On the Sunday, May 3rd, 2015 edition of The Travel Guys… This edition of The Travel Guys features a look at two new airlines in Sacramento.
Surf Air will begin flying in August, with a membership-only, scheduled service. It's a unique business model. Our second featured new carrier is Seaport Airlines, a carrier that serves smaller communities with service to bigger ones. Their initial Sacramento flights are two trips a day to Visalia, with fares starting at $39.
Mark has the Travel News, takes a look at the winners and losers from last week's Freddie Awards in Atlanta and in the Saved a The Best For Last segment, the guys offer packing tips for their fellow male travelers. Perhaps a source of amusement for some...
On the Saturday, April 25th, 2015 edition of The Travel Guys… This week's edition of The Travel Guys features a guest appearance by Becky Repp of American Road Magazine. It's been a while since we've had Becky on, and we'll take time to update you on the magazine's current edition, which includes a short article on the historic Cal Neva Lode at Stateline, North Shore. Becky will tell you how you can get a great deal on a subscription to a great "roadie" publication.
In the Travel News, the US Government is about to tell some people on the no-fly list why they are there and if you fly Alaska Airlines, you can earn extra miles for doing something yourself at the airport....tagging your own bag. Mark and Tom have details.
On Friday evening, Lee Deverman and his wife were returning form an enjoyable week touring the state of Alabama. When their connecting (United Airlines) plane from Mobile landed in Houston, the wheelchair assistance they had both requested was waiting. But they never made their connection. 99-year old Mr. Deverman and his wife were left unttended after they were "handed off" from one wheelchair runner to another. Except the "another" never came. By the time someone noticed, it was too late.
It's a story of horrible customer service. Could it happen to you or your relatives? The records suggest that it can. So what can be done? How did United handle the situation after the Devenman's missed their flight, and how did they get left behind when their tour director on board the plane notified the crew they weren't there and that they were in United's care. The crew told the tour director to take his seat, closed the door to the aircraft and actually pushed back from the gate early, leaving two elderly passengers they had neglected inside the airport. We sort out the facts and tell you how to avoid getting into the same situation. And we have a few words for United Airlines... The We Saved The Best for Last segment has a heart-warming story about an airline paying tribute to a fallen warrior and his companion. You can watch the video here.
On the Sunday, April 19th, 2015 edition of The Travel Guys… This week's edition of The Travel Guys features a visit from consumer reporter and advocate Ed Perkins. Ed writes for Smartertravel.com and is one of our favorite guests. Ed recently wrote a column about hidden travel costs and he talks about "travel overhead." It's a fascinating way of looking at your time when you are traveling. Time is definitely money. A great interview and you can find Ed's column here.
In the Saved The Best for Last segment, we make up for the story we left out last week by giving you TWO unique stories this week. Did you hear the one about the lady who got kicked off the plane for stabbing a snoring fellow flier with her pen? Or the United flight that was held so a man could have a final visit with his mother before she passed?
Gwen Duncan is along with info on a new product from the Disney Travel folks. It is Disney's version of the popular European river cruises. Gwen gives us her take. You can find more information here.
Posted Sunday, April 12th, 2015 We are live from Maui this week, from the Royal Lahaina Hotel, on the shores of the Pacific. We'll share a little about this classic, moderately priced resort on the Kaanapali coast.
On the program two weeks ago, Mark had a news item about Frontier Airlines leaving passengers stranded for 18 hours in St. Louis. Without providing even meal vouchers (their printer was broken was the lame excuse). Mark and Tom commented at the time that when you choose an airline like Frontier, Spirit or Allegiant, you are choosing a "bare bones" carrier and you shouldn't be surprised when the service matches the price you paid. Mark also commented that at the end of the day, once you've paid for all the add on charges, those airlines fares are frequently not the lowest.
We were contacted by a representative from Spirit Airlines who said we had our story wrong. We invited the Spirit spokesman on the show this week, and a VERY lively conversation ensues. Mark stands by his comments and takes the Spirit spokesman to task.
Christopher Elliott, travel columnist for USA Today and the Sacramento Bee, talks about hotel websites that pump up the diamond ratings of the hotels they are selling to you. This interview will definitely make you a smarter traveler
In the "we saved the best for last" segment, the guys have a heartwarming story that results in some kudos for...are you ready...AN AIRLINE!