Monthly Archives for December 2020.
The problem with living outside the law is you lose its protection. And the more people who are involved in your activities, the greater the risk of getting caught. Asking hotel employees to assist in crimes may seem logical, it is supposed to be a service industry after all. And what happens in Vegas doesn’t truly stay there – that level of discretion is a myth. At least unless you tip really well.
Alaska Airlines, based in Seattle, has been an all-Boeing operator. They acquired Virgin America which flew Airbus narrowbodies. It’s seemed from the beginning that they’d eventually dump those planes, and now the fate of Alaska Airlines Airbus A319s and A320s is sealed with Alaska’s order of 23 additional Boeing 737 MAX 9s.
Yet it appears Alaska is talking to Airbus about what to do with the 30 Airbus A320neo orders it inherited from Virgin America – and instead of cancelling, it’s possible they could be converted to A321XLRs.
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.
2020 has been a hard year, but it’s almost behind us. And I’m excited to start traveling again, I’ve been plotting out several trips for the summer and fall of 2021. I’m only booking my airfare with miles, though, because of how flexible that can be.
A Bask Savings Account is a great way to earn these miles, and it’s great that the new customer bonus offer has been extended.
Star Alliance member TAP Air Portugal sells monthly mileage packages. They also sell miles outright through their ‘Miles Store’. Right now they are offering 75,000 bonus miles for transacting with both. Join the mileage purchase club and then within 6 days make your mileage purchase.
This allows you to buy 200,000 miles for about half a cent apiece.
The U.S. ban on travel from China was poorly executed, the ban on travel from Europe came too late, and the list of countries chosen for bans was incomplete. Once the virus was spreading, the U.S. didn’t ban travel within the country. Travel bans can work – see New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, etc. – but they have to be absolute and they can’t be lifted until the threat has passed.
Southwest really is going to spend some of the bailout money on employees (perhaps 50%) which is how the government aid was sold – unlike United Airlines which is likely to receive about $3 billion and plans to only pay its 16,000 furloughed workers through March as-required keeping the rest of the taxpayer money for themselves and their shareholders.
Cocktail picks are those plastic or wooden sticks that you use to place a lime or lemon in a glass for a cocktail. If you have a nice bar at home, your reusable ones might be stainless steel. Wooden ones retail at Amazon, $6.99 for 300 with free Prime shipping.
This week a many started handing out $100 bills on his flight, working his way down the aisle of the aircraft. He tells everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year with a wad of cash.
One passenger appears reluctant to take the money. Touching things others have handled – even a $100 bill – causes some reluctance during the Covid era. The man responds, “I don’t care if you want to take it or not, you can throw it out.”
Hilton has announced its promotion for the first part of 2021. Registration required and you should register now just in case you have a Hilton stay between January 1 and May 2, 2021 because you won’t remember to do so later.
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 »
