Wednesday, August 10, 2022 Note: I'm resending today's newsletter since the original one had the wrong link in the featured story! I apologize for my mistake.
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G'day. Yesterday, the world lost a Hollywood icon with the passing of Olivia Newton-John. As you can see from the photo above, I was fortunate to fly with her (and John Travolta) on Qantas' first A380 flight and she was truly lovely. Here's that 2008 trip report.
Travel News
There's lots of travel news to read today but one story that really caught my attention is about a new proposal that could force hotels in Los Angeles to house the homeless in unsold hotel rooms across the city. I have many (many) thoughts about this and was then left wondering ... could this end up being a good thing for consumers? Read the full story here and share your thoughts in the comments.
Delays and Cancelations
The airlines have had a rough week and I mean rough, in terms of delays and cancelations. Unfortunately, they're continuing today with severe weather along the eastern half of the United States. According to the FAA as of 3:56pm ET: "Departures to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International are grounded due to thunderstorms." Charlotte has a ground stop too as does BWI, DAL, DCA and IAD. All three NYC airports have ground delays in effect. Southwest Airlines has over 600 delayed flights today and American has over 450 and it's still relatively early. Here's what to do in weather delays and cancelations.
Princess Cruises Cancels Diamond Princess Cruises Departing from San Diego Through November 13, 2022
Thanks to reader Jim W. for informing me of the following: "Princess just cancelled our California Coast cruise scheduled for next month. Looks like they are having problems.” It does indeed look like they’re having problems as they’ve canceled all Diamond Princess cruises departing from San Diego through November 13, 2022. Here's what you need to know.
Aer Lingus Makes TWO Emergency Landings in One Day at Hartford’s BDL Airport
Emergency landings are very rare and I’ve only experienced a handful in my life … and I’ve flown thousands of times. Most of them were for medical emergencies but two were legit: smoke in the cabin and a bird strike on takeoff and both of those scary incidents happened within the same week, but in other ends of the country. But yesterday, Aer Lingus, the flag carrier of Ireland, had a day. Here's the story.
Travel Tips
12 Things to Know Before Going to Paris
Paris is a good jump-off city for other European adventures. Contributor Melissa Curtin and her husband decided on three nights in the City of Light at the start of her trip and two nights on the tail end of their travels, since they quickly realized that flying in and out of the same city was considerably less expensive. Here are Melissa's 12 things to know before going to Paris.
This Travel Hack Can Save You Hundreds of Dollars When Booking Flights
Before I had a family, I never realized that airlines sold fares in buckets, or categories. For example, most airlines have X number of tickets they sell for each fare code they load into their complex system. Here's the hack to save hundreds of dollars.
Heads Up: Many American Airlines Flight Credits Are Set to Expire So Use Them or Lose Them
I have a love-hate relationship with American Airlines. There's lots that I love about the carrier but one of the things that I really don't is how difficult they make it for travelers to use their flight credits, which really, are your own hard-earned money in voucher form. Here's my recent experience and what you need to know if you have flight credits you plan to use.
Last week's Tips
-Maui is Paradise but Their Airport Isn’t - Here’s How to Avoid the Chaos at Kahului Airport
-Don't Travel Without Downloading This App | 