A just-released government report has found that when it comes to reporting their departure times, some airlines have been cheating. How’s that? If, for some reason, a flight has to return to the gate, carriers have been reporting the second departure — not the first — as their actual departure.
November 2007
Before you ask — no, I’m not in the business of rating blogs. But I’m a panelist at the Historic Hotels of America annual meeting at the Don CeSar Beach Resort on St. Petersburg Beach, Fla., tomorrow, and have been asked to name some of the hotel bloggers that are worth following.
Ever wonder what airline employees say about us when our backs are turned? Then you probably would have wanted to be a fly on the wall at last month’s Worldwide Airline Customer Relations Association (WACRA) conference in Bahrain. The theme of the conference, “Shifting Sands,” was telling in and of itself. But it gets better. Much, much better.
The latest round of fuel surcharges imposed on cruise passengers who have already paid for their tickets isn’t just morally wrong. It’s probably illegal, too. And at least one passenger has taken the fight against these surprise extras to a new level that could eventually help thousands of passengers get to cruise at the price they deserve.
I admit, we media types were ready to write the apocalyptic headlines about Thanksgiving travel disasters (“Record flight delays signal end of civilization as we know it!”). We wanted to show you long lines and angry customers. Instead, as I point out in this week’s issue, we had … nothing. And as someone who had to board a plane three times last week, no one is happier than yours truly. Also, check out posts on influential travel bloggers, unconventional travel advice and why being a frequent flier can help you get a faster answer from an airline. Read all about it in this week’s issue.
Which of our cities are perpetually clogged with cars and trucks? The government recently announced the winners of a competition for federal funds to fight traffic congestion — yes, cities actually were competing for the honor of having the worst traffic — and here are the results.
United Airlines’ Web site may have hit a glitch over the weekend, and if you have hyphenated last name, it could affect you. Reader Char James-Tanny reports trying to buy a ticket through United.com, but having the reservation stall when she tried to pay. A company representative told her the problem was on the back end of the reservations system, and was being fixed.
The rental car that Earnest Hoenck reserves from Hertz isn’t available when he arrives in Hamburg, Germany. He’s offered two choices: a smaller car that won’t accommodate his luggage, or a bigger car for an extra 10 euros a day. He picks the bigger car, but when he returns the rental, he finds that his bill is even bigger than he expected. What can he do?
It’s that time of year! Aren, Erysse and Kari are hanging up the Christmas lights while Daddy makes the eggnog. But not before taking a picture or two.
Who are the most influential travel bloggers? That isn’t an easy question to answer, because it’s not just site visits and mainstream media mentions that matter (in fact, those often matter very little). It’s how the blogger influences travelers and the overall industry. And at the end of the day, that’s a pretty subjective thing.
Frequent flier programs may be the crack cocaine of the travel industry, but if you want an airline to respond to your inquiry, being elite gets you priority treatment. So says a new survey of airline customer relations departments I’ve obtained.
This is the first photo Aren took for our blog. It was actually two exposures (adding the third would have made the subjects too blurry). And we used a tripod. Daddy doesn’t want to start up Photoshop, so everyone has to hold really still. Way to go, Aren!
Happy Thanksgiving, indeed. At a time of the year when bloggers and talking heads like to pile on the airlines for their substandard service, it’s refreshing to hear about a carrier — and particularly one with a so-so reputation for customer service — not just meeting, but exceeding its customers expectations. I’m talking about Northwest Airlines.
Aren got an early Christmas present — a skateboard. That was the easy part. Staying on it … now there’s the challenge!
Forget everything you’ve seen on TV, heard on the radio or read in blogs about holiday air travel. Early indications are that things are running remarkably smoothly out there. Here are on-time numbers from the last 12 hours for the 10 busiest airports in the United States, courtesy of Flightstats.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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