Major airlines and airline unions have protested the establishment of airline safety rules of semi-private airlines that skirt training and security rules followed by scheduled airlines. When this article was first published about airline safety rules and...
Seven principles for aviation consumer protection. Travelers United, together with other consumer groups, has outlined seven principles to guide airline consumer protection. Six years ago, consumer groups released the principles to the Washington establishment. They...
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...
Airline delays are full of gray areas. One of the most aggravating airline delays is when a traveler gets a notice from their airline or finds out online that a flight is seriously delayed. However, that delay notification is always followed by the disclaimer saying,...
I have 10 hacks to prevent TSA security hassles and individualized inspections, inadvertent test-positive results for explosives, theft, and being slowed or detained. A theft at TSA Security (Transportation Security Administration) at the Fort Lauderdale airport has...
Both airlines and passengers bear responsibility for the recent spate of misbehaving travelers. 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...
Baggage reporting rules protect passengers and handicapped mobility devices. The Department of Transportation (DOT) released new baggage reporting rules about a year and a half ago. Passengers are not very excited about the new rule, but they should be. The important...
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...
There are travelers and agencies out there who practically make a second job out of understanding frequent flyer programs and earning the maximum miles. In general, travel agents don’t work with miles, so most of us are not experts. But I have increasingly...
Most sunscreens in the U.S. offer little, if any, UVA protection, the kind of protection needed to safeguard users from contracting skin cancer. Americans need to demand that the FDA changes that by reforming sunscreen regulations. The summer vacation season in the...
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.
