Rick Seaney, co-founder of FareCompare.com - is a world-class air travel expert.
FareCompare.com presides over a kingdom of sophisticated software that searches out fares and destinations at a billion combinations per query - while keeping track of 500 airlines serving more than 270,000 markets around the globe.
And all of Rick's data is updated continuously - in real-time.
No wonder he's the media's go-to guy for all things air travel. He's got the answers. And he loves to share his knowledge.
That's why Rick and the team created FareCompare.com - to help everyone become an air travel expert, and get the best deals first -- every time they fly.
Yes, it’s late – the All Star Game is coming up quickly – July 14th at Busch Stadium (my favorite ballpark). But there’s still a deal or two out there that’ll get you to the ball game.
I expect we’ll be hearing more about bumping in the fall, when airlines ramp up capacity cuts and planes get more crowded.
Anyway, yesterday, the Department of Transportation (DOT) fined Delta Airlines $375,000 for violations regarding “denied boarding” compensation – in other words, in some instances, the carrier did not “bump” people properly.
Here are the rules – the rules Delta (and other airlines) are supposed to follow when a flight is overbooked:
Ask for volunteers: If there aren’t any, “involuntarily denied boarding” is acceptable – but these passengers must get a written explanation.
Rebook bumped passengers: If this occurs “within one hour” of the original flight on the original carrier or another, no further compensation is due.
Cash refunds: If rebooking takes longer, “bumpees” are entitled to a cash refund up to $800 depending on the length of the delay and the cost of their original tickets (though if it’s acceptable to the passengers, vouchers can be given in lieu of cash).
According to reports, Delta didn’t always ask for volunteers, and didn’t always let passengers know they were entitled to cash. Delta’s $375,000 fine, I should point out is actually $175,000 plus $200,000 that must be spent on “corrective action.”
If this has happened to you, or you have another air travel complaint, you can find general “complaint” information here, and a complaint form here.
Again – know your rights. Don’t rely on others to do that job for you.
Mostly good news – overall, the airlines did very well this past May.
On-time performance: According to the latest report from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the airlines were on-time more than 80% of the time, and that’s better than the month before, as well as the year before.
Lost Bags: Another win-win, May was better than April and better than May 2008.
Pets: Not so good. Two animals died in May, and one pet was lost. In April, there were no such incidents.
Have you ever suffered a loss from an airline – and couldn’t get anyone to make it right?
I was just perusing a post at sister-blog Standard Upright Position that made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. It seems musician Dave Carroll was on tour last year when one of his band mates saw United baggage handlers tossing guitars on the tarmac. Sure enough, Dave’s $3,500 Taylor guitar was broken (we have to take it on Dave’s word that this is what occured).
Dave then spent literally months calling United, looking redress – and got nowhere. So, out of frustration, he made a music video called, “United Breaks Guitars” (see it below). It goes viral and, lo and behold, United suddenly contacts Dave, and last we heard, they’re working things out.
Good for Dave, but – what about the rest of us??! What about those of us who have neither the time nor talent to pull off an attention-getting stunt like this? (And by the way, I don’t mean “stunt” in any pejorative sense – this is one terrific music video) Nor am I singling out United. Damage and loss isn’t limited to any one carrier, goodness knows – and sometimes problems fall through the cracks. That doesn’t make it right, but it happens.
Here’s what I really want to know: have you experienced anything like Dave’s problem? And if you finally got satisfaction, how did you do it? I think a lot of us would really like to know the answer to that one!
It almost sounds like a disaster-movie title: Turtles on the Tarmac!
Actually these were Diamondback terrapins – little guys weighing about 2 to 3 pounds – and they came out of the sea yesterday, to slowly invade a JFK runway.
Apparently they were looking for a likely spot to breed (you’d think they could have found a more romantic spot than one of the world’s busiest airports, but then, I’m no turtle expert).
According to the AP, airport authorities were first alerted to the trouble when “a chorus of pilots was radioing the tower to report turtles”, and then suddenly the reports changed to “massive” numbers of turtles on the tarmac.
Enter the ground crews, who scooped them up and returned them to Jamaica Bay which surrounds the airport. At one point, the FAA ordered the runway closed for the turtle round-up, and some morning flights were delayed as much as an hour-and-a-half.
At least the passengers had a good story to tell once they got to their destinations.
As I told you earlier (a little past midnight Pacific-time yesterday), Southwest began a 2-day fall sale – and it wasn’t long before the other airlines followed.
Note: Southwest’s sale ends tonight.
Since it’s just two days long, I can’t really call this an airfare war - but it is a skirmish of sorts. And I urge you to take advantage of it. And I know many of you are.
You’ve heard others talk about “hand-picked” deals – but those deals are useless if they aren’t good for flights from your airport, right? Don’t even bother – because we have the tool you’ve been waiting for!
Yes, it’s a mouthful – but it gets you the best deals first – in real-time. And that means you are first in line to get these fleeting deals – so you’re first in line to save, and save big.
But wait, there’s more! Check out ALL our ways to score the best deals.
FareCompare’s 3-Ways to Find the Cheapest Airfare
1. Follow FareCompare on Twitter- Get real-time tweets for cheap deals from the airport you specify. You live in New York? We’ll send you all the deals for @flyfromNYC. Dallas is your home? You’ll follow @flyfromDFW. No need to wade through deals you have no interest in -get only the deals that matter to you – in real-time.
2. FareCompare.com Real-Time Alerts – Set an alert for your favorite trip, and get an email the moment the price of that trip drops – how simple is that? Click the link in the email, and you get an entire calendar page showing all available fares – with the best ones highlighted for you.
3. FareCompare Deal Finder – Where do you want to go? Deal Finder let’s you choose destinations like Beaches, Casinos & Nightlife, Great Outdoors – or the top cities in the U.S. and Canada, the top cities of Europe – or cities around the globe. Choose a month, then click on your destination category – and see what’s cheapest. Don’t get locked into one destination, when another that’s just as good or better, turns out to be cheaper!
James A. Martin over at PC World says a Kindle – that gadget that allows you to download and read all sorts of publications and books – is a natural for the traveler.
As he points out, ever try to read a newspaper in coach?
Using a Kindle instead of a paper will keep you from whacking your seatmates with your elbows, plus it’ll save you a sprint to the newsstand. Martin also goes on to explain the ease of reading documents off a Kindle which saves your laptop battery for more important things (like watching a video).
His column is followed by a lively debate on the price of Kindle books, and how to find cheap ones. I can see where you’d want cheap books, as the price of a Kindle can run anywhere from about $350 to just a hair under $500.
But an employee of mine sees another drawback: she says you still have to go the old-school route and grab a “real” magazine or newspaper — if you spy a bug that needs smashing. I see her point. I think.
