Tagged: consumer-protection

U.S. Airlines Try to Abandon Passenger Rights and Performance Reports—to Secretly Police Themselves

The nation's largest airlines are quietly asking the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to virtually eradicate every meaningful consumer protection we have. If the big carriers…

Did La Quinta Hotel Really Make Guests Check in by Video Conference?

We know that American business owners are contending with a sudden reduction in low-paid workers, particularly in the hospitality industry, which is being impacted by the ripple…

Airbnb Scam Warning: AI-Altered Photos Used to Accuse Guest of Causing $16,000 in Damage

Airbnb has had to apologize and issue a refund to a guest after a host allegedly used AI to create fraudulent photos in support of a claim that the guest had caused a whopping $16,000…

Air Passengers Have Fewer Rights in the U.S. Than in These Other Countries

Perhaps the most annoying of all airline fees is the extra charge for a carry-on bag, which several U.S. airlines, including United, can charge. But there's good news from the European…

No, the U.S. Didn't "Ban" Resort Fees. Here's What the FTC Actually Did

Another day, another flagrant twisting of the truth by some of the people who cover news of the travel industry.You probably saw some posts and news headlines that told you that junk…

Will Trump Undo the New DOT Rules Protecting Traveler Rights?

When Donald Trump nominated Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation last month, Airlines for America—lobbyists for the largest carriers—said it was “thrilled.” Not surprising,…

Why Experts Warn Visiting Spain Now Poses a Huge Risk of Identity Theft

The Spanish government calls it Royal Decree 933/2021, but the tourism industry calls it something more sinister: Tourism Big Brother.On December 2, 2024, a new law took effect in…

Warning, U.S. Travelers: Airline Execs Want to Snatch Your Consumer Rights Away

The fight for fair treatment isn't over once a battle is won—especially when powerful interests stand to benefit from keeping things unfair. In the United States, travelers are facing…

Why We Need Travel Advisors Now More Than Ever

It’s that time of year when you’re likely to be booking holiday travel, and undoubtedly you’ve logged onto travel sites to seek the best deals in flights, hotels, resorts, car rentals,…

How to Get Out of Paying a Hotel's Resort Fee—It Can Be Done!

Resort fees can be the ultimate buzzkill during your hard-earned vacation. Having to pay an extra $20 to $50 per night, plus tax, is a good way to cancel out whatever good vibes you…

Airline Refund Rules: What You’re Owed for a Canceled Flight

With the busy holiday travel season fast approaching, a new Department of Transportation rule designed to protect U.S. airline passengers has gone fully into effect. As of Monday,…

Airline Miles Programs Are Essentially Pyramid Schemes Now

What went wrong with airline frequent flyer programs? Dissatisfaction with loyalty programs has reached a fever pitch. It has become crystal clear that for many airlines, the loyalty…

How We Helped to End Family Seating Fees, the Worst Airline Junk Fee Ever

About ten years ago, airline greed reached a new low when every carrier in the nation refused to waive seating fees for families with young children to sit together inflight. I was at…

U.S. Forbids Airlines from Charging Families to Sit Together

There's been another big win for consumers at the U.S. airports. On Thursday, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that it has proposed a rule that forbids commercial…

This Carnival Cruise Customer Service Scam Cost a Family Their $900 Vacation

We've warned you before about travel scams involving fraudulent phone numbers for airlines' customer service call centers. Passengers fall prey to that con when they look up an…

This Airline Is Mining Your Personal Information to Sell Things to You In Flight. Stop That!

Welcome to the spammy skies. United Airlines has launched a new ad serving platform that will exploit the personal travel information of its customers gathered from bookings, and the…

Where is Everybody? "Humanless” Customer Service is Dominating Travel. Can We Be Heard as Consumers?

None of us voted on this, but like it or not, there’s been a tremendous shift in how we interact with travel companies. Speaking to a real live person can be tedious, time-consuming,…

Study Finds Gig Drivers Still Earn Less Than Minimum Wage. Is Using Uber and Lyft Ethical?

Corporations are squeezing Americans for more cash everywhere. We're all feeling it, especially at the grocery store and at the gas pump, even as the big companies in those industries…

Uber and Lyft Cleaning Fee Scams: Beware Nauseating Vomit Fraud

There was a time when the only kind of vomit fraud you had to worry about involved plastic throw-up of the sort favored by practical jokesters. With the advent of ride-hailing apps…

How to Get a Refund from or Complain to Any Travel Company: Which Government Agency Oversees What

Whether it’s a bankrupt cruise line, a canceled flight, a missing car rental reservation, or a hotel “walking” you due to overbookings, there are times when you need to complain to a…

How to Fix the Airlines: A Prescription

Here’s a secret that isn’t a secret: The airline industry is broken. We all know it—except for airline executives and their most die-hard supporters. It’s broken, but it’s also a…

Is Your Airport Hiding Big Uber and Lyft Fees from You?

It's impossible to be an informed consumer if you're not allowed to know exactly what you're paying for.Frommer's has found that a majority of airports in the United States that force…

How Consumers Can Game Our Over-Mergered Travel Industry to Their Advantage

Last month on Frommer’s, I detailed how the U.S. airline industry has never been more concentrated thanks to mergers and acquisitions, and I expressed hope that the U.S. Department of…

Lyft Is Charging Customers Extra Fees but Hiding How Much

A warning for travelers who rely on rideshare company Lyft: The company is quietly hiding the true amount it takes in extra fees that are added to your base fare. A recent ride I took…

Disney World Has Quietly Removed an Entire Park from Its Daily Lineup

Ask any theme park aficionado to list all the things you can do during a day at Walt Disney World near Orlando, and you'll hear the resort's inventory rattled off as easily as the…