Consumer Traveler Today: March 2

Consumer Traveler Today: Florida accuses three more travel agencies — wait, make that six more agencies — of selling unlicensed insurance
 
 
Florida accuses three more travel agencies — wait, make that six more agencies — of selling unlicensed insurance
What we’re reading: Turkish Air plans new service class, United’s Twitter account hacked, Republic may drop Midwest/Frontier names
U.S. raising fees for both inbound and outbound travelers
DOT wake up! Airline alliances are becoming defacto international mergers
Would you pay extra for a luxury toilet on flights?
Florida accuses three more travel agencies — wait, make that six more agencies — of selling unlicensed insurance
Posted: 02 Mar 2010 03:05 AM PST
Bogus “trip protection” policies are known to have been sold to people across the country for years, potentially costing travelers millions of dollars in lost vacations. Chris Elliott breaks the story.
       

What we’re reading: Turkish Air plans new service class, United’s Twitter account hacked, Republic may drop Midwest/Frontier names
Posted: 02 Mar 2010 03:00 AM PST
Turkish Air plans new service class -- less than first, better than business; United Airline's Twitter account hacked, Republic may drop Midwest/Frontier names to unify airline brands
       

U.S. raising fees for both inbound and outbound travelers
Posted: 01 Mar 2010 08:30 AM PST
Under a series of new laws and regulatory proposals, almost everyone traveling internationally to or from the USA — U.S. passport holders, visa-free foreign visitors, and foreigners with visas — would have to pay more in government fees for the required credentials and/or permissions.
       

DOT wake up! Airline alliances are becoming defacto international mergers
Posted: 01 Mar 2010 07:30 AM PST
"I think we are seeing an evolution, seeing these alliances become tighter-knit partnerships," noted AMR, parent company of American Airlines, chief financial officer Tom Horton at a recent travel conference. Those are words that should terrify passengers, suppliers, airports and travel agents. His words, current action within the antitrust-immunized alliances and the crumbling of the Open Skies treaties are cause for serious concern.
       

Would you pay extra for a luxury toilet on flights?
Posted: 01 Mar 2010 06:45 AM PST
Airline lavatories are never one of the most pleasant aspects of flying, especially at the end of a long international flight. While many passengers are courteous and as clean as they can be, others are, shall we say, less so. I know men reading this blog post will probably say this is a sexist statement, [...]