Tag: Hotels

Know Your Rights: Flight Cancellations and Delays

November 1, 2024

According to the Bureau of Transportation, almost 1.4 million U.S. flights were delayed in 202 3, which is 20 percent of all domestic flights. Nearly 90,000 were outright canceled. Previously, airlines were not required to compensate travelers if their flight was delayed or canceled. They only had to provide compensation if they moved or bumped passengers from an overbooked flight. However, as of April 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation has issued a final rule requiring airlines to refund travelers who have had significant flight delays or changes, including cancellations.

Since even the smallest change can derail your entire trip, it’s important to know what to do if your flight is delayed or canceled and what rights you have as a traveler. Here’s everything you need to know if your flight is delayed or canceled.

How to Receive a Refund in the Event of Significant Changes

Under the new final rule, airlines must refund passengers when their flight is “significantly changed.” Significant changes include:

A domestic arrival time altered by more than three hours and six hours for international flights
Departures and arrivals moved to different airports
An increase in connecting flights
Service class downgrades, such as from first or business class to economy
Any changes to accessibility for those with disabilities, such as to less accessible airplanes

When the airline cancels your flight less than 14 days before your departure, and you want to cancel your plans entirely, the airline must refund you, even if your tickets are non-refundable.

To try and receive compensation for a significantly changed flight, the first step is calling the airline’s customer service line. A little-known trick is to call the airline’s international numbers to avoid long wait times. “While it can be costly, you can often get through to an agent more quickly,” says Nick Ewen, content director at The Points Guys. “During times of mass travel disruption, you should try all different avenues for getting help,” he says.

Another option is to use the airline’s app directly from your cellular phone, which allows you to easily rebook your flight for free. You may also visit the customer service desk at the airport, but in the event of flight delays, the line will likely be long.

“It’s good for people to know they have rights,” says Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog for the U.S. PIRG Education Fund. “That way, they’re empowered to stand up for themselves,” she says. When the airline cancels your flight, they must provide a prompt refund within seven to 20 days, depending on the initial form of payment. “You don’t have to accept a rebooking, voucher or anything,” Murray says. “They have to give you a refund if that’s what you want,” she says.

How to Work With the Airline When You Want to Continue on Your Trip

If you’d rather continue your trip instead of receiving a refund, the airline will usually offer to rebook you on another flight with their airline. Still, the departure date and time will differ from your original ticket. Airlines can book your flight with a different airline, but they are not required. It never hurts to ask if switching airlines for a more convenient flight is possible. The worst that can happen is that they say no.

A significant change to your flight can become an expensive nuisance when other unexpected costs may arise in the event of altered travel plans, such as meals, lodging, and other forms of transportation. Airlines are also not required to help with these additional unforeseen costs. It’s within their discretion to offer vouchers for meals or lodging, so it’s always worth asking. Most major airlines will cover meals when there’s a delay of three hours or more, and many will cover a hotel stay in the event of overnight cancellations. In most cases, the airline would rather work with you than lose your business.

How to Avoid the Odds of Travel Troubles

There are three things any traveler can do when booking their initial flight to avoid travel troubles: book early flights, avoid connecting flights, and choose airlines that offer multiple flights per day to your destination. To reduce the odds of issues with your flight, it’s best to plan on flying early in the day. Airlines generally experience the least disruptions earlier in the day. Plus, if there is a change, then there’s more time in the day to make alternate plans.

When making your initial flight plans, avoid connecting flights. Connecting flights increase the odds of being stranded somewhere in between your arrival destination when there are unforeseen changes to flight departure times. Choosing an airline with multiple flight departures to your desired destination is another smart way to plan. If your original flight is canceled or significantly delayed, it may be easier for the airline to get you where you need to go if they have multiple flights available that day to where you’re headed.

If you get delayed between your original departure city and final destination, it is wise to plan overnight accommodations even before you book your new flight. That’s because in the event of several delays and canceled flights, lodging in the area will fill up quickly, and no one wants to sleep in the airport. “If you were originally booked on the last flight of the night and there are no other options,” Ewen says, “grab a hotel room near the airport before they’re all taken.”

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Saving for Your Next Vacation is Easy With a Plan

November 15, 2023

With world oil prices up, so is the cost of everything else. And now that interest rates are on the rise in an effort to combat inflation, hotel prices have risen by ten percent at many popular destinations. The benefits of traveling though are not worth foregoing due to rising costs. Travel is beneficial to your mental health by helping you feel calm and relieving stress and tension. With a little bit of creativity and determination, anyone can save up for a vacation and even get a great deal on travel costs.

How to Save for a Yearly Vacation

The best way to save for a vacation is to plan for it. If you have a specific trip in mind, start thinking about how much it will cost. Then create what is known as a sinking fund. If you think your vacation a year from now is going to cost $2,400, then put away $200 into an account every month. In a year’s time, you would have what you need for that vacation. If you continued the habit, then you’d have that vacation money saved every year.

When bills come in and unexpected expenses pop up, it can become difficult not to dip into your savings. This is why it’s important to keep your vacation account or sinking fund out of reach. Set up an automatic transfer for your savings every month instead of relying on yourself to transfer the money when you get paid. Gaby Dunn, author of Bad With Money, advises separating your money from your general savings so that you don’t use it for a different expense. “It’s also a good idea to open a specific account just for your vacation fund,” she suggests.

Once you’ve determined how much you’ll need to save, it then becomes time to get serious about sticking to a budget. “Many times, people will design their vacation and then attach dollars to it,” says Jesse Mecham, the founder of You Need a Budget. “But it’s better to come up with a reasonable number first, then whittle away at it when you start planning the trip. The reality is that we have only so much money.”

Budgeting really becomes about determining where you’re wasting money and where you can save money. Here are five easy ways to save for your next vacation::

One of the best ways to cut back on spending is to eat out less often and cook more meals at home. “Anyone I’ve talked to who has saved up a lot of money or paid off a lot of debt has cut back on eating out,” says Mecham. “Learning how to meal plan has been the overarching approach that has worked.” It might take some getting used to, but meal planning on the front end of your week can save a lot of money in the long run that you can put toward your travel budget.
Study your spending habits and cut back on buying unnecessary items. It might be coffees to-go, books that could have been borrowed from the library, or impulse clothing purchases. Notice your spending weaknesses and then get disciplined about avoiding those temptations.
You may have some sneaking subscriptions to streaming services, apps, or memberships that you’re not using often enough to make them worth the added strain on your budget. Take an inventory and see which subscriptions you could go without. The twenty or so dollars you’re spending a month on something you’re not even using could easily go toward your sinking fund instead.
Savings account interest rates are often higher with online banks than brick and mortar banks. Kelly Johnson of the travel blog, Snap Travel Magic, suggests finding the highest-yield savings account. Then, “Put 5% of each paycheck,” she advises,
directly into the account.”
Use credit cards that reward you, whether it’s a bonus sign-up offer, regular cash back percentages on money spent, or points that can be put toward travel expenses. “Many credit cards offer sign up bonuses in which you can earn free cash back, extra airline miles and travel points for spending a certain amount of money within the first few months of account opening which you can use to cover a big portion of your travel expenses,” says shopping consultant Andrea Woroch.

The most important thing when it comes to saving for your travel goals may be to stay motivated. Keep in mind why you’re budgeting by placing a picture of your desired destination somewhere you look often or making it the background image on your phone or computer. This way, if you’re tempted to make a purchase through your phone, you’ll be reminded of why you’re working so hard to save money for your dream vacation.

How to Get the Best Deals on Travel Costs

If you’re willing to be flexible with where you travel to, there is another way to score inexpensive tickets. Companies such as Scott’s Cheap Flights and Secret Flying allow you to seize temporary deals. By entering your home airport into Google Flights, choosing a desired departure date, and leaving the destination blank, people can find startling low prices on round trip tickets. This is not to say you should forego your dream trip for a deal on plane tickets. This is just one strategy to consider if you’re more in need of a break than of an actual place you have in mind.

Knowing how to avoid the high season in certain places is an artform worth mastering. Besides dealing with less crowds on your vacation, you can also take advantage of lower prices on almost all of your costs. While school schedules affect peak travel times, time off varies depending on the location. The ideal time in most places is likely going to be in between seasons or “shoulder season,” such as May in tropical destinations and October in colder places, including Europe. A little research will tell you when it’s best to travel to the destination you have in mind.

Next, shop around and compare the prices of hotels and rental properties. For instance, the advantage of having a kitchen in a rental may vary widely based on where you’re going. In some places, it will be less expensive to eat out than to cook and vice versa. Whichever you choose – hotel or rental – pay close attention to reviews, especially with Airbnb, where only travelers who have stayed there are allowed to leave a review.

How to Save Even When Traveling

Once you’ve worked hard saving up for a trip and doing your research to get the best deal on transportation and lodging, you’ll want to avoid getting caught up in the moment on your trip and go crazy with frivolous spending. The biggest trap people fall into is the cost of meals on vacation.

One way to avoid overpriced dining is to eat where the locals do. Walking fifteen minutes in any direction out of the city can make a huge difference. Not only will you spend less at restaurants, but you’ll have a more authentic dining experience. Asking the locals for suggestions is another best practice to find places to eat, as most people will love the opportunity to share their recommendations.

Just as in avoiding the peak time to travel somewhere, the same goes for restaurants. Making reservations a little earlier or later than when everyone else is will cut down on the costs of that meal, as many restaurants provide specials outside of peak times. Another way to budget is to plan on one splurge meal a day. If you eat a light breakfast and grab a small lunch on the go, then spending more on dinner won’t feel as glutiness.

Beyond eating, be open to free activities, and again: do your research ahead of time. There are many museums that offer free or reduced admissions on certain days and times. Then there’s the gardens, parks, and general sightseeing that are always free-of-charge. Always check for local markets to get a taste of local fare and the unparalleled experience of people-watching in a new place.