Carry-on Bags

RUMOR: American Airlines To Roll Back Carry-On Restrictions On Basic Economy Tickets?

July 8, 2018By Edward Pizzarello2 Comments

American Airlines may be rolling back restrictions on Basic Economy, allowing customers to bring full-sized carry-on bags onboard.

Two Recent Business Trips Illustrate The Frustration And Joy Of Life On The Road

May 17, 2018By Edward Pizzarello4 Comments

Policy changes out of nowhere, flight delays, crabby employees, surprise upgrades. Life on the road is never quite as glamorous as people might think. But, it can be better than expected.

United Introduces A “Carry-On Bag Fee” For Regular Folks

March 10, 2018By Edward Pizzarello13 Comments

United Airlines is introducing a priority boarding fee that’s pretty affordable. It pretty much guarantees you overhead bin space. That’s a bad thing for regular customers.

When Airlines Offer You A Product So You Don’t Buy It

November 28, 2017By Edward Pizzarello10 Comments

Airlines are trying to make flying more miserable so we’ll spend more money. Are customers buying up?

Pizza On TV! Talking About American Airlines Plans To Expand Basic Economy

July 30, 2017By Edward Pizzarello2 Comments

Basic Economy is a hot topic nowadays. I was on TV again yesterday discussing the increasing number of flights you’ll find these new fares.

United Airlines Gets The Incentive Wrong For Checking Your Bag At The Gate

July 26, 2017By Edward Pizzarello16 Comments

I heard United offering a new type of compensation if you’ll check your bag at the gate on full flights. Do you consider this a benefit or a tax?

A Bit More Info On Delta Early Valet, Loading Your Carry-On Bags For Free

June 25, 2017By Edward Pizzarello6 Comments

I tracked down a bit more info on Delta Early Valet, a really cool service where they will load your carry-on bags in the overhead bin above your seat before you board.

Are Basic Economy Fares The Worst The Airlines Can Treat Us?

May 22, 2017By Edward Pizzarello12 Comments

Basic Economy fares have now spread across all 3 of the legacy carriers. American Airlines and United Airlines took a harsher path than Delta did, taking away even more benefits than Delta did. Is this the beginning or the end of the latest round of cuts customers will have to endure?

Flying Aegean In Coach. Athens & Paris For Dollars A Day

February 3, 2016By Edward Pizzarello3 Comments

There are so many low-cost carriers in Europe it’s very easy to get from place to place without paying a ton. Aegean is not a traditional low-cost carrier but they do offer plenty of cheap tickets through their route network, which is bigger than you might think.

Black Friday 30% Off Luggage Sale Today

November 27, 2015By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

Yes, My Briggs Holds Two Kids!

A one-day sale on Amazon for Black Friday. There are a variety of brand names and bag types on sale.

The Craziest Story I Heard About Maximizing Black Friday This Year

It seems like every year I find myself in a conversation with my fellow miles and points nerds about how someone scored an incredible deal on Black Friday by stacking cash back portals and other bonuses with ridiculously low prices. Sometimes there’s FOMO, other times just appreciation from a fellow deal junkie. This year was a mostly quiet Black Friday for me. As the day wound down I texted in a group chat with some good friends who share my love for all things travel. One of the folks in […]

The One Credit Card I’ll Be Using On Black Friday

Bilt Rewards has an exceptional promotion for Black Friday. Earn 5 points per dollar on all purchases on Black Friday. Get instant approval for the card and get a digital card number to use immediately.

Help Some Tiny Wings Fly

I’m getting ready to do something crazy again and I hope you’ll consider helping. The two best ways you can help are by sharing this story with a friend and donating to our fundraiser. Let me give you a bit of background. Give Kids The World is a fabulous charity organization located in Central Florida. They’re not terribly well-known, unless you’re a Disney nerd like me. But, they perform a very important missions. They house the Make a Wish kids who come to Disney World. Thanks to the generosity of […]

The One Key Factor That Has Made Hundreds Of Trips Easy For Me

It’s crazy to think that I’ve been a road warrior for over 20 years. Prior to that I loved traveling for fun but only occasionally traveled for work. Over the years, I’ve had more elite status than I can probably remember. The very first loyalty program I signed up for was the Best Western Gold Crown Club. Even back in the early 90s I understood these loyalty programs had value. Along the way, I’ve had top tier elite status with: American Airlines (I think that was the first program I […]

Why This September 11th Is Just A Little Bit Different For Me

It’s a day to stop and think about the bravery it must have taken for first responders in lower Manhattan to watch the first tower collapse, then run up the stairs into the second tower to try to rescue survivors. I started forming the thoughts for this story a few weeks ago. My plan was to publish it last week, but as with so many things lately, time got away from me. So, here we sit on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. In some ways, September 11th is just another […]

I Flew Frontier, Saved $400 And Didn’t Die. My Frontier Airlines Review

Those low-cost carriers always have very appetizing fare sales. Who wouldn’t want to pay $20 to fly somewhere? But, what does $20 really buy you? I found out exactly what Frontier does (and doesn’t) offer customers on my first flight with them recently.

How To Use New Metro Silver Line To Get Between Dulles and Reagan National Airports

People talk about how bad the traffic is in places like Los Angeles with plenty of adjectives. And, it is quite bad. But, the traffic in DC is what I refer to as “stealthy bad”. It doesn’t get the same press that LA traffic does, but a trip that normally takes an hour can easily turn into a 3-hour ordeal. With visiting dignitaries, protests and construction as variables, weather can also wreak havoc on a system that consistently backs up during rush hour. For those of us that live in […]

Update: American Airlines Variable Choice Plus Pricing A Feature, Not A Bug

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the original announcement that American Airlines was creating bundled pricing that included change fees at a lower apparent cost. Things got a little better when American also announced they were expanding the timeframe you could request a same day change to your flight. And, then things started to get a bit screwy. It started with just one flight I couldn’t get to price right with Choice Plus as an add-on. But, then I did a bit more digging and found out […]

A Summary Of United Airlines Global Services Benefits

As travel has gotten more stressful the benefits of elite status are even more valuable. In some cases, what used to be free for everyone is now only free for those customers that fly most frequently. I value my American Airlines Executive Platinum status more highly than any status I’ve earned, including 1K service with United Airlines. However, Global Services is another matter. For those not aware, Global Services is an invitation-only status level that United bestows on their best customers. What defines a best customer? Well, United doesn’t list […]

Is Foursquare Dead?

Venture Beat doesn’t think so, and I’m not 100% sure they’re wrong. But, before I discuss the article, a little background on why someone allergic to social media like me became a Foursquare nut. A few years ago, a company called TopGuest came up with this concept where you could earn airline miles and hotel points for checking in at various places on Foursquare. I can’t say I thought it was a terribly good business model, but they convinced a bunch of hotel chains to hand out miles for this. […]