eBay started offering an exceptionally generous 1500 Anything Points per Priceline hotel reservation a few months ago. Some time in the middle of the month they changed their offer to “up to 1500 points.” They don’t publish the specific details on their website, but I’m told the new rates are as follows: 1 – 2 star hotels earn 500 points 2.5 – 3.5 star hotels earn 1000 points 4 – 5 star hotels and resorts earn 1500 points
Monthly Archives
Monthly Archives for July 2004.
Aviation Security Newsletter
Bob Poole’s Aviation Security Newsletter always makes for a fascinating read. Yesterday’s issue led with the TSA’s failure to provide reasonable security procedures for airport vendors with ramp access to aircraft. While the TSA focuses tremendous resources — 45,000 screeners — on passenger access to secure areas, there are only 358 people inspecting airport procedures covering the million airport and vendor employees with aircraft and secure terminal access.Poole recommends: If TSA were refocused as a security research, policy-making, and regulatory agency, the vast majority of its screeners could be transferred to the airports or certified contractors. But some would remain at TSA to greatly beef up its inspection staff. Think about it: unified security at each airport (the buck stops there!) and greatly strengthened arms-length oversight. That should produce much better security than we have…
Free iPod Advice
Reader Samir emails some useful advice for the free iPod offer: I got the blue iPod mini – I’m VERY happy with it. I’ve only got about 3.6GB on my computer at home, so it works for me – but I can see running out of space soon – they didn’t have the 15GB one available when I ordered mine! It takes about 4 weeks to get it – you can e-mail free iPods & they’ll send you your Apple order number – then just go to Apple.com & set up an account there & check your order status. I actually called them up & had them change the order from freeipods to my name (that way, I’d get the e-mail confirmation receipt which is required for warranty work in case it break – if…
Buddy can ya spare $250k?
The federal government has taken in more than a quarter million dollars since October from loose change left behind at security checkpoints.
TravelZoo deals
TravelZoo is paid to advertise travel offers. Nevertheless, their weekly “Top 20” sometimes has some pretty good deals. Occasionally (though rarely) they’re truly exceptional. This week there were two that stood out to me: $799 per person from Los Angeles to Tahiti, transfers to the island of Moorea, and 5 nights hotel. Also $680 per person from Washington-Reagan National (less from New York) to Honolulu plus 7 nights of hotel.As is the case with any package, the eye-popping appeal comes from the low price. And it isn’t going to be the most luxurious trip — airfares usually not upgradable, hotel that is decent but far from world-class. Nevertheless, these represent decent values. On the other hand, discounters like GoToday.com and last minute package sites like Site59 give you nice deals with the ability to upgrade…
Aeroflot: Drunk Flight Attendants Assaults Passenger
Via Tyler Cowen, CNN reports on an air rage incident that reverses the usual narrative: Drunken passengers often give air crews trouble, but Russia’s leading airline on Tuesday reported an “unprecedented” reversal: A passenger was assaulted by intoxicated flight attendants…on a domestic Aeroflot flight…Seeing that the crew were intoxicated and were not fulfilling their duties, Chernopup [a passenger] asked to be served by a sober and competent flight attendant, Dannenberg said. He was then beaten up by crew members.
British Airways ‘Winter in July’ Sale
From now through July 22nd, British Airways is offering flights to London from $178 plus tax roundtrip for travel beginning October 28th. Other European destinations are slightly higher, though the fares allow for a London stopover. Saturday night stays are required. Hotel nights can be added from $39.
How does the shareholder fare in loyalty schemes?
I frequently and fervently extoll the virtues of loyalty programs, both as a consumer and from the point of view of businesses whose profits are likely to come from frequent repeat customer and for whom product differentiation is otherwise difficult. (See for instance here.) At the same time, loyalty programs can be poorly designed, and improperly conceived rules can become very costly for a company. And I do my best to point out those poorly conceived rules! I make the most of many of them, and I’m comfortable doing so. Pushing the envelope on promotions and loopholes serve a very real economic purpose: by exploiting and exposing loopholes, companies are forced to get better. They’re forced to think through promotions. They’re forced to improve their computer programming. These things make commerce stronger. That doesn’t say…
Gosh, golly, gee
I’ve been getting lots of mentions lately, by Frommer’s and now in Flyertalk.com’s TalkMail. an excellent Weblog, which is hosted over at WebFlyer.com, titled “View From the Wing,” and that his blog has been recognized by none other than noted travel-industry expert Chris Elliott, who has this to say about our very own gleff “Gary Leff (is) the original business-travel blogger. Terrific observations on the industry. Sometimes, you wish he’d write more.” Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. If you’re coming over here from Frommer’s or TalkMail, welcome! If you like what you read, you’ll want to sign up to have each day’s content delivered to you overnight by email. Just enter your email address in the box to the right beneath by picture. You might also check out some of my past…
Aloha Airlines Ends Intra-Island First Class
Aloha Airlines is removing first class seating from its intra-island flights. “Times have changed,” Zander said “Demand for first-class service on interisland flights has diminished as more and more trans-Pacific carriers, including Aloha, now fly nonstops direct to the neighbor islands. Today, virtually no one in Hawaii wants to pay a premium for a first-class seat on a 30-minute interisland flight.” Naturally Aloha still offers a premium product between Hawaii and the mainland United States. Hawaiian Airlines offers first class both across the Pacific and on its intra-island service. While Aloha wasn’t seeing substantial revenue from purchases of their first class product on short-haul flights, upgrades to first was the primary benefit of their elite frequent flyer program. It remains to be seen how they will retain the loyalty of their frequent customers as long…
