More fees, please
True, its executives are incompetent. Its service is inadequate. But grant our failing airline business this: it certainly is inventive. I admit, I doubted America’s worst-run industry had any creativity left in it. Despite generous government loans and subsidies, at least one major airline, Delta Air Lines, is on the brink of bankruptcy. Another, US Airways, is reportedly close to insolvency. But I was wrong, so very wrong.
Stranded in San Francisco
Q: I used Orbitz to purchase three seats for a flight on America West from San Francisco to Boston. The tickets were for my wife, our infant daughter and me.
At the time I booked the flights, Orbitz charged me the same price for the separate infant seat as the adult ones. After repeatedly beginning [...]
Kid-friendly checkpoints
A new federal plan would create special lanes for children at airport security checkpoints. The lanes are designed to make the process less intimidating for kids and their parents.
Engine trouble
Q: We rented a car from Hertz in Cancun, Mexico, last spring. We paid for the highest level of insurance coverage offered, which was described by the Hertz agent as the insurance that covered any damage that might occur to the vehicle during our rental.
While driving on the highway called the Riviera Maya the [...]
A Murphy family vacation
Q: My husband and I bought tickets for a trip from Chicago to Norfolk, Va., in April for travel in June. In May I received an automated message from United Airlines asking me to call the airline regarding the trip. I called and was informed that one of the legs of the return trip had [...]
Getting the deceiver rate
Frustrated by rising hotel rates, Ron Goltsch recently devised a creative — if unorthodox — solution. Instead of booking a room through a travel agency or a hotel Web site, and securing a modest discount, Mr. Goltsch, an engineer from Fairfield, N.J., would search the Internet for a hotel. Once he found one to his liking, he looked around the Web for a prominent business close by.
Best airports to go wireless
No one likes to spend time stuck at the airport on a stopover or, worse yet, a mechanical or weather delay of unknown duration. But the wait can be made more bearable if there’s an easy wireless Internet connection to help you stay productive.
The question is: Given your druthers, which airport would you prefer to [...]
Filthy hotel, no refund
Q: I recently booked four nights at a Spokane, Wash., hotel through Hotwire. When I checked in, I was told that it was the day after Hoopfest, a weekend basketball competition for young adults.
As I walked from the lobby to the elevator, I notice that the carpet was filthy, as was the elevator. It [...]
Fares take a fall
All the talk about crowded flights and sold-out hotels this summer didn’t make Sharon Hodgson feel optimistic when she started planning a fall trip to Florida. “I’m always on the lookout for a deal,” says retired nurse from West Union, W. Va. “I thought I’d have to do a lot of looking.”
Help, I’m stuck in Houston
Q: I am in a sticky situation with Northwest Airlines, with which I have booked my vacation flight to India. I would appreciate your help.
I went to Houston airport to get checked in for my first flight, but while I was standing in the economy-class line, a ticketing agent (who refused to give me [...]