✈️ Get back in line: American Airlines is considering new boarding tech that sounds a really loud beep when you try to cut the line and board without your group. It’s being tested now in Albuquerque, Tucson and Washington, D.C. I’ll spare you a plane joke (it won’t take off), but if you need a laugh, watch George Carlin talk about the boarding process. So funny.
Insider secret to getting the best deal on a hotel room
Are you excited to hit the road for your next vacation? You probably don’t want to get an ordinary hotel room, but the luxury options are seemingly too expensive. Tap or click here for five tricky hotel scams that could ruin your next trip.
Like when you book airline tickets, you need to have a strategy. For example, it is often cheapest when you book a domestic flight on a Tuesday or Wednesday. However, international flights are typically more affordable on a Thursday.
Read on for Kim’s four tips on getting the best deals on hotels to make any vacation memorable.
1. Call ahead
There are plenty of websites that can provide you with a good deal. Booking services such as Kayak, Expedia or Hotels.com are excellent options and often have discounted rates if you book for extended periods or special times.
But that isn’t the only way. Once you find a reasonably priced hotel room, don’t immediately book it. Instead, call the hotel’s reservation desk directly. Tell them that you found a special rate on a different website, and often the hotel will meet or beat any internet rate when you book with them.
That’s because the booking website can take a cut from the price, or the hotel must pay a fee to the website for facilitating the booking.
2. Call at the right time
If you want to increase your chances of getting a great hotel room at a reasonable rate, you must call at the right time. One clever trick is calling at 4 p.m. on the day that you want a room.
As Kim explained in a recent Digital Life Hack podcast, “hotels know the odds of selling a room are pretty slim at 4 in the afternoon, so they’ll give you rock bottom rates and nice upgrades.”
3. Rewarding your patience
Late afternoon can score you a significant upgrade, but you might also get a perfect deal when you call directly or book anytime on the day.
Have an iPhone? New way to save your digital driver's license coming to 8 states
Apple’s Wallet app is handy to store and quickly retrieve many things, like airline tickets, reservations or digital passes. It also makes Apple Pay possible, as your bank card can be stored there.
But while you can’t store your COVID-19 vaccination card on it (yet), there has been another striking omission — your driver’s license. But Apple is about to change that. This new feature could be a game-changer for travelers.
Traveling is hard enough
✈️ These stress savers are worth it and make great gifts for the travel lover in your life, too.
- Stop letting your loved ones touch the icky airplane seat pockets. A seat-back organizer ($30) rocks.
- A $12 travel cup holder frees up your hands for when you’re late and running through the airport … because a preflight Starbucks run is non-negotiable.
- Don’t use those gross airline-provided headphones. A wireless audio transmitter ($55) connects to any Bluetooth headphones.
- Twist this travel pillow ($22) to whatever shape you need to get comfy on road trips and long-haul flights.
- Airplane foot hammocks are going viral online, and I get it. Attach it to the tray table and never lose feeling in your legs again — for under 20 bucks!
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
✈️ PSA for if your holiday flight is canceled: You’re entitled to a full refund or compensation for any controllable cancellation caused by the airline, like a maintenance or crew issue. The weather, though, is a wholly different beast. Be sure to download your airline’s official app for alerts and notifications about flights and gate changes.
You heard it here first: In May 2023, I told you about TSA’s facial recognition program. Basically, you look into the camera and it takes your pic to verify you. Now, some senators are saying the TSA wants it mandatory in over 430 airports, but we don’t know where this data is going or how it’s protected. You can opt out: Step back from the camera, politely tell them you decline facial recognition and present your ID instead.
30 pizzas
Delivered to a gate at a New Mexico airport. A United Airlines flight was diverted for a medical emergency, so the pilot decided to treat the waiting passengers. He bought 30 pizzas and served up the slices himself. Really, it was the yeast he could do. (Oh, that was so bad, it was good!)
1 million
Frequent-flier points awarded to those who complete Scandinavian Airlines’ new promotion. The goal is to fly at least 15 SkyTeam airlines by Dec. 31. People are taking off work and pulling their kids out of school to do it. A common strat: Booking cheap short-haul flights (paywall link). Speaking of … A man lost his luggage while flying, so he took the airline to court. Apparently, he lost his case.
11 minutes, 21 seconds
How long an F-35 jet flew on its own after the pilot ejected too early. An electrical malfunction made the pilot think the $135 million jet was out of control. As it turns out, the F-35 was still flyable. Everyone is OK, but how’d you like to explain this to your superior?
✈️ This new rule is so fly: Woohoo! U.S. airlines now have to give you a cash refund if your flight is significantly delayed or canceled. The best part? It’ll happen automatically; you won’t be required to ask for a refund. Airlines will have to pay you back within seven business days if you paid by credit card or 20 calendar days for other payment methods. See ya, vouchers.
✈️ Get back in line: American Airlines is considering new boarding tech that sounds a really loud beep when you try to cut the line and board without your group. It’s being tested now in Albuquerque, Tucson and Washington, D.C. I’ll spare you a plane joke (it won’t take off), but if you need a laugh, watch George Carlin talk about the boarding process. So funny.
NYC to London in 1.5 hours: NASA’s officially working on commercial aircraft with speeds between Mach 2 and Mach 4, or from 1,535 to 3,045 miles per hour — twice the F/A-18’s Mach 1.8. That’s so fast your in-flight peanuts will catch up with you at baggage claim. Booking my trip now!
Flying cars … again: The FAA just rolled more rules for electric air taxis, from pilot training to airworthiness requirements. Imagine quick, quiet flights over city traffic, hopping from rooftop to rooftop. Some 1,044 vertiports are planned for development between now and 2028. I’m not saving my peanuts; the government moves so slowly.
✈️ Travel hack: Google Flights is rolling out a “cheapest” tab for rock-bottom fares. On your phone, search flights.google.com, and you’ll see the “best” options. Now there’s a “cheapest” tab to the right, focusing strictly on price. The catch: Inconvenient times, layovers or returns to a different airport. Hey, but you’ll save money!