General

May 11 2015

AgFed – the Agriculture Federal Credit Union based in the DC area – is NCUA insured and has $240 million in assets, about 22,000 members, and 6 branches. They sell Visa gift cards online for $3.95 that come embossed with your name on them. (These are fulfilled by FIS Global.) Joining the Credit Union The credit union is open to: People who live, work, volunteer, or go to school in DC Employees or members of a bunch of government agencies or organizations with affiliations like the Embassy of Jamaica and the Kennedy Center Anyone who pays $20 to join The Friends of CityDance Association Opening an account generates a soft pull on your Equifax credit report. They require you to open a free savings account with $5 minimum deposit. They also offer a free checking…

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May 11 2015

A baby was born onboard an Air Canada flight from Calgary to Tokyo over the weekend. The woman apparently didn’t know she was even pregnant, and the boyfriend is now afraid of the woman’s father. Fortunately for mother and child there were two doctors onboard… they didn’t even need to divert the aircraft, and the flight was given priority clearance to land at Narita..

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May 11 2015

A United flight from Houston to Portland diverted to Salt Lake City to offload a family that included an autistic girl (on their way back from Disney, no less) because the mother indicated the girl was on the verge of a meltdown. She demanded – and was ultimately given – a meal from first class to try to calm the girl down.

There’s a video of the family being removed from the plane (natch).

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May 10 2015

The Alaska Airlines Visa is my favorite Bank of America credit card. And an offer that many thought was dead is still around if you know where to look. That’s true despite only having a 25,000 mile signup bonus most of the time. (They did once have a 50,000 mile offer and they’ve also done 40,000 mile offers but most often 25,000 miles is best.) Until recently there was a 25,000 mile signup bonus that also came with a $100 statement credit when you spent $1000 on the card within 3 months. That statement credit more than covers the card’s $75 fee. The fee isn’t waived the first year. On the other hand though, the personal card’s signup bonus often posts before your card even arrives in the mail – no purchase necessary (the business…

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May 10 2015

Too often frequent flyer programs think they can Jedi mind trick their customers. But that’s so ten years ago.

What matters more than anything now is authenticity.

Or,as I wrote in 2009 customers will work with whatever game is offered as long as the programs shoot straight and play fair. …

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May 10 2015

The DOT has unilaterally decided to ignore its published rules, and has provided guidance that it will no longer make airlines honor mistake fares — as long as airlines make consumers whole for costs they incur in reliance on those fares.

That’s a bad approach, ripe for potentially even more abuse than the requirement that airlines honor their fares. Here’s how consumers will take advantage of the rule, and other problems with the DOT guidance. And here’s why the DOT may change its mind again any day now…

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May 10 2015

As part of Cathay Pacific’s revamp of its frequent flyer program, there’s discussion of limiting partner airlines from accessing award space on their flights. This would be a huge deal for AAdvantage members. But how likely is it?

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May 09 2015

A collection of interesting links you’ll want to see, many you’ll want to click.

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