Those of you who have been visiting this site since the summer know that I have been very skeptical of the federal government’s efforts at ‘airline security.’ Basically, my position has been that the TSA is filled with un-serious people who are asking us to give up liberties while doing little that actually protects us. Now here comes a story that really chills me. A TSA employee slipped a note into a passenger’s baggage, questioning his patriotism: “Don’t appreciate your anti-American attitude!” was neatly hand written on the standard notice TSA places inside all the bags that screeners open. “This security person decided to let me board, but not before scolding me for being un-American,” Goldberg told Reuters in an interview. It’s one thing to throw out ideas like probable cause in the name of…
About Gary Leff
“City A” one day, “City B” the next… no time to get a date?
Last Sunday I reported that View from the Wing is always interested in creative dating ideas. Turns out if those ideas fail, one can always pretend to have a girlfriend… and there are products out there to help!
Record labels and retailers to pay you $12.60
If you filed a claim for free money from the record industry (in the CD price-fixing case), it looks like you’re going to get $12.60. 3.5 million people filed. It’s now up to a judge to certify the deal on May 2nd, and then checks would follow a few weeks after. (Update via Aimee Deep.)
How Many Miles is the Most?
Qantas’ top frequent flyer has 20 million frequent flyer miles — apparently mostly earned with butt-in-seat flying rather than by running up high credit card bills. The article has a few inaccuracies, for example domestic US carriers don’t have a business class, much in the way fast-food franchises don’t carry “small” drinks and burgers United does sell business class seats domestically on all of its 3-class aircraft. American certainly sells business class on 3-class planes from New York, Boston, and Washington DC to Los Angeles You can’t buy tier points by spending money on your credit card. Carriers don’t give them away in promotions. Actually, you can earn tier points by spending $25,000 on a Delta Skymiles American Express. America West is currently offering a deal where by flying and using its partners you can…
5000 Free American, Delta, or Continental Miles
Tell Fortune about all the meetings you plan for work and you’ll get to choose which airline you’d like miles on. I pass this one along, but let me offer a caution. This one does sound a bit too good to be true. I did this one myself, although I notice a few things fishy about the site: They misspell resort as restort. This offer is on the front page of a website, as opposed to being a targeted offer. While they claim at the top of the page that “Fortune magazine invites you to qualify for 5000 Frequent Flyer Miles,” it’s unclear how (if at all) this is associated with Fortune magazine. There isn’t even a link to Fortune. The “Browse” link doesn’t work/do anything. There’s no “About Us” feature on the site. If…
I Think This Was a Law & Order Episode
A former Northwest Airlines flight attendant has been charged with assault for spiking a 19-month-old girl’s apple juice with a depressant to stop her crying during an international flight.
I Think This Was a Law & Order Episode
A former Northwest Airlines flight attendant has been charged with assault for spiking a 19-month-old girl’s apple juice with a depressant to stop her crying during an international flight.
I Think This Was a Law & Order Episode
A former Northwest Airlines flight attendant has been charged with assault for spiking a 19-month-old girl’s apple juice with a depressant to stop her crying during an international flight.
Can Two Sentences Really Explain What’s Wrong With the Airline Industry?
The CEOs of the major airlines make easy targets for criticism and derision these days, what with the billions of dollars in shareholder value they were entrusted with rapidly turning into absolutely nothing. And yet they (or more specifically, Continental CEO Gordon Bethune) keep opening their (his) mouth. Joe Brancatelli explains how two recent sentences by Gordo shed light on just how wrong the major airlines’ business models are.
Going to the Freddies
I just made plans to go to the Freddie Awards, the annual award ceremony for airline/hotel/credit card loyalty programs. Thanks to the generosity of this website’s host, Randy Petersen, attendance is free. The event is being held at the Wyndham in Colorado Springs on April 24th. I even nabbed a room at that hotel via Priceline for $32. (There’s a special Freddie Awards rate of $79 night, as well.) Anyone care to join me there?
