By law, flights to and from Washington’s close-in National airport are limited to 1,250 miles, except for a handful of trips created by Congress and handed out by the Department of Transportation.
DOT finalized its award of new ‘beyond-perimeter’ slots at Washington’s National airport, granting flights to American, Delta, United, Southwest, and Alaska. But their process for doing this was probably illegal.
Four men were involved in a battle royale at the Chicago O’Hare American Airlines terminal 3, where wet floor signs were turned into weapons and the three-against-one smackdown included an employee at the airport.
America First Legal, which has been led by incoming Trump administration deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, is claiming victory against American Airlines. The organization says American has agreed to “end illegal DEI practices.” But is that true?
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.
The Federal Trade Commission has finalized a rule banning deceptive bait-and-switch pricing for hotels, short-term rentals like Airbnb, and event tickets. They’re targeting resort fees, cleaning fees, and other add-ons that aren’t clearly disclosed during pricing display prior to booking.
These prices are available for 3 days only, through December 19th. The good news is that Delta Amex cardholders should pay a bit less, since SkyMiles charges a premium to customers who don’t have their card. Awards booked online by cardmembers should cost 15% fewer miles.
Brazilian influencer Bruno Santos, known “Buzeira,” has 12 million followers on Instagram and significant reach on TikTok. He posts short, comedic videos and pranks. And he apparently involves his daughter – whom he filmed swinging from a Copa Airlines 737 MAX business class ceiling.
It appears that the water inside the bottle is complimentary – but the bottle is $12 if you take it with you.
The agent upgraded the guest, and then tried to pocket an upgrade fee in cash. But since the guest was already upgraded, and they wouldn’t want them complaining to management, the guest kept the room they were already in. It seems clear to me that the agent processed the upgrade (whether they were supposed to or not) angling to line their own pockets. And the solicitation to pay in cash is always a giveaway.
I experienced the most interesting gate agent strategy I’ve ever seen – a passenger threat that helps align incentives with passengers to get the plane out on this, but that seems like the last thing the airline would want to be telling its customers: if you don’t do what I say, we’re going to lose your bags.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
