News and notes from around the interweb:
- American Airlines Basic Economy:
- Starting June 7, Hyatt will limit each member to receiving 10 transferred rewards into their account each calendar year. This really doesn’t seem like a very tough constraint, honestly.
- “The policy allows that, so we took advantage of that.” Denver airport spent up to $19,000 plane per ticket for employees to travel to a conference in Spain. Airport CEO Phil Washington said this is because they have to get off the plane and go straight to the conference, but they actually went in a day early.
The best part, to me, is the CEO (who was Biden’s failed nominee to lead the FAA) acting as though this is something being done to them by policy when he’s the CEO and… has some say in policy? They sent 9 executives to Europe, one of whom turned the trip into an extended vacation against policy.
The round-trip flights for DIA Chief Operating Officer Dave Laporte came out to $19,194.21, while the flights for William Poole, the airport’s senior vice president of planning and design, totaled $15,764.71. Washington’s flights came in at $12,324.01, and flights for his chief of staff, Maria Meleandez, were $12,324.21.
“We always try to get the cheapest fares we can get,” said Washington.
- Information on all airline tickets being sold by travel agencies is being sold to government agencies including law enforcement and immigration agencies as well as the Departments of Defense, State, Labor and even the SEC.
- If flight attendants are going to maintain they’re safety professionals (and therefore airlines are legally required to have them) then they can’t complain about the drug testing.
- The Sapphire Rumor
Did they make him sit in the MEL blocked off seat? If not, what is the complaint here?
@Yue. Agreed. Probably walking down the aisle and snapped this picture while maintenance or fleet service was getting a cushion before departure.
If the seats were inoperable then no one can sit there. Also, as a BE fare exit row seats are not available unless assigned by an agent. I guess a BE fare should get any empty first class seat?
@George. Empty first class seat? Now that is funny.
I don’t know the particulars about the Denver group of executives, but executives can be in important meetings on arrival the day before the conference that may involve multi-million dollar deals or networking. So, it is well worth it to be well rested in first class for such a flight. So, it’s possible that the high priced tickets were warranted.
On the other hand, people scheme perks when they can get away with it. I don’t think we have enough information to impugn anyone. This includes the person that used the flight to launch into a European vacation. Who here hasn’t taken an employer paid work flight to a meeting or conference and tacked on a vacation? I did it last week in Detroit. (Yes, Detroit. Went to the Motown Museum, Eastern Market, Art Institute and more.) I’d never been before and probably don’t need to go back, but I had a good time.
Drug testing for safety professionals is good.
$500 Southwest credit would be tempting if Southwest had not imposed 6-month funds expiration for Basic fares and 12 months for everything else.
BE don’t sit in exit rows unless they have status. Clickbait much?
I just wish we had a competition to the Monopoly of the airlines, like high speed trains. But I’m living in the wrong century.
@Tony n — Wrong ‘century’? More like wrong country or continent. Japan, China, France, Italy, all have top-notch high-speed rail already. Yes, more competition is often better for consumers. I, too, wish that we in the USA would actually invest in better infrastructure, and I believe that’s part of what was passed in the last administration, but it takes time, and we need to get things done faster and better. We can still do this if we really want it.