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Posted
Jul 23 2009, 03:44 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Here's the strangest proof we've seen to date that the airline industry ain't what it used to be. According to the Los Angeles Times, airline pilots and other employees are living in a collection of 100 campers and RVs in Parking Lot B of Los Angeles International Airport, less than 3,500 feet from the south runway.
It has the feel of a modern-day shantytown, replete with the sounds and smell of jets coming in for a landing at the nation's third busiest airport. Parking the motor home at a Wal-Mart sounds glamorous compared with this.
The LA Times reports:
It is a drab expanse of crumbling gray asphalt, approach lights, chain-link fencing and rows of beige and white RVs -- some battered, others grand. A splash of color comes from the red and white blooms of about a dozen rose bushes along the colony's northern edge.
But it's a steal. Rent for each space is only $60 a month.
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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
Feb 27 2009, 02:58 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Has this ever happened to you? You're boarding one of those small commuter planes that doesn't have a bathroom, and you're extremely nervous about your bladder. (We once sat next to an elderly lady in distress who was in tears by the time the plane landed.)
This comes to mind because the head of Ryanair, Europe's largest budget cheap airline, told the BBC that it may begin charging for in-flight use of toilets. Michael O'Leary, what are you thinking? Surely you jest.
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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
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 14 2008, 03:19 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
We have great memories from our many travels across the country by bus: the image of the first working cowboy we'd ever seen as we crossed into New Mexico, a new card game we learned from fellow passengers as we pulled out of the Chicago terminal, our first visits to New Orleans and San Francisco. As Amy L. Fontinelle at Two Pennies Earned says, the bus is an affordable alternative to plane and train travel. The round-trip fare between New York City and Washington, D.C., is about $20 to $40 depending on which bus company you use.
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Posted
Jun 03 2009, 12:26 PM
by
Joan Melcher
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
America’s national parks were meant to put people face-to-face with the natural wonders of the country.
Admittance fees have usually been a relatively small price to pay for this opportunity, but with the recession and rising gas prices, many families might forgo a trip to a park this year.
U.S. Department of the Interior to the rescue: Secretary Ken Salazar announced Tuesday that admission to the 147 national parks and monuments that charge entrance fees will be free to all comers three weekends this summer.
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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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