Gail writes that when things went awry with her hotel and car package reservation on Travelocity, regular customer service wasn’t able to resolve the error. Representatives told her to give up and reserve them separately, or to leave Travelocity staff alone and use another service. As a Consumerist reader and loyal Travelocity customer, she knew that she deserved better. She found an e-mail for the company’s VP of Sales and Customer Care, which didn’t get her the package deal she wanted–she got her hotel stay for free instead.. [More]
travel
Couple: Negative TripAdvisor Review Get Us Tossed From Hotel
By 9.21.10
A pair of vacationers in the UK say they recently got the boot from a hotel in the seaside town of Blackpool after the manager accused them of writing a negative review on travel site TripAdvisor.com. [More]
Advice For Holiday Travelers This Year: Buy Your Tickets Now
By 9.20.10
CNN’s Travel Companion suggests you start looking for Thanksgiving and Christmas tickets now, because airlines have cut capacity over last year, and the peak travel times for those two holidays are shorter this year than usual. The article also provide some tips for getting a good price: shop for single seats; aim for Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday flights; and if you can, try to fly on an actual holiday. [More]
RyanAir Hides Travel Insurance Opt-Out Under "Country Of Residence" Drop-Down
By 9.17.10
“Dark patterns” are when web designers exploit common browsing behaviors and use them to trick people into do something that’s to their disadvantage. One of these, the “anti-scan trick question,” is used by RyanAir to get people to sign up for travel insurance. Counterintuitively, to opt out you have to scroll through a “please select country of residence” drop-down menu. Sneaky. [More]
Passengers Tossed Like Ragdolls Inside Storm-Stricken Cruise Ship
By 9.17.10
CCTV video has recently resurfaced showing what happened inside a Pacific Sun cruise ship during a severe storm. Passengers smack to the floor and locomote from port to sideboard and back again like ragdolls on ice, cling desperately to anything they can get a hand on, and try to dodge the piles of furniture caroming around. Cruise ships can be fun, but out there on the open seas Mother Nature can have her own ideas about what constitutes a good time. [More]
Small Carriers Running Domestic Flights Using Major Airline Names, But Minus The Name Brand Safety
By 9.16.10
In Feb 2009, Continental flight 3407 crashed shortly after takeoff before landing, killing 50 people. Investigators found that the pilot had had less than half the flying time required by the major carriers, and that he had failed five flight performance tests in his career. Though the tail, uniforms and ticket said “Continental,” the flight was actually run by a smaller regional carrier, “Colgan Air.” [More]
Lost Megabus Driver Crashes Into Bridge While Checking GPS; Four Passengers Killed
By 9.16.10
Very early Saturday morning, a double-decker Megabus lost on its way to the bus station crashed into a low railroad overpass (pictured) outside of Syracuse, NY. Four passengers were killed, and twenty people injured, including the driver. Now, the public has learned that the driver was looking at his personal GPS unit at the time of the accident–which Megabus drivers are not permitted to use while driving for work. [More]
Pack Like A Pro
By 9.15.10
This guy show off a cool “clown-car” technique for packing a lot of clothes into your luggage. [More]
Guy Hassled For Refusing To Answer Custom Cops' Questions Responds To 700 Of Yours
By 9.13.10
The American traveler who wouldn’t answer the questions of the passport control officer upon re-entry to these shores beyond the legally required minimum has posted a 10-point response to the over seven-hundred comments his story received. Long-story short: “The only absolute and unqualified right of citizenship is to residence within the territorial boundaries of the United States; a citizen cannot be either deported or denied reentry.” U.S. v. Valentine. [More]
Guy Won't Answer Customs Cops' Questions Because He Doesn't Have To. Hilarity Ensues.
By 9.10.10
If you love our recurring posts about people who won’t comply with stores demanding to see their receipts, you’ll go Lady GaGa over the American citizen who refuses to answer customs cops’ questions beyond the legally required bare minimum. [More]
OpenSkies Offers Passengers Refunds If They're Not Completely Satisfied
By 9.9.10
One airline is trying a refreshing marketing strategy, competitively differentiating itself based on customer service. Luxury airliner OpenSkies says they guarantee you will enjoy your flight, and offers a full refund, minus taxes and fees, if you’re not completely satisfied. [More]
Zero Witnesses Back Slater's Story
By 9.9.10
Authorities have interviewed every single passenger that was on Steven Slater’s last flight, and not a single one says events went down the way he’s been describing them, according to a Port Authority police official. [More]
Book Car Rentals Early, But Then Keep Checking For Pricedrops
By 9.7.10
Here’s a strategy for saving money on your next car rental. [More]
DOT Updates 'Fly Rights' Airline Consumer Guide
By 9.7.10
The Department of Transportation has updated its consumer guide to air travel, which provides a quick summary of what to look for when buying a ticket, and what protections you have during travel. It’s also a good starting point when you have an airline-related problem and need more information before deciding what to do next. [More]
Airport Installs 40-Foot-Tall Twister Slide
By 9.2.10
To distract travelers from delayed and canceled flights, Singapore’s Changi Airport installed a 40-foot-tall super twister slide that they can zip down at 19 feet per second. [More]
Ryanair Kicks Kid Off Flight For Not Buying Extra Seat For Her Violin
By 8.31.10
Extreme discount airline Ryanair kicked a 12-year old girl and her dad off a flight because they didn’t buy an extra ticket for her violin. [More]
Choose The Best Airplane Seat
By 8.31.10
Here’s a cheery chart that purports to show you how to choose the best seat on an airplane. Bulkheads give you more legroom, but they also attract parents with babies. Seems seats in the back seem the best bet, you’re more likely to be able to store your luggage in the overhead, as well as survive a crash. [More]
Fancy Math Says Book 8 Weeks In Advance For Cheapest Flights
By 8.31.10
The cheapest time to get your airline tickets is 8 weeks in advance, says an economist who came up with a fancy formula, âˆA = gUG + min(k-g, (1-g)(1-r)), to figure it out. [More]
