News and notes from around the interweb:
- The credit card you use to buy your airline tickets can bail you out when things go wrong like lost luggage and cancelled flights.
“I had a trip where my Southwest flight was delayed in Corpus Christi,” says Gary Leff, an avid travel hacker and founder of website View from the Wing. The flight was delayed for hours, but Leff, who lives in Austin, Texas got off the plane, rented a car, and sent the bill to Chase Sapphire Preferred. He was home before the flight landed in Austin.
- An interesting look at airline revenue per square foot of space on planes.
Naturally the ultra low cost carriers have lower revenue but also lower costs, so this doesn’t equate to profit.
- American Express marketing expenses were up 35% to $1.2 billion in the fourth quarter. If you grabbed any new big bonuses, you were a part of that spend!
- Is it strange that I saw this headline and thought, “Scott Kirby at United or Robert Isom at American?”
- According to the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General “TSA had engaged in a pattern of improperly designating certain information as SSI in order to avoid its public release because of agency embarrassment and hostility to Congressional oversight.”
- This Southwest flight to DC turned its cabin pink for passengers attending the Womens March following the inauguration.
Somewhat strange that S/W saw fit to accuse attendees at the “Women’s March” (sic) of being “pinkos”. Of course, in most cases that’s accurate, but still…. 😉
Southwest continues to reap the benefits of bundled fares and “free” bags. Hats off to their management for not caving in to Wall Street short-termism (ahem, JetBlue) and therefore continuing to post spectacular numbers.