Posted by David Porter on June 9, 2017 · 2 Comments
Learn your Fly Rights if you get involuntarily bumped from your seat on the airplane
We’ve all seen the video of the poor guy getting dragged off of a recent United Airlines flight. The flight was overbooked, he was involuntarily bumped, but didn’t want to give up his seat.
So, with a record number of travelers expected in the skies this summer, what are you to do if you’re approached by the airline and told that they are going to involuntarily bump YOU?
While we don’t recommend being forcibly dragged off of the plane, here are your “fly rights” from the U.S. Department of Transportation as it pertains to Involuntary Bumping.
Involuntary Bumping
DOT requires each airline to give all passengers who are bumped involuntarily a written statement describing their rights and explaining how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn’t. Those travelers who don’t get to fly are frequently entitled to denied boarding compensation in the form of a check or cash. The amount depends on the price of their ticket and the length of the delay:
- If you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.
- If the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after your original arrival time (between one and four hours on international flights), the airline must pay you an amount equal to 200% of your one-way fare to your final destination that day, with a $675 maximum.
- If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to 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 (400% of your one-way fare, $1350 maximum).
- If your ticket does not show a fare (for example, a frequent-flyer award ticket or a ticket issued by a consolidator), your denied boarding compensation is based on the lowest cash, check or credit card payment charged for a ticket in the same class of service (e.g., coach, first class) on that flight.
- You always get to keep your original ticket and use it on another flight. If you choose to make your own arrangements, you can request an “involuntary refund” for the ticket for the flight you were bumped from. The denied boarding compensation is essentially a payment for your inconvenience.
- If you paid for optional services on your original flight (e.g., seat selection, checked baggage) and you did not receive those services on your substitute flight or were required to pay a second time, the airline that bumped you must refund those payments to you.
Like all rules, however, there are a few conditions and exceptions:
- To be eligible for compensation, you must have a confirmed reservation. A written confirmation issued by the airline or an authorized agent or reservation service qualifies you in this regard even if the airline can’t find your reservation in the computer, as long as you didn’t cancel your reservation or miss a reconfirmation deadline.
- Each airline has a check-in deadline, which is the amount of time before scheduled departure that you must present yourself to the airline at the airport. For domestic flights, most carriers require you to be at the departure gate between 10 minutes and 30 minutes before scheduled departure, but some deadlines can be an hour or longer. Check-in deadlines on international flights can be as much as three hours before scheduled departure time. Some airlines may simply require you to be at the ticket/baggage counter by this time; most, however, require that you get all the way to the boarding area. Some may have deadlines at both locations. If you miss the check-in deadline, you may have lost your reservation and your right to compensation if the flight is oversold.
As noted above, no compensation is due if the airline arranges substitute transportation which is scheduled to arrive at your destination within one hour of your originally scheduled arrival time.
If the airline must substitute a smaller plane for the one it originally planned to use, the carrier isn’t required to pay people who are bumped as a result. In addition, on flights using aircraft with 30 through 60 passenger seats, compensation is not required if you were bumped due to safety-related aircraft weight or balance constraints.
The rules do not apply to charter flights, or to scheduled flights operated with planes that hold fewer than 30 passengers. They don’t apply to international flights inbound to the United States, although some airlines on these routes may follow them voluntarily. Also, if you are flying between two foreign cities — from Paris to Rome, for example — these rules will not apply.
Airlines set their own “boarding priorities” — the order in which they will bump different categories of passengers in an oversale situation. When a flight is oversold and there are not enough volunteers, some airlines bump passengers with the lowest fares first. Others bump the last passengers to check in. Once you have purchased your ticket, the most effective way to reduce the risk of being bumped is to get to the airport early. For passengers in the same fare class the last passengers to check in are usually the first to be bumped, even if they have met the check-in deadline. Allow extra time; assume that the roads are backed up, the parking lot is full, and there is a long line at the check-in counter.
Airlines may offer free tickets or dollar-amount vouchers for future flights in place of a check for denied boarding compensation. However, if you are bumped involuntarily you have the right to insist on a check if that is your preference. Once you cash the check (or accept the free flight), you will probably lose the ability to pursue more money from the airline later on. However, if being bumped costs you more money than the airline will pay you at the airport, you can try to negotiate a higher settlement with their complaint department. If this doesn’t work, you usually have 30 days from the date on the check to decide if you want to accept the amount of the check. You are always free to decline the check (e.g., not cash it) and take the airline to court to try to obtain more compensation. DOT’s denied boarding regulation spells out the airlines’ minimum obligation to people they bump involuntarily. Finally, don’t be a “no-show.” If you are holding confirmed reservations you don’t plan to use, notify the airline. If you don’t, they will cancel all onward or return reservations on your trip.
To learn more about your other Fly Rights, go here: https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/fly-rights
The world’s airports are going to be busy this summer. Therefore, the TSA is recommending that folks arrive at the airport three hours early for an international flight, and 2 hours early for a domestic flight.
Good luck, and have fun! 🙂
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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on June 6, 2017 · Leave a Comment
We Dance with the Dancing Saguaro in Scottsdale, Arizona
Note: click photo for a larger view. ©2017, David A. Porter
We are blessed to have many miles of hiking trails in our neighborhood in N. Scottsdale, And most mornings, before it gets too hot in the summer, Carol and I can be found out strolling around and enjoying the landscape of the Sonoran Desert.
On one of our favorite 2-mile loops, there is this Saguaro (pictured above) who is seemingly in a constant dance perhaps thanking his/her Creator for the new day and such a beautiful place in the world to enjoy it.
This morning, as we approached our favorite Saguaro, I told Carol, ” Kevin Costner has nothing over us dancing with wolves; our shadows dance with Saguaros”, to which we set a pose and snapped this photograph.
So, the next time you’re out hiking with the Saguaros, see if you don’t find your shadows dancing with the Saguaros and snap yourself a keepsake photograph.
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Posted by David Porter on May 31, 2017 · Leave a Comment
Carol with clients on a tour of the Coliseum in Rome.
Top 10 Summer Destinations for Luxury Travelers
Virtuoso® Forecasts the Top 10 Places Where U.S. Travelers Will Venture During the Busy Summer Season
Each year, Virtuoso®, the leading international travel agency network specializing in luxury and experiential travel, publishes its top 10 summer destination list taken from actual bookings made from its network of global travel agencies.
As Roaming Boomers Travel Services is fortunate to belong to this by-invitation-only network, we thought you might enjoy seeing where today’s luxury traveler is roaming.
Here’s a recent press release with the details:
NEW YORK (May 17, 2017) – International luxury travel network Virtuoso®, acknowledged as an influential trend predictor in the industry has mined its data warehouse of more than $39.7 billion in transactions to reveal the top choices for U.S. travelers during the upcoming 2017 summer getaway season. Upscale globetrotters are booking eternal European favorites this summer, with a couple of other international destinations rounding out the list.
Roaming Boomers in London
The Virtuoso Top 10:
The most popular destinations for summer vacations based on future bookings.
Note: each of the destinations below is a clickable link to more information about that country’s travel options.
- Italy
- United Kingdom
- France
- Spain
- South Africa
- Germany
- Ireland
- Canada
- Netherlands
- Denmark
Eiffel Tower from our perch on the Shangri-La Hotel
The Top 10 analysis:
It’s no surprise Americans are venturing far and wide: according to global travel market research company Phocuswright, seven in 10 travelers have a strong wanderlust to see the world. As is typical for summer travel, Europe dominates the list with eight of the 10 countries. Italy continues its reign atop the list, followed by the perennially popular U.K.,
Italy continues its reign atop the list, followed by the perennially popular U.K., France, and Spain. These four countries fit with a trend identified by Phocuswright; the desire to visit natural and cultural attractions is the top influencer for Americans when selecting destinations. The relative strength of the U.S. dollar against both the euro and British pound also makes the continent a particularly appealing destination for 2017.
South Africa bookings for summer travel continue to rise strongly, as adventurous travelers head there for bucket-list safaris, scenic beauty, and authentic experiences. Countries with strong ocean and river cruising appeal are benefiting from robust interest in those segments, as travelers extend their vacations with pre- and post-cruise stays in Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
Ireland continues to lure travelers enchanted by its historic charm and lively culture. Canada’s strong showing is due to its proximity to the U.S., the purchasing power Americans currently enjoy there, and heightened interest around its 150th anniversary.
Data is sourced from Virtuoso’s U.S.-based travel agency members and reflects future travel between the Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays in 2017. The findings were announced during the network’s annual Symposium, which recently took place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
About Virtuoso
Virtuoso® is the leading international travel agency network specializing in luxury and experiential travel. This by-invitation-only organization comprises over 800 travel agency partners with more than 15,200 elite travel advisors in over 45 countries throughout North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Drawing upon its preferred relationships with 1,700 of the world’s best hotels and resorts, cruise lines, airlines, tour companies and premier destinations, the network provides its upscale clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. More than (U.S.) $21.2 billion in annual travel sales makes Virtuoso a powerhouse in the luxury travel industry.
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Our Observations
This list rather accurately reflects our travelers’ destinations, with one caveat; we’ve seen a massive increase in ocean and river cruises this year over last. While luxury boomer travelers are more adventurous in their travel than perhaps the “greatest generation”, it seems that a great many prefer the ease of a cruise that offers them the ability to unpack once and travel in the relative safety of the cruise line’s supervision.
Regardless of your preferred mode of travel, with our connections and expertise, we can save you a lot of time, frustration, money, and very likely give you complimentary VIP perks to boot!
To learn more about we can help with your travel planning, call Roaming Boomers Travel Services at (480) 550-1235 or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on May 26, 2017 · 4 Comments
Remembering the Fallen on Memorial Day
I captured this photograph a few years ago at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC. I thought this might serve us all as a poignant reminder about the true reason for our Memorial Day Holiday Weekend.
While we honor the fallen and those who served for our freedom, let us give pause to a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow written late in the 19th-century:
Decoration Day
Sleep, comrades, sleep and rest
On this Field of the Grounded Arms,
Where foes no more molest,
Nor sentry’s shot alarms!
Ye have slept on the ground before,
And started to your feet
At the cannon’s sudden roar,
Or the drum’s redoubling beat.
But in this camp of Death
No sound your slumber breaks;
Here is no fevered breath,
No wound that bleeds and aches.
All is repose and peace,
Untrampled lies the sod;
The shouts of battle cease,
It is the Truce of God!
Rest, comrades, rest and sleep!
The thoughts of men shall be
As sentinels to keep
Your rest from danger free.
Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours.
Jesus Christ proclaimed in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends“. For those who have demonstrated this “greater love”, we’re thankful. And for those who served to protect our freedoms, we’re also forever grateful.
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Posted by David Porter on May 26, 2017 · Leave a Comment
Memories of Memorial Day at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula
Note: click photo for a larger view. ©2015, David A. Porter
I (David) spent 50 of my 60 years living in Michigan. And before we sold our business in 2006 and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, we would spend our holiday weekends in a condo that we owned in Michigan’s beautiful Leelanau Peninsula.
For many, Michigan summers meant a three-hour drive each weekend to the northern regions of the state to enjoy the beautiful lakes and vistas available to all.
I shot these photographs at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore which was a mere 15-minute drive from our condo.
Beautiful, isn’t it? That is a 40-story mountain of sand! And those specs that you see in the lower photograph are folks crazy enough to walk to the bottom.
If you’ve never visited Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula, we highly recommend it. To see a few more of my photographs from Northern Michigan, CLICK HERE.
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Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
The Roaming Boomers
