Pilot Under Investigation for Allowing Woman to Join Him in Cockpit Alone

by Gary Leff

May 13 2017

A Chinese woman on Pakistan International Airlines flight PK853 from Tokyo to Beijing spent over two hours in the cockpit including time alone with just the pilot, staying there for landing.

An airline spokesperson said “inviting a single passenger into the cockpit was not a security concern.” However it violates airline rules and an investigation was undertaken two years ago when the former wife of the airline’s chairman was allowed to sit in the cockpit during a Lahore – London flight.

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Hyatt Has a Giant New Hole in its Loyalty Program, and I Don’t Know If They Can Fill It

by Gary Leff

hyatt hotel
May 12 2017

When I heard that Jeff Zidell was leaving Hyatt, I didn’t jump to post about loyalty program news instead I was just sad to learn news about a friend (whether it’s good or bad news for him, it change, and it’s bad news for us).

Here’s the thing: as someone covering travel companies and frequent flyer schemes, I do not have any friends. And it’s always important for someone doing what I do to remember that.

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TSA Lying to the White House? Behavior Detection Officers Not Redeployed to Front Line Screening

by Gary Leff

people walking in airport
May 11 2017

The TSA has had employees roaming the airports watching passengers, using their spidey senses to figure out who might be a terrorist. They get a couple of weeks of training — not a graduate degree — and the training isn’t really backed up by any science.

Four years ago the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General concluded that the TSA’s behavior detection efforts didn’t work and racially profiled. The TSA literally has no science in its files to support its efforts.

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Why United is Uncompetitive, and Their Only Hope is Ignorant Customers Who Don’t Know Their Choices

by Gary Leff

May 11 2017

I was looking at the 3:35pm United Express (GoJet) flight. The $53 fare was for Basic Economy. Customers don’t get preassigned seats, can’t make changes (of course change fees are normally $200, so it’s effectively full forfeiture anyway).

By having Basic Economy passengers board last the airline is able to segregate them and easily ban them from bringing full-sized carry on bags onto the plane.

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