Articles

Air Travel

Article / Passportable

The Travel Services That Close in a U.S. Government Shutdown

As the wheels of Washington threaten to grind to a halt yet again, another United States federal government shutdown is a concern. Travel, by and large, is considered a "non-essential"…

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San Francisco Airport Can Now Send Emergency Texts to Passengers

San Francisco International Airport has become the first in the nation to receive approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to send emergency text messages directly to any…

Article / Air Travel

New York City's Airport Dentist Looks Back on 30 Years in the "Smile High Club"

Did you know there are dental offices at New York City's LaGuardia and JFK Airports? Dr. Robert Trager has been tending to the smiles of airport personnel and passengers for three…

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Now You Can Fly Round-Trip to Europe for €399—with a Catch

First, U.S. domestic airlines introduced Basic Economy fares so their rates would appear more competitive with low-cost carriers in Web searches.Now the transatlantic airlines are…

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No More Airline Miles for Hotel Stays Among Changes to Hilton's Loyalty Program

Hilton Worldwide is making changes to its 70-million-member hotel loyalty program, Hilton Honors.Among the most consequential of the updates: Starting April 1, members will no longer…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer's Travel Resolutions for the New Year

Because they often seek to regulate all of human activity, I find most New Year’s Resolutions to be rather unsatisfying. Here’s an attempt to limit these rules to the world of travel,…

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New App Helps Visually Impaired Travelers Navigate Airport

American Printing House for the Blind's "Nearby Explorer" app—a GPS-enabled mobile wayfinding service developed specifically for visually impaired users—has a brand-new feature to help…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Our Top Tips for Surviving Holiday Air Travel this Year

The airlines are expecting 51 million passengers to fly in United States in the final two weeks of December, a figure that’s up 3% from last year’s record number. Break it down and…

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U.S. Government Won't Require Bag Fee Disclosure in Airfares

An Obama administration proposal designed to protect airline passengers from hidden fees has been discarded by the current Department of Transportation. Under the proposed…

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An Airline Perk for Ugly Holiday Sweaters

Alaska Airlines passengers will want to raid their closets for brightly colored, snowman-bedecked, jingle-bell-festooned sweaters on December 15.In honor of National Ugly Christmas…

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Airlines Limit Smart Bags Allowed on Flights

The supposed next big thing in luggage just hit a snag. Several U.S. airlines have announced bans on technologically sophisticated "smart" suitcases with lithium-ion batteries that…

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In Denver You Can Dine in a Former Air Traffic Control Tower

Although Denver's old Stapleton International Airport has been closed for more than 20 years, the air traffic control tower recently reopened.There won't be any flight coordinating…

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UPDATED: Will American Airlines' Scheduling Glitch Leave You Stranded for the Holidays?

This post, originally published on December 1, has been updated below.American Airlines discovered earlier this week that a glitch in the internal system used by pilots to schedule…

Article / Slideshows

Sacramento, Discovered: California's Capital Shines Bright

California’s capital city is often overshadowed by the Golden State’s metropolitan giants, San Francisco , San Diego , and Los Angeles . But in the last decade, as the tech sector…

Article / Slideshows

The Trends That Will Shape Travel in 2018

Glance at a list of recent travel trends and you’ll be struck by something. Where we visit, the ways we get there, and what we do upon arrival are all shaped by events in the wider…

Article / Passportable

The U.S. Frequent Flyer Program with the Highest Customer Satisfaction Is...

Measuring loyalty programs separately from overall airline satisfaction for the first time, the market research company J.D. Power devised a 1,000-point scale rating the six largest…

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Blaming Trump, Another Airline Calls It Quits in Cuba

Alaska Airlines will discontinue its service to Cuba on January 22, 2018, the carrier has announced. The reason: the Trump Administration's new rules that make it too difficult for…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Passenger Jets Now Fueled by Food Scraps and Vegetable Oil

At the end of 1985's Back to the Future, Doc Brown opens his Delorean and dumps table scraps and beer into a "Mr. Fusion" tank to generate the power to whisk Marty McFly into the year…

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Airfare is About to Rise. Here's Why

American and Southwest airlines have both sent signals that their airfares are about to go up.Why? Simple: They're making more money, so they don't need to put flights on sale as…

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One More Airline Adopts Basic Economy Pricing

Monkey see, monkey do. The biggest airlines have now instituted new, bare-bones "basic economy" fares that strip passengers of the automatic right to checked bags or seat assignments…

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More Complex Screening Begins for U.S. Passengers

You might remember that last spring, several international airlines, mostly from predominantly Muslim countries, were banned from allowing laptops in passenger cabins. That, and the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

One Key to a Successful European Vacation Is Planning Several Months Ahead

When is it best to begin planning your trip to Europe? Though some of the experts disagree, the majority of them say just after the start of the new year, when airline tickets tend to…

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Date Set for Last Virgin America Flights

Your last chance to fly with Virgin America is April 24, 2018. The award-winning and much-loved carrier was acquired by Alaska Airlines for $2.6 billion in late 2016. Alaska later…

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Icelandair Joins the Basic Economy Crowd

Icelandair has joined the major U.S. airlines in rolling out a new stripped-down fare. "Economy Light," Icelandair's version of Basic Economy, comes with zero checked baggage…

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The Shortest Flight in the U.S.

United Airlines has begun operating the shortest commercial flight in the United States. Zipping between San Francisco and Santa Rosa in California's Sonoma County wine region three…