Denise Frantz’s Western Caribbean cruise on Carnival isn’t meant to be. First her plane is delayed, and then she’s denied boarding because of a paperwork problem. But wait! Didn’t Carnival make her airline reservations? Shouldn’t it help her now?
BOARDING
Veda Robinson and Jackie Smartt were looking forward to their Carnival cruise last December. But they never made it on board. Smartt had packed the wrong ID, and the cruise line left her standing at the dock.
The problem with proposed rulemakings is that they often run on forever, and the journalists who are supposed to review them and report back gloss over the really important material.
Timing is everything when you pull a bait-and-switch. Most of them happen just before or after the purchase – an “oops-the-price-isn’t-available” or a “sorry-did-we-forget-to-mention-a-fee” stunt. But for Mary Hoefs’ Royal Caribbean cruise, she didn’t find out until she tried to board.
What’s the fastest way to board a plane? A free-for-all, like Southwest Airlines? Boarding by window, middle seat or aisle, like United Airlines? Or by zone, like AirTran Airways?
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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