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He bought a seat on the 4:15. The software had other ideas. (Illustration by Dustin Elliott)
❤️ It’s a beautiful life — The boys and I checked out a conference in Seoul today called Beautiful Life. I’m planning to write something about the city’s wellness scene, which is pretty impressive.
Today’s featured article is about a journalist who found his American Airlines itinerary rewritten without warning. The software that moved him has been running since 2023. Who knew—and should this be allowed?
On Backchannel, a reader asked where to buy travel insurance. That drew a walkthrough of what to read before you pay for a policy.
And in Members Only, the FTC’s click-to-cancel rule has been dead a year, and the question is what still stops a company from making you phone in to cancel something you bought with a click. I’ll have all the details over the paywall. Upgrade to PRO to read the full story. —Christopher Elliott
TODAY’S FEATURED ARTICLE
American Airlines changed his flight without asking. An algorithm made the call.
American Airlines built a tool that predicts which passengers will miss a connection and rebooks them before they do. The airline says it has cut delays to the final destination by a quarter since 2023. It also leaves the passenger as the only party to the transaction with no say in it. Should an airline be allowed to change your flight without asking?
OUR UNDERWRITER
Flying Angels provide medical transport anywhere in the world on commercial airlines with a Flight Nurse or Doctor. A Flight Coordinator handles the logistics. The client receives care during the entire transport—bedside to bedside. Visit FlyingAngels.com or call 877-265-1085 to speak with a flight coordinator.
📌 Here’s what you missed this week
Catch up on the latest stories from the Elliott Report
Since when does an airline change your itinerary without asking?
A Washington Post columnist found his American Airlines itinerary rewritten, and he hadn’t asked for the change. The software behind it has been running since 2023 and now covers six hubs.
Every customer should have the right to reach a human
A PayPal chatbot offered a reader a live agent four times and never connected her. States now require a person to sign off when an algorithm denies your health care, but nothing covers your money.
Why a hurricane that misses you can still ruin your vacation, and what to do about it
A storm a thousand miles away can ground your flight, and a resort that reopens too fast can hide mold and rotted decking. Insurers stop covering a storm the moment it gets a name.
My Alfa Romeo’s dashboard is falling apart and the warranty won’t cover it
A 2019 Stelvio with a dashboard pulling away from the air vents, and a service contract that covers interior surfaces damaged by wear and tear. Mopar denied the claim, citing an exclusion list that appears nowhere in the policy.
Help! Delta downgraded us and refused to pay for a place to sleep
Two passengers over 75 missed their connection in Atlanta and rented a nap room in the terminal on an agent’s advice. Delta denied the reimbursement, then downgraded the Comfort+ seats they had paid for.
Avis said she smoked in her rental car, but she had an alibi
A $450 deep cleaning fee for smoke damage, backed by photos of what looked like water spots. Both women in the car are breast cancer survivors, and neither smokes.
No-service summer: Why your vacation feels so cheap (but costs so much)
A first-class cabin with no meal and a $500 hotel room with no coffee maker. Companies cut service instead of raising prices after the pandemic, then found no reason to bring it back.
OUR UNDERWRITER
Generali Global Assistance has been a leading provider of travel insurance and other assistance services for more than 25 years. We offer a full suite of innovative, vertically integrated travel insurance and emergency services. Generali Global Assistance is part of The Europ Assistance (EA) Group, who pioneered the travel assistance industry in 1963 and continues to be the leader in providing real-time assistance anywhere in the world, delivering on our motto – You Live, We Care.
💬 What you’re saying
How to get better travel insurance and your comments on the right to talk to a person
How do I insure this trip?
On Backchannel, Donna Friend wants to buy travel insurance somewhere other than the company selling her the trip, and asked where to start. Our advocate Dwayne Coward pointed her to our guide on finding the best policy. My take? I’d keep the two relationships separate, because a tour operator earns a commission on the same policy you’d later file a claim against. Start on a comparison site, then open the certificate of insurance instead of the marketing page, because that’s the contract. Where should you buy travel insurance?
Saturday's story about a PayPal bot that wouldn't hand a reader off to a person sure started a discussion. Several readers said they'd tried to close their PayPal accounts and found the bot wouldn't let them, and George Schulman settled for disconnecting his credit card and saving a PDF of the confirmation. Sue Le Grand types "representative" into the box, several times in a row if she has to. Schulman also made the other case, that plenty of calls to a human ask what the company's website already answers. Can you still get a person on the phone?
OUR UNDERWRITER
Global Rescue is the world's leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue has exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. Global Rescue provides best-in-class services that identify, monitor and respond to client medical and security crises. Learn more about Global Rescue.
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