Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for August 2020.

The Only Honest Case For Another Round Of Airline Bailouts Comes From Ben Baldanza

by Gary Leff

Aug 18 2020

Former Spirit Airlines CEO is a JetBlue board member and naturally thinks more of that sweet, sweet taxpayer cash ought to flow to airlines. He lays out what he calls misconceptions about government aid to airlines as he makes the case for the second government bailout of the industry this year.

Baldanza’s piece is a breath of fresh air though because it honestly talks about government subsidies as more than just an unemployment program. He takes seriously government support as an airline bailout, ensuring airlines are providing capacity to the economy, and doesn’t offer the fiction that it’s only about supporting the workers.

Now we have serious arguments worth answering.

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Managers Delayed An Ethiopian Airlines Flight In Houston For 8 Hours – So They Could Scalp Tickets

by Gary Leff

Aug 18 2020

Ethiopian Airlines ran a repatriation flight this weekend from Houston to Lagos, Nigeria. There were more people who showed up at the airport than seats. The $1500 one-way flight had a waiting list, and numerous people were looking to get on.

After boarding local Nigerian officials identified no shows and empty seats and started to auction those off, reportedly pocketing an extra $250 apiece for themselves. But it took six hours to get the seats sold at the higher price, especially since the delay meant some of the passengers started getting off the plane – more seats for the officials to sell at a markup.

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Brawl Breaks Out At Embassy Suites Atlanta, Front Desk Clerk Defends Herself Using Phone As Weapon

by Gary Leff

Aug 18 2020

A brawl broke out at the Embassy Suites Atlanta Galleria after a dispute between a guest and a front desk associate. Other guests in the lobby naturally caught it on video… rather than helping to restrain the combatants.

While the argument that precipitated the fight wasn’t recorded, we can see that the hotel front desk agent is wearing a mask at the end– and the guest is not.

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US Border Patrol Says They Can Create Central Repository Of Traveler Emails, Keep Them For 75 Years

by Gary Leff

Aug 17 2020

The U.S. government has taken the opportunity during the global pandemic, when people aren’t traveling out of the country much, to roll out a new platform for storing information they believe they are entitled to take from people crossing the border. A new filing reveals how the U.S. Border Patrol will store data from traveler devices centrally, keeping it backed up and searchable for up to 75 years.

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