Alaska Airlines continues to impress me with their commitment to their customers. One of my biggest frustrations with checking baggage is how long I have to wait at some stations for the bags to be delivered. Waiting 45 minutes or an hour for bags is an experience nobody wants to have, but almost every traveler…

Flying means that things sometimes go wrong…horribly wrong. Flights get delayed or canceled, reservations get lost, and involuntary denied boarding happens. Here’s how you can be prepared to make sure that, when things go wrong, you can get home. This post is inspired by my travel last weekend. Both the significant other and I had…

It’s summer, which means time for traveling. I’ll be visiting 15 countries over four months. Scores of flights on almost as many carriers, night trains in several countries, ferrys, hitchhiking, and camel rides all mean that there will be plenty to share when I return in the fall. Success stories, my commentary on exclusive terminals, an…

It might be wise to think twice about checking a bag when traveling through JFK. According to a recent CBS News story out of New York, more than 200 bags are stolen by airport workers every day at New York’s JFK airport. Law enforcement sources told Kramer that thefts at the airport have increased at…

I’m pretty sure that there are no four-legged friends reading this blog, but for those of you who like to travel with your pets and have heard horror stories about kittens freezing to death, there is an alternative to checking your pets as cargo on a commercial flight. Pet Airways specializes in pet transport, offering…

If you’re looking to travel to Europe this summer, Air Canada currently has a sub-$600 fare from Newark to Dusseldorf. I’ve seen lower fares to Europe, but a fare this low during the peak travel season is a rare find. Details are on the FlyerTalk thread. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mileage-run-deals/1329591-ac-ewr-ber-dus-596-june-july-august.html

There is a special place in my heart for airline April Fools Day jokes. By far, this year’s best joke came from WestJet. The headline: “WestJet introduces child-free cabins”. WestJet even took the time to produce a video to introduce their new “product”. http://www.westjet.com/guest/en/deals/promo-code/april-fools.shtml?sm_cid=sm-tw-af-ge-20120401&mrd=0

During my consulting internship last year, I decided to try out the American Express Platinum Card. Airline Lounge Access The airline lounge access benefit is by far the best benefit of the Platinum card for the frequent traveler. Currently the Platinum card entitles you (and two guests) to enter any Delta Sky Club or American Airlines Admirals…

In an average year, I travel internationally maybe three or four times. By far, one of the largest frustrations of traveling internationally has been the wait to clear immigration into the United States. Many times, I have waited well over 45 minutes to enter the country. If you’re trying to make a tight connection, this wait…