View from the Wing

Amazon Delays Launch Of New Competitor To UPS, FedEx Because Of Coronavirus

by Gary Leff on April 9, 2020

Apr 09 2020

Amazon originally built out server capacity to handle the huge order surge for the Christmas holidays, and found that they had spare server capacity the rest of the year – and a huge capability in managing servers. So they expanded into the adjacent space of cloud computing (Amazon Web Services).

They’ve also built out a delivery and logistics shipping capacity to handle their own surges, and that gave them tons of extra capacity. Amazon delivers more of its own packages than other shipping services combined. They delivered over 3.5 billion packages last year, making their own internal shipping business two-thirds the size of UPS.

New York Times Irresponsibly Suggests COVID-19 Was Brought To New York By Qatar Airways

by Gary Leff on April 9, 2020

Apr 09 2020

The lede to a piece in the New York Times on the bungled initial response to the novel coronavirus appears to suggest that the virus was first brought to New York by a Qatar Airways flight. It even further appears to suggest that if only New York had done a better job containing that first case, things would be different today. These claims make little sense.

U.S. Government Might Take Frequent Flyer Programs As Collateral For Bailout

by Gary Leff on April 8, 2020

Apr 08 2020

If airlines are going to receive a bailout, taxpayers should receive some assurance of recovering the funds when times are good. And any deal should be structured to incentivize airlines to get out from under partial nationalization as quickly as possible.

The Treasury Department is asking airlines seeking bailout funds to detail the economics of their frequent flyer programs as one source of collateral.

What All The Elite Status Extensions Mean We’ll See Later This Year

by Gary Leff on April 8, 2020

Apr 08 2020

Elite status is one of the most powerful motivators for frequent customers to stick with a travel brand. When programs extend status outright during this crisis, they’re giving up a tool to encourage business when customers are able to come back. So they’re going to have to reach into a different bag of tricks.

American And Alaska Advance Partnership, Reciprocal Elite Status Earning Starts Today

by Gary Leff on April 8, 2020

Apr 08 2020

Alaska Airlines is planning to join the oneworld alliance and is scaling its partnership with American Airlines back up. Here’s some inside scoop on why American had been cutting ties with Alaska, and how they changed their mind.

The rejuvenated partnership continues to build even in difficulty times. As of today you can now earn redeemable milesand also elite status miles when crediting flights from one airline to the other airline’s progam.

Marriott Extends Elite Status, Takes Additional Measures

by Gary Leff on April 8, 2020

Apr 08 2020

Marriott is extending current elite status through February 2022. And while they had already paused expiration of points through August they have extended that out to February 2021.

Citi Revamping Earning Structure For Premier and Preferred Cards

by Gary Leff on April 8, 2020

Apr 08 2020

Citi is revamping its Premier and Preferred cards. Citi Premier gets new earning categories, and spending points on paid travel will no longer be as lucrative (making points-to-miles transfers the only good option). Citi Preferred is getting new bonus categories.

China’s Wuhan Airport Has Now Re-Opened

by Gary Leff on April 8, 2020

Apr 08 2020

Wuhan Tianhe International Airport is 16 miles from the city center of Wuhan, capital of the Hubei province. As the epicenter of the initial COVID-19 breakout, it has been shut down since January 23. The airport was disinfected on Friday.

The airport, which is a focus city for China Eastern, China Southern, and Air China, re-opened today. It has historically had non-stop flights to New York, San Francisco, London, Tokyo, Paris, Dubai, Sydney and other destinations in Europe and Asia.

Now That Tourism Is Re-Opening, Bad Things Are Happening At The Great Wall Of China

by Gary Leff on April 8, 2020

Apr 08 2020

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.

Don’t Take Advantage Of United’s New Flexible Cancellation Offer

by Gary Leff on April 7, 2020

Apr 07 2020

United today announced that customers can have fees waived for changes to travel through end of the year provided they make their change or cancellation by April 30.

You’re better off waiting for a significant flight change or cancellation and insisting on a refund, and the April 30 deadline should be extended anyway. There doesn’t seem a strong reason to act now.

Amazon Delays Launch Of New Competitor To UPS, FedEx Because Of Coronavirus

New York Times Irresponsibly Suggests COVID-19 Was Brought To New York By Qatar Airways

U.S. Government Might Take Frequent Flyer Programs As Collateral For Bailout

What All The Elite Status Extensions Mean We’ll See Later This Year

American And Alaska Advance Partnership, Reciprocal Elite Status Earning Starts Today

Marriott Extends Elite Status, Takes Additional Measures

Citi Revamping Earning Structure For Premier and Preferred Cards

China’s Wuhan Airport Has Now Re-Opened

Now That Tourism Is Re-Opening, Bad Things Are Happening At The Great Wall Of China

Don’t Take Advantage Of United’s New Flexible Cancellation Offer

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About Gary Leff

	Bilt Mastercard® Earn Points Paying Rent (up to 100,000 each year) plus earn 3x at restaurants; 2x on travel; as long as you make at least 5 purchases per month. No annual fee.
	Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months (See rates and fees)
	Citi® / AAdvantage Business^TM World Elite Mastercard® For a limited time, earn 75,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 5 months of account opening. AAdvantage miles are the currency I've redeemed most.[See rates and fees]