Significant cash deposits are being required by some Marriott properties when booking an award. They say they’ll charge you cash up front and give it back at the end of your stay.
What’s more these are very poorly disclosed during the booking process, the credit card charges would come as a complete surprise to most people.
In the fall Marriott revealed one of the biggest data breaches in history, and certainly the biggest known breach in travel.
In all 383 million records were hacked including 5.25 million unencrypted passport numbers, 8.6 million payment cards (most expired). Marriott has not revealed whether the notes they’ve taken on you were revealed.
After many years of speculation, sixteen months ago Southwest finally announced they would fly to Hawaii. How long have we been waiting? In December 2010 they advertised for an ETOPS manager suggesting they were planning long overwater flights.
They have yet to begin selling tickets but details of their plans have been trickling out ever since. Last year they confirmed several Hawaii routes: Oakland, San Diego, San Jose, and Sacramento will see Hawaii service and they’ll fly to Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, and Lihue.
And now we know what they will serve inflight, too.
A pilot of a China Airlines Boeing 747 is filmed – by another pilot int he cockpit – taking a nap during a flight. The SkyTeam member airline and Delta partner has disciplined the sleeping pilot along with the co-pilot whose video ratted him out.
The price of inflight beer and wine – like all other airline fees – has gone up. You may now pay $9 for a drink. And just like the movie theater you aren’t supposed to bring your own snacks, but at those prices how can you not at least consider it?
That looks to be what happened at Washington Dulles airport as a man is seen carrying a giant beer on one of the airport’s mobile lounges between concourses.
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.
Nagoya airport in Japan runs the Samurai Ninja Project to introduce the history of Central Japan to tourists.
The airport’s staff dressed up as ninjas for Ninja Day which is the 22nd day of the 2nd month because the Japanese word for two is ni (transliterated, natch) and ni ni ni is like Ninja. So it’s sort of like how May 4th is Star Wars Day because ‘May the Fourth be with you’.
Back in February American Airilines went apoplectic over a deal to disproportionately increase United’s gate count at Chicago O’Hare. They said they would not sign a new lease under those conditions.
The Chicago Deputy Mayor charged with handling O’Hare expansion has now been… hired by United. Robert Rivkin was named United’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel.
If you have the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card you might not even know it because you still think of it as the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Card — and your card still says SPG on it.
One of the biggest criticisms of the new program is that the value of points earned via credit card is one third less than Starwood Amex cardmembers are accustomed to. They’ve solved that through the rest of the year.
These flights represent 5% of American’s flights but the airline says they generate more than half of premium cabin revenue. They touch 80% of American’s cargo. And “[n]early 50 percent of first and business passengers” on these flights are elites.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
