I thought I'd share a few of my photos from the road.

The famous Viehscheid, when the cows come down from the mountain for the winter. It's quite a spectacle — and it's LOUD!

This is our Bavarian village, Bad Hindeland. We wake up to this view every morning. The weather was spectacular, as it often is in early fall.

The houses here look perfect, like gingerbread houses at Christmas. Except you can't eat them.

But the best part of Bavaria is the people. They're very friendly and always seem happy to see you. That kind of hospitality is hard to find.

Family of four with following bookings via award travel (Iberia Avios):

1) JFK-MAD-LIS

2) BOS-MAD-LIS

3) MAD-JFK x2

Other bookings on this trip did not have downgrade issues.

Flight 1: JFK-MAD on PE (29,500 Avios) but downgraded to Economy. MAD-LIS was on Economy (7k Avios); single itinerary: total of 36,500 Avios. Economy on JFK-MAD leg itself would have been 25k Avios.

Filed an involuntary downgrade complaint online with Iberia and after 4-5 rounds of emails back and forth after Iberia's initial 4,500 Avios credit [and some $ portion against taxes], despite the "final demand" with next action to the regulatory authorities, Iberia held their refund position (I could not understand how they computed 4,500 Avios [writing this post I know see that it is the fare differential between PE and Economy] when their website clearly indicated 75% or the expected 22,125 (75% of 29,500)).

Do I now file with with AESA or via AviationADR?

Flight 2: BOS-MAD on Business Class (40,500 Avios) but downgraded to Economy. MAD-LIS was on Economy (7k Avios), booked together on one single itinerary (47,500 Avios). Economy on JFK-MAD leg alone would have been 25k Avios.

Filed an involuntary downgrade complaint online with Iberia and offered only 11k Avios credit [and some $ portion against taxes]. I emailed back for reconsideration only to receive an autoreply to file electronically (the only method I saw how was of the initial compliant and I did so, obtaining a new claim # and a quicky reply stating of a duplicate request and the [2nd] claim closed). Additional email attempts of reconsideration/additional information was met by same autoreply email asking to file electronically. Case remains open.

Do I now file with with AESA or via AviationADR?

Flights #3 [and 4]: Booked Premium Economy MAD-JFK for 40,250 Avios but downgraded to Economy. Filed electronic complaint and immediately offered 30,187 Avios (75% of initial cost) and a portion of $ for the taxes paid (not 75% and Iberia stated that [and online searches validated] that $ refund may not necessarily equate to 75% of actual total taxes paid.

Summary/Position:

My thoughts [which I can't really believe it would be true/the case] is that because Flight #3&4 originated from the EU, Iberia quickly offered what is per EC 261 (75% of "paid") whereas they did not on the non EU originating flights (JFK-MAD, BOS-MAD), despite EC 261 covering EU carriers (Iberia) on flights to the EU.

Again, for Flight #1 [JFK-MAD], the claim which I made a final demand and Iberia has since closed, do I now file a formal complaint with AESA or via AviationADR?

Again, for Flight #2 [BOS-MAD], I have been unable to further communicate beyond my initial complaint, do I now file a formal complaint with AESA or via AviationADR or attempt to continue to try asking for reconsideration/final demand, etc with Iberia?

Thank everyone in advance for your input/suggestions/words of wisdom!

Otherwise you could end up in the F-Files.

If you want your next consumer case to fail, just use any of these phrases. We can all but guarantee it will go nowhere. Warning: This podcast contains material not suitable for a younger audience, including depictions of people throwing themselves into a wood chipper. Ouch!

Airbnb tried it. Here's what happened.

Enjoy reading your emails and I find Back channel to be even more informative . The other day I even posted a question and got some good answers.

We need advice/help in our efforts to recoup at least some of the money we (family of 5) were forced to spend on hotels, car rental, meals and new flights when Avelo cancelled our flight from New Haven to Fort Lauderdale on 8/7/26.

Avelo held us on the plane at Tweed airport, on the tarmac, for SEVEN hours before they finally cancelled.  Are we crazy to think that is illegal and worth some compensation above and beyond all the other money we had to spend before we finally made it home - on a flight from Philadelphia, PA! - on 8/9/26?

We were 'dumped' at the 'airport' at 10:30 PM with zero help securing lodgings or transportation. They announced before we deplaned that there were no flights to FLL the following day and offered no other advice or options. Calls to the number provided resulted in messages of HOURS long wait times.

We found some addresses for Avelo and the DOT and sent emails in August and we got 2 responses a few days ago.  Both look like AI to us and I will add them at the end.  The weather at New Haven that day was crystal clear for at least the first 4 hours we were sitting on the plane. Avelo is trying to classify this as a cancellation due to ATC and weather but it strains belief to think that somewhere in that time frame ATC could not have allowed our flight to take off. 

In fact, roughly 20 minutes before the flight was cancelled, the pilot announced that we had received clearance from ATC to take off and the plane began moving. There were whoops and cheers from the passengers!  We didn't go far and when I looked out my window, I saw luggage carts.  Then the pilot announced the flight was cancelled because FLL ground ops could not accommodate the flight.  That excuse, in our humble opinion, was total BS.  

We would appreciate any ideas or actions you can offer in our effort to resolve this mess and regain at least some of our considerable unplanned expenses.  Thanks, Carol Rawson

Good Morning,

We have received your complaint through the Department of Transportation and value this opportunity to address your concerns.

I would like to express our sincerest apology for our failure to deliver you the travel experience you should rightfully expect from Avelo.

Unfortunately, we are unable to consider compensation or reimbursement for expenses arising from delays or cancellations caused by events that are beyond Avelo’s control which in this case was poor weather.

Unfortunately, your flight on August 7th was cancelled due to poor weather and Air Traffic Control restrictions. We understand that travel plans can sometimes be disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances, and we sympathize with the inconvenience this may have caused. However, our Reimbursement Standard is designed to address specific circumstances directly within Avelo's control. Weather and Air Traffic Control restrictions are beyond Avelo's control, as such we are not able to offer any compensation.

We recognize you may be disappointed that we cannot fulfil your request, but our refund and reimbursement standards are designed to ensure consistency and fairness for all our Customers impacted by this delay.

We deeply regret the impact this flight disruption has had on you, and we hope we will have another opportunity to welcome you on an Avelo flight soon.

Sincerely,

Avelo Customer Solutions
(346) 616-9500

We have received your Department of Transportation complaint and appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.

Our records indicate this disruption was due to Air Traffic Control (ATC) constraints. As ATC events are beyond our control, they are not eligible for reimbursement of personal expenses such as hotels, meals, or alternative transportation. This is a longstanding industry standard that Avelo observes to maintain our commitment to affordable travel.

In accordance with Department of Transportation (DOT) guidelines, we have issued a full refund for the impacted flight leg to your original form of payment.

We appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you back on a future Avelo flight under better circumstances.

Avelo Customer Solutions

Look at what they're doing in Queenstown, New Zealand

Hi, we purchased three non-refundable tickets to travel from Chicago to Copenhagen in May 2026 - each costing about $1,800. We received the confirmation email from SAS confirming our booking with a departure date of June 9th. When we tried to check in on June 9th, we were informed by SAS that our flight was on June 8th, and we were no shows.

SAS provided us with our itinerary showing a June 8th departure. But why did they inform us of a June 9th departure date? SAS refunded us one ticket but not the other two. Why not refund all three?

Note: The booking reference #s for June 8th and June 9th are the same (Booking reference: YK2W4X).

We contacted Capital One credit card which we used to purchase the tickets; they could not help us.

If anyone can help us get our refund for the two tickets, we would be very much appreciated.

We complaint to SAS, case number is 07932488, but they closed the case without responding to us.

Our case # with Capital One are: 260609222501053 and 260609222701252.

Below is SAS booking confirmation email showing June 9th departure date....

Your SAS booking is confirmed - Chicago to Copenhagen, 9 Jun – 19 Jun

Inbox

SAS <[email protected]>

Unsubscribe

Thu, May 28, 7:06 PM

to me

Click here to view the online version.

Booking confirmation

Your trip is booked!

On the SAS website, you can view all details and easily customize your trip to suit your needs – choose your seat, add baggage, and prepare everything well in advance of departure. Welcome on board!

My booking

Booking reference: YK2W4X

Outbound

19:15

Standard

09 Jun 2026

Chicago (ORD) | Chicago O'Hare

08 hours , 30 minutes
Flight SK 944 | AIRBUS A330-300 | Operated by SAS

10:45

Thank you!

My wife and I got a great deal, it seemed, on Labor Day for a new refrigerator from Lowe's--roughly 40% discount, free delivery and haul away of the old, free ice maker hookup, no sales tax and 0% financing for 18 months. 17 days later, we are still waiting. Lowe's third-party delivery agent has delivered three defective (scratch & dent) units and we are awaiting a fourth attempt. Called the store after the second and they deny any ability to control the agent; meanwhile, our opinion of Lowe's and that of the whole neighborhood (they've seen three failed deliveries) has plummeted. Are we the only couple in America that's enduring this problem?

Why won't GE fix this appliance from hell?

I had to call 1.855.502.7300 to make our Expedia reservation $ because the app wouldn't let me book a room for the same night after midnight. 1.855.502.7300 The lady who answered the phone was wonderful--very kind, helpful, and efficient. 1.855.502.7300 I didn't get her name, unfortunately, but she made the reservation for us, 1.855.502.7300 explained how to find the property since it's somewhat hidden, 1.855.502.7300 and got us checked in quickly when we arrived.

Our family is planning a 5-day trip to Krakow just after Christmas. It looks like a beautiful city, and the reviews are promising. Does anyone have any suggestions about the city? The food? Can't-miss opportunities? The Culture? Your guidance would be most appreciated! Thank you in advance.

Then you broke them.

Subject: Frozen Wallet Glitch: Vinted blames Adyen, Adyen blames Vinted (Instant Bank Statement Rejection Loop)

Hi everyone,

I am writing this out of complete desperation to see if anyone has found a bypass or a direct legal contact to resolve a massive issue with a frozen Vinted wallet. My funds have been completely locked for over a month now, and I am trapped in the ultimate customer service loop.

**The Issue:**

My wallet was flagged for identity/KYC verification, which I immediately tried to complete. However, there is a clear technical glitch in the system. Every single time I upload my official bank statement, the system instantly rejects it within seconds. It is completely automated and humanly impossible for anyone to have actually opened or reviewed the document in that timeframe.

**The Finger-Pointing:**

I have spent countless hours trying to get a real person to look at my statement.

* **Vinted Support** tells me that my document is being rejected by their payment processor, Adyen, and that they cannot manually override it.

* **Adyen Support** tells me that they cannot help me directly because it is Vinted’s platform interface, and they push the blame right back to Vinted.

**What I Have Tried:**

* Contacted every support channel available on both sides, resulting in nothing but copy-pasted bot responses.

* Escalated the issue to multiple external departments and individuals, but nobody will take accountability.

* Uploaded the statement in every format possible (different file sizes, clear screenshots, official PDFs), but the instant rejection glitch happens every time.

I have a significant amount of my own money sitting in this wallet that I earned from sales, and being locked out of it for over a month with zero human assistance is incredibly stressful.

Has anyone successfully beaten this instant rejection glitch? If you managed to break through the bot wall and force a manual review by a real human agent, how did you do it? Any advice on a direct path to immediate resolution would mean the world to me.

Thank you so much.

This concert refund really didn't go according to plan.

My return flight from Shannon in May was on an Aer Lingus flight and upon arriving back at my home I noticed a large, 7" gash in the top outside pocket of my luggage. The discovery was 2 days after my return and was noticed when I began to unpack my suitcase. I tried to file on claim on the airlines website - spent almost 2 hours uploading photos, giving measurements, details etc and each time after filling out their entire claim form, it would not submit. I then called Aer Lingus directly and they opened a claim late Mat 2026. The conversation via emails with their Customer Service team went on for months to no avail. It was a complete tail chaser with many redundant excuses: I did not file the claim within the first 7 days - I had

They asked foe a DPR number which I could not find on my invoice, boarding pass or baggage claim ticket - all info that I had previously provided them

Finally after many inquiries as to where I could find this DPR, I was told it is on the claim form filed at babbage claim at the airport. I explained to them several times that discovery was not made until after arriving home from the trip. This back and forth went on for months with no resolution from Aer Lingus. I travel frequently and this is my go to bag - I'm not sure what happened on that flight but the bag has dark oil stains on it along with the large tear in the pocket which renders that portion useless and Aer Lingus takes no responsibility. In fact they abruptly closed the claim in August.

I would appreciate any thoughts, suggestions in this matter and I am incredibly disappointed with Aer Lingus and their Customer Service

But there are strings attached.

Something has shifted in Washington over the past year. Have you noticed it?

In December 2025, the Transportation Department announced it would stop enforcing the refund requirement when an airline renumbers a flight. If your flight gets a new number and you're rebooked on it, the automatic refund rule no longer applies, as long as you don't hit what DOT calls a "significant" change or delay. Hmm.

The pause was supposed to be temporary. On July 7, DOT extended it another full year, to July 7, 2027.

Then there's the wheelchair rule. In August, DOT paused enforcement of five parts of it through April 30, 2027: airline liability for damaged wheelchairs, refresher training for the employees who handle them, pre-departure notification, fare-difference reimbursement, annual hands-on training for flight attendants. That pause was set to expire Dec. 31. It got moved to April instead.

Did you notice what didn't happen? There was no vote or final rule. The requirements are still printed in the Code of Federal Regulations, where you can look them up and quote them back to an airline. The agency charged with enforcing them has said in writing that it won't.

I've spent a long time telling readers to cite the regulation when a company tells them no. But will it do you any good now?

The member who gets a renumbered flight this spring has the same rule on her side she had in 2024. What she doesn't have is anyone enforcing it.

Here's what figure out, so I'll put it to you. Were these rules ever doing the work we credited them with? Or was the real leverage always the credit card chargeback, the small-claims filing and a company's fear of showing up in one of my columns?

If you've cited one of these rules to an airline since last December, tell me how the conversation went. I want the ones that failed as much as the ones that worked.

Join today's debate and let me know.

We've spent the past week around Freiburg, at the southwestern corner of the Black Forest, reporting a story on sustainable tourism for Forbes. The most useful thing I learned is that the sustainability that works here is almost impossible to photograph. Sorry, Aren!

www.forbes.com

The eco-theater travelers get sold at checkout — the towel card, the bamboo toothbrush, the offset add-on — saves almost nothing. What adds up doesn't announce itself.

For example, at Hotel Victoria in Freiburg, the environmental work started in 1985, when Astrid and Bertram Späth began rebuilding how the place ran. Their son Johannes is the fourth generation to manage it. You can sleep there for three nights and never be told what the building is doing on your behalf. Call it a "no pressure" sustainable hotel.

In Vauban, the old French barracks district turned car-light neighborhood, Steffen Ries of the Innovation Academy walked me through what the city got right and what it got lucky on. I also sat with a resident who has lived in Rolf Disch's plus-energy Solar Settlement since 2001. When her feed-in tariff expired, she went back and added up what a quarter century of rooftop solar had returned to her. The number surprised me.

One thing that's looming over the entire sustainability issue is climate change. Buildings here were engineered to hold heat in, and the summers have changed. Germany has an air conditioning reckoning coming, and hotels will feel it first.

Wind turbines are visible from the high trails, with the far peaks showing on a clear afternoon. Germans argue about these the way Americans argue about pipelines.

So what's the greenest thing a hotel has ever done for you that you only found out about later — or maybe never found out about at all until you checked out? I'm collecting examples of the invisible kind.

More travelers are buying coverage at checkout, through apps and from companies they've never heard of, and the certificate arrives by email with an underwriter's name buried in the fine print.

Guys, I'm researching a story about how travelers verify that a policy is real and that the company behind it will pay. I want your comments!

I want to hear from anyone who has stopped to check before buying, or wished they had. What made you question a policy? Where did you look to confirm the company was licensed and who was underwriting it, and what did you find? Did a claim ever test what you thought you'd bought?

Comment below, please. I may use your remarks in my story.

AI is inflicting misery on millions in the travel industry. Here's how.

Airfares, hotel rates and rental cars have been climbing faster than general inflation going into the holiday travel season, and the explanations on offer don't agree with one another.

I'm researching a story about what's driving the cost of a vacation and who's responsible for it.

I'd love to hear from travelers who've changed, shortened or canceled an upcoming trip because of the price. What did the same vacation cost you two or three years ago, and what does it cost now? Which part of the bill moved the most, and which one surprised you?

What did you try in order to bring the total down, and did any of it work?

THANK YOU for your comments, which may be used in an upcoming story.