The missing 727 may just have been a botched repossession rather than the acquisition of a terrorist device. (Link via Rand Simberg.)
About Gary Leff
Senator Harkin: man of the traveling people? or better than the traveling people?
Glenn Reynolds doesn’t think it’s appropriate for a Senator to jump the security queue at airports — especially a liberal populist Senator. Senator Tom Harkin’s communications director explained that the Senator was more worried about getting the job done for the people of Iowa than about getting a call from a gossip columnist. But as Glenn observes, Harkin was heading home, not heading to a Senate floor vote. Sure, Harkin had a full schedule — but so did many others in line on their way to business meetings or family engagements. Now, major airlines all have VIP programs where they help lucrative customers, celebrities, and some politicians avoid inconvenience. I don’t think there’s an airline criticism here — but rather a criticism of a politician who chooses to use this status. Each Member of Congress…
Please turn off all electronic devices until we’re safely parked at the gate
No study demonstrates that cell phone use onboard an airplane actually causes problems. And if any potential problems exist, cell phone manufacturers could probably come up with a technological solution. So it’s good news that the FAA and Air Transport Association are going to study the subject. That’s better than just blindly continuing 15 year old rules that may not be based on any science in the first place.
Airlines: Blame the Internet
David Grossman asks whether the internet is killing the airlines. Consumers shopping online are able to see all of their options — pushing down the prices they pay for travel. The real enemy of the airlines here is information and better informed consumers. Competition and technology drives that. Airlines have a love-hate relationship with technology. They embrace it for lowering their ticket distribution costs by circumventing travel agents, but they kvetch about it for creating savvier consumers. Any business that relies on the ignorance of it’s customers will only sustain profitability over a limited period of time. That ignorance is bound to end. The internet isn’t at fault for this. The airlines come off sounding way too much like Bill O’Reilly.
More free magazines
Get a free one year subscription to Forbes and FHM magazines. (Thanks to Flyertalker doc for the pointers.)
Best Mileage Earning Credit Cards
Most airline cards come with an annual fee. But they also usually come with signup bonuses worth more than the annual fee — and the difference in earnings between no-fee cards and fee cards is usually enough to justify the fee. (Many airlines offer no fee cards that only earn 1 mile for every 2 dollars for instance). So the cheapest card isn’t always the best — it just depends on how much you use the card and how you value miles versus money. One no-fee airline card exception is the Lufthansa Visa (which also offers a 6000 mile signup bonus). Right now, Northwest is offering a 15,000 mile signup bonus and fee waived the first year but this offer expires August 31. Call (800) 360-2900, extension 2677. Delta offers fee waivers on it’s Amex…
Free Money from Internet Bank
ING Direct is offering $50 for opening up an internet savings account. There’s no minimum balance and no minimum time the account must remain open. I signed up for an account awhile back with their old $25 bonus. I put $5 into the account and then withdrew my $30. So, in my experience, this works.
United and American: American Express Membership Rewards conversion partners?
One of the biggest complaints about the American Express Membership Rewards program is that, while you can transfer points into several different airlines, United and American are not partner options. How can they leave out the two largest airlines? If you want to redeem Membership Rewards points for United flights, you can transfer points to United partners USAirways, ANA, or Mexicana (and to Delta as well, but Delta points can only be used to redeem United flights domestically). And you can transfer Membership Rewards points to Continental which, as I explained in my last post, you can then transfer on 1:1 into United. This last option is especially good, because Membership Rewards seems to offer 25% bonuses for transferring points into Continental about once a year — so you can really transfer Membership Rewards points…
Earning United Miles No Matter Who You Fly
This is the first in a series of posts on managing your accumulation of miles. You can generally earn miles with whomever you wish. This post will explain how to earn United miles if that’s your preferred currency. If you’re a United frequent flyer, and you really just want to accumulate United miles, but you’re forced to fly another airline odds are you can still earn the miles you want. In fact, you can fly Delta, Continental, Northwest, USAirways, or Alaska and earn United Mileage Plus points instead of receiving points from Skymiles, Onepass, Worldperks, Dividend Miles, or Mileage Plan. How? If you’re flying USAirways, you can credit the miles directly to your United account. Just give USAirways your United frequent flyer number. The same holds true for Delta. You can earn Continental miles for…
Your REAL patriotic duty — savings bonds mean free miles
Gary Steiger has done a good job of outlining how to earn miles more or less for free by purchasing savings bonds online with a points earning credit card. You can transfer the balance to a no interest special offer card, too — thereby earning the miles and the interest at no cost.You can buy up to $60,000 worth of bonds this way. If you use a double miles earning credit card (such as the Delta Amex which offers double miles through July 15) you can earn 120,000 miles for free. That’s enough for a first class ticket to Australia or two coach tickets to Australia or 5000 miles short of five domestic coach tickets. Click on the link above and choose finance from his menu on the left hand column of the page.Update: Gary…
