View from the Wing

Spirit Claims They Didn’t Deny Water to a Pregnant Woman (umm….)

by Gary Leff on February 20, 2010

After posting about the incident of a family kicked off a Spirit aircraft after being denied water for the pregnant woman in the party (I blamed the family for flying Spirit in the first place), I heard from Spirit Corporate Communications. They didn’t defend their record of customer service, or disagree with my points about why it’s silly to fly Spirit if you can possibly avoid it. But they did dispute that they denied a pregnant woman water. Sort of. Here is what really happened: Spirit did not deny water to anyone. Beverages were offered for purchase just as we do on all of our flights. The real story is that Dr. Roslin was escorted off the flight for violating federal law for interfering with a flight crew. He was causing a disturbance and attempted…

And the Winner of the Free Hilton Hotel Night Certificate Is…

by Gary Leff on February 20, 2010

The Hilton free night contest ended yesterday. There were more than 1300 entries (color me surprised!). I drew the winner based on random number, as promised, with thanks to Random.org. And thanks, of course, to BoardingArea.com for providing the free Hilton hotel night to give away! The winning comment came from LAXNRT. Please join me in congratulating LAXNRT! With the kind of response that I got, look for more giveaways soon…

Planning Vacations Makes You Happy

by Gary Leff on February 20, 2010

Research from the Netherlands measured the effect of vacations on happiness. It turns out that people get the most happiness from planning and anticipating their vacations. Except for the most relaxing of vacations, people aren’t happier when they return from a trip than when they left. Even at the most extreme end of relaxation, the happiness effect wears off after two weeks. Taking more trips and planning and talking (obsessing?) about them, then, may be the keys to happiness. I guess that must make travel agents the happiest people on earth! Indeed, perhaps I’m one of the happiest as well.

Continental Ramps Up Investment in Premium Class Meal Service

by Gary Leff on February 18, 2010

The Houston Chronicle, umm, chronicles Continental’s push to improve its premium cabin catering. They spoke to me about the efforts, and while I caveated that I’m not a frequent Continental flyer, Continental remains the only carrier serving complimentary meals in domestic coach, whatever you may think of those offerings. Meals don’t generate incremental flights, very few people get on a plane just to eat the food! Non-stop service drives most decisions, but when connecting the biggest consideration is seat — followed by quality in soft product. Attracting premium passengers is all about generating the expectation (and delivery) of a comfortable, stress-free experience. The quality of service, the small touches, airport ground handling, and food are all a part of seamless execution that draws a revenue premium.Celebrity chefs are pure marketing. They’re a signal that the…

Interesting Hotel Deals and a Possible $10 AA.com Discount Voucher

by Gary Leff on February 18, 2010

HotelCashBack.com is a new blog with hotel deals, they’re currently showing $24.11 per night all-in at Stratosphere in Vegas (yuck!), $50.68 at Sheraton Bungavillas in Puerto Vallarta, $58.40 at Atlantis in Reno including breakfast buffets, and $119.06 at Encore at the Wynn in Vegas. And to promote themselves, they’re trying to go viral with a modest giveaway: [W]e are giving away sixty (60) American Airlines vouchers. Just mention our blog on another web site, blog or forum, email us at info@hotelcashback.com to let us know and we will email you a voucher. Each American Airlines voucher is good for $10 off per ticket purchased on aa.com, up to six tickets, maximum savings of $60!