Monthly Archives for January 2018.
Five years ago a couple of commenters noted being asked to show their AAA card at hotel check-in when staying on a AAA rate. I have never seen this happen myself.
Later that year when AAA sent me a renewal notice with the card I asked readers whether I should just pocket that to show ‘just in case’ or actually pay for the membership, universally the sentiment was ‘you use the discount you pay for the membership.’
Years ago there was a story about former American Airlines CEO Bob Crandall having olives removed from first class salads, saving $40,000 a year. Small savings add up across all an airline’s flights and passengers. So carriers are often very careful about their pennies in catering.
In the spring of 2001 United replaced steak at lunch with gourmet cheeseburgers. Today’s inflight burgers on domestic airlines are much smaller and I find with lower quality meal. They keep figuring out ways to push the savings envelope farther.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Several Hilton properties offering suites, premium suites, or club lounge access rooms for the points price of a basic award room.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
OpenTable is devaluing its rewards program 3 ways, two and a half years since its last devaluation.
They may start to give up their primary competitive advantage — a critical mass of customers — although not right away, once it starts to frustrate those customers.
A New Jersey man was arrested after buying multiple gift cards at CVS.
The police officer “observed multiple gift cards on the front seat of the vehicle.” And he was arrested for what the officer determined he intended to do with the gift cards.
While a government shut down doesn’t interfere with air traffic control and TSA’s front line screeners — both considered essential — that the FAA’s registration office closes and that could delay new aircraft deliveries.
That would delay American Airlines taking delivery of more Boeing 737 MAX aircraft with just 30 inches between seats, no seat back video, and shrunken lavatories that let the airline squeeze in an extra row of seats.
A British Airways first officer onboard London Gatwick to Mauritius was pulled out of the cockpit on Thursday night prior to departure. Cabin crew had dialed ‘999’ for assistance after smelling alcohol on the 49 year old pilot. “Cops rushed onto the plane and headed straight for the cockpit. “The first officer was cuffed and led away. “A number of passengers were open-mouthed. The airline found a replacement pilot. They departed about 2 and a half hours late and made up around 40 minutes of that in the air. Everyone was safe. Although it’s striking that cabin crew smelled the alcohol and reported it, while the captain and the other first officer — who would have gone through preflight checks with the man — said nothing. Standards for pilot blood alcohol are far more stringent…
Marilyn Hartman, aged 66, keeps getting on planes without a ticket. Sometimes she’s successful, sometimes she isn’t. She once tried to fly to Hawaii because she said she thought she had cancer and that’s where she wanted to die. She says she feels safe in airports.
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 »
