Mention the word “pets” and “planes” and it’s enough to start a dogfight.
The Elliott Blog
Daily musings about customer service from Christopher Elliott.
As some of you may have noticed, I’ve been on the road a lot lately. I’m traveling across the country with my family and we’re documenting every moment of the trip on our family travel blog, Away is Home. Staying in touch with the ranch back in Winter Springs, Fla., can be a challenge, it [...]
No one should have been surprised when Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger issued a statement praising the the Transportation Security Administration for its professionalism after he got a pat-down last week in New York. What was he supposed to do, call the TSA a criminal organization?
When it comes to travel insurance claims, Hannah Yun was about as sure as anyone that hers would be successful. She was wrong.
Travel insurance used to be a small segment of the insurance business that protected people against the loss of a non-refundable deposit on a big-ticket vacation such as a safari or a round-the-world cruise. But the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and a series of natural disasters in the early 2000s pushed it into the mainstream. Today, it’s hard to find a travel agent or travel site that doesn’t try to sell an optional insurance policy as part of a trip.
When Christine Rehak cancels her cruise after her husband’s death, she assumes her travel insurance will reimburse her vacation. But she’s wrong. Is she going to be stuck with a credit voucher she’ll never use?
Mike Kay needs your help.
The Oyster Bay Beach Resort is a highrise hotel in St. Martin that promises guests white sand beaches, “breathtaking” views of the Caribbean and a “paradise found.”
arryl and Carolyn Sigel believe they were scammed by their cruise line. After you read about what happened to them on the Celebrity Summit, you might agree with them.
With its dramatic black volcanic rock, stunning seascapes, and impossibly tasty coffee, Kona, Hawaii is one of the world’s most unexpected destinations. And when Lynn Regan booked a condo there last year, she was looking forward to experiencing the Big Island’s differentness.
When it comes to the TSA, you may know less than you think.
When it comes to customer service, travel companies constantly push the limits with fees, surcharges and onerous policies. No industry does it more than the airlines, and no domestic airline does it more than Spirit Airlines, the small Florida-based carrier known for its risque ads and creative extras.
When Jonathan Govias tries to transfer 6,000 points from one frequent flier program to another, they go missing. No one is willing to help him recover the missing miles. Are they gone for good?
Another day, another denial – this time, from Carnival Cruise Lines.
Will the business with the most customer-hostile contract please stand and take a bow? What’s that? Oh no, please, don’t all get up at once.
n a world of conglomerates and conflicts of interest, sometimes you have to report on yourself. So when Franz Schneider asked me about his ill-fated National Geographic cruise, my first reaction was to cringe.
Maybe Patsy Chan should have known better than to rent a room using AirBnB. After all, she works for a hotel, and in a high-profile position at that. It’s no secret that a reservation on this startup site is a hit-or-miss-proposition.
If you’re upset by the TSA’s clumsy efforts to protect us from airborne terrorists — and let’s face it, who isn’t? — then you may have missed the good news last week.
If it happens, the expected union of US Airways and American Airlines could be one of the last big legacy airline mergers. Maybe even the last one.
When Todd Ramsdell’s wife rents a car from Budget, she’s told insurance is required. But it isn’t, and now she wants her money back. Why isn’t Budget budging?
