View from the Wing - Page 2 of 2215 - Thought Leader in Travel

Two Pilots Convicted In Daring Escape Of Japanese CEO To Beirut

by Gary Leff on February 25, 2021

Feb 25 2021

Two pilots and an official with a private jet operator have been convicted in Turkey over the daring escape from Japan of former Nissan, Mistubishi, Renault and Michelin North America head Carlos Ghosn. Meanwhile two flight attendants were acquitted of failing to report a crime. International fugitive Ghosn was once Fortune‘s “Asia Businessman of the Year,” “Man Of The Year, and “10 Most Powerful People In Business Outside The U.S.” His life has been chronicled in Japanese comics. But he was arrested at Tokyo Narita airport in November 2018 for tax evasion and misappropriating Nissan coompany assets. He was granted bail, but re-arrested and released on new charges in April 2019. Renault then uncovered over $13 million in improper expenses he’d incurred. On December 29, 2019 Ghosn left his apartment in Tokyo around 2:30 p.m.…

Hyatt Regency Boston No Longer Wants To Be A Hub For Prostitution

by Gary Leff on February 25, 2021

Feb 25 2021

The Hyatt Regency Boston has apparently become notorious as a hub for prostitution with “at least 70 incidents involving sex for pay at the hotel over the past six months” according to the Boston police department in a licensing hearing.

In order to minimize future incidents they’ve hired the security director away from the Sheraton Boston and added a second night guard to their staff.

Court Ruling Imposes Taxes On Credit Card Rewards For Some Spending (That You Probably Aren’t Doing)

by Gary Leff on February 25, 2021

Feb 25 2021

This case only came to light because of the sheer scale – over $300,000 in credit card rewards without the purchase of bona fide goods or services.

However anyone who bought, stay, a million dollars or more in dollar coins from the U.S. Mint is lucky that the IRS cannot audit back that far in the absence of a fraud on the relevant tax returns.

Qantas Pushes Back Restart Of International Flying To October 31

by Gary Leff on February 24, 2021

sydney opera house at sunset

Feb 24 2021

The CEO of Qantas previously claimed his country would re-open to international travel July 1. He was wrong. The airline is pushing back the restart of international flights to October 31.

Their Airbus A380s won’t return to service until June 30, 2023 ‘at the earliest’ so international flights will all be operated by Airbus A330s and Boeing 787s. And they won’t take delivery of their next 3 Boeing 787s, either.

Amazon Air Prepared To Launch Overnight Delivery Competitor To FedEx, UPS

by Gary Leff on February 24, 2021

Feb 24 2021

In 2019 I told you that Amazon would offer consumers a standalone alternative to UPS and FedEx, something that was delayed by the coronavirus surge in orders.

Now, though, it appears that they are close to building a shipping network to carry third party packages. And it makes perfect sense from everything we’ve seen from Amazon so far.

The Best Takeoff Roll You’ll Ever See, Caught On Video

by Gary Leff on February 24, 2021

delta plane lifting off

Feb 24 2021

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.

After A Year, Earning Miles With Bask Bank Has Proven Out

by Gary Leff on February 24, 2021

airline cabin

Feb 24 2021

I first wrote about Bask Bank and the Bask Savings Account at the beginning of 2020. I’ve been saving and earning with them for a year and the mileage-earning strategy has proven-out.

That’s not really a surprise. I’ve been a customer of Bask Bank’s parent, Texas Capital Bank, since July 2003. But it’s great to see that the value proposition has remained constant throughout the past year’s turmoil, and even looks more attractive compared to today’s alternatives.

$31 Cross Country Fares On American, And A Trick To Heat Up Food In Your Hotel Room

by Gary Leff on February 24, 2021

american

Feb 24 2021

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.

Air France Has A New Safety Video, And It’s The Least Covid Thing Ever

by Gary Leff on February 24, 2021

Feb 24 2021

Under normal circumstances I’d say it was serviceable, fine, but hardly interesting or innovative by modern standards. Yet there’s one salient feature to it: a 2021 safety video that makes no reference whatsoever to Covid-19. Nobody is even wearing masks. They’re crowded into a theater, for instance – a packed house – and no one is the least bit concerned about spread in such an indoor congregant setting.

Some might call that tough deaf, but I love it – a paean to normalcy:

CEO Of Tunisair Evades Arrest And Now No One Knows Who The CEO Is

by Gary Leff on February 23, 2021

Feb 23 2021

On Monday the carrier reportedly fired its CEO Olfa Hamdi according to a note posted by the government to Facebook. Hamdi had been on the job for just over a month, and her announced dismissal came in the midst of a general strike by some of its 6500 employees fearful of not getting paid after the airline’s bank account was seized by Turkish airport operator TAV and also fearful that her turnaround plan might include privatization.

She says she’s still running the airline, though, after a failed attempt by the government to arrest her.

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 »

View from the Wing is a project of Miles and Points Consulting, LLC. This site is for entertainment purpose only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

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I don't include all US credit card offers available on this site. Instead, I write primarily about cards which earn airline miles, hotel points, and some cash back (or have points that can be converted into the same).

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