A few weeks after the U.S. Department of Transportation gave airlines its blessing to start regularly scheduled passenger flights to nine Cuban cities, the government is adding Havana to that list of destinations for eight U.S. airlines. [More]
travel
Texas Man Says Airbnb Host Refused To Let Him Rent A Room Because He’s Gay
By 7.7.16
When you list your home on sites like Airbnb, people of all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life may come through your door — some you might even want to hang out with. But a Houston man says he was shocked when an Austin host rejected his room reservation on Airbnb because he’s gay. [More]
Family Of 13-Year-Old Allegedly Groped On Flight Sues American Airlines, Suspect For $10M
By 7.7.16
The family of a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly groped while she was flying as an unaccompanied minor on an American Airlines flight earlier this summer has filed a $10 million lawsuit against both the airline and the suspect, claiming that the carrier failed to protect the teen despite many opportunities to do so. [More]
Norwegian Cruise Line No Longer Allowing Carry-On Beverages
By 7.5.16
A year after Carnival Cruise Line implemented a “no-carry on bottled beverage” rule, another prominent cruise line is following suit, albeit in a more stringent manner: Norwegian Cruise Line will no longer allow guests to bring any beverages on board either as carry-on or checked luggage. [More]
Airbnb Proves To Be A Formidable Rival For Hotels Looking To Expand To Cuba
By 7.5.16
Despite Starwood Hotels & Resorts inking a deal in March that will allow it to become the first hotel company offering rooms in Cuba, traditional lodging companies are struggling to play catch up with Airbnb, which began offering rooms for rent on the island nation last year. [More]
Major Wireless Carriers Offering Free Calls, Texts To Turkey After Istanbul Airport Attack
By 6.29.16
In the wake of a suspected terrorist attack at Istanbul’s airport that killed 41 people and wounded 239 more, the four major wireless carriers in the U.S. are offering to connect customers with their loved ones in Turkey for free. [More]
Nation’s Interstate Highways Celebrate 60th Birthday With Growing Congestion, Repair Backlogs
By 6.27.16
With record numbers of travelers set to hit the highways and byways of America this holiday weekend, it sounds like it’ll be quite a party out there on those roads. But according to a new report, it’s this kind of increased travel that’s putting a strain on the nation’s 60-year-old interstate highway system, causing congestion while needed repairs stack up. [More]
Here’s A Big (Updated) List Of The Foods You Can Bring Through Airport Security
By 6.27.16 — Updated: 3.9.17
Inching your way through airport security is already a stressful and time-consuming process. The last thing you want to worry about is having that snack you packed to enjoy mid-flight thrown in the trash because of seemingly arbitrary rules on what can and can’t be carried through the checkpoint.
[More]
Spirit Airlines Wants To Make Up For Being Awful By Trying To Be More Punctual
By 6.27.16
Budget carrier Spirit Airlines, known for its low levels of customer satisfaction, is trying to take all those frowns and turn them upside down. One way the airline’s new leader is attempting to make customers happier? Actually getting planes to their destinations in a more timely manner. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Two McDonald’s Franchises Are Overcharging Customers At O’Hare Airport
By 6.23.16
What you see on the electronic menu may not always be what you get at two McDonald’s franchises located inside Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, according to a new lawsuit that claims the fast food spots are overcharging customers, sometimes by as much as 30%. [More]
T-Mobile Thinks A Free Hour Of Inflight WiFi Is The Price of Your Love
By 6.23.16
What does it take to get your heart rate up? Candy? Flowers? Or perhaps free WiFi? That’s the route to romance T-Mobile is taking, offering everyone — including non-customers — an hour of complimentary Gogo WiFi on domestic flights this weekend. [More]
Why Aren’t People Shopping At Duty-Free Anymore?
By 6.23.16
Part of the fun of traveling internationally is the chance to live out your dream of being an adult in a literal candy (and booze, and accessory, and food) store: the duty-free shop. These in-airport retailers have long been a go-to for weary travelers looking to pick up, for example, a Toblerone the size of a small car, but a new report suggests that fewer people are actually making purchases after browsing the store shelves. [More]
Man Gets Entire Plane To Himself After Fellow Travelers Catch Other Flights
By 6.23.16
It’s not every day that the average traveler has an entire row of seats to take over, much less an entire plane. But one Delta passenger flying home this week got to experience the sweet sensation of being the only person on his flight when his fellow travelers opted to take other flights. [More]
Man Accused Of Groping Unaccompanied Minor On American Airlines Flight
By 6.20.16
Yet again, we find ourselves in the unfortunate situation of having to write about an airline passenger accused of inappropriately touching another person on their flight. In the case of a recent incident reported on an American Airlines flight, a man allegedly groped a 13-year-old girl traveling alone. [More]
IBM Teaming Up With GoGo To Help Airplane Pilots Avoid Turbulence In Real Time
By 6.17.16
If the word “turbulence” has you grabbing your chair in fear at the mere thought of a bumpy, rollicking airplane ride, there could be relief in sight. IBM has teamed up with in-flight WiFi company GoGo to provide pilots and dispatchers with real-time turbulence reports and alerts. [More]
WHO: Risk That The Olympics Will Further Spread Zika Virus Is “Very Low”
By 6.15.16
After convening a panel of experts to discuss the continuing spread of Zika, the World Health Organization reaffirmed that the virus is a public health emergency, but added that there’s a “low risk” of it spreading further if the Rio Olympic games go ahead as planned. [More]
Minneapolis Man Sues TSA For $500 Over Missed Flight
By 6.13.16
For the better part of the spring, airlines, airports, and federal regulators have received the ire of consumers who say they have waited in endless security checkpoints. The back and forth between these groups and travelers has now reached another level: litigation, as one passenger has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to recoup the cost of a ticket for a flight he missed due to excessive wait times at security. [More]
DOT Gives U.S. Airlines The Go-Ahead To Start Scheduled Service To 9 Cuban Cities (But Not Havana Yet)
By 6.10.16
After waiting for more than 50 years to carry passengers from the U.S. to Cuba, airlines stateside have gotten the final go-ahead from the Department of Transportation to begin scheduled service to nine cities on the island nation — not including Havana. [More]
