Here’s a hint. In case this wasn’t obvious, avoid the Tropicana. The owners of the embattled Tropicana hotel have placed a bounty on bedbugs, offering housekeepers $25 a pop for each one brought in alive. The offer was posted in the hotel’s housekeeping offices, raising eyebrows among workers wondering whether they should pull out magnifying glasses while changing sheets. “Don’t forget to check for bedbugs!” one flier exclaims in English and Spanish. “Check every room — every day.” The posting features enlarged images of the minuscule bloodsucking menaces. Well, at least they’re trying to get rid of them.
You Can Help Solve Heathrow’s Baggage Mess
I haven’t had a chance to post this earlier, but several days ago an online game started making the rounds. You play British Airways CEO, and your task is to round up all the stranded bags at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and get them on their way…
Trip Report’s Final Flight: Frankfurt Back to Dulles
Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) to Washington, DC (IAD) 1:15pm Lufthansa 0418, Boeing 747, First Class, Seats 81C, 81A Scheduled Flight time: 8h 45m The flight was 100% full in economy and business, and packed to 12 out of 16 in First. This would be our most crowded F cabin of the trip. After our hour-long delay we were onboard and ready to go. Only we weren’t. Apparently there was a problem with an indicator regarding one of the doors and its associated slides. They thought it was fixed, but it wasn’t. So another call to the mechanics, and we sat on plane for about two hours while they worked out the troubles. Plenty of drink services in First, and they eventually served the canapé as well while we were still on the ground. Clearly the FAs…
Skybus is Done
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.)
