Monthly Archives for February 2024.
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.
Tuesday’s Delta flight 133 from Amsterdam to Detroit was forced to turn around an hour into the trip when maggots fell from an overhead bin onto passengers seated in economy.
Apparently a suitcase in the overhead bin contained rotten fish. It opened, and maggots spilled out. The fish was only wrapped in a plastic bag from a grocery store in the customer’s rollaboard. It wasn’t even packed in ice.
Qatar has one of the best business class product in the world in its ‘QSuites’ that offer doors and movable partitions that allow two and even four passengers to travel together in their own space. Their QSuite is a fantastic hard product, and service and food in the air are outstanding.
Right now there’s amazing award availability for the new second flight they’ve added from Miami. You’ll generally find two business class awards Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays on flights QR781 and QR782 from September through December.
140 members of the House of Representatives have written to Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian telling him to stay out of union organizing efforts at the airline, and remain neutral. This is dumb.
Hawaii service used to be something special. That isn’t really true anymore. It was an exciting development when Southwest Airlines added the state to its route map, especially for holders of the Companion Pass (designated companion flies for just the taxes whether you’re paying for your ticket with points or cash). But the product is standard Southwest — no meals or seat power — and the journey relatively long.
But did you know that Untied Airlines used to offer its own version of the modern Etihad Residence — a private stateroom on their Hawaii flights 70 years ago?
In March 1962, the CIA provided options to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for hijackings and downing of an aircraft, made to look like a civilian airliner, as well as for terrorist attacks on American soil – all ‘false flag’ operations to justify invasion with Cuba.
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.
Many airlines, hotels, and rental car companies all ‘overbook’ meaning they sell more seats, rooms, and cars than they have. That usually works out just fine. They know some people will cancel or no show, and they want to use up all of their inventory.
Here’s what to expect if your hotel is overbooked, and how to avoid getting ‘walked’ in the first place.
NPR ran a piece purporting to explain why flight attendants don’t get paid for time spent boarding planes, except they did not explain it at all.
Over the holidays I saw reports of American Airlines selling upgrades from Los Angeles to Sydney (from coach to business class) for $350 and I thought that this must be a mistake. Lucky passenger!
However there are several data points of American Airlines selling long haul business class upgrades at this price.
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 »
