A vortex of outbreaks, accidents, and scandals have engulfed the cruise industry. Should you skip the ship? If you needed a sign that the universe wants you to skip a cruise this summer, here it is. There’s the MV Hondius, the Dutch expedition ship that limped into...
Summer road trip questions you never ask (but should). My family’s summer road trip was less than an hour old when an unfamiliar orange exclamation point illuminated the dashboard of our Honda Pilot. We were merging onto I-95, a stretch of asphalt that exhausts even...
When airlines fail, passengers pay the price. Congress should bring back the rule that helps consumers. Tens of thousands of Spirit Airlines passengers showed up at the airport last week and discovered their tickets were worthless. They could have scrambled for a...
Low-cost carriers are demanding tax relief from the Department of Transportation. Should they get it? The “base” fare you see on a travel site has always been a half-truth, at best. By the time you reach the final payment screen, government taxes and fees have bloated...
Daniel Oppliger navigated foreign airports, dealt with language barriers, and made it to his hotel in Lushui, China, only to be stumped by the TV remote at the Hilton Garden Inn. “I couldn’t figure out how to work the television,” he says. “I had to ask the concierge...
These accomplishments have been achieved by working closely with our members, national media, the travel industry, the Department of Transportation (DOT), Congress and many other agencies.
– Removal of restaurant fees from DC area eateries — this is an ongoing project
– Creation of DOT Dashboard to outline consumer rights after cancellation of a flight
– Bi-partisan bill to eliminate hotel resort fees introduced into House of Representatives
– Creation of the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections
– Advertised airfares now include airfare plus, mandatory taxes and fees
– Lost/damaged/delayed luggage compensation limit increased to $3,800
– Passengers have 24 hours to change or cancel their nonrefundable tickets without penalty
– Once an airfare is purchased, that airfare and ancillary fees cannot be increased
– Families flying together act passed by Congress that requires family members 13 years of age and younger to sit with other family members at no additional cost.
