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Posted
Jun 22 2009, 12:09 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
That $29 or $39 one-way airfare sounds great, but before you buy, hold the phone until you've added in all the airline fees. Suddenly that ticket isn't such a great deal. (And don't buy it over the phone. That too will cost you extra.)
Airline fees are here to stay, no matter how confusing or annoying they are, USA Today reports. The story also says:
Sorting out the airlines' fees can be a time-consuming task. It took a week for a USA Today reporter -- who, unlike most consumers, was assisted by airline public relations staff -- to compile 28 different types of fees charged by 14 major airlines.
Holy buckets. Once you look at what reporter Gary Stoller compiled, you'll appreciate why it was a huge undertaking. Gary deserves our gratitude. (Of course, these fees are subject to change.)
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Posted
Jul 10 2008, 03:57 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Note to future self: If we're traveling on US Airways after Nov. 1, take a book. That's when the downsizing airline will stop showing movies on domestic flights. The decision to end in-flight films shouldn't be a surprise. The video systems weigh 500 pounds, a lot of extra weight -- particularly when they aren't paying their freight. Fewer and fewer people have been willing to shell out $5 for the headsets.
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Posted
Aug 19 2009, 04:15 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
It may still be 95 degrees outside, but as far as the airlines are concerned, it is time for the fall sales. If you're thinking about traveling any time this year, including the holidays, it may be time to buy the tickets.
United Airlines rolled out a Labor Day sale this week, followed by Southwest Airlines, and pretty soon all the airlines had followed up with sales. Southwest's sale is for travel through Jan. 7, with some holiday blackout dates. Frontier's sale covers travel through Feb. 10 on off-peak days. And JetBlue's All You Can Jet pass, $599 for a month of travel, is also still on sale. Tom Parsons' Best Fares outlines some of the domestic deals, and Sherman's Travel shares some good international and domestic fares.
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Posted
Jan 04 2008, 09:28 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Some of you who read last week's "Always budget for a carousel ride" wrote to tell me to go ahead and splurge on a cheesesteak during a trip to visit family. I grew up near Philadelphia, home of that deliciously cheesy, greasy, oniony sandwich that's impossible to duplicate elsewhere.
Turns out that the one store in my hometown offers a daily special: a 9-inch cheesesteak, small bag of chips and a can of soda for $4.59.
At that price, how could I resist? And a 9-inch cheesesteak consumed at 2 p.m. eliminated the need for supper.
This wasn't my only frugal hack, though.
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Posted
Apr 16 2009, 01:16 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
United Airlines announced that it's following the lead of sister airlines and will now charge obese passengers for a second seat in certain situations. The Wall Street Journal's The Middle Seat Terminal blog reports that the airline is responding to almost 700 complaints from passengers who were squished by fat seatmates.
The Terminal asks a good question: Is this fair to overweight people?
Here are the particulars of the new policy: (Actually, take time to read the entire policy because many news and blog reports about it were inaccurate.):
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Posted
Jun 08 2009, 08:25 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Travelers on European budget carrier Ryanair will likely have to start paying for bathroom use, and may wish they had a wooden (think hollow) leg.
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary told the Guardian newspaper in England that he's serious about charging for toilet access -- an idea he had earlier bandied about -- and also plans to reduce the number of bathrooms on his Boeing 737-800 jets from three to one.
Those bathrooms will be replaced with six more seats -- "which means more passengers will stand in line longer for the privilege of paying to potty. This can't be good for beverage cart sales," wrote Rob Manker at ChicagoTribune.com.
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Posted
Aug 13 2009, 04:07 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Everybody in the travel world is talking about JetBlue's new All-You-Can-Jet-Pass for $599, which gives you unlimited flights for a month. Is it a good deal or isn't it?
It depends on where you want to go and how many trips you want to take.
For a business traveler who flies frequently between two points on the JetBlue map, it might be a good deal, Sarah Morgan of SmartMoney notes. It might also be a good deal for people in commuter relationships, someone flying weekly to check up on aging parents or even someone who has friends and family in a number of JetBlue cities and wants to spend a month visiting them all.
Bing: Jet Bue
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Posted
Aug 28 2009, 04:25 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
To keep their most loyal travelers coming back, airlines are making it easier to qualify for elite status in their mileage programs. In some cases, they're also making it easier to earn miles, The New York Times reports.
"What we're seeing is a bit of a resurgence on the airlines' part in focusing on their frequent-flier programs," Tim Winship, who writes about loyalty programs for SmarterTravel.com, told The Times.
Unfortunately, the airlines don't seem to have made it easier to actually get a seat with your frequent flier miles. If anything, cutbacks in flights have made such seats harder to come by this year, the McClatchy News Service reported.
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Posted
Jul 10 2009, 03:57 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
When you've accumulated a bunch of frequent-flier miles, what's your strategy? Do you burn them on your next trip or are you more selective?
Michael B. Rubin of Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck says there's a smart way and a not-so-smart way to redeem them. It all depends, he says, on how much each mile is worth. We'll explain.
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Posted
Apr 06 2009, 06:11 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from J.D. Roth at partner blog Get Rich Slowly.
My wife and I have begun to explore the idea of taking a trip later this year. We're in the preliminary stages of our research and budgeting. Though we aren't ready to book anything yet, it's fun to look at what's available, and to dream of where we might go.
Over the weekend, I polled my followers on Twitter to ask their advice for finding great travel deals. Here are some of the tips and Web sites they recommended. I'm sure I'll refer to this list often in the coming months.
Kayak is a travel site that allows users to find deals on flights, hotels, cruises and more. More people suggested this site to me than any other. "K3n85" reports that he's had good luck with Kayak's deals section. And I have to say: A $649 six-night trip to London, Paris and Rome (including airfare and lodging!) sounds like a bargain. I love Kayak's bare-bones user interface. It's refreshing.
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