According to an internal memo reviewed by View From The Wing, starting August 15 they will no longer offer Early Bird Check-In for all flights, routes, or dates.
A comedian named Cindy Arena was traveling with her four and six year old kids and they weren’t seated together. She asked another woman to switch seats so she could sit with her kids. The woman said no. Her right, but…
That meant the mom wasn’t with the kids, and this woman who wouldn’t change was seated next to them instead. One of the kids was four! Hijinks are going to ensue!
This past Saturday a “’trust fund baby’ from Australia” had been partying at Encore’s Beach Club. He demanded at the Wynn nightclub open an hour early for him, but the manager of XS personally declined this request. It’s not something they can do without any advance notice. This is someone who cares deeply about the party.
So he dropped 200 grand at the Resorts World night club, which let him troll the manager of Wynn’s spot by posting offensive messages to the side of the building.
Southwest Airlines hasn’t given a date beyond “soon” but all customers will be eligible to stand by for free on another flight, the way that elite, full fare, and customers who buy up to Wanna Get Away Plus fares can do. Additionally, those buying the most expensive Business Select fares (which currently includes being in the first 15 boarding positions (A1-15) and a free drink) will receive free inflight wifi as well.
A month ago I wrote that I’ll be speaking at the frequent flyer and casino loyalty event, ZorkFest, this October. But I’ve been remiss in sharing more details of the event.
Saudi Arabia announced a new airline last year, Riyadh Air. They placed an order for up to Boeing 787-9 jets for it back in March. They won’t be flying until 2025. There’s no way for a customer to buy a ticket, or even join a frequent flyer program. But they’re already sponsoring European football, inking a partnership with Spain’s Atlético de Madrid.
Kine-Chan, an OnlyFans model, was denied boarding while leaving Navegantes in southern Brazil. She was wearing a costume resembling Rebecca from Netflix’s “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners,” which is apparently a thing.
The town of Lahaina on Maui is being absolutely pummeled by fire, spurred by wind from a hurricane that passed by. Hundreds of people evacuated. Power and cell service have been down for many. A Presidential Disaster Declaration is expected. Maui lacks ICU beds and burn victims are being flown to Oahu.
Six months ago I wrote about BeOnd which plans to launch as an all-business class airline with a hub in the Maldives.
This seemed a stretch to me. But there are people with real airline experience involved in the project. Their CEO is a former Gulf Air and airBaltic executive. And they’ve just announced they’ve received funding and have plans to launch just a few months from now.
There’s been a lot of hype and handwringing over reports that U.S. credit card debt has reached a record $1 trillion. That’s framed either as an alarm for the economy or a cautionary tale about consumer behavior. But neither of those things seem to be true.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
