Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for May 2023.

Hyatt’s Thompson Denver Hotel Requires Mandatory Tips – For The Owner

by Gary Leff

May 28 2023

The Thompson Hotel Denver is a recent-build property owned by T2 Hospitality. Like many lifestyle hotels, they don’t just rely on room revenue to earn a profit. They lean heavily into food and beverage. And this hotel has a unique strategy for bumping up their revenue – by 3%.

As this charge slip from the hotel’s bar shows, they add an automatic 20% surcharge and pocket 3% of it for themselves. You’re not just required to tip the servers, you’re also required to tip the owners.

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Lawyer Faces Sanctions After Suing Airline, Filing ChatGPT-Written Brief Without Checking Facts First

by Gary Leff

man in suit looking at computer screen
May 27 2023

On August 27, 2019 passenger Roberto Mata was hit with a galley cart on board Avianca flight 670 from San Salvador to New York JFK. The man sued, and the airline sought to have the suit tossed because the statute of limitations had lapsed.

His attorneys argued that Avianca’s bankruptcy caused the statute of limitations to toll, allowing the suit, and they filed a brief to that effect written entirely by ChatGPT which they… did not check at all first.

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How To Get A Free Empty Middle Seat On Southwest Airlines

by Gary Leff

May 27 2023

What makes the biggest difference in comfort on any flight, regardless of airline, is having an empty seat next to you. And if your flight is full, that’s something which is largely within your control when flying on Southwest Airlines. If you fly Delta you hope they didn’t assign the seat next to you. If you fly Southwest, seats aren’t pre-assigned, so you hope no one decides to sit next to you.

There’s a whole subculture of people who have their own strategies for making sure sitting beside them is… undesirable.

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Forget Food And Amenities, Business Class Is All About The Seat: Air France Trip Report, Paris – Dallas

by Gary Leff

May 27 2023

Business class is about the seat. You have more space, and an available bed, so you can be more comfortable and well-rested rather than beaten up by the time you reach your destination. None of the ‘above and beyond’ business class products are offered by U.S. or European airlines.

At that point, then, the gradations in service matter but I do think – once the product hits a certain level of quality – it becomes more (though not exclusively) about schedule and price.

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Southwest Airlines Pilot Climbed Through The Window After Passenger Locked Him Out Of Cockpit

by Gary Leff

May 26 2023

A Southwest Airlines pilot of a Boeing 737 bound for Sacramento got locked out of the cockpit prior to departure on Thursday – and had to climb back in through the window – after a passenger shut the door.

Thanks to the reinforced cockpit door, it was the quickest way in. A customer had boarded the plane and, needing to use the restroom, closed the door to the cockpit in order to access the aircraft’s lavatory. The hijinks caused an 8 minute delay.

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