We cover all things travel for The Wall Street Journal. Ask us anything.

Submitted by wsj t3_10g9bjp in IAmA

We are Allison Pohle and Dawn Gilbertson, a travel reporter and columnist for the WSJ. We’ve covered everything from reservations at national parks to a firsthand account of the most expensive Motel 6. (It’s actually pretty nice.) And of course, we’ve been writing a lot about Southwest and travel delays lately. 

We recently reported on WSJ’s annual airline rankings, breaking down the best and worst airlines of 2022. 

Ask us anything.

UPDATE: We're stepping away now — thank you for your questions!

PROOF:

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[deleted] t1_j51grp6 wrote

[deleted]

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wsj OP t1_j51hqg2 wrote

Rates are high right now for many reasons, including high demand, and, of course, labor costs. Companies also tell us they're spending more on supplies because of inflation. But, eventually, even travelers who have doled out big amounts for bucket list trips will find it harder to justify. Companies will adjust their rates to meet demand. If that starts to fall, rates will go down, too. The risk for workers is getting very burned out while trying to keep up with this high demand and low staffing levels - Allison

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Wild1inMKE t1_j51ehed wrote

I'm curious. Is this AMA just for you to read the questions, or will it include you also answering those questions?

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warnberh t1_j51hvps wrote

Hi! I've noticed a lot more headaches related to air travel lately - poor communication, delays, etc. What do you think is causing these things and what do you think most basic travelers (aka bozos like me) need to know to understand and mitigate these headaches?

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wsj OP t1_j51j1bx wrote

2022 was not a good year for airlines and passengers. Even Delta Air Lines, the No. 1 carrier in our latest ranking of U.S. carriers, canceled more than triple the number of flights it did in 2021. The main issue: airlines got giddy about travel returning and scheduled way more flights than they and the air travel system overall could handle. Thankfully, they got more realistic in the second half of the year and things generally improved. The best thing you can do as a traveler: build in some buffers, especially if you have to be somewhere for an event you can't miss. Don't fly in the day of a cruise or night before a wedding. Don't cut it close getting to the airport.

-Dawn

edit: added a gift link

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tmdblya t1_j51wtfu wrote

Deregulation working splendidly. /s

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warnberh t1_j51hxz3 wrote

Follow up: What do the good airlines do best and the bad airlines do worst?

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wsj OP t1_j51jnqv wrote

The good airlines do what we all want in a trip: take off and land on time as often as possible, don't cancel at the last minute and get your bags where they need to be, as quickly as possible. And, when things go bad, they keep you up to date on what's going on, as frequently and accurately as possible. Don't know if you've flown United Airlines recently, but they spell out, in detail, why your flight is delayed or canceled. It doesn't necessarily make passengers less annoyed but at least they feel like they're in the loop. -- Dawn

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Wild1inMKE t1_j51bpp1 wrote

What is your favorite but least known about destination?

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wsj OP t1_j51gf4y wrote

In the U.S., it's Lassen Volcanic National Park. It's about four hours from San Francisco (no traffic haha) and isn't as highly trafficked as parks like Yosemite. The park has everything from wildflowers to hydrothermal sites with cool names (ever heard of Bumpass Hell)? - Allison

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tmdblya t1_j51wo6m wrote

Lassen is awesome. Wish I’d been more prepared for how rugged the caves are.

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Glittering_Truth_935 t1_j51cphe wrote

How did you get into writing about Travel? It sounds like the best jobs.

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wsj OP t1_j51fxw8 wrote

I started covering the business side of airlines and resorts and for years tried to convince my editors (at another newspaper) that a consumer travel beat would be a big hit. I had to convince them it wasn't just writing about sunsets in Bali. It's writing about cool places but also helping travelers navigate things like airline and resort fees and educating them on their rights when things go awry. --Dawn

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LOOSE_PUSSEE t1_j56luhn wrote

Ms. Gilbertson has covered airlines and travel in depth for many years while at the Arizona Republic and later sister publication, USA Today. She has a real affinity for covering what was the Williams Gateway airport, now Phoenix-Mesa airport and the growth throughout the years by Allegiant and other airlines at that airport. Also, she has been able to land big interviews with major airline executives. It also helped that America West and later USAir (I never liked the name US Airways) were based in Tempe - right in her backyard.

Even though she's fairly new to the WSJ, her rolodex/iPhone is full of aviation and travel-related contacts who sit in the executive offices and the boardrooms!

Overall, she's been a fair journalist. Myself, as a pro-business pro-capitalist subscriber of the WSJ. I believe her style of reporting will fit nicely within the WSJ - providing the required analysis of the airlines - and all the "baggage" that goes along with the airlines (profitability, labor negotiations, union belly-aching, routes, alliances. frequent flyer/elite programs, in-flight service, airports served, cargo/freight, corporate managed travel, third-party bookings, travel agents etc.), along with some general consumer travel tips worthy of WSJ readers. (think Ritz-Carlton and luxury vacations, not Motel 6 and other lame bargain-basement hotels - although, those high-end hoteliers who are charging more and degraded their service should be held accountable - along with their owners and REITs!)

Scott McCartney may be missed by some - but this LOOSE_PUSSEE is glad he retired. He was becoming such a cry baby when things went wrong at the airlines. In many ways, not very pro-business or pro-airline in his columns - often quick to complain about something wrong. I think he was the porch liberal at the WSJ.

Would I would like from Ms. Gilbertson is information about airlines that WSJ is known for - (exclusives, scoops, etc.) that I don't have to find out by reading Gary Leff's View from the Wing blog or Twitter's John NYC tweets and all of his American Airlines leaks.

Is it too much to ask as paid subscriber to have real reporting NOT FOUND ELSEWHERE?

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itstheannmarie t1_j51m6ud wrote

what products do you always bring on every trip? or any underrated travel hack we should know about?

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wsj OP t1_j51nfph wrote

We all hate those nasty resort fees and one thing I don't think some travelers realize is that while they are mandatory nightly charges, you can (politely) ask to have it removed from your bill if things go wrong during your stay or one of the "perks'' listed as covered by the resort fee isn't available while you're there. The wifi was awful on a recent hotel stay in Las Vegas, on a trip where I had to work, and I had the charge removed. (Ditto for inflight wifi issues, btw.) In Florida last year, the beachfront hotel where I stayed listed beach chairs and pool perks and both were closed on my one night stay. Make sure you ask when you're at the property because they generally won't do it after the fact. --Dawn

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wsj OP t1_j51nb3j wrote

If you're into points/miles, look into redemptions on partner airlines. In other words, you don't just have to use Delta points for Delta flights. You can transfer them to another airline (like Air France) and might get a better redemption rate that way - Allison

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PeanutSalsa t1_j51p898 wrote

Does The Wall Street Journal cover all of your travelling expenses?

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wsj OP t1_j51pqvo wrote

Yes! We accept no freebies per our ethics policy. We don't take press trips either. If you see us write a story about an airline or a hotel or attraction, we have paid for it ourselves (with the corporate card!) We don't give advance notice of our plans, of course, so as to not get special treatment or freebies. --Dawn

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PeanutSalsa t1_j51c7se wrote

What's the most fascinating place you've ever covered and what made it so fascinating?

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wsj OP t1_j51lnlf wrote

This is not fascinating in the off-the-beaten path exotic trip sense but I covered the reopening of the Las Vegas Strip in June 2020 (it was closed for several weeks at the beginning of the pandemic) . I arrived a day early to an empty airport the likes of which I'd never seen, even during the travel aftermath of 9/11, and watched a major tourist destination reopen in real time. More recently, I spent the night in a Bass Pro Shop in Memphis for a story. -- Dawn

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wsj OP t1_j51j62b wrote

I started on this beat during the pandemic, so my experiences are more limited than Dawn's. But I did get to spend three days with a hotel manager in Maine. The hotel was in an old building that was an observation headquarters for the Navy in WWII. There were many hidden hallways (and rooms!) A lot of what made the trip so fascinating was how much the manager had to navigate issues that came up with employees who lived in shared housing. He told me: "It's like The Bachelor." https://www.wsj.com/articles/running-a-maine-resort-this-summer-was-no-vacation-11662177616?st=s03azmdghitixxf - Allison

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whenyoucantthinkof t1_j51eibl wrote

What is the most dangerous situation that you have encountered while traveling?

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wsj OP t1_j51kcqp wrote

This is nothing like traveling to a war zone, but I have a PG answer for you: I was in Italy with my two siblings and parents a number of years ago when we crammed into a very small elevator at a train station. It got stuck between the floors and we didn't speak Italian, so we couldn't really communicate that we needed to get out. Being unable to move and stuck with your immediate family is dangerous in its own way :) - Allison

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superadmin_1 t1_j51gjzm wrote

What are some areas of Switzerland that off the beaten path? I am planning on traveling there this year and have seen the major sites.

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wsj OP t1_j51i1so wrote

I took my son to Wengen a few years ago and he loved it so much he went back and used it as his base during a college graduation trip last summer. It's right on the train line. Wengen is definitely not off the beaten path but certainly was not as busy and touristy as some others in the area. On his last trip there they loved the hike around Lake Oeschinen so it's on my list now!

-Dawn

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Joeuxmardigras t1_j53dhwv wrote

Make sure to take the trains everywhere and walk when you get to a city/village. The people are really nice and always willing to speak English

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IAmAModBot t1_j51gnw9 wrote

For more AMAs on this topic, subscribe to r/IAmA_Journalist, and check out our other topic-specific AMA subreddits here.

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whenyoucantthinkof t1_j51pl9e wrote

What was the most intimidating interaction with border security?

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Glenster118 t1_j52ck0z wrote

We hear a lot these days about tourist washing,

is there anywhere you wouldn't cover as a tourist destination for political, social, or ecological reasons?

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eleiele t1_j53n9qc wrote

How are you encouraging climate friendly travel?

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chaseNscores t1_j58lb1w wrote

What is the view and outlook of Nanotechnology genetics and Genetic data for healthcare here in the US?

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chaseNscores t1_j58leeb wrote

There is a reason why I ask... Stick with me and follow along okay?

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Oddgeir-danski t1_j51wb97 wrote

Do you feel embarrassed working for the house organ of American oligarchy?

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