New Travel Rule (or should be)

ERUPTING volcanoes, exploding plane engines and stiffer fees for luggage - what a year it's been for travellers.

With the end of financial year approaching, I can't recall a more incident-packed, change-filled 12-month period for travellers since perhaps September 11, 2001.

It's as if all the rules of travel have been irrevocably changed as airlines and hotels ruthlessly struggle not just to compete for market share but also just to survive.

It's time for a new, updated list of 10 travel commandments in the light of events that have befallen Australian travellers:

1. Thou shalt realise that the party is over
Although there continues to be bargains for airline passengers, carriers have experienced the equivalent of a steep takeoff in terms of costs and competition. The days of easily accessed cheap airfares are numbered in Australia with the newly-rebadged Virgin Australia shedding its budget carrier past and joining rival Qantas as a "full-service" (read: full-price) carrier.

Rising fuel and labour costs, partly due to the high Australian dollar, are therefore being routinely passed on to passengers with a sharp rise in ticket prices, especially for long-haul flights.

2. Thou shalt expect to be charged for anything and everything
Recent reports revealed some airlines are making more money out of ancillary items, such as food, drink, sold separately on planes.

Airlines are continually looking for additional revenue streams such as getting tougher on baggage weights (see below) and charging for preferred seating options in economy, such as exit row seats for their additional legroom.
Standby for more cynical imposts, which many of us will accept without complaint.

 

3. Thou shalt keep thy pants on (and thy bathrobe done up) Despite the fact that they have long profited from in-house porno channels and from guests indulging in so-called dirty weekends, we may be about to see a more prudish, less accommodating hotel industry.

This follows the recent Sofitel New York hotel incident, with the former head of the IMF (International Monetary Fund), Dominic Strauss-Khan, being accused of sexual assaulting a house-maid.

Make sure that when you open the door to your room, your bathrobe sash is done up tightly. Funny business from frisky guests will no longer be tolerated (and rightly so).4. Thou shalt stay loyal As competition between airlines and hotels intensifies, you're far more likely to be rewarded in the form of seat and room upgrades and additional baggage allowances (see below) if you're a member of a loyalty program.
If you do not hold an airline club membership, now may be a good time.5. Thou shalt not over-pack One major area that airlines, such as Qantas, have cracked down on is luggage. Unless you're flying business class or an airline club with generous baggage allowance benefits, the days of sneaking those extra kilos on board are over. Most airlines are imposing stricter rules on baggage weight, including hand luggage.

Heavier planes do mean heftier fuel costs, but the Doc does detect a whiff of profiteering. 6. Thou shalt recline their seat back with care Travel is harder, more stressful and less enjoyable than ever - especially if you're stuck in cattle class. We're all in it together so let’s all behave better. This means reclining your airline seat gently and never doing so during meal-times, just like the good flight attendant says. 7. Thou shalt not forsake thy travel agent Tempting as it is to rely entirely on the internet for your travel plans, a succession of volcano eruptions, revolutions, wars and airline engineering mishaps have shown that it's worth having an expert back home when things go wrong.

If you're stranded overseas a travel agent is more likely to be able to help than an anonymous overseas booking website.8. Thou shalt make less calls overseas The time has surely come for a consumer backlash against charges for mobile phone calls outside of Australia. It seems the moment we step foot outside of our country, it’s fair game for exorbitant mobile phone charges, even when we take care to be conservative in the calls we make abroad.

The only way to fight back is to make fewer calls, buy an overseas SIM card and/or to use alternative means of communicating, such as Skype.9. Thou shalt enjoy the buoyant Aussie dollarAussie travellers are enjoying the unusual status of being among the world's richest travellers (though the Euro, sadly, is still worth more than it should be against the Aussie).

Unlike other occasions when the Australian dollar has risen to great heights and then dipped dramatically, it seems that a strong currency may be in for a long-term stay. But do still keep a close eye on those currency rate charts.10. Thou shalt keep travelling Despite all of the hassles, the dramas and the mounting rip-offs - nothing seems to be enough to stop Australians travelling beyond our shores. Seven million of us annually can't be wrong – though, don't push us.