In the absence of any guest posts over theweekend we thought we would take a look back at various shopping guides this site has published over the past two years.

First was this guide to Christmas markets in Europe – and checking the analytics it still attracts plenty of visitors to the site on the run up to the festive break.

Then we focussed on the emerging shopping culture of United Arab Emirates – looking at Dubai Airport followed by the amazing range of luxury shops in Abu Dhabi

Finally we returned to a Christmas shopping favourite – New York and of course London in winter.

Once again we urge guest posts about destinations throughout Europe & Beyond – share with us your favourite shopping cities – from mall to market.

http://www.europe-autos.com/new-york-christmas-shopping/

Past and Present – American Airlines

Interested in the history of air travel?  Take a look at the phenomenal progression of American Airlines from its early years as a freight airline, to the multi-billion dollar company providing a world wide, world class flight service.

American Airlines fly to hundreds of destinations, and offer a huge range of  cheap flights and airline tickets.

Here’s some background on the company. Robertson Aircraft was created in 1921 as a freight company. One of the company’s early pilots was Charles Lindbergh of “Lindbergh Baby” fame. Many small freight companies were drawn together under the establishment of the Aviation Corporation and then this was consolidated into American Airways.

American Airways developed the worlds first commercial flight in 1941 operating between Chicago and New York and shortly afterwards the route to Mexico was opened up. On-Flight catering developed in 1942 – so the travelling pubic could have something to eat on their journey as well as the crew!  Until then, people took their own refreshments on board.  The first inter-continental flights changed travel for ordinary people in a fundamental way – if you can get to the other side of the country in under a day, the whole country becames more accessible; Americans began to see and experience their own country, at a cost they could afford and in a managable time frame.

The real breakthrough in family travel came in 1948 when the Family Fare Plan was launched. This meant that the whole family could travel on an affordable ticket. The holiday industry was no longer exclusively for the rich – and consequently, the tourist industry turned its attention to developing services for lower budgets.

Development of Equal Opportunities

American Airlines was the world’s first airline to have a female pilot – Bonnie Tiburzi served for 26 years, retiring in 1999. The first female captain was employed in 1986 and the first all female crew flew a craft  in 1987.  American Airlines also established an Air Stewardess College at Fort Worth, which in time, needed amendment to include men. The stereotypes work both ways sometimes!

Company and Community Issues

Airline deregulation meant the rapid purchase and expansion of air routes, so it’s not surprising that by 1991, over a million passengers had boarded a plane.  During the 1990’s the company began to address issues  high on the radar of public awareness and consciousness. United Airlines offered support to a major US Breast Cancer campaign – committing to provided $1 million each year,  for eight years to the MD Anderson Cancer Centre. Two planes were also decorated with the Pink Ribbon Insignia. American Airlines also provided internet and medical equipment on flights – which resulted in 82 people being saved by the use of defibrillators operated by trained flight attendants.

American Airlines were also picked to be the carrier for over 130 priceless Egyptian antiquities from London to the Dallas Museum of Art having been cleared as the most reliable airline for the task.

With environmental challenges facing all airlines, American Airlines have now opted for new 737’s which save an astronomic 800,000 gallons of fuel per trip – a 35% saving on fuel consumption.

How to Find & Book Cheap Flights

A bargain flights expert offers his tips on how to get the best deal on flights online

He pores through hundreds of flight deals every day for his weekly newsletter. Here Phil  from Travel Zoo divulges his tips for getting a good deal on flights.

9 steps to booking a cheap flight

1) Invest some time in signing up for the best frequent flyer and air miles schemes – for the UK the options are basically British Airways credit card schemes or the Airmiles schemes offered by other airline networks. For BA, there is the British Airways American Express card, which offers 1,000 BA Miles if you spend £500 within the first three months of having the card, with a further mile for every pound you spend thereafter. Best of all, if you spend £20,000 in one year, you’ll receive another ticket for a companion, completely free.

2) The second card is the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Amex. With this card you get 6,000 BA Miles on your first purchase, with 1.5 miles for each pound you spend (and double that if you spend on a BA flight or holiday).

3) For other Airmile options, you can sign up to an affiliated credit card; in fact, you actually get two credit cards – the Lloyds TSB Airmiles Duo American Express Card and the Lloyds TSB Airmiles Duo MasterCard, with 1 mile for every £10 you spend on the former and 1 mile for every £50 you spend on the latter. Just keep track of the cards so you don’t end up building up unwanted fees on credit cards and interest.

4) You can build up your Airmiles or BA airmiles collection with some of the biggest names in retail around – eBay, Tesco, John Lewis, Play.com. Some publications such as The Times or Sunday Times are offering Airmiles if you take out a subscription…

5) Something that is not so well known is the old mobile phone swap scheme – you can exchange your old mobile in return for Airmiles. An average phone could be worth several hundred Airmiles, which is a better return that you could get selling it second-hand.

6) Fly during the week. Weekends are most times more expensive. Worth waiting to fly e.g. on Monday.

7) If you check in online you can reserve your favourite seat (window or aisle) and cut down on the amount of time needed at the airport.

Do not only compare prices if you book long distance flights but also consider the frequent flyer programs for each airline. Sometimes you can collect enough miles for great rewards if you fly e.g. to New Zealand or Australia if you sign up before you fly.

9) Take your own food on to a budget flight as these airlines charge a huge mark-up on food.

Brazil

Beautiful beaches, warm turquoise waters, breathtaking landscapes, cosmopolitan cities and famous landmarks. Sound tempting?

Brazil offers so much to visitors. Tourists in Brazil can experience fantastic wildlife ; try their hand at water sports such as kayaking, fishing, rafting, snorkelling and surfing; relax on paradise beaches; set off on an adventure to discover the Amazon and the Pantanal, or take part in the world’s most famous carnival in Rio. What more could you want? Perhaps the icing on the cake would be cheap flights and a luxury (cheap) hotel?

Check online for flights to Brazil and you could be jetting off to paradise.

Brasília, Manaus, Olinda, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and the Pantanal are just some of the top destinations in Brazil.

Brasília is the capital of Brazil. In this city you can get a real feel for the culture, politics and liveliness of the people. Visit Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon region and the perfect base for starting your jungle tour. Rio is an ideal location for sun, sandy white beaches, nightlife and sightseeing.

Brazil is for you!

Cheap Flights Impact Climate Change

I’m fascinated by the fact that progressive papers such as the Guardian and Independent  continue to promote cheap flights and foreign holidays, and that when asked about this they weasel around the issue of the impact on climate change, citing the need for revenue. One assumes that there are industries they do refuse to promote, or industries they will only promote in particular ways, but the tourist industry gets carte blanche.

Longhaul and frequent cheap flights to Europe

In the history of humanity it is only since the 1960′s that we have developed the expectation of the ‘right’ to be able to fly to Sydney, Los Angeles, Bangkok etc on holiday once a year on a fraction of our salaries, and the further ‘right’ to be able to book cheap flights and hop over to Prague, Barcelona and Rimini every 3 or 4 months.

It seems to me that this is an absurd expectation, when these ‘rights’ affect fundamentally other peoples’ rights to life. Try explaining to somebody in the Maldives whose house is being flooded regularly because of rising seas that you have the right to these trips! Let’s not pretend that we don’t now know the effects of what we do!

It’s the toxic combination of the lack of viable alternatives presented to us with the promotion of cheap flights and foreign holidays as a basic right rather than privilege that’s to blame. Of the two ingredients, I’m inclined to believe that promoting the idea of the cheap flight for foreign holidays as absolutely basic to our way of life that’s the more worrying.