Search Results for: blog preparing for travel delays part 2

Avoiding Delays

Airport delays can be a costly inconvenience. I once shelled out more than $250 to pay for meals, ground transportation, clothing and a hotel room during an 18-hour delay that eventually turned into a cancelled flight. Of course, that paled in comparison to the emotional and physical price I paid when the cancellation caused me to miss my beloved grandmother’s wake. Thanks, American Airlines. My sad story is just one of thousands that are logged each year with the promise from airline execs that they will work to improve on-time reliability. According to a recent report from the Department of … Continue reading →

Get Paid to Share Your Travel Nightmare

Remember the travel nightmare I experienced trying to get from Wisconsin to Hawaii for my beloved grandmother’s funeral? I’ll never forget it. Also, I was never compensated by American Airlines for it. Cough. Cough. Ahem! However, I could still win for losing, and so could you. Thanks to a contest being sponsored by MedjetAssist, you could win a major prize if you have what the company deems “the most engaging and harrowing travel tale.” The more horrific, the better your chances of claiming the grand prize: A free five-night vacation for two at Lost Iguana Resort and Spa in the … Continue reading →

Military Travel Savings

Today may be Halloween, but tomorrow marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. If you think that Black Friday is the official kick-off to the countdown to Santa’s visit, clearly you haven’t been to the mall recently. Amidst the pumpkins and fake black cats is a host of holly, fir trees and tinsel. With the busy holiday season upon us, now is the time to make your Thanksgiving and Christmas travel plans. This is especially important for activity-duty military personnel who can score huge discounts on airfare if they act fast. Many commercial carriers based in the United States … Continue reading →

Luxury Travel for Less

My first experience traveling in first-class on a commercial airline occurred in the mid-1980s. I was an impressionable tween, who lucked out during a flight from Chicago to Honolulu, and was offered seat 2A in the first-class cabin. Back then I was more impressed by the free chocolate ice cream sundae pierced with Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Hazelnut Pirouette Cookies than the extra legroom and leather seat. I can count on two fingers the amount of times I’ve flown first-class since that fateful flight nearly 20 years ago. If you have never experienced the thrill of getting to dine on real … Continue reading →

Travel Compensation

Imagine forking over $6 for a pair of plastic headphones during a 12-hour flight after being told by an attendant that the headset would work on all future flights on that particular airline. On your return flight you spend 10 minutes trying to cram the cord into the allotted space to no avail. You later learn that the headset is not compatible with that aircraft. You’re now stuck with a very slightly used pair of headphones and nothing to listen to for 12 very long hours. Do you ask the airline to compensate you? You can try, but these days … Continue reading →

Tis the Season Not to Travel

If you don’t like crowds, being patted down by strangers or paying bizarro travel fees, then you are better off staying home rather than going over the river and through the woods to grandma’s house for the holidays. But can you really celebrate Turkey Day without grandma’s stuffing? According to AAA, most of us can’t, which is why an estimated 600,000 Americans plan to hit the highway and nearly 33,000 plan to catch a flight to spend Turkey Day with loved ones this year. If that’s not enough to make you pack some extra Pepto, consider that travel experts predict … Continue reading →

Unwelcome Travel Experiences

Subtitle: My Flight From Hell I don’t travel long distances during the chaotic summer months. I’ve had such horrible experiences flying off-season that I don’t even chance boarding a flight during the months of June, July or August. To prove my point, let’s review my last flight to Hawaii. It was by no means a vacation. Rather, three months ago I was forced to fly 10,000 miles roundtrip to attend my beloved grandmother’s funeral. I decided to take my 6-year-old daughter along since she and my grandma shared such a sweet relationship. Unfortunately, American Airlines cancelled our direct flight to … Continue reading →

Is Mother Nature Really To Blame For Airline Weather Delays? (Part 2)

In my last blog I recounted my friend’s sad holiday travel tale in which she spent the bulk of her New Year’s Eve sitting on a chair at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport waiting for her twice delayed flight to finally board. The airline insisted Mother Nature was at fault, but now it appears weather was only partially to blame for the “weather related” delay. Airlines say they are telling the truth when it comes to canceling flights due to inclement weather, but travel experts say when a carrier feeds you the line that Mother Nature is at the root of your … Continue reading →

Is Mother Nature Really To Blame For Airline Weather Delays?

Weather history was made this evening in Wisconsin. A rare series of January tornadoes ripped through a county just south of where I live, demolishing buildings and houses, downing power lines and leaving more than a dozen people injured. The ferocious storm also caused delays at area airports including Milwaukee and Chicago’s O’Hare. Totally reasonable. However, there have been many times when I wondered if airlines were telling the truth about weather delays. For example, a couple of weeks ago United Airlines cancelled 1,200 flights and blamed various winter storms for doing so. But then, a couple of days later … Continue reading →

Travel Tips for 2008

Where are you planning to travel this year? Will 2008 be the year you finally travel abroad? Or will it be the first year you fly to Hawaii or take a cruise on the high seas? Whatever your travel plans it pays to do your homework before you take off, set sail, or get behind the wheel. The following information should come in handy if you plan to get out and explore the world in 2008. AIR TRAVEL Good news if you plan to take to the air this year—the Federal Aviation Administration is setting caps on the number of … Continue reading →