Via Bruce Schneier: This is important: In July 2011, a federal appeals court ruled that the Transportation Security Administration had to conduct a notice-and-comment rulemaking on its policy of using “Advanced Imaging Technology” for primary screening at airports. TSA was supposed to publish the policy in the Federal Register, take comments from the public, and justify its policy based on public input. The court told TSA to do all this “promptly.” A year later, TSA has not even started that public process. Defying the court, the TSA has not satisfied public concerns about privacy, about costs and delays, security weaknesses, and the potential health effects of these machines. If the government is going to “body-scan” Americans at U.S. airports, President Obama should force the TSA to begin the public process the court ordered. The petition needed 150…
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Up to 2 Free London Hotel Nights with British Airways Ticket Purchase
Some airlines such as Turkish offer a free hotel night with an overnight stopover in Istanbul, regardless of class of service. It’s a little-known benefit that applies even to economy travel and helps Turkish make more sense as a carrier of choice for travel to and from destinations that don’t get a ton of service, where picking Turkish requires spending the night. Several carriers, especially in the Middle East, will offer a similar service for premium cabin customers at least on paid fares. But British Airways has come out with a promotion offering London hotel nights, potentially even two free nights, and is offering it with any paid roundtrip ticket to London this summer originating in the U.S. regardless of booking class. Purchase travel between the U.S. and U.K. through Thursday, July 25 for travel…
A US Airways Acquisition of American is Getting Less and Less Likely
It’s been all over the news that American is looking at merger partners as part of its bankruptcy process, and that has plenty of people speculating that an American Airlines – US Airways deal might finally get done, that it’s looking inevitable since American is willingly coming to the table. I don’t believe that’s what this move means at all, I don’t think a US Airways acquisition of American has become more likely. I believe it’s a necessary part of the process while American’s management would prefer not to be acquired. And the progress that American has already made makes them an increasingly costly acquisition target. Which means that any odds of acquiring American must be going down, not up. There are three reasons American is becoming increasingly costly to buy: American is making money.…
500 Free Aeroplan Points
Similar to the offer for 500 free Delta miles from Accorhotels, you can earn 500 free Aeroplan points from them as well. You probably cannot earn both Aeroplan and Delta miles with the same Accor account, you have to choose one to deposit your mileage earning with and that choice will be used when they sweep for the 500 mile bonus. (HT: Milepoint)
Final Week for 100,000 British Airways Point Signup Bonus
Key link: British Airways Visa: up to 100,000 point signup bonus The most lucrative credit card bonus this year gets pulled July 18. The offer is: 50,000 points after first purchase 25,000 points after spending $10,000 on the card within a year 25,000 additional points after spending the next $10,000 on the card within that year There’s a $95 annual fee, spending earns 1.25 points per dollar, and the card has no foreign currency transaction fees. After $30,000 in spend within a year they award a free companion award ticket – the second passenger travels on an award booked on British Airways flights for no additional points (though both passengers are charged taxes and fuel surcharges). And of course there are plenty of ways to goose your spending to get there. (There’s also good discussion in the comments to this…
Starwood Introduces Cash & Points Awards for (Some) Top Tier Category 7 Hotels
Starwood cash and points awards are a great way to stretch points, especially at the category 3, 4, and 5 levels. You spend part cash, part points or put another way you buy back points at a discount. A category 4 hotel costs 10,000 points for a regular award night, or $60 and 4000 points. So you’re effectively buying 6000 of the points you need for the night for $60, or 1 cent per point. Up until now, Starwood’s top redemption category 7 didn’t include a cash and points option. However they announced today that some category 7 hotels would begin offering cash and points award nights. During ‘low’ or regular season a category 7 room is 30,000 points. Cash and points runs 15,000 points plus $275. So you’re buying the remaining 15,000 points you…
MegaDO Seat Auction and Frequent Traveler University Raise $25,000 for LIVESTRONG
Ed posted on Milepoint: A HUGE THANKS FROM LIVESTRONG! And from me personally on behalf of Randy, Tommy, Gary and all the members of Milepoint that make such things possible. Randy and I just got done dropping off a $25,000 check from Milepoint for funds raised during the SMD4 seat auction and Frequent Traveler University. LIVESTRONG didn’t know we were bringing the check. Needless to say, they were a bit surprised! This is just a few months after presenting a $50,000 check to Komen.
TSA Agent Mocks Deaf Man, Steals His Candy, Eats It
A TSA agent in Louisville gave the following experience to a deaf man returning from a National Association for the Deaf conference. While I was going through the TSA, some of them started laughing in my direction. I thought it might’ve been someone behind me, but I found out otherwise. They went through my bag (for no reason), and found a couple bags of candy I brought. I was told I wasn’t allowed to fly with that (wtf? I’ve flown with food before — these were even sealed still because I brought them right in the airport). I was then asked if I would like to donate the candy “To the USO”. Since I know the airport there has an Air National Guard base, and I figured it would go to the soldiers, I (annoyed)…
Will U.S. Merchants Soon Be Able to Add Surcharges to Credit Card Payments?
@edbyu points me to a Wall Street Journal article on a possible settlement in a legal case that would end Visa and Mastercard rules against merchants charging consumers more for using credit cards. According to the piece, we generally don’t see surcharges on American Express and Discover cards because their rules allow surcharges but only on equal terms with other cards accepted by a merchant. So a store accepting only American Express could impose surcharges now. But if that store also accepts Visa and Mastercard, they cannot add surcharges to purchases made with those cards, and thus cannot also add surcharges to Amex charges. Thus ending the contractual prohibition on Visa and Mastercard surcharges would effectively and the practice of also not adding surcharges to American Express and Discover payments. The Durbin Amendment to the…
$350 Roundtrip Fares, West Coast – Tokyo
Korean Airlines has apparently filed a cheap fare of $120 plus tax each way from the West Coast to Tokyo, it appear possible to book cheap tickets on the Korean Los Angeles-Tokyo flight from any city that Alaska has non-stop service to LA from. he exceptional value in this fare, and what will not last, is that the fare seems to have been filed without fuel surcharges so with all the taxes we’re looking at around $350 in some cases all-in. I did a search on ITA Software’s website for October travel from several West Coast cities and found several dates where cheap fares were available: Here’s how the cheapie fares compare to what’s available on other airlines — $350ish compared to $800 – $1400 for all other options. I clicked on a flight schedule…
