As someone who has been immersed in the world of chefs for my entire professional career, I am occasionally thrust into a situation where I have to clarify the name of the organization I work for.
2005
Factor in rising travel costs, the airlines’ unending woes, the devaluation of award programs and a continuing erosion of service, and you have the makings of another trying year. So trying, in fact, that some people are planning to avoid business travel altogether.
Now is nearly the bitter end of the busiest year for business travel since 9/11. While there is plenty to complain about, like airline bankruptcies, overcrowded airports, soaring hotel rates, maddening car rental fees and substandard customer service, there is also plenty to be grateful for.
Dense, much-maligned fruitcake simply won’t fly with many folks. But German stollen is another matter entirely. Many Americans are finding it a welcome alternative to our homegrown variety. (National Public Radio’s Weekend All Things Considered) Listen to the story.
All the major online agencies – Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz – have recently introduced customer-service initiatives, and many domestic airlines are responding by upgrading their Web sites and retraining phone agents.
Don’t let flight delays and weather woes derail your holiday trip. National Geographic ombudsman’s Christopher Elliott tells Kai what to do when you’re trapped in a travel nightmare.
Military officials sampled more than 450 flight simulation and virtual combat applications from defense contractors at this year’s Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference in Orlando. Christopher Elliott reports how the system lets troops in Maryland practice war games “alongside” NATO troops in Belgium via a high-speed hookup. (National Public Radio’s Day to Day) Listen [...]
You know the seatmate who doesn’t stop talking for the entire flight – the one no one wants to get stuck next to? I’m that guy. I can’t help myself. I’m a salesman.
It was a routine request for a business trip. At least that’s what Ramsay Chu thought.
Her PC is taken from her on a flight from Tel Aviv to Paris, with an assurance that it will be returned to her when she lands. But when Mita Patel’s laptop goes missing, El Al also holds her master’s thesis hostage. How to get her computer back in a hurry?
Michael Winston books a cruise for his mother-in-law through Travelocity. The online travel agent offers $700 in reward coupons, but then makes Winston wait until the cruise is done to collect them. By that time, the coupons have expired. And what does Travelocity have to say about it? Tough luck. Wrong answer.
Next time you board a plane, consider visiting the restroom first. The passengers on a recent United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Sydney probably wish they had.
Often when I fly, my seatmates confuse me with their therapists. I try to stick to my routine of reading a book or listening to my iPod, but once in a while I can’t help myself.
American Airlines canceled her flight to Cozumel, but it is only offering vouchers for the $2,000 she spent for her tickets. Margaret Anderson wants a refund. Her online travel agency says she’s entitled to one under “Rule 240.” But is she?
One minute, Shirley Kuhl was returning her rental car to the Enterprise lot in Baltimore. The next, she was on a shuttle van to the terminal, $500 poorer.
Airlines could be in for an unpleasant surprise: a passenger revolt against their tried-and-true system for keeping everybody happy if too many bodies show up at the gate.
The Dollar Rent a Car agent takes 45 minutes to complete Chelsea Grogan’s reservation. Then the car’s lost on the lot and Grogan is sent out to find it. Then Dollar bills her an extra $350 for the car.
I’ve traveled nearly two million miles in my personal quest to reach 100 countries, a goal that I achieved in 2004, picking up my seventh continent, Antarctica, and membership in the Travelers’ Century Club.
Lee Askern made a deposit for a cruise next spring, and agreed on a price. But now American West Steamboat is imposing a $40 fuel surcharge on Askern’s floating vacation. Can it do that? And what recourse does anyone have when prices change?
She changes her plans to fly from Miami to South Bend, Ind., on ATA. But when Jane Marie Russell tries to rebook her flights through her online travel agent, Orbitz, she’s in for a shock: ATA no longer flies out of Miami. Her only choice is an inconvenient flight from Orlando to Chicago. Is a refund in order?
