What's in the New Infrastructure Bill for Travelers? Lots of Great Stuff We Need
Posted on 11/10/2021, 1:00 PM
Travel in the United States is about to get a lot more safe, convenient, enjoyable, and—possibly—less expensive. And it's all thanks to the just-passed infrastructure bill. Officially known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the legislation invests in the nation's roads, bridges, runways, rail lines, airline control towers, airports, and public transit, all of which will finally recei...
Get Yourself to Europe Quick: River Cruises Are Up to 50% Off
Posted on 11/04/2021, 12:00 PM
Starting on November 8, Americans are going to see a whole lot of something they haven't seen much of in ages: Europeans. That's because November 8 is the day the restrictions on nonessential travel into the United States will be lifted, and the influx of Europe-based visitors will begin. London's Sun newspaper reports that prices for flights to the U.S. from the U.K. shot up 300% overnight as tra...
How Much More Expensive Is an Airbnb Than a Hotel Room? New Data
Posted on 10/29/2021, 2:00 PM
This time last year, I wrote a blog post about a survey that showed that a new winner had emerged in the long-standing battle between the hotel industry and Airbnb. Thanks to social distancing concerns and a collapse of business travel, for the very first time Airbnbs became more expensive, on average, than hotel stays in the United States. Then, I wrote the finding was "just a snapshot in time, ...
Is It Safe to Choose Southwest Airlines This Holiday Season?
Posted on 10/26/2021, 9:00 AM
On the weekend starting October 8, Southwest Airlines went into an operational meltdown, resulting in a shortage of pilots and flight attendants that, the airline says, necessitated the cancellation of some 2,200 flights over several days. The Dallas Morning News, the airline's hometown newspaper, later reported that the Columbus Day cancellation tailspin cost Southwest Airlines $75 million. Typic...
If You Need a Covid Test to Fly, Be Careful—Timing Is Everything
Posted on 10/25/2021, 9:00 AM
Update: As of December 6, 2021, the United States now requires the test to be taken no longer than one calendar day before travel to the United States begins. In many cases, that will give passengers slightly longer than 24 hours ahead to test. The types of tests accepted have not changed.Dozens of countries, including the United States, now require each incoming air passenger to furnish a negative...
Warning! Hertz Still Slapping Erroneous Fees on Innocent Customers, Paper Says
Posted on 10/22/2021, 5:00 AM
Hertz may have emerged from bankruptcy protection earlier this year, but for customers of the rental car company, warning lights are still flashing. The troubled brand that Vanity Fair called a "pandemic zombie" in 2020 can't seem to stop attacking customers who thought their car rentals were safely laid to rest. The press has been full of alarming instances of renters who say they did no wrong b...
Marriott Made Hundreds of Millions from Deceptive Fees, Lawsuit Says
Posted on 10/21/2021, 11:00 AM
Just how lucrative are resort fees for hotels? Newly unsealed court documents from a lawsuit brought by the District of Columbia's attorney general against Marriott International shed some light on how much hotel chains rake in from the fees, which guests are required to pay for amenities such as Wi-Fi, parking, gym access, and other stuff that used to be free with a hotel stay. According to the...
Will There Ever Be a Subway Train Direct to NYC's LaGuardia Airport?
Posted on 10/14/2021, 1:00 PM
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's head-scratcher of a plan to bring a public transit train to New York City's LaGuardia Airport has been sent back to the drawing board. The overarching idea was solid, but the routing was cockamamie. Under Cuomo's plan, riders going to LaGuardia from Midtown Manhattan would need to ride the subway's 7 train east to the Mets–Willets Point station in Queens, which...
When to Buy and When to Fly for the Cheapest Airfare in 2022: New Research
Posted on 10/13/2021, 11:00 AM
Many annual traditions have been pushed aside by the pandemic, but not one of this writer's favorites: the annual joint report by the Airline Reporting Corporation and Expedia. Why am I so enamored of this bit of travel arcana? Because of the huge amount of research behind it. The Airline Reporting Corporation (ARC) is the group that links all of the world's major airlines and all of the world's ...
Why the U.S. Needs a Vaccine Requirement for Domestic Travel—and Is Unlikely to Get One
Posted on 10/13/2021, 5:00 AM
Should the United States require people who are traveling within the country to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19? Or, barring that, should passengers at least have to show that they recently tested negative for the virus? Infectious disease and public health experts, at least 6 in 10 Americans (according to months of polling), and those of us who believe last winter's Covid surge was fueled ...