Welcome to The Morning Shave. We read a ton of travel articles each day for our research to share the best travel tips, tricks, and news with you. Here are the articles for Friday, January 27, 2023, that we think you should read.
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The Morning Shave
Here’s Why You Should Always Print Your Boarding Pass.
My buddies always give me a hard time about printing out paper boarding passes. But I’m old school, and I don’t trust that my phone will work (or have enough battery power) when it’s time to board. Plus, I’d rather accidentally lose or drop a piece of paper than my phone. And, if you’ve ever traveled with kids (especially when they’re tired), you know that’s a distinct possibility.
Southwest Airlines offers expanded family boarding ages on some flights.
As my kids get older, we’re starting to age out of the family boarding process that allows us to get on the plane quicker. With Southwest, family boarding comes after the A Group boards (usually up to 60 people). And since Southwest doesn’t offer assigned seats, it’s important to get on the plane first to have a strong chance of sitting together. Lucky for us, it seems that Southwest is expanding the age at which children qualify for family boarding. Let’s hope this is the start of a new policy vs. just a test in a smaller airport.
Who Pays For Your Rewards? Redistribution in the Credit Card Market.
There are many arguments for and against credit cards. This white paper from the Federal Reserve finds that “regardless of income, sophisticated individuals profit from reward credit cards at the expense of naive consumers.” I agree with this finding, which is why I focus on teaching the average person how to maximize rewards. Responsible use of rewards cards can improve your finances and build your credit at the same time. What are your thoughts?
How to Actually Get Some Sleep While Traveling, According to Experts.
When you’re in a strange environment in a new city or in a different bed, it can be hard to sleep. There are new noises, different settings, and other factors that impact how must well you rest. Add in jet lag from traveling across time zones, and it’s a recipe for disaster. Follow these steps to get better sleep and wake up rested and full of energy to enjoy your trip.
Did an unrealistic schedule precede Southwest’s meltdown?
We’ve heard many explanations (aka excuses) as to why Southwest melted down over Christmas. But this is a new one. Apparently, the DoT is investigating whether Southwest was too aggressive in its scheduling, which led to its collapse. Either way, Southwest is feeling the heat in its earnings with $800+ million in charges. Plus, a massive hit to its reputation. Let’s see what the investigation finds out.
Featured image courtesy of Global Residence Index.
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I agree. ALWAY have a hard copy of boarding passes when ever possible even if you use your phone for boarding. It’s like insurance.
Absolutely. Phone for convenience, paper for backup.
I always print boarding passes if I’m traveling with my kids but I will typically keep it on my phone if I’m by myself.
So while I don’t have a problem with the title, the link says that “having a paper ticket and chatting with gate and check-in agents when necessary is the best way to ensure a good flight.”, which is, of course, complete and utter nonsense 🙂
One other tip is to take a screenshot of your boarding pass rather than keep it on the app. I didn’t do this on my last flight and it nearly hosed me. I was flying Delta and tried to access a Priority Pass lounge on arrival. But when I went to open the Delta app, my boarding pass was gone! Next time I know – keep a screenshot.
I agree. The screenshot is a good option to prevent issues with technology, WiFi, internet access, roaming charges, etc. And I definitely keep the printed boarding passes in my pocket rather than giving them to my kids.
And so many of these articles have fluff that is complete nonsense, which degrades the overall quality of the article. But it’s probably a writer trying to add extra stuff to hit a wordcount. HAHA
Boarding pass on phone, backups on watch and spouse/partner/kids’ phones. The article is from 2020 but it sounds like it originated in the 90’s when you handed your ticket and BP to agents for everything.
Hahaha yeah, I hear you. Some travel writers haven’t actually traveled in a while.