Is this some kind of scam?

You may have without even knowing it. Details are in today's newsletter.

Hello from LH 713, which is somewhere over the mountains of Kazakhstan at the moment. This is a grueling 13-hour flight, but I just found out that it could have been two hours shorter if we could have used the Siberian corridor. The war in Russia has made that impossible, so we're getting the scenic tour of Georgia, the Black Sea, Turkey and a few other Eastern European countries.

Every time we do this flight, and pass over the mountains, I say to myself, "This is so beautiful. We have to come back." And I know we will — eventually.

But for now, we're headed to Frankfurt. We'll stagger into our hotel room at about 8 p.m. local time, running on about two hours of sleep. It will be early morning in Seoul. Some say I write better with less sleep. (I think that was just a backhanded compliment by one of my editors, come to think of it.)

Ah, the perils of travel. But I'd rather be on a marathon flight than sitting at home doing nothing.

Tip: Bring your own food if you take a 12+ hour flight like this. That's especially true if you have dietary needs. You can't rely on the special meals.

Why the A-Team couldn't just look up a case, and what it means for your next consumer problem.

For the past few weeks, we brought you the consumer cases we successfully resolved. Today we look at the cases we completely failed. Welcome to the F files. These are the spectacular pile-ups and disasters that we could not fix. This episode contains explicit language and adult themes, so listener discretion is advised.

If I’m flying British Airways, how do I get my TSA pre-check information onto my ticket? I don’t see any place to put it in my profile with them and I haven’t been able to reach a real person to ask. I have global entry, not just the pre-check, but again, I can’t find an option for adding a known traveler number. Does anyone know? Thanks!

I learned the hard way several years ago that Aero Mexico requires that carry-on baggage weigh no more than 10 kilos. That figure includes BOTH my roll-aboard AND my personal item, together! If it weighs more than 10 kg all told, we are obligated to check the bag at a cost. This year I will be traveling on Aero Mexico, and learned that the policy still exists. I will strive to keep my carry-on as light as possible, and stuff my pockets with my electronics, etc. Is this a ploy to reap more profits by forcing travelers to check even small bags?

Take our poll. I think we all know the answer ...

I haven’t seen any that have a pre-existing condition waiver. Does that exist for annual policies?

I understand airlines each have their own rules and regulations. I was disappointed to see Alaska Airlines has more restrictive pet carrier dimensions than other airlines. Our carrier is 17 x 11 x 11; which Delta allows. Do you think Alaska is flexible enough to allow our size, or do we need to purchase a smaller one if Alaska is our only option?

If you are overinsured, you might be paying too much for your coverage. Here are the details.

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I still can't believe how this one ended.

This story almost had a tragic ending for one of our readers.

I'm new on the site and need quick help. I have looked for updated, trusted airline helpdesk contact information listings on here but have not discovered them. After reading recent advice to never trust the help numbers you find through a google search, I'm looking for verified contact info for Delta Airlines. Can you point me where that info might live? Thx!

This JetBlue case really makes you think twice about where you buy your next airline ticket.

Hi all.

I'm flying into Munich next Tuesday and was wondering if anyone recently went through their EES at arrival. I've heard there have been particularly long delays wondering if things had changed.

Thanks.

Does anybody have any recent experience with exiting the Schengen region via Schiphol airport in Amsterdam? We have a 1:15 layover there in two weeks where we change to our return flight to Boston on Delta.

Thanks

Let's talk about travel IQs today. Who's got it, and who doesn't?

I recently had issues when my wife and I traveled from Dulles to Taiwan on Turkish Air.  On the way there, we did an extended layover in Istanbul which made each of the legs of the trip about 11+ hours.  Given the length of the trip, we paid for early seat selection (so we would be together) and bulkhead seating (I'm over 6ft tall) so it would be more comfortable.   

On one of the outbound legs, my inflight entertainment system (IES) stopped working shortly after takeoff.   First there was no volume - the flight attendant brought me new headphones. When that didn't work, they told me to turn the system off at my seat but then the touch screen would no longer respond at all.  The attendant then reset the system for my seat several times, but nothing worked.  The flight was completely full, so I had to just sit there for hours until we landed.  On one of the return flights my wife had the same problem with her seat.  Even after hitting the call button, it took over an hour to get an attendant.  (Actually, no one ever responded to the call button, I just had to flag someone as they came by.)  The same steps were tried - new headphone, turn the system off/on, reset by the attendant.  This time there were empty seats, so they just had her move to an empty. 

Upon return home, I contacted customer service and requested a partial refund of the cost for early seat selection and bulkhead seating, but they said there was no record of any issues on either flight because I never contacted an attendant. I assured them I contacted an attendant several times in both cases.  I explained that I cannot control whether the attendant made a report of the issue, but it was unreasonable to think that I would sit for 11 hours in a seat I paid extra for without saying anything.  I asked them to check the computer system which should show that the attendant did a system reset for that seat. (I know they did something because each time the monitor would go black and restart.) I even reminded them that it's not good safety practice if attendants are not logging issues that occur during flights.  After several rounds of email, they just kept saying I didn't speak to the attendant and the matter was closed.  Is there anything else I could/should have done other than write a negative review?

So my good friend and I went to Scandinavia in May. We traveled separately since we live in different (and distant) US cities. He got sick near the end of our three week trip and was hospitalized for four days. When he was realeased from the hospial, we both flew home (2 days early). I chose to fly the same as his initial segment Stockholm to LHR to make sure he was ok.

So my original return itineary was Lufthansa - Copenhagen to Munich, and Munich to Seattle and AS ownard. My revised itinerary was BA to LHR, and AS LHR to SEA, and onward. I could have booked my homeward itinerary for less money if I had not wanted to travel with him on that first leg. I had both travel insurance thru' Orbitz and a separate polciy with TinLeg. I've not applied for reibursement from Orbitz or TinLeg. While, I believe, the doctor may have put in writing that he should go home, I don't think there was a note about him being accompanied. (If he was doing marginally, I might have traveled with him home.)

With 20 20 hindsight when one is traveling like this- with a companion but not traveling together until the destination - would I be eligible for an insurance refund. Is there a better way to do this? Should I still file an insurance claim?

There is no alternative Alaska air flight. Unfortunately we booked through the cruise line airline booking program, Ezair. So I guess we have to book through them or at least that is what we are doing.