FAQ | travelmoments.ca

Finnair baggage allowance now 2 x 23 kg

Posted on October 24, 2008 by Eva-Maria

Finnair introduces the new piece concept baggage allowance from October 26, 2008. The new piece concept allowance (2 x 23 kg) on flights to/from USA and Canada is valid for the tickets issued on October 26, 2008 or after. For tickets issued on October 25, 2008 or before, the previous piece concept allowance (2 x 32 kg) still applies.

New baggage allowance for PC concept:

Business and Economy class: two bags each of dimensions not exceeding a total of 158 cm/62 in. (length + width + height) and each of weight not exceeding 23 kg/50 lb.
Infants: one bag not exceeding a total of 115 cm/46 in. and weight of 10 kg/22 lb. plus one folding stroller or pushchair.
The following articles may be considered as a piece of 135 cm/53 in. irrespective of their actual dimension: sleeping bag, a rucksack, skis (one pair of skis, ski poles and ski boots), golf bag (golf clubs, shoes), a duffel-type of bag, a suitably packed bicycle, a pair of water skis or one slalom water ski, fishing equipment. Any portable musical instrument not exceeding 100 cm/39 in. in length shall be considered as one piece of 100 cm/39 in. Passengers shall contact the airline for advance arrangements for the transportation of baggage over 203 cm (80 in.) or 32 kg (70 lb.). Excess baggage charge: In the piece concept the excess charges shall be collected whenever the weight of one piece or the number of pieces exceeds the baggage allowance.
Excess charges on North Atlantic flights:
- each additional piece in excess of baggage allowance: 1 charge
- each piece in excess of 23 kg (50 lb.) but not more than 32 kg (70 lb.): 1 charge
- each piece in excess of 32 kg (70 lb.) but not more than 45 kg (99 lb.): 3 charges
- each additional 10 kg (42 lb.) in excess of 45 kg (99 lb.) or fraction thereof: 1 charge
- each piece in excess of the dimensions up to 203 cm (80 in.): 1 charge
- each piece in excess of number and dimensions up to 203 cm (80 in.): 2 charges
- each piece in excess of the dimensions over 203 cm (80 in.): 3 charges
- special baggage items in excess of the dimensions over 203 cm (80 in.) or 32 kg (70 lb.): 3 charges
The value of one charge between Finland and North America v.v. is USD 90/USD 110 depending on the origin or destination in North America.

FAQ – about travelmoments.ca

Posted on October 15, 2008 by Eva-Maria

Here are a few questions that people ask about our company and our web site:

What is travelmoments.ca? Travelmoments.ca is a web site that we created as a means of keeping in contact with our clients and giving them up-to date news and interesting stories from the world of travel.

What is your connection to Advantage Ultra Travel? We work as home-based independent travel agents and make our bookings under Advantage Ultra Travel. When you buy a ticket from us, you buy it from Advantage Ultra Travel. All the ticketing, payment and accounting procedures are done in our Whitby Head office and tickets are sent out from there as well. Your purchases are covered by TICO, the Ontario Travel Industry Compensation Fund.

How can you work from home? Very easily! Basically all we need is a computer with an internet connection. Through the internet we can securely log onto the Advantage Ultra reservation system, so that we can see the exact same computer screen as the Advantage Ultra staff sees at the office. We make the bookings from our end – and tickets are printed out at the office from the same file. It is as easy as us sitting in the next room! For convenient communications we have a Toronto phone number at our home office so that most of our customers can reach us with no long distance costs – or we can call our customers back wherever they are in North America. We also use Skype and most of all – EMAIL… Isn’t technology amazing!

Does it cost me extra money to buy a ticket from you as compared to the Advantage Ultra office or any other agency? Absolutely not! We have negotiated contracts with a lot of our suppliers and our service fees are very competitive as compared to other agencies. And if you for some reason cannot reach us for an urgent travel-related matter, then the helpful staff at the Advantage Ultra Travel office will be just a phonecall away.

Do you offer any online booking options? Not at this time. The goal of our web site is to give you ideas and inspiration for your travel plans – and some interesting reading about how travel really works… For any booking needs please contact us and we will get back to you ASAP! Please be sure to include as much details as possible (dates, destinations, budget, special requests).

What happens after I send in a booking inquiry? We might send you some additional questions and after we have all the required information, we will send you some options with prices. Once you approve one of the options, we will make a booking for you (put a seat on hold, make a hotel reservation etc). Usually we send you an e-mail confirming the details, including the dates and price of the services and payment deadline. On some airlines we cannot hold the seat and have to put on the payment at the time of booking. After the payment has gone through, all the necessary documents (the receipt of your invoice and your e-tickets, vouchers etc.) will be mailed to your home address.

What kind of information do you need for a booking? In order to make a booking, we need the names of all passengers exactly as they appear in their passports and the mailing address, contact phone number & e-mail of the “lead passenger”. It is good to have birth dates for everyone (that is a must for insurance quotes and children under 12). You can note also your seatwishes on the plane (aisle or window) and if you require any special meals (vegetarian, etc) or assistance (wheelchair, etc). For hotel bookings made in our res system we need a credit card number with exp. date to guarantee the room. If we book a hotel through a contract we usually don’t need the CC number at the time of reservation.

What forms of payment do you accept? The easiest is to pay by credit card (VI, MC, AX) as we generally can take the card number and exp. date over the phone. Some suppliers request a signed authorization form for CC payments. For some services there is a 3% credit card processing or “vendor” fee that we have to apply – but most tickets can be issued against CC payment without any extra CC fees. You can also pay by Cheque. CHQ-s should be made out to Advantage Ultra Travel and delivered or sent to our head office in Whitby, ON. Cash payments can be accepted only at the Whitby office.

What do I do with the electronic ticket? Please see our FAQ post about e-tickets.

Do you sell travel insurance? Of course! Travel insurance is an essential part of travel arrangements. First we ask our clients to find out if they have any coverage of their own through their work or credit card conmpany. For travel we recommend Medical coverage (for travel abrouad and even out of province in Canada) – and another popular item is cancellation/interruption insurance. Usually an insurance package is the best deal, but sometimes it works better to buy the products separately. Insurance costs generally depend on the traveller’s age, health situation, duration of the trip and the non-refundable portion of the travel services. Call us to discuss the best options for your trip! We offer RBC Travel Insurance because they have reliable coverage, competitive rates and the biggest world support network in Canada.

Lost Baggage: where does it go in Canada???

Posted on October 12, 2008 by Eva-Maria

Luggage claim can be a nerve-wrecking experience for travellers. Each year, millions of suitcases don’t arrive where they should. Most find their way to their proper destination within 24 hours, but some sit at airports for months waiting to be claimed, before their contents are finally sold, donated or dumped. What happens to travellers’ new cameras and dirty underwear depends on which airline carried the suitcase, and where in the world the plane landed.

At Canadian airports, each airline is responsible for its unclaimed baggage. Air Canada and WestJet both have customer service agents at each airport who try to reunite baggage with its owner. After several days, unclaimed bags are sent to the airline’s central baggage tracing office. Air Canada sends its bags to Montreal-Trudeau Airport after five days, and WestJet to its hangar in Calgary after three days.

Every airline handles the lost baggage issues according to their own policy, but the general guidelines are the same. For example if your baggage does not arrive from an Air Canada flight, you should check with an Air Canada baggage service agent in the arrivals area who will take immediate steps to find your bag and return it to you quickly. You’ll be asked to describe your baggage, and to provide detailed contact information. We’ll then give you a File Reference Number. (This number is required in all communications regarding your delayed baggage.) Once your file has been opened, you can review it on the WorldTracer web site. You can also contact the Air Canada Central Baggage Office, toll free, at 1-888-689-BAGS (2247).

Maximum compensation by airlines ranges from $250 to $1,650, but airlines are generally not liable for fragile or valuable items, including jewelry, business documents and electronics.
Agents at the central offices then open and search through the luggage for tags, business cards, personal documents, drug prescriptions or anything else that can help identify the owner. If agents can’t identify or contact the owner, descriptions of the bag and its contents are entered into a system called WorldTracer, which acts as a lost and found system for over 400 airlines and ground handling companies worldwide by matching bags with claims.

Travellers who still haven’t located their missing bags after a few months should probably give up hope. WorldTracer files expire after 90 days, and Transport Canada only requires airlines to hold on to loss claims for three months. After that, Air Canada and WestJet agents unpack the bag and donate usable items such as clothing to local charities and shelters, and dispose of the rest.

According to SITA, the Geneva-based organization that provides WorldTracer and other logistical technology to the air transport industry, 42.4 million checked bags were damaged, delayed or lost in 2007. That translates into 18.86 bags per 1,000 passengers. Most of them were eventually reunited with their owners, but three per cent never made it home. That’s only 0.06 per cent of all checked bags, but it amounts to 1.26 million bags worldwide. Mishandled baggage cost airlines and airports $3.8 billion last year.

What can you do to avoid your bags ending up in the ”lost luggage carousel”?

Arrive early at the airport to allow sufficient time for your baggage to load.
Tie coloured ribbon or attach other unique markers to your bags to prevent mix-ups with other travellers.
Place your name, itinerary and contact information inside your luggage to help airlines contact you if your bag is found (external tags can sometimes get lost or ripped).
Keep a list on you of unique or personal items inside each bag to help agents identify yours among the others if it is found.
If your baggage is missing on arrival, file a claim before leaving the airport. Airlines often require losses to be reported within a limited time period for compensation.
Pack valuables and essential medications in carry-on bags, and purchase additional insurance for high-value checked baggage.
Avoid taking connecting flights if you have a lot of baggage to check in. Transfers from one aircraft to another account for almost half the bags missing on arrival.

Source: CBC News; www.aircanada.com

Hidden Treasures: Unclaimed Baggage Centre in the US

12 Tips for preventing and dealing with lost luggage

Documents and money matters: Things to think about before your trip

Posted on October 4, 2008 by Eva-Maria

WHERE TO START? Make a check-list list of the ID documents (passport, visas, drivers licence, student card etc.) and travel documents (tickets, vouchers, rail passes) that are required for every country you plan to visit.

PASSPORTS: Although it has been said many times before, it is well worth saying again: Make sure that your passport is not going to be expiring within 6 months while you are away. The ’6 month rule’ is commonly accepted by most countries in the world. You will not be allowed to enter a country if your passport expires within this time period, even if you have a pre-paid airline ticket or train pass. Renew your passport ahead of time and save yourself the hassles. Please remember that all Canadians entering the United States MUST present a valid passport when arriving by air as of January 2007. This includes all children regardless of age will require passports to enter the USA.
On occasion, it may be necessary to leave your passport with a business or organization as collateral, such as if you decide to rent a motorbike or sporting gear. This is not a good idea as you should always have your passport with you. Instead, if possible, take an old, expired passport with you on your trip and keep it stashed away in your backpack. They will probably not notice (or care) that it has expired and will accept it as a valid passport for collateral.

TICKETS & VOUCHERS: As most airlines have switched over to e-tickets, you don’t have to worry about the old fashioned coupon ticket that you could not lose. But you should always have a printed “passenger receipt” of your e-ticket with you, listing your flights, ticket numbers and airline record locator. Although the check-in person can pull up your file by your flight number and name, it is important to have the information at hand, just in case you forget the exact time of your flight etc. But what comes to vouchers for prepaid travel services (hotel vouchers, cruise documents etc.) - you have to present them as a proof that the reservation or service has been paid for through your travel arranger. Leaving the vouchers behind or losing them can cause a lot of trouble. It is especially important for rail passes – once lost, you just have to buy a new one to get on the train!

VISAS: Check and double-check the visa-requirements for countries you are planning to visit. This info can change very quickly. And there can be a lengthy processing time for visas to certain countries. Take a few passport photos with you. If you require a visa to get into another country that can be obtained on the border, you may need to have one of these pictures to attach to it. But rather than hunting all over the city looking for a photo booth or photography store (or paying lots of money), you will already have the photos.

DRIVER’S DOCUMENTS: If you are intending to rent a car, you might need to get an international drivers permit (IDP). This is a little booklet you have to show together with your actual licence that explains what category of a vehicle you are allowed to drive, etc. in different languages. It can be purchased through any CAA office or travel agency – and it is valid for 1 year. Most car rental agencies will request an IDP, even though it may not be required to drive in their country.

MONEY MATTERS: Although it is always good to have some emergency cash at hand – credit cards are a safe and convenient form of currency when traveling abroad. Not only can you use them to make purchases, but you can also get cash advances with them (provided you know your PIN number). The problem with cash advances is that you begin paying interest on the “loan” immediately. To avoid the 18% (or more) interest charges, over-pay your credit card before you leave if you intend on using your card for cash advances. Contact your credit card company in advance to let it know which countries you will be using your card in. Your credit card company, suspecting something is amiss when you’re overseas, may cancel or put a hold on your card when charges from some distant country show up on a card that previously had been used only locally.
Don’t leave your credit cards in the small safes offered by some hostels and hotels. Staff has keys to these so-called security devices and could ‘borrow’ your card to either make purchases (which you probably wouldn’t find out about until you got home) or make a copy of your card which could then be used over and over. When you do make credit card purchases, don’t let your card out of your site for more than a couple of minutes. It takes very little time for someone to make an extra charge or two while you are waiting for your card.
Usually the exchange rates are higher at the airports, so it is worth exchanging larger amounts of money downtown after comparing the exchange rates between the different banks. Some banks charge a fee for currency exchange or cashing in Travellers Cheques, so be sure to always ask first.

KEEPING IN TOUCH: Before you leave, prepare yourself to use internet services abroad. Set up an internet-based e-mail account (such as Hotmail), become familiar with the log-in process, make sure you remember your password and give your new e-mail address out to friends and family. You will also want to write down your friends’ e-mail addresses or better yet, email them to your own address for easy access. Scan the main page of your passport and e-mail it to your own web-based e-mail address. That way, if you lose your passport, you will have a copy that you can access and print out from any computer with internet access. This works for health insurance forms, credit card information, phone numbers and addresses, and any other paperwork as well.

You can visit the web site for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada for more useful information:

http://www.voyage.gc.ca/consular_home-en.asp

E-ticket: what is it?

Posted on August 27, 2008 by Eva-Maria

From June 1, 2008 – all the airlines belonging to IATA (International Air Transport Association) will start using only electronic tickets (e-tickets). The good old-fashioned paper tickets have become a part of history. Here are a few questions that people ask us…

Are there any exceptions to this rule? Yes and no. All the airlines belonging to IATA BSP (Billing and Settlement Plan) allow agents to issue only e-tickets. Only a few minor airlines continue to have paper tickets for now – but eventually they will convert to e-tickets as well.

What does an e-ticket look like? In general – an e-ticket is basically a letter including flight and booking details, namely the passenger name, flight details, airline file locator and the ticket number. It is called an “electronic ticket receipt”. It is good to have it with you at the check-in counter – but the most important thing is to have a passport (for international travel) or valid photo ID for domestic flights.

What happens if I lose my e-ticket? Nothing bad. Don’t worry – all the info is in the airline database, so the check-in staff can find you by your name and flight number.

If I have a paper ticket for a flight that I purchased before June 1, 2008 – do I have to change it into an e-ticket? No, you can still use it for your flight.

How do cancellations and changes work with e-tickets? You have to contact your travel agent or the airline – and they will take care of the changes according to the rules of your existing ticket. There is no need to return the “e-ticket receipt” as all the information is in the reservation database.

What other changes does e-ticketing bring to travel in general? With e-tickets you don’t have to worry about losing your ticket and paying “lost ticket fees”. Some airlines allow you to the “electronic check in” from your own computer at home. IATA has estimated that the use of e-tickets saves about 50,000 trees a year and reduces ticketing costs to the airlines in the average amount of 3 billion dollars a year.