If the US invades Iraq, already flailing airline stocks could be pushed down even lower. That could actually make them cheap, especially for an acquirer. And rumor has it that Qantas is considering a 25% stake in American Airlines. American and Qantas are already partners. Actually, British Airways owns 18% of Qantas, and BA, AA, and Qantas are all partners. So it seems like a fairly logical move. On the other hand, if things don’t turn around for American, they’re maybe a year off from bankruptcy. And war with Iraq could bring that even closer. I can’t see Qantas dumping in good money right before a fall. Perhaps they could come up with a friendly deal wherein American goes into Chapter 11, Qantas provides debtor-in-possession financing, and comes out a 25% owner of a restructured…
About Gary Leff
Fact-checking the experts
There are some columnists, like Joe Brancatelli, that are both insightful and consistently get their facts right. In Joe’s case, I think he’s often a bit over-the-top, such as when he recommended that the federal government nationalize all the airlines. But at least his advice is generally sound. On the other hand, there are columnists that consistently get their facts wrong or offer only half the story, so that their advice is unhelpful. I haven’t developed a comprehensive list of these people to avoid, but I did read one column this morning that really set me off. Christopher Elliott’s piece on five outstanding airline flights offered tidbits just are just wrong. I haven’t read enough of his work to know if this is a one-off occurrence or something that’s endemic to his writing. But let…
Miletracker Updated
An update to Miletracker has just been posted. It’s the free tool that I use to track my points in 20 different loyalty programs. It stores my passwords and checks all accounts with a single click. Other products (such as Mileage Manager) are also good. Regardless of your choice of tools, it’s important to keep track of your points in order to use them effectively.
Until Live Television Hits the Skies, I’ll Have to Settle for Memorex
Flying on Sunday means missing the Sunday morning political affairs shows. Fortunately, there’s Punditwatch with a comprehensive wrap-up.
The latest in linguistic scholarship
Courtesy of the Associated Press comes the etymology of the middle finger.
We spend much of our lives sleeping. I guess I know how I spend the rest.
I guess I’ve spent alot of time learning my craft on Flyertalk since I just made my 3000th post there.
London Calling
I just came back from test driving a Jaguar. Bada bing — 10,000 British Airways miles. If you haven’t taken your test drive yet, you only have until Tuesday. If 10,000 British Airways miles weren’t enough, you pool miles with up to (3) other people in the same household. If everyone takes the test drive, that”s 40,000 miles… enough for a coach ticket to Europe. 🙂
I hate it when that happens, or “what, they couldn’t find a mohel?”
An Indonesian woman claims that a genie circumcised her 10-month-old son while she was cooking breakfast.
Four Star Hotels on the Cheap
I”ve just posted 23 of my successful Priceline bids over at BetterBidding.com which is a new site that’s similar to BiddingForTravel.com. Both sites help you make the most of Priceline bidding, especially for hotels. Successful bids get posted. Users basically “plot the supply curve” to figure out the best prices available on priceline, and build a list of hotels that Priceline uses in each category. The sites also offer tips and tricks to get the best deals. I highly recommend checking them both out. They’re excellent resources. For example, with help from Bidding for Travel I’ve gotten Westin at the Orange County Airport for $56 Phoenix Airport Hilton for $36 Omni Charlottesville Hotel for $55 Westin Southfield Detroit for $54 Westin O”Hare Airport for $44 Sheraton New York Hotel And Towers $86 OMNI William Penn…
Cut Off From the World
I’ve traveled to some isolated places in my time, but here’s a country you can’t fly or, since last month, even reach by telephone. The tiny Pacific island of Nauru has spent weeks completely cut off from the outside world after its telecommunications network collapsed. Its isolation is so complete that no one is even sure who the country’s president is any more.
