Plus-Sized Woman Shames Passengers Who Moved Seats To Have More Room On Flight

by Gary Leff

airplane seats
Jun 01 2023

A 19 year old woman flying from Las Vegas to New York was assigned a middle seat, and reports she was between two larger passengers who didn’t “fit comfortably into their seats.” She reports their shoulders and thighs were “on top of” hers. And after an hour and a half of this she got up and discretely asked a flight attendant if she could change to an open seat in another row?

She felt awkward moving her bag from underneath the seat in front of her, but thought the ordeal was over when she moved a few rows back. However at the end of the flight when she deplaned, she found the woman who had been sitting next to her waiting for her at the gate.

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IHG Now Lets Elite Members Confirm Suites On Award Stays!

by Gary Leff

Jun 01 2023

IHG now has, in my view, the second best elite upgrade program behind Hyatt – which allows confirmed upgrades at booking to suites, and allows them more often for their heaviest stay guests – but whose confirmed upgrade benefits only start after 50 nights. Marriott allows confirmed upgrades based on availability (and only into capacity controlled suite inventory) starting 5 days prior to check-in for elites after 50 nights. And Hilton doesn’t require hotels to upgrade elites to suites at all.

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Is “Throwaway Ticketing” Worth It To Save Money On Airfare?

by Gary Leff

airline ticket
Jun 01 2023

Throwaway ticketing is a practice that’s gone on for decades. Airlines often charge more money for non-stops than they do for connecting itineraries. So people book a flight with a connection through the city they want to travel to, and just don’t take that second connecting flight. As a result, they can often save money, but there are risks you should know about.

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Why U.S. Credit Card Customers Are Being Turned Away From Virgin Atlantic Lounges

by Gary Leff

Jun 01 2023

Readers have shared a frustration by e-mail and in the comments to various posts about access to Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses in the U.S. using their credit cards which are supposed to provide them entry.

Access rules can be complicated, but it appears that especially for the San Francisco lounge, a manager there has instructed staff to in essence violate their contract and deny access out of an antipathy for credit card guests.

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American Airlines To Appeal Antitrust Ruling Breaking Up Partnership With JetBlue

by Gary Leff

May 31 2023

The judge’s decision, rather than considering whether consumers would benefit overall, looked at individual markets and saw fare increases – when fares were rising everywhere due to inflation, supply chain issues and strong demand. The judge discounted expert witnesses for the airlines because they were working with airline data while giving weight to government experts. And the judge argued that the combination was per se illegal, since it reduced competitors, rather than looking at its effects to see more actual competition.

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Ticket Agent In Singapore Calls Chinese Passenger “A Dog” Who Doesn’t “Know How To Be Human”

by Gary Leff

May 31 2023

A China Southern Airlines check-in counter agent in Singapore has been suspended after calling a passenger “a dog.” The man was checking in for China Southern’s Singapore – Chongqing flight 546 on May 23rd and asked about an upcharge for exit row seats, but there was a communication challenge. He asked for a Mandarin-speaking agent, but was ignored.

The passenger began filming with his phone, and the employee took offense. According to the passenger, he “used three languages (to scold me), ‘you are a dog, you don’t understand human language’.” That’s not on the video, however the agent was filmed saying “If you want to be a dog, I can treat you like a dog… That’s easy.” The agent also said that the man doesn’t “even know how to be a human.”

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