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Tagged With "lost bags"

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Re: How to Fly through Airports…or at least relax a bit!

Paul Heymont ·
The cords and chargers can stay in the bag; they have a recognizable x-ray profile. That's generally true also for phones and small tablets, such as Kindle. Larger tablets, such as iPads, are invited out of your bag only once in a great while, but be sure to keep them accessible for those moments.
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Re: You CAN'T Take It All With You: Keeping the Load Light

DrFumblefinger ·
A nicely written piece, PHeymont, with lots of good tips in it. I generally have two packing philosophies 1) Road trip (North America0. If I've got a large car trunk, then I'll take a lot of stuff along just not to have to bother with stuff like laundry. Might even throw in a heavy tripod and good pair of hiking boots, as well as a fishing rod, etc. 2) Overseas plane trip. Lighter is definitely better. A carry-on size bag like you and your wife use is idea. Especially if you will be...
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Re: The least loved airline fee is...

Paul Heymont ·
I think you're right that unavoidability is a big factor in the hatred of bag fees. As you point out, not everyone cancels or bothers to pay a seat fee, and many people carry their own food. The other factor is the sheer size of the fee. A couple with two suitcases, round-trip, have added $100 to their cost (regardless of distance). If they decide to take a bigger case and share it, they save $50, but are now condemned to drag an oversize bag as they go. No wonder some of the loyalty credit...
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Re: Pineapple field, Dole Plantation

GarryRF ·
Surprises me that Pineapples are grown in the US and sold in the US for 3 times the price I pay in the UK . Same with Cane Sugar. Bag of Barbados sugar (1 Kilo / 2.2 Pounds ) is currently less than $1 US.
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Re: JetBlue knows treating people well pays off in good-will

Paul Heymont ·
And yet, as we reported here in August, the new leadership coming aboard at JetBlue is poised to start imposing bag fees, squeezing legroom, adding other fees and, apparently, choosing to respond more to Wall Street than to those loyal customers, as reported by MarketWatch. Previous Gumbo newsclip "Will JetBlue Change Its Colors?" HERE
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Re: JetBlue knows treating people well pays off in good-will

DrFumblefinger ·
I'm hoping public pressure prevents this from happening. I've never lived in a market that JetBlue served, but would like to fly them sometime. I am very familiar with Southwest which has a very successful business model that includes offering folks slightly larger seats with more legroom, a free checked bag and non-cancellation fees (you get a credit that's good for one year, but no charges for having to change your flight). And they usually are the most profitable airline in the USA.
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Re: Vineyards, Burgundy, France

PortMoresby ·
This isn't the walking part, DrF, this is the drinking part. I do plan to tell the story of the walk along the Burgundy Canal soon but the answer to your question about gear is, neither. When I walk I carry a day pack, period. I leave my bigger bag at a hotel, in Burgundy it was in Dijon, and just have essentials with me, a change and toiletries, any guides and maps I may want and little else, about 10 lbs. altogether including rain gear. The less stuff, I've found over the years, the better...
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Re: How Dumb can you be? Things not to say to the TSA

Travel Rob ·
I hope Airfarewatchdog publishes a fun list for the TSA screeners on what not to say to us. Sometimes ,when i opt out, the screeners act like it's first time somebody chose to that.Other times ,I feel like they are trying to sell me a timeshare to get me to use the scanner. My biggest issue though when I opt out is my carry- on luggage goes through security while I'm waiting for the patdown on the other side. And from the other side you cant see whats happening to your bag. I opted out at...
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Re: How Dumb can you be? Things not to say to the TSA

Travel Rob ·
This really fits in the category of what not to say. A prominent Venezuelan neurosurgeon was fined nearly $90,000 for joking he had explosives in his bag in Miami Two concourses were evacuated and were closed for several hours .Flights also were delayed on 5 airlines . http://www.usatoday.com/story/...-bomb-joke/19801827/
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Re: The airplane seat of the future

Paul Heymont ·
Good design is always encouraging, and some of this looks great (especially the cup-holder…no-brainer!) But I notice that the designs use the under-seat space for legroom, which would be great, but only if the airlines can provide enough overhead space that your bag doesn’t need to go there…
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Re: What can't you live without on a plane flight?

Paul Heymont ·
My kindle, and the knowledge that I have a bag of dried fruit and nuts in my bag for emergencies. The emergencies happen so seldom that the current bag has made 3 transatlaantic trips since I gave away the previous one to a friend who was headed for the airport...
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Re: What can't you live without on a plane flight?

Travel Rob ·
Originally Posted by PHeymont: My kindle, and the knowledge that I have a bag of dried fruit and nuts in my bag for emergencies. The emergencies happen so seldom that the current bag has made 3 transatlaantic trips since I gave away the previous one to a friend who was headed for the airport... Having been the recipient of one of PHeymont's emergency bags of dried fruits and nuts,I can assure everyone I ate it on my trip! Running out of stuff happens a little more frequently to me on trips!
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Re: $6 BILLION in bag and change fees!

DrFumblefinger ·
I'm not sure if it's a great business model to make most of your profits by annoying your customers. I think many have gotten their heads around the baggage fee (note coincidentally the increase in the number and size of bags rolling onto a plane), but some of the airline change fees are obscene. I point to Southwest airlines as one that still does the right thing. You get to check one bag without a fee. And ff you can't make your flight, they give you a credit on the airfare good up to one...
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Re: Ryanair cuts fees??!

GarryRF ·
To improve its brand and profits Ryanair is now selling package vacations. With it's previous rule of just "carry on" baggage it wasn't much use. To take a checked bag cost more than the Flight Ticket. So its competitors were singing their own praises over Ryanair. So its catch up time for Michael O'Leary the CEO of Irish Company Ryanair ! Its only for off-season flights. Many Summer flights are often fully booked in advance.
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Re: Delta: Cheap inflight WiFi for Smartphones

PortMoresby ·
It seems to me the smart thing for all the airlines to do would be to offer free wifi for any device, any flight, any distance. Southwest has stood out from the crowd by continuing to offer a free checked bag when others haven't and have gained loyalty as a result. May it continue. I understand that baggage fees have added a huge amount to the bottom lines but brand loyalty is worth a lot too. By giving away a $2 item and thereby correcting the notion, to a certain degree, that airlines mean...
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Re: Eat 'Healthy' at DFW ?

DrFumblefinger ·
GarryRF, if you leave that bread outside of a plastic bag, it will never grow mold. It will be hard as a rock, but you don't need to worry about the penicillin. I figure consumption of preservatives is good! If it keeps the food lasting longer, it should do the same for those of us who eat it, right? A way to prolong our time on this planet?!
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Re: United Campaign: Enforce carry-on limits, reduce complaints and crowding

PortMoresby ·
I hope this effort is a real and continuing one and that other companies follow. Carrying everything onto the plane, to my way of thinking, is like any trend where if enough people say it's a good idea, even when it's not, hoards fall right into step, like lemmings. If I was offered valet service for a nominal fee to have someone carry my suitcase for me and I wouldn't have to touch it from the time I arrived at the airport until the time I was leaving at my destination, I'd jump at the...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov 20th, 2014: Playa Del Carmen. Mexico

GarryRF ·
    You'll often find you've made a new friend in Mexico. Maybe leave a few crumbs on your sun lounger. Or a bag of goodies worth climbing into. But these guys love to catch the sun on your towel. Gives them a break from burning their...
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Update: Loyalty Programs and Credit Cards

Paul Heymont ·
For some of us, credit cards are more than a convenient way to pay—they are the lifeline to free travel through loyalty programs. Between points for purchases and bonuses for opening or upgrading credit card accounts, it's possible to get quite...
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You think your lost bag was late!

DrFumblefinger ·
I've been fortunate in my travels, with few lost bags over the years.  Only ever had one bag significantly delayed, but it did get to me just in time to go canoeing on the Yukon River -- a story for another day.   Maria Dellios of Tucson had...
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Spirit's New Plan: Higher 'Rush Hour' Bag Fees!

Paul Heymont ·
Spirit Airlines--the one that sometimes makes Grinch seem like a good guy--is planning a new revenue-squeezer. It's planning to raise checked bag fees at high-travel times such as Christmas and other holidays. Spirit already has some of the...
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Mary's Hash House, Las Vegas

DrFumblefinger ·
  Anyone who stumbled onto this blog searching for "hashish" might as well leave, because that's not what this post is about.  It's about good food, not good weed.   The Las Vegas food scene has changed a lot since I first visited the...
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JetBlue's new pricing: No clear skies ahead

Paul Heymont ·
JetBlue, the airline that so many have loved for its attitude, freebies and simplicity, seems on the way to changing all of those.   On top of announcements by its new management team that there are bag fees in the future, and the addition of...
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Frontier's raising bag fees; will the other "low-costs" follow?

Paul Heymont ·
Frontier Airlines, which last year joined Spirit and Allegiant in the ULCC (ultra-low-cost-carrier) class that seems to mean ULC (ultra lots of charges) for most folks, is raising its fees for checked bags. The only checked bags that will not go up by...
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That's sick! Rocker writes first barf book

Paul Heymont ·
Headline get you? Wasn't easy to think what to say, so let's start here. Rocker Nick Cave of the Bad Seeds, spent a lot of 2012 touring the U.S. with the band. On flights between concerts, he began writing notes, doodles and poems on the backs of...
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Solo Travel: Four unexpected essentials

thepoormadonna ·
I like to think of myself as an international badass seasoned solo traveller. It is my preferred way to see the world. For me, there is nothing more cathartic than knowing I can survive without anyone — knowing that my own company is enough....
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Delta makes its 20-minute bag guarantee permanent

Paul Heymont ·
Delta's guarantee that your bags will hit the conveyor belt in the terminal within 20 minutes of landing, announced as a test a few months ago, is now permanent. Delta passengers whose bags don't appear in time are eligible to fill out an online form...
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Road Trip, Day 5: My Birthday in Chinatown

PortMoresby ·
  March 13, 2015    I was born in San Francisco and it was the only place I wanted to be on this ending-in-zero birthday.  More specifically, in Chinatown, like China, but better in some ways.  I’ve loved it for as long...
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No Joke! Airplane Tickets Coming to Vending Machines!

Travel Rob ·
On March 24, Transavia will sell snacks in Paris at vending machines, train stations and corner stores that come with a voucher code for a one-way flight from Paris. Different destinations are inside different snacks. At €35, sesame flavored...
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Beware of inflight pickpockets

DrFumblefinger ·
Many people on a flight relax and pay less attention to their private belongs than they would when physically walking somewhere.  That's especially true for long flights, where people get engaged in the inflight entertainment, or take a nap....
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Books That Sent You Packing (your bag, that is)

PortMoresby ·
The book I always think of in this regard is ‘The Sheltering Sky’, by Paul Bowles. And the subsequent movie, with the devilish John Malkovich as, guess who, Port Moresby. It inspired me to take the plunge and travel outside Europe, to Morocco, a place I’ve returned again and again, sure that would be so as soon as I read the book. But there have been others - ‘The River’s Tale: A Year on the Mekong’, by Edward Gargan, added Yunnan Province in China to my first round-the-world destination...
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Samsung/Samsonite join "smart bags" parade

Paul Heymont ·
    Could the age of standing in long baggage-drop and baggage-claim lines be over? New "smart luggage" may make it possible. While there are already a few self-tracking suitcases out there from small companies, now it's time for the...
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JetBlue, Amazon team for free WiFi, Prime benefits

Paul Heymont ·
It's almost enough to make you forget JetBlue's upcoming bag fees. Passengers will continue to enjoy the lower-end (Simply Surf) tier of JetBlue's Fly-Fi product, courtesy of Amazon, and Amazon Prime members will be able to use the service to access...
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American, USAir loyalty programs will merge Q2 2015

Paul Heymont ·
American and USAir have just notified their frequent flier program members (AAdvantage and Dividend Miles) of more detailed plans for merging the two plans, including a date: 2nd quarter of 2015, as well as details of the merger plan.   All USAir...
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The Airport that has never lost a Bag

DrFumblefinger ·
Our cynical society makes it hard to believe in perfection, but there are times it is possible to be perfect.    Kansai International Airport in Japan has not lost a bag since it opened in 1994.  It's a remarkable accomplishment and we...
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A 20 Minutes or Less Guarantee on Checked Bags? Delta Tests it!

Travel Rob ·
Delta's new trial on domestic flights guarantees that fliers checked bags will arrive at the baggage carousel within 20 minutes. It starts today and goes until March 31. If your checked bag doesn't arrive at the carousel in 20 minutes or less ,you are...
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Yellowstone National Park in Winter

59nationalparks ·
Seeing all fifty-nine national parks was never a dream of ours--especially not in fifty-nine weeks.  We'd call it more of a whim, an impulse or an inspiration.  Going to Yellowstone National Park in the winter was something we had...
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Easyjet 'Hands Free': travel gift or ripoff fee?

Paul Heymont ·
Easyjet offers Hands Free for a price. Is it a helping hand, or just another nickle-and-dime fee?
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Strasbourg: Self-service tour of Alsatian food

Paul Heymont ·
PHeymont tries something new: A self-service gourmet food tour, organized by the Strasbourg Office de Tourisme.
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Finding Nature in England: Holkham National Reserve

Kirsten Hines ·
Kirsten Hines continues her voyage of natural discovery in England, this week with a stop at Holkham National Nature Reserve.
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Paris starts to build its Eiffel Tower wall

Paul Heymont ·
Paris has begun work on a glass security wall for the Eiffel Tower, but city authorities promise it won't spoil the experience.
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Say 'Cheese' and board your flight? Maybe

Paul Heymont ·
JetBlue concludes a successful test of facial recognition for boarding, and Delta tries it out at baggage drop.
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Svartisdal, Norway, Part 2

Amateuremigrant ·
Bob Cranwell continues his tale of visits to the Svartisdal region in Norway, and some of the potential perils of hiking around this beautiful piece of geography.
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Delta tests facial recognition to speed bag drop

Paul Heymont ·
Delta's next baggage-handling experiment will match your face with your passport photo to automate bag drop at the airport.
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New airport kiosks know where they're needed

Paul Heymont ·
Star Wars, meet the airport. Sita Labs intelligent kiosks can not only check you in and take your bags—they know where to go to greet you.
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Finding the right packing accessories for your trip

Marilyn Jones ·
Road Warrior Marilyn Jones gives us her insights into what accessories work for her, and how to choose them.
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Tips For A Perfect Summer season Tour

Humboldt Tours Berlin ·
Summertime’s have struck one of the most of the plain areas with the intense warm days; every passing day is getting hotter. The heat is making is harder for everybody to head out specifically in day time. Summer season breaks in the schools all across the country are almost to start, that makes it an ideal time for the family trip to go for Berlin Wall Tour . This is the time when kids are already set for a daring summertime vacation and they anticipate you to plan a trip to some hill...
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All that Glitters is Gold! Window shopping in Dubai's Gold Souk

DrFumblefinger ·
DrFumblefinger visits Dubai's famous gold market, filled with enough gold to even satisfy Scrooge McDuck's cravings for the stuff. Dubai accounts for 25% of the world's gold trade.
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Eastern Europe Rail Odyssey: Budapest to Kiev

Wilbur's Travels ·
Do you love unusual train journeys as much as Wilbur does? Check out this fascinating adventure through eastern Europe.
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7 Steps Guide to Easier Travel Packing

Candice Larson ·
Hey people, if you are travelling, make it comfortable for you to enjoy the trip. Of course you don't want your travel to be a hilarious disaster and the value for money won't be achieved. So if I were you, I'll be more practical and creative to enjoy the travelling period on your chosen destination. As a budget traveller like myself, here are some tips (seven tips to be exact) when packing things for your trip. This is based from my personal escapades in the recent years and of course, tips...
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