Nathaniel is a Milage Plus member with United who has been saving his miles in the hopes of cashing them in for two tickets to Ireland for his honeymoon. When he finally got enough miles, he called United to book his reward seats and got a nice “talking to” by their customer service rep for not booking far enough in advance.
travel
Gridskipper Travel Blog Goes Google Map Crazy
By 6.6.07
Gawker brother blog Gridskipper has done a major relaunch and now the travel guide is addicted to maps!
The 10 Worst Flights: Avoid These Regularly Scheduled Travel Nightmares
By 6.5.07
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the following flights are the 10 worst flights in existence. They’re regularly scheduled and they are late 92-100% of the time. Avoid them like you avoid drug-resistant TB.
Make Affordable Cellphone Calls While Travelling Internationally
By 6.5.07
Cellphone bills can put a serious crimp in your wallet if you’re an international man of mysteriousness. Here’s some ideas on making wireless calls without dropping too many deutschmarks:
American Airlines Decreases Frequent Flyer Lifespan To 18 Months
By 6.5.07
Effective December 15, 2007, American Airlines frequent flyer miles will now expire after 18 months of inactivity, down from three years. Your account will get reset, at that point, If you haven’t nudged your account since Jun 15, 2006. Apparently, whatever one airline does, either up or down, others follow suit. United and US Airway also recently introduced 18 month frequent flyer lifespans. — BEN POPKEN
Airlines Build Delays Into Schedules
By 6.4.07
Why does it take 25 minutes longer to fly from New York to Los Angeles than it did 10 years ago? Did they move further apart? Nope. The airlines now build the delay into the flight schedule so its more likely that the flight will arrive “on time.”
Continental To Let Passengers Purchase Carbon Credits To Offset The Environmental Impact Of Air Travel
By 6.2.07
Starting this summer, Continental will offer passengers the ability to buy carbon credits to offset the environmental cost of their travel. Though airlines contribute to global warming, air travel is one of the most carbon-efficient ways to cross long distances.
[Continental’s] program, being carried out with Sustainable Travel International and announced Wednesday, will let fliers calculate the so-called carbon footprint of their trips’ greenhouse gas emissions and buy carbon offsets online from Sustainable Travel.
Skybus Review: Worth No More Than $10
By 5.31.07
A member of the Jaunted travel blog flew Skybus, the new ultra-no-frills airline where you can get a $10 ticket, and said it was, “[w]orth the $10 and not a penny more.“
No Plan B For Bumped Fliers
By 5.30.07
The river of news concerning the awful summer travel season ahead continues to flow with a piece in today’s New York Times. According to the NYT, there’s no backup plan for crowded summer flights…and travelers who find themselves bumped could wait days for another flight.
A look behind the scenes of US Airways at the widespread practice of airline overbooking shows the industry’s struggle to fill every possible seat, including those left empty by the millions of passengers who buy a ticket but then do not show up.
Air Traveler With Drug Resistant TB Quarantined By CDC
By 5.30.07
Drug-resistant TB is both extremely contagious and potentially fatal, and the CDC would like to speak with anyone who sat near a passenger who has since been quarantined with the illness. The passenger was on a May 13, Atlanta to Paris, Air France 385 flight and another Czech Air 0104 from Prague to Canada on May 23.
Flying? Avoid New York And Its Huge Delays
By 5.29.07
“You sit on the runway all hours; the weather is fine, and there isn’t an unusual increase in the number of flights. Yet you sit and sit and sit,” he said.” An FAA spokesperson thinks Schumer is smoking some fine dope,
FAA spokesman Laura Brown acknowledged there have been more delays nationwide and in New York, but said increased flights, not a lack of flight controllers, were to blame.
Midwest Airlines Has Good Customer Service
By 5.24.07
Midwest airlines has topped a Travel & Leisure magazine survey of airline customer service, according to MSN Money.
Midwest scored 75.64 in the 2007 World’s Best Service readers’ poll in the magazine’s June issue. Readers evaluated airlines’ customer service and in-flight service.
The runners-up were JetBlue, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest, and Sun Country Airlines. Hooray for good customer service!
Will Airline Employee Unrest Translate Into Summer Weather Disaster?
By 5.23.07
The Christian Science Monitor seems to think so. They’ve got an article about the state of airline employee unrest and its potential to cause tons of customer service problems this summer as airlines book beyond their capacity to deal with weather problems and staff their planes and terminals with…
United Downgrades Frequent Flyer Program Just Another Smidge
By 5.21.07
United tightened the screws on its frequent flyer program another turn, writes Upgrade: Travel Better:
For years, Premier members of the Mileage Plus program have received “500-mile” coupons…that upgraded your North American flights from coach to first class. …If you couldn’t use your 500-milers, they’d expire after one year, but all was not lost: They converted to 500 redeemable frequent flyer miles in your account.
Passenger's Bill Of Rights Moving Right Along In The Senate
By 5.18.07
The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee included a “bi-partisan airline passengers’ bill of rights in the comprehensive FAA Reauthorization.” Our little bill is on its way! Oh how we hope and pray…—MEGHANN MARCO
Airlines And Cable TV Score Lower Than The IRS In Customer Satisfaction
By 5.18.07
We’ve already written about this quarter’s ACSI, but when we saw this headline, we just couldn’t resist: Both the airline and the cable/satellite TV industries have actually managed to score lower than the IRS in customer satisfaction, according to USAToday.
Of the 19 industries the ACSI asked consumers about, only the cable and satellite TV industry, at 62, fared worse. In comparison, the IRS scored 65.
Marriott's ISP Blames Scam Site Redirect On World's First Bisexual Rootkit
By 5.18.07
There’s been a comment war boiling as Marriott, Will, and the hotel’s internet access company (GTS) duke it out to discern the vulnerability redirecting Marirott internet using guests to a casino scam site.
Poor Airline Service Caused By Under-Staffing?
By 5.17.07
Working for an airline used to be a good job, according to Capt. Gene Malone, who as a pilot for American Airlines, saw his pay drop to $140,000 from $175,000 after the airline won concessions to stay out of bankruptcy. “An airline career is not worth it anymore,” says Capt. Malone. “It’s a very different profession than it was 23 years ago when I started.” It’s not just the pilots who are unhappy at doing more work for less money, the airlines are having trouble hiring people.
