Tagged: airlines

Watch Betty White's New In-Flight Safety Video for Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand, an airline known for its celeb-studded safety videos (which have featured Richard Simmons and, erm, some hobbits, managed to convince TV legend Betty White to do its…

The Truth is Out: Airline Mergers Do Indeed Result in Higher Prices

If you weren't sure where to come down on the airline merger debate, a position is becoming clearer. Yesterday the Department of Justice put its own foot down on the union of…

The Dog Ate My Vacation: Why Pets and Travel May Not Mix

Pets may enhance our daily lives but they ruin our vacations.That’s the surprising conclusion reached by a recent poll conducted for obvious reasons (see below) by the website…

Some Airlines Let You Bring Your Belongings But Not Take Them Back Home: Carry-On Rules are Erratically Enforced

I have just returned from an international trip. As you can probably imagine of a travel journalist, I have my packing down to a science. I take my standard amount every time. On my…

My Knee-Jerk (Ouch!) Reaction to American Airlines' Plans to Add Even More Seats to Its Planes

My knees are aching just writing this. And my laptop's cover is quivering in fear. But here goes:In a regulatory filing yesterday, AMR Corp disclosed its plans to add more seats…

Good Luck Chuck! Senator Schumer of New York Takes The Airlines To Task For Change Fees

In 2012, the major American airlines made $2.6 billion in change fees.And that's quite enough, says Senator Chuck Schumer of New York State.On Sunday, the Senator called out…

The Airlines Sometimes Profit when the TSA Does its Job Inefficiently

On Saturday morning at JFK, the line for passengers to have their I.D.s inspected by the Transportation Security Administration was extraordinarily long, and the lines to go through…

Carry Less, Board First: American Airlines Revises Its Priority Policies Once Again

Boarding a plane nowadays is like being caught in a Saturday Night Live skit. You patiently wait, as the "platinum" and the "double platinum" and the "elite this and that" passengers…

Airlines Make You Miserable to Maximize Profits, And It's Unfair to the Crew

On U.S. Airways, boarding announcements are like a comedy sketch. Gone are the days when getting on a plane was a simple matter of passengers who need extra time, then first class,…

United Jacks its Change fee to $200. What's the Real Cost?

Is the $200 change fee coming? No, it's already here.United is the first airline to jack up the fee it charges to passengers who need to amend their domestic travel plans. Now…

That's Ridiculous! Car Rental Absurdities I'd Change If I Could

Not a day seems to go by that I don't hear from an angry car rental customer -- customers like Craig Solomon, who rented a car in England from Avis for two weeks recently. "Toward the…

Three Nights in Los Cabos, from $739 with Air

Apple Vacations (tel. 800/517-2000; www.applevacations.com) is offering a sale on winter 2013 vacations to warm destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico, including this air-inclusive,…

Travel Troubleshooter: But No One Told Me the Pool Was Closed

Renee Fasanella's son is booked at a water park for spring break. Problem is, none of the pools are open. Why didn't anyone mention that, and can he get his money back?Q: I thought I…

The Able Traveler: Exploring California's Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway

Road trips are an ideal option for wheelchair-users and slow walkers, as you can take things at your own pace and pack along as much equipment as you need. And although there's no…

How Safe is a Cruise? Even After New Law, It's Hard to Say

As Carnival Corp. (www.carnival.com) announced plans to salvage the Costa Concordia last week, the world's attention focused again on cruise safety -- or rather, lack of it. The…

That's Ridiculous! What Does Sandals Owe for Deleting a Traveler's Wedding Photos?

This is one of the strangest cases I've come across in my two decades of fielding consumer complaints. It involves a honeymooning couple's missing wedding photos, me, and another…

Is Economy Plus Really Worth the Price?

As airlines cram seats more tightly together, they're profiting from new ways out of the crush. Premium economy seats, which give you a few inches more legroom, have been around for a…

London Riots: What Visitors Need to Know

Advice for VisitorsVisitors to the UK will be understandably nervous right now. There have been riots and looting in many parts of London during the past week, sparked by the shooting…

Travel Troubleshooter: Getting Sick on Vacation -- Does My Hotel Owe Me Anything?

Daniel Vosburgh is afflicted by a mysterious illness while he's in Mexico. His hotel isn't answering his complaints, but he thinks he's entitled to either a refund or credit. Is he?Q:…

Sleeping in Airports: Surviving a Night in the Terminal

I met the Japanese cashmere company executive outside the bathhouse, at 4am, in the airport.We were stuck in Seoul's Incheon airport for different reasons. She was waiting on standby…

How to Use Travel Forums Effectively

Back in 2007, I planned my three-week honeymoon to Southeast Asia relying solely on information I found on online travel forums. The detailed tips I received from mostly anonymous…

Guide to Italian Street Names: Saints, Wars & Dreamers

Popes and lovers, assassins and pacifists, artists, scholars, inventors, and industrialists: There are no set criteria to qualify for an Italian street named in your honor -- though…

Headed to Europe This Summer? It's Going to Be a Riot

If you're looking for a little adventure this summer -- a strike, a riot or maybe even a revolution -- skip the Middle East and head to Europe. Traditionally quiet and predictable…

3 Summer Steals in the Sunshine State

As temperatures zoom upward in the Sunshine State, hotel rates come down. That makes Florida a great place to snag a steal for a summer family getaway. Here are three fabulous deals…

Caribbean Calling: 3 Family-Friendly Vacation Packages

Spring is an excellent time of year to book a Caribbean getaway, as marquee resorts pull out all the stops to fill their rooms through the summer and fall. Here are three travel…