Aeroplan Quickly Brings Back Online Booking of Awards Outside US and Canada

by Gary Leff

air canada plane tarmac
May 27 2017

When the Aeroplan website stopped allowing customers to book awards that do not either start or end in the U.S. and Canada online, I concluded that “Aeroplan hates their customers.” That wasn’t fair.

The issue was frustrating because when making a booking the best way to search space is segment-by-segment even if you have to call to book, because calling to book incurs a fee (and hold times are interminably long), and because the situation arose without either notice or communication.

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Aeroplan Hates Their Customers, No Longer Lets You Book Most World Awards Online

by Gary Leff

air canada plane tarmac
May 27 2017

Aeroplan used to be one of the best frequent flyer programs in the world, maybe even the best, but over the past six years we’ve seen multiple rounds of award chart inflation, the introduction of fuel surcharges on partner awards, blocking of multiple Star Alliance airlines, and now an inability to book awards online that do not either originate or terminate in the U.S. or Canada.

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Chase Renews Hyatt Co-Brand Deal, Will Retain Hyatt as Points Transfer Partner

by Gary Leff

Chase announced yesterday that they had renewed their agreement to issue the Hyatt Credit Card. Crucially, the deal also ensures that Hyatt will remain a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner and that transfers will continue 1:1. World of Hyatt will continue as a point transfer partner through Chase’s premier rewards program, which allows for Ultimate Rewards points to be transferred at full 1:1 value. This means one Chase Ultimate Rewards point is equal to one World of Hyatt point. Eligible Chase credit cardholders can redeem points for stays at more than 700 Hyatt properties in 56 countries worldwide. So points from the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card and more will continue to transfer to Hyatt as well as to United, Southwest, and British Airways — all co-brand deals that Chase…

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American Airlines Passenger Bites Flight Attendant’s Hand, Opens Galley Door and Jumps Onto Tarmac

by Gary Leff

british airways plane
May 26 2017

Flight attendants have been known to ‘peace out’ by popping an aircraft slide on arrival and running away down the tarmac. (Although sometimes they just set fire to the lav.)

Sometimes passengers open the aircraft door and head off themselves to avoid deportation or simply because when you can’t find the bathroom you try all the doors.

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Sheriff David Clarke Ordered Airline Passenger Detained for Staring At His Dallas Cowboys Clothing

by Gary Leff

May 26 2017

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, who announced he’ll be leaving his position to become an Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, is embroiled in a controversy over using his law enforcement officers to harass an airline passenger.

Clarke has called the passenger a ‘snowflake’ for objecting to police bullying and says anyone “who harasses him on an airplane might get ‘knocked out’.”

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