pocketmint

Travel ‘protection’: a predatory scam

Considering travel insurance? Make certain that you get terms in writing before you pay — terms that prominently include the word ‘refund’.

That’s the takeaway message from the latest ‘Haggler’ column in the New York Times, where journalist David Segal goes to bat on behalf of beleaguered consumers. I was particularly appalled by the story of a cruise agency which markets its ‘protection plan’ to vacationing seniors for a 10% upcharge:

The plan is described this way: “In essence, should you have to cancel your cruise for a covered medical reason — anytime prior to departure — you need not worry about forfeiting the cost.”

If you read these words without appreciating that the world is a dark and cynical place, you might think “protection” amounts to a money-back guarantee. But the world is dark and cynical. The verbiage here implies “refund” without saying so.

What does the protection plan really offer? A voucher for future travel — not so much use in this case, since one of the vacationing seniors suffered a heart-attack and died, and presumably his widow is Not in the Mood to be trolling online dating sites for a replacement travel partner.

The writing, by the way, elevates this from a merely useful column to a thoroughly delightful one:

“… one of the more entertainingly combative lawyers the Haggler has encountered. Mr. Nashawaty, bless his contentious heart, howled at the unfairness of a universe in which the Ms. Bendors of the world can badger the likes of Vantage Travel.”

I really enjoy Segal’s cynical, biting style and will be watching for future columns. “The Haggler” appears in the Sunday New York Times every other week.

(Photo by ecstaticist.)

Keeping up with airline fees

One of my research projects-in-progress for Pocketmint has been a comprehensive chart of airline bag fees. Since I can’t keep straight who charges what for which item of luggage, I figured other people must be having the same problem.

Turns out someone else saved me the trouble! Travel search engine Kayak (of which I am very much a fan) has a chart that shows not only bag fees but also charges for food, pets, unaccompanied minors, seat assignment, and legroom. The chart appears to be regularly updated; as of this writing, none of the entries are more than a week old.

One interesting thing I learned from this chart is that Southwest offers free service to unaccompanied minors. Claire’s first solo trip this summer, to visit her aunt and uncle in Eugene, was in dire jeopardy because the unaccompanied minor fee would have added $150 to the ticket price. (We worked out a way to drive her instead.) Southwest doesn’t fly SEA–EUG, but we may send her to family in Austin next year, so that’s good to know. Since Southwest is the one airline that has been protected from high fuel prices, this may even still be relevant a year from now.

Also, Airfare Watchdog has a list of other fees to watch out for. Did you know that many airlines now charge for reservations made on the phone or in person? Luckily for me I actually prefer the Internet.

(Photo by Drewski2112.)