Travelpro CEO: After Airline Luggage Fee Increase, Passengers Are Switching To This

Since the beginning of the year, most of the major U.S. airlines have raised their baggage fees. It now costs an average of $35 to check your bag on a domestic flight.

Low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines is bringing back commercial service to a central Florida airport for the first time in more than 10 years.

A passenger flew back to Raleigh-Durham International Airport to help search for her dog that escaped after Alaska Airlines failed to put him on a flight to Seattle with her.

On a recent spring day, I started mildly stressing about booking my family’s Thanksgiving flights for four people traveling from San Francisco to Raleigh, North Carolina. Airfare deals have been much harder to come by in the aftermath of the pandemic due to the strong return in travel demand, so I had a feeling we needed to act fast if we were going to fly at a decent price during a popular travel period.

So far in 2024, several in-flight medical emergencies have made headlines around the world. In early January, a passenger on a Jet2 flight from Tenerife, Spain, to Manchester, England, died after being found unresponsive in the lavatory. Passengers on a Munich-bound Lufthansa flight in early February described the “absolute horror” onboard when a man began gushing “liters” of blood from his nose and mouth; the flight returned to Bangkok for an emergency landing, but the passenger died on the plane. A third incident occurred on a flight from Punta Cana to Charlotte in late February when a 41-year-old female passenger began convulsing; the flight was diverted, but she later died at a hospital.

Southwest Airlines is giving travelers a chance to earn a promotional Companion Pass® after flying one round-trip flight. This pass is essentially a buy one ticket, get one ticket free, allowing two companions to travel together. However, this promotion is only available until March 27, 2024.

Delta Air Lines is being sued by the family of a 13-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted on a flight.

Low-cost airline Breeze Airways is teaming up with Priceline to sell flights on the online site, making it easier to book tickets.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will step down by the end of the year, Boeing said Monday. In addition, Stan Deal, chief of the company's commercial airplane division, will retire immediately, while board chair Larry Kellner will not run for reelection.

It’s Tuesday, and if you are a regular reader, you probably know that means that Southwest Airlines has released a new sale. Southwest has released a promotion with sale fares for $69 and savings of up to $250 on Hawaiian vacation packages. However, after some digging, fares can be found for as low as $29.

Following last week’s incident, in which a LATAM Airlines suddenly plunged downward in mid-flight, major aircraft manufacturer Boeing is advising airlines to inspect switches on cockpit seats aboard their 787 Dreamliner planes as a precautionary measure. According to AP News, a published report pointed to these switches as the apparent cause of last week’s incident. 

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) continues to push back against American Airlines' controversial New Distribution Capability (NDC) rollout.On Monday, the Alexandria, Virginia-based organization launched a weeklong ad campaign in POLITICO magazine in hopes of influencing lawmakers in Washington, D.C.Beginning May 1, American will stop awarding AAdvantage miles and loyalty accrual points through agencies unless they are deemed "preferred," a status achieved by having a 2024 incentive agreement with the airline or by booking through American NDC channels and reaching progressive sales thresholds of 30 percent by April 21, 50 percent by October 31 and 70 percent by April 30, 2025."This latest development doubles down on American Airlines' clear agenda since last year to force the travel agency industry to adopt immature technology, monopolize distribution channels, and squeeze channel partners and customers for cost-cutting and profit," ASTA stated.Additionally, ASTA is offering a toolkit for travel advisors to reach out to their congressional representatives. The organization is also encouraging members to send their clients to SaveMyMiles.com to take action."Tell them to stop AA from disenfranchising customers who book through travel agencies by telling Congress—don’t let American Airlines eliminate consumer choice," says ASTA.