Tyler Cowen points to this Financial Times piece (subscription required, or visit BugMeNot, or google the article’s headline and click through from Google to read the text). Singapore is worried about obesity, with 11% of the population considered obese under world standards compared to a 17% world average (which includes countries suffering from famine) and 35% in the U.S. Singapore plans to restrict advertising for “unhealthy” food and drink aimed at children, as countries across Asia grow increasingly concerned about obesity rates. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said “obesity rates are going up . . . with more fast foods and sedentary occupations” even as more Singaporeans are exercising and fewer are smoking. It seems odd that they’re focusing on advertising to children when it’s adult behavior identified as a key area of concern: Singapore has seen a rise…
General
Category Archives for General.
National Opt Out Week: Speak Truth to TSA Power
Journalist Christopher Elliott is supporting National Opt-Out Week. Don’t go through the nude-o-scopes at the TSA checkpoint, insist on a good old fashioned full body run (pat down) instead. Elliott’s reason for supporting the movement are that the machines aren’t adequately tested for dangers due to radiation (applies more to the backscatter machines than to the millimeter wave machines), that they are easily fooled (so don’t provide much security at all), that they are very expensive (so a poor use of security resources that could be better deployed elsewhere), that they’ve invasive (we give up our rights and the terrorists really have won), and that they’ve never actually, you know, caught a terrorist. I don’t just opt out one week a year. I did go through one of the machines a year ago in the…
Regulators in the US and Canada Try to Protect High Prices and Bad Service from Taxicabs
I wrote about on-demand car service Uber back in July in “Why Taxis Suck and What You Can Do About It” and in September on New York City’s war against Uber which was then trying to make the city’s taxi cabs more available and more efficient. It seems that regulators have their own trade group, and the International Association of Transportation Regulators has gotten together to strategize over how to put on-demand car service app Uber out of business. Taxi and limousine regulators from 15 U.S. and Canadian cities plan to release proposed guidelines Friday aimed at reining in some of the smartphone applications and online services that are radically changing how customers hail cabs. The rules were drawn up by a task force of the International Association of Transportation Regulators with members from New…
100 Free Starwood Starpoints
The first 5000 people who add their travel wish to a wish map receive 100 free Starpoints. Every little bit helps.
American and US Airways Merger: Now Just Haggling Over Price
When US Airways first started trolling around the American Airlines bankruptcy, they hoped to snatch it up cheaply. Since American has gotten labor agreements done with its various workforces (and even has had its pilots union send out a new contract with recommendation or a vote of approval), has gotten various other costs down, and has killed off several unprofitable routes, the airline has gotten much more expensive as a potential acquisition target. US Airways initially saw likely equity split as 50-50 if it merged with the larger airline. Now US Airways is looking at 70% of a combined company going to American’s creditors, while some creditors see 80% as their negotiating position. Regardless, this suggests a deal has become much more likely. Certainly American is not adamantly opposed, although any deal likely benefits current…
Lowest Price I’ve Ever Seen on American AAdvantage Purchased Miles: 50% Bonus and an Increase in the Number of Miles You’re Allowed to Buy
This is probably the best purchase miles offer I’ve seen from American in a long time. And not only is it a bigger bonus — up to 50%, through December 31 — but they’ve also temporarily increased the cap on purchases you can make. Normally they allow purchase of 40,000 miles per account in a single calendar year, but through the end of the year that’s increased to 60,000 miles. (Bonus miles earned from purchases do not count towards this limit.) The number of miles purchased in a single transaction determines your bonus: 5000 – 9999 miles purchased earns 1500 bonus miles 10,000 – 14,000 miles purchased earns 3000 bonus miles 15,000 – 19,000 miles purchased earns 4500 bonus miles 20,000 – 29,000 miles purchased earns 10,000 bonus miles 30,000 – 39,000 miles purchased earns…
Will More Frequent Flyer Programs Be Spun Off as Independent Businesses?
Colloquy has an in-depth piece on Jet Airways spinning off its frequent flyer program. Some industry insiders speculate that if not a listing, then certainly a stake sale seems to be on Jet’s agenda. “As and when negotiations with the potential knowledge partners crystallise into a concrete decision, it is proposed that some percentage of the company’s stake be offered to the knowledge partners,” Jet Airways claimed while making the announcement. Jet Airways’ latest announce-ments, however, seem to indicate that this move is in line with the company’s intent to improve its ancillary revenues up from 3% overall to 10-15% over the next few years. At present, Jet Airways’ ancillary revenues that come from sources other than ticket sales stand at $170 million. “The frequent flyer programme started as a cost centre but has started…
Virgin America Offering Status Matches to United and American Elite Members
Virgin America is offering elite status matches to United and American flyers. If interested, email statusmatch@virginamerica.com with your Virgin America frequent flyer number and either a screen shot of your elite status account with United or American or a copy of your elite card. They will match United Platinums and 1Ks and American Executive Platinums to their top tier Gold status, and American Platinums and United Golds to their Silver status. Status only lasts through April 30, but there’s an expedited requalification scheme. Certainly Virgin America wants as many high value customers as possible given their financial performance. I’m tempted by the offer, since I’ve never flown them. But top tier elite status only gets you the right to buy up to first class on a space available basis 24 hours prior to flight. While…
Delta Selling Elite Qualifying Miles
As they did last year, Delta will sell you elite qualifying miles again now that the end of the year is approaching, you want to reach the next level of status (rather than banking your ‘leftover’ elite qualifying miles as a head start on next year), and would rather just pay money instead of spending the time to do some incremental flying. The qualifying miles post within 24 hours. It’s expensive at at least 10 cents a mile, but since it saves you the time of actually flying it could be worthwhile for some. (HT: Lucky)
British Airways and Iberia 25% Discount on Long Haul Award Tickets Works for US-Originating Itineraries
Yesterday I wrote that British Airways, Iberia, and Avios would be launching a 25% off award sale valid on long haul routes. Details of the sale are now online. As I expected, the terms and conditions specify “Flights depart London” and that led me to believe the 25% discount would be available only on London-originating itineraries. One Mile at a Time beat me to the punch with the word that 25% will actually come off of all long haul award flights to and from London. The sale is on for six days only and permits travel through the end of May in any class of service. This is a discount on the mileage cost of the award only and not on taxes and fuel surcharges (which, route-depending, can be substantial). Partner flights aren’t eligible, it’s…
