American Airlines Page 4

On the Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, most of the news is BAD. Las Vegas hotels are raising resort fees and restaurants are raising their prices for the Super Bowl, Uber's rides continue to cost more, Jet Blue is going to charge you for advance seat selection for more seats on every flight, and the fees on Delta's credit card are going up 50%. Our Smarter Traveler segment talks about an endangered species - customer service. Case in point, American Airlines is cutting hundreds of call center positions that handle travel issues and complaints. And telling us it's going to make American BETTER. Can you say BS? Our Odds and Ends segment features stories about how travel companies are collecting your private information to create pricing, hidden cameras in vacation rentals and why you might need a special class to learn how to negotiate a Disney theme park. Charlie Leocha from Travelers United joins us to talk about the crowd coming in the skies. Charlie says flying cars, drones and other traffic is about to compete with airplanes and it's time to consider some regulations. Crazy? Maybe not.

On the Saturday, December 9th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, the TSA is planning to try out self-serve security lanes in Las Vegas early next year, and American and United are balking at a re-do of their Chicago O'Hare Terminals, as the cost has skyrocketed. Our Smarter Traveler segment features a rant by Mark about carry-on bags. Why do they make us gate check so many when often times there is plenty of room on the plane? Mark has a simple solution. European Tour Operator Rick Steves was in town last week to do a presentation at the Crest Theater to benefit Public Television. We sat down with him and talked about a wide variety of travel topics. That interview is at the halfway mark of the podcast. In our odds and ends segment, we offer a fine tuning to our baggage tracker suggestions. In you have one attached to your bag, there's one place you definitely don't want to put it.

On the Saturday, November 25th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Guy Fieri announces the first Flavortown Festival, to be held next June 1-2, near the campus of Ohio State University; and those with hearing problems who love the theater, there is a cool new solution for you, the SoundShirt. As the president and others turn up the heat on junk fees charged by hotels, airlines, restaurants and the like, the lobbying firms representing them are working like crazy to preserve the bogus fees. Will consumers or corporations come out on top? Our Smarter Traveler segment updates the situation. What if you signed up for a three-year-long-cruise and at the last minute, it was canceled. Think about the repercussions that could have for some travelers. Will they get their money back? Our Odds & Ends section of the show talks about why wheelchairs and other assistive devices used by travelers get so banged up along the way, and Tijuana gets it's first mainline American air flight.

On the Saturday, November 11th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, United Airlines redesigns its frequent flyer program to put a heavier premium on the use of their credit cards, following American and Delta into the “we don’t care if you fly on our planes, as long as you use our credit cards” tunnel. Complaints about the airlines to the Department of Transportation (DOT) nearly doubled in the first part of 2023. Is the service from the airlines that bad, are the customers that grouchy or has something changed in the sky? In our Smarter Traveler segment we try and come up with the answer. The back half of the show features a version of “What’s Goin’ On Around Sacramento.” Jack Gallagher stops by to promote his show on December 9th at the B St. Theatre; there’s a really unique music festival at the Green Room Social Club in Placerville after Thanksgiving; and the Transcendence Theatre in Napa/Sonoma has a Broadway Christmas Show for you to attend in December. Sports Leisure Vacations even has a day trip package including brunch and the show (link on this page).