American Airlines has a small business program, Business Extra, that gives points to businesses when their employees travel on the airline. This is separate from, and in addition to, the AAdvantage miles that travelers earn themselves.
The airline announced today that they are giving up to 1 million Business Extra points to minority-owned small businesses and also non-profits.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Amazon is offering $20 for a future purchase after spending $50 using an American Express card
In the aftermath of the May 22 crash of a Pakistan International Airlines flight from Lahore to Karachi a preliminary investigation attributed the cause to pilot error and lack of professionalism. Cockpit crew talked throughout the journey about COVID-19 and its affect on their families, while ignoring standard operating procedures. 97 of the 99 passengers and crew on board were killed.
The investigation further revealed that more than 30% of pilots at the airlines have fake licenses and aren’t qualified to fly.
Hawaii has imposed a 14-day mandatory quarantine on arrival since late March. That order currently extends through July 31, but will be extended.
What’s new is that Hawaii will offer an option to avoid quarantine. Arriving passengers with a negative test for COVID-19 from the previous 72 hours, will be exempted. The state will also be implementing temperature screening at airports.
They say the only true drinking problem is someone who never buys. That isn’t quite right, because when you lose your wine that’s a problem too.
You should always wear your seat belt, even when the seat belt sign is off, because turbulence can be a surprise. But there’s no known wine seat belt. And on one flight the plane shook so badly a bottle of wine was apparently sent shooting off into the ceiling of the aircraft.
And the Allied Pilots Association, which represents pilots at American Airlines, has a creative suggestion. They want the federal government to buy up all the middle seats or more specifically “purchase enough seats on each flight to eliminate the need for any passenger to sit next to a stranger.”
The union says it “has begun discussing the SEATS concept with key lawmakers” to get it included in a CARES Act followup or passed as a standalone. Watch your wallets.
The biggest challenge with how easily SARS-CoV-2 spreads is that pre-symptomatic people are perhaps the most likely to infect others. Some studies suggest that people shed the most virus in the two days leading up to symptoms. So taking temperatures, convincing people to stay home when sick, only goes so far. That’s why healthy people are asked to wear masks, because they may be infecting others without realizing it.
Another big problem though is that even people who test positive for the virus aren’t staying home. Some are hiding their diagnosis, and still traveling.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
With the opening of the new New York LaGuardia Central Terminal building to replace the old terminal C, United, American, Air Canada and Southwest have a new home at one of the most important airports in the country.
I’ve been overall pretty negative on the renovation project because my fear has been that it would slow down travel, not make it better. A reader shares a report that confirms my fears. He concludes, “LaGuardia now requires an additional 30 minutes to get to the gate.”
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 »
