Here’s a question I get a lot, but to which I don’t have a good answer — yet. If you pay a change fee and fare differential to fly today instead of tomorrow, and your airline cancels today’s flight, forcing you to fly on the day you were originally scheduled, are you owed a refund of the fee?
FEE
If you thought airlines had wacky rules, try renting a car. Like airlines, car rental companies don’t think twice about changing your rate. Except that they sometimes raise the price after you’ve driven off the lot. Like airlines, car rental companies are astonishingly creative with their fees, from additional driver add-on costs to premiums for [...]
There’s something for everyone on a cruise. And I don’t mean that the same way your travel agent or cruise line does.
If you think hotels will never stoop to the level of airlines — charging extra for anything that isn’t bolted down — maybe you’ve never heard of easyHotel.
Uncomfortable beds, says a new survey by D.K. Shifflet & Associates. But that’s not the real story. Three out of the top five annoyances had to do with extra charges — fees that properties could easily eliminate.
Automatic teller machine withdrawals are subject to all kinds of fees, to the point where Washington is getting involved. But new laws won’t protect you from ATM mischief when you’re overseas.
Unbeknownst to Janice Sinclair, her sister in Spain is paying British Airways a change fee for the family’s airline tickets at the exact same time she is. It’s a double-billing — sort of. British Airways isn’t offering a refund. But should it?
Now that Spirit Airlines has done the unthinkable, announcing plans to begin charging for carry-on bags this summer — that’s right, carry-on bags — the question everyone seems to be asking is: What’s next?
Earlier this week, Spirit Airlines announced it would begin charging for carry-on luggage. That drew criticism from the Secretary of Transportation, who I interviewed on Wednesday. I wanted to give Ben Baldanza, Spirit’s chief executive, an opportunity to respond — and to explain the rationale behind charging for carry-on bags. Here’s our interview.
Award tickets are not free. Victoria Casey knew that when she made plans to fly to Europe on US Airways this summer. Each reservation cost her $50, in addition to the 320,000 miles she spent for four first-class tickets.
Calling it the “next phase” of unbundling, Spirit Airlines a few hours ago announced that it would begin charging passengers for carry-on luggage. Seriously.
Back in January, I noted with amusement that Harrah’s had issued a press release saying it does not “impose mandatory resort fees attached to a room reservation.”
When Betty Lees booked a flight from Philadelphia to Cancun, Mexico, recently, her confirmation contained an odd relic from the past: a request for a “non-smoking” seat. It also contained a nasty whiff of the future — a $9.50 charge for the seat.
In yet another sign that the Transportation Department is serious about protecting the rights of consumers, the government this morning fined US Airways $40,000 for failing to disclose the full price consumers must pay for air transportation. “When consumers shop for air travel, they have a right to know how much they will have to [...]
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.
Resort fees. Mandatory tips. Concierge surcharges. If you’ve stayed at a hotel in the last few years, you’ve become accustomed — if not anesthetized — to these annoying extras. You expect them. You’re indifferent to them when they appear on your bill. You shouldn’t be.
Just as Delta Air Lines announced plans to raise its checked baggage fees, another carrier appears to be quietly considering charging its customers for the first piece of checked luggage.
Here’s a deeply troubling trend: Hotels, eager to lift their historically low earnings, are introducing more “nonrefundable” rates. Guests often have no choice but to pay them.
There are certain items for which domestic airlines will probably never charge, like strollers and child safety seats. Cashing in on babies is just seen as tacky by most airline passengers. So when Continental Airlines inadvertently charged Greg Sykes for his child’s car seat, he expected a quick refund.
Get ready for round two of the online travel agency fee-cutting wars. This spring, the major online travel agencies eliminated their online booking fees. This morning, Expedia will announce that it will do away with its fee to book by phone.
