Existing Marriott Travel Package Awards: Unavailable for a Month, Uncertain After That

by Gary Leff

outside marriott hotel
Aug 10 2018

Marriott is launching a new program August 18th which will be the same for all of Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, and Ritz-Carlton Rewards.

Accessing frequent guest accounts, and even making reservations, is expected to be offline most of that day. In addition Marriott Rewards and Ritz-Carlton Rewards accounts may be unavailable during overnight hours between now and the 18th. These overnight outages shouldn’t affect Starwood accounts.

Starting August 18th though you won’t be able to use previous travel package redemptions for a month.

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Mother Arrested in Dubai for ‘Drinking Glass of Wine on Emirates Flights’. True?

by Gary Leff

private airplane bar
Aug 10 2018

A 44 year old woman and mother of three arrived in Dubai off an Emirates flight on July 13. She learned her single entry visa, already used, was not valid for re-entry into the UAE.

It’s not clear why the woman wasn’t eligible for a new visa on arrival, however even if she was apparently the exchange became testy. She was with her four year old. She was asked whether she had been drinking (she was tested and came up 0.04. She acknowledged drinking a glass of wine on her Emirates flight.

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United Airlines Sued by the Federal Government For Failing to Stop Pilot’s Sexual Harassment

by Gary Leff

airplanes docked on tarmac
Aug 10 2018

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has announced a lawsuit against United Airlines for failing to discipline a pilot they say was harassing a flight attendant.

The government alleges this pilot “frequently posted sexually explicit images of a United flight attendant to various websites… referencing the airline’s tagline ‘Fly the Friendly Skies.” They argue United was aware of the harassment “but took no responsibility to put a stop to it.” Make no mistake these were x-rated photos.

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Should US Airlines Be Outsourcing More of Their Maintenance?

by Gary Leff

american airlines hangar
Aug 09 2018

American Airlines gave employees across the board raises without insisting that the pay changes be part of a contract. The airline says that’s made it harder to get mechanics to agree to a contract. American mechanics have already gotten much of the money they’re going to get with a new contract, so there’s less incentive for employees to agree to rules changes the airline wants.

The carrier is offering terms they say are more costly than what United and Delta have with their mechanics, so a common refrain from management has been that they would happily sign either the United or Delta deal today.

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Your Child’s Health Isn’t This Airline’s Concern During Flight Delays

by Gary Leff

chid with men
Aug 09 2018

So what happens when a Paris – Islamabad flight was delayed on August 3rd, it was hot outside, and there’s no working air conditioning on the plane? The aircraft doors were closed for a couple of hours. And passengers onboard flight PK750 were in extreme discomfort. Indeed, “a mother was begging for to open the door and to save her child who was completely unconscious when the air conditioning system was completely off” according to at least one report.

There’s footage from onboard the plane “show[ing] a woman pleading with the airline staff to open the door as her infant was experiencing breathlessness before take off.”

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