Ancillary airline fees must be disclosed during the buying process to make the free market work. This talk was given in November 2013 before IATA’s World Passenger Conference (to which no passengers seem to be invited to attend) held in Dublin, Ireland. The post...
Your hotel room is a reason travel agents matter. They are the key to the magic of hotel human touch. When travelers check into hotels, they usually expect the hotel to have their name, credit card information, and bedding request. And their frequent guest membership...
Want hotel room safety? An unmarried woman was traveling for work. At a Marriott, while she was sleeping, a male stranger came into her room. She assumed hotel room safety. What’s crazy about the incident is it wasn’t a mistake. Apparently, a man went to...
We need common airline flight credit rules for airfare refunds and flight credit protection. The refund issue has been screwed up for consumers since the beginning. It is a major issue with more than $10 billion in outstanding flight credits, estimated by the Wall...
The long-haul flight between Doha, Qatar, and Auckland, New Zealand, is one of the longest in the world. It seems to never end and crosses 10 time zones in 16 hours. How do you choose the right airline for a long-haul flight like that? It’s not an abstract...
Both airlines and passengers bear responsibility for the recent spate of misbehaving travelers. z Airline passengers are normally nice folk with good manners. However, the airlines have taken advantage of passengers’ good manners and reduced safety in a drive to...
Leisure travelers know business travel is a major factor, but leisure travelers are filling the business void. Full disclosure — for anyone who doesn’t already know — I’m a rare breed of travel agent. I book both business and leisure travel. So yes, I want...
As norovirus surges, Trump’s cutting of the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program will kill off the VSP’s major work of keeping American cruise ship passengers safe. This year, a dozen outbreaks have occurred in which a total of 1,434 cruise ships’...
Aviation and environmental leaders work together to pass the Sustainable Skies Act. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, Airlines for America (A4A) CEO Nick Calio, and the Environmental Defense Fund’s senior vice president for climate Nathaniel Keohane, stood side by side...
It’s that moment of hesitation before you head out the door. The one where you ask, “What about my hotel room safety? Is it safe to leave my valuables in my hotel room?” It happens to me often, not just because I practically live in hotels but also because I often...
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.
