Monthly Archives for October 2019.
MGM and Caesars seem to be Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumber. In August MGM announced resort fees over $50 a night at 4 hotels. The CEO of Caesars declared that resort fees could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for Las Vegas lodging. So what is Caesars doing? Raising resort fees, natch.
American Airlines used to serve the most wonderful baked on board cookies. The whole domestic first class cabin would fill with the smell of fresh baked goodness. It was that smell, even more than the taste, which made the flight feel like home.
After US Airways management took over, and then implemented US Airways catering standards (while meeting in the middle the distance of flights that got meals) in September 2014, baked on board cookies were eliminated. They explained that since legacy US Airways aircraft had just one oven up front, it was tough for flight attendants to heat both meals and cookies at the same time.
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.
The City of Houston had a hiring freeze – no new police, first responders in the event of floods – but managed to create a new $95,000 a year internship for someone the Mayor has “a past working relationship” with, after initially claiming to have no idea who the intern was. The position allows the candidate to decide for themselves whether to stay on at the conclusion of the 12- to 18-month internship.
Curiously, the $95,000 internship isn’t at George Bush International Airport (IAH) or Houston Hobby (HOU) but at general aviation Houston Municipal Airport.
American Airlines flight AA1060 from Miami to Newark was delayed about three and a half hours today when a man “ran onto the plane screaming that it was his plane and he’s FBI.”
The Captain made an announcement, going farther than he should have and likely speculating baselessly, that they “think the guy was a decoy to distract from something else.” Everyone was offloaded and passengers and bags were searched.
American Airlines Chairman and CEO Doug Parker thinks the only thing wrong with the airline is their operational performance, that’s the fault of the mechanics, but getting a new contract between the airline and its separate US Airways and American mechanics is the job of the federal government.
If you’ve spent much time in Southeast Asia you’ve come across Durian, sometimes referred to as “stinky fruit.” You’ll see hotels and buses with “No Durian” signs because while delicious, some people think it smells like sewage, and the odor lasts.
There wasn’t a ‘no durian’ sign September 17th on Air Canada Rouge flight 1566 from Montreal – Vancouver that was forced to make an emergency landing due to the smell of durian.
Bastian is certainly right that alliances haven’t created seamless travel experiences for customers, and that alliances don’t allow airlines to do as much jointly as when they receive anti-trust immunity from governments to work together, as with a joint venture.
However he overgeneralizes the importance of this to alliances as a whole, rather than recognizing alliances simply haven’t helped Delta as much as they benefit other airlines.
I don’t know what the substance was in the bulk toiletry and it really doesn’t matter. That these get tampered with in practice should be enough to stop the project in its tracks. And 5000 Marriott points as an apology for this is genuinely offensive.
How can the hotel expect to charge for a room that is so poorly cared for by housekeeping, and that jeopardizes a guest’s health by allowing the toiletries to be compromised in this way?
Barclays has brought back their best-ever 75,000 mile offer for the AAdvantage® Aviator® Business Mastercard®. I wanted to sign my wife up for this but just missed it, so this is in the chute for me.
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 »
