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Airline Fees: Yikes
Shortly The Transportation Dept will be requiring airlines and travel agents to list all fees on your ticket. These fees include the usual like security, agriculture etc but now the list is growing longer and longer. Services like checked bags, preferred seating. extra luggage (mainly on discount airlines in Europe) and other fees are involved. Spirit Airlines even charges for carry on bags!
Approximately 18% of the entire ticket is today only fees….. Airlines of course say that this new listing requirement would be expensive.…
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Airplane delays and cancellations
Today Joe Sharkey, my favorite airline journalist, announces the huge number of cancellations and delays caused earlier this month by weather. Here are some reasons you need insurance:
1-Plane severely delayed and you need a new transfer to Ixtapan Spa: $170 private transfer one way. (More than our group deal)
2- Weather prevents you from getting to your flight and you take another one.
3- You sprain your ankle (my husband did over Christmas on a trip), and you need to fly next day.…
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Airline Prices Have Fallen: it is Taxes which are the Culprit
Many travelers do not know that airline prices have fallen over the years. It is taxes which are the culprit for high prices. Today I got an email from a airline ticket consolidaror, giving out deals from Los Angeles.
Here is the shocker:
LAX to Europe was around $265, taxes were $650. So it is the taxes which are the big piece. Sites selling airline tickets are now required to add the taxes to the amount you see before you click.… -
Women only airplane bathrooms
This issue has come up in the past and as I recall one Austrian airline had segregated bathrooms for a short while. The pros and the cons:
Pro: Men leave bathrooms messy, toilet seats up and sinks full of soapy water ( thank heavens for the evidence they wash hands). We will not even talk about the floor situation.
Con: Women spend more time with make up and hair in the airplane bathroom. Women also use Purell more often than men.… -
Alitalia Fined $125,000 for Deceiving 2 US Passengers
Alitalia was fined for not compensating 2 US bound passengers for cancelled flights. Alitalia paid for cancellations within Europe but denied the two who were flying to the US.
The rules governing an airline are found on the Department of Transportation and other US Government websites; but the individual practices can be different and are only found on the Contract of Carriage of the airline itself. This will be hidden in their website somewhere….
Example: some discount airlines will not put you on a substitute airline if your flight is cancelled; you might get back your one way fare, but you will be hugely out of pocket on buying another one way fare on a non discounter. …
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Airline Taxes and More
Today Joe Sharkey of The Times discusses the rise in airline taxes. He mentions the cost of jet fuel, almost 50% up since January 2010. Another contributor is the lower dollar: as the dollar drops, taxes in foreign currencies rise. For instance, lets assume that your ticket to London includes a British airport security or construction tax in Pounds. If the dollar falls, and the Pound rises, your taxes will rise and so will the cost of your all in ticket.…
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Travel Tip: Airplane Pillows
Hate those pillows but need some support. Bring your own pillow case, and stuff it with your coat or sweater or something in your carry on. Or buy yourself a very light and squishable pillow: LL Bean sells one with plaid upside and grey downside. But buy a bright color so you do not leave it on the seat on departure.
This is even more important now that passengers want clean and sanitzed airplane items. For a full list of what we suggest you pack, contact us here:…
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Wake Up at Midnight and Forgot to Buy Insurance
You can buy our insurance 24/7 with the link we provided. If you do need to call the company for more info, you need to wait for office hours at Travel Guard. But for those sleepless nights: here it is again.
Just click here and off you go.A few more facts: you can buy insurance in installments, say you decide to upgrade your flight, just call Travel Guard, quote our reference: 33585786 (ECPS Consulting, our formal name). and increase your coverage.…
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Airport Security Line Annoyances
For those of you who paid $99 per year to whisk through security at 22 airports with Global Entry…. guess what: your whisking is not guaranteed. The press has been covering travelers who were denied quick GE lines despite their status. And the same goes for you FF Fliers. I flew to Los Angeles last week as a Gold AA member. Special treatment? No way, there was no line at all for upgraded passengers, even First Class (I was not) queued with us serfs.…
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Snow Delay Travel Tips
Weather is responsible for 40% of all plane cancellations. Although airlines prepare ahead of a storm, they do not cancel flights until same day. An annoying practice for us. One trick is to look at flight tracker sites to see which flights are arriving and which arrivals are cancelled. Airlines will begin to cancel arrivals before departures which gives you a vague heads up.
Travel insurance will cover costs associated with weather messes.…
