A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Was an Etihad Flight Attendant Really Screaming During an Emergency Landing? No: Video Emerges
Last Tuesday’s Etihad flight EY450 from Abu Dhabi to Sydney turned back to Abu Dhabi shortly after takeoff as the result of a problem with the Boeing 777-300’s left engine.
The plane, with 329 passengers on board, took off from runway 13R and climbed to 4000 feet when the crew encountered issues with the engine. They returned to runway 13L, and stopped at the end of the runway for inspection to ensure it was safe to allow passengers to disembark.
How’s the Costco Visa Doing Since the Switchover from Amex? And More.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
New Hybrid Credit-Debit Card Offers Elite Status, Up to 3% Cash Back
Zerocard is a product planning to launch next year — it works like a debit card but pays up to 3% cash back. It’s an FDIC-insured bank account, with charges deducted from your balance. But it processes like a credit card so they can pay out strong cash back. And the card is all metal.
The account pays interest, allows direct deposit, bill pay and ACH and wire transfers. There are no ATM fees in-network.
United Delays Basic Economy and Drunk Texting an Airport
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Great Opportunity: 20% Bonus Transferring Amex, Citi or Hotel Points to Etihad Guest
This summer I wrote about outstanding first class award availability on Etihad and walked through the routes between the US and Abu Dhabi that had award space for at least 2 passengers.
Etihad is one of the top airlines in the world for passenger experience. They offer a great connecting point in Abu Dhabi for travel to India and the surrounding region. I’ve used them to travel there as well as to the Maldives and also back from Sri Lanka.
Yesterday Could Have Been an Operational Meltdown, But American Airlines Nailed It
For pilots the impossible has occurred. The US Airways-America West merger was never actually completed in large measure because pilots kept suing each other over seniority, and indeed even over which pilots could negotiate with the airline on a contract and what they had to ask for. The American merger, by giving US Airways and legacy America West (‘US Airways West’) pilots a raise and pre-committing everyone to an outcome, finally created the ability for pilots to integrate.
Yesterday represented potentially the biggest operational challenge for the combined airline, not dealing with customer reservations or frequent flyer accounts but moving to a single Flight Operating System.
Doctor Saves Passenger’s Life Midflight Using Only Toothpicks and a Spoon
On September 23 a passenger in his late 30s had an epileptic seizure on Air China flight CA1478 from Kashgar — the westernmost city in China near the border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan — to Urumqi in Northwest China.
The passenger lost consciousness and was foaming at the mouth.
25% American Express Membership Rewards Transfer Bonus to Alitalia
Alitalia has an awesomely good award chart for many destinations as I’ve covered in the past. Here are some of their business class partner redemption rates:
FARE ALERT: Southeast Asia from $436 Roundtrip
Via Airfare Spot use airfare metasearch site Momondo to find fares between Chicago and Southeast Asia from $436.
Flights are available for November travel, departures on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.