Travel Week in Review – March 1, 2024

A week following the news that American Airlines had raised its checked-bag fees, United Airlines has done the same, the carrier confirmed Monday. United customers traveling in North America using tickets purchased on or after Feb. 24 now must pay an additional $5 for first- and second-checked bags. The new fees for bags checked at the airport are $40 for the first bag and $50 for the second bag. There is a $5 discount for bags checked online at least 24 hours in advance. Read More…

Following a slight month-to-month drop in December, North American carriers’ average on-time performance in January posted an even sharper decline of 7.4 percentage points month over month to an average of 71.7 percent, according to data from aviation analytics company Cirium. All carriers that qualified for the January report posted declines except for JetBlue, which increased its on-time performance by 0.8 percentage points from December to 71.8 percent. Cirium credited January weather, which caused “thousands of flights” to be canceled and negatively affected scores. Read More…

If you ask for any of these free perks and get a polite but apologetic no, just shrug and let it go — there’s no harm in asking as long as you can accept the answer with good grace. But in an age of expensive, inconvenient air travel, it’s worth seeing if you can get some extra items and amenities for free. Even if you cashed in points on your best travel credit card, you paid a lot for your travel experience. You might as well make the most of it without compromising your budget. Read More…

Delta’s first class pampers passengers from the airport to their destination, offering easy check-in, baggage handling, and seamless boarding. First class seats are spacious with extra legroom, recline options, and a focus on comfort, although not fully lie-flat like Delta One. Passengers in Delta’s first class enjoy a gourmet dining experience with carefully crafted menus and a selection of premium food and beverages. Read More…

Travel hiccups like flight delays and cancellations can cause serious problems, but for most flyers, losing luggage ranks pretty high on the list of the worst things that can happen on a trip. Some passengers will only pack a carry-on suitcase just to be certain their items will arrive at their destination along with them. But if your suitcase must be checked, there are a few steps you can take to ensure your suitcases don’t end up missing in action. Read on for the mistakes that will get your luggage lost at the airport, according to travel experts. Read More…