One Airline Boards Its Customers Faster Than Most

Have you ever been on a plane next to someone who seems a little wobbly? Maybe they smell a bit of rum and coke. Or are slurring. Maybe they start to act up a little, start demanding more drinks, or harassing the crewmembers and other passengers. It's one thing to have a drink before your flight, or to have some wine with dinner onboard. But, if you're wondering what the consequences are for being completely intoxicated on a flight, they can be pretty severe. Earlier this month, an American Airlines flight from New York to Los Angeles was diverted to Denver after a drunken passenger struck a flight attendant in the face, the Associated Press reported. Flight attendants had to restrain and sit on him until the flight landed, upon which he was arrested and charged with interfering with flight crew. First off, a passenger who already appears intoxicated at the gate shouldn’t be allowed to board, according to federal regulations. Air carriers have federally-required protocol for dealing with disturbances involving the service of alcoholic beverages onboard, the removal of a passenger who appears to be intoxicated, and how to handle passengers who have brought their own alcoholic beverages onboard (I personally witnessed this last one myself, when an elderly woman on an international flight I was on tried to crack open her Duty Free vodka bottle). If a passenger doesn't comply with federal regulations and interferes with a crewmember, it can be considered a criminal violation, resulting in arrest. In August, the U.S. Ski Team dismissed an 18-year-old member of its development squad after he was accused of getting drunk and then urinating on a fellow passenger aboard a JetBlue flight to New York, according to a story in USA Today. Criminal charges were later dropped. While these are some of the more extreme cases, surely many readers have been in a situation that could have veered towards the uncomfortable and even dangerous had a passenger's drinking habits escalated during the flight. Have any drunken passenger horror stories you care to share? Indulge (but perhaps don't over overindulge) us in the comment section below. More from Budget Travel: Are Ads Inside Planes and on Rental Cars Obnoxious? Trip Coach: Share Your Upgrade Strategies Ever seen a flight attendant freak out?

Or can you deal with them if the tradeoff is cheaper prices? European carrier Ryanair isn't only a pioneer in terms of charging low fares upfront and then nickel-and-diming passengers with fees after they've booked. The airline has also been ahead of the times with its decision to basically turn its airplanes into giant billboards in order to make money via advertising. In 2006, Ryanair announced a partnership with a company called InviseoMedia, which installed ads where they were sure to find the attention of a seriously captive audience: on the seatbacks of the carrier's planes. By 2007, the New York Times reported that ads were popping up pretty much everywhere passengers looked inside certain aircraft. There were ads on the overhead bins and seatbacks inside planes operated by Ryanair and another European low-fare carrier, Germanwings. Ads also showed up on napkins and tray tables aboard the likes of AirTran and US Airways. USA Today recently reported that Spirit Airlines, which has followed Ryanair's lead in terms of piling on fees, is now leading the charge among American carriers in terms of on-board advertising. Advertisers' messages are front and center on Spirit flights, from the aprons worn by flight attendants to (no kidding) the air sickness bags. It's enough to, well, make some passengers nauseous. Airlines aren't the only facet of the travel experience being inundated with new ads. A Budget Rent a Car location in Atlanta made news over the summer by offering customers discounted rates if they agreed to drive vehicles that prominently advertised local companies. At least the renters received a discount in the ad deal. With ads in (and sometimes, on) airlines, the tradeoff isn't so clear. The rise of ad-splatted airplanes has coincided with a period in which airlines have pulled in billions more in passenger fees, while at the same time flight prices have risen steadily, even among the so-called "discount" or "low-fare" carriers. Regardless of whether ads help lower travel costs, and regardless of whether airline passengers like, hate, or ignore in-flight ads, they appear to be here to stay, as unavoidable as TSA checkpoint lines. The reason why this is so is explained in the USA Today story by GuestLogix, a company that helps airlines sell on-board purchases: "Airline passengers are among the greatest consumers in the world," the company says. "They are focused shoppers with a strong appetite to purchase." Based on this assumption, airlines just feel like they have to sell to passengers during every part of the travel experience. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Should Hotels That Charge for Wi-Fi Be Boycotted? Buy Your Holiday Plane Tickets Now to Avoid Fare Hikes Would You Skip Housekeeping for a Cheaper Hotel Bill?

The airfares gently creeping towards the outlandish. The jostling for time off (did you put that request in yet?). The promise of weather delays, overbooked flights and traffic jams. It’s that time of year again, the holiday travel season. So, what does this time of year mean to you? Do you look forward to reuniting with friends and family, despite the travel hassles? Or is it tempting to forgo the family feuds across the turkey and trimmings and just get away? Or maybe, it's all a bit too much for you and you're happy to hunker down at home until after the new year. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('24dd2103-9636-4848-b48a-8c1a39a64340');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)There are several factors in the holiday travel equation. On the one hand, this is the traditional time of year for togetherness, whatever that means to you. And seeing as it comes every year, a lot of people have it down to a science, booking their flights or planning their travel well in advance to make the process as painless as possible. On the other hand, travel companies do throw some tempting deals out there to entice precisely those travelers who may not have the need, desire or opportunity to be with loved ones for the holidays. But, unless you plan on heading south, it's cold in a lot of places this time of year, which is in part why many of the deals exist in the first place. And even if you're traveling farther afield, chances are, you're still heading to the same crowded airports you'd need to go to if you were staying closer to home. So, what about you? What is your travel strategy this holiday season, and why? Are you maybe trying something different? Let us know by voting in our poll or commenting below. More from Budget Travel: Buy Your Holiday Plane Tickets Now to Avoid Fare Hikes 14 Ways to Survive a Holiday Flight Trip Coach: Share Your Upgrade Strategies

If you're reading this travel blog, you probably think of yourself as a "traveler," not a tourist—as someone who travels to see life like a local, rather than only go to places that will impress your in-laws and high school friends. You're probably the kind of person who gets a laugh at a site like TackyTouristPhotos.com, which pokes fun at stereotypical tourist shots, such as pics of tourists misguidedly trying to blend in with French culture. A new site that travelers may like is How Not To Be A Tourist (HNTBAT.com), put together by locals for savvy travelers. It delivers insights into local customs and cheeky street-style photography on clothes you need to blend in. While in New York, for instance, How Not To Be A Tourist suggests you carry a messenger bag instead of a backpack or a fanny pack that screams "Mug Me, I'm From Out of Town." Like anyone trying to be funny, the site can try too hard and hit some wrong notes from time to time. But as a resident of London, I can at least confirm that their tips on the English capital are on the money—though their photos of what locals supposedly look like are very unrepresentative outside of the hipster neighborhoods of Hoxton, Dalston, and Shoreditch. HNTBT.com is still too new to have broad coverage yet of the US or of the globe. Right now, it offers content for cities the size of New York City, with Melbourne and Paris in the works. Copying the AirBnB model, the site also offers lodging alternatives to hotels. Dear reader, now it's your turn: What are your tips for not looking like a "tourist"? SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL New Site Tracks Outrageous Souvenirs Travel Photo Tips for Kids 25 Most Photographed Places on Earth