The future of flight is here and it’s not jetpacks — it’s in-air surveillance. If you thought the most invasive thing that could happen on a plane was the person in front of you reclining, I have some bad news, friend.
Airlines already collect and track your data, including:
And if you think that’s where their snooping ends, prepare for turbulence…
Airlines also track your customer service requests, car rentals and other travel add-ons. Some airports even use facial recognition.
But I’m willing to bet you never thought they’d track:
Airlines claim this data collection will provide a better experience for you and me, but is the extra convenience really worth your privacy?
It’s all about cold, hard cash. Airlines save big bucks by rationing out only the food and drinks data tells them passengers want. And it gets even more cutthroat: They can also prioritize frequent flyers and give less to passengers who don’t pay premium prices.
Not to mention, there’s always a possibility an airline or its vendors will repackage your data and sell it to marketers for even more money. Those are not the kind of frequent flyer points I want to earn.
Travel is stressful, no bones about it. But with the right tricks up your sleeve, you can make things so much easier on yourself and anyone coming to see you. And that’s what I’m passing along right now.
Little trackers use signals from other phones to determine where they are located. Toss one in your luggage and you can see whether it made it to your destination or point out to the airlines where they lost it.
Taking a trip soon? Do what I do. Before you get on the plane, Team Android, stick a Tile Mate tracker (or, Team Apple, an AirTag) into your suitcase. If the airline loses your luggage, the app can help track it down.
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What’s the most invasive thing about your flight? Here’s why it’s not the guy kicking the back of your seat, in 60 seconds.
This is how I roll: American Airlines is the first airline to roll out self-driving wheelchairs, starting with airports in Los Angeles and Miami. No more airport employees carting you to your flight. Just sit down, punch in your gate on the screen, and you’re off, luggage and all. It’s even got cameras and obstacle sensors, and it dings to tell people to get out of the way.
When you’re looking for a hotel, travel discount sites like Kayak, Expedia and Hotels.com are good places to start, but you won’t always find the best prices there. There’s one more step to take that’ll help you undercut even the lowest price you find online. Here’s what you need to do.
When something goes wrong with a service or product you paid for, you contact the company, right? It should be as straightforward as that, but unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
Let’s say you miss your and you want to contact the airline to reschedule. You go online and find the number and call. You hand over your information and rebook a flight. You get to the airport and realize you’re not booked for anything. You called a scammer posing as the airline. This is just one of many ways they can get your personal and financial information. Tap or click here for five flight and airline scams to watch out for.
If you’re worried about flying Boeing after its recent door plug disaster, among other problems, a new website could help. Visit Am I Flying on a Boeing? and enter your airline, flight number and date. Voila — now you’ll know for sure.
Fuel prices may have come down some, but drivers across the country are still spending more than they’d like to gas up.
The government is trying to offer financial relief through gas stimulus checks. The proposed Gas Rebate Act of 2022 would be similar to previous stimulus checks. Tap or click here to see if you’re eligible and how much you could expect to receive.
There are few things more frustrating than when you reach for your car or house keys, only to find that they are not where they are supposed to be. You usually end up in a frantic search, even looking in places you know they won’t be.
The combination of the omicron COVID-19 variant and severe weather conditions has led to many flights being canceled. Tap or click here for details on fraudulent COVID tests being offered by robocallers.
By Tuesday afternoon, airlines canceled 1,400 more flights around the country. This has left many travelers stranded and frustrated, as more than 20,000 flights have been canceled since Christmas Eve.
While the idea of cheap travel and amenities is enticing to any traveler, they could be nothing but empty promises as everything comes at a cost. Even though it may not be directly evident, you will end up paying for these “generous” offerings. What that price is we often don’t know upfront. How do you unearth sneaky costs and avoid these hidden fees? We’ve dug up many of these buried fees for you, here’s what you need to know.
Flying is not only expensive, it has become tortuous as well. Unless it’s on someone else’s dime or an emergency, I think we can all agree that we like to find the lowest airfare possible.
You really have to focus on websites that offer discounted airfares, make comparisons and stay within your budget. But one thing you can’t forget is the certain times of the year affect the price of your destination.
Once again, another major company has been hacked and has allowed millions of people’s personal information to be leaked. It seems like every day this continues, and no one seems to be doing anything about it. This time, a major hotel chain has been hacked and the chain is so large that if you have stayed in any hotel within the last few years, there is a good chance you might have been affected.
If you have never sat around in an airport and waited while your flight was delayed, you’ve never flown before. Or, maybe only flown once or twice. Because as anyone with any extensive travel experience can tell you, delays are as much a part of the experience as salty peanuts. We may like the peanuts significantly more, but both are something we are used to having. Did you know the suffering caused by having to sit around and wait could actually be worth more than a headache? Turns out we could all be entitled to some financial compensation.
Do not book an airline flight the old-fashioned way. No, we’re not talking about driving to your travel agent and spending hours watching him or her try to piece together a vacation for you.
We’re talking about staring at your laptop for hours trying to find cheap flights. Just a few years ago, you’d visit airline websites in search of flights and vacation packages.
When booking a hotel, there are several factors to look for. Amenities and location are essential, but the price is most important when it all boils down to it. So are you really saving money by booking through the hotel directly? I’ve got some revealing data you have to see before you plan your next vacation.
