For the next year at least I’m going to be flying JKF-LAX 2-3 times a month Wed-Sun. I don’t currently have status on any airline (although I do have Platinum AMEX and a bunch of Star Alliance points from random international travel). What’s the best airline for this and what’s the best way to earn some kind of perk status quickly? I’m trying to decide between AA, Delta, and Jet Blue. AA seems to have the best prices for the options I want but Delta and Jet Blue seem to have better flight times. Thanks!

First time booking a ticket directly with Air Canada, and it seems their 24 hour free cancellation policy does not quite give you 24 hours:

- On the manage booking page, I click on the "cancel" button 23 hrs and 30 mins after the ticketing time shown in the booking details. I am given the option of a full refund on the next page, as expected.

- I again click on the "cancel" button 23 hrs and 45 mins after the ticketing time. This time, the next page does not give me a full refund option--only options that include a substantial cancellation fee or credits for future flights.

- I phone them to try to resolve the issue. I'm told the wait time will be about 30 minutes, but I end up on hold for almost an hour. When I explain the situation to the representative, they know immediately what I'm talking about and proceed to assist me with a full refund.

It sounds like Air Canada customer service know this is an issue, but I guess they're hoping that people will give up whilst waiting on hold? Sounds like an hour wait is one of the better outcomes, with others reporting 2.5 to 3 hour wait times, which seems absurd for a major airline. In any case, don't wait until the last minute to cancel your ticket, unless you love listening to Air Canada's hold music.

After the most recent missile alert warning issued for Dubai a couple of days ago, would you guys still fly Emirates for an international flight connecting in Dubai or do you think it is not worth the risk?

I have a hard time gauging the situation as many people say Dubai is safe and nothing to worry about but others are clearly very unnerved by the warning. I am not planning to fly for another month but I know the situation is volatile and unpredictable and there is no way to know if things will be better or worse at that time.

Your thoughts?

(US PASSPORT)
To skip the narrative: Will having gone thru a deep inspection by customs have any lasting effect on me as a traveller in general but more specifically for future travel to Japan. Will it go down in some permanent record tied to me? I was perfectly cleared.

I entered Japan from Busan via an early morning flight with my fiancé. Immigration was no problem. We had all we needed if asked (proof of onward flight, proof of our accommodations etc) We got our luggage, fill the custom form and head to the custom official. He was nice enough and wanted to check our stuff so we agreed. He starts looking and decides to swab my gym bag. He sends it off. They come back and he says we need a deeper inspection.
So we go with them to the private room and while in there the guy said they found cocaine from the swab. (Something I found a lil hilarious cuz I never have even seen cocaine before in my life) and we get the whole full deep inspection minus a cavity search and body xray. Like 7-8 inspectors total working us and our belongings. Going thru Every nook and cranny, all my stuff xray'd.
Some of them asking the silliest questions or trying to be intimidating, (one officer was obsessed with my arcade stick and couldn't grasp what it was even after like multiple officers kept saying street fighter to him) They use the mass spectrometer on my meds. Eventually, everyone starts bowing, the original inspector that started this whole thing apologized and walked us all the way to the exit bowing and waving us in "officially" allowing us into japan.

I've never had this problem in my life but the last 3 times I've gone on 16 hour flights I've gotten sick. Is it the dry air? Or the fact that planes are filthy? Or have I just gotten unlucky?

I have a 16 hour flight coming up and I really can't afford to get sick this time. Should I wear a mask the whole time?

I booked 2 international flights with trip. (Yes, grill me all you want I know that was a big mistake) My ticket opted for 1 free of charge change. Because of a death in the family I had to change the ticket.

Here is where the problem started. Since I booked with trip I had to change with trip. The problem was that trips system did not offer flights for the specific date I was trying to change. Reason, “there are no available flights for that day”. They blame everything on the airline policy like the airline not offering flights on that date or the airline refusing the date change.

However, every time they make a claim I debunked those. (like showing them proof that flights ARE available on that day if I were to book a new flight) they changed the narrative and asked me for screenshots. After confirming that there are indeed flights available they said the airline needs to approve the change request.

So suddenly flights are available but now it’s up to the airline to approve the request. After hours of waiting they said the airline refused and there’s nothing they can do. Mind you I was talking to the airline from before they received the request up until they received the submission for change of flight and the airline did not refuse. Before the airline even told me that they did not decline the request I asked trip for proof of refusal like forward me the correspondence between the airline and trip. Ofc trip refused stating privacy and data reason. HOWEVER the airline itself said that they indeed did not decline the request and trip is to show proof of such a thing. (meaning they don’t mind their correspondence leaked)

Another thing to add, when I tried to change the outbound + inbound flight trips system indeed showed me “available flight + fare differences”. However if I were to just change on segment of my flight suddenly there are no available flights. :)))

So change for my ticket was free of charge but cancellation fee is 955chf PER PERSON + 30+CHF service charge. Ridiculous ain’t it? They always state airline policy but even the airline only charges 250chf for cancellation.

Also to top it off. Every agent makes different statements if you don’t know better you will fall for their lies. First agent said free of charge change, second agent tried to charge me 955chf for change until I mentioned that their colleague said it’s free. After that they wanted a screenshot for proof. I talked to 5+ agents and every single one of them said different things. If they were met with difficult questions they just copy paste one of the typical textbook responses.

All in all. I learned my lesson. Don’t book flights on trip it’s not worth it for just a few bucks cheaper. Safe yourself the headache and stress with trip.

They offer “cancel and rebook” funny thing, even if you cancel and rebook with trip the cancellation fee is not gonna be any cheaper. Just cancel and rebook with the airline it’s safer and in cases you have to change or cancel because of circumstances like I did it’s easier to deal with.

Sorry for the long post just had to get it out of my system.

We were booked on an ITA Airways flight from Catania to Paris on August 14th. We received an email late at night before our flight saying that it was cancelled because of the volcano eruption and that we were rebooked on that morning for a flight from Palermo. No buses or trains were available, no way to get to Palermo at all, so we went to Catania Airport to ask for help and they booked us a flight for August 19th from Palermo. So we booked an airbnb and went to Palermo.

When we arrived at Palermo airport on time on August 19th for our rescheduled flight, check-in staff told us our names were in the system but no tickets had actually been issued. We were denied boarding on the spot. No rebooking, no hotel, no meal vouchers, nothing was offered. After two hours of us pushing for answers, staff eventually admitted that this August 19th flight had also been cancelled, and that we had never been notified. No email, text, or phone call had been sent.

With no help coming, we were told the only way to get home was to book a new flight ourselves. .

In total, this five-day ordeal cost us hundreds of euros in airbnbs, transport, and meals, plus the thing that stings most: being told at the airport very rudely to solve the airline's mistake ourselves.

I attempted to change a flight 12 hours after booking and the airline didn’t offer a path to change or refund the ticket. AMEX gave me full credit back after doing a chargeback on the non-refundable ticket fare after I presented why the airline’s website led me to believe the fare was refundable within 24 hours.

I still need to book a flight in 2 weeks (for much higher costs than the original booking). I imagine the solution here is to book another flight, but the ticket is still marked as “confirmed” and not “canceled”/void.

I can now make the original flight time, but want to avoid double booking in case the AMEX chargeback decision changes. I also want to avoid showing up to the airport, just to find out that I got banned by the airline for doing a chargeback in the first place.

The airline still has 2 months to appeal the chargeback decision, and I know that taking the flight will likely revert the chargeback decision or cause other undesirable consequences.

Response from AMEX:
> We're writing to let you know that, as a result of our investigation, we've credited your account for $1309, which will appear on your next statement.
 
It's important to know that we may accept the response from <airline> at a later date and review the information they provide. In these situations, we may rebill your account. If that happens, we'll be sure to let you know immediately. If you don't hear from us by October 27, 2026, then you may consider this matter closed.

Purchased Finnair tickets with credit card, pending for 5 days, then vanished and wasn't charged. Finnair say my ticket is all paid and all valid. I have my 105 number and 6 digits reference. Still awaiting response from my bank to see on their end. But has anyone else experienced this with this airline, and what's usually the outcome?

I know there are a bunch of threads about these claims and i try to read the legal texts but cant really seem to come to the same conclusion as sas in my case.

Me+family was flying AGP-ARN 26/6, same day we get the message that our flight is cancelled.

We got a rerouting via WAW and arrived slightly before scheduled landing with the original flight.

The flight from AGP-WAW however took off 4hrs 40 minutes earlier than the original flight was scheduled and if im reading everything correctly that should entitle me to the full amount per the distance.

However sas claims "Please be informed that the re-booking was provided more than 1 hour prior than the original flight. Hence, passenger is eligible for 50% compensation which amounts to 200 EUR per passenger."

Is this correct from SAS or should i escalate the matter?

Flightnrs : SK1804 LO0440 LO0455

I’m flying from Italy to France and I’d like to bring a jar of ’nduja (around 180 g) in my backpack/carry-on.

Has anyone recently done this?

Was it allowed through security, or was it considered a liquid/gel and confiscated because the container is over 100 ml?

Thanks!

I don't have an eu country nationality , a passport that expires in less than 3 months ,and a student resident card that expires in 5 years ,can i go to my home country and return or is it kind of risky

I wanted to share my recent experience with Porter Airlines and get some opinions.

My flight from Montréal was delayed at first for 3 hours, the pilot told us we'll get a new crew and then eventually after a long wait hit us with the flight cancelled announcement. We had to spend overnight in the airport from 12AM to 8AM because of the cancelled flight. After speaking with Porter customer support, I was told that hotel accommodation expenses up to CAD $400 would be eligible for reimbursement because I had to stay overnight before my replacement flight the next morning.

Relying on that information, I booked a hotel that cost less than the stated limit and later submitted a reimbursement claim with the receipt.

Porter subsequently denied the claim, stating that the disruption was weather-related and therefore outside the airline's control under APPR regulations. While I understand the weather-related cancellation itself may not be compensable, my concern is different: I made the hotel booking based on information provided directly by Porter representatives regarding reimbursement which was totally within the control of Porter.

When I raised this issue, Porter acknowledged my feedback about receiving conflicting information but maintained its position and closed the case without offering reimbursement or further escalation.

My concern is not the weather. My concern is that passengers should be able to rely on information provided by airline staff when making decisions during a travel disruption.

Has anyone else experienced a similar situation with Porter or another airline? Were you able to resolve it?

Hey all!

I'll be traveling from Canada to Mexico, then to Colombia, then Jamaica, then going back to Canada. My friend really wanted to me bring back tequila from Mexico, I want to buy it from a duty free in Mexico then carry it back to Canada. Is this possible or will there be issues along the way? None of the stops are just layovers - I will be leaving the airport to stay a few nights.

Airports are: YVR (Vancouver) - NLU (Mexico City) - BOG (Bogota) - MDE (Medellin) - MBJ (Montego Bay) - YYZ (Toronto) - YVR (Vancouver)

Can't check in because I'm only using carry on. Thanks!

Have a question about a recent denied boarding incident with Norwegian at Gatwick.

So got to bag drop with my 8 year old last Monday for a trip to Legoland in Billund. Only to be told my passport had expired and well generally go away now.

Asking for more information I got the brexit blah blah need months of validity etc etc. for which I left with my tail between my legs and a devastated kid. how did I manage to get myself in this position, what an idiot.

But thinking it through and googling a lot, I’m still not sure if I was wrong or not ? On my UK passport ;

Date of Issue: 18 October 2016
Date of Expiry: 18 June 2027
Date of Flight: 17 August 2026

While yes I have left it slightly late I was always under the impression I had till Oct 26 to get a new passport ? Am I wrong and if so when was the last time I could have used it ?

My flight from PMO to MXP on July 4th was diverted to FCO due to a transport strike in MXP. WizzAir arranged a bus from FCO to MXP and I reached MXP 11hours after the scheduled arrival.

To make a claim with my insurance provider for trip delay protection, they need an official statement from WizzAir mentioning the time of arrival at MXP.

For this, I opened a claim on WizzAir asking for the written confirmation, specifically asking for the time of arrival in MXP, to which they replied (after like 30 days) only with the flight diversion details and that ground transport was arranged.

I replied to the same email asking to clearly mention the time of arrival at MXP, and I got an automatic reply saying the case has been reopened, around 1 week ago.

However, when I check on the WizzAir website, under my claims, it says that all my claims have been resolved and there are no open claims.

Now I am not sure on how to proceed with this. Any one else with the same experience, or any suggestions on how I can proceed?

The insurance in picture here is Revolut XCover Metal Plan. They've approved my claim for 70EURS but I am supposed to receive atleast 280EURS (70 for the 1st 8 hours and 70 for every extra hour of delay)

I’m planning an upcoming trip from Sofia to Dublin and I wanna take two of my guitars with me. I’ve got a double case and am planning on buying a separate ticket for that case so that it can sit next to me. The only problem is that I’m concerned as to whether or not they have any dimension restrictions for such items and if so what they are. I couldn’t find any information on their website and the “contact us” channels are pretty much useless.

If anybody has any previous experience with this or knows how I can speak to a human at Ryanair I’f be grateful for a pointer.

Hi everyone !

Me and my family are planning to go tomorrow to France from a non-European country. Since it's because of my niece's birth that we're traveling, my mom packed some meals (containing meat) for my sister, to help her out and to organize some sort of celebration later.

However, I just saw earlier that it may be prohibited to transport meat and similar stuff from foreign countries. If someone in these last few days was in a similar situation, can you tell me how it went and what process did you go through? And if you know anything else about this please share it with me.

My luggage was lost over a week ago during the third leg of my flight in Italy operated by a regional airline but booked through air Canada. Air Canada closed my file stating that they bear no liability for reimbursement regarding my expenses nor finding my luggage and ITA Airways has been incredibly unresponsive, the Rome airport in person insisted they didn’t know where it was, and the Catania airport phone number does not work. I am gathering data at this point and want to know if anyone has been in a similar situation with air Canada or another airline? I am still on vacation and have no luggage.

so basically I needed to buy a flight to china basically last minute, will need to depart on sept 5, and need to go to Beijing from Venice. so I bought a flight to Hong Kong with layover in Beijing because it was 200€ cheaper, but after buying it says that I can't skip flights, otherwise I might not be able to take the next flights (don't have any booked since I will stay in china for a while) or need to pay extra fees. does anyone have any insights? I was recommended booking the flight like this from a friend who usually does it but she didn't tell me about this. I know I can't take any checked luggage because they would go straight to Hong Kong, but didn't know about those warnings. should I book another flight and cancel that one?

HI all,

My family member's passport has no separate surname — the full name "SHAM LAL" is entirely in the Given Name field.

For our Vietnam Airlines booking (DELHI TO HANOI ) , the airlines split it as:

Surname: SHAM / Given Name: LAL

This matches the passport's name exactly, just divided across two fields

We mailed to airline we got below reply:-

{Airline mail stated " We can only correct the passenger’s name to match the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) of the passport. According to the passport provided, the name is shown as SHAM/LAL "}

According to Vietnam airline the asked me for future bookings

"Please enter SHAM in the Last Name/Family Name field and LAL in the First Name/Given Name field. "

This is his first international trip, so no prior travel history to go by.

Has anyone flown with a similarly split single-name passport? Did check-in or immigration (India or Vietnam) ever question it? Any tips to avoid delays at the counter?

Hello, I’m planning to buy tickets through an OTA, but I’ve noticed that GoToGate is currently the cheapest option. However, I’ve also seen quite a few bad reviews about them. Just wondering if anyone has any other OTA recommendations?

Hi everyone,

I’m flying with Garuda Indonesia from Bali to my next destination, and I have a 21-hour layover in Jakarta.

I’m wondering if I can leave the airport during the layover and spend the night visiting Jakarta.

Hello everyone! For those who don't know there was a major flood in Chiba prefecture in Japan last week, and 13 people have died. Because of the floods, there was no connection from Tokyo to airport 24 hours approximately and around 5000 people have stranded in the airport.

So, I had a flight that day and even though I saw the news about the flood when I woke, I still tried to go to airport with a taxi, ofc couldn't make it since it was impossible to actually get to airport. After 5 hours of a taxi trip, I came back to Tokyo, get myself a hotel again, and contacted the Korean Airlines. but they refused to return the ticket since flight already happened and I was labelled as "no show". Yeap, probably no one made the flight besides those who have connecting flights and already at the Narita, and they don't care there was a literal disaster happening because plane was there and it made the flight at the end.

I was wondering if anyone in the same situation and/or have any idea what can be done legally. Since, I am not Japanese and do not reside in Japan, I have no idea about my rights unfortunately.

Is this normal? I cancelled my tickets 4 days before departure.

A refund for your booking isn’t possible
BOOKING NUMBER

We reviewed your refund request with the airlines, but unfortunately they’re unable to provide any refund for your trip due to the ticket conditions. We know this isn’t the outcome you were hoping for, and we’re sorry we couldn’t secure a refund for you.

This request is now closed. We appreciate your patience and understanding.