May
11
2018
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.
Earning Miles for Paying Rent and Two New Hyatts Coming to LAX
Emirates Says No to Merger With Etihad, Is The Ruling Family of Dubai Telling the Truth?
May
11
2018
Etihad was an airline that started when Gulf Air eliminated its Abu Dhabi hub and the ruling Al Nahyan family sought to preserve and grow the capital of the UAE as a center of aviation.
But cash and ambition was never going to be enough to turn around carriers like Alitalia and air berlin. They were basket cases. And the ruling Al Nahyans finally decided to stop lighting money on fire as the price of energy fell. They axed the CEO of their airline who, ironically, they had poached in the first place from Gulf Air.
Yours is a Very Bad Hotel — or At Least You Have a Very Bad Desk Clerk
May
11
2018
Probably the most famous hotel complaint ever is the 2001 Powerpoint Yours is a Very Bad Hotel created by Tom Farmer and Shane Atchison from Seattle who showed up at what was then the Doubletree in Houston. Though they had guaranteed reservations they were being walked and the desk clerk couldn’t have cared less.
I was reminded of that complaint when I saw this video of a front desk clerk losing it at the Country Inn & Suites in Newport News, Virginia last week.
New Apple Credit Card – Called Apple Pay – Launching Next Year
May
10
2018
Barclays currently issues the Apple credit card. It’s fairly weak — no signup bonus, 3 points per dollar at Apple and 2 points at restaurants, with points you can redeem for Apple and iTunes gift cards.
There are no ‘benefits’ for being an Apple cardmember which I’ve never understood, other than a built-in financing offer for Apple products. Early access to products, special activations at Apple stores, some form of better treatment for cardmembers seems like a no brainer.
United Brings Back Tomato Juice (“Let Them Eat Juice”)
May
10
2018
Last weekened I wrote that United had confirmed cutbacks to meals in domestic first class on flights under four hours outside of departures between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
There were beverage cutbacks too. That’s generated negative publicity for United. So they’re making an about face on one (and only one) change. Tomato juice.
Kimpton ‘Likes’ How IHG is Killing Them and British Airways Admits Planes are Dirty
May
10
2018
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.
An Updated Simple Model Ranks the Best Hotel Programs
May
10
2018
Loyalty has two primary components: recognition and reward. That’s your elite program and your earn and burn proposition.
Hotel programs are tough to compare because you earn a different number of points per dollar spent, and redemptions vary wildly as well — the most expensive Hyatt redemption is 30,000 points while the most expensive Hilton redemption costs 95,000. We can normalize that by looking at the number of points earned, and the value of each point.
US Government Will Audit Its Own Safety Oversight of American Airlines and Allegiant
May
10
2018
Under pressure to ‘do something’ the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General is going to audit the FAA’s oversight of American Airlines and Allegiant. This is a change in focus of an existing audit launched at the behest of Democrats in Congress last summer.
It’s a concern, apparently, that the FAA takes a collaborative approach to safety rather than focusing on finding violations it can fine.
American Airlines Supervisor Demanded to Know ‘How Many Boobs’ Breastfeeding Mom Has
May
10
2018
Issues around breastfeeding aren’t new. And there’s no reason to dig in when making a mistake, humiliating customers.
If there’s a disagreement, check out and see who is right. Especially for a supervisor. Too many employees just blindly back up other employees.
Flying Without ID and Paying for Seats With Points
May
09
2018
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.
