Cellphones will stay banned from use during air travel, the FCC confirmed in an order released late Tuesday.
travel
PointMaven Uncovers Superior Hotel Reward Offers
By 4.1.07
The makers of MileMaven.com, a utility to compare airline reward offers, have expanded their offerings to include PointMaven.com, a utility to compare hotel reward offers. PointMaven displays offers from several conspicuously named hotel reward programs, including the Best Western Gold Crown Club, Choice Privileges, Hyatt Gold Passport, and Intercontinental Hotels Priority Club. Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, and TripRewards are in beta testing, and compatibility with Hilton HHonors and Radisson Gold Points Plus is “coming soon.”
VIDEO: Girl Kicked Off Continental For Excessive Coughing
By 3.30.07
While we appreciate the pilot’s concern for the other passengers, we still think he was overcautious.
Continental Ejects Passenger From Flight For Coughing
By 3.30.07
Moments after Collier was seated, she began to cough uncontrollably — suffering from a cold she caught from some of her friends earlier in the week. After a few minutes, members of the flight staff asked the teen if she was OK. […] “A doctor onboard even did a brief physical, said she sounded clear, to give her some NyQuil and she’d be fine, but the pilot didn’t want to listen to that.” Instead, according to Collier, he stepped in and asked that she be taken off the flight.
The teen, part of a school group, was left behind. A teacher stayed behind too, to chaperone.
Greed Floats: Carnival Cruise Line Bans Liquids
By 3.29.07
“Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said guests had been bringing on too many nonalcoholic beverages. “There had been some abuse of the previous policy which is why the new policy is more restrictive,” he said.”
Other cruise lines don’t seem to have any such policy. You’d think Carnival would be more worried about the drunk people who are always falling off the ships.—MEGHANN MARCO
Google Suggests You Swim Across The Atlantic Ocean
By 3.29.07
Google, either encouraging physical fitness or zero population growth, offers the above helpful suggestion when mapping the route from Chicago to London.
Click here for the full directions and map of the route.—MEGHANN MARCO
9 Times Travel Insurance Isn't A Ripoff
By 3.27.07
9. A hurricane forces you to evacuate your resort, hotel or cruise.
Kick Your Airline Complaint Up A Notch By CCing It To The DOT
By 3.27.07
WSJ reports that sending a copy of your airline complaint to the Department of Transportation (DOT) can result in increased attention from the airline.
Air Travel Just Got More Expensive, Again
By 3.27.07
A $5 (each way) fare hike survived through the weekend with all five major carriers adopting it, according to USAToday:
Bankrupt Delta Air Lines was the first to raise fares last week on flights within the continental United States. The move was quickly matched by rivals.
Exploding Batteries On A Plane: Recent In-Flight Fires Prompt Warnings About Loose Batteries
By 3.26.07
After one fire broke out in a overhead compartment on a JetBlue flight and another on an American Airlines aircraft flying from Argentina, the Department of Transportation has issued a warning to passengers traveling with loose batteries. The batteries in question are the type that power laptops, camcorders, and other “rechargeable” devices. If not stored properly the batteries can overheat and ignite.
Need a Passport? Apply Early, Expect to Wait
By 3.23.07
The State Department is swamped with passport applications. The backlog is driven in large part by new rules that require U.S. citizens to have a passport (and not just photo id and a birth certificate) in order to re-enter the country by plane from Canada, the Caribbean, and other countries in the Western Hemisphere.
Filthy United Airlines! Disgusting Garbage-Filled Airplane Is Not Cleaned Before Next Flight Departs
By 3.22.07
How would you like to fly from Hawaii to Chicago in an airplane full of cigarette butts, candy, used tissues, pretzel bags, maxi-pad wrappers, crumbs, dirt, pens, balls of “goo”, and god knows what else just because United Airlines didn’t have “time” to clean the plane? We wouldn’t like it very much at all, and neither did Chris and his wife when they flew from Hawaii to Chicago last weekend.
FCC Won't Legalize Cellphones In-Flight After All
By 3.22.07
Wave goodbye to your nightmares of hearing people jabbering on cellphones in flight!
American Airlines Skycaps, Upset With Low Tip, Fill Suitcase With Garbage
By 3.22.07
Airport skycaps have been admittedly screwed over in recent years. Airlines have imposed $2 curbside check-in fees, but none of that money goes to the skycap. Most people don’t know that, and don’t tip.
5 Tips For Complaining To Airlines
By 3.20.07
The Wall Street Journal has several tips today on effectively complaining to airlines.
Corpse On A Plane: Dead Woman Moved To First Class
By 3.19.07
Paul Trinder, who awoke to see the body at the end of his row, last week described the journey as “deeply disturbing”, and complained that the airline dismissed his concerns by telling him to “get over it”.
JetBlue Getting Ass Kicked By Weather Today
By 3.16.07
A Winter Weather advisory seems to be kicking JetBlue’s ass, still reeling from last month’s flight cancellation debacle.
