How airline alliance improvements are making international travel worse
Airlines have not mastered the technology to satisfy all business travelers. However, they have found ways to make traveling outside of their alliances more difficult for any traveler attempting to do so or to save money.
Hotel room-rate lies — hiding mandatory hotel fees harms travelers
False hotel advertising is a shameful and dishonest practice and it must stop. Travelers United worked together with other consumer advocates to goad the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) into protecting consumers from this kind of false advertising and drip pricing. It is working slowly, too slowly.
Has the industry taken travel self-service too far?
From AI to self-service airline apps, has the industry taken travel self-service too far? Annette Johnson thinks so. Travel self-service has gone too far. She’s watched airlines drop their phone support and add fees for airport check-ins that use a human agent. Some...
Airlines make ticket expiration dates more customer friendly — and a warning
Among all the confusing airline rules, ticket expiration dates are one of the worst. Many major domestic airlines have reduced or eliminated change fees on nonrefundable tickets, although travelers often discover when they change that the new fare may be much higher....
Don’t repeat the blunders on Delta 4819 in Toronto, Canada
Many passenger blunders on Delta Flight 4819 last week were made evacuating from the plane after it crashed in Toronto. It could have cost them their lives. Last Monday, February 17, Delta flight 4819 left Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport uneventfully. The...
Where you can buy things confiscated by TSA and lost by passengers
These places are where what TSA confiscates and you lose on flights ends up. I have often wondered what happens to lost and confiscated belongings left by passengers on planes and checkpoint lines. The TSA confiscates thousands of small pen knives, AirPods, iPads,...
Why travelers need to know the middle-name rule
When making reservations for a trip to Europe, I had an opportunity to purchase a flash airfare for myself and a friend. The normal price of $1,000 had been reduced to $700 for several hours. I did not know my friend’s middle name but wanted to purchase the tickets. I believed that because of the 24-hour rule, I could always change the middle name. The rule isn’t quite that simple. I learned an important lesson.
Where are delayed checked-bag-fee refund rules passed by Congress eight years ago?
Passing a bill through Congress is not enough — passengers need delayed checked-bag-fee refund rules from DOT, too. Most Americans don't realize that getting a bill passed through Congress (already a major accomplishment) is not enough. The executive department...
Today’s passengers and airport amateurs are like yesteryear’s holiday travelers
Travel today means crowds of first-time travelers, the older and slower passengers, and the inexperienced — just like the old holiday travel days. Over the years I've written more than one post about the difficulties of holiday air travel — the crowds, airport...
Deplaning etiquette: passenger lies and shoves are unacceptable at any time
Deplaning etiquette: Some passengers need to be the first to exit the plane. If possible, they'll push and shove their way to the front to exit. There's never an excuse for violence anywhere. I call them Aisle lice. In December, we flew from the east coast to Los...