Holiday gift tips for air travelers

Shop light for

gifts going by air

For air travelers going coach, getting a sackful of gifts home will be more challenging this year.

Most airlines have hefty luggage fees and are strictly enforcing size and weight limits. If you must carry gifts home, shop light. Skip the bulky, hefty presents. Magazine subscriptions, gift cards and certificates take up no space at all.

You're in luck if you're flying one of the two major carriers that don't charge for checked bags. Southwest allows passengers to check two bags at no cost. (Fill one with clothes, the other with gifts, but don't go over the weight limit.) JetBlue allows passengers to check one bag for free. The second will cost $30. Other airlines waive luggage fees for full fare, business class, gold-level frequent fliers, first-class ticket holders and/or active military personnel. Check airline Web sites for details.

Don't waste your weight allowance on a heavy suitcase. Use the lightest bag you have.

easyJet cuts flights

Low-cost airline easyJet PLC said it is closing its operations at a regional British airport and cutting capacity at its home base of London's Luton airport by 20 percent.

The airline will cease operations at East Midlands Airport on Jan. 5. The airline operated 10 routes from East Midlands Airport — to Prague, Nice, Venice, Faro, Barcelona, Alicante, Malaga, Ibiza, Palma and Geneva.

Passengers booked to travel after Jan. 5 will be offered either a free transfer to another easyJet flight, a free transfer to a flight on low-cost airline bmibaby or a refund.

The 20 percent capacity reduction at Luton means the airline will cease to operate routes to Athens, Cagliari and Vienna, and reduce frequencies on routes including Alicante, Dortmund, Edinburgh, Geneva, Glasgow, Nice and Paris.

Lost luggage refunds

Rail passengers in Europe now can claim compensation for lost luggage or delayed journeys under European Union-wide rights. The EU's executive commission said earlier this month passengers could get a refund of a quarter of their ticket price if trains are delayed by between 60 minutes and two hours. They would get half of the price back for delays over two hours. The EU is also discussing passenger rights for ferry and bus journeys.

Airline delays worsen

U.S. airlines did a poorer job getting passengers to their destinations on time in October compared to the same month a year ago.

The Department of Transportation said that 19 carriers surveyed recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 77.3 percent in October. That was lower than the 86 percent recorded in October 2008. Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time performance, with a 93.4 percent on-time rate, followed by Alaska Airlines at 85.8 percent and JetBlue Airways at 82.9 percent. Northwest Airlines was worst, with a 69.3 percent on-time record.

Compiled by Times staff and news services