Air Canada to Spin Off Aeroplan

by Gary Leff

air canada
Apr 23 2005

Air Canada has confirmed its intention to spin off its Aeroplan frequent flyer program as a separate unit. Mr. Milton did not close the door to selling part of Aeroplan to a private buyer. But he said buyout firm Onex Corp. is not in the picture as a potential purchaser. Onex had a deal with Air Canada to buy a 35% stake in Aeroplan for $245-million before that fell apart with the airline’s bankruptcy protection filing. Onex said recently that it was still interested in the unit. Mr. Milton offered no specific timing for the sale. He said the company is working on legal and regulatory issues to ready its public debut. Aeroplan is worth in the range of $1.3-billion to $1.9-billion. In January Randy Petersen wrote that Air Canada would likely be the first…

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$8 Million in Free Electronics

by Gary Leff

free electronics
Apr 22 2005

The ever-controversial Gratis Networks has given away over $8 million in free products. I’ve gotten everything they offer except the free digital camera — I’m still working on that one. It all started with the free iPod, of course, but since then I’ve gotten the flatscreen TV, photo iPod, iPod shuffle, desktop computer, Mac Mini, and Xbox. I just did the required marketing offer for the Sony PSP this morning, completing that one as well. I signed up for a free trial with Napster. The free period is 14 days and the offer should post within the next 3 — so there’ll be plenty of time to cancel before I get charged anything. It’s nice to have a totally free option back. I’ve gotta say that Gratis Networks has no customer service whatsoever. More often…

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Independent Hotel Reviews

by Gary Leff

This Seattle Times piece (hat tip Tripso Daily) discusses internet web sites that allow travelers to post reviews of the hotels they’ve stayed at. Sites like TripAdvisor.com are absolutely invaluable for getting a window into a hotel property. Reading what past travelers have had to say can be very useful. The piece observes, though, that reviews are posted anonymously. I haven’t found that to be a problem so much as the other observation in the article, that individual’s standards vary greatly. The best thing to do in reading internet reviews is to read through several of them and look for consistent themes and patterns. Those are most likely to provide a window of truth about a property. And then it’s important to read between the lines: one resort where I stayed last year had several…

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Fare Alert

by Gary Leff

Forbes carries a piece on airfare pricing glitches like the recent $52 Fiji deal, last summer’s $60 Iceland fares, and the $20 flights from the US to anywhere in Europe in World Traveler Plus. The piece mentions Scott Carmichael’s fare alert email list which has been reactivated. I subscribe to my work email, my Yahoo account, and my cell phone.

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Seeing myself in print

by Gary Leff

Denver Post
Apr 20 2005

View from the Wing was mentioned in Sunday’s Denver Post. It’s nice to learn that you helped someone earn the miles for a trip of a lifetime, in this case case to Africa. Thanks for the shout out! This blog has been covered in the Washington Post and I’ve been quoted in the Financial Times, San Francisco Chronicle and many other places. But it always feels kinda good. Even if I do get just a bit mention this time.

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Renting Cars Off-Airport

by Gary Leff

rental car
Apr 20 2005

Business Travel News carries a piece on corporate travel departments pushing travelers to rent cars from off-airport locations in order to save on skyrocketing fees associated with airport rentals (hat tip to Tripso Daily). While the piece documents the high taxes, some at truly bizarre heights, it mentions only a couple of companies pushing travelers to rent off-airport in a couple of circumstances — which seem to me about as much as convenience than cost savings, or at least both married together. The trend that bothers me most is airports with ‘on-airport’ car rental facilities that are really off-airport, where you have to take a shuttle bus off the airport facility to a car rental facility. As long as off-airport rental companies pick you up at baggage claim as frequently as on-airport buses, or at…

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Thoughts on USAirways/America West Merger Rumors

by Gary Leff

america west plane
Apr 20 2005

Rumors of an America West-USAirways linkup have been all over the news. The two carriers are certainly in talks. There’s a certain logic to it: USAirways has a strong East Coast route network, America West has a strong West Coast route network, together they’d be a true national carrier (the nation’s 6th largest). But America West is close to profitability and is winning analyst plaudits. USAirways remains in bankruptcy for the second time since 9/11, is short on cash and on life support. USAirways has a much more senior workforce than America West. Integrating union labor pools is always a difficult task and one which can lead to significant acrimony. It’s really unclear to me how America West would make USAirways’ assets profitable. Rumors of the two carriers combining go back to 1997 (or at…

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USAirways to Honor Error Rate

by Gary Leff

On Saturday, a pricing error caused several USAirways routes to go on sale for about $40 all-in. I was out of town on Saturday and couldn’t take advantage of the fares. One thing worth noting was the stand-up response from USAirways: “Obviously, if we sold any tickets at that rate, we’ll honor them,” said airline spokesman Chuck Allen. Three cheers for USAirways! In my experience, error rates where money has already changed hands are usually honored. United’s $29 Paris fares, British Airways’ $20 World Traveler Plus fares to Europe, Mexicana’s $55 business class fares to Puerta Vallarta were all honored. Thai Airways’ first class fare from London to Bangkok was not — the fare could be reserved online but had to be ticketed in person (and Thai’s London offices were closed for the weekend, by…

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