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.

Talking Travel With Summer Hull And Richard Kerr!

Summer Hull and Richard Kerr are two of my favorite people in travel. They’re both family travelers, like me. But, they’re also wickedly smart about so much in the world of travel. And, they both said they had some time to podcast this week. That usually means comedy, great advice and trouble all rolled into one. This episode was no exception! There’s talk about year-end status runs, both in airline and hotels. And, there’s all the normal travel craziness to discuss, including a hotel program you’re probably not paying attention […]

A Delta Crew Of All Women Flew 120 Girls To NASA Headquarters

A crew of experienced female pilots, cabin crew and ground crew took a group of teenage girls to NASA headquarters to drive home the point that women are poised take a larger share of jobs in aviation.

United Airlines Making Bold Changes To How You Earn Status

United Airlines is going all-in on money, as in you’ll earn elite status based almost entirely on how much you pay the airline. The amount you’ll need to spend is going up again. And, if you can’t hit the minimum number of flights, you’ll have to spend even more. There is some good news for international travelers. For everyone else, this is going to be a tough pill to swallow.

Travel News Tuesday: Big Turn For Uber & Lyft At LAX And Hilton Raising Rates

We’re talking bonus points for Lyft, Hilton raising rates, big changes for Uber and Lyft at LAX, bonus Marriott points at restaurants and a giveaway!

Dear United, It Shouldn’t Be This Hard

Airline employees have unions to band together and discuss their grievances with an airline. Customers don’t have the same ability to band together two let an airline know something disappoints them. A recent experience on a United flight makes me wonder what would happen if customers banded together to air their grievances with the airline.

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

Michelle Pizzarello - October 15, 2019:
Thank You Janet for you wonderful post.

Janet - October 15, 2019:
Michelle, this is one of the best posts I've read all week. [...]

Mommy Points - October 13, 2019:
Ha ha. You never know. I do know that my C is [...]

H Yu - October 12, 2019:
An international celebration of girls is not an attack on men! It's [...]

H Yu - October 12, 2019:
Your ignorance is pretty sad. Not only is your statement not grounded [...]