News notes from around the interweb:
- Delta pilots say the airline is punishing them for saying they’re not prepared to fly after going three months or more without being in the cockpit (the FAA has temporarily loosened ‘recency’ restrictions).
- Cruise company stocks are betting markets on the effectiveness of a vaccine, a vaccine manufacturer might make more money using its knowledge of timing and efficacy to trade travel stocks. If you have inside information that a phase three trial isn’t going well, short the airlines!
- On Tuesday I’ll be talking live online alongside Bob Behrens about the role of loyalty in bringing back travelers. Bob spent 25 years at Marriott, 23 of them with the loyalty program (dating to the Marriott Honored Guest days), as 12 as Vice President. He retired weeks before the Marriott and Starwood programs were merged, and now runs loyalty for PetSmart. Come listen.
- Eastern Airlines 767 Goes For A Dip In The Mud In Guyana
- The airline protocol for after a plane crash.
- The problem with domestic road trip vacations for frequent flyers, in two tweets.
Unless Old Faithful has a fast pass, I’m not interested.
— A. Bauer (@TravelFanboy) July 18, 2020
That’s cool that you seem to be a fan of Wendover Productions, they’re a really solid channel
RE: elite status and fast pass. Of course these exist, even at the DMV, they’re just unpublished. You think top execs and Hollywood A-listers are taking a number, waiting in line, then being unceremoniously sent home because their proof of whatever document wasn’t notarized? Public figures — or, really, anyone with the means — go through back channels to get what they want with no commingling with the schmucks (staff or patrons).
If a billionaire wants to visit a national park and is spotted by paparazzi in the line of vehicles waiting to enter, it’s staged for PR reasons – “look, billionaires are just like us” – when in fact, the 10 vehicles ahead of and behind him are undercover private security.
Otherwise, a billionaire who wants to visit a national park is already choosing the Instagram filter for his selfie before any normal folk find the keys to their car.
When we were at the Grand Canyon c.2013, there actually was a fast pass lane at the Tusayan South Rim entrance station for people who had a National Parks annual or lifetime pass. We had our America the Beautiful pass and I remember making a joke then about how that made us NP Elites.
Rocky Mountain National Park has a fastpass entrance. While the main entrance in Estes Park consistently has lines to enter, the Grand Lake entrance was pretty empty yesterday. And Grand Lake is much more enjoyable to drive through than Estes Park. And you can even explore a resort from the 1920s on that side of the park as well.