The man behind 10,000 fake Airbnb bookings has been charged with wire fraud and identity theft. On his website he posing on yachts and declares himself a “visionary” who has “integrated AI” into his “daily grind.” Here’s what, in fact, he appears to have done.
A man at the Miami airport was filmed going through unclaimed bags and actually trying on shoes and clothing inside to see what fit. Normally you’d expect someone to steal the bag, take it off airport, and open it up to check out their loot away from watchful eyes?
Instead this man is just sitting at baggage claim, going through four pieces of luggage. He tosses aside a purse, then finds pants only to discover they’re too small for him. No one stopped him, and I guess it’s just the kind of out of sample behavior anywhere else that’s normal at the Miami airport?
A coach passenger on board American Airlines 1883 from Los Angeles to Miami reports that a first class flight attendant decided to keep people from coming up to use the first class lavatory by parking a galley cart in the aisle, blocking their path.
That way customers on board the Boeing 737 MAX could only walk the aisle to the back of the aircraft in order to use the bathroom in their ticketed cabin.
Marriott Bonvoy (inclusive of former Starwood members) is the largest program while Hilton Honors has been growing quickly and catching up. Accor’s loyalty program – which is newer than the others – is small for the chain’s size. And while World of Hyatt is the smallest among these 7 hotel groups, it hits substantially above its weight, something that’s true both for program membership and for its co-brand credit card deal.
Sheets might not be changed if a bed doesn’t look slept in. Towels still folded and on the rack may be left there between guests. Even if that’s not the instruction that housekeepers are given and especially where management, like this one, is supportive.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Aviation analytics company Cirium released its 2023 On-Time Performance results for airlines and airports. I’m most interested in the final numbers for North American airlines. Delta performed best, but American Airlines has really improved, and JetBlue remains abysmal.
American Airlines will only accept credit and debit cards, travel vouchers, and electronic funds transfers and their 3 city ticket offices in Argentina. That’s a change that went into effect this past week.
With 185% inflation in the country, accepting cash is tough.
The blog post discusses the unique position of Somaliland, an unrecognized state, acquiring a stake in Ethiopian Airlines, a major move in the aviation industry. It also explores the broader context of Ethiopia’s challenges, including civil war and its strategic maneuvers in the Horn of Africa, reflecting the complexities of regional politics and economics.
On Friday I wrote about the five flights that take off one day, and arrive at their destination the previous day thanks to the international date line.
The first, Guam – Honolulu on United, actually would have allowed you to celebrate New Years Eve twice, in two different cities. Go out on December 31st in Guam, then catch an early New Years Day flight to Honolulu – arriving in Hawaii early enough on New Years Eve there to party again.
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 »
