Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach Plays Games With Award Availability, and Hyatt is Powerless to Stop It

by Gary Leff

Oct 10 2019

The Hyatt Centric Waikiki says they have ‘fewer than 20’ standard rooms, which means that less than 9% of their rooms are standard rooms and eligible for World of Hyatt redemption. However I couldn’t find a single date where they were making rooms available at all.

I reached out to Hyatt to see whether the property was in compliance with program rules for making standard rooms available on points whenever they were offered on cash. I also asked whether Hyatt has rules for any minimum percentage of rooms that must be considered standard?

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EVA Air Introducing New Ferragamo Amenity Kits Next Month

by Gary Leff

Ferragamo amenities kit
Oct 10 2019

Next month the Rimowa kits will be replaced with Ferragamo kits. An EVA Air spokesperson explains that Rimowa, which has been acquired by luxury behemoth LVMH, “is ending its cooperation with airlines on amenity kits.”

As a result EVA will “offer its new Ferragamo amenity kits to business class passengers on all long-haul flights. But work on design and content is still in progress. EVA does not yet have photos or sample kits.”

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American’s Club Lounges Now Have Impossible Burgers and Mac and Cheese Bars

by Gary Leff

Oct 09 2019

Chicago O’Hare, Miami, Los Angeles and Dallas Fort-Worth have Impossible Burgers for purchase at $12. There’s also made-to-order ramen (“the Ramen Bowl shredded carrots, green onion, tomato and ramen noodles are prepared in the kitchen and warmed with the vegan lemongrass broth”) and some clubs lave local Destination Dishes on the Food for Sale menu.

The new “build-your-own mac and cheese stations…have a host of topping options, including onions, bacon and crushed chili cheese Fritos.”

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TSA Screener Does the One Thing the TSA Exists to Prevent

by Gary Leff

security tsa
Oct 09 2019

TSA has one job: to keep dangerous items outside of security checkpoints. That alone doesn’t make us safe, as Brussels and Istanbul airport attacks before security screening made clear. And the TSA isn’t very good at it in any case, regularly missing 90% or more of dangerous items they screen.

At a minimum, though, you’d expect that the TSA itself wouldn’t be the one bringing guns in.

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