If airfares confuse you as much as they confuse me, then I have some good news: Several new rules are going to make it easier to calculate the total cost of a ticket.
AIRLINE
If mentioning the word “overhead bin” doesn’t raise your blood pressure, maybe you haven’t flown recently.
David and Dorothy Juergens are looking forward to their fourth Princess cruise next month. There’s just one little problem: Their airline rescheduled their flight, and that messed up their schedule — and cost them money. Airline schedule changes are a fact of life, and it’s usually unrealistic for passengers to expect a carrier to compensate [...]
Here’s a question I get all the time: Why won’t an airline cover a lost or damaged computer in my checked luggage?
When David Simon wanted to fly from Milwaukee to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., he assumed “low cost” airline Southwest would offer the lowest fare.
When it comes to airline fees, you’ve probably stopped asking yourself, “What’s will they think of next?”
When you buy an “illegal” airline ticket — which is to say, a ticket that violates a carrier’s booking rules — the penalties can be severe. It’s not uncommon to have your frequent flier account suspended or for your travel agent to receive a debit memo, demanding the fare difference.
Search for a flight between Washington and Los Angeles on United.com and you’ll find a notice posted high above the fares saying, “Additional baggage charges may apply.”
While everyone else is touting the benefits of new “lie-flat” airline seats in business- and first class, I know I can count on you, dear readers, to find a “down” side.
Philip Bramson’s iPod vanished from his checked luggage on a recent flight to Mexico, and recovering it seemed impossible.
Maybe I should take more road trips.
Jaime Sigal’s suitcase felt a little light when he picked it up from the conveyor belt in Sao Paolo, Brazil, so he gave the heavy-duty ballistic nylon bag a careful once-over.
Melinda McGowan had to cancel her European vacation late last year because of a medical emergency. When she tried to rebook her tickets through Lufthansa, an airline representative quoted her a fare differential of $388, which seemed like a lot at the time.
Dan Lachapelle is promised a prompt refund for his canceled Antigua vacation. But it’s been weeks, and there’s no sign of the money. Now his online agency isn’t responding to his queries. Will he ever see the money again?
You don’t have to fly frequently to know the airline industry has some of the most ridiculous rules in the travel business. But if you fly enough, you may not have to follow all of them.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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