Delta has released a whole sleuth of targeted bonuses (identified by Flyertalker bdschoebel). Targeted bonuses are opportunities to earn miles or other benefits that are only open to the recipient of the offer. Airlines and hotels evaluate a traveler’s habits and try to get them to bump up their spending in specific ways. For instance, I fly from Washington DC to California alot, but usually on cheap fares. United has sent me bonus offers good for lots of miles if only I’ll fly Washington DC to California on expensive fares. However, I’ve often found that I’ve been “targeted” and just wasn’t aware of it — maybe I received the offer buried in an email or paper statement and I just didn’t notice it. I’ve also found that many so-called targeted offers that I may not…
$20 at Starbucks — for $2.10
Signup for Mypoints, an online shopping rewards portal. (Buying items online from various merchants by clicking on links to those merchants at the Mypoints site first earns you additional points good for gift certificates, miles, etc.) During the signup process you’ll be given 50 Mypoints for answering some survey questions about yourself and your interests. By telling Mypoints that you’re interested in everything, they’ll send you alot of email. This can be a good thing — because each one of these emails will offer you 5 or 10 Mypoints just for clicking on the link that shows you opened the message. Go to take surveys, and fill out 4 or 5 multiple choice questions for another 5 points. Signup for Amtrak Guest Rewards using promotion code FB03P and you’ll get 50 Mypoints. Then buy an…
American to Follow United’s Path?
The Dallas Morning News is reporting that an American Airlines chapter 11 filing may come as soon as May. Most observers had previously said end of 2003/early 2004. Normally I’d assume this was just American’s posturing to convince their employees to give in to concessions. But the piece suggests that this is the conclusion of the pilots union, not the airline. United may have waited too long to enter bankrupty, with only $800 million in available cash on hand. That gave tremendous leverage to the institutions offering debtor-in-possession financing. While American has about $2.7 billion, they also have very large debt payments coming up. American could choose to restructure those payments off into the future, or they could decide simply not to make the payments — going bankrupt instead in order to conserve their cash…
If we can’t keep intruders out of nuclear labs…
… the how likely is the TSA to stop terrorist plots at airports? Wired reports on the paucity of security at the Los Alamos nuclear facility: There are no armed guards to knock out. No sensors to deactivate. No surveillance cameras to cripple. To sneak into Los Alamos National Laboratory, the world’s most important nuclear research facility, all you do is step over a few strands of rusted, calf-high barbed wire.
Car Rental Bonus
Register for a National Car Rental Emerald Club Membership and earn up to 12,500 bonus miles for renting cars on your choice of American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, or United Airlines.
Will War Bring Global Consolidation of the Airline Industry?
If the US invades Iraq, already flailing airline stocks could be pushed down even lower. That could actually make them cheap, especially for an acquirer. And rumor has it that Qantas is considering a 25% stake in American Airlines. American and Qantas are already partners. Actually, British Airways owns 18% of Qantas, and BA, AA, and Qantas are all partners. So it seems like a fairly logical move. On the other hand, if things don’t turn around for American, they’re maybe a year off from bankruptcy. And war with Iraq could bring that even closer. I can’t see Qantas dumping in good money right before a fall. Perhaps they could come up with a friendly deal wherein American goes into Chapter 11, Qantas provides debtor-in-possession financing, and comes out a 25% owner of a restructured…
Fact-checking the experts
There are some columnists, like Joe Brancatelli, that are both insightful and consistently get their facts right. In Joe’s case, I think he’s often a bit over-the-top, such as when he recommended that the federal government nationalize all the airlines. But at least his advice is generally sound. On the other hand, there are columnists that consistently get their facts wrong or offer only half the story, so that their advice is unhelpful. I haven’t developed a comprehensive list of these people to avoid, but I did read one column this morning that really set me off. Christopher Elliott’s piece on five outstanding airline flights offered tidbits just are just wrong. I haven’t read enough of his work to know if this is a one-off occurrence or something that’s endemic to his writing. But let…
Miletracker Updated
An update to Miletracker has just been posted. It’s the free tool that I use to track my points in 20 different loyalty programs. It stores my passwords and checks all accounts with a single click. Other products (such as Mileage Manager) are also good. Regardless of your choice of tools, it’s important to keep track of your points in order to use them effectively.
Until Live Television Hits the Skies, I’ll Have to Settle for Memorex
Flying on Sunday means missing the Sunday morning political affairs shows. Fortunately, there’s Punditwatch with a comprehensive wrap-up.
The latest in linguistic scholarship
Courtesy of the Associated Press comes the etymology of the middle finger.
