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What NOT to do if your connecting flight has flown |
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How many times does it happen? You have a two-flight schedule, with an hour to spare between them. However, too often Murphy’s Law takes over ,and your first flight is late and you miss the connecting flight.
It happened to me recently on a flight from Fort Lauderdale FL to Tucson AZ. We sat in Lauderdale for three hours, and by the time we got to Las Vegas for the connecting flight, it had already departed.
I was told there was another flight leaving in an hour, but was completely booked. The next flight wouldn’t go until five hours later. Then, I did exactly what NOT to do. I fumed and fussed at the check-in desk, demanding to get on the next flight.
I’m actually a harmless old guy, and didn’t intend to do anything menacing, but one of the clerks was so distressed, she ran crying to the ladies’ room. I apologized to the surviving clerk, and politely asked if she could help. She said she had no authority to get me on that earlier flight, and suggested I call the airline hotline.
I did, and suddenly there was an available seat on the flight I wanted. Did I learn a lesson? Yeah, something about getting more bees with honey. |
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Why do seniors pay more for cruise insurance? |
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Q: We’re taking our first cruise in more than ten years, and our travel agent suggests we buy insurance to cover the trip. We were shocked at the price. Now that we’re over age 65, it’s four times as high as what we paid in 1998. The agent said the rates spike for elderly people. Isn’t that unfair?
Mary J., Pittsburgh PA
A: Sure, it’s unfair, but insurance companies base the premium costs on statistics. Older travelers have more accidents, are more often sick and then require more expensive medical treatment. There may be a way for you to lower the premium cost.
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Hungary: Beautiful Budapest on the Danube |
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Cruise ships face weighty problems: Heavier passengers |
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Maybe it’s the all-you-can-eat buffets aboard, but according to the U.S. Coast Guard, cruise passengers today weigh an average of 185 pounds. That’s 25 pounds heavier than those who sailed in the late 1980s.
This may seem to be just a problem for the passengers’ health, but the USCG report says it has more consequences. Larger ships with thousands of passengers may sail with 100,000 pounds of extra weight, affecting fuel costs.
Additionally, there are legal limits to the weight ships can carry, which cuts the number of paying passengers allowed on each cruise. To meet expenses and profit expectations, booking charges have to be increased.
So, if your bathroom scales show an extra 25 pounds or more, and you want to go to sea, consider knocking off the extra weight. Then maybe you can proudly call yourself a biggest cruiser loser. |
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Las Vegas: Not quite show-it-all swim pools |
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It couldn’t be more descriptive, but the recently-opened pool at The Artisan Hotel in Vegas called Naked isn’t quite that. Actually, it allows guests, locals and tourists to swim wearing only bottoms.
The Artisan, a non-smoking, non-gambling boutique hotel about a mile from Las Vegas Boulevard, has just one of Sin City’s several topless pools for adult-only swimming. There’s also Bare, the pool at The Mirage on what is now aptly called the Las Vegas Strip.
Also on the Strip, Caesars Palace has the Venus, and in the Beach area at Mandalay Bay is the private Moorea. Additionally, Beach Club 25 is located on the 25th floor of the World Tower at the Stratosphere Hotel. |
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