Consumerist

airlines

Northwest Airlines Accepts Paypal?

Northwest Airlines has announced that it will begin accepting Paypal as a payment method on its website. Why? Apparently, there is a demand for this. Stephanie Tilenius, vice president of merchant services for PayPal, said in a Northwest Airlines Press Release:

“We are excited to add Northwest Airlines, one of the world’s largest airlines, as the first airline to accept PayPal. Many of our customers already book travel with Northwest Airlines and are eager to use their PayPal accounts to do so.”

decisions

Four Questions To Ask Before Buying Travel Insurance

By consumeristcarey 7.8.07

What Is Already Prepaid Or Nonrefundable? Know what you can realistically expect to get back.

airlines

Dear American Airlines: Thanks For Stinking

By consumerist.com 7.5.07

To Whom It May Concern:

airlines

By consumerist.com 7.5.07

../../../..//2007/07/05/flight-delays-are-at-an/

Flight delays are at an all-time high.

porn is everywhere

Airplane Etiquette: What Should You Do When The Jerk Next To You Is Watching Porn?

By Meg Marco 7.5.07

PCWorld examines an interesting problem: What to do when the jerk next to you is watching hardcore porn on his laptop? Or what can be done about jerks who let their kids watch movies with no headphones? Can the airline do anything to stop jerks?

bumped

How To Get Bumped By An Airline For Fun And Profit

By Meg Marco 7.2.07

An editor over at Jaunted has perfected a strategy for hassel-free airline bumping. We all know that we can grab some pretty nice rewards if we give up our seat on an overbooked airplane, but we’re never in a position to do so.

airlines

JetBlue: 2 1/2 Hour Flight Takes 25 Hours

By Meg Marco 7.2.07

-hour flight from Fort Lauderdale to New York turned into a “25-hour odyssey” for 150 passengers.

airlines

By consumeristcarey 6.30.07

../../../..//2007/06/30/united-and-continental-boosted-fares/

United and Continental boosted fares by as much as $10 to combat rising fuel costs. American, Northwest, and US Airways are “studying the price changes.”

airlines

The Strange Economics Of First Class

By Meg Marco 6.28.07

airlines

By consumerist.com 6.28.07

../../../..//2007/06/28/13-sites-to-check-out/

13 sites to check out, and in what order, when scrounging for cheap airplane tickets.

airlines

Customer Records His 7-Hour Delayed Flight In All Its Baby-Screaming Glory

By consumerist.com 6.27.07

• Renaissance music used to depict his waiting wife and child.

airlines

By consumerist.com 6.27.07

../../../..//2007/06/27/how-badly-must-have-the/

How badly must have the child been screaming for his tantrum over apple juice that “the stewardess didn’t bring quickly enough” to force the plane to make an emergency landing? Maybe he was really crying because Delta, like every other airline, has been quietly liquefying his frequent flyer miles.

airlines

Pilot To Stranded Passengers: "I'm Powerless"

By consumerist.com 6.27.07

[via Today Show]

no interest no payments

American Airlines Offers 6 Month No Interest No Payments Financing

By Meg Marco 6.26.07

American Airlines is offering no interest no payments for 6 months on airline tickets purchased through an offer on their website. This means that, essentially, one can purchase an airline ticket in the same way that one purchases, say, furniture or a camcorder.

airlines

Northwest Airlines Canceles 240 Flights, Acts All Mysterious About It

By Meg Marco 6.26.07

Northwest Airlines canceled a ton of flights over the weekend but aren’t talking about why, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The pilots union on Monday blamed Northwest management for causing many of the cancellations because, the union argues, there aren’t enough pilots scheduled to fly the busy summer schedule.

The pilots union claimed that at least 240 flights were canceled. The airline blamed the weather and declined to say how many flights were canceled. According to the Chronicle, they declined to say whether the spike in cancellations would “persist.” Mysterious!

airlines

Sprinklers Douse Travelers At LAX

By Meg Marco 6.25.07

A water pipe broke, dousing travelers and workers and causing an evacuation at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday. Fun! From CBS:

At the Southwest Airlines check-in counter, computers were covered in plastic. The baggage claim area on the lower level was cordoned off, and sawdust and puddles of water lined the floor.

airlines

Continental and JetBlue Win Overall Satisfaction Awards From J.D. Power

By consumeristcarey 6.23.07

Continental and JetBlue were the big winners in the annual J.D. Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study. The study asked 10,000 respondents to judge airlines on seven factors: cost and fees; flight crew; in-flight services; aircraft; boarding/deplaning/baggage; check-in and reservations.

frequent flier miles

Donate Your Frequent Flier Miles To Charity

By consumeristcarey 6.23.07

Why bother with frequent flier miles when you can donate them to charity? ~~The donations are tax-deductible, making them an attractive alternative to the Sisyphean challenge of ferreting out an eligible seat.~~

Many non-profit organizations have frequent flier mileage donation packages, and several major air carriers have developed charitable programs using earned miles. Some are exclusive partnerships geared to one or two specific charities, while others have multiple organizations with quarterly or monthly rotations, allowing all the participating charities equal time to receive miles.

Peter Greenberg lists several charities that accept miles as donations, from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, to Save The Dogs, an Italian non-profit committed to rescuing stray dogs in Romania. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

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