Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for May 2018.

What Would It Even Look Like If Airline Executives Told the Truth?

delta plane
May 15 2018

Delta said they couldn’t fly to India because of the volume of US flights offered by Emirates, Etihad and Qatar. Now Delta says a deal that will not change those flights at all means they could look at flying to India again. And doesn’t mention their new close partnership with India’s Jet Airways.

American’s Doug Parker says this agreement to do nothing addresses ‘illegal subsidies’ even though the agreement itself spells out that subsidies aren’t illegal. What would it even look like if airline executives told the truth?

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A Guide to Asking Airlines to Give You Elite Status (“Status Match”)

May 14 2018

aybe you’re flying that airline just once but it’s a special trip like a honeymoon. Maybe you fly that foreign airline’s US partner and want better treatment like priority check-in and boarding and lounge access when you do.

Many flyers, when they first discover status matches, will apply for all of them just for the ‘wallet candy’ because they can. Here’s how to think about asking for elite status — and how to actually do it.

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Wide Open American Airlines Business and First Class Awards to London for 4-5 People

May 13 2018

During the late fall through early spring (end of schedule) there’s amazing American Airlines award availability on the Dallas Fort-Worth – London Heathrow route. This is true both for business and first class, and it’s not just for one or two passengers either. There are as many as 5 out of 8 first class seats being offered as awards on a majority of dates.

This cannot last.

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A Few Observations on How to Access the Internet in China

temple
May 13 2018

I was just in Shanghai for a few days. I haven’t been in mainland China for a few years, and I was concerned about ‘The Great Firewall’ — China blocks key elements of the internet (or at least elements that are key to how I use the internet).

Here’s how I prepared for that — and had no problem getting access to the internet sites I needed.

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