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.
Why is it that we don’t trust airlines to get our checked bags to their destination – the old saying is that “there are two kinds of luggage, carry on and lost” – but we totally trust fellow passengers not to take our bags from baggage claim?
“Many bags look alike” and your bag could easily be taken by mistake, even assuming other passengers aren’t nefarious. When you don’t find your bag on the belt at baggage claim, you assume the airline lost it, rather than someone stole it.
The requirement of an ID to fly began as a ‘do something’ policy after the explosion of TWA flight 800. President Clinton demanded to be able to immediately announce new airline security measures, and told his National Security Council team to come up with some.
But it’s not clear that there’s any legal basis to deny air travel without first showing an ID.
Following Thursday’s American Airlines second quarter earnings call, corporate officers gathered employees for a ‘State of the Airline’ presentation. This was recorded and shared through the company’s internal network, and a copy was reviewed by View From The Wing.
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.
Just before 1 a.m. on Monday, a man drove a golf cart on the moving walkway inside the terminal at Buffalo airport. He found an unattended airport cart with keys left in it. And he took it to use as if it were an amusement ride. He was arrested at the end of the walkway, once the ride was over.
Maybe the biggest failure in air travel is something we don’t talk about at all. How is it possible that people are being told to show up at the airport 2.5 to 3 hours before their flight, and that isn’t considered a failure of massive proportions?
I think I like the B44 lounge more than the A concourse United Club, but not so much that I’d choose one over the other for any reason other than being closer to my gate. A has more empty seats up on the top floor, because it’s not as convenient to get up there, and it’s brighter.
American Airlines has the most exclusive lounges in the country. Few people realize though that there are certificates that AAdvantage elites can redeem miles for to gain access to these lounges. And it’s actually a pretty good deal, especially when traveling with family.
A few days ago a passenger and check-in agent at the Southwest Airlines counter in Denver got out of hand. They wound up in a fight – and the customer got tackled by police – after his aggression shifted from the airline to law enforcement.
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 »
