When Congress failed Friday to extend a bill that would have kept the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) running, they handed airlines a $25 million a day gift. Without the extension, the FAA doesn’t have the authority to collect taxes. But rather than pass on the savings, nearly all airlines actually raised fares to about the same amount as the federal taxes. Most consumers won’t notice because prices are the same, even though it’s effectively a price hike. [More]
travel
Hyatt Apologizes For Turning Heatlamps On Strikers. Heat Index Was 90 Degrees.
By 7.25.11
The Hyatt hotel chain has issued an apology after heatlamps were turned on above workers who were striking out front of the Park Hyatt Chicago during a day when the heat index was 90 degrees. [More]
Ralph Nader Gets A Refund From US Airways
By 7.25.11
Ralph Nader, the almighty godfather of the consumer activist movement, has still got it. NYT’s “The Haggler” column just posted a story that Nader called up to tell him about how he got a full refund from US Airways after canceling two round-trip tickets, even getting back the $150 cancellation fee. [More]
Counterfeit World Of Warcraft Theme Park Opens In China
By 7.22.11
The Chinese may have been the first to invent gunpowder and delicious pork-filled fried dumplings, but they have not caught up to the rest of the world when it comes to respecting intellectual property rights. Case in point, the recent opening of an entire themepark dedicated to World of Warcraft and Starcraft, two of the most popular online games in the world, in the Changzhou, Jiangsu province. It’s a sprawling $30 million megaplex spanning 600,000 square meters that aspires to compete with Disney and Universal Studios as a global theme park destination. And it’s a total knockoff. They didn’t pay Blizzard, the company behind those two games, a dime. [More]
BoltBus Hell Trip: No AC, Windows Shut
By 7.22.11
Passengers on a BoltBus from New York City to Boston enjoyed an experience akin to traveling inside a self-cleaning oven with wheels yesterday as the air conditioning was off and the windows wouldn’t open. Outside the temps were in the 90’s. Inside, it was broiling. [More]
7.5 Sweltering Hours On A Bus: The MegaSauna Rides Again, Gets Lost
By 7.18.11
When Alexandros set out on a Megabus trip from New York City to Washington, D.C. last week, he had no way to know that he and his fellow passengers were in for seven and a half hours of roasting hot travel mayhem. The travel delay was understandable at first: there was apparently an accident on I-95, the standard Megabus route between the two cities. This might have been bearable if the bus had had functioning air conditioning. Or any air circulation at all. Or if the passengers had been allowed to board the new bus they had promised. Or if the driver had received valid directions to the spot where they were supposed to exchange their rolling sauna for a new bus that never came. [More]
Expedia Denies Refund Even Though Hotel Was Closed
By 7.15.11
This summer, Abe went on a trip through Europe this summer with his wife and kids. One night, he made a hotel reservation using the Expedia iPhone app. But when he arrived at the place, it was already past check-in time and no one was around. When he called Expedia for a refund, they said no, because the check-in time was disclosed on their website, even though that information was not available through the iPhone app at all. [More]
An Interview With The Fee-Happy CEO Of Spirit Airlines
By 7.14.11
Low cost, no-frills Spirit Airlines takes heat from people annoyed with how it charges a fee for everything and for its crass and tasteless ads that capitalize on scandals and tragedies in the news. We’ve dished some out ourselves. But it’s hard not to walk away from reading this AP interview with its CEO and business model mastermind Ben Baldanza without some new respect for the guy. For one, he turned around a money-losing airline and it’s been profitable ever since. And at least this airline is upfront about how they’re gonna give it to you. [More]
Guy Arrested For Saggy Pants Plans To Sue US Airways
By 7.14.11
Yesterday, all charges were dropped against a University of New Mexico football player who was thrown off a plane and arrested by a US Airways pilot last month for wearing pj’s that sagged off his posterior. Today his attorney says that Deshon plans on suing US Airways over how he was treated. [More]
If I Rebook At A Holiday Inn I "Favorited," I Expect The Hotel To Be In The Same Location
By 7.14.11
In the five years I’ve been writing for Consumerist, I’ve read plenty of hotel horror stories and complaints, but this is a new one. Using the “Favorites” option on his HolidayInn.com account, reader Andy booked a stay at a Holiday Inn Express that he had gone to before and enjoyed. When he arrived at the same location, it was now a “Mission Inn.” They told him the Holiday Inn had moved down the road. The new facility was sub-par compared to what it had been previously and he complained to Holiday Inn corporate, they basically said “tough noogies.” Which is how Holiday Inn just lost a life-long customer. [More]
AA Cancels Flight, Leaves Seniors En Route To Wedding To Fend For Themselves
By 7.13.11
Two days before they were to fly to Arkansas for a family wedding and reunion, American Airlines canceled the flight of five seniors, reports CBS Sacramento. They were handed back the frequent flyer miles they had used to buy the tickets, miles they spent years racking up, and told to find another flight on another airline. The only way to do it was for each of them to buy a $1083.40 last-minute ticket. They feel AA should have found them another flight or should reimburse them for the tickets, but according to both law and policy, they have no recourse. [More]
Your Dog May Not Be Welcome On Summer Flights
By 7.13.11
You might have read that you can take your pet on a Continental Airlines flight, but that’s no guarantee that your buddy will actually be allowed on the plane. That can depend on weather, but mostly depends on how full the flight is. You’re shelling out extra money to travel with a creature you consider a family member, but to the airline, your pet is furry cargo that can be left behind. If you stubbornly insist on traveling together, you’re stuck with the flight change fees. That’s what happened to Steve when he tried to fly with his dogs down to his new home in Ecuador. His advice: Don’t fly with pets during the summer. At all. [More]
Travel With Your Own Scale To Avoid Baggage Weight Overcharges
By 7.11.11
The scales at airport check-ins take a beating. Bag after bag, rollies, Louis Vuitons, and duffles filled with too many clothes get put on and off, all day long. Usually the magic number is 50 lbs, and after that, you have to pay a fee. Rules are rules, but in order to fairly enforce them, the scales have to be accurate. Oftentimes, they’re not, the result of lax maintenance. [More]
It's Not American Airlines' Problem That Your Mom Died
By 7.7.11
Rita’s mother recently passed away. We offer our condolences to Rita and her family, and our rage to the American Airlines employees who were complete jerks to Rita as she tried to travel from Texas to the distant Canadian city of Halifax, Nova Scotia for the funeral. After her first flight was twice delayed due to “mechanical problems,” she wound up stranded in Orlando. Missing her connection due to the two delays wasn’t the airline’s problem, a supervisor told Rita. [More]
AA Loses Luggage, Turns Dream 60th Birthday Rome Vacation Into Nightmare
By 7.6.11
Donna was all set to fly to Rome for a beautiful two-week 60th birthday trip with her friends. They had been planning and preparing for it for a year. It was to be the trip of a lifetime. Then they flew American Airlines. [More]
Budget Cuts Force Coney Island To Ration Toilet Paper
By 7.5.11
Coney Island has removed the toilet paper from women’s stalls and is forcing patrons to form a line to get their ration of TP squares from a Park’s Department bathroom attendant. Pictured at left, is the queue. [More]
Fake Solider Busted Trying To Get First-Class Upgrade
By 6.27.11
A man was arrested and charged with second-degree impersonation after he pretended to be a soldier in an effort to get bumped up to first-class on his American Airlines flight. The man wore camo fatigues, a military-style buzz cut, and fake dog tags, but was caught, after landing and having enjoyed his first-class ride, when he couldn’t answer basic questions about his service. [More]
You Can Carry-On More Than 3oz Of Contact Solution
By 6.22.11
If you don’t have time to buy a travel-sized version instead of your mondo bottle of saline solution before the next time you fly, don’t sweat it. It’s totally cool to fly with more than 3oz of contact solution, as it is covered under the TSA “liquid medication” provision. [More]
