Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for January 2024.

American Airlines Passenger Threatened With Arrest: No Room For Mom’s Ashes In The Overhead Bin

by Gary Leff

inside plane
Jan 10 2024

The announcement that overhead bins were full, and everyone still remaining to board would have to gate check their carry on bags, came at the worst possible moment for one American Airlines passenger. She was carrying her mother’s ashes.

When she explained that to the gate agent, she says she was told to “take them out of the bag and hold them.” She doesn’t share whether her own reaction to this was intemperate, but says that she was “yelled at” and threated with arrest.

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Diversity In The Cockpit: Does Who’s At The Helm Matter For Safety?

by Gary Leff

american airlines machine
Jan 10 2024

Diversity recruiting for pilots isn’t a bad thing. There aren’t enough pilots, so you want to go recruit people that wouldn’t ordinarily become pilots. There are really two separate questions that follow, Are lower standards being applied to the pilots you’ve recruited? If so, do those lower standards matter? I’m in favor of recruiting aggressively for talent, looking for it where others aren’t. And I’m in favor of supporting that talent, helping them to acclimate to a culture where they might not otherwise feel comfortable. Here’s what major airline pilots usually look like, see if you notice anything here: The @Delta_Pilots took an unprecedented step in passing a vote of “no confidence” in Delta for scheduling issues that have impacted customers & pilots. Time for a new industry-leading pilot contract & a better @Delta https://t.co/FNtY6iWG9l#DeltaPilots…

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Flying to Beat NYC Rents: WSJ Reporter Uses Frequent Flyer Miles For Weekly Commutes From Ohio

by Gary Leff

Jan 10 2024

A college student had a brief burst of fame last summer for graduating from U.C. Berkeley while living in Los Angeles and using miles to commute to school to save money.

Leveraging miles and points for your commute turns out to be a tool for the professional classes, too as one Wall Street Journal reporter uses his points to live in cheaper Ohio and commute to New York.

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U.S. Airlines Send Guards To Protect Crewmembers As Drug Gangs Riot In Ecuador

by Gary Leff

Jan 10 2024

Ecuador is under a 60-day state of emergency, including national curfew and military control of prisons and patrols of the streets, after explosions and looting following prison uprisings and the escape from prison of gang leaders. At least 8 people are dead in Guayaquil, and many schools and offices are closed. The government has declared war on gangs, which are being called terrorist organizations.

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Buying Your Way to the Top: The Risky Business of Elite Status Sales

by Gary Leff

first class airline seats
Jan 09 2024

You can earn elite status by traveling with an airline and spending nights in hotel beds. You can get some of the benefits from status with the right credit card. And once you have status with one, many programs will match your status because you look like a valuable customer.

There are shadier ways to get status, too. Sometimes you’ll find status for sale. There are usually two ways that this works.

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[Benefit Extended] Capital One Venture X May Lose Hertz Presidents Circle (But Here’s How To Get That Status Anyway)

by Gary Leff

Jan 09 2024

The top Hertz public status tier that you can earn as a frequent renter is their Presidents Circle status.

Normally the status requires at least 15 rentals or spending $3,000 with the company, and it comes with upgrades, faster points-earning (so you have more points when they devalue without notice) and better car choices in self-service lanes.

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