A textbook rental scam?
Arul Menezes rents two cars from Hertz and both times gets the same drill: An agent prints out a contract for a higher rate and then tries to force an “upgrade” to a more expensive vehicle. What’s going on?
Bird flu jitters
For people making vacation plans, the H5N1 avian flu strain is beginning to loom large. And while the virus may not have mutated into a human disease, at least at this point, travelers are concerned. Count Betsy McCallum among that group.
An unfortunate chain of events
Kim Kolberg reserves a room at a hotel in Fort Myers Beach for the Shrimp Festival. After a hurricane hits, the toll-free reservations line assures her the property is open, but when she gets there, it’s closed. Kolberg has to scramble to find a room at a sister property - and it’s more expensive. Should she have to pay the difference?
Business fares fall
With fuel prices soaring and the holiday season approaching, leisure travelers are starting to grumble about higher fares. But business travelers, far from feeling the pain, are enjoying one of the longest periods of generally falling prices in recent memory.
Times have changed
Times have changed when it comes to air travel. I remember being on leave from the Marine Corps one Thanksgiving during the 1950’s. We were flying from Chicago to New York on a T.W.A. Constellation, a four-engine, piston-powered plane that once held the transcontinental speed record and was perhaps the most beautiful airliner ever built.
Missed flight, maxed-out card
She missed her flight from Minneapolis to Detroit by a few minutes. Now Northwest Airlines wants to charge Elizabeth Rodriguez an additional $1,289 to catch the next plane. Can the airline do that?
Taking forever to board
Why is shaving a few minutes off the human cattle herd such a big deal? Any business traveler who has ever rushed seconds too late to a connecting flight will be happy to answer that question. And so will any airline that has found itself at either the top or the bottom of an on-time performance ranking.
What are your rights?
Most experienced air travelers know that their rights are spelled out in an airline’s contract of carriage, and they often refer to the document during a dispute with a carrier. But with three of the nation’s major airlines - Delta, Northwest and United - flying under bankruptcy protections, are those contracts still valid?
5 myths about nude vacations
As a college student hiking through the French Alps many years ago, I accidentally uncovered one hotel’s shocking secret.
I didn’t mean to reveal it. It was a blistering hot day in Grenoble, and my traveling companion, Nate, wandered toward a swimming pool behind the resort while I stocked up on water and provisions. Moments [...]
That’s not my ding!
There’s a dent in Janice Zvaleny’s rental car, and Enterprise wants her to pay $500 for repairs — even before they get the car fixed. Just two problems. First, Zvaleny thinks the dent isn’t her fault. And second, the rental contract doesn’t say anything about paying upfront for damage to a vehicle. Should she fork over the money or not?
Hard lessons learned
I have always traveled extensively, but as I neared retirement, I took to the road to research a reference book about mountains. For someone who had spent his career in the ivory tower, I was astonished by the many half-truths and outright dishonesties that awaited me as a business traveler.
The life of a nomad
Greg Brooks is homeless. Not impoverished, “brother can you spare a dime” homeless, but displaced just the same. How else to describe a business traveler who spends 330 days a year on the road?
Feeling the burn in your room
Hotels are expanding their fitness offerings beyond their workout rooms, offering room-service delivery of fitness equipment (often at no additional charge), exercise manuals, workout DVD’s and, in some cases, they’ll send a personal trainer to your room.
No nonstop to Disney
The Rice family’s Disney vacation goes goofy before it even begins, when their “nonstop” flight gets an unwanted stopover. With two kids in tow, that’s a major inconvenience. Disney Travel admits the mistake, but now wants the Rices to buy completely new tickets. Is that the only option?
Boeing’s popsicle treat
The Popsicle, a Boeing 737-400 painted bright orange and white, is a fantasy come true for the harried business traveler. Fitted with first-class seats and serving first-rate cuisine, it jets around the world to show off Connexion by Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer’s proprietary in-flight wireless Internet system.