When Will changed around the server settings to use a public DNS server instead of Marriott’s, the problem disappeared, leading Will to think someone had “poisoned” Marriott’s DNS servers to drive traffic to their casino scam page(s). He then reported this to Marriott’s techs. We’ve spoken ourselves with Marriott’s server people and they confirm that the secondary DNS is wacked but they need to investigate further.
travel
Farecast Can Save You $50
By 5.16.07
Our favorite airfare-watching site Farecast is finally out of beta and its predictions/recommendations have been certified by an independent firm as being around 74.5% accurate, which is much better than our previous method of just guessing.
Best Credit Cards For Foreign Travel
By 5.16.07
What credit cards charges the least for overseas purchases?
TSA Donates Potentially Explosive Liquids To "A Local Homeless Shelter"
By 5.14.07
We imagine that TSA agent has fun sitting around thinking of various things to tell people when they ask what will be done with whatever gooey menace is being confiscated. Hey, at least they didn’t sell her lotion on eBay. —MEGHANN MARCO
6 Muslims Who Were Arrested On A Flight Sue Passengers For Reporting Them As Potential Terrorists
By 5.10.07
Now the 6 arrested passengers are suing their accusers. Boy, there was sure a whole lot of nasty racism going on that day. It’s hard to figure out who should sue who, isn’t it? Psst, the airline probably has more money. —MEGHANN MARCO
Box Cutter Found On United Airlines Flight Causes Delay
By 5.9.07
A box cutter was found by a passenger on United flight 490 from Denver to Dallas Tuesday, causing a delay of almost two hours while the passengers were rescreened. From the AP:
Flight 490 had left the gate and was taxiing toward a runway when the passenger found the cutting instrument and notified a flight attendant, United Airlines spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said.
12 Year Old Boy: TSA Stole My Birthday Money
By 5.8.07
A 12 year old buy from Sacramento, California flew home from a family trip, only to discover that his $265 in birthday money had been stolen by a TSA agent. Sadly for the kid, it seems that the San Diego airport doesn’t have cameras, and, naturally, the inspector that stole the cash didn’t leave his number.
“Can’t we just check the video, can’t we just check the camera I mean I can describe the suitcase it had a yellow ribbon on it, she says we don’t have camera’s back there,” says Kim.
Man Convicted of In-Flight Felony: His "Face Was Pressed To Vaginal Area"
By 5.7.07
We’d heard of the “mile high” club, but we’d always assumed that it involved the plane’s lavatory. Not for Carl Persing and Dawn Sewell. Carl has been convicted, yes, convicted of interfering with flight attendants and crew members after he and his girlfriend were “embracing, kissing and acting in a manner that made other passengers uncomfortable.”
Passengers Stranded On Grounded American Airlines Flight For 8 Hours
By 5.7.07
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, a flight was diverted because of severe thunderstorms and passengers were left to sit on a grounded airplane for 8 hours. By the time they arrived at their destination, they’d been on the plane for 11 hours. Sound familiar? It happened again. The snacks and drinking water got scarce. Someone ordered pizza—”50-70″ slices for 200 people.
American Airlines: Weird iPod Wannabe For First Class Customers
By 5.2.07
In the never ending battle to see who can widen the disparity between coach and First Class the most, American Airlines has stepped in with the following new First/Business Class Only amenity: A weird-looking iPod wannabe media player thing. Yeah, really.
JetBlue Employees Charged In Credit Card Scam
By 5.1.07
Don’t leave your credit card on the JetBlue counter at JFK! Four JetBlue employees and a city corrections officer are charged with stealing credit card numbers from JetBlue passengers, according to Newsday. The “JetBlue 5” as we’ve decided to call them, used the cards to go on a “spending spree” that included “restaurants, liquor stores, and shops including Bloomingdale’s and Victoria’s Secret.” Naughty!
Airlines Thinking Up New Fees For Summer
By 5.1.07
Airlines are gearing up for summer with a suite of new fees and costs for travelers. Among them:
Delta: Get Ready For "Signature" Cocktails and $5 HBO Movies
By 5.1.07
Delta. Yesterday you were bankrupt, today you’re talking about HBO and alcohol.
Best Hotels For Free WiFi
By 5.1.07
Hotel Chatter has unleashed their yearly survey of that most elusive of perks, free wifi! We don’t know if any hotel executives read this blog, but if you do, put free wifi in your hotel. Do it right now. Then call your friend Bob who works at an airline and tell him to put free wifi in his terminal. The Jenny who works at the library and Peter who works at the Parks District…
How Guaranteed Are Low-Fare Guarantees?
By 4.26.07
FareCompare tested out different airlines “lowest price guarantee” to see how they match up. That’s when an airline says “if you find a price lower than ours, we’ll refund the difference.” They were able to get a refund from everyone, but it took varying amounts of hassle.
Make Your Own Noise Blocking Headphones
By 4.26.07
Here’s an easy and cheap way to make your own noise blocking headphones. All you need is a pair of ear-protection earmuffs ($15.50), a cutting tool, and airline/walkman style headphones.
JetBlue CEO Interested In In-flight Text Messaging
By 4.25.07
David Neeleman, founder and chief executive of JetBlue, said text communications could prove attractive but agrees with the misgivings of many U.S. airline executives about the onboard use of cell phones for voice calls.
