News and notes from around the interweb:
- Alaska Airlines elites no longer lose their ability to upgrade on American Airlines flights when booking the flight as an Alaska codeshare.
- Avis, not Hertz this time. But you and I would never get access to airport security cameras or be able to have police launch an investigation. As Mel Brooks said, it’s good to be king. (HT: Jonathan W.)
After renting a vehicle for a few days in January, Rep. Wendell Gilliard (D-Charleston County) received a bill for more than $20,000 in damage. Gilliard said that he returned the car on time without a scratch, according to the report. When he couldn’t find answers from Avis-Budget officials, Gilliard reached out to the Charleston International Airport and Charleston County Aviation Authority Police.
After looking at security cameras and launching an investigation, airport police discovered that several rental cars had been reported stolen. According to a police report, an Avis-Budget employee was suspected of taking the car without logging it back in after Gilliard returned it. Then the employee caused $20,000 worth of damage to the vehicle.
- Washington Dulles looks to use federal infrastructure funds to replace regional concourse the 14 gate project replaces concourse A:
Passengers who now fly out of Concourse A use outdoor, ground-level covered walkways to board flight leaving from regional A gates. In the new concourse, those gates would be replaced with jet bridges in a 400,000-square-foot building with other amenities, including a pet-relief area, new restrooms, concessions and larger seating areas.
The proposed concourse would move to atop an existing AeroTrain stop, which would eliminate the need for passengers to walk long distances or take a shuttle bus to their gates.
- Couple is suing Airbnb after being filmed during private time in a vacation rental and a court rules they’re subject to Airbnb’s terms of service which require an arbitrator to decide the path of the complaint.
- St. Louis restaurant stands up to LA influencer after turning down the influencer’s request for $100 in food and then receiving a negative review.
- The United Airlines Four Pillars Strategy
the Wash Metro Airport Authority has along and checkered history of failing to deliver what they promise. See: 1) Aero Train that doesn’t serve Concourse D yet one of the most expensive transit projects by distance ever. 2) Metro expansion – overbudget by billions,, overdue by YEARS and still not operating.
So we’ll just give them $800 mm of taxpayer funds and they will replace 18 gates with 14 gates. What could possibly go wrong?
Although you probably wouldn’t get the service a state representative gets, believe it or not, you might actually get those security tapes. Most states have FOI laws and you can gain access to any government record by asking for it unless it falls under a certain class of information – generally things like personnel records, active police investigations, high security items, etc. If the security tapes belong to the airport authority, they’re fair game. Could take awhile, but you can get them.
Fun fact – emails are also government records covered under these laws, as are texts. If they still exist, and they usually have to be archived, they’re fair game. Suspect your local government official or school board is up to something, ask for the emails. Watch heads explode.
I recently flew on Alaska SEA-ANC booked on Alaska inventory, but with my AA ExecPlat number in the record. I even called to make sure and inquire about upgrade process. Was told by Alaska agent “yes you would get equivalent upgrade benefit as our 100K members.” BUT NO. When I got off my AA connection from LAX and went to the gate at SEA I couldn’t find myself on the upgrade list. I asked the gate agent and she said “yes you ARE on the upgrade list at #19.” When I inquired why I would be so far down the list being an AA Exec Platinum member she said something to the effect of “we take care of our members first, then the AA people.” So, this doesn’t seem like reciprocity to me, but maybe thats the same way AA treats their 100Ks when they fly AA? It’s really no benefit at all tbh.
I’m so happy for corner17. They don’t give this influence $100 in food and the restaurant got more fee positive exposure because of this
I’m just going to hazard a guess that gate agents have absolutely NO control of where any given person is on the upgrade list and if an ExecPlat finds themselves at #19, then it’s the software priority algorithm that assigned you that and it’ll be fixed over time. So I’m glad I decided to forgo my Alaska trip until next year, when they’ve sorted things out and I’ve got a better shot at upgrades as an AA status holder.
AA EP and PP are placed after Alaska 100K and 75K on upgrade list when flying on AS metals, just as AS 100K and 75K are placed after AA EP and PP on AA metals. Plus you are talking about SEA-ANC, which is one of the hardest upgrades in AS’s entire route network. Even 100K often don’t get upgraded. F is often sold out before the upgrade window opens T-120 hours (along with SEA-FAI).