Another one folds. For those keeping score at home, that’s Aloha Airlines on Monday, ATA Airlnes on Thursday, Champion Air’s announcement Monday that it’ll stop its operations after May 31 and now Skybus. All in one week. Skybus plans to file bankruptcy papers on Monday, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Another airline I’ve never flown, on purpose. You can’t make money with $10 fares, no matter how bare bones your product.
Priority Club PointsBreak Makes Buying Points Worthwhile
One Mile at a Time points out something that I had been meaning to write about a good while back but somehow didn’t… that the extreme value of Priority Club PointBreaks awards make purchasing points from Priority Club worthwhile. When you find an expensive hotel such as a top-flight Intercontinental being offered at 5,000 points a night, it may make sense to buy those 5000 points for $50. That’s a better deal in most cases than you’ll ever see on Priceline. They’re offering 10% bonus on points purchased through April 14th, and that can be a reasonable offer to use in topping off an account anyway. But in general I wouldn’t purchase points now just in hopes of using them later for a PointsBreak hotel — since other uses of Priority Club points won’t generally…
Creative Debt Collections: Convention Hotel Edition
Just a rather unusual hotel billing story, the Westin in Las Vegas is hitting convention attendees with unexpected charges when the conference host (the one with the contract with the hotel!) didn’t pay. The The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority says they’re “not familiar with such a practice” and neither am I. The hotel apparently claims that language on the conference attendees bill says that participants are liable for charges other third parties do not pay, but that’s generally thought to refer to the hotel bill itself — the cahrges on the bill that the participant is signing — not undisclosed amounts for other services. I don’t expect this one to stand.
StubHub Coupon Codes: See the Mets for 50 Cents?
This Flyertalk thread provides us a reminder of the value of coupons in all things. StubHub publishes regular coupons which can be added to an account to significantly reduce the cost of tickets. Think $10 or $20 off each ticket you purchase. Depending on the quality of the seats you’re looking for, you can see games or performances virtually free. And don’t forget to click through to StubHub from a mileage portal…
Air Canada’s Irregular Operations Insurance: A Clever Gimmick and a Bad Deal
CrankyFlier gives a gold star to a new Air Canada program where passengers can pay in advance with their ticket to have weather-related irregular operations treated the same as events within the airline’s control — entitled to transportation on other carriers, hotels and meals, etc. While it’s certainly creative on Air Canada’s part, I wouldn’t call it the ‘win-win’ that Cranky does (except in the limited way that any voluntary market transaction is win-win for the participants, since each enters in it only to the extent that they perceive themselves as better off). Air Canada is selling insurance not against catastrophic losses but against relatively low cost risks. Think extended warranties at Best Buy — only electronics warranties are likely easier to collect on than the alternative transportation that Air Canada is offering. First, in…
Free Marriott Gold Status
Update… The instant Marriott Gold status offer does appear to work. I should add that I fully expect Marriott to eventually audit the signups with this offer. So unclear how long the status will last for those not really eligible. Although these audits are rarely perfect, after all folks sign up with different addresses for different accounts (eg business, home)… data matches aren’t perfect… names are written slightly differently (with middle name, first name as nick name, etc). So some will probably sneak through for the full duration of the offer. Those looking to boost their odds of keeping status might want to use a non-US address, since the Flying Blue program isn’t usually open to US residents and Marriott presumbly knows that.
This May Break Heathrow’s String of Bad Luck (Incompetence)
Naomi Campbell has been arrested at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. Just the sort of seminal event that may be an inflection point for the beleaguered new terminal. Supermodel Naomi Campbell has been arrested at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 for allegedly spitting at a police officer, Sky News television reported Thursday… …In 2000, Campbell pleaded guilty in Toronto to an assault charge for beating an assistant while making a film in Canada in 1998. Under an agreement with prosecutors, Campbell expressed remorse and was released without punishment or a criminal record. In January 2007, Campbell pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault for throwing her mobile phone at her maid in a dispute over a missing pair of jeans. So it seems that now T5 is ‘just like every place else.’ (Hat tip Dan.)
The Italians are More Efficient Than the Brits!#?$?
Via Online Travel Review, Heathrow is now so backed up with lost luggage — they can’t handle any more — that they’re shipping bags en masse to Milan and hope to sort out the mess over there. I’m not touching Terminal 5 next week, but I am transiting Heathrow with BA. Egads.
ATA Ceases Operations
Via Joe Sharkey, ATA has ceased operations. I’m fortunate never to have had to fly the airline. And they withdrew from my home market some months back anyway. But the disruption is never helpful. I pass this along only because it may be important for some readers, one person emailed me that they only learned about Aloha’s demise from this site and they had travel booked in three weeks. Fortunately new intra-island fares remain not all that expensive, and they were able to purchase new ticket… Good luck to all those booked on ATA, and may the carrier rest in peace.
A Second Trip Through Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal in Frankfurt
Friday, March 28, 2008 The First Class Terminal is eminently walkable from the Sheraton, although it did involve being outside on a rather crisp morning. Back across the passenger bridge to Terminal 1, downstairs to the arrivals level, to the very end of Hall A and out by the hotel shuttle pickup we just continued walking against the direction of vehicle traffic and there was the First Class Terminal, lower level. We buzzed the entrance and someone came down to meet us and let us in. Back up the elevator and through ever-so-polite security, and now I’m ensconced in here a bit before 8am with a bloody mary in hand. Here’s a view outside the terminal, where staff were washing the cars: We arrived a full 5.5 hours before flight time, but figured it was…
