Gary Leff travel tips

As many airlines are reducing indulgent first-class offerings to incorporate more business-class seats on their planes, it can be hard to tell exactly what the differences are between the two front-of-plane cabins.

Bad news for the overpackers among us: It’s now even more expensive to check baggage on one of the most popular airlines in the US.

Last year, my husband and I splurged on round-trip first-class tickets on Japan Airlines from San Francisco to Tokyo for $13,474 each. We reserved them in February for an October flight through American Express Travel. On the same day, I also bought business class tickets for a couple who was traveling with us at $8,429 apiece. In September, Amex notified me that we had been downgraded to business class for the return flight. JAL’s conditions state that we would receive “the difference between the normal fare amount of original class of service and for the normal fare of lower class of service.” To me that means that since the difference between our first class seats and our friends’ business seats was $5,045 each, we should be refunded about half of that — around $2,522 per person — for the second leg. But we got only $941 each. I contested this with Amex Travel, but they rejected our claim. Can you help?

It’s now less of a hassle for some pet owners to bring their furry family members on American Airlines flights.

American Airlines currently lags Delta and United financially. But American believes it can close that gap -- with a strategy that diverges from its legacy rivals.

There's no place like home for the holidays—but for many of us, getting there unfortunately requires a trip to the airport, and this year promises to be one of the busiest holiday travel seasons yet.

For many travelers, airline miles and hotel points are extremely valuable—they are a type of currency that can be used to book flights and overnights around the world.

Sign-up bonuses, lounge access, cash rebates, free hotel rooms and plenty of fine print: The dizzying promotions and Byzantine rules on earning and redeeming points with rewards credit cards can make your head spin. Here are some ways to cut through the confusion and get the most out of them.

Travelers United’s choice to sue Hyatt over its “junk fee” practices fits into a broader storyline about travel junk fees being in the limelight ever since President Joe Biden referred to travel fees in his 2023 State of the Union address.

Marriott International plans by May 15 to disclose resort fees in the total prices it displays in its initial search results on its website and mobile app. It’s the long-awaited outcome of a 2021 settlement with Pennsylvania — that required the Bethesda, Maryland-based hotel operator to include in fees in upfront total prices.

Moving to the front of the plane is a dream from most economy passengers. But many don’t know where to start when strategizing how to get upgraded to first class.

Six days of bad weather, especially at hub airports, has kept myriad travelers from reaching their destination this week. According to FlightAware, a website that tracks delays and cancellations, more than 8,000 U.S. flights have been axed since Saturday, June 24, and an additional 30,000-plus were delayed.