting passengers. Delays getting baggage loaded. Delays getting all passengers seated. Delays in the crew getting to the airport. Bad weather. Any of these can make cause a late arrival ... and a missed connection.

2. Seated in the back of the plane? Have you noticed how long it takes to deplane if you're in the last rows of a 737? Double that time if you're in the back of a jumbo jet. And if you're on an Air France 787 (double decks) to CDG, all bets are off.

Tip: flying business class not only gets you a decent night's sleep in a lie-flat seat, you're also first off the plane.

3. Queuing up for immigration. If a large 747 (or two) has landed just before your flight, you can get to immigration and find hundreds of people already in line. Immigration officials can take a minute or longer processing each passport. Multiply that by the number of passengers in queue, divide by the number of agents, and you have the depressing answer.

Tip: Splurge for a VIP airport reception at CDG. You'll be met at the jetway by a personal concierge with your name on a sign, and you'll be fast-tracked through immigration, saving time and aggravation.

4. Do I have to collect my luggage? Where is my next gate? Both confusing questions when you arrive at an unfamiliar airport, thoroughly jet lagged after spending the night on a plane. (If you're taking the train, you definitely have to wait for your luggage).

5. I'm at the gate. Where is my plane? Some of CDG's gates don't have jetways, and you have to crowd onto a bus to take you out to the plane. Boarding actually ends quite a bit before the scheduled departure of your flight, shrinking your 90 minutes even more.

6. If you're taking the train, not a plane, to your next destination, how do you get to the train station to board the train — or purchase or exchange your ticket? Easy if you're intimately familiar with CDG, but when you're unfamilair with an airport, getting from Point A to Point B is a stressful undertaking.


The ultimate tip: Never book separate tickets when connecting at CDG. Make sure all flights are on the same PNR. If you miss a connection, you're protected. Separate tickets and you miss your next flight? You don't want to be in this situation. Ever.

copyright (c) 2015 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Pan Am

I watched Pan Am last night, ABC's new Sunday night TV show this fall, and I rather enjoyed the pilot episode. The show offers a lot of nostalgic value for older viewers who remember a time when Pam Am was America's greatest international airline (TWA, another name from the past, being its major U.S. competitor).

A work in progress — this is how I would describe Pan Am. Like all new shows, it will take time to become acquainted with the show's main characters, four Pan Am stewardesses, and the show's ultimate success will depend on how well those characters are developed. Nevertheless, Pan Am has genuine potential. A cross between Mad Men (and its Emmy Award-winning re-creation of the 60's) and Sex in the City (also focused on a foursome of attractive women), various narrative threads were woven into a very simple plot structure — a New York to London flight. It will be interesting to see if the show's writers will continue to create plots around single cross-the-pond flights or whether more complex narrative structures will evolve.

What was most interesting to me, however, was the nostalgia that Pan Am evoked for a golden age of air travel. I remember a time when flying was an exciting and glamorous experience. No security lines, no being forced to take off your shoes, no being subjected to backscatter x-ray machines, nor having to pay to check your bags. Air travel was a much less stressful and more comfortable experience. Even the coach seats in the back of the show's Pan Am Boeing 707 looked comfortable, with adequate shoulder and leg room. Passengers got dressed up to fly, even in coach, and Pan Am stewardesses were expected to be not only efficient but glamorous. How different from today when Southwest Airlines flight attendants routinely dress in shorts and running shoes!

But as nostalgic as the 1960's might have been, modern travelers do have one advantage. Today's world-class international airlines offer lie-flat sleeper seats in business class, and First Class suites provide a level of space, comfort, privacy, and luxury that  the passengers on Pan Am's Clipper Majestic could never have imagined!


Pan Am (search here on Google)

copyright  (c)  2011 by David Ourisman LLC.  All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

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Christmas in Ireland?

Looking for a unique destination to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas vacation? Why not consider Christmas in Ireland? Stay in Dublin with its theater, culture, shopping, and vibrant nightlife — or explore the idyllic Irish countryside. You will treasure the fond memories of this family holiday forever.

The soft economy has led to some amazing luxury travel bargains. Joe Brancatelli's excellent travel website (subscribe at JoeSentMe.com) alerted me to some great Aer Lingus business class fares to Dublin — $1430 from JFK, BOS, or IAD; $1538 from ORD; and $1598 from SFO. These round-trip Holiday Fares before tax are available within two travel windows, Nov. 23-29 and Dec. 30-Jan. 2.

Where to stay in Ireland? Here are two great choices.

The Merrion Hotel is a traditional five star hotel in the center of Dublin. Created from four Georgian Townhouses (with a contemporary Garden Wing), you should book a room in the traditional wing to get the full experience of this traditional property. With a magical Christmas tree in The Front Hall, The Merrion has special plans for Christmas, including a visit from Santa on Christmas Eve with a gift for every child and a glass of champagne for Mum and Dad.

Mount Juliet is a Georgian Mansion on a 1500 acre country estate overlooking the River Nore. Christmas Day is something special with a visit from Santa and a traditional Christmas lunch. There is a superb Virtuoso package including full breakfast daily and a complimentary lunch for two once during your stay — all at the best available rate.

Make your plans early as there is a 30-day advance booking requirement for the Aer Lingus business class sale ... and limited space at the Merrion and Mount Juliet. Contact your Virtuoso luxury travel consultant for more information.



Christmas in Ireland (search here on Google)


copyright (c) 2008 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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low business class fares to Europe

Joe Bracatelli is the publisher of Joe Sent Me, one of the most informative travel websites out there and well worth the annual subscription. He has alerted me to a special 4-Day Sale, New York-Amsterdam, on OpenSkies. Fly business class from $1,609 roundtrip, taxes and fees included, and enjoy a 6-foot long 180º flatbed. You must book by September 12, but you can travel anytime between October 15, 2008 and March 31, 2009 with a three-day minimum stay.

Want an even lower price to Europe? Eurofly has $399 round-trip fares in coach to Italy (inclusive of fuel surcharges, but about $90 in taxes are additional). Book by September 12, and fly JFK to Rome, Naples, Palermo, or Bologna on selected flights in September and October.

After you book your flights, contact your Virtuoso travel consultant to fill out your itinerary with some great values at the world's finest five star luxury hotels.


Virtuoso travel consultant (search here on Google)


copyright (c) 2008 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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what is the best credit card for travel?

If you travel a lot, you've doubtless thought about this question. What is the best credit card for travel? I can't give the definitive answer to that question because every traveler has different priorities, but here are some thoughts about the question.

What is your priority? Do you want miles, perks, or zero fees?

If you want to collect airline miles, there are two ways to go. Do you fly one airline predominately? When you use a credit card affiliated with that airline's frequent flyer program, every dollar you spend earns you one mile on that airline. You can [try to] use those miles for upgrades or free flights.

Some airlines offer additional perks with their branded credit cards. Alaska Airlines, for instance, offers a yearly $50 companion fare coupon that is a good deal. You can even get the companion fare when flying first class, and there are no blackout dates.

Want to use your miles on a variety of different airlines? With American Express and Diners Club cards, your miles accumulate over the years (they never expire), and you can transfer them to a variety of different frequent flyer programs. Potential drawback: both companies now charge you to transfer miles to your frequent flyer accounts.

Would you rather go for perks? Consider either an American Express Platinum card or a World Elite MasterCard (which is the official card of Virtuoso). The AMEX Platinum is expensive, $475 a year as I recall, but it gets you into airport lounges for Continental, Delta, Northwest, and American Airlines on your day of travel when using those carriers.

World Elite MasterCard, which you can obtain with no annual charge, provides you with a Priority Club membership. Show your card and get into participating airport lounges for $25. You know how often you fly; do the math! Both cards also offer an international airline program with 2-for-1 business class tickets on a variety of carriers (at full published fares). While you can often do better with advance purchase discounted premium fares, this is a great value if you and a companion are flying last minute.

If you frequently rent cars, Diners Club offers primary car rental insurance. Most other credit cards provide only secondary rental insurance (which means your own auto insurance pays to the limits of your coverage, the credit card company pays your deductible, and your insurance history gets "dinged" with a claim).

Zero fees are a compelling option for many travelers. If you pass up credit cards with an annual fees that can range from $75 to $475 annually, you keep the cash in your own bank account. Some free cards even pay you a cash rebate. Capital One's cards can save international travelers because they do not impose an additional foreign transaction fee on top of what Visa or MasterCard tack onto every charge in a foreign currency.

My conclusion? While any of these options can represent a good value, my most important advice is to use credit wisely and pay off your balance in full each month. Otherwise, whatever benefit you can possibly accrue from these cards is more than eaten up by the interest you will pay over the years.

best credit card for travel (search here on Google)


copyright (c) 2008 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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great end-of-year business class fares to Europe

Now is the time to book your end-of-year European vacation. Thanks to a heads-up from travel journalist Joe Brancatelli, Continental Airlines has published some incredible business class fares from Newark. Joe writes,

I'm seeing business-class sale fare in the R class as low as $1,500 roundtrip for flights from Continental's Newark hub to locations such as London, Madrid, Amsterdam, and even Rome.

Seats are limited, and you have have to check the "find lower fares +/-3 days" box, but the bargains are there. I just checked EWR-CDG for flights Dec. 21 - Dec. and see a roundtrip price in Business First for $1,801.50, all inclusive. (There were only two available seats at this price for one of the flight options, so grab these fares while they're available.)

Once you have your flights, get in touch, and I'll help you accessorize them with luxury hotel values in the European city of your choice!


luxury hotel values (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2007 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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wishing you could go all the way (in J)

The new reasonably priced all premium class airlines now flying between the U.S. and London's small alternative airports are a great innovation. MaxJet flies 757s outfitted with 102 business class seats from JFK, IAD, LAX, and LAS to London Stansted. Eos flies 757s with 48 lie-flat first class seats between JFK and Stansted. And Silverjet equips widebody 767s with only 100 flat bed seats on its route between EWR and Luton.

If you've checked their fares, these new airlines offer the best value-to-price ratio in the sky for travelers who wish to travel in comfort. There's something missing, however, from the product mix. If I've flown across the pond in comfort, I want a seamless transfer (with my baggage checked through to my final destination) onto another flight with comfortable business class seats and advance seat assignments. Sorry, EasyJet doesn't do it for me.

A viable alternative to Heathrow would be a blessing. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic do offer perhaps the best service in the sky, but the quality of your experience is jarred the moment you step off the plane and into one of Heathrow's terminals. Crowds and security lines contribute to a most stressful environment. I avoid having my clients transfer at Heathrow for just this reason. (See Travolution blog's recent submission on the topic.)

So here's my wish list:

• well-timed connecting flights from Stansted and Luton, on full service carriers, to the major European destinations
  
• baggage agreements between MaxJet, Eos, and Silverjet and those carriers

Is this too much to ask?


copyright (c) 2007 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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passengers held hostage

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifPassengers trapped for hours on the runway; video on YouTube! Copyright 2007 by David Ourisman. Published at http://TravelHorizons.blogspot.com. All rights reserved. I am a Virtuoso travel consultant, specializing in luxury travel. Please visit my travel website at http://MetaphorTravel.com.

This seems to be happening with some frequency these days. Passengers board their flight, the cabin doors are closed, the plane leaves the gate, and then everything stops. Something delays the flight. The plane sits on the tarmac. Minutes turn to hours. Passengers begin to feel trapped. Some ask to be let off the plane, but the airline refuses. There they are without food and drink, virtual prisoners.

It happened again on June 25, 2007, this time involving flight 6499 from JFK to Dallas. Passengers were trapped for seven long hours. But something was different this time. A passenger video taped the entire ordeal and posted it on YouTube. (I first learned of this story from Travolution Blog.)

Why is this happening? Airlines are dealing with severe financial constraints. They have cut expenses to the bare minimum (and apparently beyond). "Extra" pilots and flight crew members have been laid off. Maintenance has been outsourced. As a result, the airlines lack the flexibility they once enjoyed. A simple mechanical glitch takes longer to repair. That extra time may push flight crews beyond the maximum number of hours they are allowed work by FAA regulations. Backup crews are not as plentiful as once they were. This very scenario led to the nightmare documented in the 7 minute video posted below.

What are we as passengers to do? There are no definitive answers, but one tip is to avoid flying at the end of the month when crew shortages are more likely to occur. And my other bit of advice? Fly business or first class. Granted, this is not everyone's answer, but 10 hours in a first class seat--uncomfortable as that might be--is infinitely more comfortable than 10 hours in an economy seat, shoulders hunched and knees pressing into the seat ahead. So, in the words of Warner Wolf, "let's go to the video tape."





If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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