It’s hard to say no to something that seems like a good deal, especially on something that’s normally as expensive as air travel. But travel journalist Christopher Elliott recently put together a list of four situations in which you shouldn’t give into temptation when it comes to booking airline tickets. [More]
air travel
Senator Schumer: 5 Airlines Commit To No Carry-On Fees
By 4.18.10
In the aftermath of Spirit Airlines’ announcement that they’ll be charging up to $45 for carry-on bags, five airlines have pledged that they won’t jump on the fee bandwagon. New York Sen. Charles Schumer said today that American, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways and JetBlue have told him they won’t start charging for carry-ons. [More]
Millions Of Travelers Remain Inconvenienced By Volcanic Ash
By 4.17.10
Put that passport back in your pocket, European traveler — just about all of Europe’s major airports are still closed as Iceland’s roving clouds of volcanic ash continue to blanket the continent, shutting down air space and forcing airports to cancels tens of thousands of flights over the last three days. [More]
10 Common Mistakes Made When Booking Airline Tickets
By 4.16.10
Long gone is the era of the all-powerful travel agent, in whom you could trust to get you the best deal on your travel plans and to make sure nothing huge was overlooked. Now we’re almost all booking our own flights, and the manifold options for booking can cause even the most fastidious among us to make a mistake. That’s why the good people at USA Today put together this list of the 10 most common travel booking mistakes. [More]
iPads Not Allowed Into iSrael
By 4.15.10
Before you board that plane to Tel Aviv with your snazzy new iPad, you should know that your shiny tablet-y thing will be confiscated by Israeli customs officials because Israel officials have yet to give the device their stamp of approval. [More]
Volcanic Ash Strands Thousands Of Air Travelers
By 4.15.10
Tens of thousands of air travelers around the world are stuck today, as a mammoth cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano has shut down all air traffic over Britain, Ireland and the Nordic countries. [More]
Ryanair CEO: "We'll Give Pay Toilet Money To Charity"
By 4.14.10
Ryanair’s much-maligned plan to charge passengers to use the toilet on their flights has been completely misunderstood, says the cheapy airline’s CEO. In fact, he says he’s willing to give all the money from the pay toilets to charity to prove his point. [More]
Midwest Airlines To Take Frontier Name, Still Offer Cookies
By 4.13.10
Since they both were acquired by the same holding company last year, it’s been an inevitability that both Midwest Airlines and Frontier would eventually end up flying under the same brand, but it remained to be seen whether one would fold into the other or there would be a completely new name. That mystery ended this morning with Republic announcing that, as of today, Midwest will now be part of the Frontier family. [More]
Survey: Which Airline Fees Are The Most Evil?
By 4.8.10
Between Spirit Airlines deciding to charge for carry-on bags and Ryanair installing pay toilets on their planes, it hasn’t been a good PR week for air travel. But not all airline surcharges are created equal, so we want to get your feedback on which extras — from food to headphones to legroom — get your blood boiling the most. [More]
Ryanair Going Ahead With Pay-To-Potty Plan
By 4.7.10
Almost a year after announcing their plans to charge passengers for using toilets on their planes, discount airline Ryanair is finally pushing ahead with not only installing the pay potties on their jets, but cutting down the number of toilets available to passengers. [More]
Don't Fall Asleep On A Plane; You Might Wake Up In The Hangar
By 4.6.10
Just about anyone who has taken a long flight has fallen asleep in their seat for at least a few minutes. But most of us wake up when the plane lands. And in only the rarest situation do we wake up in an otherwise empty jet… inside the airplane hangar. But that’s exactly what a passenger on an Air Canada flight says happened to him. [More]
U.S. Airways & Continental Get Head Start On Observing New Tarmac Delay Rules
By 4.6.10
Even though the new FAA rules regarding tarmac delays don’t kick in until April 29, both U.S. Airways and Continental say they have already begun observing the regulations. [More]
Spirit Airlines Now Charging Up To $45 For Carry On Bags
By 4.6.10
Welcome to the slippery slope of air travel fees. Today, discount flier Spirit Airlines announced that they will begin charging anywhere from $20 to $45 for you to carry on your own bag. [More]
New Security Measures Halt Mandatory Screening Of Travelers From 14 Countries
By 4.2.10
New security measures announced today by the Department of Homeland Security will eliminate the mandatory screening of air travelers from 14 countries, including Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan and Iran. Instead, only travelers matching the most current threat information will be put under the microscope. [More]
VIDEO: How I Booked My JetBlue Flight For The Wrong Month
By 3.31.10
A reader wrote into Consumerist because he recently booked a flight on JetBlue, only to discover when attempting to check in at the airport that he’d somehow booked the return flight for a full month later than it should have been. [More]
JetBlue & American Trade Landing Rights To Expand Routes
By 3.31.10
American Airlines announced a deal with JetBlue today that would significantly increase their presence at JFK Airport in New York. Meanwhile, JetBlue will now have the ability to offer service to and from Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport. [More]
Crappy Food, Flimsy Headphones & 5 Other Things That Used To Be Free On Flights
By 3.24.10
Somewhere in the last two decades, airplane food went from comedy punchline to premium purchase (though the quality is still often laughable), airline headphones went from “crappy but they’ll do in a pinch” to “crappy but I have to pay up to $5 for them,” and you may soon need to pay to join the mile-high club on some airlines. It was enough to make the folks at KIVI TV nostalgiac enough to look back at 7 former freebies we no longer enjoy. [More]
Airport Guard Accused Of Using Scanner To Harass Female Co-Worker
By 3.24.10
You knew this had to happen eventually. A security guard at Heathrow Airport is now facing harassment allegations after using a full-body scanner to snap a revealing pic of a female co-worker… Oh, and telling her how much he loves her boobs. [More]
