Subscribe in a reader
Mom Wants US Airways to Pay For Therapy After Hudson River Landing
June 25: I don’t know about you, but I’d just be thankful to be alive at this point. Seems a mom and her four-year-old daughter, who were on board the Hudson River flight 1549, need more therapy for the trauma that they experienced. According to reports, US Airways did payout $5,000. in damages to each passenger, and doesn’t feel compelled to continue shelling out costs associated with the crash landing.
What are your thoughts? Personally, I would do what it takes, within my power, to get the mental health assistance that I need, and be greatful that God saw fit for me to survive such an incident. In other words, I’d move on and not make a big deal about what someone else isn’t doing to ensure my well-being.
UPI.com
A New York woman wants US Airways to pay for therapy for the trauma she and her daughter suffered when their plane crash-landed in the Hudson River.
Tess Sosa told CNN she and her daughter, Sophia, who has celebrated her 4th birthday since the crash in January, are still suffering the emotional impact of their narrow escape. But the family’s insurance has a large deductible and they have been paying for therapy themselves.
US Airways based in Tempe, Ariz., and its insurer, American International Underwriters Holdings, say the airline did more than it was required to, including giving every passenger $5,000 for expenses soon after the crash. Flight 1549 had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport when it lost engine power, apparently after hitting a flock of birds. The pilot, Capt. Chesley Sullenberger made a controlled landing in the Hudson, allowing everyone on board to escape.
“They have gone to incredible measures to get all of our belongings back, dry them out,” Sosa said. “However, I think in doing so, there was this huge oversight in ‘Let’s take care of these passengers.’”
Sosa, her husband and their two children were all on the plane, although she was seated separately from her husband with her baby, Damian.
Wisconsin Expected to Get Slammed With Major Family Travelers This Fourth of July
To all of our Wisconsin, New Jersey and Pennsylvania followers: Please let us know if this proves to be true.
Wausau Daily Herald, DJ Slater
Wisconsin appears ready to buck predictions that fewer travelers across the United States will take to the roads for the Fourth of July holiday.About 37.1 million travelers will take a trip of 50 miles or more from home next weekend, which is about 700,000 people or 1.9 percent fewer than last year’s Independence Day weekend, according to the AAA.
Of all 50 states, only three are predicted to see an increase in travelers for the holiday — New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. AAA estimates that about 660,000 Wisconsin residents will travel during the July Fourth weekend, a 1.6 percent increase from last year.
“There’s a lot of pent-up demand for travel,” said Pam Moen, a spokeswoman for AAA Wisconsin. “A lot of people in Wisconsin are set on taking their family vacations this summer.”
Central Wisconsin residents such as Wausau’s Nadia Musallam, 28, appear determined to be among those 660,000 travelers who aren’t letting the recession keep them at home. Musallam said she intends to spend the holiday in Milwaukee, visiting college friends.
Chris Rajchel of Merrill doesn’t plan to change her annual tradition of taking 20 family members to her cottage on Lake Alexander near the Council Grounds State Park.
“You may make cuts (to plans) here or there, but family time is important, especially during the tough times,” she said.
Nationwide, air travel also appears to be making a slight comeback, with AAA expecting to see a 4.9 percent increase for the holiday.
Katie Mancl, the general manager of Marathon Travel, said the small increase isn’t surprising, because many far-away destinations such as Hawaii are trying to lure more travelers their way to improve tourism revenues.
“The prices are amazing right now,” she said. Round-trip tickets from Minneapolis to Honolulu now are going for $279 a person, she said — a trip that normally runs around $800.
Creative Travel Creates Special Summer Memories for the Family, Generation After Generation
I thought that this was a fun story. Boating with your family at a nearby lake or ocean, is a great way to include EVERYONE in the summer vacation plans. I don’t know many families who own a boat, but it might be cool to rent one and split the cost.
I guess a similar idea would be camping, renting an RV with other family members or friends and taking a roadtrip. We’re actually planning to do that next summer, with our family and friends. Now that I’ve got you thinking, here are more ways to plan your family boating trip.
Bradenton Hearald.com
Multigenerational travel has become a growing trend among American families.
Each year, more than 5 million family vacations include three generations, according to the Travel Industry Association. Multigenerational travel has become a growing trend among American families looking to forge stronger family bonds while effectively keeping expenses in check.
Finding an activity both time and cost effective for the entire family can be a challenge. America’s first baby boomer, Kathy Casey-Kirschling, is a 15-year veteran when it comes to traveling locally with her children and grandchildren. An avid boater, she spends summers on local waterways with family and friends aboard her boat, aptly named First Boomer.
“My favorite family vacations-and my children would likely agree-occurred only a few miles from home aboard First Boomer,” said Casey-Kirschling. “Each year, I look forward to spending valuable time with my grandchildren on the water and creating lasting memories.”
With rising airport delays and road traffic hassles, many Americans are looking for family vacation options closer to home. According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, 90 percent of Americans live within an hour’s drive of a navigable body of water. With this in mind, Casey-Kirschling recommends families interested in multigenerational travel consider a boating excursion for their next family vacation.
Here are some of her tips to help plan a close-to-home vacation that children, parents and grandparents can enjoy together:
Get everyone in on the action. Whether it’s watersports during the day or a relaxing cruise at sunset, propose different activities for all ages to participate in. DiscoverBoating.com offers a variety of fun activities the entire family can do out on the water.
Delve into details. Be sure to discuss sleeping arrangements, boat and watersport rentals and food preparation-minor details can have a major impact if overlooked.
Make memories. Use time on the boat to share family stories and document the trip through a travel journal, digital camera or video recorder.
Create committees. Include all family members in the planning process to get everyone involved (and excited) about the trip. Assign duties to each person to create an efficient trip itinerary.
Get onboard with a budget. Multigenerational travel can be very cost effective. Determine the cost allowances for each family member and build a budget to fit everyone’s financial needs.
There are a number of boating resources available online, including www.DiscoverBoating.com, to help families in their trip planning. This Web site offers a boat selector tool to find the right boat for every family’s needs, a budget planner to outline trip costs, boating activity options for the entire family and water access locations for nearby navigable bodies of water.
AAA Reports Less Congestion on the Roads this Fourth of July Holiday as More Families Opt Out of Road Trips
This is good news to me. Less people on the road means that it just might be safer to drive and we might reach our destinations faster. Seriously, the Fourth of July holiday is quickly approaching and many families are making plans to stay near the house to watch the night skies light up.
Providence Business News, Ted Nesi
BOSTON – Vacationers going away for the upcoming Fourth of July weekend may find the roads somewhat less congested than they did last year, according to AAA Southern New England.The auto club said today it expects 37.1 million Americans to travel 50 or more miles from home for the Fourth, which falls on a Saturday this year. That would be down 1.9 percent compared with 2008.
Among those who travel, 88 percent are expected to go by car, although the number of automobile trips are projected to decline 2.6 percent compared with last year. The number of air travelers, on the other hand, is expected to increase by 4.9 percent to 2 million due “to declining airfares and pent up demand from those who have not taken a vacation trip by air in some time,” AAA said.
In New England, 17 percent of the population will travel 50 or more miles for the Fourth, fewer than last year but still the highest percentage of any region, AAA said. The average trip distance will be 414 miles roundtrip for New Englanders, compared with 614 miles nationwide.
AAA said fewer people are planning to go away because of continued concerns about the strength of the economy. Higher gas prices may also play a role, although the auto club said “its impact on overall vacation costs remains minimal.” The average price of self-serve, unleaded regular at stations in Rhode Island was $2.70 per gallon on Monday, according to AAA.
“Many Americans remain cautious about the outlook for their personal finances and these attitudes are reflected in the slight decline in travel we are forecasting for the upcoming holiday weekend,” Lloyd P. Albert, AAA Southern New England’s senior vice president of public and government affairs, said in a statement.
But Albert also noted a silver lining for some travelers in the down economy – better deals from hoteliers, travel agents and other businesses competing more fiercely than usual.
“Those who do vacation this summer will find attractive discounts and special offers resulting in some outstanding vacation values,” he said. “If you can afford to go, this summer is a smart time to travel.”
AAA projects the average New England household that travels for the Fourth will spend $822 on its trip, far below the national average of $1,160 per family.
Transportation and accommodations will account for roughly half the average cost of a trip, with food and beverage taking another 20 percent and shopping, entertainment and recreation accounting for the rest.
“The July Fourth holiday is typically the busiest time of year for auto travel since nearly all school-aged children are out of school at this time and, as a result, parents are more apt to take family vacations,” AAA said.
For more information, visit AAA.com.
Disney Hotel in California Due to Begin Renovations in August
Several hotels figure now is a good time to get those upgrades and renovations underway, given the low occupancy rates. Be sure to ask the reservationists if there’s construction going on before you book your stay this summer.
AH&LA Smartbrief
The Disneyland Hotel in California is slated to receive a major makeover to include updating the hotel’s exterior, installing new windows to replace sliding doors and improving guestrooms. The hotel will remain open during the project, due to begin in August and last through 2012.
Hotel Bill Doesn’t Stop at the Room Rate as More Properties Begin Charging for Amenities
It was bound to happen. Hotels are merely scrapping by to stay in the black, which means some hotels are piling on the fees to cover their operations cost. During your stay, you may have to pay an extra fee to get your room cleaned or to splash around in the pool. Not ALL properties are taking this path, just inquire before you book.
The Middle Seat via The Wall Street Journal, Scott McCartney
Your hotel bill may be carrying some extra baggage.
Eager to boost revenue and perhaps emboldened by the success airlines have had adding fees, many hotels are raising fees and hitting customers with more surcharges that don’t show up next to room rates.
Some hotels are charging mandatory valet parking fees if you show up with a car. Some have upped their “resort fees,” required whether or not you use the pool or exercise room. Housekeeping gratuities and bellman fees are aggressively being added to bills, travelers report. Some motels are even charging for in-room safes, regardless of whether you use them.
“It’s been widely accepted with airlines, so this is the natural progression into the hotel industry,” says Jean Covelli, president of Travel Team Inc., a corporate travel management firm based in Buffalo, N.Y. Three clients recently arrived at hotels with cars and were tagged with mandatory valet parking fees as high as $45 a day.
The fee flurry is taking place both at high-end resorts and low-end motels. Like many motels, the Howard Johnson Inn in Middletown, R.I., part of Wyndham Worldwide Corp., hits all customers with a $1.13-a-day in-room safe warranty surcharge.
At the luxurious Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, the mandatory resort charge was raised this year to $28 a day from $25, according to Hilton Hotels Corp. The charge covers local phone calls and Internet service, as well as the fitness center. Hilton’s Biltmore often charges a mandatory $12 bellman’s portage fee and $3-per-night housekeeping gratuities to guests who stay on negotiated group rates.
The combination of falling room rates and fewer travelers is expected to result in a 17% to 18% decline in hotel revenue this year, according to PKF Hospitality Research. “They want to do everything they can to make that up,” says Robert Mandelbaum, PKF’s director of research information services.
Airlines have changed their revenue structure by charging fees for services that were previously provided as part of the ticket cost, such as checking one or two bags. In the first quarter this year, the three biggest U.S. passenger airlines — Delta Air Lines Inc., AMR Corp.’s American Airlines and UAL Corp.’s United Airlines — collected $330 million in baggage fees, compared with only $81 million in the first three months of 2008, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
But hotels are always wary of being seen as trying to gouge customers, and the good news for travelers is that you can often complain your way out of the fees. Indeed, at the Howard Johnson in Middletown, R.I., a desk clerk says he is authorized to remove the charge if customers complain.
“While they put these charges on your bill, you have a lot of leverage to get it removed,” says Mr. Mandelbaum.
Ms. Covelli, the corporate travel manager, says she and other travel managers are doing more negotiations to have fees waived — and hotels are accommodating.
Bjorn Hanson, associate professor at New York University’s Tisch Center for Hospitality, estimates that hotel fees and surcharges before state and local taxes will total $1.65 billion this year — that’s more than airlines have collected in baggage fees over the past four quarters reported by the Department of Transportation. Still, the hotel-fee haul will be down 5.7% from 2008 because of the occupancy decline.
“It’s a period of experimentation,” Mr. Hanson says. “Guests are hypersensitive to room rates and less so to other charges.”
Some hotels may be pushing room-service prices and fees higher; others are raising rates on services like accepting faxes and deliveries, laundering clothes and local phone calls, and upping penalties for early checkout and cancellation. Internet service is getting more expensive, running up to $19.95 a day. Local taxes are being pushed higher, too, as governments look for ways to balance budgets and minimize the impact on local taxpayers.
Mr. Hanson says that many hotels have become more surgical in their fee focus. After several years of charging fees, hotels know which surcharges get the fewest objections from guests.
“Those are the ones that seem to get the bigger increases now,” he said. “They are figuring out what people will pay and pushing those up.”
Among the new fees he’s noticed lately: minibar restocking fees, baggage holding fees for guests leaving luggage with bell staff after checking out, and a “tray charge” on room-service bills on top of a service charge and an automatic gratuity. (One way to tell if mandatory gratuities are actually going to workers or being pocketed by the hotel is to see if the charge is subjected to sales tax. If it is, the hotel is keeping the fee as revenue.)
Adding mandatory surcharges to rooms has caught the attention of the Florida Attorney General’s office, which negotiated a $2.3 million settlement with Wyndham International Inc. in 2006 over undisclosed automatic surcharges. The settlement required new disclosure practices and restitution to customers who unknowingly had to pay automatic charges. Marriott agreed to similar terms in 2005, according to Florida AG spokeswoman Sandi Copes.
The Florida AG now has six ongoing investigations against hotel chains and travel resellers, Ms. Copes says. “The common characteristic is that people are allegedly quoted one price but charged another,” she says. Undisclosed energy surcharges and in-room safe fees are among the issues being investigated.
Several hotel chains say they already disclose mandatory fees on their Web sites and at travel agencies. Marriott says it began disclosing mandatory fees two years ago; Hilton says its Web site and third-party sellers “all disclose our fees.”
But not all chains are specific. A spokeswoman for Wyndham Hotel Group, which includes Wyndham, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Wingate, Baymont, Microtel, Hawthorne Suites, Howard Johnson and Travelodge hotels, says the chain adds a notice to its booking sites that room rates don’t include surcharges, which may be added. Indeed when you book a room at Wyndham’s Howard Johnson Web site, you’ll see “other charges may apply for local amenities like safe warranties and telephone access. Local surcharges or service charges aren’t included in the total room rate.”
Online travel sellers say they try to warn customers about fees, but inclusion varies. If you price the Arizona Biltmore on Orbitz, for example, the $28 resort fee is listed in fine print, but not in the “total price,” which is labeled as including taxes and fees. At Travelocity, Hotels.com and Expedia, the resort fee and the 12% tax charged on it are added in with taxes and other fees before a total price is shown.
Orbitz lists taxes and fees of $10.11 on a nonrefundable summertime rate of $80 a night; Expedia says taxes and fees on the same rate are at $41.48 per night, or an additional 50% added to the quoted room rate.
Orbitz says it requires hotels to list mandatory fees in their description of their hotel and while there may be some discrepancies among the 80,000 properties listed at Orbitz, complaints about check-out fee surprises are rare.
A spokesman says there were only three complaints in the past three months, and Orbitz works with those customers to get refunds.
Greyhound Bus Completes Overhaul of Its Fleet in Hopes of Enticing Travelers to Just Go Greyhound
Not too sure about this one. Greyhound bus offers a new upgraded version for passengers to enjoy – just in time for the travel season. It’s exciting that the bus line is making an effort to keep up with the times with cushier seats, internet connection and get this – cleanliness! OK, here’s where the skepticism comes to play, what about the passengers? I don’t know about you, but my last Greyhound bus ride was about 15 years ago and I don’t remember much about the actual bus, what I remember are all the weirdoes that took that bus trip with me.
How about you? Does the new look and amenities entice you enough to load up the kids and take a bus ride this summer? Not me. I’ll pass, thank you.
The Wall Street Journal, Ann Marie Chaker
The new breed of buses also has a cleaner, more-luxurious feel — whether it’s cupholders at seats, spiffier bathrooms or tables that allow commuters to spread out and get some work done on the ride. “The amenities were created to attract those who might not have otherwise considered bus travel,” says Greyhound’s Ms. Plaskett.
At the same time, people are more loath to get into their cars. The Federal Highway Administration says Americans drove 81 billion fewer miles in the year ended January 2009 than in the previous year.
Saga Continues As Continental Airlines Muddle Flights Among Unaccompanied Minors
Update: Apparently, the story we told you about on yesterday regarding the 10-year-old girl being sent to New Jersey instead of Ohio was not the beginning. Seems Continental Airlines had a similar mix up on Sunday by accidentally sending an 8-year-old girl to Arkansas instead of North Carolina.
Warning: Parents, please don’t get tangled in this media sensation. I’m sure this type of thing happens more often than not. Take it from a journalist, there are slow news days and if the story sells, then producers and editors will milk this one dry. Just remember that .
In the meantime, if you are planning to send your little one off this summer, go ahead, but be thorough in managing the trip. Looking on the bright side, this is a great way to remind us that, if we want the job done right, then, we have to step-in and lead.
I promise, this is my LAST post about this topic UNLESS something REALLY major happens in this same arena. I promise!
ABC News, Emily Friedman
Airlines are notorious for sending luggage to the wrong destination but Continental are now developing a reputation for sending young children to the wrong place too.
“Oh my god,” said Christine Koh, a mom of one in Boston, when she heard about two separate instances over the weekend in which unaccompanied young children boarded the wrong aircraft and traveled to the wrong destinations.
“This makes me totally hyperventilate,” said Koh.
On Saturday, an 8-year-old Houston girl mistakenly ended up in Fayetteville, Ark., instead of Charlotte, N.C. Then on Sunday, a 10-year-old girl from Boston flew to Newark, N.J., instead of Cleveland, where she was headed to visit her grandparents.
Both girls were boarding planes operated by ExpressJet, which is operated by Continental Airlines.
Continental Airlines Sends 10-Year-Old Girl on Wrong Flight
Before you pack up your tween and get them off to grandmas for the summer, it might be a good idea to OVER communicate with the airlines about your child’s final destination.
Maybe putting a sign on the child stating where they are going would work. If they end up on the wrong flight, like the girl in the story did, at least the airline attendant can see that this child’s sign says, “Dallas” but this plane is going to “Houston.” Even that’s risky because many times the attendants are so overwhelmed that they don’t take the time to monitor the details.
This is an FYI. Be mindful.
The Associated Press
Jonathan Kamens says he brought his daughter, Miriam, to Logan International Airport in Boston on Sunday. She was to fly to Cleveland to visit her grandparents.
Parents Encouraged to Brace Their Wallets for Higher Gas Prices This Summer
At Family Travel Suite, we refuse to entertain the sensationalism of such things like high gas prices and a slump economy. I mean, really! You can get that information from just about every news network on TV.
We’re posting this story to encourage you to NOT cancel your family road trips this summer. Instead, prepare for the above normal gas rates and keep life moving. Hey, it’s going to happen anyway so plan for it now. In fact, in lieu of cancelling that road trip, why not sit down with the kids, if they are old enough, and discuss some great, less than four hour getaways to take this summer.
Let us know what you come up with and send us a picture to post to encourage other families to take a trip this summer.
KSBY Channel 6 Action News, Stacy Daniel
Gas prices are going up everywhere. Here on the Central Coast, they are up about 50 cents compared to just last month.In San Luis Obispo County, AAA says the current average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is $3.06. This time last month it was $2.55.
In Santa Barbara County, the current average is $3.04. That’s 51 cents more than this time last month.
Everyone we talked with said they expected gas prices to start going up anytime now, so they are not shocked. But when it comes to how it will affect their summer travel plans, reaction was mixed.
Tourist Jaclyn Doane observed, “Every week [gas prices] go up.”
With the summer driving season about to take off, some customers are putting the breaks on their summer travel plans.
Buellton resident Sandy Luna admitted, “That kind of changed our plans a little bit.” Luna says the price at the pump coupled with the still-sluggish economy leaves her no choice but to call off her family’s travel plans.
“Just try to do stuff that’s affordable for my family for my kids that’s local around here,” said Luna about what her family will do this summer.
Carmel resident Heinz Thummel says the rising cost of gas won’t keep him home this summer. In fact, he is right now enjoying a vacation time in Solvang. Thummel says whatever the price at the pump, he will pay it.
“It’s out of his control. There’s a monopoly. It’s really supply and demand. We are actually at the mercy of the Arab countries,” said Tummel.
In the meantime, Luna grows more frustrated at the constantly increasing cost of gas.
Luna said, “I just think that the prices are kind of ridiculous. I don’t like the fact they keep raising the prices all the time, you know? It’s like one price when you come and then the next day it’s even higher. So, I don’t think that’s fair.”
Although economists are saying we won’t see gas prices reach heights near those of last summer when gas was more than $4.00 a gallon, not every one is convinced.
Doane said, “We’ll probably be at four before July.”
No one Action News spoke with said they were going to alter their plans drastically. They will still take trips – those trips will just be closer to home.
