Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to our readers in as many foreign languages as we can find May our gift for Christmas and our resolution for the New Year be letting our voices be heard by airline, hotel, rental car, cruise line, and other travel providers. May this...
Stupid travel mistakes — He booked the wrong hotel, a bad rental car deal, and didn’t read the fine print. Pay attention! If you do, you won’t end up like Allan Jordan, who showed up for a recent Virgin Atlantic Airways flight from New York to London, only to...
There is shameless air travel behavior by too many travelers. It seems to be happening every day, and it needs to stop. As we draw close to the end of 2025, my thoughts this past week have been with air travelers who have had to endure shameless air travel behavior...
Since it’s a time for Christmas dreams — or for other holidays — here are six wishes for travelers, frequent and infrequent, for 2026. Dear Santa…. Could you make these Christmas dreams come true? Better communication from airlines. Stuff happens, and...
A visit to Venice will be rewarding but limited In a way, this post pains me. It pains me because Venice is not for the disabled. Other than the top sights, such as at the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s, Venice for the disabled is laced with narrow walking...
He had a trip to Colombia added to his bucket list — then he received the crime reports. A traveler cancels a dream trip to Colombia after discovering a surge in unreported crime, highlighting the gap between official advisories and reality. Experts warn that 2026...
If you have never used a travel agent, or don’t want to use a travel agent, stop reading now. The biggest problem most good travel agents I know have right now is wanting to hire good help, especially young people. Travel is a good and growing field, even in the...
By rolling back the airline fee disclosure rule, along with the base airfare and taxes, the Trump Administration has harmed air travelers. This past week, I was having afternoon tea and coffee with fellow residents of my building. Eventually, the discussion turned to...
Established airspace has accommodated space travel for decades. Drones and flying cars, not so long. FAA, NASA, and the military have been working for decades on the development of rockets. Big military drones have been used for more than a decade to provide distant...
Real change means making these amenities part of the contracts of carriage. Now, amenities for canceled flights may include meals and hotel overnights. It is almost like magic, but airlines are now paying attention to passengers they have spurned in the past when...
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.
