Lyft Removes Ability to Split Fares with Friends

As the summer travel season comes to a close, travelers looking to book a fall or winter getaway have new opportunities to save.Frontier Airlines's latest sale offers 90 percent off base fares for members of it's Discount Den membership club. The promotion code “GIRAFFE” must be used during the checkout process of the tickets for the discount to apply. The airline currently has published fares on routes such as Philadelphia to Orlando for $25, and New York, NY (LGA) to Atlanta for $38.

Frequent travelers have likely experienced a dreaded check-in process that included a long line to visit the check-in kiosk. Even worse is finally getting to the kiosk, only to have the system freeze or crash. Alaska Airlines wants to change that by removing the check-in kiosk altogether and adding new technology.

Lots of us are choosing to holiday with friends rather than family. According to a survey by Expedia of 24,000 adults across 17 countries, 65% of people planning to travel in the next 36 months will be doing so with friends. Holidaying with your mates is great fun – but the sudden change from casual socialising to spending 24/7 together can be challenging. Here’s how to navigate some common sources of stress – and ensure you’re all still speaking to each other when you get home.

“Hello, over there in Albania!”, my kayaking guide Gigo shouts across the water as he paddles along effortlessly. He doesn’t really need to shout, because although we’re in Montenegro, we’re only a few metres away from the Albanians. We’re on the Buna (Bunë) River, a 40km stretch of water which divides the countries and is so tranquil that every sound is amplified, from the dip of our paddles to the rousing tones of the Muslim call to prayer.

The first time I went to Croatia was in 2017. I was on a week-long winter break trip before I would return to London to start my final semester of university. My friend and I stayed in the capital, Zagreb. We hiked through snow-capped trees, went to markets in the city center, and even took a day trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia’s largest national park and a UNESCO site. After that trip, I knew I had to visit the country again.

Years ago, as my 26th birthday approached, I decided to take myself to Paris. Although I'd initially invited friends, circumstances changed, and I embraced the idea of going solo.

Last week, Airbnb removed 2,233 New York based listings from its site in its latest attempt to appease New York City legislators. Airbnb has been in the news recently for fighting legal battles in its hometown of San Francisco, and New York is another major listings city for the company.

A key selling point of rideshare services like Uber and Lyft is their transparency. Users know where their ride is, how soon it will arrive to pick them up, and how much the fare will be to their destination.

It’s been a long time coming, but it’s now a bare fares world.

Earlier this year, Starbucks made a move that will be all too familiar to travelers: The company converted its loyalty program to a spend-based scheme, rewarding members according to the amount of their purchases rather than the number of their visits.

The AP reports that while travelers are currently enjoying a prolonged period of cheap fares, even for international flights, airlines are already taking steps that will result in steadily increasing airfares over the coming months. All good things must come to an end.

Score two for the airlines, nil for consumers.