Monthly Archives for July 2023.
The U.S. is losing millions of visitors due to absurd wait times for visas. Last year we saw them get 14 times longer than they were before the pandemic, in some cases nearly three years. Make make it difficult for talented people to come here for work, too, and after a short time we… kick them out.
And we don’t do a great job even figuring out who ‘we’ ‘want’ here in the first place.
You’re losing up to 4,166 points per month if you rent and do not have a Bilt Mastercard. This card offers something literally no other card does and it can mean a huge difference in your points balance.
In every disaster, there’s always the story of someone who was supposed to be there too but fate intervened. In this case, Air Canada managed to operate a flight – by no means guaranteed! – and contributed to the demise of Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year old son Suleman.
They got onto a single operating certificate. They merged US Airways Dividend Miles into American AAdvantage (while following US Airways plans for a revenue-based program). They combined pilot and flight attendant seniority lists, and transitioned to a single maintenance platform.
But that’s not all of the work that had to happen. Going into 2023, a decade later, it still wasn’t done. American Airlines and US Airways had separate airport operations, and different gates, in 140 locations. Atlanta was the final station to consolidate gates and that’s just happened.
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.
Honestly I haven’t been to Tahoe in a dozen years. But I have a soft spot for it owing to the 1988 David Mamet film with Don Ameche, Things Change. Far less flash but far more beautiful than Vegas. And I hope to meet several of you there.
Several years ago my long-time award booking partner Steve (author of Mileage Maniac) created an annual ‘Amazing Race For Normal People’ team travel competition in Europe. Competitours.com features unique and compelling challenge activities that push you gently out of your comfort zone.
There are some nuances of their security program that still come as a surprise to me. El Al doesn’t just have missile defense systems to protect its planes against surface-to-air missiles. They have cameras in the cabin now. Is this only on some aircraft?
She was stuck coming out of pocket for a hotel night. And she booked herself a new flight on another airline to get back earlier. And she sent in a complaint with receipts to American.
Here’s how to handle the situation if you find yourself in it.
There’s no rule against waiting your turn when getting off of an aircraft. Normally you stand up, walk into the aisle either right away upon reaching the gate or when the row in front of you starts walking off the plane. And then when the people in front of you are on their way out, you proceed down the aisle yourself.
But is there a rule against squeezing through the passengers in front of you, while you’re waiting for the aircraft doors to open? No, not really.
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 »
