Articles

Air Travel

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Masks Will Be Required on Planes, Trains, and Buses Into September

Masks aren't going away anytime soon, at least not on public transportation in the United States. The Transportation Security Administration has extended its mask mandate through…

Article / Passportable

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…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Pandemic Forces a 19-Month Delay in Real ID Enforcement at Airports

Many notorious fibs have been told to modern travelers: High-speed rail is coming soon. Competition will make airline service better. Mergers will give travelers more choice. But among…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Why You Shouldn't Freak Out Over the U.S. Adding 116 Countries to the "Do Not Travel" List

Early this week, the U.S. State Department, as it often does, updated its list of travel advisories—and the resulting headlines sparked some consternation. On the surface, headlines…

Article / Passportable

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…

Article / Family & Kids

Make Your Summer Vacation Reservations Now—Or You Could Overpay or Get Shut Out

2021 is turning into a year unlike any other. With so many people vacationing domestically, it's never been more important for travelers to make early bookings.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

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…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

How Soon After Receiving the Vaccine Can You Travel?

Can you start traveling as soon as you're vaccinated for the coronavirus? The answer is complicated, balancing personal risk and the safety of others. 

Article / Slideshows

Oh Là Là! Magnifique Images from the Book 'Paris: From the Air'

Jeffrey Milstein has many talents. He's an architect. He's a respected photographer who shows work in museums and galleries around the world. And he's a pilot. If ever a book was a…

Article / Air Travel

Are You Allowed to Drink Your Own Alcohol on a Plane?

If you bring your own booze onto an airplane, is it legal to serve yourself during the flight?

Article / Slideshows

Five Big Challenges Confronting Travelers During the Pandemic Recovery

Some of the ways Covid-19 has changed travel are obvious. When we plan almost any adventure now, first we take into account safety protocols like social distancing and masks. The…

Article / Passportable

Southwest Gives Up on Social Distancing During Boarding, Blaming Crowds

This post, originally published March 24, has been updated below with news of another operational change at Southwest Airlines. We were kind of hoping airlines would keep the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Airlines Are Blindsiding Customers by Switching Itineraries—But You Don't Have to Take It

Americans may not realize it, but the pandemic has made airline schedules far less stable than they were. Travelers now have a much higher chance of getting stuck with an itinerary…

Article / Passportable

Staples Will Laminate Your Covid-19 Vaccination Card for Free Until May 1

Office supply giant Staples is laminating customers' Covid-19 vaccination record cards for free until May 1. Why would you want that? Because having proof of vaccination will soon be…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

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…

Article / Passportable

A New Nordic Airline Steps in to Launch Low-Cost Transatlantic Flights

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Anybody know how to translate that adage into Norwegian? It's only…

Article / Passportable

The Best and Worst Passports on the Planet, By Cost and Power

Fewer than 50% of Americans have passports—a surprisingly low percentage. Some people blame the price of the document, which is currently $145 for a new application or $110 to renew. A…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

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…

Article / Passportable

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,…

Article / Passportable

Here Are the Countries with the Least and Most Expensive Plane and Train Travel

Thailand has the world's most affordable domestic transportation prices overall while Denmark has the most expensive, according to a newly released analysis of plane, train, and bus…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

U.S. Airlines and CDC to Begin Contact-Tracing Passengers

Last week, the internet was abuzz with rumors that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was about to introduce a testing requirement on domestic airline traffic. The scuttlebutt was…

Article / Passportable

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…

Article / Passportable

Airline Waives Mask Rule for Passengers in First and Business Class

First class and business class flyers getting special perks is not news. But it's a shocking development when airlines decide to bend science in an effort to attract big…

Article / Air Travel

Your Guide to the Airlines' In-Flight Covid Safety Policies

From asking passengers to bring their own masks to blocking seat assignments, here's what the major airlines say they're doing to convince passengers it's safe to fly.

Article / Passportable

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…