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Laurie BergerTravel Q&A• E-mail
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Recent Columns:
YOU'VE made a travel list, checked it twice. But at the airport, you discover something not so nice: Your photo ID is missing.
AS if air travel this summer hasn't been stressful enough, the ride may get bumpier for LAX passengers.
RENTING a car in Europe this summer? Don't be surprised if you're charged for damages you say you didn't cause — or that don't exist.
DESPITE repeated warnings to leave cameras, diamonds and other valuables at home when flying, travelers continue to check and lose. Here, a recent ripoff that could have been prevented:
Question: Upon boarding Holland America's Maasdam in May, we discovered that our stateroom toilet was broken and filled with waste. We complained immediately and were told the problem would be repaired after lunch. The toilet wasn't fixed until the fourth day of our seven-day cruise. For half the trip, we were forced to use public washrooms. Upon asking for another stateroom, we were told the ship was full. The cruise line gave us $300 in future shipboard credits as a gesture of goodwill. But this was hardly adequate compensation. We sued Holland America in Small Claims Court, but the judge dismissed it, saying we had to file in Washington state, where the company is based. As senior citizens, that would have been a hardship for us. Do we have any recourse?
WHEN checked luggage doesn't show up as promised, passengers usually duke it out with the airlines. But Fullerton resident Robert Nixon recently found himself battling over bag custody with a new adversary — a fellow flier who was holding his luggage captive.
Question: On a packed, 16-hour flight to Japan, my three children and I were seated in a row next to a family that had not bathed recently. The odor was very strong. The flight attendant would periodically come by and spray air freshener, and the offending adult passengers would occasionally douse themselves with rosewater in the lavatory. I developed a migraine headache and could not eat anything. I paid for four full international fares and had a miserable flight. I'd like to know if I have any rights on a long flight. Airlines can remove intoxicated passengers from a flight. What about those with offensive odors?
Question: One month before departure on our 23rd Princess cruise, my husband was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and rushed to the hospital for the first of three monthlong chemotherapy treatments.
WHEN planes don't fly as promised, passengers often resort to pounding their fists rather than demanding their rights.
Question: My car was recently ticketed in an LAX parking lot for not having a front-mounted license plate, a technical violation that had been ignored for six years by police patrolling the streets. It seems that LAX police are engaged in a game of "gotcha," driven by the desire to raise revenue.