You have to be logged in to see the bonus that you are offered. When I go to the purchase miles page I am asked to identify myself: This is in order to discern the offer they are targeting me for this month. It appears everyone will be offered a bonus of some sort — in amounts that vary, ranging from 25% to 100%. My own offer was: Lucky You! You’re eligible to receive 75% in bonus miles when you buy miles today! Hurry, this bonus offer ends March 31, 2013. A 100% bonus means you’re buying miles at 1.88 cents apiece, which I generally consider to be worthwhile if you have a specific award in mind to book. Find the availability in an international premium cabin, set up the award, and then buy the…
A New Plan to Save 80% of Amtrak – And Make it Kinda Sorta Almost Profitable
The Brookings Institution has a new study on Amtrak financing (.pdf) that’s (fortunately, for the less-wonkish) summarized in the Washington Post‘s WonkBlog. What Brookings found is not surprising. There are only two routes that do better than break even — New York – DC and New York – Boston — and even those only make money on an operating basis, they don’t cover their capital costs. Brookings finds that the operating profits (if the federal government subsidizes capital expenses) would cover the top 26 Amtrak routes (which carry 80% of passengers). They recommend having affected states cover the losses of other routes if they want those to survive. I’m not sure how it would no longer be a subsidy if the states are paying rather than the federal government, but the supposition is billion dollar…
Are Airlines Robbing from the Poor to Give to the Rich?
Over at Conde’ Nast’s Daily Traveler, Cranky Flier argues that profitable airlines make investments in product and the title of the post asks whether airline fees are starting to pay off for passengers — the idea is that fees helped make airlines profitable, so fees are driving a better flight experience. Hack My Trip contends therefore that coach passengers are subsidizing the premium cabins since it’s passengers in back paying ancillary fees while those up front get the better amenities. And then he talks himself into a headache making heads or tails of his own argument. Now we have a twisted circle where economy class passengers pay ancillary fees to subsidize amenities for first class passengers in order that first class fares remain competitive so that first class passengers will still buy tickets and subsidize…
Wyndham Comes Clean: Publishes List of Hotels Going Up in Price March 14th
On February 19 I wrote about the massive devaluation to the Wyndham Rewards chart that’s coming March 14. Some properties are going up in price by 87.5%. Equally bad was that Wyndham wasn’t telling us which hotels were changing categories, we were going to have to wait until that happened in order to find out. That, to me, is always the worst form for any program — major changes without advance notice. Now Wyndham has listened and responded to that critique, although I do not find two weeks’ notice to be anything close to sufficient. They’ve come to the comments on this blog (something they’ve done on occasion in the past as well), and shared a list of hotels going up in category (.pdf). I didn’t bother counting how many properties this is — when…
Terrorists Dancing on a Plane: How to Get an FAA Investigation Opened in 3 Easy Dance Steps
Mark Twain may or may not have said, Sing like no one’s listening, love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like nobody’s watching, and live like its heaven on earth. Although it was certainly Nietzsche who said, “I would believe only in a God that knows how to dance.” And Martha & The Vandellas might have sung about “Dancing in the Streets.” But you’d better watch out dancing in the aisles of an aicraft. The FAA has opened an investigation of passengers dancing on a plane. The students – members of Colorado College’s club Frisbee team – made a video of the performance, and that’s what caught the attention of the FAA. “That was my Ultimate Frisbee team and a bunch of random people as well,” 21-year-old senior team captain Dan Eppstein tells the Los…
300 Free La Quinta Points
Through April 15 you can watch La Quinta’s video about California, Florida or Texas and earn 300 points. The videos are about 20 seconds long. Then you’ll be asked whether your trip is for business or pleasure, where in the state you are interested in, and whether kids will be along. That decision tree generates a longer 3-minute video to watch. Finishing that video takes you directly to this page where you submit your information to receive credit. (HT: WideOpenSpaces on Milepoint)
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport: Not Safe for Work
Perhaps it’s the highly sexualized atmosphere of the TSA checkpoints, but apparently there’s been a rash of unauthorized porn filming at airports, or at least at Phoenix Sky Harbor. One video follows a woman from baggage claim, into an elevator and to the top of a parking garage overlooking the tarmac. She then flashes her breasts and says, “Hello, Arizona” before performing sex acts on the man behind the camera. Julie Rodriguez, spokeswoman for Sky Harbor International Airport, told ABCNews.com in a statement that Phoenix Police are “reviewing the facts regarding the websites that you are referring to.” “Such a large public area can be tempting for people involved in this type of activity,” she said, “so the airport urges customers to always be aware of their surroundings and report any form of suspicious activity.”…
Last Day to Use 2012 Hyatt Diamond Confirmed Suite Upgrades
Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond members receive (4) confirmed suite upgrades each year, valid for stays up to 7 nights each and valid on discounted room rates. My strategy is to confirm suites, when available, on stays of 4 nights or less using points if I am paying the “Hyatt Daily Rate” since it’s just 6000 points for the entire stay and anyone can do it, status or not. And save the confirmed suite upgrade certificates for stays on discounted rates, like AAA or on a corporate rate. Not all hotels have a ton of suites, and some suites that you’ll get are better than others of course. I absolutely loved the base-level suite at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. Remember that Hyatt’s diamond confirmed suite upgrades expire February 28. So if you have any in…
Threatened Sequester Travel Disruptions Are Political Grandstanding
Last week I suggested that the FAA’s claims of massive pain for travelers as a result of the sequester was political grandstanding and thoroughly unnecessary. It wasn’t my position that cuts would be costless to them, but that they were contorting themselves to come up with the most painful way possible to account for those cuts. And that there were at least plausible alternatives. Lots of commenters argued that I must simply not understand the sequester, that the money has to be taken proportionally from each program / project / activity. I pointed out that these things are not at all defined in the statute, and it was still up to the Administration then to choose what that would mean for implementation. Even so it still seemed extremely odd that the FAA could come up…
Bits ‘n Pieces for February 27, 2013
News and notes from around the interweb: Abu Dhabi criminal court enforces price floor for overweight baggage. Hint: Don’t try the $20 trick at UAE hotels, either. (HT: sobore on Milepoint) Earlier in the month Delta and Starwood announced reciprocal elite benefits and the ability to earn points in each others’ programs — in addition to traditional points earning — for elite members doing business with the other travel company. You can now link your Starwood and Delta accounts either on the Delta website or on Starwood’s. (HT: Loyalty Lobby) Lucky runs into Justin Ross Lee at the airport. I met him at the first Frequent Traveler University, but he wasn’t sitting in the lounge in his bathrobe, or stealing bottles of first class champagne to pour for the coach cabin (while claiming to be…
