After a Swiss Air mid-flight emergency, we lost our $1,500 upgrade. Help!
Mid-flight engine troubles on Swiss Air led to a couple’s struggle for a $1,500 premium economy upgrade refund. Can Consumer Rescue help?
AIRLINE PROBLEMS
These travelers encountered extreme airline problems and asked the Consumer Rescue team for help. Each article contains an air travel fiasco and a fix from our consumer advocacy team.
8 travel scams cruise ship passengers need to watch out for now
Cruise ship passengers frequently contact Consumer Rescue after falling victim to scams during their travels. Unfortunately, by then it’s usually too late to do anything – except to tell their stories so others can avoid the same fate.
Here are the eight most common travel scams you should know before your next cruise.
We missed our Norwegian cruise ship. How do we get our $4,500 refund?
Norwegian Cruise Line passengers Shirley Russom and her friend Robert intended to sail to Alaska last May. Unfortunately, the weather had different plans for them. En route to the cruise, severe storms rolled into Denver, Colorado, during what was supposed to be a two-hour layover.
That layover morphed into an unexpected two-day detour, and the friends never made it to Seattle, where Norwegian Encore waited. The ship sailed to Alaska, and the devastated friends flew back home to South Carolina.
Fake British Airways charged me $12,516 after a flight cancellation. Help!
Ron Samborsky and his family were on their way to Europe to board Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway… until they weren’t. After American Airlines canceled their flight and offered no replacement until the next day, the trip was in serious jeopardy.
Then a scammer stepped in to save the day.
We missed our Princess cruise. Did we really just lose $21,000?
A Florida couple missed their much-anticipated Princess cruise after a flight delay caused them to miss their connection to Australia. However, that’s not the worst part of this story – not by a long shot. The real shock came when the stunned duo learned the fate of the $21,000 they spent on the 41-day sailing aboard Crown Princess.
According to their travel insurance company, the couple would receive just $1,000 for their missed cruise.
American Airlines destroyed my $1,700 bag. What does AA owe me?
American Airlines passenger and frequent traveler June Lee recently checked his sturdy aluminum suitcase on a cross-country flight. Although Lee’s much-loved 2-year-old designer bag had successfully weathered many trips worldwide, it would not survive this journey.
When American Airlines reunited Lee with the $1,700 suitcase at baggage claim in New York, it was destroyed. In fact, the luggage looked like it had been run over by an aircraft instead of transported inside one.
Summer travel scams are on the rise. Here’s how to spot and avoid them
Expensive, vacation-ruining travel scams are popping up everywhere this summer. Travelers must be on the lookout for predators running money-draining schemes before, during, and even after a trip is complete.
But there is good news.
You can outsmart the bad actors whose only wish is to relieve you of your hard-earned travel dollars. By familiarizing yourself with the latest scams aimed at tourists, you’ll be able to stop the thieves in their tracks.
Here are the top travel scams and schemes to avoid this summer.
Frontier Airlines denied boarding to my family. How much are we owed?
A Frontier Airlines passenger says his family was wrongly denied boarding their recent flight and he’s demanding compensation. But what really happened, and does the airline owe him anything?
Let’s find out.
American Airlines promised me an $18,349 refund. Why did I get flight credit?
Several weeks before her family’s American Airlines flight to Portugal, Ashley Macus learned there had been an aircraft change. That switch left the family of six without the assigned seats together Macus had confirmed months earlier. Most disturbingly, her two little boys, ages 7 and 8, no longer had any seats at all.
Flying to Great Britain soon? Here’s how to get your UK ETA without getting scammed
Since January 8, 2025, United States citizens need an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to visit Great Britain. The ETA costs about $13, and the online application process is fairly simple. But like lightning, scammers have hit the internet, with official-looking websites aimed at victimizing unaware ETA-seekers.
