travel

Calculate The "Emissions Cost" Of Your Next Flight

Calculate The "Emissions Cost" Of Your Next Flight

Enpalo is an online calculator that lets you estimate the flight emissions of your next airplane jaunt—you choose an airline, enter your origin and destination, then sit back and light up a cigar while you laugh about how many baby polar bears you’re drowning.

4 Hints For Getting Your Ticket Money Back When The Airline Goes Bankrupt

4 Hints For Getting Your Ticket Money Back When The Airline Goes Bankrupt

We got passed a communique from the Fiserv debit-card processing company to its clients that offers some insights for consumers concerned about getting their money back if they have bought tickets on an airline that has gone bankrupt (as several have recently). Here’s the takeaways:

  • Chargebacks can be filed on all tickets, whether they were purchased directly from the airline or from a third-party
  • You don’t have to take a replacement flight offered by another carrier if you don’t want to
  • You have 120 days from the date of expected travel to file a chargeback
  • Depending on merchant policy, travel insurance may be transferable or redeemable

(Thanks to mac-phisto!)

Spirit Air Burns Woman's Luggage

Spirit Air Burns Woman's Luggage

Sean writes, “Lost luggage? That’s so 1990’s… Spirit Air’s all about burning bags instead.”

The Future Of Air Travel Fees

The Future Of Air Travel Fees

Minyanville has received a leaked copy of how a US Airways ticket will look after they apply some new fees that are currently under development…

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Since its creation in 2001, the TSA has fired over 200 employees for stealing. Since the TSA will invariably deny your request for compensation if you file a theft claim, your best bet is to either pack valuables in your carry-on, or just leave them home all-together. [MSNBC]

Delta & Northwest CEOs Say All Airlines Should Raise Fees 15-20%

Delta & Northwest CEOs Say All Airlines Should Raise Fees 15-20%

Delta’s CEO, Richard Anderson, told reporters today that all airlines need to raise fees by as much as 20% “just to break even due to the rising price of fuel.” His new bedmate, Northwest CEO Doug Steenland, piped in to say cost-cutting measures “have largely been exhausted”—and by “cost-cutting” we assume he means, “We can’t find anything else to add surcharges to, except maybe the bathroom and the recycled oxygen, and we’re not monsters.”

9 Most Obnoxious Hidden Airline Fees

9 Most Obnoxious Hidden Airline Fees

As their corpulent systems collide with increasingly harsh economic realities, airlines are making up more creative fees and charging for things that used to be free. Here’s 9 of the worst offenders of the hidden airline fees, via Aviation.com.

JetBlue To Charge $20 For Second Checked Bag

JetBlue To Charge $20 For Second Checked Bag

JetBlue announced its first quarter results today and while things aren’t as bleak as they are over at United Airlines, the discount carrier said that it was struggling under the weight of its fuel bill and was going to modify its baggage check policy in order to remain competitive with other airlines.

Midwest Airlines: The Milwaukee Brewers Are More Important Than You

Midwest Airlines: The Milwaukee Brewers Are More Important Than You

Midwest Airlines flies the Milwaukee Brewers on their planes through a “charter service” says the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, but the Brewers weren’t grounded like the over 100,000 other passengers who were booked on MD-80s.

United Airlines Raises Ticket Change Fee To $150

United Airlines Raises Ticket Change Fee To $150

United Airlines announced today that they are raising their ticket change fee to $150—up from $100, “in an effort to combat high fuel costs.”

Pilots Complain That Cash-Strapped Airlines Are Skimping On Fuel

Pilots Complain That Cash-Strapped Airlines Are Skimping On Fuel

What’s the surest way to save money on rising fuel prices? Don’t use it! MSNBC has gathered pilot complaints from a database NASA maintains for the FAA, and they show that airlines are challenging pilots’ refueling decisions, urging them to carry only the minimum fuel required by FAA regulations in…

Aer Lingus Accidentally Sells Transatlantic Flights For 5 Euros Each

Aer Lingus Accidentally Sells Transatlantic Flights For 5 Euros Each

Aer Lingus is apologizing to some 100 customers to whom it accidentally sold transatlantic tickets for a measly 5 Euros.

The Stupid Spirit Airlines M.I.L.F. Sale Is Back

The Stupid Spirit Airlines M.I.L.F. Sale Is Back

The first time around the promotion featured an illustration of islands cleverly arranged in the shape of a buxom female figure, and a spokesperson who, aw shucks, had no idea (none! really! honest!) what M.I.L.F. stood for. Spirit even went so far as to claim that there is no way they could have known what M.I.L.F. meant because the executive who approved the promotion is “British.”

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Due to recruitment difficulties, the same guy making sure you don’t bring on more than three ounces of deadly shampoo is now getting trained as a US Air Marshal. [CNN]

United Airlines Raises Fuel Surcharges For The Second Time This Week

United Airlines Raises Fuel Surcharges For The Second Time This Week

United Airlines has raised its already not-exactly-insignificant fuel surcharge for the second time this week, says USAToday.

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Delta will start charging passengers $25 for checking a second piece of luggage starting in May, joining United and US Airways in instituting the new fee. [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

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Good news for travelers: If you’re bumped from a flight, you soon may be eligible to get up to $800 in compensation. This is up from the previous max of $400, an amount that had not been raised since 1978. [CNNMoney via Consumer World Blog]

Northwest Airlines Breaks The Bad News To Its Frequent Fliers

Northwest Airlines Breaks The Bad News To Its Frequent Fliers

We hope all you Northwest Airlines frequent fliers secretly had a thing for Delta, because you’ve been merged.