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.
Texas Monthly has updated its Top 50 Texas Barbecue list (and therefore the top barbecue spots in the world).
Central Texas barbecue has a focus on meat, especially brisket. You may get onions, peppers or pickle slices, and white bread as an accompaniment. Put your meat on the bread between bites. It’s all served on butcher paper most often. Meat is sold by the pound. If there’s sauce, it’s for dipping only.
Like last year and in 2015, Hyatt is offering Hyatt Credit Card cardmembers a rebate on points redeemed between June 1 and September 5.
Members who have the card and use their points for stays (free night awards as well as cash and points awards) between June 1 and September 5 will receive 10% of their points back after the stay. The 10% rebate also applies to redemptions for room upgrades, dining, and spa services.
Ten years ago then-Spirit Airlines CEO accidentally included a customer in a reply instructing staff how to handle their complaint.
That email didn’t play well. But it didn’t include foul language like an Emirates customer service email did recently.
Ryanair used to say they were thinking about charging to use the lavatory. It turns out their flight attendants threaten to charge passengers for not using the lavatory.
So if you thought United’s and American’s ‘Basic Economy’ fares where you’re not permitted to bring a full-sized carry on onboard are bad, there are certainly worse fees out there!
Hyatt Diamond members were given a free night at any Hyatt with the transition to the new World of Hyatt and renaming top tier status ‘Globalist’. I used mine at the Park Hyatt Sydney.
Hyatt also gives a free night at any property upon hitting 60 nights in a year. And you can earn 2 free nights at any Hyatt with the Hyatt Credit Card.
Emirates has one of the world’s best first class products on their Airbus A380 — suites with doors, good food and drink program, onboard showers and a bar behind business class.
Their Boeing 777s, the other mainstay of their fleet, has basically the same first class suite but no showers or bar. It’s a good product, but certainly a notch below first on the Airbus A380.
oneworld member (and American Airlines partner) Finnair has just been announced as a new Alaska Airlines partner.
Finnair flies to Helsinki from Chicago, New York JFK, and Miami and is inaugurating San Francisco service June 1 with three times weekly summer service through September 28.
Dr. David Dao was hardly the first passenger forcibly dragged off a United flight by law enforcement. He wasn’t even the first Asian male dragged off. He wasn’t even the first Asian male whose dragging off of a United flight was caught on video.
We can theorize, of course, whether an older white male in a Make America Great Again hat is less likely to be dragged by law enforcement, or whether United’s post-Dao reaction is primarily the cause of the change since the last Newark – Shanghai self-upgrader removal.
Several years ago I wrote about the man who stripped naked at a TSA checkpoint.
Criminal charges in Oregon state court were thrown out because state nudity laws don’t apply to protest. The TSA, though, decided to fine him despite the acquittal.
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 »
