When I make a claim I’m certainly open to corrections in the comments, but also need to highlight my own self-corrections and self-doubts. I haven’t got a great deal of experience with Hyatt Gold Passport and award redemptions, but each and every time I’ve been on an award stay I’ve seen the internal rate that the hotel is charging Gold Passport for my stay. I’ve seen rates quite low, lower than what I would have expected Starwood Preferred Guest to pay on a similar redemption. So I thought that Hyatt was an example of figuring out how to get no capacity controls on awards like Starwood has long offered while pay less to their properties for the room nights. And perhaps that’s still true, but I question just how true after checking out of the…
About Gary Leff
Getting Marrried AAirside at Dallas-Fort Worth
A Flyertalk member saw a wedding going on in a Dallas Admiral’s Club yesterday morning. a group of about 10-20 people, including a woman in a wedding dress, the groom in a tux, an entourage [groomsmen, bridesmaids, and probably family], and what appeared to be a member of Clergy to officiate the ceremony quietly proceeded into one of the conference rooms If folks are coming in from all over, and already airside, it could be a very convenient place for the BridesmAAids and the rest of the entourAAge to meet up. American’s clubs now serve complimentary cocktails, so they’d save on the reception. And the happy couple is certainly well-positioned to take off on their honeymoon! But the best observation came from Flyertalk member ntamayo: I can just picture the wedding registry announcement from their…
Just How Effective Are the Nude-o-Scopes?
According to a paper in the Journal of Transportation Security: While carelessly placed contraband will be detected, the machines have glaring blind-spots and have difficulty distinguishing explosives from human tissue. As they write, ‘It is very likely that a large (15–20 cm in diameter), irregularly-shaped, cm-thick pancake [of PETN explosive] with beveled edges, taped to the abdomen, would be invisible to this technology. … It is also easy to see that an object such as a wire or a boxcutter blade, taped to the side of the body, or even a small gun in the same location, will be invisible. And that doesn’t even get at what you could tape to the bottoms of your feet. These machines are an expensive boondoggle, designed to benefit their manufacturers who lobby for the appropriations, not to actually…
Thanksgiving in Mumbai: The Worst First Class Flight I’ve Ever Experienced, Frankfurt-Mumbai in Lufthansa First Class
I was on a bit of a high coming off the First Class Terminal and excited to arrive in India, so when I set foot on board my next Lufthansa 747 and walked upstairs to the upper deck I was ready for a really excellent flight. Only what was in store wasn’t like anything I’ve ever experienced in international first class, on any airline. Nothing different about the hard product, the seat was still ‘fine’ as is to be expected from Lufthansa First. The video on demand still came from a tiny screen. It was a daytime flight to a shirt was given, no bottoms. And the amenity kit was identical to the one from the previous flight. But what was different was the service — the worst first class service I’ve ever experienced. And…
Recent Nude-o-Scope Opt Out Experiences
A couple of weeks ago going through Dulles airport I opted out of the nude-o-scope, and the TSO that had been called over for my screening was clearly uncomfortable with giving me the full body rub and was trying to motion me to just go through the metal detector. But the guy who sent me over for the rub down was still watching, so he couldn’t get away with it. After I offered some bawdy talk about the process the screener became so visibly uncomfortable that he gave me the old-style pat down instead of the required enhanced one and sent me on my way. Usually I manage to avoid the scanner by hanging back, fiddling with my stuff, so that I go through the checkpoint right after someone else has been sent in. And…
Thanksgiving in Mumbai: Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal in Frankfurt
Our transatlantic flight touched down on time and fortunately came into an “A” gate which meant the trip over to the First Class Terminal was going to be an easy one. The special terminal is really intended for first class passengers originating in Frankfurt only, and certainly the path of least resistance is to use a First Class Lounge since you’re already airside and most won’t want to actually go through passport control to enter Germany in order to visit the First Class Terminal. Especially since the First Class Lounges are actually quite similar. The First Class Lounge in the A terminal, which I visited on my return trip, has the same design elements and the same food and better views. The First Class Lounge in the B terminal even has a car service that’ll…
Thanksgiving in Mumbai: Washington Dulles – Frankfurt in Lufthansa First Class
Upon boarding, a flight attendant distributed amenity kit, pajamas, and slippers and immediately brought a choice of beverage and nuts to munch on while the rest of the aircraft got settled. I was struck by how modest the amenity kit has become, really just a single liquid item. The contents of the mens and womens bags were similar though the bags themselves were more pedestrian and understated for men and more designed for women. Still, my wife tells me that the quality of the contents is high. I had come to the airport in fairly relaxed uniform, prepared for an overnight flight, so I stuck the PJs in my bag and settled in. This flight had just one other person in first class. Sadly not an entire upper deck to ourselves, but close. As we…
Airtran Adds Complimentary Upgrade Benefit for Elite Members… Before Removing the Front Cabin from their Planes
This Flyertalk thread discusses a new Airtran procedure. Airtran elite members have long been able to confirm upgrades to the front cabin for a fee a day in advance, subject to availability. And while as far as I know complimentary upgrades were not a formal benefit of the program, they usually happened at the gate — but you’d have to ask the gate agent to upgrade you. I was an Airtran elite years ago, they ran a status match promo and I sent in my elite credentials from another airline. Used to be that Airtran elite status was lifetime, once obtained it was never taken away. So I had my Airtran status for years, though I only used it a handful of times. I never sat in back. It came out on Flyertalk that elites…
Why Has Starwood Allowed the Competition to Catch Up to It?
I’ve given Starwood Preferred Guest a bit of a hard time in recent posts. And I stand by everything that I’ve said — that their unique value propositions have been eroded. They were once head and shoulders above the pack but I believe they’d fallen behind Hyatt Gold Passport and they aren’t quite as unique in differentiating themselves from the rest of the field, either. Still, I’d certainly rather be a Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum than a Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, or Priority Club Platinum. I don’t think that Starwood has really intentionally rested on their laurels. It’s really just speculation, based on personal observation rather than direct knowledge of their financials, but my sense is that the program has the highest cost structure of any of the major hotel loyalty offerings. When Starwood Preferred…
Free $10 Per Night Priceline ‘Bonus Cash’
Priceline is offering ‘bonus cash’ for watching a video. Just watch (or let the video run in the background) and a green button appears that says “GET BONUS CASH NOW.” You’ll be prompted to log into your account and Priceline will deposit a coupon which will add $10 per night on top of whatever you bid on a stay of up to 5 nights. It doesn’t REDUCE the price you are charged. If you bid $50 for a hotel, Priceline will act as though you bid $60. You’ll be charged the price you bid, in this example $50 per night plus taxes and fees. But your bid will be accepted or rejected on the basis of $60 per night. So you’ll use the coupon to bid $10 less than you otherwise would have. The coupon…
