Mar
28
2019
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.
Make Money While Riding Uber and Two Notable Aviation Passings
The TSA is Training Saudi Arabian Air Marshals
Mar
28
2019
The US government is having the TSA train Saudi Arabia to stand up an air marshal program. It’s enough to almost make you feel bad for the Saudis.
Air marshals have smuggled cocaine, engaged in sex trafficking, and discharged their weapons in hotels and bars. We spend $200 million per arrest on the air marshal program. And to be clear that is not $200 million per arrest of a terror suspect, most are just passengers behaving badly. They’ve never stopped a terrorist.
FAA Administrator Joked With United During David Dao Crisis in Released Emails
Mar
28
2019
ProPublica obtained and released a number of Acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell’s emails.
Included in the batch was correspondence with United Airlines during their PR crisis surrounding the dragging and beating of passenger David Dao in April 2017, while Elwell was an advisor to the Secretary of Transportation.
Naked Passenger Detained at Chicago O’Hare
Mar
28
2019
Right on the heels of a passenger claiming he needed to fly naked because clothes affect his ‘agility’ and thus his ability to fly, a naked male passenger was detained at Chicago O’Hare after running around outside on the tarmac.
For reasons I’ve never quite been able to fathom there’s a long history of naked passengers in airports. And yet Naked-Air somehow didn’t succeed.
Wow Air Pilots Sought to Have Journalists Investigated for Negative Coverage
Mar
28
2019
Ironically Wow Air itself provided free flights to journalists to influence coverage, and of course stories about the imminent demise of the low cost carrier turned out to be accurate rather than fake news.
United Polaris Bears Will Be Available Inflight – Two Days Only
Mar
28
2019
On the preview flight for the first aircraft with new seats every passenger received a Polaris Bear. United’s CEO Oscar Munoz was with the group, first in the lounge and then on the plane prior to takeoff. He was well aware of the aftermarket for these bears. They were fetching hundreds of dollars on eBay. And I suggested to him that United consider getting out of the passenger business, and just sell bears. The margins are much better. He chuckled and said he’d consider it.
Wow Air Fails, Cancels All Flights
Mar
28
2019
On Sunday I asked whether transatlantic low cost carrier Wow Air was toast. I phrased it in the form of a question but pointed out that while the answer to internet posts phrased as a question is almost always ‘no’ in this case it was probably the opposite.
This morning they ceased operations while stranding passengers. Your best recourse at this point if you hold tickets is likely to be with your credit card company. Claims by unsecured creditors with the airline’s bankruptcy administrator are far less likely to be successful.
Here’s How Boeing is Fixing the 737 MAX MCAS Software
Mar
27
2019
Boeing has unveiled software changes that should make erroneously engaging the system less likely, and less challenging for pilots if it ever does happen.
One of the Stranger Hotel Fees and an Inappropriate Airline Ad
Mar
27
2019
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.
Hyatt Announces Dates They’re Adding 2 New Brands, Plus Bonus Points and Free Night Offers
Mar
27
2019
In addition to expanding their footprint via partnerships (such as earning and redemption at so far about a third of Small Luxury Hotels of the World) they’ve also acquired Two Roads Hospitality which manages 5 brands.
Hyatt has now announced that Thompson Hotels joins March 28 and Joie de Vivre Hotels joins May 15. They have two bonus offers to celebrate, they stack, and also help towards an existing bonus as well.
