Bits ‘n Pieces for May 2, 2013

News and Notes from Around the Interweb:

  • Standard domestic airline change fees are now $200: On April 21, United upped their change fees by $50. US Airways matched 3 days later. Then on April 30 it was Delta’s turn, at which point it was a foregone conclusion that American would make theirs $200 as well.. which they did on May 1. The price of buying up to a Choice Essential fare on American which includes a $0 change fee remains unchanged at $68.

  • Homeless Shelter Makes Tripadvisor’s Top 100 Hotels in the U.K.: I assume that the property was so highly ranked because it serves Tuscan whole milk as part of its complimentary breakfast.

  • Car service discount: I’ve become a much bigger fan of Uber, with its on demand mobile app (a couple taps on the phone and a car arrives in minutes). Much easier than pre-arranging a car, with cancellation penalties. But Groundlink is publishing a 20% discount, seems to work best originating in town rather than for airport pickups.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Might wanna clarify GroundLink is a car service and not a website, kind of reads as though GroundLink is providing a 20% off coupon for Uber.

  2. I tested a few routes and found the Groundlink rates outrageous even with the coupon. From my Brooklyn apt, I can call a local car service and it costs about $30-$35 with tip. With the coupon, Grounlink wanted a bit under $60. There are tons of taxes and fees, etc. Why is there a $3 “processing charge”? Is that the fee to use their website? There was no explanation for that charge.

  3. FWIW, Air Canada has also increased their change fee on US flights to $200. Canadian and international fees remain the same.

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