If you’re like us, you occasionally get a yearning to escape the concrete jungle or that suburban enclave and head for less familiar surroundings. But what what about your furry friend? The Chicago Tribune takes a look at a few tips and tricks to help get Rover on the open road with you. [More]
travel
Delta Passenger Fights Satan, Sprays Others With Water
By 4.26.10
A Delta flight from L.A. to Florida had to make an emergency landing in Albuquerque, NM on Friday, after a first class passenger sprayed people with a water bottle from the beverage cart, threatened to “bring down” the plane, and shouted, “Get behind me Satan,” apparently referring to a flight attendant. [More]
Chase Charges $5 To Use Non-Chase ATMs Outside The U.S.?
By 4.21.10
Chase says this about using non-Chase ATMs: “$2 each for any non-Chase ATM withdrawal, balance inquiry or transfer. $3 per ATM withdrawal outside the U.S.” You might think that means it costs $2 in the U.S., and $3 outside. You’d be wrong. [More]
Megabus Offers Complimentary Megasauna On NYC To DC Trip
By 4.21.10
Megabus is a bus service that goes from city to city, and is meant to compete with Amtrak and Greyhound. They offer decent prices, occasional great specials, and free wi-fi. On a trip during Easter weekend, Mark learned that the service offers another perk he didn’t exactly want: a 4-hour complimentary Megasauna. The air conditioning on his bus failed, and the passengers roasted down the East Coast. [More]
British Airspace Squeaks Open, But More Disruptions Loom
By 4.20.10
After five days of closure, British airspace has been partially reopened. However, the threat of yet another spume of volcanic ash heading for the isles could set off a new wave of disruptions. Millions of passengers have already had their flights delayed or canceled, or been flat-out stranded and left with little recourse but to pray to Vulcan. [Reuters] [More]
Icelandic Volcano Dashes Trips, Dreams
By 4.19.10
A number of Consumerist readers have had their European travel plans ruined thanks to this volcano in Iceland that decided to start spewing ash into the atmosphere. Flights were turned around mid-way across the Atlantic. A visit to Paris vacation that a struggling single mother saved up for 8 months could be squandered. And American Airlines wants a newlywed couple to pony up 30,000 more frequent flier miles to reschedule their trip. Here are their Tales From The Volcano: [More]
Volcano Ash Shouldn't Disrupt American Air Travel
By 4.19.10
Fear not, domestic air travelers, ash from that Icelandic volcano shouldn’t pose a danger to your plans to hurtle through the air in a giant metal tube at several hundred miles per hour. [More]
Unevenly Packed Bags Results In $1500 Delta Disaster
By 4.14.10
Reader Ariel writes in after Delta refused to let her check her bags curbside because one was 5lbs too heavy, despite the fact that her other one 10lbs under. She says she was told it was Delta’s policy that she couldn’t move 5lbs of her crap to the other bag. This set off a chain of events that cost her $1500. [More]
Senator Joins DOT Secretary In Blasting Spirit's New Carry-On Bag Fees
By 4.12.10
Spirit Airline’s ballsy new $20-45 fee for carry-on bags has already caught the attention of the Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and now New York Senator Charles Schumer is rattling his sword. [More]
US Airways, United Airlines Begin Merger Talks
By 4.8.10
In what is clearly an attempt to make it easier for us to think of stuff to write about for the Worst Company In America contest, the two remaining airlines, United and US Airways, have begun merger talks. [More]
Guy Sneaks Smoke In Airplane Bathroom, Jerry Bruckheimer Movie Ensues
By 4.8.10
Sneaking a smoke in an airplane bathroom is not a good idea these days. You may accidentally set off a Jerry Bruckeimer movie. Much like the recent incident where a drunk guy started yelling about jihad on a cruise ship accidentally activating a full on action movie, today we bring you the story of a Qatari diplomat whose secret cigarette on a United Airlines flight from Washington to Denver caused fighter jets to be scrambled. [More]
If An Airline Loses Your Luggage, Get Compensation
By 4.5.10
The U.S. Department of Transportation says that despite what the airline tells you, there are certain regulations it must follow when it loses a passenger’s luggage. Here are the things to remember if you’re in this unfortunate situation. [More]
To Tip Or Not To Tip: Full-Service Gas Station Attendants
By 4.1.10
Last week’s poll on tipping the pizza delivery guy certainly riled a lot of feathers, with over 300 comments on the topic and more than 12,000 votes tallied. It’s also brought up some good questions about tipping from Consumerist readers, like this one from Chad, who has just been introduced to mandatory full-service gas stations in New Jersey. [More]
Sorry, No Jet Lag Drug For You
By 3.30.10
The FDA has declined to approve an application for use of an alertness drug, Nuvigil, to treat jet lag. [More]
Always Keep Your Boarding Pass
By 3.29.10
Over on his travel blog, Christopher Elliott writes that if you want to ensure you’ll get the reward program miles you deserve, you should hold on to your boarding pass. In his example, a frequent flyer with Air France couldn’t get his Delta miles credited even though the airlines codeshare, because Air France demanded the original Delta boarding pass, which the customer had thrown away. Elliot managed to get the airline to cave on this instance, but he points out that it’s easier (and better in case of an IRS audit) to hold on to them “just in case.” [More]
JetBlue 800 Number Leads To Sex Line
By 3.17.10
An unfortunate typo on JetBlue’s website could lead some customers to “happy ending” instead of “happy jetting.” They spell out 1-800-JETBLUE as 538-2563, when it should be 538-2583. The former connects you a breathless recording that starts, [More]
JetBlue Takes 2 Hours And Charges $15 To Redeem Customer's Gift Card
By 3.17.10
Angela won a “Wish List” contest from American Express, which let her buy a $100 JetBlue gift card for $70. JetBlue managed to wipe out that $30 savings and any good will Angela might have felt by making her waste 129 minutes trying to redeem the card–and then charging her $15 for the service. At the end of her letter to AmEx and JetBlue, Angela writes, “I don’t know about other AmEx cardholders, but spending almost two hours on hold in order to be able to use something you’ve already paid for is not on my Wish List.” [More]
CDC And Celebrity Cruises Can't Figure Out Why Passengers Keep Getting Sick
By 3.16.10
Remember the diarrhea nightmare vessel that sickened 450 passengers a few weeks back? Once it got back home, Celebrity Cruises delayed the next trip by a day so that it could perform a “full cleaning.” It didn’t help much, though: CNN says that about 10% of passengers on the next sailing got sick, and about 19% of passengers on the current sailing are now sick. [More]
