Articles

Air Travel

Article / Air Travel

Traveling Smart and Healthy With Children This Holiday Season

Airline surcharges, swine flu, and the trials of traveling with children will keep some people home for the holidays. Here are nine ways to keep you healthy, richer, and more relaxed…

Article / Air Travel

Home for the Holidays? Our Annual Calendar of the Best Days to Fly

The total gutting of the American economy encouraged lower airfares for those who could still afford to fly home for the holidays. But as those much-spoken-about 'green shoots' come up…

Article / Air Travel

Travel Troubleshooter: One Airline Ticket for the Price of Two

Our reader's flight from LA to Dallas has all the makings of a trip from hell, including weather delays, cancellations, and almost-missed flights. What could be worse? Having to pay…

Article / Air Travel

6 Really Nice Ways to Get Your Way When You Travel

Is politeness a new form of currency in travel? Could a smile be more effective in getting preferential treatment than elite-level status or the amount of money you paid for your…

Article / Air Travel

Is Upgrading Using Miles Just a Wild Fare Chase?

It's not easy to snag an upgradeable seat at a reasonable fare, as major U.S.-based airlines have tinkered with their upgrade policies and changed mileage requirements and the eligible…

Article / Air Travel

Air Chapter 11: 5 Tips for Surviving the Bankrupt Skies

One day -- maybe soon -- you could be flying the bankrupt skies. How will that affect your trip? Here's how you can prepare.

Article / Air Travel

How to Find Trip Security When You're Insecure About Your Job

Worried about forfeiting your airfare and vacation if you get canned? Insurance policies offer protection.

Article / Air Travel

8 Tips for Getting a Better Airplane Seat

Now, more than ever, upgrading can be a trip-saver. Here are eight ways to help make your next flight more comfortable without paying -- or cramping -- an arm and a leg.

Article / Air Travel

Travel Troubleshooter: A Bankrupt Airline Ruined My Honeymoon

Our reader's airline goes out of business, but Travelocity assures her the Hawaii honeymoon flight is still a go -- but that doesn't happen. She's forced to buy new tickets and now the…

Article / Air Travel

Airfarewatchdog's 11 Ticket Buying Tips

You may know the basics to getting lower fares on your flights, but Airfarewatchdog.com has gathered some additional advice that will save you money next time you're shopping for a…

Article / Air Travel

Travel Troubleshooter: My Airline's Giving Me the Cold Shoulder

Our reader books seven tickets on Icelandair's website. Then it bills her twice and cancels her tickets. Rebooking will cost $100 apiece. Plus, there's still a $6,897 charge on her…

Article / Air Travel

The Baggage "Insurance" Airlines Never Tell You About

Excess valuation can come in handy when you're flying with valuables. Never heard of this? The airline isn't likely to tell you about it unless you ask. So let us explain.

Article / Air Travel

7 Ways to Avoid Checked Luggage Fees

Airlines are depending on ancillary revenues in general, and luggage fees in particular, more than ever. Here's how air travelers can be more vigilant than ever about avoiding them.

Article / Air Travel

Watch Out! 11 Airline Fees You Haven't Heard Of ... Yet

If past experience is any indicator, several new fees could be tacked on to your fare. Maybe not today, not tomorrow, but someday soon, and for the rest of your flying life.

Article / Air Travel

Get Out of the Penalty Box: Tips for Avoiding Long Taxi-in Times

When flights arrive too early, they can spend a considerable amount of time waiting before you can get off. Here are four ways to get to the gate faster.

Article / Air Travel

Pet Fees Gone Wild: 4 Reasons Animals Shouldn't Fly

If dogs and cats belonged at 36,000 feet, they would have wings. And the current system, whether it's a moneymaker or a deterrent, is hopelessly broken.

Article / Air Travel

Kids on a Plane! 5 Fixes for Unruly Junior Passengers

Kids on a plane: No four words incite more acrimonious debate among air travelers. Here are five ways we might approach the kids-on-a-planes problem

Article / Air Travel

Travel Troubleshooter: A Typo on My Airline Ticket

Our reader buys two tickets to Italy on Expedia. But when an agent misspells his wife's name, he must embark on an odyssey to ensure she'll be allowed to use her tickets. Will he be…

Article / Air Travel

New Rule: 3 Travel Policies That Should Be Revived

Many of the travel industry's customer-friendly policies were quietly dropped after 9/11 in an effort to raise revenues. It's time to bring back some of these rules.

Article / Air Travel

How to Get the Best Seat on the Plane

Even if you're an infrequent flier who doesn't get access to the choice seats, there are some ways to get a slightly better seat than everyone else's.

Article / Air Travel

Is London Finally Becoming Affordable?

London has been scarily expensive for the past few years. Is it now time that Americans reclaimed the right to visit and smile when the bill arrives?

Article / Air Travel

Greenwich Mean Time: Beating the Jet Lag Blues

Good old Greenwich Mean Time can be mean, all right, if you crisscross timelines and travel a lot. But what's a tired world traveler to do?

Article / Air Travel

How to Go Around the World on One URL

The global frequent flyer program Oneworld has created an online booking tool that allows you to plan and book around-the-world trips and multi-city itineraries with relatively few…

Article / Air Travel

It's Not Too Late to Grab a Last-Minute Holiday Getaway

Traveling during the holidays usually means paying a premium, but the current economy has many tour providers skipping the mark-up in favor of getting bottoms on seats and bodies in…

Article / Air Travel

Traveling for the Holidays? 8 Best International Airports For Shopping

From luxury goods for less to local products fairly priced, these international airports help you both burn time and save it, and give you an excellent opportunity to find that last…