When a family member is ill and you need to make emergency travel arrangements, two things are important: getting there quickly, and not emptying your entire wallet to make those last-minute arrangements. One traveler on Allegiant Air thought that he had beat the system and made fast travel arrangements while saving money, but it wasn’t that simple. He ended up stranded with no recourse to get a refund. [More]
airlines and travel
Now That Fees Are The Norm, Airlines Cooking Up Even More Charges To Tack On
By 12.3.12
So you’ve gotten used to shoving everything you’ll need for a two-week trip into a carryon bag and fighting for overhead space on the plane. Maybe you’re even okay with forking over extra cash to choose the right seat with enough leg room. But if you’re finally feeling comfortable navigating the world of airline fees, don’t relax quite yet — there are even more extra charges coming. [More]
Flaming Lips Frontman Shuts Down Oklahoma City Airport With Inactive Grenade In His Luggage
By 11.20.12
All it takes is one eccentric band frontman with an inactive grenade to shut down an entire airport and you’ve got a headline. In this case it’s Flaming Lips wackadoodle (and I mean that in the most affectionate way) frontman Wayne Coyne, who caused a bit of a kerfuffle last week when Transportation Security Agents found a bit of tossable weaponry in his luggage. [More]
Spirit Passenger Learns You Can’t Threaten Crew After Refusing To Turn Off Your Phone
By 11.19.12
We know, we know — it’s annoying that you have to turn off your phones, tablets and other electronic gadgetry on airplanes. Even Alec Baldwin hates doing so. But even if you disagree with that rule, getting feisty and threatening the flight’s crew just because you’re being inconvenienced will turn out poorly. A Spirit airlines passenger disrupted a flight heading to Florida from NYC today, causing a delay for everyone else because of a phone. [More]
Ryanair CEO Wants Standing Room Only Cabins Because Duh, Seatbelts Are Useless
By 11.8.12
Surprise! Okay, no surprise: Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary is back to his cheeky ways, claiming he wants to do away with laws requiring passengers to wear seatbelts on planes because they’re useless. And if people don’t have to be sitting, he could use all that wasted space in the cabin to sell standing room only spots in the cabin for as low as £1 to European destinations. [More]
Thanksgiving Flights Will Be Packed & Even More Expensive This Year
By 11.7.12
Things we are grateful for: Turkey, mashed potatoes, loved ones and post-feast naps. Thing we are not grateful for: Crowded airports, packed airplanes and fares that cost an arm and a leg just so you can get home in time to argue with your uncle about politics. Steel yourselves, fellow travelers. This holiday season sounds like it’s going to be a doozy. [More]
Whether This Nor’Easter Will Be Awful Or Not, Airlines Are Canceling Flights Because Of It
By 11.7.12
It’s heading for the East Coast, but whether or not the predicted nor’easter will pummel residents or simply blow by, airlines aren’t taking any chances. United and Delta have already canceled 650 flights total in preparation for the weather blitz, and it’s likely not going to end there, as many people already devastated by Sandy brace for Mother Nature’s newest challenge. [More]
United Takes Boeing 787 Dreamliner For First U.S. Commercial Spin: What’s All The Hype About?
By 11.5.12
Long gone are the days of luxury flying for the average customer as seen on sentimental period TV dramas, but that doesn’t mean people don’t get excited about taking to the skies anymore. For the most part we’re burned out on the everyday, average flight, but yesterday United Airlines took to the skies with a horse of a different color. And by horse I mean plane, a very fancy one indeed: The Boeing Dreamliner 787, which was the first commercial flight for the plane in the U.S. [More]
Some East Coast Airports Open But Long Waits Likely For Passengers Of 16K Canceled Flights
By 10.30.12
While New York City’s major airports are still shut down for an indefinite amount of time, some airports on the East Coast are starting to send planes out after canceling almost 16,000 flights over the last few days. The bad news? Passengers from those canceled flights are likely going to be stuck for a while longer, as airlines honor tickets for passengers with existing reservations first. [More]
Avoid Baggage Fees With Wearable Luggage If You Don’t Mind Looking Completely Ridiculous
By 10.30.12
Based on some of the outfits I’ve seen at the airport — really? Wearing five-inch stiletto boots with an infinite amount of lacing is a good idea? — plenty of travelers love being stylish when they’re on the go. But if you don’t care how you look and want to avoid paying fees to check baggage or beat weight restrictions on said bags, you should consider the Mr. Potato Head ensemble you can achieve with the Jaktogo. [More]
Travelers Could Be Grounded Until The Weekend In The Aftermath Of Hurricane Sandy
By 10.29.12
The trouble with Sandy started yesterday when airlines began canceling flights out of East Coast cities for today and even tomorrow, and the problems won’t stop there. More cancellations are likely to be announced in the coming days, which is a bummer. On the upside — it’s a slow travel season right now so that means less of a hassle. [More]
Some Airlines Make It Awfully Tricky To Get A Refund Within 24 Hours Of Buying A Ticket
By 10.24.12 — Updated: 11.1.12
It’s important to know your rights when it comes to airline travel, or you could be missing out on getting a full refund on a fare you don’t need. We’ve reported before on the Department of Transportation regulation that requires airlines to give customers a full refund within 24 hours of booking a flight (if it’s booked a week or more beforehand), but some airlines make it really difficult for you to do that. [More]
Air Canada Pilot To Passengers: Just Gonna Bring The Plane Down Low So We Can Look For A Missing Yacht
By 10.17.12 — Updated: 10.18.12
We’re usde to hearing things in mid-flight from the captain like, “If you look out the windows on the left side of the plane, you’ll see the Grand Canyon!” but passengers on an Air Canada jet headed to Sydney from Vancouver heard quite a unique announcement on a recent flight. The pilot announced over the P.A. that the plane would be descending to a low altitude off the coast of Australia, and could passengers please see if they could spot a damaged yacht? [More]
Man On 50-Day Drinking Binge Makes Unwise Decision To Open Plane Door During Landing
By 10.17.12
There are some doors that are not meant to be opened by the average person, and airplane doors are a prime example. But one man who’d reportedly been drinking for 50 days straight threw all those rules right out the window (or door?) when the Delta flight he was on from Boston landed in Salt Lake City last night. According to witnesses, he tried to pry open the plane’s rear door during the landing process. [More]
American Airlines Hopes Online Meal Reservations Will Make Travelers Forget All Those Other Problems
By 10.15.12
Loosey-goosey seats? Flight cancellations and labor contract disputes? Maybe customers will forget all those problems riddling American Airlines now that some first- and business-class passengers can make sure they reserve their desired in-flight meal in advance. At least, we’re guessing that’s what the airline is hoping as it struggles to reassure customers during its recent tribulations. [More]
American Airlines’ Woes Continue With Flight Cuts Extending Into November
By 10.12.12
Any day there’s news involving American Airlines, we’ve become used to it being mostly bad. But today there’s a bit of both, so, yay. The bad news: American Airlines is going to keep up with its 1% reduction in capacity into November, which means cutting about 35 flights per day. The good news: The airline says the cuts aren’t going to mess up holiday travel. [More]
It’s The 21st Century, But I Can’t Pick My Seat When Booking A Flight Over The Phone
By 10.12.12
Adam had to reserve his flight to Spain over the phone with American Airlines because he was using credit on his account. That wouldn’t be a problem, except for how the airline told im that he wouldn’t be allowed to choose his seat, because the flight was actually on Iberia Airlines, and he was making the booking via codeshare. And yet, in 2012, the two airlines’ computers won’t talk to each other, and he can’t pick his seat even though he’s paying a pile of money to make this reservation. Update: A reader wrote in to point out that Iberia actually doesn’t let passengers in coach pick their seats until 24 hours before their flights. If Adam’s flight is actually business class or fancier, he can call up Iberia to choose his seat. [More]
Expedia Can Give Me A Refund If I Build A Time Machine
By 10.10.12
Maybe Expedia isn’t the best choice if you want to make a same-day travel booking. Eric was going to get stuck on a layover in Atlanta, so he booked a hotel before arriving. Less than hour later, he missed a connecting flight and would be traveling through a different city. Oh, well, it shouldn’t be all that hard to cancel a hotel reservation that’s only an hour old. Right? He could try to cancel the reservation all he liked, but he’d still have to pay 100% of the booking price. [More]
