Spring is in the air, and that can only mean one thing: it’s mating season for the airlines. If it weren’t for that Puritan chaperon, James Oberstar, who said he wouldn’t tolerate any unions, it would probably be a free-for-all. This week’s newsletter has details on the chairman’s comments and other airline mergers past and present. Plus, you can read an all-new Travel Troubleshooter, watch a videocast and interact with yours truly in any number of different ways. Safe travels!
From the monthly archives:
February 2008
There’s bad news for anyone who is considering booking a trip online: the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index from the University of Michigan finds customer satisfaction has fallen to an all-time low. The online travel industry’s aggregate scored slipped from 76 to 75 last year, a drop of 1.3 percent. It’s the lowest reading since the ACSI began tracking online travel agencies in 2002.
Sally Savona books a vacation at Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club, where she’s promised a 25,000-mile frequent-flier bonus. But the loyalty points fail to show up in her account, despite repeated calls to the hotel. It’s been months since her visit. How can she get Marriott to make good?
It should come as absolutely no surprise that someone like Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) would take a stand against the latest round of airline mergers. After all, Oberstar is the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, and he’s spent his career officiating the failed marriages of air carriers. “Mergers may mean short-term profits for investors,” he says. “But they inevitably mean long-term losses for workers and consumers.” It may, however, come as a surprise who is not opposing the likely unions of United and Continental, Delta and Northwest, and perhaps even American and US Airways.
Spirit Airlines is one of the most complained-about airlines flying today. In an effort to be come what it calls an “ultra low cost” carrier, it has cut back or eliminated many of the customer service considerations that air travelers take for granted. Put differently, you should take nothing for granted when you fly Spirit.
The Armchair Traveler shows you how to find an inexpensive floating vacation. Here’s episode 4 of the videocast. Here’s a high-definition version. Enjoy!
Guess who visited us from up north? Our cousins! We caught up with them at Epcot, and had lunch at the Norway Pavilion. (Thanks, Aunt Beth!)
Aren’s Hotwheels car goes into the second turn at the annual St. Luke’s 500 race.
The first of what could be several fuel charge-related lawsuits against the cruise lines was filed earlier this week in Miami. Coral Gables, Fla., attorney Harley Tropin submitted the complaint, which seeks class action status, on behalf of New York resident Jason Ablelove. It charges several large cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Carnival Corp. and Norwegian Cruise Line, with colluding to fix unreasonably high fuel surcharges.
The devaluation of mileage programs continues. US Airways just announced it would impose a new fee for redeeming award tickets and cut the number of miles it awards to frequent travelers on short-haul flights. The airline says it is taking the actions to “offset record fuel prices and rising airline related expenses.” But it’s got some convincing to do.
The number of travel and timeshare complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission nearly doubled last year, jumping from 6,712 cases to 14,903 cases. As a whole, the travel category rose from 12th to 9th place, accounting for roughly 2 percent of all consumer grievances received by the federal agency.
I realize that Valentines Day isn’t until tomorrow, but what’s 24 hours between friends? Here’s your ice storm. Here are your airport delays. It’s looking a lot like Valentines Day 2007, isn’t it?
It’s no secret that recent moves by airlines to impose new fees on checked-in luggage, which I discussed at length in yesterday’s MSNBC column, will hit working families the hardest. But should families hit back?
If you’ve ever sat next to someone on a plane who claims the armrests — or more — then you don’t want to miss this week’s newsletter. Starting with a Travel Troubleshooter column about someone who loses half her seat to an XL passenger, to blog entries about travelers of size, to archived columns on the “space invaders” problem, I’ve got every angle of this issue covered. Plus, there’s a new videocast, a column about new luggage fees, and much more.
Half of Julie Liening’s airline seat is missing. An extra-large passenger is sitting in it, forcing her to lean into the aisle or sit on the passenger’s lap. Not a comfortable way to fly nor, for that matter, a safe way to fly. But when Liening asks her airline for compensation, she’s turned down. What’s next?
Sign up for my 
