JetBlue got high marks for voluntarily adopting a customer bill of rights after its infamous Valentine’s Day meltdown a few years ago. But now, with lawmakers considering real passenger rights legislation, it’s worth examining how JetBlue’s bill really works. Or, perhaps more to the point, how it doesn’t work.
September 2008
This little Red Baron may not yet have his pilot’s license, but his imagination makes up for it. Bombs away!
Here’s a holiday travel forecast you probably won’t read anywhere else: look for lower prices on everything from air fares to hotel room rates, smaller crowds and a more pleasant overall experience. Am I nuts? Well, no.
Joseph Dunlap runs into a snag when he tries to buy an airline ticket online for his mother. So he calls the online agency, Expedia, and is sold a ticket that costs twice the online rate. Do rates really vary by that much? Well, yes — and no.
It might be an understatement to say Spirit Airlines isn’t in danger of winning any customer service awards. But occasionally, it does right by its passengers.
Like most Southwest Airlines passengers, Kevin Palmer likes nothing more than a bargain. Which is exactly what he thought he’d found when a con artist offered $1,200 worth of flight coupons at a deep discount on Craigslist.
If you think having the e-mail address of a hotel manager is going to help you get a quick resolution to your problem — or even a response — then here’s a reality check. You might still be out of luck, especially if you’re staying at a Four Points by Sheraton hotel.
Read this week’s issue online or subscribe to the RSS feed. In this issue … • Dump this! 7 things airlines should jettison • How tAAcky! American Airlines adds elite lines while economy implodes • How is the ailing economy affecting your travel? • How to reach yours truly • Support this site This issue [...]
Like most other travel bloggers, I normally ignore any press releases sent to me on Monday night or Tuesday morning, because they’re what I like to call “paper fodder” — failed pitches to the marquee business travel columns in one of the dying national newspapers. But for this one, I’ll make an exception.
As a rule, Virgin Atlantic has an excellent reputation for customer service. But there are exceptions to every rule. James Simon is one of them.
Iden gets a boost from his mother before making a splash landing in his inflatable pool. Summer is far from over in Central Florida.
Aren kicks the winning goal at a soccer game. Just kidding. But he really had a lot of fun.
Aren’s soccer team poses for a photo before the big game.
Her vacation package includes transfers from the airport to her hotel. But when she lands in Kingston, Jamaica, there’s no van to pick her up. What does N.M. Johnston’s tour operator, Apple Vacations, owe her?
No one expects to come home in a casket. But more Americans are. The number of claims made on death benefits by On Call International, a travel assistance service in Salem, N.H., has almost doubled in the last three years, rising from 125 claims in 2005 to 247 last year. Its numbers reflect a broader industry trend.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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