How would you like to try JetBlue's new transatlantic service across the pond? There's five, wait that's 10... there's five ways it's radically different from anything we've seen before. I've got all the details for you, and I think you'll be really surprised at what they're doing.

 

Also coming up in this episode of the Travel Pro Show, we'll report from Salt Lake City's shiny new $4 billion airport, we'll review an app that claims to help you beat jetlag, and we have a couple of nifty car rental hacks to save you money during this period of Carmageddon.  I'm Andrew Lock, and this is the show that shares the secrets to smarter travel.

Hello, and welcome to the show. Last week, I talked about face masks, and it prompted many of you to share some of the crazier wacky ideas that you've seen.  So I've combined your finds with ours, and I've put them into four categories.  First up is "I'm broke." This is where people who can't afford to buy masks come up with their own inventions, like the hollowed out water bottle, a bucket, a washing up sponge, napkin diaper, plastic bag, and a whole selection of food, including orange coconut lettuce leaves and my personal favorite slice of bread.

 

The next category is the attention seekers, who seem to want people to talk about their mask.  Like this woman who was apparently inspired by Mick Jagger, Spider-Man who could only manage the mask and gloves, and whatever this thing is... why, oh, why would you put that on your face other than to get attention? 

The next category is "useless masks." These people think they're wearing a mask, but they might as well not be because it ain't protecting anything. The one that really made me cringe in this category was this one - it's touted as a brilliant invention because it has a flap on the front, but they seem to have completely missed the point that a face mask is supposed to be sealed airtight around your entire face. What were they thinking!?

 

The last category of masks is what I call creative masks. I have to say there's some really inventive people out there. Goodness knows how they think of these things. This guy used a saucepan lid to go inside his hoodie. That's pretty clever, right?  This one went a bit overboard with water bowls. This guy created his own ecosystem with plants, presumably to generate oxygen - that's amazing!   And my favorite creative mask is this one. She decided to use the software CD, but not just any CD - look closely and it's Norton antivirus! Oh, I see what you did there.

 

So there you have it. I'm curious, would you use any of these masks? Did you have a light bulb moment and think, wow, that's genius?  Or did you, like me, think "these people have way too much time on their hands!"

 

As always, we welcome your feedback and opinions in the comments below.

 

Are you jaded by jetlag?   Hopping over time zones can certainly take its toll on the body, and at its worst jet lag can give you insomnia, digestive problems, and zap you of energy.  Fortunately, there's now an app that claims to help you beat jetlag. It's called "time shifter" and on their website it says the app was developed by world renowned scientists, and d it's used by astronauts and elite athletes and top CEOs.  Just an idea, but you might want to add frequent flyers to that list, since they are by far the largest group that suffers from jet lag!

 

So how does it work?  Well, it's available for both Apple and Android devices, and once you've installed it, you'll be invited to create an account for each trip.  You set up what the app calls a jetlag plan.  Your first one is free, so you can try it out at no risk. After that, it's $9 99 per trip, or you can get an unlimited subscription for 24 99 a year, which is obviously a better deal if you travel more than three times. United airlines is the official airline partner of the app, so Premier 1K members get to use it for free.

After entering your flight details, the app does a few calculations and works its magic, and you're presented with a detailed daily calendar that tells you what you need to do at certain times of day.  So it'll tell you what time to set your alarm and what time to go to bed in the days, leading up to your trip, whether to stay awake or go to sleep during your flight, and after you've arrived at your destination, it'll tell you when you should and shouldn't be having coffee.

 

It's actually a lot smarter than I'm making it sound because the recommendations are based on years and years of research, and they're very detailed and precise.  Judging by the reviews, the app has already won a lot of fans.

 

So if jet lag is something you struggle with, you might want to check out Time Shifter and see how you get on. Well, that's all from me, back to you, Andrew...

 

Most people think of Salt Lake City as either the home of the Mormons, or perhaps as the host of the 2012 winter Olympics.  Frequent flyers on the other hand, probably think of Salt Lake as being a Delta airlines hub.

 

Pre COVID, about 23 million flyers came through the airport each year, either connecting or leaving on one of about 329 daily flights across nine airlines.

 

Now, personally, I've always enjoyed flying through Salt Lake, and so when they announced in 2015 that they were going to build an entirely new airport, literally right next to the original one, I couldn't help but think it seemed a bit unnecessary. I CAN think of about a dozen airports that DO need demolishing, and Salt Lake. certainly isn't one of them, but apparently they had a spare 4 billion buck flying around - no taxpayer dollars were needed.

 

And so after four years of construction, the big unveil for phase one is finally here. And I've got to say it is really impressive. It's a beautiful airport. One of the special things about the location of this airport is it lies between two mountain ranges in the Salt Lake valley, reflected by this artwork behind me, called the Canyons.  The scenery around all of Utah is actually spectacular. 

 

And the new airport has floor-to-ceiling windows, so travelers can enjoy the wonderful views. The plan now is to completely demolish the original airport to make way for another new pier, as a further expansion.

 

In the meantime, if you do find yourself passing through the new Salt Lake City airport, I'm sure you'll enjoy this new Delta airlines hub. They had the money to do it, and now we all get to enjoy a smoother travel experience.

 

If you're enjoying this episode so far, please consider becoming a subscriber so you can continue to enjoy these episodes.  Just click the little bell icon in the corner of the screen.

 

Now then, something big has been happening in the world of rental cars. Maybe you've heard about it. I went to Las Vegas to investigate...

 

You might've heard about the worldwide shortage of cars that's happening. It's being called carpocalypse or Carmageddon.  I think that's a little over the top, but what's the story here, what's going on?

 

Well, when times were tough during the pandemic, the car rental agencies in all their wisdom sold off most of their cars. It also didn't help that there was a gigantic fire at Ft Myers airport, where three and a half thousand rental cars were destroyed.

 

Well, now that people are starting to travel again, the rental companies found themselves totally unprepared, and in a real pickle, because there's a massive shortage of cars. So that has led to price gouging to the extreme.

 

In Hawaii for example, for the last few months, it's been common to see rates around $400 per day.  Maybe carmageddon is an appropriate term after row. That's insane.

 

So what can you do about it?  Well, we've got two nifty travel hacks to save you money.  The first secret is to extend your rental dates beyond what you really need. So, if you were planning to rent for one day, instead search for three or four days, and if you were planning to rent for perhaps a week, then you would search for 10 days instead.

What you'll find is very often, the longer period has a dramatically lower cost per day.  Just as an example, I needed a car at LAX for a day, and the one day price was $150.  But when I extended it to a three-day rental, it came down to just $60 a day. So again, book a longer period than you need, and then bring the car back early. Most car rental companies will only charge you for the time you actually rented, but they'll base the price on that longer period cover right now.

 

If you still find that, the cars are sold out or the prices are still ludicrously high, I suggest you do what I did - goto uHaul.com and rent one of these, a cargo van.

 

Every major city in the states has multiple U-Haul locations, so it's very easy to make a reservation. I know it's not pretty, but to be honest, it drives just like a big SUV and they'll save you a small fortune. Oh, and of course you'll never have to worry about having space for all your shopping.

 

Just as an example of the cost savings, this week in Vegas, even compact cars were renting for about $150 a day, which is absolutely nuts, but this cargo van cost me $150 for the entire week, including full insurance coverage and the mileage - that's less than what it would've cost for a one-day car rental.

So I'd try those two methods, and as always let us know how you get on with them.

 

Well, let me take a moment to tell you about the Founders Card, the ultimate tool for savvy travelers.  Founders Cod is primarily designed for business owners and entrepreneurs, and you do have to apply and pay a modest annual fee to be accepted, but the benefits are enormous.

 

You get discounts and or perks with airlines like Emirates, American United BA Singapore, and cafe Pacific, as well as with hotel chains like Marriott and Hilton, plus car rental companies like Hertz, Avis, and sext taking Hilton. As an example, not only do you get a discounted rate, you also get instant gold status without having to meet the normal state requirements. That means you get free room upgrades, free, cooked breakfast for everyone in your party, free late checkout, free high-speed wifi access and 25% bonus points. Pretty good, right?  There's hundreds of discounts and posts to choose from. You get a sleek metal membership card to flash in front of your friends. And as a member myself, I have to tell you, I love it. So do yourself a favor and check it out at the theounderscard.com. so you can get a lot more perks and discounts when you travel.

 

The most competitive airline route in the world is across the Atlantic, between the U S and Europe.  And the single most profitable route is between New York and London.  Pre pandemic, British airways alone were raking in more than a billion bucks a year on that one route. It's no surprise then that over the years, many airlines have tried to get in on the action, but it's usually a bloodbath ending with the smaller player being muscled out by the big airlines. So when JetBlue announced that they're going to try exactly that to fly transatlantic between both JFK and Boston and Heathrow, everyone's ears perked up.

 

There's no question that in order to succeed, they need to offer a better product at a lower price.  Well, I have to admit, it seems like they may have come up with a winner, because from what I can see, there's not one but five ways that their new service breaks the mold.

 

First, the planes.  JetBlue has said that there'll be flying Airbus, A321LR planes. Whereas other airlines fly huge wide-body aircraft with around 300 seats, The A321 is a very modern aircraft with just a single aisle down the middle, so it eliminates the need for a center section, which most people hate.

 

Second, there's the seats.  In economy. they'll be both wider and have more legroom, 32 inches of it to be precise. That's significantly more than their competitors making it a huge selling point.

 

Third, the technology.  Everyone on board will have access to a power outlet and USB charging point.   In economy, everyone will have a 10 inch HD seatback display with free movies and TV shows, plus... get this... free unlimited high-speed wifi. That's amazing!

 

Fourth, the food and drink. Jet Blue are pioneering a concept they're calling "build your own meal."  That doesn't mean they expect you to don an apron and work in the galley, but what it does mean is that even in economy, you'll be able to choose from three base dishes, including meat and vegetarian dishes, plus two sides that you select from a variety of hot and cold options.

 

Bottom line, you'll have a meal that you're much more likely to enjoy. Oh, and one more thing, you can order the meal from your seatback TV. Oh, I love that.

 

And there's even more good news in that all drinks are included. Yeah, even though of the alcoholic variety!

 

By the way, I realize that this is starting to sound a bit like a commercial for Jet Blue!  It's not intended to be that way, but I am genuinely excited about this new service.

 

Fifth, and this will definitely excite premium passengers, JetBlue will have 24 private suites in their popular Mint Class.  Each suite features a seat that converts into a comfortable, fully flat bed.  There's also a sliding door for privacy.

And if that's not enough for you, the studio suites on row one will also have a sitting area and work table. It's also worth noting that both the bed and the TV will be the largest of any U.S. carrier.  Wow!

 

There's lots of other nice touches too, like extra-large overhead bins, LED mood lighting, and happy flight attendants. What, wait, what?  That can't be right.

 

As you can tell, if JetBlue manages to deliver on all of that, it's very likely to shake things up in the transatlantic space, which let's face it, that's good news for all travelers.

 

It's obvious that JetBlue has put a lot of thought into all these innovations and frankly, it's about time and airline truly put passengers first, right?

 

What do you think about this transatlantic service? Would you switch from another airline to try it?  If the prices were comparable, what excites you more?  The economy innovations that I mentioned or the spacious Mint suite?  Ooh, I think I'm going to go that way.

 

We'd love to hear your opinion and feedback. You can do that below in the comments section as usual.

 

We also have some great travel-related resources for you to consider and check out, for even more travel tips and inspiration.

First up, check out the excellent YouTube channel, Living Bobby.  Strange name, but great channel, with a focus on food and travel. Bobby's videos are really well thought out and they are equally well produced. I recently enjoyed his comparison of the world's cheapest versus the most expensive McDonald's, that was really interesting.

 

On Instagram checkout @travel and leisure, from the same people that produce the popular magazine. It's an endless stream of ideas and inspiration for your next trip, with some great video content too. We'll put links to both of those resources below. As usual, be sure to check them out.

 

In a moment we have another "lost in translation" sign for you, which you always seem to enjoy, but just before that, let me tell you that in the next episode, there's some great stuff coming up. I'll be shining a light on the plague of resort fees, something every travel pro despises.  I'll also be checking out Dubai's answer to Disney's Epcot. It's called Global Village, and I'll share a super simple way to score an upgrade on your next flight that most travelers overlook.

 

And now as promised, here's another "lost in translation" sign from my travels.  This one is from Japan, where a sign in the restroom says "the heartwarming toilet may make you feel relieved, secure, and comfortable." I appreciate the sentiment, but something's definitely lost in translation there.

 

Thanks for sharing this show with your travel buddies and invite you to check out this episode, one of our favorites about another TSA blunder - there's so many - this one will really make your jaw drop. It is crazy what happened.