Last month the New York Times ran an op-ed trying to argue that airline seating contains lessons about income inequality and class struggle. It didn’t do a very good job of it. It’s one thing when you try to stretch an analogy farther than the facts will take it… It’s another still when you get those facts wrong. In the Times piece it seemed like some were literally made up. The snacks in the piece suggest a JetBlue flight. Yet the author talked of cramped legroom (JetBlue is generous) and a forward cabin (JetBlue doesn’t yet have one). Supposedly first class offered “white linen tablecloths, with actual bone china.” And amenities kits. On New York – Miami. Which is a route JetBlue does not fly. Jayson Blair, much? Now it’s the Washington Post‘s Harold Meyerson…
About Gary Leff
The Best Meal I’ve Ever Eaten on a Plane Was a on a 2 Hour Flight in Singapore Airlines Business Class
Singapore Airlines offers a ‘Book the Cook’ service. You can pick the meal you want from an extensive menu that varies based on cabin class (business class or first class) and varies from city to city. Different airports have different choices. It’s only offered on flights departing from 14 cities, and 16 total airports: Amsterdam Munich Dubai New York (John F. Kennedy, Newark) Frankfurt San Francisco Hong Kong Singapore London Sydney Los Angeles Taipei Melbourne Tokyo (Haneda, Narita) Singapore isn’t the only airline with such an offering. For instance, Thai Airways makes this available, so does EVA Airways. And if you want a Royal Korean meal on Asiana flights departing Seoul you need to order it in advance. Choices and quality varies, and sometimes you may be happier with what’s offered onboard than what you’d…
How to Get 50,000 British Airways Avios — And Then Double Their Value
Back on July 29 I noted that the card offer had change so that in addition to 50,000 bonus points after $2,000 spend within 3 months, there would be a $0 fee the first year ($95 thereafter). The card has no foreign transaction fees and earns 1.25 points per dollar spent. The real unique selling proposition of the card, though, is the ‘Travel Together Ticket’ you earn each calendar year you spend $30,000 on the card.that lets you book two passengers on an award ticket for the mileage cost of one. Getting the Best Value from the British Airways Program BA charges more for longer flights, charges separately for each flight segment, and charges twice a coach ticket for business and three times a coach ticket for first class. Conveersely, short non-stop flights are really…
Quintuple Dipping with Marriott is Back On: MegaBonus Free Nights Return!
Last week I wrote about the opportunity for Quintuple Dipping With Marriott. There’s a huge earning opportunity with Marriott stays, since you can: Make your booking through a shopping portal (~ 4% rebate) Buy Marriott gift cards to pay for your stay, earning 12 Southwest points per dollar (~ 20% rebate) Earn points for the credit card spend on those gift cards (~ 2% rebate) Earn a free night via a promotion (~ 15% – 50% rebate) Earn points in the regular Marriott Rewards program for the stsays (~ 5% – 7% rebate) The only catch was that the last free night promotion — ‘Unexpected Bonus’ — was no longer open to registration. Of course it’s so unexpected that it was the promotion they always run, and are running again, this time reverting to its…
Bits ‘n Pieces for August 7, 2013
News and notes from around the interweb: 2500 free points if you sign up for a new Jet Airways (India) frequent flyer account. How National Car Rental developed its new mobile app Alitalia is offering up to a 50% bonus on purchased miles through August 31. There are some gems in the Alitalia award chart and they also offer extra availability for Alitalia flights using double miles. Their call centers can be annoying to talk to, and purchased miles can be used for no more than 75% of the mileage cost of an award. JetBlue’s new premium transcon (New York JFK – Los Angeles/San Francisco) business class seats, which I wrote about over the weekend based on an early-released video will in fact be completely flat, similar to what some European carriers are now offering…
Munich Airport Employees Made a Video.. and it is AWESOME
Ok, I’m not sure if this is weird or just plain awesome, but the latter gets my vote. What do you think? Here’s the Google Translate version of the video description (original is German, natch): The new, produced a so-called LipDub image film of Munich Airport has brought to the catchy sounds of the song “Come away with me” the band “The Donots” in all kinds of movement. The result – a real blast: approximately 200 talented performers from the Munich airport family – from trainee to CEO – have participated. Parts of the apron were cordoned off, check-in desks temporarily withdrawn from the market and made a real hotel bed next to an airplane. You can join the 30,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts…
Worst Case Scenario: Use Your Miles to Escape Terrorists, Avoid Natural Disasters, and Evade the Mob
Miles from Blighty posted earlier about seeing award space into Sana’a, Yemen using United miles. And I wondered, how useful would those miles be to leave Yemen right now? Granted, if you’re in Sana’a right now you’re probably there working for a government, a private employer that’s getting you out, or a non-governmental organization that’s hopefully working to do the same. In Yemen and across the region there are people fleeing because the U.S. has declared that really scary things are about to happen. (And presumably this is in comparison to the scary things that already do happen!) Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines flies six times a week from Sana’a to Istanbul with a 45 minute stop in Aden. And over the next few days availability is good — in coach only on the flight…
AwardWallet Can Track American AAdvantage Accounts Again
AwardWallet will once again be able to track American AAdvantage frequent flyer accounts. They announced this morning that they’ve worked through their disagreements. American Airlines and AwardWallet today announced that together they are making it easier and more convenient for AAdvantage® members to track their mileage balances. “American Airlines is continually looking for new ways to enhance the experience for our most valued customers,” said Cory Garner, Managing Director of Sales Operations and Distribution at American Airlines. “We have worked closely with AwardWallet to design an offering that meets our security requirements, while offering our customers a one-stop shop for tracking all of their loyalty affiliations, including AAdvantage.” It’s great to see that American really ‘gets it’. This is great news for members. As an American Executive Platinum, I don’t log into AA.com daily and…
Review: Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport (SFO)
I’ve stayed at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport four times this year, and have liked it less and less each time. But while some people have their preferences for Bay Area airport lodging, there’s not actually any hotel option that I’d put down in the ‘really good’ category so I rationalize that I’ve picked up reasonably priced stay credits and progress towards a few Hyatt Gold Passport promotions along the way — all without sacrificing comfort relative to other options by the airport. It’s a big, busy hotel that always seems to have a conference or convention going on in the lobby when I’m there. The basic exterior facing rooms are perfectly fine, and I’ve gotten a good night sleep after a long haul flight here. My best stay was my first one back…
Don’t Rely on Phone Agents or Airline Websites: Here’s Which Tools to Use to Find Award Space on Your Own
Most airlines offer poor tools for finding and booking award seats. Most airline websites do not include most partner airline flights. They don’t search all conceivable routings, either. But you can’t just call, either, because the tools agents are working with most of the time aren’t very good. Agents will be of variable skills and desire to help (which is why if all you are going to do is call the airline, be sure to hang up and call back if you don’t get the answer you want. As a result of these limitations, you frequently need to search for award seats yourself — find what award seats are available on your own, and specifically request those seats from a telephone agent. But how do you find available award seats that the phone agents may…
