The year 2010 was tumultuous in travel. The Department of Transportation instituted the 3-hour tarmac-delay rule. Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland spewed ash for a month that canceled flights across Europe. Passengers finally said, “Enough” with TSA. Continental and United Airlines merged. Southwest and AirTran announced a merger. And American Airlines fired the first salvo in a battle over how passengers will be able to purchase airline tickets.
ConsumerTraveler has been in the middle of these issues and more. Here are the top stories of 2010 from each of our main contributors. These are the stories that our readers found most interesting. They certainly point to a far more personal experience of travel — ways to make travel easier to simple rules. Enjoy them once again.
TSA admits to punishing travelers
Charlie Leocha’s top story and our top story of the year broke the news that TSA actually had different level of pat-downs that were used based on the situation, one of them being those who did not want to go through whole body scanners. This is a story that both Charlie and Christopher Elliott had been following since early March.
Is Southwest’s EarlyBird check-in worth $10?
Christopher Elliott’s top post was his look at Southwest’s charge for early boarding. His conclusion: Yes. Sure, Southwest’s decision to begin charging for early boarding is taking it on a slippery slope toward a la carte fees, but what a ride it is, according to passengers like Jennifer Rigdon.
5 important connecting flight considerations
Janice Hough’s top post focused on connecting flights. In an ideal travel world, all fights would be non-stop. But realistically, that isn’t going to happen. If anything, airline cost-cutting and cutbacks mean less and less of those non-stops. Especially as airlines reduce their presence at one-time hubs. St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Raleigh-Durham and Cincinnati all come to mind as airports with reduced non-stop options.
6 immutable luggage rules I always follow
Ned Levi’s top story was about lost luggage, the bane of the traveler, happening far too often. Ned Levi offers some tips and his own personal rules to help you prevent your luggage from being lost, and minimize the impact if it is.
6 ways to survive the trials and tribulations of long haul flights
Karen Fawcett’s top post provided some tips as to how to travel long distances and not arrive at your destination feeling like a dish rag. Please add your suggestions and know they’ll be appreciated by long-distance travelers. For that matter, people who are flying from one coast to the U.S. to the other will find any and all tips useful. How many changes can you make in the not-so-friendly skies?
Tipping treatise ‚ Do you tip your hotel maid? The flight attendant?
Laura Townsend Elion’s top post said that when she was growing up, you tipped the waitress (but only if the service was good) the bellhop, the cab driver, and that was about it. Today you are considered a cheapskate if you don’t tip the barista, the shampoo guy, the doorman, the paperboy …
Unlikely angel at Delta customer service, no thanks to Delta
Karen Cumming’s top post noted that we never know what form in which an angel may appear. But we all know that, when in distress, discovering an angel at airport customer service is a blessing. More than a dozen Delta Airline passengers encountered a small miracle at customer service one day this past week at LaGuardia Airport.
Nightmare on Craig’s List
Judi Fein’s top post was a first-person story about a disaster with a vacation rental on Craig’s List. Stumbling over this story wasn’t pretty. “My Craigie episode started a few months ago when my husband and I decided we desperately needed a vacation. Truth be told, I am not sure we’ve ever taken a vacation. As travel journalists and photographers, we’re always writing, shooting, taking notes and stumbling over stories, even when we don’t mean to.”
And finally a thanks for the daily presentation of “What we’re reading,” faithfully compiled by Stephanus Surjaputra. Thanks to all of our contributors.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
