Supposedly here’s what we can expect. Air travelers will eventually be able to keep their shoes on to pass through security, but the restrictions on carrying liquids on board are likely to remain in place for some time, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a POLITICO Playbook breakfast Tuesday. As I’ve explained before, sometimes it seems that the only way to get rid of one silly boondoggle is with a more expensive boondoggle. Napolitano suggests that I may be correct. “The solution to many if not all of these inconveniences is better and better technology,” Napolitano added. Indeed, we get to keep our shoes on if taxpayers are willing to shell out for expensive equipment. The reason it works is because it aligns the lobbying of equipment manufacturers with those who wish to change silly…
The Myth of Booking Award Tickets at Midnight 330 Days Out
When to book award travel: There’s a persistent myth that the best time to book an award ticket is instantly when an airline’s schedule opens, and also that the moment when that happens is 12:01am exactly 330 days prior to travel. But before explaining why this isn’t true — as well as those times when it is! — it’s helpful to understand making award seats available on flights from an airline’s perspective. Airlines want to release those seats as (saver / low) awards that they don’t expect to sell for cash. Sure, they may load some award seats when the schedule opens but 11 months out they only have a rough idea of what seats are going to go unsold. They may not add a single award seat on a given flight when the schedule…
How Much Risk of Terrorism is There, and What’s it Worth to Stop it?
Bruce Schneier: John Mueller and his students analyze the 33 cases of attempted [EDITED TO ADD: Islamic extremist] terrorism in the U.S. since 9/11. So few of them are actually real, and so many of them were created or otherwise facilitated by law enforcement. The death toll of all these is fourteen: thirteen at Ft. Hood and one in Little Rock. I think it’s fair to add to this the 2002 incident at Los Angeles Airport where a lone gunman killed two people at the El Al ticket counter, so that’s sixteen deaths in the U.S. to terrorism in the past ten years. Given the credible estimate that we’ve spent $1 trillion on anti-terrorism security (this does not include our many foreign wars), that’s $62.5 billion per life [EDITED: lost]. Is there any other risk…
Free Hilton Diamond Status and Delta Lounge Access for Most Airline Elites (Willing to Make a Virtual Move to Australia)
Virgin Velocity is offering a status match for residents of Australia. Anyone with an Australian address and elite status in a program other than their partners Air New Zealand, Delta, Etihad, Singapore, and Virgin Atlantic, can be matched up to the equivalent tier in the Virgin Velocity program — including their top Platinum tier. To be eligible for the Promotion the applicant must be or become a Velocity member and send to statusmatch@velocityrewards.com.au their valid Velocity membership number along with a legible copy of their frequent flyer membership card (or most recent monthly statement) that clearly shows their current elite status level and expiry date. Virgin Velocity’s elite benefits are interesting, Gold members get Gold status with Hilton and Platinum members get Diamond status with Hilton. Apparently the status lasts six months and extends to…
Pretty Bad Changes Coming to British Airways Executive Club
Lucky lets loose the dogs of war over impending changes to the British Airways Executive Club which are coming in November, dubbing them a “huge devaluation.” I meant to write about this last night but was still digging around for more facts, and truth is we don’t know very much yet about what changes they’re planning to make, but since I’ve been predicting a significant devaluation since May I guess you can count me in the camp of those who think the changes are going to be pretty darned bad. The Milepoint discussion of what’s going on is here. But basically all we know is that they’re renaming their miles “Avios points.” I almost typed out ‘Avis’ and of course I’m going to have to train my spell checker (not that I use it often,…
$49 Towards Your Hotel or 555 Free Delta Miles Plus Free Elite Status
Along the lines of obscure frequent flyer signup bonuses, the current issue of Inside Flyer carries an offer (subscription required) for elite status and 5000 bonus points when signing up for VOILÀ Hotel Rewards. Those bonus points can apparently be redeemed right away. InsideFlyer readers who join VOILÀ Hotel Rewards at http://www.insideflyer.com/link/?5075 will automatically receive Orion tier elite membership status and 5,000 bonus points. Orion members earn 25 percent bonus points and receive complimentary space available upgrades, early check-in and late checkout, complimentary WiFi and fitness center access, among other benefits. And 5,000 points can be redeemed for a hotel night award that is $49 or less, 555 Delta SkyMiles, digital music and ebooks or other awards. Seems like a good enough reason to join, I’m not currently a member. I’m actually surprised at some…
Obscure Frequent Flyer Signup Bonuses
Via Frequent Flyer Bonuses, Sun Country UFly Rewards is offering 10 points for signing up. And the Sichuan Airlines Golden Panda Club is offering 888 Golden Panda kilometers for joining their program. They also bonus travel by the end of the year, and referring friends and family. Thank goodness for Google translate. It doesn’t look like referred friends and family need to fly in order for the person doing the referring to earn points…
150 Free Delta Miles for Watching (or Skipping) Short Bose Video
Similar to past American Airlines offers (here, here, here, and here), Bose is offering Delta miles for you to learn more about their Quiet Comfort 15 product and also to get you to buy from them. 150 miles for watching a video about QC15s 350 miles for an in-store demonstration 1500 miles for buying the headphones The offer runs through September 12. At a minimum, plenty of folks will watch the video for 150 miles. And as in the past, it does appear that one can simply fill out the form at the end to get the miles (you could also click on the video and then fast forward to the end), but frankly they’re asking you to watch the video and offering you miles to do so, that seems like a reasonable bargain to…
Not All Blogger Travel is Glamorous!
Last year I wrote about my very mundane travel routine. It was really about sharing what most of my travel is like, as well as providing a window into the minutiae of how I think about my travel day. Very ritualized, very much ingrained habit. I don’t write about most of my trips because quite frankly they’re boring. I don’t have the wry sense of humor about travel that Ben has. There aren’t that many lessons to be gleaned from a trip out to Phoenix, Chicago, or Denver. I fly more boring domestic segments than first class international ones, but I write about the first class international trips. Some readers get the impression that’s how I travel most of the time, nothing could be farther from the truth. “My So-Called Travel Life” is a good…
US Airways Grand Slam (Up to 110,000 Bonus Miles) Promotion Registration Now Open
US Airways Grand Slam promotion, which I’ve already detailed some of the pluses and minuses of, is now open for registration. Activities don’t begin to count for the promotion, which offers the potential to earn up to 110,000 bonus miles, until September 14th. But best to register so that you don’t forget, more than once I’ve thought enough about a promotion that I’ve assumed I had registered, when I had not. And of course there is no downside to registering. (HT: MJ On Travel.)
