Monthly Archives for December 2004.
Or the US State Department may not give you a Visa. The State Department frowns on toothy smiles, which apparently are classified as unusual or unnatural expressions. According to the Bureau of Consular Affairs, smiling distorts facial features. Officials say smiling can change facial features so much that facial-recognition software would think the passport or person weren’t the real deal. Who knew that terrorists could avoid detection by smiling?
Tyler Cowen offers several explanations for why wait times vary across stores. Some stores put impulse purchase items near the checkout counter, and need long lines to make sales. Some stores have more conflict at checkout than others, rental transactions take longer than cash transactions, and long lines can substitute for raising prices by adding a cost to the consumer (waiting) which substitutes for a cost to the seller (adding staff). The explanation that most interested me in the context of aviation is Long lines may serve the cause of price discrimination. Perhaps the store offers personalized shopper services, free home delivery, or other services at a premium. These ancillary benefits might be more profitable if shopping takes just a bit of time. Low-income demanders won’t mind so much, high-income demanders may be pushed to…
Through December 31st, Alaska Airlines Board Room (lounge) membership is on sale and so are day passes. For annual membership, the $100 ‘initiation fee’ is waived. For day passes, the usual $25 price is reduced to two for $25 or one for $15. To take advantage of the offer, call Board Room Administration at 206-392-5496 and use promo code BRGIFT04. Lounge passes make great gifts for your Seattle-area friends and my understanding is that they come without an expiration date.
In the middle of the night Thursday night, a Krispy Kreme doughnut truck was stolen. The back door to the truck was left open, and police followed a trail of doughnuts to find the truck. Hat tip to Ramble On.
Diners Club is doubling the cashback from its restaurant savings program for your most expensive restaurant visit through the end of 2004. Registration is required. The Restaurant Savings Program is basically iDine, with cashback up to 20% rather than frequent flyer miles as the reward. You eat at a participating restaurant, pay with the card, and the rebate appears on your account statement. This promotion doubles that rebate, meaning savings up to 40% on a single visit. Make your reservation through the Diners Club concierge and you’ll also earn 500 Club Rewards points as part of their current promotion to get you to use their free concierge service. (First 3 uses yield 500 points apiece with 250 points thereafter, up to a maximum of 2000 bonus points per month. The promotion runs through January 31st.)…
American Airlines publishes a chart, perhaps updated weekly, with a rough guide to award availability between select city pairs. This isn’t nearly as useful as Continental’s real-time availability calendar, but it’s a start. The city pairs are all domestic, and availability appears to be listed strictly for coach awards, but some disclosure is better than no disclosure at all — although the color coding (white, yellow, green) eerily resembles something from the Department of Homeland Security.
Through January 15, Goldpoints is offering a 50% bonus on points transfers to United and American.Then again, 1250 Goldpoints gets you an appetizer at TGI Friday’s…Update 12/3/05 5:45 am: The offer appears to be targeted and available only to those who receive it from Goldpoints via email. Sorry for any confusion and thanks to Free Frequent Flyer Miles for the heads up.
United is offering double miles on the first three roundtrips that post to your Mileage Plus account by February 28, 2005 which are booked in M class or higher. M fares are nearly full fare coach. Registration is required.
Sprint has a very short survey. Take it by December 27th and they’ll give you 100 Anytime minutes.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
