travel

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American Airlines has canceled all flights in and out of Dallas-Fort Worth after funnel clouds were spotted. [USAToday]

Woman Sues American Airlines Over Masturbating Passenger

Woman Sues American Airlines Over Masturbating Passenger

A woman has filed a $200,000 lawsuit against American Airlines alleging the flight crew failed to protect her from a passenger who moved into the seat next to hers while she was sleeping, then “masturbated to her” and—well, you’ve seen “There’s Something About Mary”? Yeah, that.

Passengers Watch With Disbelief As Their Allegiant Air Flight Leaves Without Them

Passengers Watch With Disbelief As Their Allegiant Air Flight Leaves Without Them

Over 20 passengers watched in horror as their Allegiant Air flight from Huntsville to Fort Lauderdale took off without them. The passengers had lined up at the gate, tickets in hand, when the plane pushed back. Apparently, the single ticketing agent had struggled to handle everyone on time and didn’t tell the plane to wait. Passengers called the airline once they realized they were stranded as kids shouted, “We want to go to Disney World!”

“So, everybody calls Allegiant Air,” Rigas said. “Three people got hung up on.”

Should American Airlines Have Flown Five Overbooked Passengers Across The Atlantic In An Empty Plane?

Should American Airlines Have Flown Five Overbooked Passengers Across The Atlantic In An Empty Plane?

American Airlines managed to rebook all but five passengers after canceling one of its four daily flights from Chicago to London. The five still needed to get to London, so American rustled up an empty plane and invited everyone up to business class. Seems nice, but Friends of the Earth is outraged that American burned 22,000 gallons of fuel for five passengers. Great customer service or eco-scandal? Vote in our poll, after the jump.

United Airlines Raises Prices As Much As $50

United Airlines Raises Prices As Much As $50

Get ready to pay more for air travel, United Airlines is raising prices. A lot. As much as $50 for some fares. Continental has already matched the increase.

Stranded After AirTran Never Bothered To Announce The Flight

Stranded After AirTran Never Bothered To Announce The Flight

Reader Thomas was waiting for his delayed AirTran flight…. and waiting… and waiting. Turns out that AirTrain never made an annoucement that the delayed flight had arrived and it left without Thomas and a few other passengers.

Will Someone Please Just Tell Us If Rule 240 @#$@*^% Exists?

Will Someone Please Just Tell Us If Rule 240 @#$@*^% Exists?

There’s been a heated debate going on amongst travel experts as to whether or not the famed “Rule 240” still exists, and if so, in what form does the rule take?

Royal Caribbean And Celebrity Cruise Lines To Refund Sketchy Fuel Surcharges

Royal Caribbean And Celebrity Cruise Lines To Refund Sketchy Fuel Surcharges

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines will refund fuel surcharges to customers who booked their cruises before November 16th, says the Orlando Business Journal. Passengers who have not yet sailed will receive their refund in the form of onboard credit.

3 Questions To Ask Before Checking Into Your Hotel Room

3 Questions To Ask Before Checking Into Your Hotel Room

Travel guru Peter Greenberg shares three useful and unexpected questions that can make a huge difference when booking a hotel room. Inside, learn how to avoid digs next to the inevitable construction and instead score the room with a shower strong enough to clean a stinky elephant.

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Snow in Cleveland is affecting air travel. The FAA says:

Due to WEATHER / SNOW-ICE, there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland, OH (CLE). This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 3 hours and 12 minutes.

Continental, which uses Cleveland as a hub, is canceling lots of flights. [Ohio.com]

Hotel Monaco Denver Doesn't Care What Happened, They're Locking You Out Of Your Room, Enjoy Your Business Trip

Hotel Monaco Denver Doesn't Care What Happened, They're Locking You Out Of Your Room, Enjoy Your Business Trip

Rebecca is—as this story is being posted—locked out of her room at the Hotel Monaco in Denver, Colorado, where she’s attending a work related conference. She accidentally left her wallet and cell phone in her husband’s car on the way to the airport, so she’s trying to make do with a passport and debit card that she had on her when she realized what had happened. Hotel Monaco told her she had to have the room paid for by 5pm today, but while she was attending the conference this morning they changed their minds and locked her out at 12 noon.

4 Facts About Rule 240

4 Facts About Rule 240

Last week, travel consumer advocate Christopher Elliott listed four secrets about rule 240—that borderline mythic rule that describes how an airline will behave regarding a canceled or delayed flight—that he says are too often overlooked by travel experts and regular folk:”It’s hardly an all-powerful provision that can be invoked by every stranded passenger. Somewhere between myth and a magic bullet lies the truth about Rule 240.”

Budget's Free Frequent Flyer Miles Promos Will Cost You

Budget's Free Frequent Flyer Miles Promos Will Cost You

Michael writes, ” I was just reserving a budget rental car, and for some reason decided to actually read some of the fine print.” Buried in the text was something called an “FTP Surcharge,” which basically amounts to a participation fee for any frequent flyer promotion they offer their customers.

Comfort Suite's Shady "Energy Surcharge" Costs You $144

Comfort Suite's Shady "Energy Surcharge" Costs You $144

Reader ds143 wrote in with a reminder to ask hotels about added fees before reserving a room. He booked a six-night stay at the Comfort Suites in the Bahamas for his family of four without realizing that the hotel levied a $6 per person, per night “energy surcharge.” The financial sucker punch set ds143 back $144.

FAA: New Planes Are Held Together With "Substandard" Parts

FAA: New Planes Are Held Together With "Substandard" Parts

Terrible news for anyone afraid of flying: the FAA is reporting that the newest passenger planes are held together with “substandard” parts. The oversight at several supplier factories was so shoddy that workers were caught using rulers made of scotch-tape and paper.

Bank Of America Stranded Me In Japan Without Cash On My Honeymoon

Bank Of America Stranded Me In Japan Without Cash On My Honeymoon

Before leaving for his honeymoon, Derek called Bank of America to make sure he could rely on his debit card while he was in Japan. Bank of America assured him that he would have no problem accessing money. Yet on the third day of his honeymoon, neither he nor his wife could draw cash from their cards, stranding them with only $15 in cash.

US Airways To Charge $25 For Checking 2 Bags

US Airways To Charge $25 For Checking 2 Bags

If you find yourself identifying with those dames in movies set in the 19th century who always travel with a stagecoach full of steamer trunks, you won’t like US Airways new policy. Starting May 5, US Airways will levy a $25 fee against passengers checking a second bag. United Airlines announced the same thing earlier this month, and is also starting the fee on May 5. We can expect to see more and more of these fees as airlines struggle to make money, making it even harder to comparison shop for tickets. As Upgrade: Travel Better notes, no airfare search engine is equipped to take add-on fees into account (hello, market opportunity somebody?). Inside, the email US Airways sent out to its passengers.

What Airlines Do In The Event Of A Medical Emergency

What Airlines Do In The Event Of A Medical Emergency

Yesterday’s story of the death of a passenger on board an American Airlines flight continued to unfold throughout the day, and now CNN has posted an article that addresses some of the questions people were asking about in-flight emergencies in general. CNN spoke with several experts in the area where medicine overlaps with the airline industry to find out how airlines prepare for the inevitable really sick passenger.