I have 17 tips for you to shoot stunning Fourth of July fireworks photos on Independence Day evening in the U.S. On Friday, the U.S. will celebrate Independence Day, commemorating the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress...
According to the National Park Service website, Roosevelt was known as the “conservationist president.” Keep public lands in public hands! “We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to...
As travel season kicks into high gear, plan your trip insurance. Travel season is kicking into high gear. Have you also considered travel insurance if you plan any significant trips, especially international ones? If you don’t think it is important or necessary, you...
In 2024 TSA stopped 6,678 firearms at airport security. More than 92 percent were loaded. And 5,972 firearms were stopped over the course of 2021, up more than 1,500 from the previous record of 4,432 guns seized in 2019. Passengers should follow the TSA firearms...
What do you regret doing on a plane? Chances are, it involves a drink. As in, drinking and working on a computer. That’s what Peter Lewis did on a recent flight from Minneapolis to New York — with disastrous results. There was a cup of coffee next to his laptop, “and...
Making passengers pay for advance booking ticket validity rules is not fair. Airline rules appear to be returning to a new normal. While ticket validity extensions may be ending, the end-of-change-fees — at least for now — are staying. The ticket validity issue,...
Before you book your next hotel stay, check to be sure your research doesn’t reveal any of my 16 red flags that should make you seriously think about hotel booking. Hotel booking online should be a cinch. There are a myriad of websites to help you book hotels,...
Near monopolies make airlines anathema to good customer service. An old issue of The Atlantic started with these paragraphs. It dealt with customer service. That’s more than five years ago. A security guard stops a customer as she tries to enter a well-stocked...
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...
The Boeing/Air India situation is on the front page of newspapers and the lead story on TV and radio again. At the time of this writing, the seemingly nonstop coverage had slowed down, but even Americans who aren’t frequent flyers or generally tuned into airline...
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.
