Bankrate shares 15 tips to protect your stash of cash while traveling abroad. Before leaving, strip down your wallet to the bare essentials, including a backup credit card, and make copies of all financial documents. While abroad, stash the copies and the backup card in your hotel safe, and take common-sense precautions like sticking to legitimate bank ATMs, and avoiding crowds. Hit the link for the rundown of all 15 tips.
travel
Frontier's Computer System Lands Unaccompanied Minor In Security Room For An Hour
By 6.30.09
Ok, here’s a crazy idea: if you’re an airline, and you have a form with room to list two adults who are authorized to pick up an unaccompanied minor, wouldn’t it make sense to have room for both names in your computer system? Because whoever is running Frontier Airline’s system doesn’t seem to think so! Kayla’s mother spent a frantic hour, IDs in hand, trying to prove that she was authorized to meet her 13-year-old daughter at the gate. The form accompanying her daughter clearly had both her and Kayla’s father listed, but the computer listed only the father’s name. While Frontier sorted out the confusion, Kayla spent an hour waiting in Denver Airport’s security room.
Car Rental Firms Create Artificial Shortage, Boost Prices
By 6.28.09
Car rental firms have cut their fleets by almost 15% in the last year, creating an artificial shortage that has helped to raise prices. Inside, a few tips that can help lower the cost of your next car rental…
RyanAir: Bye Bye, Checked Bags And Airport Check-In. Hello, Gambling!
By 6.28.09
RyanAir this week announced that they will soon eliminate all airport check-in counters and require passengers to carry-on their luggage. Starting early next year, passengers will need to schlep their bags through airport security and drop them at the steps of the plane for checking into plane’s cargo hold. Once aboard though, there will be gambling!
Unlicensed Cabbie Welcomes Tourists To New York With High Speed Police Chase
By 6.28.09
Jean-Jacques Dulugat learned yesterday why you should never let an unlicensed cabbie give you a lift from the airport. Police tried to stop Dulugat and his family as they got into a van driven by a pair of known solicitors, but the duo took off and led cops on a high-speed chase through Brooklyn…
Southwest Is Coming To LaGuardia. Hello, Price War!
By 6.27.09
Starting tomorrow, Southwest will fly out of New York‘s LaGuardia airport, which hopefully means that flying between New York, Boston, Chicago, and Washington is about to get a whole lot cheaper.
Southwest Apologizes To The Frequent Flyer Who Was Suddenly Too Big To Fly
By 6.26.09
Southwest Airlines has apologized to Chip, the frequent business traveler who was denied boarding because he was too big to fly. If you recall, Chip, a self-described “big guy,” does not use a seat belt extender and says he has no trouble fitting into a standard airline seat.
Surprise! Fees And Taxes Are More Than The Cost Of The Hotel Room!
By 6.26.09
Over at Elliott.org a reader has sent in a screenshot from a recent attempt to book a discounted hotel room in Venice. The price was supposed to be $375 a night marked down from $537. It seemed like a good deal until he saw the taxes and fees…
Company Offering Paid Security Lines For Special People Fails
By 6.23.09
Members of the service, called “Clear”, paid as much as $199 a year and underwent background checks in order to access awesome security lines at participating airports. These security lines apparently led to the same checkpoints as everyone else uses. The company claims to have signed up 260,000 travelers.
Southwest Suddenly Decides Frequent Flyer Is Too Big To Fly
By 6.22.09
This is reader Chip. He’s 6’1″ and says he flies twice a week for business, without incident, on Southwest Airlines. He is a self-described “big guy” but says he doesn’t have any problem sitting in an airplane seat — and doesn’t need a seat belt extender to do so. So, why did he suddenly get stopped at the gate and told he needed to buy a second ticket?
Bill Would Boost The Size Of Carry-On Bags, Charge TSA With Enforcement
By 6.20.09
H.R. 2870 would require all airlines to accept slightly larger carry-on bags, which is great if you actually abide by the published carry-on limits. If you don’t, well, get ready to change your scofflaw ways because the TSA will enforce the new limits, and even slightly oversized bags won’t make it past security checkpoints.
Man Leaves Camera In Airport, Then Actually Gets It Back
By 6.18.09
Reader Mike cc’d us on a complimentary email to Southwest Airlines, which is something that usually doesn’t happen when the words “lost and found” are involved. Long story short— he lost his camera and the airline lost his bags — but he managed to get everything back with a minimum of effort. Lucky guy!
Continental Pilot Dies Midflight, Crew Lands Jet Safely
By 6.18.09
CNN is reporting that the pilot of Continental Flight 61 from Brussels to Newark died midflight, forcing a relief pilot to take over the controls of the Boeing 777.
Continental Puts 10-Year-Old Child On The Wrong Plane
By 6.15.09
Sure, airlines misroute luggage all the time. But how about misrouting a ten-year-old girl to the wrong state?
Those Rascally Airplanes Are Starting To Show Up On Time
By 6.10.09
Stats released by the U.S. Department of Transportation say airplanes are taking off on time more frequently than before. More flights were on time in April than in March, as well as April 2008.
Want Free Health Care? Visit Mexico City
By 6.9.09
Although the A/H1NI flu virus (referred to as the swine flu) outbreak didn’t kill everyone like alarmist media commentary led us to believe it would, it did deal a devastating blow to the Mexican tourism industry. The sprawling metropolis’s hotels are lonely places these days, sitting at 27 percent capacity compared to 50 percent a year ago.
US Airways Employee Helps Roommate Smuggle Gun Aboard To Avoid Checking It
By 6.8.09
The AP is reporting that the employee charged with smuggling a unloaded handgun and ammunition aboard a US Airways flight was trying to help his roommate avoid checking it.
