News and notes from around the interweb:
- Every one of us should have known to invest.
*eats a Biscoff biscuit on a flight
*wonders if this company is publicly traded
*pulls up the 20Y chart$LOTB Lotus Bakeries has recorded a 30% CAGR over the last 20 years and a 19.6% CAGR over its 32 years as a public company.https://t.co/yLZcf72M2Y pic.twitter.com/TPAeC62tPD
— Koyfin (@KoyfinCharts) September 5, 2024
- Lufthansa U.S. co-brand card 80,000 mile initial bonus offer
- Aeroplan elites can now convert miles 1:1 into Marriott going from a valuable currency to a low value per point currency. Caps are 100,000 points per day and 250,000 points per week. Please don’t do this.
- What’s been the impact of NYC’s Airbnb ban?
- Flight engineer reveals what it was really like to operate supersonic jet Concorde (HT: Randy C)
- New American Airlines memo on checking firearms across multiple carriers.
- Some larger Mr and Mrs Smith properties could become Hyatt brand franchises (Skift)
- I love this, GHA Discovery $50 credit to use within 3 months tied to member birthday.
Toasting to you in advance, Gary!
We’ve wrapped up something delightful for your birthday. We’ve given you D$50, equivalent to USD 50, to spend on eligible stays, dining, spa and more.
This exclusive treat has an expiration date. Make sure you grab it before the candles go out!
- Bob Crandall endorses Kamala Harris which should be in no way surprising.
Propaganda from AirBnB.
Brandon’s comments are more coherent than Camel-a’s .
The Hamasians are amazed that after murdering and kidnapping Israelis , Brandon and Camel-a blamed Israel .
The hoards of illegal border crossers are amazed that Brandon and Camel-a gave them the U.S. taxpayers’ cash , and allow them to act as if home in their narco-states .
I turn down all cookies. The research has become clear. Refined sugars are the unhealthiest additive and should be removed from diets along with fried and processed foods.
@ Alert — What is Barndon?
Pretty much what the politicians wanted with Airbnb. Follow the money.
@ Gary — So AirBNB publishes a study about how anti-AirBNB laws failed? Proof they are working. AirBNB should be banned everywhere.
@Gene beat me to it. Shocking News: an Airbnb study says that banning Airbnb has worked out badly. Who knew?
Hyatt is quickly going down the direction of Marriott. For now, Hyatt manages a majority of its properties. But that will presumably change once franchisees realize they can save money by hiring Aimbridge and other third-party management companies to manage a property cheaper than corporate. Death by a thousand cuts.
It’s also interesting to see Hyatt basically ceding full-service 4-star and 5-star hotels within North America to Marriott and other bigger chains. You don’t see many new Hyatt, Hyatt Centric, and Hyatt Regency properties (to say nothing of Grand Hyatt and Park Hyatt properties!) opening in North America even though there are entire states without a Hyatt property.
I’m also skeptical an owner of a Mr and Mrs Smith property is going to convert to a JdV or Unbound franchise when doing so will cost them more money. If Hyatt is to be believed, Mr and Mrs Smith owners are already benefiting from Hyatt as we are told World of Hyatt members are booking Mr and Mrs Smith properties with cash and not points even though they get basically no benefits. Any change of flag to a franchised brand will require benefits and thereby incur the owner more expenses.
Over the last 14 months, I’ve stayed at the Hyatt Regency Wichita, Hyatt Regency Houston IAH, Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center, Hyatt Regency San Francisco SFO, Hyatt Regency Orlando MCO, Hyatt Regency Sarasota, Hyatt Regency London Albert Embankment, Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars, Hyatt Regency Zurich ZRH, Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, and Hyatt Regency Greenville.
Of those properties, only four Hyatt Regencies (SFO, MCO, ZRH, and London Blackfriars) are managed by Hyatt. The rest are operated by the franchisee or a third-party management company. Inthe case of Sarasota, Milwaukee and Houston IAH, the third-party operator is Aimbridge. Those three properties are probably among the worst Hyatt Regency properties in the system.
Damn you’re right about Lotus – though given it didn’t miss a beat in 1H 2020 either airline sales not a big part of it or investors weren’t aware
Biscoff cookies are in the Top 10 for the most horrible things I have ever put in my mouth.
And it’s a long ass list.
Never had Biscoff cookies
I only wonder what would happen when an ammosexual guest tries to check in on an AA-to-JL connection and gets to experience being told that he* has to follow the rules.
*yes, I know that’s a stereotype, but it’s accurate: the vast majority of ammosexuals are men who have probably never been told “no”.
It would probably go something like this…
Once upon a time, at an airport somewhere in a permitless carry state in the US, a redneck ammosexual man is trying to travel with his emotional support firearm: an AR-15.
He is travelling internationally, flying AA with a connection to JL.
The check-in agent sees his itinerary, just when the man requests to check in his AR-15.
“Oh, bother”, the agent thinks to herself. “This is going to be a doozy.”
“Sir, I’m sorry but unfortunately you can’t transport a firearm on this itinerary.”
“What?”
“Sir, you booked a connection on Japan Airlines, and they do not allow firearms, probably because it’s against the law there.”
“That’s unconstitutional deep state tyranny! It’s my God-given constitutional right to keep and bear arms!”
“Sir, the 2nd Amendment doesn’t apply in Japan.”
“I’m a US citizen, why should I have to follow a foreign country’s laws? Shall not be infringed!”
“Sir, citizenship does not exempt you from another country’s laws. You cannot transport a firearm on this itinerary. Do you want to cancel your trip?”
“You’re complicit in the UN/WEF/WHO New World Order! It even says oneworld right behind you! You deserve to be sent to Gitmo!”
“Sir, please calm down.”
Then the man goes postal, steps over the bag drop to go behind the counter, and tries to punch the agent in the face. She happens to have a karate black belt and is far more physically fit and agile than him, so she fights back and subdues him – in full view of other guests.
The ammosexual man, who happens to be wearing a “Back the Blue” shirt (which makes him a hypocrite), is charged with a federal felony for assaulting an airline employee (49 USC 46503) and also faces numerous state charges. He also gets trespassed from the airport. Shortly after the ordeal, AA sends him a notice that he’s on their refuse list too. But wait, there’s more…
He unsuccessfully tries to resist arrest, and his trip to the jail is filled with profane rants about the “one world government”. (Obviously that’s not what “oneworld” is, but someone with an IQ that low doesn’t know that.)
In court, he becomes extremely aggressive and confrontational when he realizes that his felony conviction means that he is no longer allowed to own guns (18 USC 922(g)(1)) and could also be problematic when traveling to many other countries.
Meanwhile, the video of the man’s altercation goes viral on r/PublicFreakout with a title something along the lines of “Ammosexual man goes postal when he finds out that he can’t check a gun on a flight to Japan.”
Some people on Truth Social, and some right-wing politicians, refer to the man as a “hostage” and a “law-abiding citizen” (even though he’s now a convicted felon, which is the obvious opposite of law-abiding), and some start calling for a boycott of AA.
AA puts out a media statement saying: “We do not tolerate threatening, abusive or violent behavior. The offender will never be allowed to travel with us again.”
The man gets sentenced to federal prison, and becomes extremely aggressive and ends up in solitary confinement.
Airbnb is most useful to me in cities where hotels are exceedingly expensive. I’ve rented basements in peoples homes and saved hundreds. In exchange, the home owner gets a break on their mortgage.