Spit Take! Study Says Don't Drink the Water on Planes
Posted on 09/12/2019, 3:00 AM
You should probably stick to bottled water in the skies. That's the conclusion of a new study measuring airline water safety, conducted by Hunter College's New York City Food Policy Center and DietDetective.com. Researchers analyzed the quality of the drinking water on 11 major airlines and 12 regional carriers, considering criteria such as reports of positive E. coli and coliform samples as...
A Major Newspaper Asks If It's Ethical to Fly. Arthur Frommer Wants Your Thoughts
Posted on 08/26/2019, 12:00 AM
Depending on your politics, you either do or you don’t regard The New York Times as the nation’s leading newspaper. But after that paper’s recent examination of the relation between travel and climate change, you must surely regard it as the nation’s boldest newspaper. The Times’ startling discussion (which you can read here) results from the belief held by almost all prestigious ...
What Do Reindeer Do in the Summer? Attend Yoga Classes, Apparently.
Posted on 06/27/2019, 4:15 PM
Goat yoga classes, which combine breathing, posing, and snuggling with special guest ruminants, may be all the rage among limber animal lovers. But Alaska just upped the antlered ante. At a summer yoga class in Fairbanks, attendees complete a 60-minute hatha or vinyasa flow session in the presence of reindeer. Classes take place Monday and Friday evenings at 6pm at Running Reindeer Ranch, whi...
Arthur Frommer: It's Smart to Make Sure Your Airbnb Host is at Home
Posted on 06/11/2019, 8:00 AM
A massive battle is being waged in courtrooms all over the world between supporters of short-term apartment rentals and cities wanting to put an end to those uses. The cities claim that such companies as Airbnb are worsening the availability of housing for permanent residents; that these permanent residents are unable to stay in a growing number of apartments illegally rented by landlord...
London Airport Soon to Let You Keep Liquids and Laptops in Carry-Ons
Posted on 06/08/2019, 7:30 AM
If all goes as planned, travelers at London's Heathrow Airport will soon get to keep liquids and laptops in carry-on bags while passing through security checkpoints. The airport announced that it can make that change thanks to new 3D scanners equipped with high-tech CT technology to provide a clearer-than-ever picture of what, exactly, you've got in your hand luggage—no removal of makeup-packed ...
The Aviation Industry is Asked to Do Something About Emissions, Writes Arthur Frommer
Posted on 06/06/2019, 7:00 AM
If humankind is to survive into the next century, something will have to be done about the drastic climate change currently experienced on earth. Though narrow-minded politicians may find it easy to call such reports a “hoax,” hundreds of eminent scientists are virtually unanimous in urgently drawing attention to that danger. Other irresponsible people claim that the problem is o...
A Website Called Fairbnb Has Flung an "Ethical" Challenge to Airbnb
Posted on 06/04/2019, 8:00 AM
Although it has successfully helped millions of travelers to find overnight accommodations in an apartment or home, Airbnb is still mired in controversy and fending off attacks. It has been challenged by (and remains embattled against) numerous city governments which claim that Airbnb has worsened the housing situation in their jurisdictions and reduced the available accommodations for p...
Our Travel Podcasts: Summer, Star Wars, Safety, Scams
Posted on 06/03/2019, 6:00 PM
Each week, Frommer's brings you two fresh podcasts stuffed with travel tips, news, and inspiration. Recordings are made from our weekly call-in show on WABC-770AM in New York and our nationally syndicated radio program. With Memorial Day behind us, the summer travel season has begun—and we've got a lot of news you need to know before you hit the road. First, hosts Pauline Frommer and Jas...
Arthur Frommer: Add Austria to the Nations Where Neo-Nazi Extremists Are Gaining Power
Posted on 05/28/2019, 7:00 AM
Turns out I was too limited in recently listing the western European nations partially or wholly controlled by neo-Nazis. You can now add Austria (for reasons set forth below) to the countries whose current government will cause progressive people all over the world to cease visiting them. Although the new ruling party in Austria is not itself far right-wing, they have apparently...
Airline Ticketing Will Include Nonbinary Gender Option
Posted on 02/19/2019, 3:30 PM
The major U.S. airlines are changing their online ticketing sites so that passengers can identify gender with options other than male and female. According to the Associated Press, American, Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska, and JetBlue are all working on introducing selections such as "undisclosed," "unspecified," or "Mx.," a non-gendered alternative to Mr. or Ms. Industry trade group Airlines...
How to Check TSA Wait Times Online
Several apps promise to tell you airport security times—but are they reliable? Results vary.
When Is a Home Rental Legal in New York City? Ask Arthur Frommer, a Former Lawyer
Posted on 01/31/2019, 1:00 AM
There is perhaps nowhere in America that more needs the services of Airbnb than New York City. Its hotels are frequently sold out, and even when available are sky-high in price. So low-cost Airbnb is best for your next New York stay, right? Not so fast. Fearing the impact of Airbnb upon the housing needs of permanent residents, both the city and state of New York have passed rules gre...
What to Do About TSA Delays Caused by Government Shutdown
Posted on 01/14/2019, 12:00 PM
The U.S. government's partial shutdown, now in its fourth smash week, has started to have a negative impact on airport security lines. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners aren't being paid during this month-long-and-counting lapse in federal productivity and rationality. On Friday, those workers missed their first paychecks since the shutdown began on December 22. As an a...
U.S. Tourism to Canada Again Embroiled in Controversy
Posted on 12/10/2018, 12:00 AM
Through all the decades of travel from the U.S. to Canada, our northern neighbor has occasionally presented us with touristic issues and arguments. Some 60 years ago, Canadian travel agents were accused of attracting prolonged visits by young American men as a means of their avoiding service in Vietnam. But now the entire Canadian nation is attracting modern-day American tourists for another reas...
The Leaning Tower of Pisa Is Leaning Less
Posted on 11/29/2018, 12:00 AM
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is standing a little straighter these days. Engineers say that the tilt of the Italian icon has reduced by about 4cm (1.6 in.), according to news reports. More significantly, the international group that monitors the tower has deemed it stable, safe, and unlikely to topple over. For these developments we can thank a restoration process begun in the 1990s, when safety...
Arthur Frommer: The Safest Destinations Are Named. Guess Who's Not a Leader?
Posted on 11/27/2018, 2:00 AM
A well-respected international consumer organization has picked the safest countries in which to travel, and the United States is nowhere among the leaders. Which are the world’s safest countries in which to travel? In these days of terror and climate change, that question is posed by a great many would-be tourists. An international organization recently researched that question, and to no o...
Smoke on a Carnival Cruise and You Could Get Kicked Off the Ship
Posted on 11/27/2018, 12:00 AM
Carnival Cruise Line is getting stricter with passengers who light up at sea. The company has updated its tobacco and marijuana smoking policy to include the possibility of removal from the ship for guests caught smoking in staterooms, suites, or on cabin balconies. Any other passengers staying in the offender's room will have to leave, too, and nobody will get refunds for unused cruise fare. ...
Arthur Frommer: Long Live the FAA, Protector of Our Lives in the Air!
Posted on 11/20/2018, 12:00 AM
Although a great many business interests are constantly opposed to being regulated by the federal government, almost no one objects to a similar supervision of the airline industry. We all risk our lives when we fly, and to a lesser extent we rely on government for our transportation comfort. Just recently, Congress reauthorized actions by the Federal Aviation Administration, and gave additiona...
New Rules in Rome Target Rowdy, Boozy Tourists
Posted on 11/19/2018, 5:30 PM
Italy has just about had it with your nonsense. Straining under the burden of accommodating endless hordes of tourists and their accompanying noise, litter, rowdiness, and traffic gridlock, the country's most popular cities are rolling out strict behavioral regulations—with hefty fines—aimed at keeping visitors under control. Florence recently banned eating in the streets. Venice has outlawed ev...
American Airlines Will Allow Early Boarding for Flyers with Nut Allergies
Posted on 11/08/2018, 12:00 AM
As if determined to undo their decades of peanut pushing, U.S. airlines continue to make concessions to passengers with nut allergies. Hardly any carriers serve those snacks on flights anymore—not even Southwest Airlines, which had once made its peanuts a core part of the company's brand identity. Now, American Airlines is going a step further for allergy sufferers. Starting December 12, they'...
