Consumerist
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travel
Family Kicked Off Flight For Misbehaving Kids, No Refund
An Arizona mom says she was flying to Billings, Montana for her birthday — but never got off the ground because the airline kicked her — and her unruly kids off the flight. They were told they could take another flight — if they paid for it. The airline says it's their policy not to offer refunds. More » -
travel
Bank of America Cancels Solo India Traveler's Debit Card, Shrugs
Does "Bank of America" actually mean "Bank of America Only"? After pulling another reader's debit card access back in August even though she had explicitly notified the überbank about her travels, BoA has apparently done it again. Reader Bristol tells us that she has been penniless in India for the last week after the bank's mysterious computers canceled her debit card. More » -
airline fees
American Airlines And The Tale Of The $100 "Prepaid Baggage Fee"
Reader Jeremy says that his attempts to be polite and have everything taken care of for someone who was doing his organization a big favor were made more difficult by a secret, unpublished "prepaid baggage fee" that American Airlines attempted to charge him. More » -
online booking
Expedia Drops Fee For Booking By Phone
This morning, travel service Expedia announced it will abandon its book by phone fee, which it first implemented last May. This makes it the only major online travel agency to not ding customers with a fee for booking flights over the phone, notes consumer travel advocate Christopher Elliott. More » -
baggage fail
Photographer Says US Airways Soaked $17,850 Worth Of Camera Equipment
Reader Steve points us to a posting on a photography forum by a professional photographer who says his camera bag didn't fit in the overhead compartment or under the seat of his US Airways flight — and when he got the bag back after checking it — it was soaking wet. He says the employees he spoke with didn't believe him... do you? More » -
fees
Airlines Could Start Charging Extra For Credit Cards
Could extra fees for using a credit card to pay become the airline industry's hot new trend? More » -
vacations
Rent Someone's Home On Your Next Vacation
The next time you travel to another city, it might be cheaper, or at least more interesting, to rent directly from a local homeowner. Cool Tools says Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO.com) is a great way to find rental opportunities when you travel. More » -
revenge
United Airlines Loses "United Breaks Guitars" Singer's Luggage
Dave Carroll, the musician who recently wrote a catchy new jingle for United Airlines, told the New York Times that on a flight with United this past Sunday they lost his bag. What's worse, United employees wouldn't let him leave the baggage area for more than an hour because they said the bag was just delayed. United told the paper, "We will fully investigate what regretfully happened."
"With Video, a Traveler Fights Back" [New York Times] (Thanks to Alan and Ray!)
(Photo: Doug Letterman) -
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airlines
US Airways Shrinks
US Airways has announced it plans to lay off a thousand employees, about 3% of its workforce, and will cut flights and focus mostly on four hubs: Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, DC. More » -
missed it by that much
Pilots Who Missed Minnesota Were Too Engrossed In Laptops To Land The Plane
There is a reason that I am not a pilot and the reason is this: I am afraid I would get bored, start messing around with my laptop and miss Minnesota. Unfortunately for Northwest Airlines, they don't hire people who utilize my rigorous program of self-doubt. More » -
airlines
4 Questions That Will Fix The Travel Industry
When will we see an airline passenger bill of rights? Why aren't there 5-star and 2-star airlines? How do you deal with hotels filling review sites with fake testimonials? These questions came up in a conversation about the travel industry I had the other night. Here's some possible answers: More » -
missed it by that much
Northwest Air Pilot Misses Airport By 150 Miles
If you're an airplane pilot, it's important to try and land in the state customers paid you to fly toward. More » -
fleet maintenance
FAA Continues To Investigate American Airlines, May Charge Individual Mechanics
The FAA has been investigating American Airlines for a while now over allegations that it wasn't repairing its planes properly, and yesterday the Wall Street Journal reported that the agency may widen its investigation, and even bring charges against individual employees who signed off on substandard repairs. More » -
travel
Expect Airlines To Keep Hiking Ticket Prices As Holidays Approach
This year it's a seller's market when it comes to buying airline tickets, reports the New York Times, so if you must travel via plane, buy early and try to be as flexible as possible. More » -
travel
More Airlines Add $10 Travel Surcharge To More Holidays
Since consumers didn't whine too much about the addition of $10 "just because" fees airlines imposed on busy travel days, they've added fees on more days. Goody for us! More » -
hilton honors program
Reader Gets 162,000 Vaporized Hilton Points Reinstated
Rikki is happy to report that her 162,000 Hilton points that disappeared without notice or warning are reinstated! More » -
boom and bust
Las Vegas Builders Say No More New Casinos For The Next Decade
We hope you like the current casinos in Las Vegas, because that's what you can look forward to for the next 10 years or so. No newly built Mount Rushmore facade, no Mini Grand Canyon indoor shopping avenue, no Godzilla-shaped hotel—nothing new to delight the vulgar parts of your optic nerve. The Wall Street Journal says after a decade in which casinos spent more than $30 billion on expansions, they're now going to pay off debt and focus on "branding, marketing and customer loyalty." More » -
slight savings
United Lets You Pre-Pay Your Baggage Fees
United has just announced a program where you can pay $250 to have their normal checked baggage fees waived for a year. The plan covers 2 bags per passenger, up to 8 passengers "traveling under the same confirmation number." Current fees are $20 for the first bag and $30 for the second, so if you travel solo a lot and always carry two bags you'll have to make six trips before you enjoy any savings. On the other hand, if you've got a big family trip planned in the next year, this may be a way to shave a little off the fee gouging. But only if you're stuck with United; BestFares.com notes that "SouthWest offers 2 free bags for free and JetBlue offers the 1st bag free."
"Premier Baggage" [United via Best Fares]
travel
New York, 1:54 AM
Sun Nov 15
4 posts in the last 24 hours
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