News and notes from around the interweb:
- Thing is, the Austin airport Chase Sapphire Terrace food just doesn’t seem worth taking at scale?
I watched a woman come in and literally drain the farmers fridges for her and her husband on my layover in June. I kid you not when without hesitation they took 25+ cartons loaded up their stroller and walked out…
I felt like all of the employees wanted to say something but couldn’t. Even when she also took a handful of the packaged cookies/snacks too as she walked by. They knew exactly what they were doing.
- Usually it’s pizza and Shake Shack is better.
My flight was delayed from leaving about 4 hours because of mechanical problems.
Delta went to Wendy’s (in the airport) and bought a bunch of burgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken wraps, chicken nuggets, and salads and brought them to the gate and everybody came up and got one. No fries, but still nice gesture
- Emirates bans pagers and walkie talkies from its flights
- Airline Admits Woman Was Able To Take International Flight Without Ticket
- Much-criticized Dallas Love Field rideshare pickup location to move closer to terminal by January, airport says
- U.S. Bank $900 business checking account bonus
I posted about the Love Field hike a few days ago … I also raised all the Hell I could after my first round with it, 105-degrees, a/c not working, people stopping to rest before they tackled it again. Not in the story, Dallas gave exclusive rights to continue picking up passengers at the front to a fancy semi-limo company so … the people who really matter … and who could afford it … wouldn’t have to walk. Other cities don’t have a monopoly on being stupid.
As for Airline Lounge food theft, the way to stop this is the same way they dramatically slowed the scamming of multiple Credit Card Bonus Miles (which in that case was to threaten closing your account and forfeiting all of your miles): Post a sign in the club that clearly states anyone taking food at scale (beyond what they need in waiting for their next flight), they will be penalized 50,000 miles per incident. It gets tougher with Priority, AMEX, and Chase Lounges, as the airlines would need agreement with each company to strip the miles. That said, it should be effective with the Big 3 (American, Delta & United).
Yet another example of a company chasing people, not dollars. They put this lounge in AUS because of the influx of people who came to Austin. Problem is, many of those failed in more expensive cities and fled to AUS because of cheap housing and misrepresentations by their employers that Austin is just like California or whatever.
In other words, people who are both gullible and also bad with money. That’s the modern AUS demographic. This is not exactly the clientele an upscale card and lounge wants to be attracting, so when people go pillaging and stockpiling from self service offerings like it’s some sort of socialist food pantry, that should have been expected with this crowd.
If the lounge food comes from vending machines (as it appears in the photo), then have the machines scan BP’s and put a limit on how much each can take per period of time.
I have been to that lounge in AUS twice this year. One of those visits was prior to a long flight without food service and I loved the idea that these items can easily be eaten on the plane. I admit I over-selected and took 5 items and only consumed one in the lounge. I am sure there are worse offenders than I am, but it was amazingly convenient, and certainly a value part of the $550 membership fee.
Just a note for those travelling TO AUS, they will not let you in, space available or not. They only allow departing boarding passes. I know many other lounges have a similar rule but I have found that both Delta and Priority Club have allowed me in on arrival if they were not over full.
Meanwhile, I am in LCY trying to use my Chase PP benefits at a grab and go to fuel up. Chase ended those apparently. COF Venture X looking way better than my CSR at this point.
My grandmother used to take things from the table when we were at a restaurant. We were all highly embarrassed. She never needed the silly items she would take besides the sweetener packets. I don’t know what she did with the silverware. That was a long time ago.
The AUS Chase “lounge” is the most pathetic excuse for a premium lounge I’ve ever had the misfortune to enter. So lovely in the summer (e.g. 6-7 months out of the year) when the tiny inside is full and you have to set up shop in the lovely 100+ heat.
Love Field is a monopoly airport for Southwest created by the US DOT and DOJ.
Why are you surprised they have a monopoly ride-share operator as well? Monopoly is in their DNA.
I know Uber and Lyft are able to operate there but the walk is ridiculous.
Beyond the optics of the stroller incident, that dispenser might not have been replenished until the next day and some person looking for a quick grab-and-go might have been out of luck . . . hosed out of a lounge benefit.
Your article said, “I watched a woman come in and literally drain the farmers fridges for her and her husband on my layover in June. I kid you not when without hesitation they took 25+ cartons loaded up their stroller and walked out…”
As described in the Washington Post,
“First, it was the “gallon challenge” and the “cinnamon challenge.”
Then some teenagers started playing the “bath-salt challenge.”
They have dared each other to pour salt in their hands and hold ice till it burns, douse themselves in rubbing alcohol and set themselves ablaze, and throw boiling water on unsuspecting peers.
Now, videos circulating on social media are showing kids biting into brightly colored liquid laundry-detergent packets. Or cooking them in frying pans, and then chewing them up before spewing the soap from their mouths.
Experts say the game, dubbed the “Tide pod challenge,” is dangerous.”
Now, as described in View from the Wing, comes the Farmers Fridge challenge. Eat at least 24 containers of Farmers Fridge salad before boarding your American Airlines or Delta Air Lines flight. See if you will get explosive diarrhea after eating the salad 30,000 feet (9,144 meters) above sea level. You win bonus points if you clog a first-cabin toilet.
Read more: https://www.chefsresource.com/why-does-eating-salad-give-me-diarrhea/