Just when you thought commercial carriers couldn’t possibly penalize your pocketbook any more with their exorbitant baggage fees, Spirit Airlines just announced it plans to charge passengers $100 for carry-ons. Fortunately, there are ways you can avoid being hit with this outrageous fee. Beginning November 6th, Spirit will slap passengers with the 100-buck fee if they wait until they get to the boarding gate to pay. If you fly the discount airline and pay before getting to the airport, you will save a substantial amount of money. Here’s how you can avoid being hit with the sky-high baggage surcharge: Option … Continue reading →

Stupid airline fees. Or, stupid you for paying them? According to the CEO of a popular no-frills airline, passengers shouldn’t complain about having to fork over fees for certain services because in most cases the payment could be avoided if they weren’t so “stupid.” Last month, the outspoken CEO of European discount carrier Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, called a female passenger “stupid” after she took to social media complaining about a hefty fee charge. In August, Suzy McLeod of Berkshire, England, was charged 300 euro (roughly $400) for failing to print her family’s boarding passes prior to their flight from Alicante, … Continue reading →

As if finding cheap airfare wasn’t hard enough, some carriers are now making the job even more challenging. Online travel aggregate sites, such as Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity are designed to allow travelers to compare airfare prices without having to spend hours visiting dozens of individual airline webpages. The popular online travel agencies provide the convenience of one-stop shopping for customers, but charge the carriers commissions of roughly $10 to $25 a ticket which they say eat into their profit margins. Unfortunately, more and more airlines are looking to get out of the aggregate site line-up. For example, earlier this … Continue reading →

Talk about a gate crasher. If there were gold medals given to travelers who could get by increased security at airports on high alert during the London 2012 Olympics, then a cheeky 11-year-old boy would be wearing some major hardware around his neck right now. Instead, the only things that are circling Liam Corcoran’s neck is his mother’s hands. Last week, the boy made international headlines when he managed to slip through security and fly from Britain’s Manchester Airport to Rome without a passport or a boarding pass. So, how does a kid walk through more than one airport security … Continue reading →

Whether you are jetting off to Burlingame, California, to visit the world’s largest Pez dispenser or you’re planning a family trip to the Paris Texas Eiffel Tower in Paris, Texas (it measures nearly 65 feet tall and has a cowboy hat on top), you’ll want to avoid luggage loss. These days airport baggage carousels are known as “black holes” since they accommodate a prolific amount of identical-looking dark-colored suitcases. So how can you avoid grabbing the wrong bag, or worse, having some other traveler walk away with the personal belongings you have tucked away in your black luggage? Here are … Continue reading →

Let’s face it; with the crack down on carry-on bags, the exorbitant price of airfare and the elimination of free meals, flying on commercial airlines can be a real pain. And as many parents can tell you, that torture is multiplied when you are taking flight with young children in tow. Fortunately, there is some good news for families traveling by air this summer. Just a few days ago, Allegiant Air announced that it will not add to parents’ anxiety by splitting up families on flights. The carrier modified its check-in system so passengers under the age of 14 will … Continue reading →

My 7-year-old was 5 years old for about 18 months… but just when we had to fly from Chicago to Hawaii and back. Hey, my kid’s a peanut, but I know, bad is bad. Like you haven’t ever tried to milk the airlines’ rule that allowed you to board first with children under the age of 5. In some cases it’s a necessity to fudge your kid’s age, especially when you are flying with a brood of rugrats that range from six months to six years. What are you supposed to do then? Leave the six-year-old in the boarding area … Continue reading →

While many people assume that booking early will yield the best price on airfare, often, waiting until the last minute can pay huge dividends. When you can score a round-trip, non-stop flight from Chicago to Honolulu for just $500 by waiting until 48 hours before your departure to buy; that’s success in my book. Of course, if you are flying with multiple family members, including four kids under the age of five, it may not be possible to be so flexible. Still, waiting can produce big rewards, especially if you are booking a flight to a popular vacation destination, such … Continue reading →

Timing is everything when you are trying to land an amazing deal on airfare. This is especially true if you are booking online. Whereas there are dozens of travel websites out there, convenience and accessibility doesn’t make snagging a rock bottom deal less complicated. For example, many travelers scoop up airline seats thinking they’ve scored a super deal, only to discover that two days later prices plummeted by 30 percent or more. So how do you win at the high-stakes game of airfare poker? According to travel experts, there are two main strategies that come into play when searching for … Continue reading →

I am constantly on the look out for cheap flights to Hawaii. Last year, I thought I had struck gold when I happened upon a roundtrip, non-stop fare from Chicago to Honolulu for a mere $500. Turns out the actual retail price after taxes and mandatory fees was a not-so wonderful $665. How is that possible? I didn’t bother doing the math to determine the exact breakdown of the additional costs. Rather, I chocked it up to the chokehold the airline industry has on consumers and went about sulking. Fast-forward six months and I’ve turned that frown upside down. According … Continue reading →