Monthly Archives for May 2021.
This is truly frightening and dystopian. Belarus used a fighter jet to force down a Ryanair flight so that they could arrest a journalist on board who has opposed its President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
As pretext Belarus claims it responded to a concocted bomb threat on board the flight. However the plane was closer to its destination of Vilnius, Lithuania than Minsk, the capital of Belarus where it was forced to land.
Luggage sizers are the bane of many flyers’ existence. We bring a carry on bag to the gate, and the agent there says it’s too big. But we’ve carried it on the last 20 flights we’ve taken without an issue, we protest! Put it in the sizer, they say.
One passenger did just that. His bag fit in the sizer. He just couldn’t get it out. Technically then it must be ok to bring on board, right? But he can’t – unless he can reclaim it from the evil bag sizer.
On Friday American Airlines sent out a memo warning staff to expect more intoxicated passengers. To be sure, with business travel still not back in any meaningful way, every airline’s passengers are Spirit Airlines passengers right now – and most flights that don’t cross an ocean are running full. However American ties their warning about drunk customers to “summer approaching.”
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.
American Airlines appears to be using safety cards that just say “737” on 737 MAX aircraft now. No wonder customers don’t seem to complain they’re flying on the MAX…?
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.
Earlier this month I stayed at the Thompson Washington DC Hotel. It’s in a neighborhood where I haven’t spent much time before, and my first experience with the brand that Hyatt acquired when it acquired Two Roads Hospitality.
I didn’t have a fantastic stay at the property. I am not longing to return. But I’d absolutely stay here – for instance this would be my go-to pick if I had a meeting at the Department of Transportation, or for a leisure stay if I were going to a Nationals ballgame and wanted to use points.
Hotel chains advertise prices that don’t include mandatory fees. The headline rate is what consumers compare when they’re searching. It’s only when they go to book that they see the price is higher than what was presented to them. That makes comparing prices difficult. And it puts hotels that are transparent, advertising the full cost of a stay, at a disadvantage.
At some point we have to ask, though, what does the room rate even cover if it doesn’t come with electricity?
Big business used to be viewed as the enemy of the left, but now aren’t they its vanguard? Or does that just mean the ideas have been co-opted and are no longer cool? And now that Delta Air Lines offers diversity training as a benefit to elite frequent flyers, doesn’t that mean by definition that it’s all become passé?
A Delta Diamond Medallion shares event Delta is holding for elite frequent flyers next week where airline CEO Ed Bastian will host a discussion on the importance of and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion
Covid-19 vaccines are phenomenal. And they’re about to open up a lot of travel possibilities: so-called ‘vaccine passports’, only we don’t know how long those passports will be valid as a result of virus variants and uncertainty over how long they provide protection.
Much of the world is ordering not just first injections but also booster doses, in case these passports need to be extended. The U.S. hasn’t done this yet.
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 »
