Last week, when United announced it was upping its ticket-change fees to $200 for domestic tickets, and to as much as $300 for international tickets, the pressing question was whether the other major airlines would match.

As it turns out, the question wasn't so much whether they'd match as when. ... read more»

Enter the Dole Taste of Spain sweepstakes by August 13 for a chance to win the grand prize: a nine-day trip for two to Spain, including first-class air, hotel accommodations, tours and excursions, some dinners, and $10,000 spending money.

There are many runner-up prizes as well, including salad bowls, tapas trays, cutting boards, and so on.

To enter, first obtain a code found on Dole Salad Blends and Kits, but also available by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to Dole. Next, enter the code and requested contact information on the sweepstakes website. Time required to enter: under 45 seconds, not including the time to obtain a code. ... read more»

If you book a "basic" ticket through any provider other than Frontier, you'll pay a $25 to $100 fee for a carry-on bag stowed in the overhead bin. Frontier will not charge for a carry-on bag that you can stow underneath the seat in front of you, but that's a pretty tight limit.

Although many travelers will probably focus on the outrageous top $100 fee—which only applies if you don't pay until you check in at the airport—you can run that fee down to $25 by checking in through Frontier.com. Frontier also plans to charge a nominal $1.99 fee for the basic soft drink/tea/coffee service for travelers who purchased"economy" or "basic" fares. ... read more»

Red lipstick doesn't fly with Turkish Airlines. The European carrier has cracked down on cabin crew who wear red lipstick and nail polish, reports Reuters.

The reason? It doesn't match, says Turkish. According to a statement from the airline, "As a consequence of our current cabin uniforms not including red, dark pink, et cetera, the use of lipstick and nail polish in these colors by our cabin crew impairs visual integrity." Instead, attendants are encouraged to stick with makeup in softer pastel shades. ... read more»

Boeing's radical 787 "Dreamliner" has turned out to be anything but a dream for Boeing and the airlines that ordered the plane. Assorted manufacturing and supply glitches delayed the initial delivery by almost four years, and shortly after the first airline service, the plane developed battery problems resulting in a grounding of several months. Now, with the battery problem supposedly fixed, airlines have started flying the plane again. Some folks in the industry, however, believe the battery "fix" is temporary and not a true solution, and several longtime travelers have announced, "I'm not getting into one of those any time soon." Should you, as an ordinary traveler, also be wary of the plane? ... read more»

There's no question that dining is an essential component of travel. You need to eat, of course, but most likely want to have a memorable meal—or two—as well. While you might sample local street food on the fly or get snacks at a simple neighborhood cafe, sometimes you want something more formal. However, reservations are often required. That's when planning in advance is essential. And luckily, there are tools that can make things a lot easier, especially considering your precious time and any potential language barriers. ... read more»

The new airfare search systems keep coming, and the incumbents keep adding features. Last week, I covered three new ones; here's still more.

Routehappy.com claims to base its finding on how "happy" a flight will make you—as well as how much it will cost. The idea is to evaluate flights through several "happiness factors," including seat space, time of flight, baggage fees, in-flight entertainment, onboard Wi-Fi, and user ratings. And you can filter the results by "happiest," "cheapest," or "fastest." ... read more»

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

If it was a good deal—or a notably bad deal—from an airline, hotel, or car rental loyalty program, you can read all about it here, and plan your travel accordingly.

Is Frontier the New Spirit Airlines?

Most consumers would say the world needs fewer airlines like Spirit and Ryanair, not more. Frontier Airlines begs to differ.

Reminder: Frequent Flyers Have No Rights

A recent court decision confirms what you may already have suspected: As a member of a frequent-flyer program, you have no rights. ... read more»

I've always taught what I loved—and I've always loved music. I spent my high school years as a piano teacher. I'd start out my students with boogies and pop songs, and eventually get them turned on to Bach and Beethoven.

In 1980, a truck dropped off 2,500 copies of my first guidebook—Europe Through the Back Door. During that year's Christmas recital, some parents sat on boxes of travel books while their kids played carols, boogies, and Bach. By the next Christmas, I had let my piano students go. From that point on, I would be teaching European culture in print rather than on the keyboard. ... read more»

Confused about which airlines are charging for which perks? Our ultimate guide can help. We've put every major fee from every major airline in one place. ... read more»