Flyer Beware: Be Careful Buying Airline Tickets In The Pandemic
By Larry Olmsted
Consumers have long been familiar with the saying caveat emptor, “let the buyer beware,” an ominous warning of how consumers can sometimes get screwed. This has increasingly been an issue with air travel, prompting the newer notion of “let the flyer beware.” Complaints regarding refunds and trip cancellations have skyrocketed to record highs during the ongoing, evolving and constantly changing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department of Transportation recently reported that in the 18 months from January 2020 through mid-2021, a staggering 84% of all consumer complaints regarding air travel were about refunds. That is a more than a tenfold increase from life before the pandemic … continue reading
Award-winning travel journalist Larry Olmsted is the author of “Real Food, Fake Food.” He is a Contributing Editor to US Airways Magazine and Cigar Aficionado Magazine and “The Great Life” columnist for Forbes.com. His newest book is“Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happer, Healthier, and More Understanding.”
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1 Comment
This article is really helpful. I really appreciated the discussion of the situation in which a passenger decides not to use previously purchased air tickets because of the covid situation. If the author could update the article every month or so, that would be great. One related topic that would be helpful to include is air tickets purchase through third parties, such as Expedia.