Why Are Some International Carriers Charging a Low Fare and Tacking on a High Fuel Charge -- Frequent Fliers Beware

True at the end of the day the price is the same.... whether a carrier accurately and fairly charges you an airfare plus tax versus charging you a lower bogus base fare and tacking on a fuel surcharge.  Here are some reasons it matters.

• Travelers who think that they have socked away enough for "free" frequent flier awards and companion tickets will be surprised that after using their hard earned points they are still charged more than half of what the flight would have costed had they paid cash.   You might have bought into a frequent flier program thinking you were going to have enough mileage for two tickets to Europe say as advertised by their program .... only to find out that the surcharges make using the points cost prohibitive.   

• In countries other than the US which has laws against this deceptive practice (such surcharges have to be bundled into the base fare though airlines are US airlines are trying to get this changed), airlines can make their fares look much lower than they really are, at least in countries where they're allowed to post fares that way.

• Airlines may be able to  lower the  commissions they pay by paying commissions only on the "fare" portion of the total cost to the passenger.  

• Airlines  may be doing this so they can raise the true fares on routes where fare increases still need some sort of outside approval— if this is true it may be a legitimate reason.

It is fortunate that  the U.S. government won't let airlines feature fares that exclude fuel surcharges; the only way to find them is to click on separate "explanation" boxes.  But some third-party sites—still post fares that exclude the surcharge.

Personally I think these surcharges are a scam simple as that.  A scam that those of us who accumulate  frequent flier mileage on business trips so that we can take our families on vacations for reasonable prices need to be aware of.   You can get ripped off in particular if you transfer points to use on a foreign carrier who has such charges.   

If you try to get around a carrier's bogus upcharge on their frequent flier tickets by trying to buy  tickets through them on one of their partner airlines, they will still charge you the outrageous surcharge.  Why would they charge a fuel surcharge on another carrier?   Could it be because in fact what is really happening is they are not giving you an equal deal for your points.  While they are advertising that you can buy a ticket to Europe on their airline with say 60,000 frequent flier points (this is the typical amount charged for airlines like American, Iberia who do not charge a fuel surcharge), they are in fact charging you the points plus $400 or more some dollars not including the typical taxes ( other airlines do, of course, charge taxes on such tickets).   This means that your points have been depreciated some 50% on a typical $800 ticket versus what you would have paid on an airline that does not have the surcharge.   Sure somewhere in the fine print they tell you all this.  Nonetheless,  I find it hard to believe that some of these companies have reduced themselves to participate in such obviously deceptive practices, but it appears they do, and as the old adage taunts -- let the buyer beware.   

How some Jack Daniels and Ducks Made a Hotel Famous -- The Peabody Ducks

About 80 years ago, the then General Manager of The Peabody in Memphis, Tennessee, and a friend, had just returned from a hunting trip.  They had a little too much Jack Daniel's, and thought it would be funny to place some of their live duck decoys  in the foutain of the Peabody. Three small ducks were selected and the rest was history.

Then in 1940, Bellman Edward Pembroke, a former circus animal trainer, began guiding  the ducks to the fountain each day and taught them the now-famous Peabody Duck March.  Mr. Pembroke became the Peabody Duckmaster and served in that capacity for 50 years until his retirement in 1991.

The Peabody ducks have been a long-time attraction -- drawing visitors to the Memphis hotel.

And since opening  in 1986, The Peabody Orlando has continued,  the tradition of The Peabody Ducks  March.  Each morning, promptly at 11 a.m., the Duckmaster of the Peabody Orlando leads the ducks usually with a young helper down a special elevator, and they march towards the fountain and up a red carpeted staircase.

On a recent morning, as guests at the Orlando Peabody, we watched the Duckmaster lay the red carpet and waited as other hotel guests gathered near the spectacular marble fountain for the daily ritual.  Sure enough, on cue, the Duckmaster and helper led the mallards down the red carpet and into the fountain where a sumptuous meal was waiting for them in the pool.    It's an event to see -- at least once.   

A Place in Another Time and Space -- A Night in a Real Castle -- The Schloss Bensberg overlooking Cologne, Germany

During our stay in Germany I wanted to spend one night in a real castle.  Not one of those cold and drafty kind -- a castle that had been brought up to date so that you really could feel like royalty.   Possibly you should save such experiences for mid-trip, but I knew we would be arriving fairly early in Dusseldorf  and would be very tired from the over night flight, so having a comfortable place to stay even if we could not immediately check in was paramount.

Schloss Bensberg in Bergishch Gladbach is a baroque structure that looms over Bensberg and Cologne pronouncing its importance to the surrounding region.  It was built for a prince who never got to live there.  Versailles and Windsor Castle served as models for Prince-Elector Johann Wilhem II (Jan Wellem) in building his private retreat on a hillside with magnificent views of Cologne with the help of the Italian architect count Matteo d'Alberti over 300 years ago (between 1700-1716).  When Wellem died in 1716, his widow left the building unfinished.  Over the years it was used as a military hospital, boarding school and refugee camp  ultimately falling into disrepair until in 1997, an insurance company financed a magnificent renovation to turn Schloss Bensberg into a modern day Versailles for guests from around the world.

Disney For Grown Ups -- Food and Wine Festival Comes to Epcot September 30

We recently returned from a visit to the Magic Kingdom plus with child in tow... and, sorry for the overuse, but it was magical!  While there I was reminded as we dashed in and out of Epcot to do Soarin, the Triple AAA attraction which takes you on a virtual flight over the USA, that Disney World is fun for adults too.  And next month I can use the excuse of an adult experience -- the upcoming food and wine festival --to do an adult thing and sneak about and have some kid fun as well.

The Food and Wine Festival, which starts September 30,  is a 45-day Disneyesque experience that  gives "guests" a taste of a wide variety of international cuisine, culture and entertainment from six continents, with more than 25 international marketplaces featuring tapas-sized portions of dishes paired with beer, wine and cocktails.

The Marketplaces are positioned around the 40-acre Epcot World Showcase Lagoon. This year, they include the festival’s first Hawaii marketplace, which will cook up Kalua pork sliders and tuna poke with seaweed salad and lotus root chips to team with a refreshing Seven Tiki Mai Tai or a Kona Longboard or Pipeline beer.  A new Caribbean Islands marketplace will serve ropa vieja with rice and jerk-spiced chicken with mango salsa. A beverage menu featuring a frozen Dragon Berry Colada and frozen Rock Coconut Mojito is sure to conjure steel-drum fantasies.

Another  new addition is the Portugal marketplace, where the Portugal Wine Bar will offer best sips to pair with calamari salad with olives and smoked paprika. The Scandinavia marketplace will return after a hiatus with a fresh new Xante Sunshine cocktail made from Xante pear and cognac liquer. And the Canada marketplace will introduce a sweet treat: apple ice wine.

The festival will also feature:

• Celebrity chef appearances starring top culinarians like Jeff Henderson, Cat Cora, Alan Wong, Gale Gand, Suvir Saran, Jamie Deen, Rock Harper, Celina Tio, Robert Irvine, Andrew Zimmern, Buddy Valastro, Warren Brown, Art Smith, Keegan Gerhard and more.
• First-ever HGTV home entertaining seminars each Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• The Cranberry Bog display by Craisins telling the story behind the venerable cranberry’s rich agricultural heritage.
• Daily wine seminars, bottle signings, author events and culinary demonstrations at the Festival Welcome Center.
• Eat to the Beat! concerts three times nightly at America Gardens Theatre.
• Plus, many other special events

I am thinking when I go in early October I might just want another spin on Soarin again....but perhaps I ought to do that before the tasting begins for many reasons.  

Resources:

150th Civil War Commemorations Expected to Spark Tourism for the more than 350 Sites Impacted by America's Bloodiest War

The war which touched hundreds of American towns, consisted of more than 50 major battles and 5000 minor ones, saw over 700,000 people killed (360,000 Union soldiers, 260,000 Confederate soldiers, and as many as 100,000 civilians died) with just about every family experiencing personal tragedy (death, disability, homes destroyed) started on April 12 100 years ago -- the American Civil War.

And starting this week, the many towns across the country whose histories were touched, molded, or greatly altered by the war are initiating events to commemorate this war that has continued to fascinate and engage generations long since the first and last gunshots were fired.

As a sampling:

In Charleston, S.C., on April 12, mortar fire will once again light up the skies above Fort Sumter. In Manassas, Va., as many as 10,000 re-enactors will don uniforms of blue and gray to re-create the major battle there. Near Cape Hatteras lighthouse on North Carolina's Outer Banks, uniformed troops will replicate an amphibious assault. Monmouth County, New Jersey sounds the bugle on two dozen "edutainment" programs this week. In Pennsylvania "The Invasion of Pennsylvania" will begin in Greencastle, Pa. and Chambersburg will burn again on the weekend of April 15-16. (List of events in and around Gettysburg)

This week and throughout the next four years, travel to the more than 300 places where small and large battles occurred will be more compelling than ever.  The tourism industry around these sites has been gearing up with programs, reenactments and more, and awaits the influx of visitors to start now.