Kayak just released the results of a massive data pull where it analyzed more than a billion search queries to uncover insights on the best flight deals, busiest airports, and most popular destinations, and to provide tips on how to save money on travel.

The overall airfare increased to all popular destinations in 2012, with the one exception of Toronto, Canada. Las Vegas was the most popular destination in 2012, along with Orlando, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, and Denver.

Kayak found that September is the cheapest month for domestic travel with an average fare of $296.97. January and October follow closely behind with average airfares of $305.70 ad $310.62 respectively. If you want to travel during the summer, August is the least expensive month for domestic trips. To get for cheapest fares, travelers should book between 21 and 3 days before departure.

For those internationally bound, February and March are the cheapest months to fly, but will still cost travelers around $950. Airfare increases in April and May. For both international and domestic queries, January and February are the least busy times to fly.

Another interesting metric are destinations that are growing in popularity. Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, Tokyo, Mumbai, and Nashville all went up in terms of bookings while their prices stayed the same. London, Anchorage, New Orleans and Beijing also rose in popularity, but also in terms of cost. Airfare to Lima, Peru increased by thirty-three percent, despite the fact that its popularity dropped by sixteen percent.

Unfortunately, airfare is expensive regardless of when and where you are going. Those of us with budgets (and without planes of our own), need to pinch pennies where we can so there is more money left over for fun whenever you arrive.

So who is in for a Fall trip to Nashville? I hear Taylor Swift is performing, although tickets to that concert could cost more than the flight. Decisions, decisions.

Photo Credit: Dennis Wong/Flickr 

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CORRECTION 1/20/2013: An earlier version of this story stated that batteries would be banned from all flights, including within carryon luggage. This is not correct. It appears that the ban only affects cargo. This story has been updated to reflect new information.

Just a few days ago, flights across the globe were canceled as concerns mounted over a January 7 fire in a Boeing 787 at Boston’s Logan International Airport. The fire was caused by faulty lithium-ion batteries built in to the plane. Now it appears that the International Air Transport Association, a trade organization, wants to ban shipment of such batteries in the cargo of Cathay Pacific flights, according to one expert.

“I received an IATA notification yesterday saying that Cathay Pacific is stopping all shipments of lithium-ion and lithium batteries on cargo aircraft,” battery quality assurance expert Kevin Elsdon told me tonight. “And then another one saying that British Airways was banning the shipment and carrying of lithium and lithium-ion batteries, period.”

Unfortunately, just about any electronic device you carry and use — your computer, your tablet, and your phone — uses a lithium-ion battery.

Section on IATA statement added 1/20: From reading a recent IATA statement, it appears the ban may apply only to batteries in cargo, and not batteries carried by passengers in devices such as tablets, phones and other computers — or even as spares. Here is the relevant text from that document; see bold (which we’ve added) for the part about how the prohibition does not apply to batteries contained in “equipment”:

. Lithium metal cells and batteries are prohibited from
carriage as cargo on Cathay Pacific Airways passenger and cargo aircraft. This applies to Section IA, IB and
Section II of Packing Instruction 968.
This prohibition does not apply to:
• lithium metal cells and batteries packed with or contained in equipment (UN 3091) in accordance with PI
969 and PI 970 and lithium ion cells and batteries (UN 3480 and UN 3481) in accordance with PI 965 to PI
967; or
• lithium batteries (rechargeable and non-rechargeable) covered by the Provisions for Dangerous Goods
Carried by Passengers or Crew (see 2.3.2 to 2.3.5 and Table 2.3.A)

Also, this cargo ban seems to be limited to Cathay Pacific flights. The statement, originally published in December, is edited in yellow, with no specific date — thus adding to confusion about whether this is the latest version of the document.

Moreover, if you check the aforementioned “Provisions for Dangerous Goods Carried by Passengers or Crew,” you’ll find the reference to spare lithium batteries being allowed as carry-on as well. VentureBeat hasn’t found any statement yet that suggests this has changed. Here is the key wording from those provisions:

You may have “Lithium ion battery powered equipment containing batteries over 100 Wh but not exceeding 160 Wh.” as carry-on, in checked-baggage, and on ones person.

You may have “Spare lithium ion batteries with a Watt-hour rating exceeding 100 Wh but not exceeding 160 Wh for consumer electronic devices. Maximum of two spare batteries may be carried in carry-on baggage only. These batteries must be individually protected to prevent short circuits.” Note that these are not permitted in checked baggage.

IATA is the International Air Transport Association, the trade association for most of the world’s airlines. IATA sends out bulletins regarding policy changes and updates for its member airlines to companies which manufacture, handle, and ship hazardous materials, one of which Elsdon works for. He asked that the name of the company not be revealed, as its client list includes defense agencies.

Better hope the in-flight movie doesn’t suck

“We’re taking that announcement to mean that you cannot carry on any device that uses lithium or lithium-ion batteries, period,” Elsdon told me. “Cathay Pacific’s announcement was specific to their cargo aircraft, but British Airways and a couple other airlines simply will not permit any of these devices on their airplanes … they just did a carte blanche announcement and are not going to allow these devices on their aircraft.”

However, a British Airways PR representative that I contacted said there has been no change to airline policy regarding smartphones, tablets, or laptops, and asked to see the IATA notification. The representative did say that it was conceivable that a change had been made to British Airways’ cargo-carrying regulations — in addition to its passenger service, the company runs IAG Cargo, a commercial cargo shipping service – but had no personal knowledge of any changes as of early Sunday morning.

But in any case, “that is entirely separate,” the representative told me.

Elsdon had posted on Facebook that the ban would mean no iPads, no smartphones, and no laptop computers. In other words, it would be complete reversal of the last decade of in-flight electronics policy. And a recipe for very, very long flights, not to mention irate customers.

VentureBeat is still attempting to verify the latest version of the IATA bulletin.

The Boeing 787 fire at Logan International was probably caused by an overcharge event in the aircraft’s lithium-ion batteries that power the plane’s electrical systems when on the ground. This is the first time that lithium-ion batteries have ever been used in a commercial aircraft, according to the battery manufacturer’s website. Overcharging any battery can cause overheating or even fires, but batteries are supposed to be designed with safety circuits containing an over-voltage cutoff. Somehow, apparently, that got missed in this battery.

Not all airlines — even cargo airlines — are adopting the new procedures. Fedex is the largest dangerous goods shipper in the world, and that company has no plans to change its rules.

“I talked to the head of their dangerous goods division and he shrugged this shoulders, says ‘I guess that means more money for us,’” Elsdon said.

And while it’s likely that any ban would be revised at some point, some people may be caught in the crossfire:

“My dad is back in England at a funeral,” Elsdon told me. “He has his laptop and iPhone, and I’m hoping he’ll be able to get them home.”

Lithium-ion batteries are listed as dangerous goods on Cathay Pacific’s and other airlines’ websites, and have been the cause of recalls for other products such as Fisker Automotive’s Karma electric vehicles. The Chevrolet Volt has had similar issues, and the batteries were blamed for a $5 million fire at a General Motors testing lab last year. Laptops are not immune, as a Dell laptop demonstrated in 2006 by burning and exploding at a conference in Japan.

That said, lithium-ion batteries are in just about everything we use, and are safe when designed and treated well.

“This is what I call a knee-jerk reaction from the airport authority,” Elsdon told me. “The amount of incidents is very small, and 90 percent of them are caused by the people loading them on the aircraft. There are only a very few cases where it’s actually happened in a laptop.”

VentureBeat has contacted IATA and British Airways for additional comment.

photo credit: AvgeekJoe via photopin cc, rust.bucket via photopin cc, Derek K. Miller via photopin cc

OneTwoTrip is an online airline ticket booking site where users can search for flights, see offers, look at ratings, and select the flight that is right for them. It is like a Russian version of sites like Kayak, Orbitz, or Expedia.

OneTwoTrip launched in 2011 and with this funding plans to add additional services like hotel booking and car rentals. Phenomen Ventures is a Russian venture capital firm that focuses its investments on high technology and Internet startups.

Routehappy cruised into $1.5 million in seed funding today, for its flight search engine that prioritizes comfort and convenience over cost.

On popular sites like Kayak, Orbitz, and Expedia, flights are listed by cost and fly time. While information on in-flight amenities is available, customers cannot easily factor that into their search parameters.

Routehappy focuses on the overall experiences of each flight. It lets travelers compare journeys by aircraft quality, seat space, entertainment options, Wi-Fi and plug availability, service, food, punctuality and more. The ratings and reviews are based on data collected from more than 90,000 user comments.

Someone looking for a flight from San Francisco to New York can type in his trip details and the technology generates a ranked list. In this case, the user can see that the jetBlue flights receive the highest overall ranking, but Virgin America offers plugs and in-air wi-fi, and United is likely to have the roomiest seats.

Routehappy launched the beta version of its site last March and the mobile version hit the app store just over a month ago. The website is designed as a resource for trip planning, while the iPhone app functions more as a social platform to exchange tips and tricks.

Both applications hold hidden bits of wisdom about airports as well. The data reveals where to find the secret, short security lines, and which terminals have the best food and shopping options (Amsterdam Schiphol apparently, or perhaps travelers are just giddy off the fumes).

CEO Robert Albert formerly worked as the VP of Strategy for Travelocity and the VP of Media for IgoUgo, which became part of Travelocity in 2006. He was inspired to start Routehappy after growing frustrated with the limited resources available to trip planners.

“It’s always bugged me that information about flights is reduced to price and schedule,” he said. “The current travel landscape prevents flyers from making the best possible decisions when they shop and prevents the industry from focusing as much as they should on the product and flyer experience.”

The company aspires to disrupt the flight industry by redefining how fliers make their travel choices and will use this money to continue developing the product. This round was led by High Peaks Venture Partners, Contour Venture Partners, and VoCap Ventures, as well as angel investors.

Routehappy is based in New York City.