Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for November 2023.

Etihad Bringing The First Apartment And Residence Back To New York JFK Route

by Gary Leff

Nov 29 2023

When Etihad brought back the A380 to London Heathrow, award space (often for the full cabin) was wide open. That’s how I grabbed three seats for myself, my wife and my daughter to fly London – Abu Dhabi and back earlier this month, using American AAdvantage miles.
I’ll be looking to see whether the first apartment opens up on New York JFK – Abu Dhabi, and if it does I’ll make several speculative bookings if possible – as a way even to get to India, the Mideast, and even Africa and Asia (even if booked as separate awards). I’ve flown this product many times and it’s really special.

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Passenger Gets 3 Months In Dubai Prison For Swearing While Requesting A Wheelchair

by Gary Leff

abu dhabi
Nov 29 2023

A British tourist requested wheelchair assistance for his mother while transferring between terminals in Dubai. He didn’t like the answer that a wheelchair would be provided but that he should wait for an inter-terminal bus without him, since he saw another passenger already had one. Trying to escalate his request for assistance, things got heated. He used swear words.

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Government Tells American Airlines Flight Attendants They Have To Work Christmas Flights

by Gary Leff

Nov 29 2023

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants is railing against the National Mediation Board and its decision. But the board is dominated by Biden administration picks (2-1), and includes a former lawyer for a flight attendants union. This is not a group biased against labor, or against cabin crew.

They weren’t going to hand the Biden administration a holiday hot potato heading into holiday travel and re-election, though.

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Political Bias at 30,000 Feet? Delta’s Unequal Treatment of a Republican Passenger Caught On Camera

by Gary Leff

Nov 28 2023

Does Delta Air Lines discriminate against Republicans? That’s what one SkyMiles Diamond member is wondering after a recent flight from Detroit to Chicago O’Hare, where he was forced to gate check bags while other passengers carrying just as much on board weren’t hassled at all. He was wearing a Republican Party pin on his lapel.

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2,536 Reasons to Raise Your Eyebrows: Bizarre Airport Gel Scandal

by Gary Leff

Nov 28 2023

If you’re a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, a major hub, you’ve seen it all. Or so you thought. Enter the shipment from Hong Kong: 2,536 pink-packaged syringes of vaginal tightening gel. Not just a few samples, but thousands. Do you smile, or seize the packages and prosecute them? Or bring them home for a fun Saturday night? The choice is yours. But choose wisely.

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Giving Tuesday: Your Spare United Miles Can Bring Together Families With Dying Loved Ones

by Gary Leff

Nov 28 2023

Give A Mile’s Year-End Campaign To Raise United Airlines Miles Give A Mile’s Year-End Campaign To Raise Air Canada Points Regular readers may know that I joined the board of Give A Mile about a year ago. There aren’t enough opportunities to use miles to accomplish charitable objectives. Most are airline-selected corporate charities. Give A Mile is unique because they take donations of miles and actually use the miles to book flights for a really worthy cause: helping people to be together with loved ones in their last moments. The goal is that people shouldn’t die alone. This is a small organization with a strong cadre of volunteers. There’s not much overhead. There’s no marketing department. Just people committed to do some good using miles. I’ve given a lot of my own miles to the…

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Passenger Takes Mid-Air Smoke Break, As His Future Travel Plans Go Up In Smoke

by Gary Leff

Nov 27 2023

Shocking footage as a passenger lights up a cigarette inflight as though nobody was around, seemingly unaware that such a thing is frowned upon (let alone illegal in the United States).

A man is captured on video lighting up a cigarette at his seat, and proceeding to smoke. Another passenger across the aisle can’t believe his eyes, and presses the flight attendant call button.

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