Tagged: customer-service

Airlines Bring Back Fees, But Not for Every Passenger

Strange as it may feel to find anything about 2020 that could possibly qualify as the Good Old Days, the global crisis did yield a few positives. When demand for commercial flights…

Airlines Still Cashless Even Though Many Passengers Don’t Own Credit Cards

Delta Air Lines has announced that as of March 16, flight attendants will be equipped to accept contactless payments for in-flight purchases such as earbuds and food. Customers will be…

Steps the U.S. Government Should Take Right Now to Protect Air Travelers

What should be the top priorities for the U.S. Department of Transportation when it comes to air travel? Consumer Reports has a few ideas. The advocacy organization sent a list of…

Refund Woes Fueled a Record Number of Complaints from Air Travelers in 2020

The U.S. federal government received a record number of complaints from airline passengers in 2020. In all, 102,550 complaints were filed with the Department of Transportation,…

I’m Now One of Those People: A Traveler with an Airbnb Horror Story

It didn’t happen because I’m a careless idiot, or a very picky, persnickity traveler. It happened because I’m a (bit) lazy. I was heading to Chicago for work and an unrelated…

Why Airlines Like to Annoy You with Credit Card Pitches—and Why It's About to Get Worse

The airlines are fond of reminding us that flight attendants are there primarily for our safety. Therefore, as we know, we must pay attention whenever they speak and heed every word…

My Hotel Is Overbooked! What Did I Do Wrong?

First of all, you did nothing wrong. The hotel failed you. Sometimes hotels run out of space because of clerical errors, guests who overstay, rooms that need repairs, and other reasons…

Why Wall Street Doesn't Want You to Have Cheap Airfare

It was a blip in the headlines last week, barely noticed amid a circus of political stories: United Airlines stock plunged 6%. At the same time, Delta dropped 5.4% and Southwest went…

America’s Best Airline Is Crowned, But Is It About to Sink Soon?

It looks like Alaska Airlines just made a great deal in picking up Virgin America, which was itself just rated, for the fourth year in a row, as the best airline in the U.S. by the…

Forget the Phone. Now Twitter is the Place to Get the Fastest Customer Service

"Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain." —Lily TomlinAnd man invented Twitter to make sure everyone had to listen.It's pretty obvious that Twitter is a…

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,…

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…

How to Complain to the Airlines: Effective Ways to Get Ahead

Air travel isn't always fun. Things go wrong. And while you're unlikely to get compensated because a summer thunderstorm made your plane late, it's often worth complaining to the…

Digital Travel Photography: Backing Up and Sharing Your Images

One of the best things about travel is the chance to get away from it all -- meaning a temporary replacement of the elements of your everyday life with new sights, sounds, foods,…

Travel Troubleshooter: No Refund for the Wrong Chichen-Itza Tour

Nancy Giese books an overnight tour to Chichen-Itza, but when she arrives in Cancún, she's told she only has reservations for a day trip. Now her tour operator is refusing to refund…

The Able Traveler: Haunted Hotels Fit for All

Nothing livens up a weekend getaway faster, than a good old fashioned garden variety ghost in your hotel room. Truth be told, almost every historic hotel has at least one tale of a…

Travel Troubleshooter: Where Are My Vouchers?

Myron Sigal and his wife can't make their return flight from Venice to Philadelphia, after she is injured on a Mediterranean cruise. US Airways promises him a voucher for the unused…

Take This Job and Love It: Summer Factory Tours in the USA

While some hit the beach, others go camping, and others fly to Europe, statistics keep telling us that most of American travel is within a few hours' driving distance of the home. For…

10 Ways to Make a Cruise More Romantic

Our favorite Hallmark holiday is nearly upon us. Let's take a moment to ponder the ten most romantic things about a cruise.1. The sea. Needless to say. But let's. There just isn't…