Category Archives for Destinations.
The Maldives has banned entry into the country by Israeli citizens and will fundraise for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency which works directly with Hamas in Gaza and some of whose employees participated in the October 7th terrorist attacks.
A 30-year old American has been arrested after two bullets were found in his backpack prior to boarding a cruise in Turks & Caicos. He now faces 12 years in prison. The Virginia resident is a father of an 18-month old child and says he didn’t realize the bullets were there.
We just heard this story about another American last week. It stems from a change in Turks & Caicos law based on a new court ruling in February, and from TSA’s persistent failure to catch bullets going through security checkpoints at U.S. airports.
Nick Gray headed to Tokyo and, after his trip there last year, felt like he’d have enjoyed it more after a few days if he had someone to hang out along with him. So he posted to the internet that he’d like a blind date and that he’d fly them there (in coach) for a long weekend and cover all expenses. He created a Google Doc with how to apply. This story is going viral, viewed millions of times.
In Lopburi, Thailand, a significant escalation has occurred involving conflicts between rival monkey factions, leading to significant disruptions. To mitigate the situation, officials have engaged, successfully capturing a key figure among the monkeys, Ai Krao, along with several of his followers. Despite these efforts, the challenge persists due to the monkeys’ adeptness with firearms and understanding of human cues.
The customs forms for 1,966 cartons said they were nail clippers and pet grooming supplies. Anyone who opened up the cartons were supposed to just be scared off by the preserved rattlesnakes inside, I guess, though it seems like that would be at least a paperwork violation once found.
Hidden inside – the rattlesnakes were just a decoy – were duck intestines from China.
There’s a lot of confusion over taxes and fees when flying from London, because there are so many of them. European and British airlines like British Airways add fuel surcharges or ‘carrier-imposed surcharges’ onto tickets. These are extra fees for no particular reason, that are quoted as part of the total price when buying a ticket for cash. They are extra fees collected on top of your miles when you redeem points, making them even worse.
Violent gang attacks under the direction of Jimmy Cherizier (“Barbecue”) on Thursday near Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti damaged several commercial aircraft while JetBlue took off, fortunately unscathed. American Airlines and Spirit Airlines cancelled their flights from Miami and Fort Lauderdale on Thursday.
Three years ago Hyatt announced that the all-suite Brazilian-themed Rio hotel would be renovated and become multiple brands as part of the chain – with Hyatt Regency to be the first and largest (1,500 of the Rio’s 2,500 rooms) – set to open in 2023.
They didn’t quite make that goal. However, as of today Rio Hotel & Casino is participating in World of Hyatt.
U.S. airlines are lobbying against Chinese airlines’ restoration of pre-COVID flights to the U.S., hindered by Russian airspace restrictions and a complex web of political and economic factors, leading to strategic route squatting and financial losses amidst a slow restoration of flights between the two countries.
In March 1962, the CIA provided options to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for hijackings and downing of an aircraft, made to look like a civilian airliner, as well as for terrorist attacks on American soil – all ‘false flag’ operations to justify invasion with Cuba.
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 »
