How To Know For Sure That Your Carry-On Bag Will Fit In The Overhead, Before You Board The Plane

It’s happened to a lot of people – they bring their carry on onto the plane and when they try to put it into the overheard compartment, it doesn’t fit. So they have to take the walk of shame back to the gate so they can gate check their bag. For others, you have a crabby gate attendant who insists your bag won’t fit in the overheard, even though you know darn well that it will (this one happened to me. Eventually, I won). Either way, if you have to gate check a bag that you weren’t planning on checking, you run the risk of their breaking your stuff in it that you packed with the idea that YOU were going to handle it, instead not them (that one happened to me, too. It ended with my vacuuming  shards out of my suitcase).

But travel search engine KAYAK may have invented the solution for this problem, utilizing augmented reality (AR), with an app that measures your bag before you board, which can then be compared to the exact size requirements of your plane. Take a look at how it works:

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YMMV Travel Deals: Tue., Sept. 25, 2018

When we see travel deals, we always want to spread the word. So as we see them, we make sure to let you know. They run the gamut from hotels to flights to points to miles to car rentals and even stuff you need while you’ll traveling, like equipment, Uber discounts, theme park tickets, food for when you’re on the road, etc.

Heads up that some of these deals might be really limited in time or amount, or some could go on for days or longer. Some deals might be good for some people and not so much for others. There may be better deals out there and we just don’t know about them. We take no responsibility for any transaction you may or may not do; we’re just telling you what’s we’ve seen that’s out there at that very moment and it’s up to you to decide if it’s something useful, beneficial and worth it for you, and if you can take advantage of it before it’s too late.

Here’s what’s out there today:

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Please Tell Me This Won’t Be The Future Of Basic Economy

We all know that Basic Economy is the airline class where they nickel and dime you to death. Every since the airlines’ versions of Basic Economy have started, if you’ve wanted virtually anything – overhead space, an aisle or widow seat, etc., you have to pay for that privilege. Whereas some of the major airlines are realizing that Basic Economy may not be all that it’s cracked up to be and are easing some of their restrictions, others are digging their heels into the ground and, I would bet, are thinking of other ways they can charge their customers.

This video was released nearly a decade before the term “Basic Economy” began rearing its ugly head everywhere, but I wonder if, despite it being a humorous piece on low cost airlines, it’s foreshadowing of what may yet to be in some sectors of the airline industry. After all, if some airlines are willing to subject their passengers to the likes of this and this, who’s to say the things portrayed in the video won’t become a reality someday? 😉

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Disney Fan? Like To Travel? You Can Visit The Real-Life Places That Inspired Disney’s Animated Features!

Although we don’t do it all the time, when Joe and I have a opportunity to visit a place where a movie we enjoy was filmed, we visit it if we can. We’ve seen lots of places where they filmed the Harry Potter films, and even spent several days in Salzburg, Austria, visiting places where they filmed The Sound of Music. We’ve also been to lots of locations in New York that were used in movies, such as The Plaza (Home Alone 2) and Katz’s Deli (When Harry Met Sally). Oh, and I TOTALLY geeked out when we visited A Christmas Story House (it’s a museum now) a few years ago.

Over the years, we’ve come across a few places in our travels that had Disney references in them. i.e., when we went to France, we stopped at Notre Dame Cathedral, and in 101 Dalmatians, Pongo dragged Roger to the park, which is fashioned after Queen Mary’s Garden, in Regent’s Park. But it turns out that nearly every Disney animated feature was based, in part, on a real place. Take a look:

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Delta And American Airlines Increase Checked Bag Fees, Matching JetBlue And United

If you were wondering how long it would take Delta and American to match the increase in checked bag fees started by JetBlue and United, we now have an answer. Twenty-six days.

In less than a month, both Delta and American introduced higher fees for checked bags, matching the increases by JetBlue and United. And just like the other airline increases, these fees were implemented with no notice, taking effect the day of the announcement.

Here’s the timeline of the increases:

  • August 27 – JetBlue announces increase of first checked bag to $30 and second checked bag fee to $40
  • August 31 – United raises checked bag fees to match JetBlue
  • September 21 – Delta matches increased first and second check bags
  • September 22 – American joins the other three airlines in raising fees

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