Tagged: flying

Airfare Is Rising Fast. For Perspective, Here's What Your Grandparents Paid to Fly

There's no question that a fuel pricing disaster is bearing down on travelers.The situation, which was triggered by the U.S. attack on Iran in February, is terrible and getting…

United Airlines Accused of Flying Military Cargo with Passengers, Putting Them at Deadly Risk

On May 7, 1915, the passenger ocean liner Lusitania, bound for Liverpool from New York City, was torpedoed by German forces off the southern coast of Ireland, near the modern-day port…

It's Happening! Airline to Start Charging for Use of Overhead Bins

Are airlines passing the point of no return with the industry's latest extra fee?Today's Rubicon: making customers pay a fee to put their bags in the overhead storage bins. The airline…

First-Time Flying: An Easy, Step-by-Step Checklist for Airport Newbies

Everyone you'll see at the airport flew for the first time once. If it's your turn to take your own maiden voyage and you're on your own, how will you know how to get from point A to…

Europe Upgrades Flyer Rights with Free Luggage and More. Sorry, Americans.

After a yearslong process during which opposing interests got together and hammered out a compromise (remember how productive that can be?), the European Parliament has come up with a…

Would You Pay Extra to Make Sure Nobody Sits in the Middle Seat Beside You?

My husband and I have very different needs when we fly (and no, this has nothing to do with the airport divorce I discussed recently). In short, I need to be on the aisle, but he likes…

Delta Just Added a Basic Business Ticket. That's Bad for Your Upgrade Chances

Delta Air Lines has introduced a new Basic version of airfare for its upper classes of service. The new ticket categories threaten to reduce the opportunities that loyalty members have…

Transatlantic Air Bookings Are Way, Way Down This Summer. Gee, Wonder Why

Cirium, an airline analytics watcher, has been keeping track of summer airline bookings between Europe and the United States, and the company reports that passenger numbers are…

"The TSA’s New $45 Fee to Fly Without ID is Illegal," Says Regulatory Expert

On Sunday, February 1, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began charging travelers without REAL ID $45 to fly.This may come as a surprise, but no U.S. law requires you to…

What Airline Refund Rights Do Americans Still Have? Here's What Remains

In 2025, the major U.S. airlines were taken off the leash by the incoming federal administration. A lobbyist for the airlines, Sean Duffy, was installed as the head of the Department…

American Airlines Blocks Basic Economy Passengers from Earning Miles

Bad news for budget travelers.The U.S. legacy carriers like to claim they moved to à la carte pricing and stripped-down cabin categories to give travelers more options for customizing…

7 Tips for Surviving the FAA Flight Reduction Crisis—Including One You'll Wish You'd Thought Of Yourself

You’ve read the news: The U.S. government shutdown is now the longest in history. TSA agents and air traffic controllers haven’t been paid in over a month, so Transportation Secretary…

Here's Each Airline's Rebooking Policy for Flights Canceled by FAA Reductions

The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that in response to the government's failure to reopen, it will cull the flight schedule in the United States by about 10% starting…

Can You Opt Out of a Face Scan for International Flight Departures in the U.S.?

This month, a facial recognition system at U.S. airports completed its pilot stage and moved to official implementation. As of September 26, there are 57 major American airports where…

U.S. Airlines Try to Abandon Passenger Rights and Performance Reports—to Secretly Police Themselves

The nation's largest airlines are quietly asking the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to virtually eradicate every meaningful consumer protection we have. If the big carriers…

Delta and United Get Sued for Selling Windowless 'Window Seats'

U.S. airlines have turned seat assignments into a profit center. It didn't used to be this way, but that's where we are now. We pay for what we used to get for free.Passengers…

The TSA Has Banned These Hair Care Products from Checked Luggage

This year, the Transportation Security Administration has made a few important tweaks to security rules at the airport.In February, the TSA clarified that portable chargers and power…

Find Cheap Flights with These Airfare Deal Accounts on Bluesky

Around the year 2000, most airlines ran regular email campaigns to tell travelers about the latest airfare sales. Each airline claimed its own day of the week to spit out an eagerly…

Spirit Airlines Warns Passengers That It May Soon Go Kaput

The message from Spirit Airlines, delivered this week in an official financial filing, couldn't be more stark."Management has concluded there is substantial doubt as to the Company’s…

Frontier Airlines Sells You Passenger Rights That Europeans Get for Free

On Wednesday, no-frills carrier Frontier Airlines unveiled its latest optional fee, dubbed Disruption Assistance for Any Reason. If customers buy the add-on at the time of ticketing,…

Warning: Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access via Credit Cards Is Increasingly Futile

Access at more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide is granted through the Priority Pass program for people with some of the most popular credit cards in travel. Those cards include…

The Big Three Airlines Are Misleading Travelers So They Can Rig the System

We have two airline industries in America. There are larger carriers, led by the Big Three oligopoly of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. And then we have…

Standing Airline Seats Are Reportedly Coming in 2026. That News Doesn't Sit Well

When you have covered travel news for 25 years, as I have, you notice that certain stories flare up with the regularity of heartburn. Such it is with standing airline seats, a sizzling…

Newark Airport is a Mess. Has it Become Less Safe to Fly in the U.S.?

Even people who live nowhere near New Jersey have been shaken by reports of chronic flight delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) due to ATC. There's…

What Each of Southwest Airlines' New Fare Classes Buys You

Southwest Airlines has been going through some things—operational meltdowns, backtracking on customer perks, scorching mockery on Saturday Night Live—but it wants you to believe…