LAX was cleared last night to search for a shooter who didn’t exist.
Apparently there was a ‘loud noise’ of indeterminate origin so passengers were evacuated from the terminal, with their stuff left behind them in many cases. An FAA ground stop was issued. Two dozen flights were diverted, most to Ontario. Chaos ensued.
American Airlines launched a new ad campaign this morning — World’s Greatest Flyers — showcasing American’s customers and employees. They tell me their goal is “to be the greatest airline in the world, by being the airline employees want to work for, customers want to fly and where investors want to put their money.”
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.
The first and second officers on United’s Glasgow – Newark flight yesterday “were too sozzled to fly.” They were arrested. The flight’s captain was not involved.
The flight was delayed over 9 hours, and its 141 passengers “were offered meal vouchers and hotel accommodation if necessary” while United confirms that the pilots in question have been removed from duty (though in fairness it’s tough to perform flight duties from behind bars).
SkyTeam airlines Delta, Air France and KLM offering fares starting at $380 roundtrip from Boston, Chicago, and Miami to Vienna.
Travel is permitted Sunday through Wednesday from the US to Europe, and Monday through Thursday for the return from Europe to the US. The fare is available for travel which starts between September 12 and December 6. A Saturday night stay is required, and the maximum stay allowed is 3 months.
There’s a fare from New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Miami to Dusseldorf from $351 roundtrip. This is a base fare of $24.50 each way.
The fares I’m seeing allow travel Sunday through Wednesday in each direction, require a Saturday night stay, and are available for outbound travel September 12 through December 6 — though The Flight Deal indicates that they should be available through early April.
Fly4Free is reporting on a fare of $338 roundtrip between New York or Philadelphia and Budapest, Hungary.
Travel is on SkyTeam airlines. I’m seeing mostly itineraries with Air France and KLM but some have Alitalia as well. Trips originating in Philadephia connect to Atlanta or New York JFK on Delta to start the international portion of the trip.
Back in March the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile had their Ambassadors Suites for sale at just $142 a night plus tax.
Now the property is back with another unbelievably great sale — they have club level rooms for $21 plus 3000 points per night.
On Thursday night a man stole a pickup truck and drove it into the landing gear of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 in Omaha.
The 35 year old parked a pickup that actually belonged to him in the airport’s garage. He proceeded to the front of the terminal where he screamed that people were trying to kill him. A police officer approached, and he headed back to the garage. He climbed a fence. And then, he took off his pants.
And that’s when things started to go off the rails.
With especially rich offers for the Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card readers have been asking whether you can get a Ritz-Carlton card if you’re a Marriott Rewards member, and vice versa. This is a topic I covered back in 2013. Marriott acquired Ritz-Carlton in 1998, but the hotels had limited participation in the Marriott Rewards program: you could spend points for Ritz-Carlton stays, but that was it. Luxury chains have for the most part eschewed points, the belief was that they provide recognition not freebies and compete to offer the best luxury experience. However they launched the Ritz-Carlton program in the fall of 2010. You are only supposed to have one account between the two programs. You are supposed to choose between Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Marriott Rewards. However, The programs are almost identical. I will go…
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 »
