Joe Brancatelli is a publication consultant, which means that he helps media companies start, fix and reposition newspapers, magazines and Web sites. He is also the former executive editor of Frequent Flyer magazine and has been a consultant to or columnist for more business-travel and leisure-travel publishing operations than he can remember. He began his career as a business reporter and created JoeSentMe.com in the dark days after 9/11 while stranded in a hotel room in San Francisco. He lives on the Hudson River in Cold Spring, New York.

MAY 13: THE STATE OF PLAY IN TRAVEL NOW
In the chaos of our daily lives on the road, we often miss the important changes that are transforming our travel experience. Here's my good-faith effort to note the milestones. What you need to know about passports and hotel cleanliness and who's flying now. And much more.

APRIL 1: LET'S GET SMALL: SUE THE AIRLINES AND WIN
Do you ever get so angry at your airline that you feel like suing? We sometimes do. And if you want to do it, there's a way to drag the airlines to the bar of justice at minimum cost to you and with maximum inconvenience to them. And you can beat 'em.

MARCH 11: SIT DOWN. SHUT UP. BUCKLE UP.
There are many important things to discuss this week, but we need to circle back to the basics. Why are you not wearing your seat belt on your flights? Do you want to die? Why are you ignoring the recent spate of death and injury caused by surprise turbulence? Honest, folks, sit down, shut up and buckle up. There are no excuses.

FEBRUARY 27: YOUR FLIGHT IS DELAYED. EVERYONE'S IS DELAYED.
How's February gone for flyers? Massive delays and cancellations nationwide? Check. Strikes? Check. Terminal fires? Check. Near-record holiday weekend travel? Check. Snow in Southern California? Yup--along with early summer weather in the nation's capital. Here is how we've covered it in real time.

FEBRUARY 11: NOBODY ASKED ME, BUT ...
A huge edition filled with fact and analysis (and, of course, snark) concerning airline meltdowns, craven congressmen, Delta deceit, balloon shoot downs and so much more.

JANUARY 28: SMASH-AND-GRAB YOUR CREDIT CARDS
Since loyalty is dead and the nation's airlines and hotels now treat every transaction as transactional, it's a reminder to turn the metaphoric tables. Don't be loyal to them--or their credit cards. Get a new credit card, score the increasingly large acquisition bonus, then get the next card for its acquisition bonus. This smash-and-grab strategy is the only way to ensure you're winning the frequency game now.

JANUARY 22: THE POST-COVID FLYING WORLD
Covid turned the travel world upside down and it is only now that airlines are beginning to rebuild their international schedules. To say it's chaotic and unclear out there is an understatement. Here's my best shot of a roundup of schedule changes you'll find this year if you want to book an international business trip or take a long-delayed holiday.

JANUARY 14: HOW TO STOP AIRLINE MELTDOWN MADNESS
Travelers are never spoiled for choice. We even get to choose our meltdowns. But we really need to stop arriers from getting away with bailing on flights for days at a time, which is what Southwest Airlines did over the holidays. Here are a half-dozen ideas that the FAA and DOT could use to protect flyers, keep them moving and help them when they are stranded.

JANUARY 11: A NEW FLIGHT MELTDOWN AND THIS TIME IT'S NATIONWIDE
Just days after Southwest Airlines' Titanic holiday meltdown, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all departures nationwide for nearly two hours. The reason? A critical safety system, called NOTAMs, collapsed. The aged pilot-notification operation created a full day of chaos around the nation. We'll learn more about the government failure in the weeks and months ahead, but here is how we have covered it in real time.