Austrian Airlines reimburses passenger $1,462 who ate nutty brownie
This might be one reason why Austrian Airlines is in so much trouble. Then again, it might be why the beleaguered carrier hasn’t folded any sooner. A passenger who bit into a brownie and broke a cap on her tooth on a flight from Washington to Vienna, has been reimbursed by the airline to the tune of $1,462.
Unsung hero: Delta ticket agent goes above and beyond call of duty for troops
Here’s an inspiring story about a ticket agent going far above and beyond the call of duty to help American soldiers in need. It came to me by way of Sgt. Ron Hutchins, who was traveling to Germany with nine other servicemembers from the 912th Adjutant General Postal Company in Tallahassee, Fla.
A hotel bait-and-switch — how a $29 rate became $180
Here’s another story from the bait-and-switch files. Stacey Blakemore booked a $29 room at the Days Inn and Suites in Auburn, Ala., through Travelocity. But she ended up being charged $180 a night. Find out what happened next.
Four years after Vegas vacation, travel club tries to collect another $433
The long weekend he spent at the Lady Luck Hotel and Casino was a distant memory to David Burford, who checked into the Las Vegas resort with his family back in 2004. But not to a Boca Raton, Fla., company called First Class Travel Wise, which contacted him out of the blue recently and ordered him to pay an extra $433 for his vacation.
Is American Airlines shortchanging frequent fliers?
If you’re an American Airlines frequent flier, you might want to check your last mileage statement. There’s evidence the airline is shortchanging its passengers by a mile or two per flight — a potential savings of tens of millions of points a year to the company.
US Airways to employees: “The competition blows us away”
Airlines almost never tell their customers the truth. But from time to time, they tell their own employees — more or less. Here’s a memo sent out to US Airways employees a few days ago, for example.
“No more seat envy” — a devious spin on new fees
Looks like Sigmund Freud is inspiring the marketing folks at Delta Air Lines who have the unenviable task of telling us what else we will have to pay for when we fly. The airline’s latest letter to its customers would probably make the good doctor proud.
Airline considers $10 surcharge for baby-free seating, priority disembarking
What will the airlines start charging us for next? After you read this, you’ll be sorry you asked. Nigel Appleby’s daughter recently got a survey from WestJet which offers some clues about the Canadian carrier’s next move. It’s troubling, to say the least.
A foreign transaction fee for a U.S. travel booking? Now you’re roaming alone
Brandy Hamill knows the importance of reviewing her credit card statement after booking a trip. If she hadn’t taken a look at hers, she might have missed the strange surcharge when she booked a flight on Travelocity.
American Airlines: A year is actually nine months
What is it with airlines redefining a year? Seems that after I wrote about this bizarre reshuffling of the calendar, more air carriers have joined the fun.
Illusionist reveals TSA is all smoke and mirrors
It is no small irony that Daniel Sylvester, a.k.a. the magician Sylvester the Jester, contacted me several days ago to reveal his mistreatment at the hands of the Transportation Security Administration — and to share his troubling conclusions about a federal agency that likes to think of itself as our last line of defense against terrorism.
Presidential candidates don’t care about you? Vote anyway
To say that the major presidential candidates are indifferent to the needs of travelers may be something of an understatement. No matter what your political views may be, it should be clear to you by now that Barack Obama and John McCain take the jet set for granted.
Waaaa! Baby gets socked with surprise $320 fuel surcharge on Delta flight
Oh, baby! Your domestic flights are free as long as you sit on a parent’s lap. But travel internationally, and Daddy must pay. Factor in the recent fuel surcharges, and taking junior on vacation can be prohibitively expensive.
Ramada insider: the customer isn’t always right
The customer isn’t always right. That’s the message from a Ramada hotel employee who read my recent recommendations about how to complain more effectively. So what’s going on behind the scenes when a complaint comes in? And is it true that Ramada has a quota for customer grievances?
“You have no idea what this tube of toothpaste could do to a plane”
Maybe it was the word “extreme” that made the Transportation Security Administration Security agent at Los Angeles International Airport nervous. Crest with Scope Extreme. I had bought a little tube of it at the grocery store before boarding my red-eye flight to Orlando yesterday evening. Contraband, according to the TSA.