Monthly Archives for August 2023.
West Maui is in shambles. Lahaina has largely been destroyed. 111 people are confirmed dead, with as many as 1,000 still missing. Over 2,000 structures were damaged – most of them residential. But slowly life is being put back together. Verizon cell phone service was just restored. Yet Maui already needs tourism back.
He paid 63,000 points for a stay at The Grand Victoria Hotel in Lake Como. His father passed away, and the funeral conflicts with this stay. So he can’t go, and he’s been charged $5,500.
That’s how Hyatt’s (and Marriott’s) rule works. It’s also unacceptable. Most people assume that they’ll lose the points, not the cash, but that isn’t the rule!
An American Airlines passenger bought a seat for her 18 month old child. A flight attendant refused to allow them to use it, saying children under two weren’t allowed in seats without a car seat. This was wrong. The passenger is suing, because American wouldn’t refund the seat they’d purchased but weren’t permitted to use. And One Mile at a Time reports that the airline is making two claims in response to the suit, They’re only required to transport a passenger, not to transport them in a seat. Since the toddler flew, they got the full value of their ticket. The flight attendant, who threatened to kick the passengers off the flight and who denied use of the seat all based on a misunderstanding of policy, was within their rights to do so even though…
While this is a buildup in seasonal Europe, it’s a way to give transpacific winter jets a place to go as Senior Vice President of Network Brian Znotins explains. Philadelphia gives more single connections to competitors than other Copenhagen, Nice and Naples flights. Philadelphia – not New York – gets growth with this announcement, and that follows moving New York JFK – Doha to Philadelphia. Znotins describes Philadelphia as a connecting hub, versus New York as a focus for local traffic.
One of the major complaints I see from flight attendants (and other employees, but mostly flight attendants) is that standby passengers make it difficult for them to fly free as nonrevs. All they see if passengers filling up a flight as a standby, ahead of them on the list to get onto a flight. They do not ‘see’ the flight the passenger comes off of, freeing up more seats for nonrevs.
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.
I think this is the best guess we’ve seen that puts it all together. Philadelphia to Copenhagen, Nice, and Naples; Chicago to Venice; and Dallas to Barcelona. It’s good to see American viewing itself as more than just the airline that connects Tulsa and Indianapolis, but they’re not doing anything nearly as ‘exciting’ as United launching routes like Manila (American will likely pride themselves on this, to be fair).
Tirana is going to feel like a European city. The northern part of the country will seem underdeveloped. It’s a highly seasonal (summer) destination located in Southeastern Europe on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. It is both relatively safe and affordable. You’ll see castles and other architecture in addition to beaches, and you’ll eat soured milk casserole and drink coffee. There are more coffee shops per capital in Albania than anywhere else in the world. Albania does seem to be having a moment.
One woman flying American Airlines did a great job. She packed a great-looking snack box. A well-fed kid will be a happier kid, and that’s great for everyone in the cabin! But her three year old nephew didn’t get a chance to eat the snacks, because a crewmember on the St. Louis to Dallas… took them away?
American Airlines will announce 5 new international routes on Thursday. They will cover departures from Dallas, Philadelphia, and Chicago, and there hints about what these routes will be.
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 »
