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.

Great Rent Day Promo: 100% Transfer Bonus To Hawaiian Airlines, One Day Only

I earn affiliate credit if you sign up for the Bilt Rewards Mastercard using links in this story. In 2022 Bilt Rewards introduced the concept of bonus earning on the first of each month, referred to as “Rent Day”. It started with double points on all transactions (except for rent) on the first day of the month for Bilt Rewards Mastercard holders. Now, Bilt has started announcing additional promotions for Rent Day, and this month is excellent. In fact, I’m debating draining my entire Bilt Rewards account for this one. […]

EXTREME? I Had Five Different Tickets Booked For Our Flight Home This Week

It still amazes me how much a seemingly small change during the pandemic has come to my rescue so many times. Near the beginning of the pandemic virtually all US airlines eliminated change fees. United went first, Delta and American quickly followed suit. At the time it wasn’t something that moved the needle because nobody was traveling. But, I had the sense then that this would be a big deal. One of the biggest benefit to elite status was the ability to reduce or waive some fees that airlines typically […]

2022 Airline Status Recap & 2023 Status Goals

I’m finally getting a moment to breathe and look back on my 2022 year in travel. Let’s start with airline status. If you want to hear more about my airline status goals we had a detailed discussion this week on the pod. At a high level, 2022 was a year where I continued to choose whatever airline offered me the best itinerary to maximize my time. A nod was paid to cheap first class fares since it’s virtually impossible to be at peak productivity. It was also about trying to […]

Today Only: Easily Earn Up To 600 Free Points!

I earn affiliate credit if you sign up for the Bilt Rewards Mastercard using links in this story. It’s the first of the month which means Rent Day rewards from the folks at Bilt. If you hold the Bilt Rewards Mastercard you can earn double points on all non-rent spend today. And, even if you don’t hold the credit card you can earn up to 600 free points just by playing trivia in the Bilt Rewards App. The easiest way to earn free points is to download the Bilt Rewards […]

American Airlines Makes Changes To Their New Loyalty Program Less Than A Year After Launch

Less than a year after American Airlines launched their new loyalty program they’re tweaking the requirements to earn status as well as the benefits. This is on the heels of United Airlines finally adopting the requirements they announced in 2019 and Delta increasing their qualification requirements. I’m not surprised to see American making changes a year in. Okay, maybe a bit surprised. But, I wholeheartedly agree this is the right approach. Smart companies continue to innovate where they see opportunities. In most cases, small tweaks are more well-received by customers […]

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. […]

Edward Pizzarello - January 28, 2023:
I don't feel it's unethical. I doubt anyone was hunting for the [...]

JoeSchmo - January 28, 2023:
I agree with Christian. And with you writing about it, there [...]

Ted Lasso - January 27, 2023:
Valid concern, but IMHO not something I’d lose sleep over. Airlines overbook [...]

Edward Pizzarello - January 25, 2023:
Sadly, in the case of Delta on certain domestic routes, I'd argue [...]

Christian - January 25, 2023:
Sorry, I was really unclear. My concern isn't for the airline, it's [...]