Few U. S. fliers will pay for extras
Americans are ready to tough it out on a cramped f light without food or drinks.
But if the f light stretches to seven to 12 hours, Americans start to crack open their wallets for food, extra legroom and booze, according to a new survey that looked at the spending habits of travelers across the globe.
The survey by the travel giant Expedia questioned more than 11,000 travelers from 22 countries.
Overall, the study found, Canadian travelers are among the least willing to part with their dollars while on a plane. American travelers are almost as tight- f isted with their money as the Canadians but Mexican travelers are much freer with their pesos, the survey found.
On a short- haul f light, 15% of Americans are willing to pay for a full meal, compared with 26% of travelers worldwide, according to the survey. On a short- haul f light, 45% of Chinese travelers are happy to pay for a full meal.
But once the f lights reach seven to 12 hours, Americans start to spend, with 49% of U. S. travelers saying they would pay for a full meal, 41% saying they would pay for extra legroom and 20% willing to buy an alcoholic drink.
By comparison, 65% of Mexican travelers would pay for a full meal on a long f light, 55% would pay for extra legroom and 28% would pay for an alcoholic drink.
The survey concluded that only 43% of Canadians are willing to pay for a meal on a long f light, 39% for extra legroom and 13% for a drink.
“Americans enjoy in- f light extras, but not at the expense of their pocketbooks,” said Dave McNamee, Expedia travel expert. “This study found Americans want amenities; however, whether they take advantage of them often depends on the length of time spent without them.”
Hyatt lists hotels hit
If you stayed in a Hyatt hotel between August and December of last year, you should check your credit card statement for unusual charges.
The Chicago- based hotel giant said that its guests were the target of a cyberattack and now the hotel company has unveiled the list of more than 250 hotels worldwide, including more than 100 in the U. S., that were targeted. Hyatt’s chain includes more than 600 hotels.
Hilton Worldwide and Star- wood Hotels & Resorts were also struck by cyberattacks last year.
In California, the hackers had access to credit card information from 21 Hyatt hotels, including the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, the Hyatt Regency Orange County and the Hyatt Regency Long Beach. For a list of the hotels targeted by the attack, go to www. hyatt. com/ protectingourcustomers/hotellist/.
An investigation by Hyatt found unauthorized access to credit card data from cards used primarily at restaurants of the more than 250 Hyatt hotels between Aug. 13 and Dec. 8 of last year. A small percentage of the cards that were accessed were also used for parking and at spas, golf shops and front desks.
Hyatt said it will provide its guests who may have been a victim of the cyberattack with one year of identification protection service from Austin, Texas- company CSIdentity. To sign up, Hyatt customers need to visit the website www. csid. com/ hyatt- us.
In a memo to guests, Hyatt’s global president of operations, Chuck Floyd, said the hotel company has strengthened its security system to prevent future problems.
“Please be assured that you can confidently use payment cards at Hyatt hotels worldwide,” he said.
Know when fares shift
By now, most savvy air travelers know that the best time to book a f light is about six to eight weeks before the departure date.
But f lying on certain days is going to cost more, no matter when you book.
Rick Seaney, chief executive of the website Farecompare. com, has analyzed airfare data to calculate which dates to avoid in 2016 if you want to save money:
March 17: Airfares peak on this date as traveler’s head out for Spring Break;
May 17: Airlines increase fares on this date for travelers f lying for summer vacations;
June 10: Airfares jump again on this date as demand grows for summer travel;
July 31: After this date, weekday fares for summer travel will begin to drop;
Aug. 22: After this date, summer airfares will begin to decline;
Nov. 23 and 27: For travelers f lying for Thanksgiving, avoid the high fares on these days;