Passenger Confronts Member of Congress Flying First Class During the Shutdown

two men on airplane
Jan 23 2019

On Tuesday Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL) was confronted by a passenger on a Chicago – DC flight over his flying in first class during the government shutdown.

The issue here is that it may look unseemly for a member of Congress to appear to be ‘living well’ (how much of the country sees domestic first class) during the government shutdown. Indeed it’s popular to suggest that Members of Congress shouldn’t be paid while the government is shut down. I disagree.

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Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson’s Bizarre Interview: We Stored Your Unencrypted Passport #s to Help You

passport
Jan 22 2019

Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson comes off as out of touch with his customers’ concerns when he claims frustrations with their loyalty program are just ‘noise around the edges’ but that hardly seems to be a one-off example.

He gave a rather bizarre interview to CNBC at the Davos World Economic Forum where he floated the idea of recession being a good thing ‘to get it over with’ and suggested that Marriott was storing the customer passport numbers that were hacked to help customers.

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Singer Azealia Banks Goes on Tirade After Being Banned From Aer Lingus

plane docked
Jan 22 2019

She was attempting to fly from London Gatwick to Dublin aboard Aer Lingus flight EI233 on Monday. She says an airline employee was starting at her, but the employee complained to the captain claiming Banks made threats.

Ultimately she says being “singled out by the haggard old white ladies” keeps happening to her — she was caught on video melting down after a Delta flight in 2015 – because of “the long weave and the Louboutins” and she stands out.

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Flight Attendant Becomes New Inflight Toilet Paper Roll Racing Champion

airplane aisle
Jan 22 2019

A flight attendant has decided to be a toilet paper roll racing team of one as he walks up the aisle.

At least I’m going to assume that the flight attendant did this willingly and wasn’t the victim of a joke by other members of the crew. Passengers, definitely don’t try this inflight because you don’t know how your crewmember will take it, and you could find law enforcement waiting for you when you land (if they can figure out who the perpetrator was among a plane full of passengers).

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Marriott CEO Trash Talks Indian Hotel Chains

Jan 22 2019

Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson trash talked Indian hotel chains at Arabian Business in Dubai, suggesting that they might as well just stay niche players in India — they’ll never compete with Marriott.

Sorenson believes there’s no room for competitors now because of Marriott’s wide array of brands and loyalty program (“choice of price points, design sensibilities, and programmes”). He may overestimate their position, though.

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Staying With a Baby at the Park Hyatt in Paris (All the Stuff They Do For You)

hotel bathtub with baby bath
Jan 21 2019

I’ve stayed at the Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris many, many times. It’s not because it’s the single best hotel in Paris, rather I find it to be a nice hotel that I can book on points and I enjoy the neighborhood. It’s walkable to multiple metro stops, it’s a quiet neighborhood, and there’s good food nearby.

This was my first time staying there with an infant, and I didn’t even know what to ask for let alone expect.

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