Airlines look at flight data from the past few years to determine which flights at various times of the year flew with a large number of empty seats. They then section off seats from the same flight in the coming year for “Twares”, and tweet about the lower fare on these seats. The idea is good one: United seems to sell out all their Twares in a relatively short amount of time. But customers looking for a Tware have to pay close attention to the United Airlines Twitter account, as a Tware tweet is about as common as an authentic Chanel bag in Chinatown. {Gadling}

The United Airlines twitter account also uses the free PR to gently suggest that followers join the mileage program or to let them know of certain services provided by the carrier. The airline also offers free stuff, like fares or money,  in redemption for signing up or doing something else that benefits the company in some way. {Mashable}

While this set up seems beneficial to United and some of their more go-with-the-flow customers, we wonder if the infrastructure is now causing United to lose revenue. It’s no secret that airlines have been cutting the number of flights over the past year, leaving more people to scramble for fewer seats. So United will never know if those seats they blocked off in an effort to generate revenue might have actually sold at the regular fare.

So you buy it. Only to find it went down, again.

Don’t let that sinking feeling in your stomach ruin your trip! Budget Travel has revealed the four sites you can use to get your money back when the Travel Industry goons get ya.

#1. For Vacation Packages: Travelocity just started a refund policy this past Wednesday giving you the price difference should you spot the deal for cheaper.

#2. For Flights: Yapta (a price-tracking Web Site) and TripIt (a free travel organizer) have paired up to alert you if you’re eligible for a refund after you’ve booked your flight. Just forward your itinerary to plans@tripit.com and Yapta will do the rest.

#3. For Hotelts: Both Yapta and Orbitz offer automatic alerts when others book a hotel for cheaper.

Don’t you love it when technology really does make life a little better?

Read the Full Story {Budget Travel}

Nothing says holiday spirit like a kick-ass contest, after all. To boost their Facebook gravitas,  JetBlue has decided to host a contest eligible only for their Facebook fans. What’s at stake? Weekly drawings for free round-trip tickets, one 5-day getaway for four, and the chance to win a yearlong All You Can Jet Pass. That’s right – all you can jet for an entire year.

So, as much as we hate cluttering up our Facebook pages with useless fan pages (do we all need to know you’re a fan of showers? really?), it seems that JetBlue’s lured us into succumbing to this one.

Read the Full Story {Jaunted}

No, these aren’t the offerings of some avant-garde fashion designer gone off his rocker – it’s the newest collection from Jet Blue. The Flyer’s Collection is an assembly of all the items you’ll need to cope when you fly on any other airline.

The collection, while obviously fictional (read: not actually for sale), is posted all on Facebook. It’s definitely a clever way to market the perks of Jet Blue travel – more leg room, free snacks, no baggage fees- all those things that should be the norm rather than the exception in the miserly world of air travel.

The collection’s even on display in a new store in New York City’s Meatpacking district! While we love the idea, the store may just be taking this joke a touch to far – what do you think?

Read More {Facebook – JetBlue Flyer’s Collection}

Read More {Jaunted}

The enormously popular All You Can Jet Pass, a one-month $599 pass for unlimited travel on Jet Blue routes,  finished up just a few months ago – but Jet Blue’s promised to bring it back (ETA still TBD).

The Passes, which sold like hotcakes this past August, caused a media maelstrom – the lucky pass-holders quickly started chronicling their travels on blogs and twitter accounts and became minor celebrities, earning the airline millions in publicity and a 700% increase of web traffic to their route map page.

If you’re curious to learn more, check out the blogs of the intrepid travellers – including this one of the man who travelled the entire month without leaving the airports. Our worst nightmare – but strangely enjoyable to experience vicariously.

Read the Full Story {Jaunted}

Wi-fi.

As the airlines struggle to keep afloat, a few have decided to forge ahead and trick-out their jumbo jets with the latest technology in the hopes of luring back loyal customers. So far, Lufthansa has announced that their flights will have internet connectivity by mid-2010, and Virgin America is right on their heels, saying that their fleet should have in-flight wi-fi by 2011.

But the king of in-flight technology? Emirates, an airline that already allows you to check your email and SMS through a dial-up connection, is not only looking to provide wi-fi to their flyers, but also to pioneer the use of cell phones in flight.

Yup, it seems that by 2011, there’s going to be nowhere you can go to escape technology. Great for you obsessive email checkers out there – not so great when you have to listen to your seat-mate’s entire phone conversation 18,000 feet over the Atlantic…

Read More {Jaunted}

Read More {FlightGlobal}

However, farecompare.com has come up with a handy breakdown that lets you know when those holiday surcharges are going to kick in and where. Not only does it help dispel some of the mystery surrounding ever-changing ticket prices, it will also help you save some precious cash.

While it may not be a full-blown victory (oh, how we await the day that the airlines actually put their customers first), farecompare.com will help you contribute your own small part in sticking it to the airlines – so you can enjoy your holiday travels all the more.

Read More {In Transit}

Read More {FareCompare.com}

Read More {Jaunted}