Our About.com Guide to Deafness alerted me to a pretty shocking story of a hearing-impaired passenger who made it through several checkpoints without ever having to show photo identification. Quite amazing that in this day and age you could board a flight without showing i.d. under any circumstance.

So for a tale of surprisingly lax security checks you can check out her blog entry and link to the traveler's side of the story.

I also have several features for passengers who may have mobility or sensory impairments or disabilities - Air Travel Tips for People with Disabilities and Accessible Air Travel: A Guide for People with Disabilities

For those of you who feel pressed at the pump, the airlines are right there with you. I don't even want to ask if fuel prices can go higher, because as they do, it is becoming more difficult to find really good airfare specials. I know they exist, but they are a little more rare these days. So on to the specials...

BookingBuddy tracked down a special listed by SmarterTravel. It is on USA3000 and for airfares to Florida. The deal is that prices start at $49 one way (excluding taxes/surcharges). The nice thing about it is there seems to be no specific expiry date or travel dates. Sample roundtrip airfare - $98 between Chicago and St. Petersburg, FL.

Orbitz is listing a whole bunch of airfare specials for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Sample airfares include - Nashville-Cleveland roundtrip for $195 fees included.

If you want to really get away, you can check out the Explore Australia with the Qantas Aussie AirPass. Airfares start at $1099 from the US, and you can visit up to four cities for the price of one. The website has a chart of the different zones and time periods which may affect the price of the ticket. This special is also available from Canada starting at $1199.

Don't forget to check the Air Travel Forum - lots of airfare specials/airline promotions are listed, as are plenty of opinions!

image by Arlene Fleming

May brings more baggage fees! A lot of airlines have used this month to introduce fees for checking in a second piece of luggage for certain routes. A few airlines have been charging for every piece of checked luggage for a while. But now the big names like United, Delta and Continental are assessing a $25 fee to check in bag number two. Free no more!

Airlines outside of the United States are also getting into the act. Okay, stop the fuel prices from rising any more already, and give all of us a break. Have to say I have been noticing the fuel costs not only at the pump, on airfares, and on bags but even on groceries as well.

Baggage Policies (including the new fees) for:
US legacy carriers
Low cost airlines in the US
Non-US airlines

image courtesy of Arlene Fleming

On March 30, 2008 the Open Skies agreement between Europe and the US went into effect. This essentially allows airlines based in the United States and Europe to fly between any two airports in each region. Before Open Skies, US airlines and European ones were required to take off or land in their native countries. Airlines were also limited regarding airports in that not all airlines were given slots to airports they'd want to fly to. Australia now appears to be working on securing a similar agreement with Europe.

There are different ways that this agreement could impact air travel for the passenger. It could mean for more flight options, less connections and more direct and non-stop flights. It could also mean that certain airports like London Heathrow will get more bogged down with flights and potentially more flight delays if it is included in your travel plans. Airfares may become more competitive which will unfortunately likely be offset by increased fuel surcharges.

Open Skies should, in which ever way you look at it, prove to change air travel by opening it up just a bit more on a global scale.

Here are the details of Open Skies in brief - Open Skies - Europe and US.

Want to discuss? Feel free to comment in the Air Travel Forum.

Image courtesy of Arlene Fleming

This week, a range of airfare specials. So here are a few of the week's best...

London on the pretty darn cheap - Fly to London from $339 (per direction), Stay 2 Nights FREE. Must book by May 13. Taxes are extra, and travel dates run May 26 - September 3. Not bad at all for peak travel season.

JetBlue suggests you make your escape from the west coast - with airfares starting at $49. 14 day advance purchase is required. Travel must be completed by June 11.

United is having a Farewell to spring sale that ends soon (must book by May 9). Must travel by June 18. Sample roundtrip airfares include $74 for San Francisco - Las Vegas.

Don't forget to check the Air Travel Forum - lots of airfare specials/airline promotions are listed, as are plenty of opinions!

image by Arlene Fleming

Big cities can be intimidating places for an air traveler. How do you get to and from the airport? What is the fastest route out of the city? Which mode of transportation is the cheapest or most convenient?

If you are traveling by air in or out of the Big Apple, then our About.com Guide to New York City Travel has written essential guides to the major airports serving the city - LGA, JFK and EWR - or LaGuardia, JFK and Newark Liberty.

Getting To and From LGA - LaGuardia Airport

Getting To and From JFK Airport

Getting To and From EWR Airport

Airport Resources and Information

The 30 Busiest Airports in the World

photo: Arlene Fleming

Air travel is probably not beneficial to one's overall health. However, it seems that there are studies that show how the disruptions caused by long air travels are not always a simple case of jet lag or general malaise. Air travel may lead to mood and even psychotic issues.

PsychCentral reports on the possible side effects on longer flights, including that travel East is generally more symptomatic than traveling West.

More air travel safety and security resources.

Airfare specials were hard to find for this week. Fare increases are the trend thanks to the cost of fuel. Ah well, hoping next week will have more sales to speak of. Here's what is on sale this week...

AirTran has announced its Special Savings for Spring, Summer and Fall Travel. Must book by May 5. Good deals with one way airfares starting at $49 to $219.

If you are gambling on finding a good airfare then you can head over to Cheapflights and check out the decent prices they found to Las Vegas on Kayak. Roundtrips including taxes and fees start at $109.

JohnnyJet has tracked down an airfare sale mentioned at SmarterTravel similar to the AirTran deal but on Delta and American. Book by May 6.

image by Arlene Fleming

Could it be a domino effect? The recently announced intention of Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines to merge may be prompting other airlines in the US to get together and become bigger airlines as well.

The latest rumblings seem to be centered on United Airlines and Continental Airlines - two other large players in the airline industry. But discussions have also named United and US Airways and American Airlines and US Airways or Continental.

A brief summary on what is going on with Continental and United from UPI
And a news release from Continental on their intention to not merge.

images courtesy of Arlene Fleming

And to round out a pretty terrible month for air travel, the all-business airline EOS is done. EOS started its flights between London and New York a few years ago, but it seems that yet another airline is mortally hit by the high cost of fuel. As of Sunday, April 27, EOS flies no more.

Some of the details from the Associated Press

Profile of EOS airlines - with links to their website