Do you ever wish you could get the flight attendants to skip that boring “here’s how to use the life vest/life jacket” part of their safety presentations? Well, according to a report on ABCNews.com, that won’t be a problem on Air Canada’s regional carrier, Jazz.

Yes, Jazz is removing life vests from all its planes to save weight (and thereby, saving fuel).

Now, it should be noted that Jazz does not fly over the ocean - but it does fly over the Great Lakes, and it seems to me they could qualify as mini-oceans. But not to worry: a Jazz spokesperson says, you can still use your seat cushion as a “flotation device”.

You’re probably wondering what these vests weigh: well, we know a commercial vest weighs about half a kilogram — which is a little more than a pound.

Okay, readers - sound off!

The founders of the discount carrier said today, that they had “left no stone unturned to secure a re-financing package that would have kept our aircraft flying.” Apparently they couldn’t find a stone with deep enough pockets.

I’m sorry to see them go, but not as sorry as folks that purchased airfare for future flights on Zoom. If you are one of the unlucky ones holding now useless tickets, the airline’s website has some information on who to contact, but the smart ones will get on the phone with their credit card companies, right away.

Every Thursday, I like to point out some of the better deals we’ve posted on our Deals Page - and do check out this page everyday - we’re contstantly updating it.

Here’s a sampling of some great deals (click on the airline name for details):

• Virgin America’s Fall Sale - San Francisco to LA, $59+ one-way
• Continental’s THIS WEEKEND Sale - NY to Montreal, $128 roundtrip

Both airlines have lots more flights all over - time to start making plans.

I’ve said this before, and never with more urgency since Tuesday’s debacle - we have to replace our decades old ATC system now.

Yes, I know by year’s end, the FAA says it will have completed upgrades to the “aging” National Airspace Data Interchange Network, and it “has a lot more memory so what happened [Tuesday] could never happen again” but, this strikes me a a patch work job - a piecemeal effort at a “fix”.

I’m also very aware that the FAA has been pushing for a whole new satellite-guided system that equips planes with GPS (and I’ve interviewed FAA officials about this), but that’s expected to take more than a decade. An FAA spokesman described it this way:

“This is one of the largest project management challenges the U.S. government has had since we put somebody on the moon.” — FAA spokesman

But already, it’s been talked about for years. Let’s see - it was 1961 when President Kennedy called for putting a man on the moon - a mission that was accomplished in 1969. How about the same urgency for equipment to handle the flights all of us take everyday?

We’re all about helping you save money when it comes to airfare, but there are freebies and perks to be gained at airports, as well.

I spotted this article on MSNBC — which talked about how airports have been losing revenue, and what some are trying, to lure in customers:

• Kansas City’s airport offers free parking for a day (limited time)
• Mobile Regional Airport in Alabama has a “points” program - points can be used for VIP lounge passes, auto club membership, cruise discounts, etc.
• Minneapolis-St. Paul and San Francisco airports will be handing out coupon books with discounts for airport shops and eateries later this year

If you’re not sure your airport is having a promotion, just ask. And click here for a link to cities and airports, around the world.

Next time you see a flight attendant with something less than a stellar attitude, you might consider their employment situation: United Airlines is laying off 1,500 flight attendants - to cut costs. That’s about 10% of their flight attendant work force.

And earlier this summer, American Airlines warned its flight attendants that layoff’s were coming, and that as many as 1,000 of them could be “furloughed”.

Remember, it wasn’t a flight attendant’s idea to charge you for that blanket and pillow, or to ask that you fork over $2 for that can of Diet Coke.

Most are hard working men and women who do a good job — everyday — despite having to wonder if perhaps this will be the day they’ll get the axe.

Dear Friends,

First, I want to thank everyone for your support of FareCompare — our little technology company has been going through some growing pains and I want to make sure that everyone knows that our entire team comes to work each day with one simple goal:

“Helping Air Travelers Find a Cheap Deal and Make the Best Purchasing Decisions”

Two years ago when we launched our small website, my vision was to change the status quo that all of us endure in air travel shopping today. As technology geeks, it has been a roller coaster these past two years as we have learned, first, how to stay alive and second, how to offer completely free services and create a profitable company in the advertising model.

In the next few months, our “dream site” will be coming to fruition as we use our successes and failures of the past two years to create the air travel website I always wanted to provide to consumers - a perfect mixture of technology, expert advice and tasteful advertising.

Air travel has become more painful, both in price and convenience - but I wouldn’t trade my family trip to London coming up in a few months — or that quick trip to visit a colleague — for anything in the world. And that’s because air travel gives life spice. And for those that take a small bit of their time to learn how to navigate these shark infested waters - I say, shopping for travel can actually be fun.

I hope we can prove this to you, as we begin to rollout our completely new site in early November. Give it a whirl — and as always, tell us what you think.

Kind Regards,

Rick Seaney, CEO
FareCompare.com

No time to read my ABCNews.com column on getting around higher airline ticket prices caused by pesky Minimum Stay requirements?

No problem, the highlights are right here:

• “Minimum Stay” rule is back on almost half of all “legacy airline” roundtrip airfares - and business travelers, and those taking quick trips during the week — hate it.
• Many cheaper legacy airline roundtrip airfares require at least a one night stay (no day hops), but most require 2 or 3 days overnight, or even a Saturday night - especially on European trips!
• Airlines call this “fencing in” business travelers who pay up to 5 times the price of flexible leisure travelers

What can travelers to avoid these restrictions?

1. Seems simple, but if possible, try to include another day or weekend when you search for airfare - maybe you can fly the “night before” to pick up another day and be fresh for your meeting (plus, that extra hotel night will likely be cheaper)
2. Checkout lower cost airlines like Southwest, AirTran, jetBlue and even hybrids like US Airways that have one-way airfare structures where minimum stay rules can’t be imposed
3. Caveat #2, when checking lower cost airline sites, try doing two one-way queries (2 separate tickets) because their systems may be programmed to raise prices on each leg, sinceyou told it your intent on buying a return ticket
4. Have your boss spring for 2 airline tickets for you and your spouse — that will be cheaper than the one more expensive ticket without the Saturday night stay, for instance — and you can bring along the significant other (”other” can leave on Friday to meet you during that “Saturday night stay” weekend); have a fun weekend on the company’s dime
5. Buyer Beware - those that take the same trip week after week should Google the term “back-to-back ticketing” - Airlines may have a policy on this so check your airline’s contract of carriage.

New York based hip-hop mogul Sean Combs has grounded his own private plane, because of jet fuel prices.

Combs complained that his twice-a-month trips to Los Angeles set him back about $250,000 - maybe more. According to the New York Post’s “Page Six” column, he claims he now flies American Airlines - and that he sits in coach.

Hmmm. Sitting in coach? Uh…sure.

But some are taking the prices in stride: Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury reportedly just dropped $45 million for his own private jet.

All those delayed flights yesterday, when that FAA facility in Hampton, Georgia had what some have called an “electronic communication failure” — what exactly does that mean?

A software snafu, apparently.

But where are the back-up measures, where is the seamless “Plan B” that air traffic controllers should be able to turn to?

I mean, it was a real mess out there, folks. It’s way past time to get serious about this.

UPDATE: The FAA says the situation is now “pretty much under control” though minor delays linger at some airports.

EARLIER: There is a major air traffic control problem affecting ALL MAJOR U.S. AIRPORTS.

An FAA spokesman saysthe biggest delays are in Boston, Chicago, New York and Atlanta (compounded by weather issues in the Southeast).

The problem is believed to stem from a communications break-down at a flight plan processing center south of Atlanta — now all flight plans must be processed in Salt Lake City — which is overloaded.

The FAA has a lot of information on airport delays - click here to see it.

No reports of radar outages, and ground personnel are in touch with all the planes, but this breakdown is causing backups — with thousands of flights affected.

An aviation expert has said, “This is not really a safety issue — it’s an aggravation issue.”

Starting January 11, Southwest will cut 190 flights from its daily schedule.

• Chicago (Midway) will see the most cuts - net loss, 22 departures to 20 cities
• Baltimore — net loss, 13 departures
• Las Vegas - net loss 12 departures
• Phoenix and Nashville — each will drop 10 departures.

Southwest will evaluate to see if they should restore any of these flights when March rolls around. Click here for more details.

Saw an interesting piece on InformationWeek that tackled some of the questions and potential problems for onboard internet users. Here’s some of the “no-no’s”:

• Bandwidth Hog: this is the piggy who wants to download endless, enormous files. Those using American Airline’s Gogo will see their service slow down: “If you’re doing a lot more than what you should for fair distribution on the aircraft, we’ll put you at the back of the line.”
• Indiscreet Ogler: the article quotes Gogo’s creator as saying “airlines currently don’t have a problem with people reading porn magazines or watching downloaded porn movies on their PCs” but please, use your common sense, and don’t look at such things on if it’s in anyone’s face, or you’re sitting next to a 10 year old (let me add, I’ve never seen anyone perusing such materials on any of my flights - which is fine with me).

You might have read that United has re-upped with the US Olympic Committee as “official airline” during the 20012 games in London.

Nice publicity for the beleaguered airline (but what airline isn’t “beleaguered” these days?), and, after all, United did get all kinds of kudos for its China games commercials.

Just ask the New York Times, which called the ads “lovely to watch“. The writer went on to say that, “A spot featuring an orchestra of sea creatures was superb.” The writer then awarded the carrier — what else?

A gold medal.

Hey, and be sure to check out our own, shall we say, light-hearted “Olympic” coverage - over on our sister-blog, StandardUprightPosition.com.

Found some interesting nuggets in the latest American Express “Business Travel Monitor Report”.

It looks at business travel (domestic and international) in the 2^nd quarter of the year, and it said, the average airfare increased about 10% year-over-year.

And that, says AmEx, is “motivating companies to strengthen policy compliance strategies when managing travel and entertainment spending.”

Does this mean, don’t take your clients to dine at “Per Se” if there’s an “IHOP” handy?

We’re trying something new here at RickSeaney.com - giving you all the news and nuggets you want to know about, right here, in one handy post. The latest will be on top, and we’ll update continuously throughout the day.

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Voice in the Wilderness on Wifi?

You all know by now that American Airlines is offering Wifi on some of its flights ($12.95), and more is on the way, but — I know a working woman who says, “Enough! Enough with the Wifi!” Seems she used to actually look forward to flights as the one place she could “get away from it all”. She has a point - between cell phones, Blackberrys, laptops and now the ubiquitous Wifi - we’re never out of touch. And that’s great most of the time, but tell me - do you ever get tired of, in effect, being “always on call”?

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MORE TIPS: Warding Off Thieves While Traveling

Saw this on Consumerist - a list of 8-ways to prevent theft, while traveling. Common sense ideas, including watch your bags at all times, and use safes everywhere you go. My favorite is called, “Don’t Need It? Don’t Bring It.” Amen to that.

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HOT TIP: Last Minute Deals on AirTran:

Only one day left to book for AirTran’s late summer/fall airfare sale. And this is cheap airfare, with prices starting as low as $49+ one-way.

Click here for details — and start saving now.

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Dress Rehearsal at JetBlue’s New JFK Terminal:

1,000 people got at a look at the new JetBlue’s new Terminal 5 over the weekend and they were impressed.

It’s not open yet - not ’til October - these people were simply “extras” on hand for rehearsals. They were directed through baggage check, security lines, just about everywhere you could go at JFKexcept onto a plane.

Funny, most of us don’t like doing this when we have to; imagine going to the airport for this on your day off - but I understand everyone got “paid” with playing cards, luggage tags and baseball caps - so I guess it was worth it to them.

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3oz Liquid Rule = Angry Poetry:

Cranky Flier and BottleWise held a contest to “celebrate” the two-year anniversary of the TSA’s carry-on liquid restrictions - air travelers were asked to tell us how they really feel about the restrictions, in just 6 words.

And the winner: “Two years. Three ounces. Million headaches.”

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Southwest Appoints New V.P of “Strategy and Change Leadership”:

Southwest Airlines, the only major carrier to make any money so far this year, has announced the appointment of Kathleen Wayton as Vice President, Strategy and Change Leadership.

I’m sure she’ll do a great job, but for heaven’s sake, Ms. Wayton — don’t change too much!

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Surf’s Not Up:

This has been a rocky summer for surfing aficionados, what with some airlines charging as much as $300 to check a board. The Los Angeles Times has all the details, including the fact that 14,000 petitioners couldn’t convince British Airways to drop their “board ban” - they just won’t carry them anymore.

I was amused by the quote from a professional surfer, who said high fees means cutting back on partying: “You have to skip nice meals and give up that nice bottle of tequila.”

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Weekend Engine Problems:

Two San Francisco to Chicago flights were turned around shortly after take-off; the engine compressor on a United flight stalled late Friday and on Saturday, flames started shooting out of an engine on a Northwest flight. Scary stuff, but no one was hurt.

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Are you a snowbird who loves to leave the slush of New York behind you to head to Tucson each winter?

Well, you can still go - it’s just going to take you a lot longer. We did some research for Crain’s New York Business “Airlines cut flights out of NY”and I was surprised at the amount of cutbacks, especially to warm weather destinations. Tucson is one of the cities that, by year’s end, will lose non-stop service from New York - along with Huntsville, Alabama and Daytona Beach, Florida.

And when I say New York, I mean JFK, LaGuardia and Newark.

The legacy airlines are dropping around 10 cities each (other than Northwest).

On the international side, you can forget flying non-stop from New York to Bangkok, Bologna and Bucharest.

You know what this is all about - money and the cost of fuel. The airlines are cutting capacity to keep their planes full and bring in as many bucks as they can. And of course, with fewer flights, there’s less competition which breeds higher prices. Leisure routes are hurt the worst because airlines can’t make money on full flights and leisure airline ticket prices.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if you expect to be flying during the holidays this year, start shopping NOW.

Oh, my aching back.

According to a poll taken this summer (of people who’ve flown in North America during the past year), 88% said they had back or neck pain after the flight - or both.

And, almost three-quarters of the fliers surveyed said, they’d be willing to pay more for a spine-friendly seat - as much as $100 more (no word on if that included more leg room).

The survey was conducted by a website called SpineUniverse. Only problem with the survey, is whether the airlines will take the slightest interest in it — maybe if they could put it into the smorgasboard of new airline fees and amenities (like wi-fi) it stands a slim chance — or maybe it is just called first/business class.

You know how you have to check-in and get your boarding pass 24-hours (or less) before your flight?

And you know how, sometimes, when you’re running around like crazy, that’s not always easy or convenient to do for the return leg of your trip?

Well, relax. Continental has a new service called “Auto Check-in” that does all that work for you.

When you check-in for the first leg of your flight, you can select Auto Check-in, and, within the 24 hour window of your return flight, you’ll be automatically checked-in for that flight as well — and you didn’t have to arrange to be by a computer or fax at the last minute!

Plus, you’ll get sent your boarding pass whichever way you like: choose email, fax, or have it waiting for you at the airline’s airport kiosk. See all the details on Continental’s site.

Anything that makes life - and flying - a little simpler, gets 4-stars in my book.

Sometimes, you do get what you pay for. And that goes for Buddy Passes.

These are the airline perks - the “free” passes airline employees are given for flying family and friends.

But as this excellent article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution points out, “buddies” travel stand-by only - and with fewer flights and capacity cuts, there is less and less stand-by room all the time.

Among the list of important tips: “Don’t use a buddy pass if you must make it to a destination for something like a wedding or if you have to be back home by Tuesday or get fired.”

A little later this morning, I’ll be on the Fox Business Channel - that’s 11:40am Eastern time, today - to talk about “The State of the Airline Industry”.

I guess you could say this all got started when I took issue with some comments by one of the FOX anchors; our back-and-forth got picked up by another blog — with the result that I got an invitation to go head-to-head with the FOX anchor on airline issues.

Check it out if you have a few moments.

Hundreds of supporters, many of them little girls, broke into a roar as the Russian born gymnast shouted, “I’m proud to be from Texas!”

“I thought it was just going to be a couple of girls from the gym” coming by to greet her, said the beaming 18 year old. Though clearly delighted with her performance in Beijing, her medals were nowhere in evidence - perhaps because she plans on collecting a few more.

When asked about the 2012 Olympics in London, Nastia said, “I’m taking it one step at a time, and enjoying the moment, but - it’s not out of the question.” More cheers.

Keep reading for what Nastia said about the controversy surrounding the Chinese gymnasts - and her meeting with servicemen and women, heading out to Afghanistan.

Oil jumped $6 today. And today is Thursday.

And Thursday is often “price hike day”. At least, that’s been the rule of thumb for much of this year.

But, as I’m sure you’ve noticed - we haven’t had a price hike in the past seven weeks. So it begs the question:

Is tonight the night? I’ll be keeping an eye on that.

Just saw this press release from the Travel Industry Association - apparently the trade group is launching a “bold campaign” to encourage the presidential contenders to pay attention to the travel industry.

Senator McCain, Senator Obama - are you listening?

The association says today’s travel “system” is deteriorating - which is keeping folks at home - which is costing the U.S. economy billions of dollars, and, “It is time for presidential leadership on these critical issues.”

Sure, I’m all for that - but let’s be patient: the candidates already have all kinds of critical issues to attend to.