DECEMBER 2016 – KEEPING TRAVELERS INFORMED

CITY STAY – MILAN

The luxurious TownHouse Galleria Milan, in the center of Milan, is housed within the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, one of the world’s oldest shopping malls. Both the Duomo di Milano Cathedral and La Scala Theater are short walks from the hotel. Galleria view rooms and suites offer windows or balconies that open above the mall and feature views of the renowned mosaic art panels beneath the glass arches. Guests of the hotel have complimentary access to the Highline Galleria, a catwalk built in 2015 that offers views of the city and spires of the nearby cathedral. For dining, the hotel’s on-site restaurant Ottagono Oyster Bar serves several fresh and chilled items in addition to grilled oysters, chowders, shellfish, lobster sandwiches and caviar rolls.

10 TRAVEL EXPERIENCES OF A LIFETIME

1. Angkor Wat
2. Grand Canyon
3. Great Wall of China
4. Taj Mahal
5. South Africa Safari
6. Galapagos Islands
7. Great Barrier Reef
8. Northern Lights of Reykjavik
9. Trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
10. Santorini

STARTUPS TURN DELAYED FLIGHTS INTO REVENUE

A league of startup companies is industrializing the process of claiming compensation from airlines, helping stranded passengers turn the table on carriers and transforming delayed flights into a fast-growing stream of revenue. Two notables, AirHelp and EUclaim digitize the claim procedure for passengers seeking compensation.

Launched in Denmark, AirHelp Ltd. offers to sift through your emails, check your booking information against effective takeoff and landing times for the past three years, and seek compensation you might not even know you were entitled to.

The company promises to pick up all administrative and legal bills, and quickly let customers know how much money they may collect—minus a cut of at least 25% it charges for fighting in their names.

In the U.S., federal law doesn’t impose penalties for delays but the DOT nearly doubled the maximum compensation for passengers bumped from oversold flights in 2011. Today, it stands at $1,350.