Tag: Southwest Airlines, Page 3

On the Saturday, August 2nd, 2025 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, our airport screens a record number of travelers in one day, and AI is being used to create fake travel destinations and take people on wild goose chases. Southwest Airlines has started charging bag fees and assigning seats. But not for all flights. We tell you where the line is drawn and how to deal with Southwest's "dueling systems" for the next few months in our Smarter Traveler segment. Japan is one of the hottest destinations on the planet right now. We sent a group of Sports Leisure Travelers to Japan in May and we talk with Donnie Anderson, who led the group, and get some tips on travel to the “land of the rising sun…” (Do you REALLY not tip in Japan?) Air traffic controllers have been in short supply for many years. Since the job pays pretty well, why can't they find people to do the job. We shed some light on the "why aren't there enough people in the tower" subject.

On the Saturday, May 24th, 2025 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, a brand new super-theme park opened in Orlando; and the Trump tariffs are not only impacting vacationers from other countries, business travel to the US is off even more dramatically in the past couple of months. A lot of lost dollars for our economy. Important note for Southwest travelers. If you make a reservation after Tuesday the 27th, you will NOT receive two free bags, regardless of when you travel. Update in our Smarter Traveler segment. The Travel Guys slip into the entertainment world from time to time, because entertainment is such a big part of travel. Theater venues outside of New York City have struggled to survive post-COVID, and Mark addresses the importance of supporting your favorite arts group now more than ever. Our Odds and Ends segment features a heads up on a new cruise scam on the internet, an update on an interesting battle shaping up at the Chicago Airport between American and United, and Mark shares his pet peeves on hotel rooms (including those sliding bathroom doors and "smoked" ones you can still see through; plus the lack of updated charging facilities in rooms).

On the Saturday, April 12th, 2025 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Southwest will start retrofitting cabins in two weeks, creating extra leg room seating; and an ill-advised new bill would change the drinking deadline from 2 to 4am in some cities around our state. (What a great idea, even drunker people on the road in the wee hours of the morning.) Our Smarter Traveler segment takes a break this week in favor of a commentary, Just One Man's Opinion, which addresses the ongoing erasure of our American history, something treasured by travelers from all over the world. The REAL ID deadline is less than a month away. If you are traveling by air after May 7th, and don't have a current passport, this could be important to you. We walk you through the application process, and tell you how to know if you already have a REAL ID. We have also posted a link to the application process. Our Odds and Ends portion of the program addresses the sudden lack of international visitors coming and going to the US of A and what the impact might be on businesses.

On the Saturday, March 22nd, 2025 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, residents of Sitka, Alaska are about to vote on limiting cruise ship calls to their small city; and Canadian tourists are not coming over the border, as the numbers already show. Southwest is charging for bags starting in January, but there are a number of hacks around the charge. Our Smarter Traveler segment addresses some of those work-arounds that can save you $$$. Our Travel Gal Sydney Schellinger (owner of The Poodle Booked it!) shares information on the different types of travel insurance. Black as Hell, Strong as Death and Sweet as Love. What could that refer to other than coffee! One of our listeners has written a coffee travel book to tell you where to get the most interesting "cup of Joe."