Marriott Won’t Raise Its Offer for Starwood, Wants Shareholders to Sell to Them Anyway

by Gary Leff

Mar 28 2016

This morning word came out that Chinese consortium Anbang had raised its bid for Starwood to $82.75 in cash.

Marriott had offered 0.8 Marriott shares and $21 in cash last Monday, worth a little over $79 at the time, to outbid Anbang’s previous $78 offer. Marriott’s shares had fallen since then.

Instead of countering with a higher offer — continuing the potentially irrational bidding war — Marriott has issued a statement saying that Starwood’s shareholders to vote to sell for Marriott’s cash and stock offer anyway.

Continue Reading »

American Just Announced New Los Angeles – Beijing Service Starting December 16

by Gary Leff

Mar 28 2016

American has made it pretty clear they want to win Los Angeles, the way that Delta has worked to win New York. Both are major US markets, and hyper-competitive.

American has grown both with its own flights — they recently added a Sydney flight (with an improved inflight service), they’re adding Auckland, New Zealand, and they’re adding Tokyo Haneda service and Hong Kong as well not to mention Shanghai with a 787 — and those are all international routes that face competition.

Continue Reading »

Say What? United Airlines Has the Best Onboard Breakfast

by Gary Leff

Mar 28 2016

We often talk about the what airlines are serving but more important than the what is the taste.

I know that sounds like an oxymoron, the idea of airline food that’s good. Passengers complain that they aren’t served food anymore in coach most of the time. When i first started traveling for business (and certainly growing up), passengers complained that they were served food. Because airline food was a joke.

There were efforts to improve on that, of course. Back when United’s premium cabin meals were branded with celebrity chef Jacques Pepin (so long before Charlie Trotter’s first appearance with the airline, the celebrity chef whose meals were largely derided as giving passengers ‘the trots’), they actually had economy meals which were chef-branded. United’s chef in economy was Sheila Lukins.

Continue Reading »

Review: Air France and KLM Lounges, Houston (Same Airline, 2 Lounges, Next to Each Other!)

by Gary Leff

Mar 28 2016

The airport’s Executive Club has hot food, but no bathrooms. It’s non-descript and was busy while I was there. I didn’t stay long. Instead, I grabbed my Priority Pass card and headed down to the middle of the terminal, and later to the end of the terminal, to check out two other lounges.

What’s especially strange is that terminal D itself has both a KLM lounge and an Air France lounge — two separate lounges operated by Air France KLM. In the same terminal. An easy walk from each other. And with overlapping lounges. Even if they’ve got both on long term leases it seems gratuitous to staff and supply them both. Now, Air France’s Paris flight usually leaves just an hour after the KLM Amsterdam flight most of the time. But even if they needed both lounges to support the two overlapping flights it’s strange that they keep the lounges open throughout the day.

Continue Reading »

Did Cuban Refugees Sneak into the US Onboard Air Force One? What, Are You Insane?

by Gary Leff

In light of President Obama’s historic trip to Cuba, The Onion covered Air Force One’s return flight with ‘hundreds of Cuban refugees’ clinging to the plane.

The scary thing? Plenty of people believed this was real. But then they believe what they read in the National Enquirer, like that Ted Cruz could be having five affairs. With actual women (not one of whom is an imaginary Michelle Pfeiffer in The Russia House). Because people are dumb.

Continue Reading »

Woman Put in Plastic Cuffs, Banned for Life By British Airways After Walking Around on Plane

by Gary Leff

Mar 27 2016

Hair stylist Bridget Nhire has been banned for life by British Airways after getting up to stretch her legs through a flight from London to Dubai.

In her version it was all about staving off deep vein thrombosis.

Apparently the crew ‘moved her to the front of the plane’ because off her ‘aggressiveness’. She was also strapped to a seat. She admits to drinking “two glasses of wine with my meal” but claims not to have been drunk.

Continue Reading »