Earn Up to 150,000 Avios, Not Subject to 5/24

first class cabin
Mar 16 2018

Chase won’t approve many people who have opened 5 or more new accounts within the previous 24 months for some of their credit cards. That’s frequently referred to as “5/24.”

However some cards are exempt from 5/24, and the number of new accounts you’ve had in the last two years won’t disqualify you from being approved.

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The “WOOFF Act” Senators Turn Death of a Dog on United Into Personal Political Play

dog
Mar 16 2018

Well that didn’t take long. Two Senators are grandstanding on this week’s death of a pet onboard a United Airlines flight from Houston to New York LaGuardia. It’s said one bad story makes a regulation and two makes a law, Senators Kennedy and Mastro are skipping over the regulation part.

Without a new federal law a criminal investigation is already underway in Texas where the plane boarded….

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Chase Introduces New Iberia Credit Card

stock airline bed
Mar 15 2018

Iberia is great because — although accounts that have been open 90 days and have had some activity can move between Avios programs already — you can circumvent the active accounts requirement and go straight to the Spanish carrier’s program. And that lets you redeem for Iberia flights for far fewer miles, and without huge fuel surcharges.

Despite this deepening relationship with IAG I wasn’t expecting news that Chase would issue an Iberia credit card in the United States.

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First Hilton Killed Award Charts, Now They’re Doubling/Sextupling Some Award Prices Without Notice

award chart
Mar 15 2018

Hilton formally dropped award charts a year ago but promised that they weren’t raising prices.

I wrote at the time after speaking to program leadership that Hilton says they are not increasing the maximum price of any hotel, and do not intend to do so. If they increase pricing and they do not make an announcement of this in advance they will come under much-deserved criticism.

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American Passenger Fiddles With Liquid Pipe, Tells Seatmate Their 737 is Gonna Explode

american planes on tarmac
Mar 15 2018

American Airlines flight 1316 from Chicago – Sacramento turned around on Friday after a passenger started talking about a bomb and fiddling with a liquid filled pipe and battery.

Passenger Michael Bielinski reportedly tapped the woman beside him on the shoulder. He told her “we’re all going to die” and the “plane is going to explode.”

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American and Chicago O’Hare Make Peace at Last Minute

airport tarmac
Mar 15 2018

United Airlines has 14 more gates than American at Chicago O’Hare. American is opening 5 new gates that they paid for, reducing the gap to 9. But the new O’Hare expansion plan re-opens the gap and returns United to a 14 gate advantage.

After escalating things by FOIAing communications between the Chicago’s Mayor and United this week — and as the city was scheduled to approve the plan, American’s lack of assent notwithstanding — there are now reports of a stand down and a deal.

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Brazilian Gang Watches Goodfellas, Robs Lufthansa Flight of $5 Million

lufthansa plane
Mar 14 2018

In 1978 nearly $6 million was robbed from Lufthansa at New York JFK — in what was then the largest cash robbery ever in the United States.

The heist was investigated for over 35 years, even leading to an arrest in 2014 of a purported high-ranking member of the Bonanno crime family, however the then-78 year old man was acquitted. Much of the proceeds of the Lufthansa robbery were said to have been gambled away in casinos.

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