News and notes from around the interweb:
- China traveller at pet-friendly hotel receives text recommending dog meat eateries
The message, which also promoted rafting and nearby snow mountains, claimed dog meat could nourish the blood, strengthen the stomach and intestines and replenish vitality.
- Two hundred people in line for this small lounge. #197 on the wait list to get into the Fort Lauderdale Centurion Studio. Something something queues aren’t premium. Something something Amex diluting its brand with too many cardmembers they cannot deliver for. What’s there even to say at this point? When I last brought up this lounge some of y’all made excuses about Spring Break or people coming to the airport early because of long security lines. But this queue is even worse.
- Politicians are debuting holograms at airports. It’s either innovation or the ‘height of inauthenticity.’ (HT: Paul H)
I am the first Mayor in the world to be made into a hologram — and unfortunately, it didn’t make my teams’ lives any easier (or give them a raise!) but it will help you find your way around our city. So whether you’re touching down at @FlySJC or watching the touchdown at Super… pic.twitter.com/l69aae2Cis
— Mayor Matt Mahan (@MattMahanSJ) February 3, 2026
- Artemis II Mission Fails After Astronauts Miss Connection Rocket In Atlanta (The Onion, HT: Paul H) There’s an old saying that whether you’re going to heaven or hell, you have to change planes in Atlanta.
- While I don’t like the further densification of the American Airlines Airbus A319s, the new design aesthetics of their interiors is a vast improvement over what we saw for the previous decade when the mantra seemed to be seats are seats. Much better detail work coming out of Skyview.
- Ok, a swarm not a hive, I’ve even written about the same plane being swarmed twice on a single turn.
Passengers looked on as a beehive was removed from their plane before they could take off from Charlotte, North Carolina. https://t.co/jmBWDZk2qL pic.twitter.com/lCedVGsuHV
— ABC News (@ABC) April 6, 2026
- No, they really don’t seem to, I wonder how long their marketing will allow the reputation to last?
Ruh roh…
The thing is, Amex doesn’t care. The clubs are trash but people keep snarfing up both the cards and the cheap food thrown at them. All Amex cares about is getting people to fall for it, and for now it still works. Cardholder numbers have approximately doubled in recent years according to reliable sources. Once their lounge formula stops working they might actually do something different. Until then, expect this insanity to rage on.
@Mike Hunt — If there is a substantial economic downturn, people will stop traveling as much, and may downgrade or close their high AF cards, so you may get your wish, one way or another.
@Mike has it. Why change your model if they’re willing to wait 200 deep?
Sorry for the followup. But, in an effort to be snarky, I oversimplified things. Airlines have BE and <30" pitch because if they offer better, pax won't pay them more and they have less seats to sell (with more pitch). Alas, I know those offering top-notch pizza are being run out of business by chains with low prices and low quality ingredients. There may be a solution for Amex lounges that isn't "so long as they keep renewing." We get what we accept rrom businesses.