Boeing 737 Broke Apart After Overrunning Runway In Istanbul

by Gary Leff

Feb 05 2020

A Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 touched down in bad weather at Istanbul’s second airport (Sabiha, code SAW) after flying from Izmur, Turkey. Flight PC 2193 overran runway 6 and hit the airport’s perimeter wall. The plane broke into 3 parts. An engine that separated caught fire.

There were 183 passengers and crew on board. It took nearly five hours to free everyone from the wreckage. One person is reported to have perished, and 157 taken to area hospitals. All six crew on board were injured.

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Analysis Of Marriott Hotel Redemption Category Changes Coming March 4

by Gary Leff

art installation
Feb 05 2020

Marriott has an award chart with each hotel assigned a category from 1 to 8. That determines the price you’ll pay in points for a standard room, as long as that room is available.

Every year Marriott re-categorizes hotels, moving them up or down, largely based on whether the rates are expected higher or lower than the previous year. There’s some wiggle room for adjustment, but changes largely track the hotel market. Here’s what’s happening March 4, 2020.

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LAX Is Looking For Volunteers To Help Them Stress Test Their New Concourse

by Gary Leff

Feb 05 2020

LAX is nearing completion of its Midfield Satellite Concourse. This is a 12 gate extension connected to the Tom Bradley International Terminal via a 1000 foot tunnel. As the airport prepares to open this new concourse this year they are looking for 500 people to become actors, playing the role of passenger. This will let them stress test the terminal.

Want to be one of the lucky few to see the new concourse before almost anybody else?

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American Airlines Pilot Caught In Gunfire Outside Puerto Rico Strip Club

by Gary Leff

Feb 05 2020

American Airlines flight AA1528 from San Juan to Philadelphia was delayed 7 hours and 45 minutes on Monday when pilot Mathew Stapula didn’t show up at the airport. He was killed outside a San Juan strip club early Sunday morning. American sent a new crew member to operate the flight.

The strip club was the scene of another fatal shooting in late September.

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Alaska’s Extremely Lucrative Partner Bonus Mile Promotion

by Gary Leff

plane tails
Feb 04 2020

This doesn’t just give you a lot more miles than you’d normally earn on the cheapest fares, it serves as a reason to credit those fares to Alaska’s Mileage Plan program.

Alaska is already super generous with earning on premium cabin fares on partners, offering big bonuses as part of the program. But this promotion focuses on delivering the most value to customers flying the least expensive tickets – a real departure in recent times for the industry.

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Marriott Adds Capacity Controls To Limit Awards At Many Hotels

by Gary Leff

Feb 04 2020

Marriott doesn’t have blackout dates. Award redemption is permitted on all dates. However hotels are allowed to have significant capacity controls for a handful of dates each year. Marriott is increasing the number of hotels that are allowed to limit award redemption at their busiest times.

Marriott made a change to its terms and conditions and it’s no longer only Marriott brands that can declare high demand dates where award redemption is limited. These redemption controls are now available in 2020 to all hotels within Marriott, including ex-Starwood properties.

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Passengers Being Sprayed Before 14 Day Quarantine After Leaving Wuhan

by Gary Leff

Feb 04 2020

Batik Air flew passengers stranded in Wuhan, China to Batam, Indonesia on Sunday. All 243 people on board had been screened for coronavirus prior to boarding. Then once they made it to Indonesia they were flown on board military aircraft to Natuna Island for quarantine.

Disembarking in Batam everyone was sprayed with an unknown substance, though individuals in hazmat suits had backpacks that read ‘ALHOKOL’.

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