If you’ve noticed more solicitations from hotel loyalty programs lately, there’s a good reason for that. Hotels would rather give you free rooms now and then than keep losing the commissions that they pay when you book through aggregators like Expedia or Trivago. [More]
travel
Amtrak Could Make Taking The Train As Uncomfortable As Flying
By 7.13.17
If there’s one thing that riding the rails has over flying, perhaps it’s comfort: Train passengers have a bit more legroom than on planes, and can get up and walk around at any time. We all may need to stretch our legs a bit more if Amtrak decides to pack in more seats. [More]
United Will Buy Your Hot Plane Ticket In Advance, Then Sell It For Big Bucks
By 7.12.17
In response to its recent publicity crisis — spurred in part by the forcible removal of a ticketed passenger so an employee could take his seat — United Airlines has been trying to change how it handles overbooked flights, while still maintaining its bottomline. Now, United wants to pay travelers for their seats on popular flights — so it can turn around and sell that ticket to someone else for more money. [More]
Altercation Injures 3 On Delta Flight, Forces Flight To Turn Around
By 7.7.17
A Delta Air Lines passenger was arrested after allegedly attacking a flight attendant shortly after takeoff, sparking an altercation that sent two people to the hospital with injuries. [More]
United Gives Away Toddler’s Paid Seat, Forces Mom To Hold Son On Lap For 3 Hours
By 7.5.17
Here’s a little empathy exercise: Go find a 25-pound weight and put it on your lap. Now imagine you’re stuck like this on an airplane for three hours. Oh, and the weight is actually a 2-year-old boy who had a seat of his own until a United Airlines crew member ousted him to make room for a standby passenger.. [More]
No More Laptop Ban For U.S.-Bound Flights On Emirates, Turkish Airlines
By 7.5.17
Good news for travelers flying on certain airlines to the U.S.: The Department of Homeland Security has lifted the ban on laptops and other personal electronics put in place in March for anyone traveling on Emirates and Turkish Airlines. [More]
Southwest Airlines Reducing Flights To Cuba
By 6.28.17
In light of the Trump administration’s decision to further restrict travel to Cuba, Southwest Airlines has decided to scale back the number of flights it offers to the island nation. [More]
Baby Cursed To Ruin His Birthday Flying Spirit For The Rest of His Life
By 6.27.17
Earlier this month, a baby born on a Jet Airways flight was gifted with free flights for life. Not one to be completely outdone, Spirit Airlines said today that a baby boy born on a recent flight will also receive free flights for life… but only on his birthday. [More]
Yes, You Can Fly With This Huge Freaking Lobster (But Don’t Sit Near Me)
By 6.27.17
As if people aren’t bad enough, your future seatmate could feature large, pinchy claws. Well, sort of. [More]
Baby Requires Medical Treatment After Overheating On Delayed United Plane
By 6.26.17
A Colorado woman says United Airlines and personnel at the Denver International Airport didn’t act quickly enough when her four-month-old son became overheated on a delayed flight and needed medical attention. [More]
Southwest Airlines Flight Diverted After Passenger Tries To Open Exit Door In Mid-Air
By 6.26.17
A Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Houston had to make an unscheduled landing in Corpus Christi, TX, after an unruly passenger tried to open the emergency exit door while the plane was in the air. [More]
How To Make Sure You Don’t Accidentally Buy United’s Crappy “Basic Economy” Tickets
By 6.22.17
When searching for the best fare on a flight, it’s not uncommon for customers to peruse a third-party travel site like Expedia or Priceline and jump at the lowest number they see associated with a flight. But some United Airlines passengers say this tried-and-true method has resulted in the unexpected purchase of a no-frills Basic Economy ticket. [More]
Italian Airport Makes Exception To Liquid Limits For Pesto Sauce
By 6.22.17
It may come as no surprise that deep in the heart of pasta country, officials at the airport in Genoa, Italy, are offering a special culinary dispensation to anyone traveling with the city’s famed pesto sauce. [More]
Baby Born On Flight To India Will Fly Free For Life
By 6.19.17
If you were really proud of that “punk rock baby” onesie you gave to your friends to celebrate the birth of their new child, you’ve got nothing on one airline that has decided to give a lifetime free travel pass to a baby born mid-flight. [More]
How Does Trump Cuba Policy Change Affect Travelers & Airlines?
By 6.16.17
Just a month after lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill that would open up Cuba to tourist travel following the 2016 decision to end the all-out travel ban, the Trump administration has outlined a proposal that would restrict the small amount of tourist travel currently allowed, potentially throwing a wrench in airlines’ business in the country. [More]
American Airlines Passenger Claims Unsecured Beverage Cart Caused Brain Injury
By 6.16.17
An American Airlines passenger says that he suffered “chronic traumatic brain injury” after allegedly being struck in the head by a runaway beverage cart. Making matters worse, claims the traveler, the cabin crew was not prepared to deal with the situation. [More]
United Airlines Flight Grounded After Passengers Watched Jet Fuel Pour Out Of Wing
By 6.15.17
Being a passenger on a plane generally requires a good deal of faith in the laws of physics and in the experts who build and operate these jets. But every once in a while, a lay person will see something — like, say, jet fuel leaking out of the wing and onto the tarmac — and that faith can be shaken. [More]
Basic Economy Flights Exist To Make You Pay More For Air Travel
By 6.9.17
If you haven’t booked any air travel recently, you might encounter something new to you the next time you schedule a trip: A new class of travel called “basic economy.” In exchange for lower fares, travelers in the basic economy section board last, can’t upgrade, and don’t have access to overhead bins. This sounds fair, but these flights may not be the great deals that they seem. [More]
