Fresh from the the defeat of the latte tax comes another gem from local government in Seattle: the city council has voted for legislation specifying under what circumstances a cab driver can dress in costume. Under the new law, any driver choosing to wear a costume must pick a “readily identifiable and generally well-known public figure, personality or fictional character.” Outfits can’t include masks, can’t depict police officers or firefighters, and can’t be skimpy. They also have to be approved by the cab association for which the driver works, and drivers have to post photos of themselves inside their cabs in and out of costume. Certainly better than the old rule that cab drivers were required to wear “black pants and a crisp shirt.” But that Seattle City Council sure gets preoccupied with strange things!
Hotels and Privacy
The city of Reidsville, North Carolina has passed an ordinance that allows police access to hotel and motel guest records without a court order. The police chief wanted this power to pursue drug investigations. The local lodging association is opposed. I’m not a legal expert, and I make no judgment as to the permissability of this type of ordinance under state or federal constitutional protections. I am skeptical of state power and prefer at least the formal protection of requiring a court order to compel private individuals and businesses to provide information to the police.What concerns me the most, though, about this is the cavalier attitude that the City Attorney takes towards important questions of liberty and government power.Reidsville City Attorney Bill McLeod said that any constitutional questions were for the courts to decide. “Laws…
Status matches in the news
Airtran’s advertised status match offer has made it into Keith Alexander’s Washington Post column for December 8th. The little fax machine inside the frequent-flier office at AirTran Airways has been whirring for more than a week as once-loyal customers from US Airways, Continental and Delta Air Lines send in their account statements. More than 600 have come in so far, said AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson, and executives are considering adding a second machine to reduce the constant busy signals. Last week, AirTran began offering automatic elite status in its frequent-flier program to any traveler who holds a similar status with another airline. A passenger would normally have to fly either 20 trips within 90 days or 100 trips a year with AirTran to qualify for its elite status. The column contains a few minor inaccuracies.…
1000 miles for holders of the Delta American Express card
For holders of a Delta American Express card, Gary Steiger of Free Frequent Flyer Miles posts a useful tidbit: Current holders of either a personal or a business Delta American Express credit card that is not translucent can get 1000 miles through December 31, 2003, for switching to a translucent card. Call (800) 297-6200, press 3, then press 1. A live person will handle the transaction. This phone number is for business cards, but it also works for personal cards. Note that the new card will have a different account number on it. But the customer rep I spoke with said that bills paid by and to the old account will be transferred to the new one automatically. I would change all of these billings anyway, but you probably have some time to do so.
And while we’re talking shopping
Check out this introduction to earning miles for the same online purchases you’ll be making anyway. It’s a free article from the December issue of Inside Flyer and includes a comparison chart showing which of the different online shopping portals offer the most miles for a variety of popular merchants.Note that while the article and accompanying chart are very useful, they’re not 100% comprehensive. It’s still worthwhile keeping Smarterliving’s MileFinder and Ronald’s Cross Reference Guide in mind. Also note that contrary to the implication in the article, Goldpoints can be redeemed for miles with a whole sleuth of carriers (in addition to redeeming for Radisson hotel stays), not just for miles with USAirways and Northwest. The key is signing up for the Goldpoints program via Radisson Hotels (then take your account number over to the…
New laptop computer for less than $600
This Dell Inspiron 1100 is $849 – $250 rebate. That is, $599, not to mention free shipping.Comes with a celeron 2.3GHz processor, 14.1″ screen, 20 gig hard drive, and combo CD Read/Write – DVD drive.If you purchase it through the Continental Mall link to Dell you’ll earn 2 miles per dollar as well.
Australian Members of Parliament and their Miles
Australian members of parliament are not allowed to use frequent flyer miles earned on business for personal travel. Instead, they’re supposed to use their miles to save money on official trips. But almost none do. The policy is said to have saved all of AU$4096.34 during the first half of 2003. The article cites difficulty in redeeming awards and lack of flexibility on award tickets. Just as likely, there’s little incentive to save money. Booking award tickets takes extra effort when paying with someone else’s money is easier. And if a member of parliament retires, they’ll still have miles which can then be used personally.And yet the article doesn’t mention anyone considering dropping the requirement, as was done in the United States.
When in doubt, create your own category to win
Northwest Worldperks has been named the most popular Morth American frequent flyer program in a survey by Time Asia. Not it’s settled.
No NW LCC
Northwest Airlines is not going to create a low cost carrier within a carrier a la United and Delta (or like past failed operations at United, Continental, and USAirways). Smart move. Northwest has, more than any of the other major carriers, transformed itself into a hybrif of low cost carrier and full service carrier. Their labor costs remain high. They’re a victim of their own relative success in that they haven’t had bankruptcy as a real stalking horse to reign in union contracts. But they have successfully controlled their other major expenses, and if they can bring their labor costs in line with their post-bankruptcy competitors they should survive without risky ventures that threaten to cannibalize their existing business.
Washington Dulles is a terrible airport
Washington Dulles airport won’t be getting rail access any time soon, as a special tax to finance the measure was unanimously voted down. The transit tax district, which would have imposed a 20 percent real estate tax increase on commercial properties along the train route, was to have generated Fairfax County’s share of the project’s cost. But the Town Council’s rejection of the tax district in Herndon, on a 6 to 0 vote, effectively kills the tax district across the county and opens a $540 million hole in the financing scheme designed by state and local leaders. More than $38 million has been spent just to plan the 23 miles of rail. Property owners along the proposed rail line were being asked to foot the project bill, even though many of them would never see…
