Worth it? Extras to speed through airline security
January 28, 2010 ·
Laptop bags that may not require removal of your computer. Luggage concierge services that enable you to check your bags before you arrive at the airport. PDAs to display your mobile boarding pass. These gadgets and services can help speed Americans through security, and they will not hit your wallet very hard. Here are some [...]
Good airline fees? Some are worth the money
January 25, 2010 ·
It’s no secret the airline industry wants you to pay extra for everything. And I really mean everything. A fee to pay? Allegiant Air and Spirit Airlines already charge a “convenience” fee to use your credit card. A water fee? It’s hard to find a discount carrier that doesn’t make you pay for soft drinks, [...]
Leave an item on an airplane? Here’s what to do
January 23, 2010 ·
Let’s face it. We’ve all done it. In part because travel can be so disorienting, it’s easy to disembark a plane without all of our “personal belongings” as the flight attendants refer to them in their deplaning announcements (are there “impersonal belongings”? how about we just call them our belongings). Judging from anecdotal evidence, most [...]
Air travel frustration spikes with fees, security
January 20, 2010 ·
Feeling nickel-and-dimed, frisked and scanned, crowded and hustled just to get from point A to point B, air travelers seem to be reaching new levels of frustration and unhappiness. Already on edge after the failed Christmas Day bombing of Northwest Flight 253, they’re dealing with ever-changing security measures that the Department of Homeland Security says [...]
Shipping luggage ahead can save money and frustration
January 19, 2010 ·
What? You’re still paying the airlines to carry your bags? Now that the airlines have raised, yet again, their fees for checked bags, its time to take another look at the alternative: shipping your bags, or better yet (if youre staying in one place once you arrive) just the contents of your bag ahead of [...]
American Airlines raises checked bag fees
January 19, 2010 ·
American Airlines said Monday it is raising its fees on checked bags for passengers buying tickets starting Feb. 1. The company said it is raising the charge for the first checked bag to $25 from $20 on flights in the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. The fees apply to passengers on the company’s [...]
US Airways raises online baggage fees
January 15, 2010 ·
US Airways is raising baggage fees for travelers who check their luggage online. The higher online fees match those set in recent days by Delta, Continental, and United. US Airways said on Friday it will charge $23 to check the first bag online, and $32 to check the second. The fees to check bags at [...]
