The TSA chose Barni through a two-round public vote on their social media platforms. This annual contest, coinciding with National Dog Day on August 26, celebrates the agency’s hardworking canine officers.

Barni has been employed by the TSA since 2022. The chocolate brown dog works with his handler, Michelle Cogle, to sniff out traces of explosives at the airport. “Because he is so very handsome, he attracts attention from passengers who we screen as they work their way through the security checkpoint line,” says Cogle. “He loves his job keeping travelers safe and he enjoys meeting and sniffing passengers.” 

Barni enjoys frequent breaks while on the job to play with his favorite toy, a squeaky ball. Of course, Barni isn’t the only adorable TSA K-9 officer around. The agency has trained over 1,000 canine teams that work at airports and mass-transit facilities across the country. These dogs are trained to detect the scents of explosives and explosive materials on and inside stationary objects as well as moving objects, such as passengers and luggage. 

If you want to see more of these good boys and girls, be sure to watch the TSA’s website, as their free 2025 Canine Calendar will be released in late fall. Click here to get the 2024 calendar.

The post Meet the Dog Voted TSA’s Cutest Canine appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Cyberattacks on American airports are not a new phenomenon. Major hubs like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta have all fallen victim in the past, and such incidents are likely to continue, potentially causing significant travel disruptions.

The tips that I learned from my experience could help you if you’re flying out of an airport that’s been hit by a cyberattack.

Check Social Media for Updates

There was minimal news coverage of what was happening at the airport, and I found the most accurate and up-to-date information on SeaTac’s X (Twitter) account.

If you hear about a cyber attack, check the official social media accounts for the airport and your airline to find out what’s happening. 

If you’re not at the airport yet and want to know how chaotic it is, searching for hashtags related to the incident can show you real-time videos and stories from travelers already there that will help you know what to expect.

Monitor Your Flight Status

About an hour after being notified that my flight was delayed, I got another email letting me know that my flight was back to its originally scheduled time. You should monitor your flight status closely and plan to be at the airport for your original departure time in case anything changes. 

I flew out on the first day of the cyber attack, when 165 flights were delayed and six were canceled. My flight was delayed about an hour, but the delay was never announced again. When computer systems are down, there can be lags in notifying passengers about departure time changes. 

Allow Extra Time at the Airport

During a cyber attack, computer systems will be down, and passengers and luggage will have to be checked in manually. Even TSA screening may have to be done manually in some cases (in my case, I was able to go through TSA PreCheck as normal), which can take a significant amount of extra time. 

Check Into Your Flight Online

Fortunately, I had already checked in online and saved my boarding pass before the cyber attack struck. Check-in lines at the airport were extremely long for people who did not check-in online, so avoid doing this if you can.

Print your ticket at home (or save your mobile boarding pass to your phone) as you won’t be able to print your pass at an airport kiosk. 

Do Not Check a Bag

Avoid checking a bag at all costs during a cyber attack, as your luggage is very likely to be delayed or lost. A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines told the Seattle Times that staff was manually sorting over 7,000 checked bags at Sea-Tac because a “majority” of checked bags did not make it onto their flights during the cyber attack. 

Download Your Airline’s App

Although the departure and arrival screens were working in the main terminal at SeaTac, the screens were completely black in the terminal I flew out of. 

The televisions over the gates did not show what flight was departing from that gate, and there was no departure board to check flight status or gate. I had to check my airline’s app to find out what gate I was flying out of.

Listen for Information

My departure gate changed about 30 minutes before my flight boarded, and there was only one hard-to-hear announcement about the change. Without screens displaying information, this would have been really easy to miss, and flyers who didn’t hear it, may have missed their flight waiting at the wrong gate. 

The gate change was never reflected in the airline’s app—the only reason I realized my gate had changed was because the airline crew at my gate all got up and left for another gate. Pay attention to all announcements, and be sure to confirm with airline staff that you’re at the correct gate.

Don’t Swap Seats Once Onboard

My flight had to be boarded manually—instead of scanning our boarding passes, the gate agent visually inspected each one before radioing the flight crew which seat number was boarding. After everyone was on the plane, the flight attendants came down the aisle to verify that the correct passengers were in each seat—anyone who swapped seats ended up delaying the process even further.

The post It Happened to Me: What You Need to Know if There’s a Cyberattack at the Airport appeared first on SmarterTravel.

A new study by Upgraded Points uncovers the airports that have received the most TSA-related complaints. Upgraded Points analyzed TSA complaint data from 2015 to 2023 at 44 major U.S. airports, revealing which locations are more likely to leave passengers disgruntled enough to formally voice their concerns. 

If you’ve ever flown through chaotic Newark Liberty International Airport, you may be unsurprised that the New Jersey airport topped the list as the worst airport for TSA complaints. This New York City-area airport fields nearly twice as many passenger complaints as the average airport. The majority of grievances are about TSA PreCheck (44.8 percent of all complaints), customer service (14.6 percent), and mishandled baggage (14 percent).

The 10 Worst US Airports for TSA Complaints

If you’re hoping to sail through airport security on your next trip, flying through Charlotte Douglas International Airport is your best bet. This airport has the fewest TSA complaints, with less than two complaints per 100,000 passengers—about half the complaints of the average U.S. airport. 

The US Airports With the Least Amount of TSA Complaints

How to File a Complaint With TSA

If you feel the TSA has wronged you, you can file a complaint on its website. Complaints must be logged within 180 days of the incident, and the TSA aims to respond within 48 hours.

The post The US Airports With the Most TSA Complaints appeared first on SmarterTravel.

National Cheap Flight Day highlights a recurring pattern in the travel industry where bargains emerge as seasonal demand fluctuates. As summer leisure trips wind down and holiday travel planning has yet to begin, airlines strategically reduce fares to maintain passenger numbers during this transitional period. This brief window of opportunity precedes a gradual price increase, culminating in peak rates around Thanksgiving.

“Our data shows that airfares are trending downward, and we expect that to continue for the immediate future,” said Glenn Cusano, President of Fareportal, the corporation behind OTA brands CheapOair and OneTravel.

Is National Cheap Flight Day the Best Day to Book?

According to online travel agency CheapOair, August 23rd coincides with a noticeable downward airfare trend. The agency analyzed bookings over the past two months and found a significant decrease in average ticket prices. For U.S. domestic flights, fares have dropped by a third since the beginning of June, while international flight costs have seen a 10 percent reduction. 

However, this dip is more of a general downward trend for fall travel than an indication that August 23rd will be the cheapest day to buy your ticket. Flights are generally less expensive in the fall than in the summer, but to find the best deal, you’ll have better luck setting up airfare alerts (we recommend using our sister site, Airfarewatchdog) and watching prices rather than waiting until one magical date in August to book.

“There is no one day of the year which is the best to book travel, or any ‘golden rule’ about when to book to ensure you get the absolute best deal on airfare,” says Hayley Berg, lead economist at Hopper. “The reality is that prices for a flight can change multiple times a day, and depend heavily on where you’re traveling to, when you’re traveling and how far in advance you’re searching.”

Berg notes that the end of summer is a great time of the year to snag deals on early fall trips. According to Hopper’s data, plenty of fall deals are available, no matter what date you book. Domestic airfare every weekend of the month after Labor Day is currently averaging around $270 round-trip. 

Looking to take advantage of fewer crowds in Europe while the weather is still nice? Book your trip for the first two weekends of November, when Hopper says you’ll save about 27 percent off your ticket. 

The post The Ultimate Guide to National Cheap Flight Day appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Here’s what you need to know:

Frontier Airlines G.O.A.T Sale

Frontier Airlines’ G.O.A.T Sale is offering tickets for as low as $19 one-way. Some fares are cheaper for members of Frontier’s Discount Den, a fee-based rewards program, so it’s worth price-checking both options. Just be aware that Frontier’s Discount Den costs a hefty $99.99 to join ($59.99 yearly fee plus a $40 enrollment fee), and the discounted fares are usually only cheaper by around $10.

Book By: 11:59 pm Eastern time on August 1, 2024.

Travel Dates: Fares are valid for nonstop travel on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday through November 13, 2024 (exceptions apply).

Blackout Dates: Aug. 29, 2024; Sep. 2-3, 2024; Oct. 11-14, 2024; Nov. 11-12, 2024. 

Best Deals

JetBlue ‘See-ya Summer’ Sale

JetBlue’s end-of-summer sale offers fares as low as $39 one-way. Flight/hotel and hotel/flight/cruise vacation packages are also discounted by as much as $500 during the sale. 

Book By: 11:59 pm Eastern time on August 1, 2024.

Travel Dates: Fares are valid for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from August 13 through September 25.

Blackout Dates: Blackout dates apply and vary by route. 

Best Deals

The post Two Major Air Sales Happening Now With Fares From $19 appeared first on SmarterTravel.

A widespread outage of CrowdStrike, a major cybersecurity provider, has caused chaos in the U.S. aviation industry today, resulting in thousands of flight cancellations worldwide. The technical issue has affected multiple airlines and airports, leaving countless passengers stranded and scrambling to adjust their travel plans.

CrowdStrike, which provides critical cybersecurity services to many airlines and airports, experienced a significant system failure beginning Thursday evening. The outage has impacted essential operations systems, including those used for check-in, boarding, and flight planning.

Major carriers such as American Airlines, Delta, and United have reported extensive cancellations and delays, and many airports across the U.S. are currently under ground stops or ground delays. Flight tracking site FlightAware reports 23,929 delayed and 2,332 canceled flights today.

CrowdStrike’s CEO, George Kurtz, said early Friday morning, “The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.”

Aviation experts warn that the ripple effects of this outage could continue for several days, even after the immediate technical issues are resolved. If you’re flying in the next few days, check your flight status before heading to the airport, and be prepared for potential changes to your travel plans. 

Many airlines are waiving change fees and fare differences for all customers who have booked flights departing today, July 19. However, most airlines require re-booking travel by July 24th or 25th. If you wish to change your flight, you should be able to do so directly in the airline’s app or website. Expect significant wait times if you call the airline’s customer service numbers, which are experiencing high call volume due to the outage.

The post CrowdStrike Outage Causes Thousands of Flight Cancellations and Delays appeared first on SmarterTravel.

The top twenty best airlines are:

1. Qatar Airways
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Emirates
4. ANA All Nippon Airways
5. Cathay Pacific Airways
6. Japan Airlines
7. Turkish Airlines
8. EVA Air
9. Air France
10. Swiss International Air Lines
11. Korean Air
12. Hainan Airlines
13. British Airways
14. Fiji Airways
15. Iberia
16. Vistara
17. Virgin Atlantic
18. Lufthansa
19. Etihad Airways
20. Saudi Arabian Airlines

Best Airline in North America

Delta, the leading airline in North America, earned the following accolades: 

• Best Airline in North America
• Best Business Class in North America
• Best Premium Economy Class in North America
• Best Economy Class in North America
• Best Airline Staff in North America
• Best Business Class Onboard Catering in North America
• Best Cabin Crew in North America
• Best Cabin Crew in USA
• Best Economy Class Onboard Catering in North America

The Worst Airlines of 2024 in the US

While Delta, Air Canada and United were the only North American airlines to win individual awards, other North American airlines did make the list, towards the bottom. Other North American airlines in the top 100 were: Alaska (60), WestJet (64), JetBlue (65), American (78), Allegiant (82), Sun Country (86), Breeze (91), Southwest (93), and Hawaiian (99).

Frequently flown budget airlines Spirit, Frontier, and AirTran all failed to make the list, so you may want to avoid them the next time you’re booking a domestic flight. 

Best Airlines in Europe

Americans traveling to Europe have plenty of options for top airlines to choose from, depending on where you are flying to. Making the top ten, Air France and Swiss International Airlines ranked ninth and tenth respectively, with British Airways (13), Iberia (15), Virgin Atlantic (17), and Lufthansa (18) all making the top twenty. Other top European airlines are as follows: 

Best Western European Airline – Air France

Best Airline in Eastern Europe – AirBaltic

Best Airline in Northern Europe – Finnair

Airline Awards Methodology

The Airline Awards began in 1999 and are derived from a survey put out by Skytrax. Survey takers are not given a pre-selected list of airlines; instead, the airlines are solely selected by travelers. Skytrax emphasizes that “a key directive of the survey is for customers to make their own, personal choices as to which airlines they consider to be the best, underlining the brand as the Passenger’s Choice Awards.” Skytrax received entries from travelers from over 100 nationalities, and these travelers mentioned over 350 airlines in their answers.  Any airline in the world can be nominated. Survey entries are screened for IP addresses and user information to ensure no duplicate entries.

The post World’s Best Airline for 2024 appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Amazon has partnered with Southwest Airlines to offer Amazon Prime members an exclusive discount during the summer 2024 Prime Days event. From July 16 through July 17, Prime members can save up to 30% on base fares at Southwest.com using the discount code PRIME.

Click here to see full details of the sale, along with Amazon’s best Prime Day travel deals.

Some sample fares include:

• Los Angeles LAX to New York LGA $236 RT
• New York LGA to Chicago MDW $120 RT
• New York LGA to Orlando MCO $124 RT
• Boston BOS to Baltimore BWI $155 RT
• Chicago MDW to Orlando MCO $144 RT

The discount is valid for travel within the continental U.S. from August 6 through December 18 and August 13 through December 17 for travel to/from international destinations, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Some blackout dates apply.

Southwest is the first airline to partner with Amazon for Prime Day and other travel companies, offering discounts on cruises, tours, rental cars, and more.

Since 2015, Prime Day has been offering deals to Amazon Prime members. Thousands of deals are available, many perfect for travelers. This year, Prime Day runs July 16-17, 2024.

The post Save 30% on Southwest Airlines for Prime Day appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Try an Incognito Window to Browse or Clear Your Cookies

An incognito window is a way to browse the internet that doesn’t save your history, cookies, site data, or information entered on forms by users.

Some articles have debunked using incognito web browsers, claiming that if flight prices fluctuate mid-search that it’s “likely a coincidence.” However, I know first-hand from my own personal experience that browsing privately, and avoiding being tracked, has usually always paid off.

According to Million Mile Secrets, “studies show that it is a good idea to search for travel using different browsers, both logged in and incognito to find the best deal.”

At the end of the day, it won’t hurt you to try both and see what results you get. You can find out how to open an incognito web browser here.

Purchase Your Flight at the Optimal Day and Time

Comparefare states that “the best time to book a cheap flight within the U.S. is usually on a Tuesday at about 3 p.m. Eastern time.” Flights are cheaper on Tuesdays because many airlines release discounted tickets on Monday nights. 

By booking on Tuesday, Skyscanner has determined that “you’ll save somewhere between 15 and 25 percent.”  It’s also typically more affordable to fly on a weekday. Departing on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday should lower your flight cost. Flight prices tend to start increasing on Thursday, and skyrocket on the weekends.

TripSavvy keeps a running tab on how many months before departure travelers should purchase airfare for different popular destinations. The general consensus is to book “between one month to six months before departure for Europe, one month to five months before departure for the Caribbean, and ten months before departure for Asia.” Like domestic flights, international plane tickets are usually cheaper when purchased on a week day.

To be sure you get the best rate, you should be checking fares at least a few times a week.

Pick Destinations Based on What’s on Sale at the Moment

Have you ever heard of someone throwing a dart at a map, or stopping a spinning globe with a finger, and then choosing that mark as their next travel destination?

Well, if you have, the dart thrower might have spent an arm and a leg for that snap-decision, but luckily you don’t have to!

Instead, Google cheap flight destinations and see where it’s affordable to go during the time you are searching, then plan accordingly. I once met a woman who traveled to countries exclusively based on the deals she found, and that is how she was able to venture to as many exotic places as she did.

Google Promo Codes and Promotions for Your Airline of Choice

You might not know this, but some airlines offer promo codes. You can easily find them by doing a quick Google search. Simply type the words “promo code” and the airline you want to book with into the search bar to check. Bargain hunters should also know that airlines occasionally offer timely promotional deals. For example, this summer Alaska Airlines launched a three-day sale offering discounted fares on select flights for autumn 2024 travel. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for when those deals surface, which leads me to my next tip…

Check Prices Often and Sign Up for Free Price Alerts

The more you check flights for a certain destination, the more you will be able to recognize when a ticket goes “on sale.” Think about how you shop for clothes. If you watch a certain shirt you’ve been eyeing at full price suddenly dip down, you know it’s a good time to buy. The same principle holds true for flights!

If you have exact travel dates in mind, you can cut down your efforts by signing up for free price alerts. These alerts notify you when the specific trip you have your heart set on scales its price back. 

Fly on Christmas Day, Thanksgiving, July 4th, or Other Major Holidays

Flying on a holiday is often considered the best time to find the cheapest ticket. Any time I wanted an economical ticket to my hometown, New York, from Los Angeles, I would sacrifice a holiday. 

I either flew directly on Christmas, Thanksgiving, or even July 4th for the cheapest rate possible. It is not always fun or ideal to give up a day that comes around only once a year, but it’s worth it if you are really trying to save big and stretch your money.

Keep in mind that if you do choose to fly in on a holiday, you probably want to budget for a shuttle, Uber or Lyft— that way you won’t be pulling your family or friends away from their festivities to meet you at arrivals.

Be Flexible With Your Travel Dates and Times

If your travel dates are adjustable, you can be patient and wait for the best deals. Patience pays at the airport. What most people don’t know is that if you are waiting to board your plane, and a flight is overbooked, it won’t be long before you hear your gate agent over the loudspeaker asking for volunteers who can wait for the next flight out. If you’re fortunate enough to have a go-with-the flow attitude and the flexibility to wait, you should because the airline will often reward you a few hundred dollars in travel vouchers for being so accommodating. 

Accrue and Use Travel Points From Airlines, Credit Cards, Etc. 

When you use the right credit cards, you can acquire points and miles to help fund your next adventure. For instance, when you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening with Capital One’s Venture Rewards card, you get a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles.

Airlines also offer loyalty programs such as frequent flyer miles or travel points that can be used towards future flights. These programs are free, and you can easily rack up miles with every flight you take with the airline, or its affiliate airlines. Once you sign up, you will receive a number that you input every time you purchase a flight on their website. Once you accumulate enough points, you can redeem them for a free or reduced flight.

The post 8 Tips from a Flight Attendant’s Daughter to Save Money on Your Next Flight appeared first on SmarterTravel.

If you want to avoid a long flight delay, don’t book a flight through Provo Airport in Utah. Late flights at this small airport were delayed an average of 1 hour and 42 minutes. According to the study, of the 2,194 flights that landed at Provo, 39.74 percent (872) were delayed.

The second worst offender for delayed flights was a much bigger airport, Orlando Sanford International Airport in Florida, with average delays of 1 hour and 34 minutes.

While large hubs like Chicago O’Hare International Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airoprt made the top 20 for longest delays, the findings show that delay times don’t necessarily correlate with an airport’s size and volume of flights.

“The data doesn’t show a clear trend with regard to the size of airports,” said Jason Wilson, CEO of Places to Travel. “However, the findings do still show that a massive number of flights are delayed, resulting in traveler stress and potential missed connections, among other consequences, and the air travel infrastructure needs to urgently adapt to handle the massive volumes of passengers to rectify this.”

The US Airports With the Longest Average Flight Delays

On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you want the best chance of an on-time flight, travel through Hilo International Airport in Hawaii, where the average delay was just 40 minutes. 

The post The 20 Worst US Airports for Delayed Flights appeared first on SmarterTravel.