Monthly Archives for November 2023.
Lines to get into a Centurion lounge can be just as bad as at a Delta Sky Club. This is what things looked like at 1:45 p.m. on Monday in Las Vegas.
The whole point of an airport lounge is not to wait in the terminal. There’s nothing luxury about queueing.
Virgin Australia flight attendant Ashlee Jane recorded a TikTok explaining why she quit her job. The flight attendant lifestyle seems rewarding at first, but is actually grueling.
You can’t really switch airlines, since you will start out at the bottom (seniority rules). But it’s easy to see why people stick with it once flexibility start to improve a little and pay goes up a bit with seniority – but also easy to see why the job drains you – and why so many flight attendants burn out on the job without leaving it like Ashlee Jane does.
Over the past couple of weeks British Airways has seemed to limit partner access to awards. The space available to its own Executive Club members is much greater than that which is offered to those in partner frequent flyer programs. And this has taken both loyalty program members and executives in partner programs by surprise. Discussions are ongoing.
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.
Marriott may be offended by this. Bilt probably won’t like it either. But I’m laying down truth here, and it’s simple math. Marriott points transfers are simply a low value use of Bilt points. You can transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan, United or American, Turkish and more. Anyone paying a little bit of attention can do better than a transfer to Marriott.
American Airlines has sent a reminder to flight attendants not to go above and beyond for passengers in economy. The airline told cabin crew that they shouldn’t give economy passengers blankets, pillows, or treats from business class. American framed this as consistency, which is to say making sure that there are no occasional surprise and delight moments in the coach cabin.
A mother is suing American Airlines for negligence after her two children, flying as unaccompanied minors, were stranded overnight in Charlotte without proper care, being placed in a cold, bare room without food or water. The lawsuit claims the airline failed to provide the promised amenities for the children, and although the airline refunded the unaccompanied minor fees, she is seeking damages for their alleged recklessness and failure to adhere to their own procedures.
A United Airlines passenger’s checked luggage, containing a sealed bottle of tequila, was returned with the seal broken and the contents partially consumed, raising concerns about the security and integrity of airline baggage handling. The incident echoes previous cases, including one with a bottle of whiskey, prompting United to offer compensation and highlighting the challenges of ensuring personal items remain untouched during transit.
If you’re trying to travel somewhere without the proper authorization you shouldn’t try to do it from Singapore. And you shouldn’t then try to bribe someone in Singapore to let you do it anyway. And that bribe certainly should be just $50.
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.
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 »
