The evacuation of American Airlines Flight 2045 on July 12 at the San Francisco International Airport took longer to complete than the federal standard of 90 seconds. While only minor injuries were reported, delays in the evacuation created an unacceptable risk of major injuries or death for the passengers and crew. Read more →

Recently, when I traveled to Madrid, I noticed that more people weren’t using headphones or earbuds when listening to audio on their phones and computers. At the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, a man was sitting with his leg propped up on his suitcase listening to YouTube videos. It was really irritating. Another man had his phone on speaker. Read more →

Millions of people around the world are excited about the holidays. Shopping for gifts, gathering with friends and family, and attending religious events heighten excitement this time of year. Americans are expected to spend between 3 percent and 4 percent more in 2023 than last year, about $957.3 billion and $966.6 billion, according to a survey. Read more →

It’s a flurry of activity getting ready for the holidays. I’ve purchased my plane ticket to California, started my shopping, and am contemplating decorations. My daughters came for an early Christmas last year and the year before. I “decked the halls” with a living Christmas tree, got out the nice China and red table runner, and we cooked up a storm. Read more →

It’s that time of year again already. Thanksgiving, the American day of giving thanks, is this week. Ninety-seven percent of Americans are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving. The average person’s spending over the five-day Thanksgiving period is estimated to be $325. The average cost of a 10-person Thanksgiving dinner will be about $64.05. Read more →

It's amazing that as we’re all suffering from inflation so little is said about corporate price gouging and the role it’s playing in price increases. Fortunately, there’s a watchdog group that keeps researching inflation. Here’s the latest from Accountable.US: The increase in basic prices having risen at the smallest rate since September 2021. Read more →

Junk fees – those hidden and bogus charges that have found their way into a wide variety of transactions – are on consumers’ minds. After receiving more than 12,000 comments about how these fees impact consumers and businesses, the FTC announced on Oct. 11, a proposed rule on deceptive fees. It's now looking for further feedback. Read more →

Labor Day these days is all about beaches, barbecues, games such as baseball, football, and volleyball, and shopping. It’s also a great weekend for travel. This year, 57 percent of Americans plan to travel for Labor Day weekend, more than 150 million will enjoy a barbecue or picnic, and thousands will attend a college football game. Read more →

Do you know your rights on tarmac delays? American Airlines will pay $4.1 million for violating federal laws prohibiting tarmac delays of three hours or more on domestic flights without providing passengers an opportunity to deplane, DOT said Monday. DOT’s investigation found that American kept dozens of flights stuck on the tarmac for long periods of time. Read more →

Unfortunately, September marks the end of summer, which is so sad. Many people, like me, aren’t fans of winter. However, in relation to sales, September is a good time to shop for deals, the Labor Day sales being one reason. Here are recommendations on the September sales from DealNews.com: Summer clothing – Deep discounts are expected. Read more →