Alaska Airlines baggage handlers in San Jose, California were taped tossing luggage. Apparently… for half an hour while other employees cheered them on.
They may have been inspired by these Air Canada baggage handlers. But at least they weren’t planting bullets in luggage. And they weren’t stealing from luggage. Like these folks.
Amsterdam airport will unveil a test of ‘Spencer’ – a robot designed to help passengers navigate the airport. Amsterdam is one of the easier airports to get around, in my view, so I’m not sure the urgency that led KLM to dedicate funds toward its development. However, it’s at least believed “[n]avigating it is so challenging…many of its customers were getting lost and missing flights.”
The one week trial begins Monday, and an official roll out of the technology is planned for March.
Premium economy is an important product throughout the world, positioning itself between business class and economy. It’s usually offered on long haul flights and depending on the carrier approximates domestic first class in the US perhaps with foot rests. There may be an upgraded meal and beverages as well.
US airlines on the other hand have extra legroom sections with generally the same seat width. But American Airlines CEO Doug Parker hints that they could be the first US carrier to change all that.
United Airlines – despite dropping service to New York JFK – is trying to compete in the Los Angeles market with a dedicated phone line for Hollywood.
That’s fairly weak sauce for an airport and market that has gone from Worst to First, with the best airline lounges, premium services, and best inflight airport products in the nation.
Marriott is buying Starwood and Starwood Preferred Guest members are nervous.
Blog reader Vineet S discovered a famous fan of the program ready to take action. Vineet took advantage of a Starwood Preferred Guest private event to meet Lewis Hamilton, the 2014 and 2015 Formula One World Champion.
It’s a good thing that the TSA doesn’t actually contribute to security, and is only theater meant to make people feel safer while giving up their rights.
Because otherwise it would be a problem that this homeless man went through a TSA checkpoint at Salt Lake City’s airport using a boarding pass that a woman left behind at a check-in kiosk.
I have the opportunity to give a reader a 3-night stay in a 3-bedroom luxury apartment in Knightsbridge, London. All you have to do to enter is comment.
The giveaway highlights some luxury travel auctions that regularly give away some really high end opportunities dirt cheap — like chartering a yacht in the Caribbean or spending a week in a villa in Greece.
Hilton is testing a $50 fee for cancelling cancellable reservations.
Skift attributes this to a stronger position on the part of hotels with high occupancy rates, suggesting that “a seller’s market provides hotel owners with a greater freedom to dictate contract terms, including cancellations.”
Hilton’s CEO suggests it’s about hotels lowering rates closer-in, and customers who booked higher rates cancelling and rebooking. He considers that type of perfectly reasonable behavior (wanting to pay less when a hotel will charge less) “gaming.”
Airbus filed for a new patent in 2013 and which was approved this week: “…Airbus [is] reconsidering the boarding process with an idea to turn aircraft cabins into what amount to shipping containers.”
Passengers would board a module at the gate. Everyone sits down. The module would be lowered into the plane once it arrives. Then when the plane makes it to its destination, the cabin module would be removed and swapped out for new passengers in their own module. And the plane goes on its way.
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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 »
