The TSA took to social media to congratulate themselves for stopping a bad actor. Box cutters raise huge alarms because they were used to take control of aircraft on 9/11. Someone bringing those through a security checkpoint – concealed – raises huge flags. And TSA stopped the plot!
The TSA was forced to clarify that these weren’t box cutters after all, it was marijuana, and nobody tried to take it through a checkpoint since it was, in fact, found in a checked bag.
An internal American Airlines memo from Jim Moses to Philadelphia staff reveals routes that the airline is cutting from their primary transatlantic gateway. American will eliminate operations to Iceland, Manchester U.K. and Prague and won’t fly to Venice in 2021 though they hope to return in 2022.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
There’s no federal mask mandate. All U.S. airlines require passengers to wear masks. So most people assume that the only penalties for non-compliance are imposed by airlines. That’s not true.
Airlines only impose penalties, other than asking a passenger not to fly, when enforcing mask rules leads to an altercation. But when an altercation occurs, the FAA can impose penalties too. In other words, you don’t need a federal mask mandate to punish passengers for bad behavior.
British Airways is bringing back an almost-normal food and beverage service starting January 20, 2021, after serving cold food in snack boxes in international business class ‘due to Covid-19’.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
I believe I was the first to report on the passenger with Covid-19 who died on a United Airlines flight on Monday. Initially the airline tried to wave me off the story. Now they’re acknowledging it.
United Airlines flight 591 from Orlando to Los Angeles diverted to New Orleans Monday evening. Passenger aoverhead the man’s wife telling medical personnel about the man’s Covid-19 diagnosis. Here’s what they’re telling employees.
International route networks are currently very limited, often only flights that can be supported by cargo with passengers a plus are operating. That’s both because of limited travel demand, with business travel non-existent and a raging virus keeping people at home, and because of travel restrictions and local restrictions too (there have to be activities at a destination happening to make the travel worthwhile).
But which routes are going to come back, and which ones are gone for good?
Throughout the pandemic Singapore has flown non-stop from Los Angeles. Now they’ve announced daily non-stops from New York, LA and San Francisco and will fly their premium-heavy long range A350 to New York and San Francisco.
There’s going to be a lot of excess business class seats flying all over the world for a long time, and this is a great example of adding capacity ahead of demand which will make this a flyer’s market for some time.
Starwood was a pioneer 17 years ago when it introduced “Westin Workout Powered By Reebok.” They’d make workout clothes available to guests, so you wouldn’t have to pack them but could still get exercise in. And they put exercise equipment in some rooms, too.
The idea was that a hotel doesn’t just give you a place to sleep, and maybe stay nourished, but helps you live your active lifestyle and be ready for the day with peak performance. The trend towards hotels offering a ‘wellness’ or lifestyle experience has only grown since then.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
