Meghan Coyle

What are some things that customers can do in this environment to not get super locked into the system and maybe not able to use their points?

I really want to dig into that a bit more because there is so much that people might not know about the federal government's role in all of this. And it's not all bad news for consumers, actually. So that's coming up in a moment. Stay with us. The Department of Transportation has actually done some things in the past few years to add a bit more protections for consumers.

I really want to dig into that a bit more because there is so much that people might not know about the federal government's role in all of this. And it's not all bad news for consumers, actually. So that's coming up in a moment. Stay with us. The Department of Transportation has actually done some things in the past few years to add a bit more protections for consumers.

I really want to dig into that a bit more because there is so much that people might not know about the federal government's role in all of this. And it's not all bad news for consumers, actually. So that's coming up in a moment. Stay with us. The Department of Transportation has actually done some things in the past few years to add a bit more protections for consumers.

And they also launched an investigation last year into airline loyalty programs. What are you most interested to see in the coming year or years, changes that might be coming to the airline industry?

And they also launched an investigation last year into airline loyalty programs. What are you most interested to see in the coming year or years, changes that might be coming to the airline industry?

And they also launched an investigation last year into airline loyalty programs. What are you most interested to see in the coming year or years, changes that might be coming to the airline industry?

So there is hope for us travelers that flying doesn't have to be miserable in the future if any of these changes happen. That's really exciting. Ganesh Ditaraman, thank you so much for coming on the show today and talking with us.

So there is hope for us travelers that flying doesn't have to be miserable in the future if any of these changes happen. That's really exciting. Ganesh Ditaraman, thank you so much for coming on the show today and talking with us.

So there is hope for us travelers that flying doesn't have to be miserable in the future if any of these changes happen. That's really exciting. Ganesh Ditaraman, thank you so much for coming on the show today and talking with us.

That was Ganesh Sitaraman, the author of Why Flying is Miserable and How to Fix It.

That was Ganesh Sitaraman, the author of Why Flying is Miserable and How to Fix It.

That was Ganesh Sitaraman, the author of Why Flying is Miserable and How to Fix It.

Whenever you have big expenses coming up, that's a great time to get a new card. I do keep that list of boosted welcome bonuses on NerdWallet, so that's always a good place to start if you're looking for a higher intro bonus.

Whenever you have big expenses coming up, that's a great time to get a new card. I do keep that list of boosted welcome bonuses on NerdWallet, so that's always a good place to start if you're looking for a higher intro bonus.

Whenever you have big expenses coming up, that's a great time to get a new card. I do keep that list of boosted welcome bonuses on NerdWallet, so that's always a good place to start if you're looking for a higher intro bonus.

That's a great deal. And I think the lounge access could be extremely helpful for a long flight like that. It doesn't say where she's flying from to South Africa, but if you have any layovers, there's a good chance that maybe that airport has a lounge that you might be able to access either a Capital One lounge or... possibly a Priority Pass lounge.

That's a great deal. And I think the lounge access could be extremely helpful for a long flight like that. It doesn't say where she's flying from to South Africa, but if you have any layovers, there's a good chance that maybe that airport has a lounge that you might be able to access either a Capital One lounge or... possibly a Priority Pass lounge.

That's a great deal. And I think the lounge access could be extremely helpful for a long flight like that. It doesn't say where she's flying from to South Africa, but if you have any layovers, there's a good chance that maybe that airport has a lounge that you might be able to access either a Capital One lounge or... possibly a Priority Pass lounge.

The Priority Pass lounges abroad can be really great.