It’s not your imagination. Airline passengers suffer from exit envy — they do almost anything to get off the aircraft as soon as it arrives. I saw it after my recent flight from Los Angeles to Houston landed. I opened the overhead bin to grab my carry-on bag,...
I have 20 don’t-miss cruise experiences for your next voyage. There are many cruise experiences that you’ll learn on your first or second cruise that you likely didn’t anticipate. The importance of learning about the ship’s various public areas...
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...
I have 21 cybersecurity actions for travelers to take to help minimize the chance of them being hacked while away from home. Your cellphone, smartwatch, tablet and laptop devices and/or the accounts that you connect to through them are at risk from cyberattacks...
Hackers are coming for travelers. Here’s how to protect yourself. A few days after Kay Pedersen reserved a hotel room in Chiang Mai, Thailand, through Booking.com, she received an alarming email. It was a warning from Booking.com in broken English that there had...
Airline fees have been comic fodder for years — especially with budget and international airlines. I remember being in London over a decade ago and seeing a comedian do a great riff on Ryanair and equivalents. Those tickets cost maybe five pounds, but you ended up...
Crucial and costly mistakes while planning and during a cruise can cost cruisers dearly. This week, I’ve got 10 cruise mistakes for you to learn about and avoid that friends, family, readers and I have made in the past. I’m finishing my research for a lengthy...
Crucial and costly mistakes while planning, booking and preparing for a cruise can cost cruisers dearly. This week, I’ve got 9 pre-cruise mistakes for you to learn about and avoid that friends, family, readers and I have made in the past. I’m currently...
The judicial elimination of the JetBlue/Spirit merger guarantees that the US will be dominated by the Big 3 airlines for the next decade. The JetBlue/Spirit merger with its disapproval ruling has cramped competition between the Low Cost Carrier (LCC) markets and the...
What appear to be a-la-carte service costs are really resort fees in disguise The Wall Street Journal recently profiled the fourth-largest hotel group in the country. MCR hotels were touted for charging guests for individual hotel amenities. The main hotel profiled in...
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.
