We all know that hotel site photos lie. Here’s proof! [More]
travel
iPad Gets Guy On No-Fly List
By 10.26.10
When the flight attendants ask you to turn off all your electronic devices, that includes you, Mr. Cool iPad guy. [More]
Flight Delays Cost Passengers $16.7 B Per Year
By 10.22.10
Delayed flights aren’t just annoying, they’re expensive. A new FAA-funded study finds that they cost passengers $16.7 billion per year. That’s a lot of bags of peanuts. [More]
TSA Screener Stole Up To $700 A Day From Passengers
By 10.20.10
A Newark Airport TSA security screening supervisor was arrested by federal authorities for stealing cash from passenger’s carry-on bags. [More]
Some Airlines Jettisoning First Class Seats
By 10.20.10
Global austerity has lead some airlines to chuck first class seats out the air lock. [More]
Steven Slater Pleads Guilty
By 10.19.10
Ex-JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater plead guilty today to one felony attempted criminal mischief, one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief, and one count of aggravated awesomeness. [More]
U.S. Airways Tells Man In Wheelchair He's Too Disabled To Be A Passenger
By 10.18.10
A man with cerebral palsy had recently boarded a U.S. Airways flight in West Palm Beach, FL, when he was approached by the plane’s flight crew and told he needed to vacate the aircraft. The reason? He is too disabled to fly. [More]
The Portable Armrest
By 10.14.10
What does it say about our society that it has invented this, the portable armrest? [More]
Southwest Finishes Dead Last In On-Time Arrivals
By 10.13.10
Among the biggest domestic carriers, Southwest finished at the bottom of the heap in on-time arrivals for September, according to Flightstats. This is surprising as the carrier usually performs well. Here are the overall rankings for the big birds: [More]
Is This The End Of Recession Pricing For Hotel Rooms?
By 10.8.10
While the last couple years haven’t exactly been wonderful for people in the hotel business, many travelers have been able to score cut-rate rooms as hotel operators sought to fill rooms. But now, says USA Today, it’s looking like rates are back on the rise again. [More]
Carnival Cruise Line Now Charging Fee For Good Steak
By 10.6.10
There once was a time where the price of a ticket on a cruise ship included on-board food. Eventually, cruise operators began adding specialty restaurants, where passengers paid more for foods not on the menu in the main restaurant. And then in 2008 we brought you the story about Royal Caribbean charging passengers a $14.95 surcharge for an “organic” NY strip steak that may not have been organic after all. Now comes a report that Carnival Cruise Line thinks its best steak and lobster dishes merit an $18 fee. [More]
Know What The Letter Codes On Your Airline Ticket Mean
By 9.29.10
Embedded in the gobbledygook of letters and numbers on your airline ticket is a secret letter code that lets airline personnel know what kind of passenger you are and what you paid for your ticket. They can use these to quickly determine whether you should be the first or the last to get bumped, and whether you can get a seat upgrade. Here’s a quick guide to deciphering what the letter abbreviations on your airline ticket mean. Find out why “Y” gets the perks and “Q” gets the shaft. [More]
Priceline Promised No "Young Renter Fee," But Avis Says Pay Up
By 9.29.10 — Updated: 9.8.16
When Lauren reserved a car rental through Priceline last week, she checked out the fine print to see if she’d have to pay any age-related extra fees, and according to Priceline what she bid would be the total price. Now Avis is telling her Priceline is wrong and she’ll have to come up with more money at the rental counter. [More]
Solar Death Ray Broils Las Vegas Hotel Guests
By 9.28.10
Guests at the Vdara hotel in Las Vegas are complaining about getting cooked to a crisp. The hotel is a glass skyscraper, and the way it reflects the sun magnifies the rays, raising temps on areas it hits by as much as 20 to 30 degrees. The result can cause plastic cups and plastic newspaper bags to melt, and it’s definitely not comfortable to have it on you sizzling you up. The hotel is aware of the problem and is trying to deal with it, namely by putting out more umbrellas. Definitely a good reason to check out the online reviews before booking a hotel. [More]
What Does Southwest Buying Air-Tran Mean For Consumers?
By 9.27.10
So, what are the consumer repercussions of the surprise acquisition of AirTran by fellow low-fare airline Southwest? Airfarewatchdog‘s George Hobica is worried that fewer competitors, especially at this price point, will mean that Southwest and other airlines will have less pressure to keep fares low. He also expects more mergers on the horizon. [More]
How Do Airlines Compare On Fees?
By 9.27.10
It’s hard to keep track of all the extra fees airlines have invented to pad a ticket purchase, especially since they keep introducing new ones; USA TODAY says revenue from added fees have jumped nearly 16% from a year ago. The newspaper reviewed fees from 13 airlines in the U.S. and compiled this handy reference chart of current fee schedules, to make comparison shopping a little bit easier. As expected, Southwest continues to be one of the best values. [More]
Southwest Buys Air-Tran
By 9.27.10
Overweight people wearing rude tshirts or skimpy clothes will soon have fewer flying options, now that Southwest Airlines is buying Air-Tran. The deal was announced this morning and comes a week after Continental and United Airlines merged. Southwest will get more access to places like New York, Boston, Baltimore, Washington, and expand into places like Atlanta for the first time. [More]
Holiday Inn Manager: If You Book Through Priceline, You're A "Bad Customer"
By 9.24.10
Discount travel websites can provide amazing discounts, but can also make you a second-class consumer of sorts–particularly in hotels. Jesse learned this the hard way when he booked a stay at a Holiday Inn in a major American city. He tells Consumerist that he reserved his room through Priceline, and called the hotel to make sure that his reservation would include two double beds for the four people traveling. He checked in to find a single queen bed in the room. His mistake? According to the hotel manager, being a “bad customer” who booked through a third-party site. [More]
