Help! Southwest Airlines stranded my puppy in Little Rock

December 3, 2009

puppyIt was just a matter of time before Southwest Airlines, which started accepting pets as passengers earlier this year, got into a dog-fight with a customer. Actually, this one’s more of a cat fight.

Jonathan Camp’s rescue puppy, Gatsby, had to be left in Little Rock, Ark, after airline employees decided he was too big to fly. Southwest’s policies are clearly spelled out on its Web site, but there is always room for interpretation — and it appears Camp and Southwest didn’t see the policies in the same way.

Camp asked me to intervene after Gatsby was stranded.
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30 worst cities for traffic in America

December 2, 2009

traffic2Which American city has the worst traffic? If you said New York or Los Angeles, guess again. A new survey by TomTom, which is based on the traffic data of millions of GPS users, finds Seattle has the highest percentage of congested roadways.

The results come from TomTom’s speed profiles, an historical speed database from TomTom map business unit Tele Atlas. The profiles aggregate the actual speeds that millions of anonymous, GPS-enabled drivers have traveled over the last two years.

Cities were ranked as most to least congested according to how fast cars could travel on the street network. A city’s traffic was defined as congested if drivers could travel at only 70 percent or less of the posted speed limit, meaning on average an hour long commute included 20 minutes or more of significant delays.
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“At times it feels as though the airline industry has been pushed over a cliff”

Robert Herbst runs the Web site AirlineFinancials.com, which has provided some of the more memorable and controversial airline analysis for this site and many other media outlets. Herbst is a pilot for a major airline — I agreed not to mention it in this interview, but his employer has been disclosed elsewhere — and has been crunching airline numbers for many years. He flies Boeing 767 and 757 aircraft in the United States, where you’re likely to find him on southern routes during the winter months.

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Clear Airfares Act of 2009 aims to expose hidden fees and taxes

Ever wished there was a law that forces airlines to disclose all extras on their tickets? Right up front. While you’re shopping for flights.
Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) apparent does, so he’s proposed bill that would do just that. The Clear Airfares Act of 2009 would ensure that before passengers are required to submit personal or [...]

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Hilton exec overrules “customer service” department, helps guest

Got a problem with Hilton? You might get help. Then again, you might not.

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What’s new on Elliott: Airline presents, flying blind and spiders in my dessert (not the singing kind)

Holiday presents we want from the airline industry. Plus, why the TSA wants us to fly blind and spiders in my dessert — not the singing kind.

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Why wasn’t “Spiders in my Dessert” the next “United Breaks Guitars”?

American Airlines wants to know, because it believes “Spiders in my Dessert” could have been a public relations disaster of United Breaks Guitars proportions. (The arachnid, which allegedly lived inside the chocolate cake, makes an appearance at about 0:15. Delicious!)

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With air security, travelers are flying blind

The Transportation Security Administration likes to keep terrorists guessing. Apparently, it likes to keep travelers guessing, too.

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Nakation, anyone? 5 reasons to bare it all on your next vacation

These are hard times for clothing-optional travelers.

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A canceled flight, a missing refund

When Sarah Paynter’s honeymoon flight is delayed by two days, she buys a ticket on another carrier with the promise of a refund from her first airline. But now that the honeymoon is over, there’s no sign of the money. What now?

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A smashed window on my rental car — and a surprise bill

When you return your rental car, your liability for the vehicle ends, right? Wrong.
Jessica Siegel brought her sedan back to Avis in London recently. A few weeks later, she got a bill for triple the amount she’d expected.
What happened? She’d dropped off the car after hours, and during the night, someone broke a window on [...]

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What’s new on Elliott: A smashing car rental bill, giving thanks for a terminal vacation and Southwest strikes out

A smashing car rental bill. Plus, giving thanks for a terminal vacation and Southwest Airlines strikes out.

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Thank you! United fixes “last vacation” for terminal cancer patient

Here’s a heart-warming story for the Thanksgiving holiday: James Thomson and a longtime friend, who is suffering from terminal cancer, ran into trouble with their flights from San Francisco to Bali. One leg of Thompson’s flight was canceled, which threatened to end his friend’s final vacation.

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Southwest Airlines strikes out in airline food survey; Continental tops the list

Airline food. No, that’s not the punchline to a joke.

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Help, my travel insurance company won’t answer the phone!

It’s every traveler’s worst nightmare: You’re in trouble, so you reach for your phone to call your travel insurance company. The line rings. And rings. And rings.

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