Harvard and MIT scientists have used statistical modeling techniques and figured out what are the best things you can do to avoid airport delays and missed connections. [More]
travel
American Airlines Had Crappiest Call Wait Times During Irene
By 8.31.11
The already not known for being similar to Speedy Gonzalez airline phone lines were put to the test during Hurricane Irene when travelers tried to reschedule canceled flights en masse. The call centers were also put to the test by STELLAService, which “mystery shopped” the airlines’ customer service lines to see which had the shortest hold times. American Airlines came in dead last, beating out the second-to-last place Delta by almost an hour. [More]
North Korean Airline Tells Facebook Users To Like It
By 8.30.11
Unless you live in North Korea, Russia or China, chances are you’ve never flown on North Korea’s Air Koryo. But thanks to the power of Facebook, you can now choose to like the airline and comment on its wall. But be careful what you say. The airline recently had to scold a group of “South Korean false fans” whose “spam had engulfed much of the fan-pages’ posts and pictures.” [More]
Swanky Brooklyn Hotel Jacked Up Room Rates To $999 For Irene Shelter Seekers
By 8.30.11
As Hurricane Irene bore down on Brooklyn, the posh Hotel Le Bleu in Park Slope raised up its rates from $250 a night to $999. [More]
Particle Physicist Discovers Fastest Way For Airlines To Board Passengers
By 8.30.11
As a scientist at Fermilab, Dr. Jason Steffen normally thinks about smashing particles together at great speeds. Great energy and speed are not usually associated with the airline boarding process, so it might seem odd that an insight into making how we get on planes would occur to someone who works next to a 3.9 mile particle accelerator. But occur it did, and now the first real-world test of his theory shows that it cuts boarding time in half. [More]
How It Took 15 Hours To Use My $309 Virgin America Credit Through Expedia
By 8.22.11
It’s wonderfully easy to book a flight using travel mega-sites like Expedia, but even easier for the buck to be passed and companies to refuse to communicate when things go wrong. That’s what happened to Sara when she had to cancel and rebook a flight reservation originally made on Virgin America via Expedia. [More]
National Rents You Car At Non-Existent Turkish Office
By 8.18.11
NYT’s Frugal Traveler has a funny story about how he reserved a car from the National car rental company for while traveling through Turkey. When he showed up at the rental office, there was no office and the address was non-existent. [More]
JetBlue Selling "Boston All" Passes Through Thursday
By 8.17.11
If you fly frequently through Boston, here’s a deal for you. Now through Thursday night, JetBlue is selling $1,999 passes that give you three months of unlimited travel, as long as you fly to and from Boston. When offered earlier this month, the “Boston All” passes sold out within a week. [More]
Bat Ejected For Refusing To Sit Down On Airplane
By 8.10.11 — Updated: 9.8.16
On Friday, a Delta pilot was forced to return to the airport when a bat began flying around the cabin 15 minutes after takeoff and ignored instructions from the crew and his fellow passengers. [More]
Don't Get Ripped Off By Your Cellphone When Overseas
By 8.9.11
Tales abound of cellphone bills in the double-digit thousands from customers who got snagged when traveling overseas. But there’s a bunch of easy ways to make sure that your cellphone bill doesn’t outpace your airplane ticket when gallivanting internationally. [More]
Frequent-Flying, And Complaining, Rabbi Can SueDelta
By 8.8.11 — Updated: 9.8.16
A lawsuit by a rabbi, who says that Northwest Airlines booted him from its frequent flyer program for complaining too much, can go forward. The case had initially been dismissed by a lower court that said federal deregulation law pre-empted the man’s claim, but the 9th circuit reversed that decision on Friday. [More]
Ryanair Treats Passenger For Cardiac Arrest With A Sandwich
By 8.4.11
A Ryanair passenger’s family is angry with the airline because they say their father had a heart attack on the airplane and all the crew gave him was a sandwich. They also made him pay for the sandwich. [More]
Delta And US Airways Will Refund "Taxes" Collected During FAA Shutdown
By 8.2.11
Delta was the first airline to start giving out refunds for the extra money they’ve been scalping from passengers while the FAA remains shut down. After the airline made the announcement Monday, US Airways on Tuesday said they would follow suit. [More]
How To Squeeze In Exercise As You Travel
By 8.1.11
Travel provides one of the most convenient excuses not to exercise. It’s a vacation, time to relax! It’s a business trip, time to focus on your work! But despite what we’d all like to believe, vacation calories count just as much as those ingested at home, and because it’s tougher to come by low-cal, home-cooked meals on the road, it’s crucial that you maintain a workout regimen while traveling. [More]
Guy Files Class Action Against Hilton For Charging Him 75 Cents For Newspaper He Didn't Ask For
By 8.1.11
A man has decided to turn a minor annoyance, getting a newspaper at your hotel room door and getting charged for it, into a class action lawsuit. [More]
Which Airlines Give Refunds After Price Drops, And How To Get Them
By 7.27.11
When the price drops on a non-refundable airline ticket after you bought it, you should get a refund on the difference, right? Actually, only a few airlines agree with that and they have varying policies… [More]
Senators Blast Airlines For Profiteering During Tax Holiday
By 7.27.11
Naughty, naughty. Senators Jay Rockefeller and Maria Cantwell are wagging the fingesr at airlines for raising airfares during the tax holiday that has resulted from the Federal Aviation Administration’s shutdown. The practice could have “long-term negative repercussions for the industry,” said the senators in a letter sent to the airlines on Tuesday. [More]
How To Get A Tax Refund From JetBlue
By 7.26.11
If you have a ticket with JetBlue for dates between July 25 and August 2nd, here’s how to get a refund on collected Federal taxes just by sending an email. [More]
