Why you should complain to DOT and use the webform to get results
DOT has detailed complaint regulations that Travelers United assisted the Department of Transportation in shaping. Airlines must acknowledge consumer complaints within 30 days of receiving them. Then they must send consumers written responses addressing these complaints within 60 days of receiving them.
Stealing from your hotel room?
Is it stealing from your hotel room when you take pens and bath amenities? What about robes and towels? When Lynn Culver checks into a property, she helps herself to the soaps and shampoos in her room. If housekeeping replaces the items, she takes the new ones, too....
Allow comparison of airline prices and ancillary fees across airlines
Ancillary airline fees must be disclosed during the buying process to make the free market work. This talk was given in November 2013 before IATA's World Passenger Conference (to which no passengers seem to be invited to attend) held in Dublin, Ireland. The post has...
The hotel staff knows why you booked your bargain reservation
Your hotel room is a reason travel agents matter. They are the key to the magic of hotel human touch. When travelers check into hotels, they usually expect the hotel to have their name, credit card information, and bedding request. And their frequent guest membership...
Hotel room safety? It’s on you any time you travel!
Want hotel room safety? An unmarried woman was traveling for work. At a Marriott, while she was sleeping, a male stranger came into her room. She assumed hotel room safety. What's crazy about the incident is it wasn't a mistake. Apparently, a man went to the hotel's...
Why passengers need common airline flight credit rules
We need common airline flight credit rules for airfare refunds and flight credit protection. The refund issue has been screwed up for consumers since the beginning. It is a major issue with more than $10 billion in outstanding flight credits, estimated by the Wall...
How to survive a long-haul flight — follow these rules
The long-haul flight between Doha, Qatar, and Auckland, New Zealand, is one of the longest in the world. It seems to never end and crosses 10 time zones in 16 hours. How do you choose the right airline for a long-haul flight like that? It's not an abstract question....
Misbehaving passengers this summer (or anytime) make traveling unpleasant
Both airlines and passengers bear responsibility for the recent spate of misbehaving travelers. z Airline passengers are normally nice folk with good manners. However, the airlines have taken advantage of passengers' good manners and reduced safety in a drive to fit...
Why should all travelers know the importance of business travel?
Airlines and hotels stand out, plus, other industries, including the restaurant industry, are dependent on corporate travelers during the week. So whether or not you travel, or are in the travel industry, we all have a stake in hoping business travel road warriors return to the road soon.
Trump Administration kills CDC’s cruise ship scrutiny as norovirus surges now
As norovirus surges, Trump's cutting of the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program will kill off the VSP's major work of keeping American cruise ship passengers safe. This year, a dozen outbreaks have occurred in which a total of 1,434 cruise ships' passengers and crew were...