Joshua Smith’s fiancee spends an extra day in Athens after her airline forces her to recheck her luggage. Whose fault is this snafu? Her online agent’s? The airline’s? Or hers? And what, if anything, can be done about it?
February 2010
Are the government’s airline cops about to get tough on crime? The Department of Transportation says it is, and now there’s new evidence that it’s following through.
Baggage horror stories. Plus, don’t let the bedbugs bite. And what to do about really bad service.
I never meant to openly challenge American Airlines’ indefensible policy of charging those who can least afford it – budget-conscious leisure travelers – for the first checked bag. I had no intention of making a scene when I boarded a flight to Dallas with my family this morning.
Bedbugs. Just the mention of these tiny, bloodsucking insects is enough to send a veteran road warrior packing. But what does a hotel owe you if you’ve been ravaged by a swarm of Cimex lectularius during your stay? No, that’s not an academic question. I wish it was. So does Hilton. So does Diane Lapin, [...]
Florida’s Department of Financial Services is in the early stages of a far-reaching investigation into the activities of Palm Coast Travel and its affiliated companies, according to documents released this week under the state’s Public Records Act. The documents also raise new questions about the relationship between Access America, the largest travel insurance company in [...]
Here’s a common problem for travelers who book a hotel room online: Once they “confirm” their accommodations with a credit card, the hotel doesn’t assign a room, leaving them wondering if they’ll have a place to stay.
Most hotels offer less expensive, nonrefundable rates that can’t be changed, no matter what your circumstances. Book them through a site like Hotwire, and they’re extra nonrefundable, because of the site’s strict no-cancel, no-refund, no-change policies. Or are they?
Grounding clear airfares. Plus, Hotwire saves the day and Palm Coast Travel’s next move.
As I reported last week, Palm Coast Travel and its companies, including Smartcruiser.com, are headed to a hearing with a Florida administrative law judge to determine if it sold unlicensed travel insurance. This is an important story, because fake “trip protection” policies are known to have been sold to people across the country for years, potentially costing travelers millions of dollars in lost vacations.
Because it charges for pretty much everything that isn’t bolted down on the plane, Spirit Airlines is a favorite target of this site’s readers. So when Spirit does right by one of its customers, it’s got all the makings of a man-bites-dog story.
It’s no secret the airline industry wants you to pay extra for everything. And I really mean everything.
If you’ve ever been hit with a surprise fee when you rented a car or booked an airline ticket and found yourself saying, “There ought to be a law,” I have some good news for you: There is. Or at least, there could be.
After a death in the family, Art Wallace tries to cancel his pre-paid reservation at a Days Inn. No can do, he’s told. The rate is totally nonrefundable. Appeals to Days Inn are useless. Is Wallace going to lose the money?
Gerald Zekas’ youngest daughter, Caryn, wanted a destination wedding in Las Vegas, but right about now, he probably wishes she’d stayed home. Their special vacation was riddled with bad customer service experiences from start to finish — and worse, no one has bothered to acknowledge a single one of them.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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