New Flier Protections In Effect

A host of new consumer protection policies went in to effect earlier this month. Most of the provisions are a good idea. In fact, the great airlines brought most of them about. But it will be interesting to see what regulating will cost the consumer in rising prices. Not to mention the cost to the taxpayer of regulating those changes.

• Probably the change that will effect most travelers is this one: "Airlines must prominently disclose all optional fees on their websites, including but not limited to fees for baggage, meals, canceling or changing reservations, or advanced or upgraded seating." (Department of Transportation)  Delta's website brought up a spreadsheet about checked and carry-on baggage fees when I booked a flight yesterday. Baggage fees have changed multiple times during the past two years on some airlines and while I book enough flights to know what airlines charge what, for most travelers, having that information up front is a good idea.

• Airlines are now required to refund the fee you paid to check your bag if they lose your bag. They already had to reimburse you for loss or damage to the bag and its contents. Refunding the fee you paid them to take care of your bag when they didn't is common sense, right?

• If you are involuntarily bumped from a flight and your airline can get you to your destination within two hours of your original arrival time, you are owed a refund of twice your original ticket amount up to $650. If it takes longer than two hours, you get four times the ticket amount, up to $1300. While most airlines oversell flights, it is rare that passengers are involuntarily bumped. Most airlines get by with only using incentives for bumped travelers.

• The other change will attempt to curb airline practices. There is now a fine for both domestic (imposed earlier) and international flights (and airlines) that delay takeoff on the tarmac for more than four hours. The airline could be fined up to $27,500 per passenger. That's a pretty hefty fine, scary enough for airlines to be aware of it and comply. Whether or not it will be enforced is to be seen. 

Other regulations are due to go into effect on January 24, 2012. The airlines requested more time to reach compliance.

Sources: USA Today, Budget Travel, Department of Transportation

If You Need New Towels....

Recently a friend stayed in a hotel I recommended to her. The Hotel Grand Pacific is one of my favorite hotels and so I was surprised when she responded to my question of how she liked her stay with "It was ok." I kept asking her what made it less than "great" and she went through the list of everything she loved and finally came up with this: "They never changed our towels."

"Ah," I responded. Because how do you exactly say "You don't get out much do you?"

Last week, I stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, a four-diamond hotel in the swank suburb of Seattle, one of the U.S.'s most green-conscious cities. A polite little sign in the bathroom said "To conserve valuable resources, we will not change your towels or your bedding unless you call and request that we do so."

The Hyatt and Hotel Grand Pacific are not alone. If you are staying in a nicer hotel in any major metropolitan area, you can count on a greener policy of not changing the linens daily unless requested to do so. It might apply to the towels as well. Before you let that bother you, remember you can always ask for new towels or clean sheets and you will have them shortly. Don't you wish that worked at home?

Aviation Day: The Wonder of Air Travel

August 19 is Aviation Day.

Even with the rising costs of air travel, fees, and long waits on the tarmac, most of us have to admit we are pretty grateful that Orville & Wilbur Wright kept trying until they made it happen.

I grew up flying. My grandfather had his pilot's license and until a heart condition made him give it up, I had the joy of flying in a little Cessna 210. I will never forget hitting air pockets and having my breath taken away as we dropped. And one of my best childhood memories is flying to attend an air show in a different part of our state.

September 11, 2001, changed air travel in ways I wish it hadn't. My children will never know the joy of seeing off someone at the gate, one of my favorite memories.  We no longer get to welcome travelers as they deplane.

But when my 20-month old points to the sky and says "airplane," my heart still thrills at the wonder of it.

Google City Tours

Remember the old days when you had to plan a trip before you left? Those days are gone. If you are vacationing or have a few hours on a business trip, check out Google City Guides.

Simply enter your starting address and Google will show you all the available tours, when they are offered and for how long, and show you a star rating. And it is done in real time so you can know you have 23 minutes to catch the next tour. Check it out at http://citytours.googlelabs.com/.

Glacier Park International Airport Gets Zany with Security

Kudos to the Glacier Park International Airport staff who decided to make something people might pay attention to.

Book Lovers Day

Last week I watched a woman sitting on her deck at the beach reading a book. I was managing my three children but I thought how lovely it would be to read by the sea. Someday.

August 9 is Book Lovers Day. And to celebrate, here is Budget Travel's 25 Greatest Travel Books of All Time.

I have to say that I'm shocked A Room With a View did not make this list.

What book(s) would you have included? What books gave you a picture of faraway places and made you want to get there anyway you could?

Charming Astoria: Pier 39

There are a lot of reasons why I love Astoria, the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies. This little Oregon town sits on the beautiful Columbia River and is full of history (Lewis and Clark made camp for the winter at the end of their journey to the Pacific here), culture, and beauty. I made a recent visit to the historic Pier 39, the site of the old Bumblebee Cannery.

When the Cannery was shut down a few years back, creativity took over and a suite of offices, a museum, a coffee shop and a restaurant and brewery moved in. Here are some photos. Next time you make it to Oregon, don't miss it.

Coffee Girl

Rogue Ale House

Pier 39 Bumblebee Cannery Museum

Ship in Columbia River, Astoria, OR

Bumblebee Cannery Wall of Fame, Pier 39, Astoria, OR

Affordability: Best and Worse Destinations for Travel Taxes

Not too long ago, I sat down to figure out a way to get my family to either Disneyworld or Disneyland on vacation. The idea has been postponed for now, but I learned an interesting fact in the process. It is cheaper for my Seattle-area family to take a family vacation to Disneyworld in Florida than to Disneyland in California. (If we fly; driving would flip it.) Why? Taxes.

Some locations work harder to keep taxes down and thus, attract more travelers; others are trying to make more revenue and not really factoring in affordability for tourists. Sometimes, that's because a location doesn't have to. New York (2) and Boston (4) rank in the top five for the highest total taxes on travelers. People will still visit those places anyway. But Chicago (1) and Kansas City (5) might want to rethink that. And Seattle (3) might consider that nearby Portland, ranked 5th in cities with the least overall tax burden for travelers (with much the same travel culture) is a much-better buy for tourists.

So, where should you look for cities with cheaper tax burdens for travelers? Florida. Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, and West Palm Beach take the top three spots. But I'm still not sure that the 4th place ranking is enough to draw a crowd of tourists to Detroit. 

Source: GBTA Reveals Best and Worst Travel Taxes in Top 50 U.S. Locations