On the Sunday, October 13th 2019 edition of The Travel Guys on KFBK 93.1 FM/1530AM… In the Travel News, Sacramento was ranked by Wallet Hub as the #1 city in the country when it comes to the affordability and availability of highly rated restaurants. Quite a step up for a sleepy state capitol. The Empire State Building in NYC has reopened their observation level, after a remodel did away with many of the things blocking the spectacular view for decades. Uber says it will roll out Uber Pet in select cities on October 16th. Currently, the driver decides if pets are allowed in the vehicle. The new system will insure the arriving driver knows and will accept pets. There is a $3-5 surcharge. Seven cities will see that new service next week but Sacramento is not on the list. Airlines have devalued their frequent flyer programs this year by "floating" the number of points you need for award tickets. This is very bad news for travelers and in some ways spells the end of the Rewards programs as we know them. REAL ID will soon be the law of the land. We walk you through the process, with someone who just got their new ID last week. Is it actually possible to attend 365 sporting events in 365 days? We talk to a man who made that journey...
On the Sunday, October 6th, 2019 edition of The Travel Guys… In The Travel News, the entry of Southwest into the Sacramento-Hawaii market has seen it's first casualty. Alaska Airlines will stop flying non-stop to Kona in March. The airline has been flying the route 3-4 days a week since the spring. With Southwest adding non-stop flights to Honolulu and soon to Maui, with direct service to Kona, Alaska decided to cut and run. A bay area Kona route was also dropped. Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants have set a November 20th strike vote date, after negotiations with the airline over two years have failed to get them the deal they want. With Southwest ramping up service to the islands, it might be an inopportune time for Hawaiian to have any sort of service disruption. Finally, Mark has the story of an elderly couple who say they were tricked into smuggling more than $1million worth of drugs inside of four suitcases in their cruise ship cabin. (Upon closer examination, the couple was convicted of trafficking cannabis near Norway in 2010, and despite a low income, had taken a string of luxury cruises recently). They could face up to 12 years in jail if convicted. Chris Elliott, our consumer advocacy friend (www.Elliott.org) updates us on legislation which might be moving resort fees (and their cousins, urban and other "destination" fees) towards the exit door. We open the phones and ask you to play "What overpriced things should I not purchase at the airport?" Should be easy, since everything is overpriced at the airport. Tell us the worst offenders and perhaps win a $50 Macy's gift card, just in time for Christmas shopping. Finally, we tell you why you should put one of your shoes in the hotel safe. Yes, really. Why? If you are prone to leaving things in your room, particularly in the safe, you aren't likely to walk out with only one shoe on, are you now? Pretty good idea, if you ask us.
On the Sunday, September 29th, 2019 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, it's time to start considering a Real ID. We have some tips and you can find a complete guide here. The deadline is October 1st of NEXT year. A great American tradition, the dining car on the train, is officially going away. Amtrak is going to pre-prepared foods on its long-distance trains. Darn. Steve LaRosa gives us his latest What's Goin' On, In and around our fair city. Links to all of the events and activities can be found below. Speaking of local events, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra will be back in town for their annual holiday show at the Golden One Center, and Tom has all the details.
On the Sunday, September 22nd, 2019 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, AAA tells us the best time to book our holiday travel, fall color season is likely late this year and a politician is taking a stand against, wait for it….”mid-flight flatulence.” Car sharing, flight delays and airline water are all featured as we make you a smarter traveler. Last week, we told you about how some hotels on the Vegas strip were adding “venue fees” to patrons’ bills. Devin O’Connor from casino.org is our guest and has all the details. Wrapping up the show is a fairly unique interview. Most people wouldn’t think a cemetery would be a tourist attraction. And generally you would be right. But we found an exception, a cemetery which offers a program to bring you to you final resting place if you pass away while traveling.