Monthly Archives for August 2023.
A piece in Britain’s The Independent argues that frequent flyer programs shouldn’t exist. It claims that programs designed to encourage loyalty to one airline over another incentivize flying. Flying is bad. And sites like View From The Wing encourage you to take advantage of these programs that are bad for carbon emissions.
A new private lawsuit has been filed against Hyatt over resort fees. Consumer group Travelers United has filed a class action in Washington, D.C. against the chain. Especially highlighted in the complaint is the Grand Hyatt Washington and its ‘destination fee’.
Travelers United is suing under the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act requires businesses to sell products at their advertised prices. But Hyatt advertises prices for this hotel at rates consumers cannot pay, since the hotel adds on a fixed amount to its prices in the form of destination fees.
Chris Guillebeau is out with his latest book, Gonzo Capitalism. It comes with book blurbs from Daymond John, Gretchen Rubin, and Dan Pink.
He’s written extensively on the new economy, entrepreneurship, and finding personal freedom in an unfree world. He founded the World Domination Summit where thousands of people descended on Portland, bringing their own dreams and schemes and bound together by a desire to live life by their own rules and still live it well. Self-recommending.
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.
There hasn’t been a scheduled commercial flight in or out of North Korea since the start of the pandemic over three years ago. The first one was supposed to occur today, but two hours after the flight from Pyongyang to Beijing was supposed to land it was announced in Beijing as having cancelled.
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 flight 1680 from Miami to New York LaGuardia diverted to Jacksonville, Florida on Sunday after a passenger released pepper spray into the cabin. Passengers towards the rear of the aircraft began coughing and had their eyesight affected. Flight attendants were impacted as well. A crewmember made an announcement asking for any information about what might be in the air of the cabin.
The FAA ATO is understaffed. It has badly managed technology investments for decades, only finally working to eliminate the use of paper flight strips and pushing back against investments like remote towers.
Cleveland to Pittsburgh is a 106 mile flight. You can drive it in 2 hours. But Alaska Airlines is going to fly this route, and they’ll sell you a ticket for $129. But they won’t fly you back.
There are times when American Airlines systems do not recognize these bag benefits even though the passenger is entitled to them.
An August 8, 2023 memo to the airline’s customer care agents outlines “a few known scenarios” where American’s computers fail to recognize free checked bags that customers are entitled to.
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 »
