There’s been an interesting question raised by an earlier post about Southwest Airlines’ lost-and-found luggage debacle. What role, if any, did yours truly play in retrieving the passenger’s bag?
March 2009
It’s an experience Michael Grosberg calls “very curious” and given the recent news about travel insurance, very timely. Last year, Grosberg bought travel insurance through Access America for a Labor Day trip to New Orleans. Then Hurricane Gustav blew in.
Three things we will lose — and gain — in the recession. Plus, walking trouble and the Prime Travel Protection mess gets messier.
Deric Voelker and his fiancee recently flew from Chicago to Las Vegas recently on Southwest Airlines. The airline lost one of their bags, so they filed a claim, expecting to be compensated. They weren’t.
Christopher Elliott explains three hotel terms you need to know before your next hotel visit.
If you think you can’t afford your next vacation, think again. In a recessionary economy, you can score a free vacation, or something close to it. Here are six secrets that will help you travel without paying.
What do the recent intents to file cease and desist orders by Florida against three travel agencies — Vacation Superstore, Legendary Journeys and Palm Coast Travel — mean for travelers? I asked Barry Resnick, who has become something of an expert on the sale of unauthorized travel protection insurance plans. Resnick’s mother held a policy with Trip Assured, a Tennessee company that sold unauthorized trip protection plans, and I featured his comments in my MSNBC column last week.
The state of Florida notified three large travel agencies earlier this week that insurance offered by Prime Travel Protection might be illegal. What does its actions mean for agencies and their customers, particularly those with policies underwritten by Prime Travel Protection and other companies owned by Jerry Watson? For an insider’s view, I turned to Al Ferguson, a vice president at Legendary Journeys, one of the agencies named in the orders.
On his return flight from Madrid to San Juan, Jose Morales is forced to buy a one-way ticket because of an error made by Expedia. Now the agency wants him to contact the airline for a refund. Can it do that? And what of its “promise” to take care of any problems that come up?
The European Union has some of the toughest passenger rights laws on the books. But is Virgin Atlantic thumbing its nose at the rules? EU Rule 261 says delayed passengers must be compensated a minimum of €250, but it recently offered a passenger just 5,000 miles when it canceled a flight.
Florida has warned three travel agencies that sold insurance policies offered by bankrupt Prime Travel Protection Services of Arvada, Colo., that its activities may run afoul of state statues. State authorities on March 5 issued an intent to order a cease and desist against Port St. Lucie, Fla.-based Vacation Superstore, which operates Best Price Cruises; Sarasota, Fla.-based Legendary Journeys and Lake Worth, Fla.-based Palm Coast Travel, which owns the site Smartcruiser.com.
How do you protect yourself from a bogus travel insurance policy? Read all my tips … and much more.
We’ve already heard from Prime Travel Protection’s customers and from the agents who sold its policies. But other than a form letter from its trustee, the company and its president, Jerry Watson, have remained silent. Until now.
Christopher Elliott explains how to save money on travel by booking a “back-to-back” airline ticket.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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