Europe has made it clear they are siding with consumers instead of airline execs and just strengthened the continent’s protections for flyers. Compensation rates remain the same, but they’ve codified how fast airlines have to notify and compensate passengers (the big point of frustration previously) and beefed up rules around rerouting passengers and taking care of them during delays. Lots to digest, so here’s a good trade publication link, but note non-EU citizens are better off flying to Europe on a European carrier to get full protection. Otherwise you only receive it while flying within or out of Europe. None of the changes are law until a year from now though, so meanwhile you might want to get AirHelp.

Earbuds that Allow Outside Sound

I wrote in issue #185 about earbuds that use skull bone conduction to relay sound instead of blocking your ear canal. I’ve been trying another solution that’s kind of a hybrid when I listen to podcasts while biking or walking around near traffic—times I need to hear what’s going on around me. These iLive Electronics Open Ear Earbuds clip onto your ear and only partially block outside sound. The fidelity isn’t great (hey, they’re only $22 as I write this), so I don’t use them much for music, but they’re fine for podcasts or audiobooks and the battery has lasted me up to 8 hours.

Oxymoron “Basic First Class” Seats

Despite consumers repeatedly venting frustrations about how confusing it has become to simply book a vacation flight now, Delta Airlines decided that nine different fare classes wasn’t enough. So they’ve added three more. This sounds like something you’d read in The Onion, but they’ve announced “Basic First Class,”
“Basic Business Class,” and “Basic Premium Economy” tickets while somehow managing to confine their laughter to the boardroom. As you’d guess, these are bare-bones fake-outs that sort of look like the real thing but are loaded up with restrictions. If you ever wanted to pay double or triple for more legroom and…almost nothing else, this ticket class is calling your name!

The Best Tourist Visa in the World

I have mentioned this in passing before, but the Republic of Georgia continues to offer a one-year tourist visa for the asking upon arrival. If you’re from one of 96 nations and territories on this list, you can just land in Tbilisi, get a stamp, and hang out for a year if you’d like, no residency necessary. You’ll need proof of travel/health insurance plus there are work rules and potential tax implications, but nothing that can’t be worked around legally if you’re so inclined. Then when you’re approaching the limit, you could take a ferry to Turkey, a train to Armenia, or a budget airline flight to Europe and then start the clock over again when you return.

A weekly newsletter with four quick bites, edited by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price and The World’s Cheapest Destinations. See past editions here, where your like-minded friends can subscribe and join you.