Ask Airline Al

MD-80 Groundings

2008-04-16T02:58:00.001-07:00

MD-80 have gotten a lot of press the last few weeks. I would like to
mention a few things about what happened. First and foremost, I
believe that, had there not been the earlier problem with Southwest,
the most recent issues with Delta and American would not have been as
pronounced. In other words, since it appears that Southwest and the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are both at fault for the
maintenance inspection failures at Southwest, the FAA is proving they
are still in control of safety by forcing the issue now.

Next, I have an acquaintance who works with MD-80 aircraft. From
what he told me, it isn't so much that the airlines (well, his
anyway) weren't getting things done or doing it right, it was more of
the FAA requiring adherence to their manual. As I understand it,
Boeing's manual says one thing and the FAA says something else that
leaves the matter up to interpretation. At any rate, from what I
learned, the FAA most recently forced the issue by requiring the
airlines to be certain were done in minute detail. The clamps were
to be one inch apart. Not 1 1/2. Not 7/8. One inch.

To my knowledge, there was never any real danger involved with the
aircraft. However, in the name of safety and to flex their muscles,
the FAA wanted the inspection done.

Consumers Cautioned on Air Tours to College Basketball Playoff Games

2008-03-18T13:24:00.001-07:00

With March Madness under way, this was published by the Department of Transportation.

Air travelers going to this season's college basketball tournament games should be aware that not all tour packages include game tickets. According to U.S. Department of Transportation rules, an operator marketing an air tour package that includes game tickets must have the tickets in hand or have a written contract for the tickets before advertising the tour. If a game ticket is not specifically mentioned in newspaper advertisements or other solicitation material or listed as a tour feature, the ticket is probably not included, the Department cautioned. If an advertisement does not state whether or not a game ticket is included, consumers should ask about it. If a travel agent or other tour representative states that a game ticket is included, the consumer should require at the time of purchase that the game ticket be presented or a written confirmation for the ticket be provided. The Department's Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings has issued a notice specifically directed to colleges and other organizations wishing to arrange charter flights to special events such as college basketball playoff games. The notice can be found online at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/rules/guidance.htm. People may file complaints by contacting the Aviation Consumer Protection Division through its web-based complaint system at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htm, by voice-mail at (202) 366-2220 or by TTY at (202) 366-0511.

A Question about US Airways New Baggage Policy

2008-02-28T02:56:00.001-08:00

I received a question from Anonymous.

"Can you provide some insight on US Airways decision to start charging for a 2nd bag to be checked?"

First of all, if you don't know what this is about, you can check out the link to US Airways' website for more information. http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/traveltools/baggage/baggagepolicies.aspx

US Airways will now start charging for a second piece of checked luggage. Most airlines allow two pieces of checked luggage for free and don't begin charging you for luggage until your third piece.

The thing to remember here is that airline seats are commodities. It seems that many fliers go with the airline with the cheapest seat. Therefore, it has been hard for airlines to raise fares to profitable levels when their costs go up.

I was a bit surprised by this move and, personally, believe other airlines will watch this closely before they begin doing the same. Some carriers are raising fees for other services such as ticket changes. The airline industry just had their first profitable year since 9/11 and they don't want to go backwards so soon.

Thank you for your question.

Fare Codes

2008-02-22T19:59:00.001-08:00

Fare codes don't mean as much today as they did years ago when a
reservations agent or travel agent had to locate flights to booked
based on the rules of the individual fares listed by each airline.
Nowadays, computer systems do all of the leg work.

Briefly, fare codes are a series of letters and numbers or sometimes
only letters. For instance, an old fare code (and may still be used
by some airlines) is KE14NR. I won't bore you will all the details
of what this means. Basically, it is an Excursion fare that needs to
be purchased at least 14 days in advance and it is non-refundable
(NR). Also, it must be booked using "K" class.

Each airline has different "levels" of fares. I say like that for
lack of a better way to describe it. Normally, F and/or A are
considered first class fares. Business class is often C or J. Most
airlines use Y and various other letters for their coach fares. The
letter is called the booking code.

When a travel agent or reservations person looks at a flight, they
will see the actual flight information as fare as departure, arrival
times and cities. They will also see a list of the various fare
levels and how many seats can be sold at each level. If a flight has
3 seats available for K class, an agent knows that any K fares in the
market may be able to be used, depending on the fare rules.

As previously mentioned, when fares were manually done, the agent
would look at the fare code available in the market, determine if the
fare levels had seats that could be sold for a desired fare code, and
reviewed the fare rules to determine if the rules allowed the desired
day or time of travel or particular routing if there is a connection
in a certain city.

What was once very labor intensive, now is done automatically with
computers. Now all a person has to do is enter the desired city
pairs and dates of travel and the computer spits out the flights and
fares. All you have to do is pick the one you want.

Here's a tip if you want to try to stretch your dollars and don't
mind getting into the nitty gritty part of booking your flights. You
should start looking at the fare code rules. At websites like
Expedia and the individual airline websites, you can normally view
the rules as airline agents see them. While some of it is tedious
information, if you pay attention to rules for time of day, day of
week, or cities you can go through, you may find a bargain or a way
to lower the price if you are flexible with your travel.

Next up: some more tips for getting lower fares.

Airline Fares

2008-02-07T02:43:00.000-08:00

At the end of my last entry, your homework was to do some fare
research. I wanted you to find for yourself just how many fares are
out there. What did you find? Here's a sampling of what I found:

From West Palm Beach, Florida to Chicago, Illinois I checked AirTran
Airways. They have 19 different one way fares. They range from
$75.00 to $1,796.00.

From Los Angeles, California to Dallas-Ft Worth, Texas I checked
America Airlines. Their round trip fares range from $238.00 to
$2,906.00. American has 23 different fares.

I looked into United Airlines for Denver to Washington, DC (Dulles
Airport). Round trip fares here range from $248.00 to $4,181.00.
United has 35 different fares.

For the international trip, I picked the Atlanta hometown airline,
Delta. If you travel from Atlanta to London, you could pay as little
as $295.00 to as much as $11,116.00 for round trip travel. Also,
note that I am not including taxes. Delta has 59 different fares.

With these fares, you could possibly pay any combination so your
actual cost could be anywhere in between. How do you know which fare
you will get? How do you get the cheapest price? We will cover
that, but next we will look at fare codes.

Fares

2008-01-29T20:11:00.001-08:00

Making sense of airline fares has been frustrating consumers for years. Have you ever sat on a flight and wondered whether you got a deal or got taken? Why is it that on the same flight, two people sitting next to each other have tickets valued at vastly different prices? Too often, the poor soul in the middle seat paid more than the person in the window or aisle.

Honesty, many travel agents and airline employees don't fully understand airline fares. For that reason, what I am about to explain in the next several entries may be confusing. Please, please, please if there is anything that doesn't make sense, ask for an explanation.

I think the only way to give you an understanding of airline fares is to break it down and to look at it from a travel agent or airline ticket/reservation agent point of view.

The first thing you need to understand is that in any market (e.g. from Atlanta to Chicago) each airline may offer up to 40 different fares or more. They range from restrictive fares to fully refundable fares. The prices may range from very little for coach to first class prices that make you wonder what is so special about those seats. There could be 4 or 5 first class fares and 30 or more coach fares. I plan to get into more specifics about this later.

Here is your homework assignment: Call an airline or travel agent and ask the number of fares offered in a particular market. Next, ask them what is the lowest and highest possible coach fares. Then, ask for the lowest and highest possible first or business class fares. Please note that I said first or business class because some airlines don't offer both. Also, you normally only see business class for international travel. Be sure to check out the first and business class fares to Europe. I think you will be surprised.

Happy fare hunting!

If Airlines Sold Paint

2008-01-22T19:24:00.001-08:00

In anticipation of my next topic, here's an email I received from a
friend years ago. The sad thing is, there's a lot of truth to this.

Customer: Hi. How much is your paint?
Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends on quite a lot of things.

Customer: Can you give me a guess? Is there an average price?
Clerk: Our lowest price is $12 a gallon, and we have 60 different
prices up to $200 a gallon.

Customer: What's the difference in the paint?
Clerk: Oh, there isn't any difference; it's all the same paint.

Customer: Well, then I'd like some of that $12 paint.
Clerk: When do you intend to use the paint?

Customer: I want to paint tomorrow. It's my day off.
Clerk: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint.

Customer: When would I have to paint to get the $12 paint?
Clerk: You would have to start very late at night in about 3 weeks.
But you will have to agree to start painting before Friday of that
week and continue painting until at least Sunday.

Customer: You've got to be kidding!
Clerk: I'll check and see if we have any paint available.

Customer: You have shelves FULL of paint! I can see it!
Clerk: But it doesn't mean that we have paint available. We sell only
a certain number of gallons on any given weekend. Oh, and by the way,
the price per gallon just went to $16. We don't have any more $12
paint.

Customer: The price went up as we were talking?
Clerk: Yes, sir. We change the prices and rules hundreds of times a
day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store with your
paint yet, we just decided to change. I suggest you purchase your
paint as soon as possible. How many gallons do you want?

Customer: Well, maybe five gallons. Make that six, so I'll have
enough.
Clerk: Oh no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy paint and don't use
it, there are penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you
already have.

Customer: WHAT?
Clerk: We can sell enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall
and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the
bedroom, you will lose your remaining gallons of paint.

Customer: What does it matter whether I use all the paint? I already
paid you for it!
Clerk: We make plans based upon the idea that all our paint is used,
every drop. If you don't, it causes us all sorts of problems.

Customer: This is crazy! ! I suppose something terrible happens if I
don't keep painting until after Saturday night!
Clerk: Oh yes! Every gallon you bought automatically becomes the $200
paint.

Customer: But what are all these "Paint on sale from $10 a liter"
signs?
Clerk: Well that's for our budget paint. It only comes in
half-gallons. One $5 half-gallon will do half a room. The second
half-gallon to complete the room is $20. None of the cans have
labels, some are empty and there are no refunds, even on the empty
cans.

Customer: To heck with this! I'll buy what I need somewhere else!
Clerk: I don't think so, sir. You may be able to buy paint for your
bathroom and bedrooms, and your kitchen and dining room from someone
else, but you won't be able to paint your connecting hall and
stairway from anyone but us.
And I should point out sir, that if you paint in only one direction,
it will be $300 a gallon.

Customer: I thought your most expensive paint was $200!
Clerk: That's if you paint around the room to the point at which you
started. A hallway is different.

Customer: And if I buy $200 paint for the hall, but only paint in one
direction, you'll confiscate the remaining paint.
Clerk: No, we'll charge you an extra use fee plus the difference on
your next gallon of paint. But I believe you're getting it now, sir.

Customer: You're insane!
Clerk: Thanks for painting with BlueSky.

Denied Boarding Compensation Revisited

2008-01-10T19:54:00.001-08:00

I had a customer complaint today that reminded me of something that I should share about the topic of denied boarding compensation.

As you may remember, if you are denied boarding involuntarily, there are some cash considerations for you. If the airline can't get you to your destination between one to two hours of your original arrival time, you are entitled to cash equal to the amount of the one-way fare to your destination, but there is a $200.00 maximum. If the airline can't get you to your destination within four hours, the compensation doubles with $400.00 maximum.

However, one important catch is that if you are on a frequent flyer ticket or a marketing type ticket that was free, you do not get cash compensation. Why? Your ticket has no value. Remember, the Department of Transportation says you get the amount of the fare to your destination with the maximums noted above.

You can still get any vouchers that the airline may offer and some airlines may pay you anyway.

Since I have had so many entries about this, you may be interested in viewing the rule yourself. It is CFR 14 Part 250. You may use the following URL:
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title14/14cfr250_main_02.tpl

DBC: Voluntary vs. Involuntary Question

2008-01-02T20:08:00.001-08:00

Anonymous asked, "Do different airlines have extra policies? What I
mean is do some of them go above and beyond the norm or do most of
them pretty much stick to what's required?"

The quick and easy answer is both. Since you didn't specify if you
mean the actual compensation amount or something related, I'll try to
cover both.

For people who are involuntarily denied boarding (invols), it is my
experience that airlines stick to the Department of Transportation
(DOT) guidelines. Part of the reason for this is that paying out
cash compensation directly affects the bottom line. Vouchers,
depending on the value, can bring in additional revenue.

For the actual compensation amount you receive as a volunteer, I
believe most airlines want to do all possible to avoid bumping
someone involuntarily. Involuntary denied boarding is tracked by the
DOT. Therefore, whenever possible airlines will give hefty vouchers
to keep from involing someone. I would also like to mention that
invols are not happy people. Airline agents don't want to deal with
an invol situation. Can you blame them?

While I have never had to deny boarding to someone, I have worked in
a station cash office. I've seen vouchers issued for $1000.00 when
passengers couldn't be convinced to give up their seats. I want to
add; however, that since 9/11, all airlines have faced some tough
times and I'm sure some of this has been cut back throughout domestic
travel.

The bottom line is that while volunteer vouchers may not be what they
once were, airlines continue to sweeten their offers in other ways.
If you have to stay overnight somewhere before getting to your
destination, you'll get a free hotel and some meal vouchers. If the
airline can't get you to your destination airport but one that is
close (e.g. Ft. Lauderdale is close to Miami) they'll pay for ground
transportation.

Let me also say that if there are other expenses you have due to an
oversale, contact the airline's corporate office and inquire if they
will cover these bills. Since airlines don't want people complaining
to the DOT about a mishandling, they often will, as we say where I
work, "err on the side of the customer."

I hope this helps. Thank you for your question.
Al

Why Travel?

2007-12-31T11:13:00.001-08:00

At the end of each year, I get reflective, pensive. It's probably a natural thing since we are all reaching another milestone in our lives. Allow me to ponder something that I like to do and wish I could do more often. Travel.

I suppose I got my traveling heart from my parents. I remember loading up into the car at the wee, dark hours of some July morning and heading out to some new place. Dad always took his vacation to coincide with the Major League Baseball All Star Game.

I saw a lot of the US countryside from the back seat of the car, crammed in between my older brother and sister. Seeing from a car (or high above in an airplane for that matter) isn't as thrilling as getting out of the car and seeing, touching, smelling, and experiencing something for the first time. I have so many memories of places I have been. All of them are fond to me.

Still, why travel?

I remember taking my parents to Nassau, Bahamas with me many years ago. Other than a couple trips to Canada, they have never been out of the country. We'd be sitting someplace, waiting for a cab or in a restaurant, and my dad would start talking to someone. He always started the conversation the same way: "Where are you from?" He was amazed to meet people from all over the US and Europe. Yet for the variety of people we met on that trip, dad couldn't help be think we were all still so similar.

As I reflect now, I can't help but think that, for me, traveling is a mirror. The people I've met in all 50 states, the Bahamas, Canada, Germany, Colombia, Costa Rica, and India are different from me. Still, I continue to see similarities. Consequently, when I go someplace new, it forces me to look at my life and how I live. Each time, I can't help but see my life in a different way. Because my eyes have been opened, I feel I am a better person for it.

Why travel? I travel to continue learning about our world, about people, and about me. In my own way, I hope that I touch other people as I have been touched by them.

Denied Boarding Compensation: Voluntary vs. Involuntary

2007-12-28T20:51:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays! Last time, we discussed the necessary components to qualify for denied boarding compensation. They are as follows:

The flight must be oversold.

You must have a confirmed reservation and ticket for the flight.

You must check-in and be at the gate within the prescribed times established by the airlines.

As mentioned last time, whenever an airline has a flight with more people than seats, the Department of Transportation (DOT) requires them to ask for volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for compensation.

If you offer your seat, the gate agent can normally tell you how long it will be until you can get to your destination. The compensation amount varies little from airline to airline. In the past, you could count on a free round trip ticket. Most carriers now give you vouchers worth varying denominations. You can use them toward the purchase of another trip.

The DOT has no requirements regarding the amount of voluntary compensation the airlines must give. The amount generally differs according to how long until you reach your destination and how hard it is for the airline to get volunteers.

Here are a few things you need to know if you are involuntarily bumped.

The airline must provide a written statement that explains your rights and how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn't.
If you are involuntarily bumped and you are protected on a flight that is scheduled to arrive at your final destination within one hour of your original scheduled arrival, there is no compensation.
If substitute flights are scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after your original flight (between one and four hours for international flights), the airline must pay you (cash compensation) an amount equal to the one-way fare to your final destination, with a $200 maximum.
If alternate travel is scheduled to arrive at your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the compensation doubles (200% of your fare, $400 maximum).
The airline can also offer travel vouchers. However, you are not required to accept them if you are entitled to cash compensation.

Let me also say that if you decide not to travel, you can use your ticket at a later time. While I can make no promises, the airline shouldn't charge you any change fees. You may also get a refund of your ticket with no penalties.

There are not that many people who are involuntarily denied boarding. Airline agents normally know the proper procedures. Still, make sure you know your rights when you fly so you can get what you deserve.

Denied Boarding Compensation

2007-11-24T05:00:00.001-08:00

After the last article, Maria had a comment about denied boarding compensation. Simply put, Maria stated that she thought passengers got compensation when they were denied boarding. Well Maria, there are certain required situations for someone to get denied boarding compensation. This is a pretty big topic so I'm going to cover it in a couple different entries.

The first thing to consider for denied boarding compensation is that the flight must be oversold. Second, you must have confirmed space on the overbooked flight. The Department of Transportation (DOT) allows airlines to sell more seats than there are available seats on each flight. Overbooking is done to prevent flights from departing with empty seats. For airlines, empty seats mean lost revenue.

When an airline has a flight with more people than seats, the DOT requires airlines to solicit volunteers to give up their seats in exchange for compensation. This is done to minimize the possibility that someone loses their seat involuntarily.

There are two types of denied boarding compensation. Voluntary and involuntary. We'll discuss them next time. We need to briefly discuss other very important requirements you must do before you get a penny. As mentioned before, the flight must be oversold and you must have a valid ticket for the flight. However, you also must be checked-in and available for boarding at the gate within the times established by each airline. If you are not checked in for the flight, you get nothing even if the flight is oversold and you miss it.

As a consumer, what can you do to get the most out of denied boarding compensation? That is, if it is something you want to do or avoid. Most airlines now will tell you that your flight is oversold if you ask. Therefore, if you have time to burn before reaching your destination, you can ask your carrier if your flight is oversold. However, you can only volunteer at the gate.

Normally, airlines will take care of you when you give up your seat but be sure to confirm what will be done for you before you volunteer your seat. Since I haven't mentioned it yet, let me say that when you give up your seat voluntarily, you will receive a travel voucher. Depending on the circumstances, you may also look forward to the following:

- Meal vouchersFree hotel if delayed overnight

- Minor expenses e.g. extra day of parking your car

Since denied boarding compensation is carefully watched by the DOT, the airlines work hard to take care of customers who are denied boarding. Next time, we'll look more into the actual compensation you will receive and the difference between voluntary and involuntary denied boarding.

Late to the Gate

2007-11-18T04:05:00.000-08:00

A friend at church told me about a problem he had recently. He had this to say:

“I’ve done a lot of traveling by air and I’ve never had a problem before. My last trip was different. I was flying back home and had a connecting flight. My first flight was late. When we arrived at the connecting airport, I got off the plane and ran to the gate for my flight. When I got there, the gate person said I was too late. There were still 8 minutes before the departure and the plane was still there. Why wouldn’t they let me on?”

There is a big push among the airlines to improve their reputations in the eyes of their customers. One of the measuring sticks is governmental rankings. Each month the Department of Transportation (DOT) publishes the Air Travel Consumer Report. This report ranks the airlines according to the number of complaints they receive, bag problems, denied boardings, and on-time percentage. If you want more information about the Air Travel Consumer Report or how your favorite airline has done over the years, you can visits the DOT website at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/index.htm

Since they want to be ranked high in the standings, many of the airlines are pushing to improve their on-time stats. That includes sticking to their departure plans. In order to get flights out on time, airlines are closing flights earlier than in the past. While this isn’t really new, the emphasis on being on time is stronger than ever. For most domestic flights, the cutoff is 15 minutes before the departure. In other words, you have to be checked in and available for boarding at the gage at least 15 minutes prior to departure. If you aren’t there in time, your seat is released and given to people who are on stand-by.

I wish I could offer a magical piece of advise. However, there is little you can do if the gate agent tells you that you are too late. Based on my own experience in this area, I recommend that you keep your cool. It never hurts to politely ask if you can get on your flight or if an exception can be made. Unless a supervisor is already at the gate, there normally isn’t time to find one who can make such a decision. If you still are turned down, find out your options for getting home. Then, try to make the best of your situation.

International Documentation: Who’s Responsible?

2007-10-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

For people who have flown to another country, you probably know that you can’t just show up at the airport and go on your way. Each country in the world has their own requirements for entering or transiting their borders. Who is responsible for making sure you have the proper documentation for the countries in which you will enter or transit? The answer may surprise you.

To bring some life to this topic, let’s say you booked a nice travel package which included the air fare from your home town to Sao Paulo, Brazil. You inquire from the airline that is taking you to Sao Paulo what international documents you will need. You are told you only need a passport.

On the day of travel, you and your significant other arrive at the airport with passports and tickets in hand. When you try to check in for your flight, the agent denies you boarding since you do not have a visa to enter Brazil. You later go home and type out a scathing letter to the airline. How could they tell you that you only needed a passport? They screwed up! If they had given you the correct information, you would be enjoying yourself on South American beaches and jungles instead of getting angrier by the minute. You demand compensation.

Do you deserve compensation? The airlines say no. Whose fault is it that you didn’t have the correct documents? Believe it or not, it is your responsibility to have the proper documentation when you travel internationally. Airlines do not take responsibility for any information they furnish. Having the proper documents is all on the customer. This disclaimer can normally be found in the Contract of Carriage of each airline.

How can you find for yourself what each country requires? Some international carrier websites have web access to the database that they use when researching what documents customers need. This information is updated independently from the airlines by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The information noted in this database should be up to date. However, I recommend that you contact the embassies or consulates of the countries you will travel to or through.

Don’t be stuck at home when you should be circling the globe. Save your next trans-border trip from possible disaster and arm yourself with the proper information and documentation.

Buying a Bulk Fare Ticket? Beware of Restrictions!

2007-10-09T05:17:00.000-07:00

I am not Clark Howard, but we have something in common. We are looking out for the consumer. My specialty is the airline industry.

A problem that my cousin recently had reminds me of something that could help you.

My cousin is traveling oversea in a couple weeks. We’ll call her Mary. Mary needed a visa for the country she travels to but it was not going to arrive before she was scheduled to fly. When she contacted the agency where she bought the ticket, she was told it would cost more to make the change than she expected. This, in itself, is not that uncommon. The difference in this case is that she purchased a bulk ticket.

Bulk tickets, or consolidator fares as they are sometimes called, are special deals that airlines make with some travel companies. You normally see bulk fares for international travel but there are some for domestic destinations. Airlines expect seats on flights to go empty. To minimize the revenue loss that results from empty seats, airlines sell space to these companies.

There are a lot of bulk fare companies. For instance, on the Internet, you can use Cheapoair, Cheaptickets, or AirGorilla. Please note that I am not promoting these companies. I’ve had limited exposure to them and cannot say whether they are good or bad. You can also go to many travel agencies that are either consolidators themselves, or they sell tickets through a consolidator.

If you are looking for cheap tickets, a consolidator is a good avenue to investigate. Consolidators sell space on nearly every airline. Actually, in most cases, there is never an issue unless you need to change or cancel your itinerary. Here’s the catch: In most cases, bulk tickets have limitations that are more restrictive than those normally set by the airlines.

Another thing to consider before you buy bulk tickets is that the airlines do not have the authority to make exceptions. If there is an illness or a death in the family, you have to hope the consolidator either has such provisions or is willing to work with you. I have seen many cases where the agency referred the customer to our corporate office. Believe me, we can make exceptions in many cases. We refer the customer back to the consolidator. Unfortunately, you are then caught in the middle and often do not get what you want.

Here is my suggestion to you: If you want to look into bulk fares, you can get a great deal. Just be sure you know the restrictions before you buy. Actually, you should do that regardless of the type of ticket you purchase. Make sure you know the rules or you may be out the investment you made.

Do you have a question about airlines or airfares? Is there something you have been curious about? Send me your questions.