Tagged: fees

Delta Air Lines Battles Call Wait Times by Easing Basic Economy Rules

If you've had to call an airline's customer service number in 2021, then you already know: Wait times are extreme. In fact, you might still be on hold right now. For a lot of messy…

Cruising Is Getting More and More Expensive for Unvaccinated Passengers

Carnival Cruise Line has become the latest major cruise company to announce that passengers who are unvaccinated or do not want to reveal their vaccination status will have to purchase…

Hertz Accused of Slapping Fees on Innocent Customers: How to Protect Yourself

Tuesday's Los Angeles Times had a skin-crawling story about Hertz, the rental car giant that just emerged from bankruptcy last week. The article tells the tale of a family who picked…

Newly Launched Breeze Airways Connects Smaller U.S. Cities for Low Fares

A new low-cost airline dedicated to serving small and "underserved" U.S. cities is set to take off this week. Breeze Airways, the fifth airline startup backed by JetBlue founder David…

After Pandemic-Era Reprieve, Parking Fees Coming Back to Las Vegas Strip

Some travel policies adopted during the pandemic look like they're here to stay (goodbye, airline change fees!). Others proved to be fleeting (goodbye, empty middle seats on…

Another U.S. Airline to Charge for Checking Your Oversize Carry-On at the Gate

There's a moment in most movie westerns when the hero walks into town and everybody on the street slowly turns to give him a beady stare. I had that experience when I flew Ryanair in…

New Airline Connects Los Angeles with Many Western Cities At Low, Low Airfares

Launching a new airline in 2021 takes chutzpah, cojones, and courage. But that's just what Avelo Airlines has done by debuting a small network of flights from a home base at Hollywood…

MGM Resorts in Legal Hot Water Over Resort Fee "Lies"

If you have traveled or shopped for travel in the past few months, you've probably noticed a vexing trend: Many hotels in the United States have drastically curtailed amenities because…

5 Tips to Remember When You Pay for a Hotel Room

1. Find out exactly what the hotel’s cancellation policy is. Before you click the BOOK button on a hotel reservation, read the hotel’s cancellation policy line-by-line. Then read it…

JetBlue Forbids Free Carry-Ons for Basic Fares, Drops Change Fees Elsewhere

JetBlue is adding an irksome catch to its cheapest category of plane tickets. Any customer who books a basic economy fare—dubbed "Blue Basic" by JetBlue—for travel after July 20 will…

Four Men Eat Crate of Oranges at Chinese Airport to Avoid Excess Baggage Fee

How far would you go to get out of paying an extra fee at the airport? Whatever your answer, we're guessing it doesn't involve gobbling up nearly 70 pounds of produce in less than 30…

A Charge for the Overhead Bin? One Airline Is Doing It

Hard times make us do things we'd never normally do, like make best friends with a volleyball, sell our hair and belt "I Dreamed a Dream," or get into sourdough baking. For easyJet,…

TikTokker's Carry-On "Hack" Gets Him Banned from Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines has reportedly banned a TikTok user from flights for two years because of a carry-on luggage tip the man posted. In an 18-second clip titled "Spirit carry on hack" that…

This Airline Will Charge You More if You Use an Internet Ad Blocker

Here's an airline fee you surely never imagined would exist. Sean O'Neill at Skift reports the discovery of a brand-new airline fee: an extra surcharge for using ad suppression…

Ding Dong! Airline Change Fees Are Dead! Delta and American Copy United

Yesterday, in a huge win for travelers, United Airlines dropped change fees for many types of flights. We gave you the full rundown of the move in this earlier post. Now, as they…

United Airlines to Drop Change Fees Permanently on Many Types of Flights

Not long ago, Frommer's listed the things we don't miss about pre-pandemic travel. Paying big fees for making changes to airline tickets ranked right up there with buffets and dirty…

Schmoozing United Airlines Gate Agents for Upgrades Is a Complete Waste of Time Now

Remember when travel articles weren't all about airborne pathogens and instead were full of advice like "dress nicely if you want to be upgraded to first class" or "bring a small gift…

Another Island Paradise Is Welcoming Digital Nomads for Yearlong Stays

If you can work from home, you can work from a pink-sand beach. The island of Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic Ocean, is offering one-year residencies to…

What We Don’t Miss About Pre-Pandemic Travel

As we might have mentioned a few dozen times lately, the pandemic has changed travel dramatically. And in many ways, that’s sad (remember when Americans were allowed to enter Europe?…

Welcome to Cambodia! That'll Be $3,000, Please

We have a new winner for the title of World's Harshest Covid-19 Entry Requirement. Cambodia has announced that all visitors to that Southeast Asian country (famous for the Angkor Wat…

MGM Resorts Bringing Back a Favorite Vegas Perk

When the Las Vegas Strip reopens after the coronavirus lockdown, free parking will be making a Sin City comeback as well. Once a standard feature at casino hotels along the Strip, the…

After Backlash, Frontier Airlines Drops Social Distancing Fee

Frontier Airlines has abandoned plans to charge passengers extra to fly next to empty middle seats on flights, according to news reports. The move was made following widespread (and…

Frontier Airlines Will Let You Socially Distance—for a Price

One thing you can always count on from the airlines: They will never run out of excuses to charge extra fees. Now an airline is charging passengers more if they want to observe CDC…

"Basic Business Class"? Emirates Quietly Shakes Up Airfare Structures

Last summer, with no fanfare whatsoever, Emirates changed the rules of business travel. It took what was a signature product—its well-rated business class service—and decoupled it from…

At JetBlue, a New High in Baggage Fees Brings a New Low for Customers

Which U.S.–based airline charges customers the highest fee for their first checked bag? As of this week, it's JetBlue. The airline hiked its baggage fee by $5—it's now $35. That's the…