Should You Keep Going Back To The Same Places Or Take Trips Somewhere New?

by Gary Leff

Apr 08 2023

I was skewing more towards the familiar after spending over a year inside the U.S., and as more and more countries opened up. I felt like I needed to return to places I’d been – it had been longer than it might otherwise have been. I needed to visit family I hadn’t seen, revisit the familiar places I loved to eat and experience. If you haven’t been to a place in years it feels more new, and you already know you’ll love it! So I’m only now just returning to thinking about new experiences.

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Walmart Sues To End Capital One Credit Card Relationship

by Gary Leff

Apr 08 2023

A lawsuit to terminate the deal doesn’t mean that it will be terminated. The two parties can settle the suit, presumably with Capital One paying more to continue the relationship. On the other hand, a lawsuit to terminate hangs over the partnership in the meantime making it more difficult to maximize the value of the deal. Investments in the partnership remain in limbo in the meantime, which is bad for both sides.

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Airbnb Guests Like The Cleaning Fees And Chore Lists, Think Hotels Are A Scam

by Gary Leff

Apr 07 2023

Complaining about Airbnb on social media is almost de rigueur. There’s so much to criticize about what Airbnb has turned into, which is light years from where the service began. But defenders of Airbnb seem to be having their day. Why would anyone ever stay in a hotel when there’s Airbnb? And what if they made a new Airbnb, that was more like WeWork?

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How Big Hotel Chains Destroy Their Business When They Franchise

by Gary Leff

Apr 07 2023

When chains actually owned the hotels that they marketed, there was better alignment of incentives for maintaining and extending their brands (and they found it much easier to deliver promises to guests on-property). Managed hotels are usually though not always better than franchised properties. An ‘asset light’ model where the chain simply rents out the brand (franchised) can work – but needs a laser-like focus on defending and growing the value of the brand, not merely living off of and depreciating it.

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American Airlines First Class Passenger Kicked Off Flight After Demanding Predeparture Beverage

by Gary Leff

Apr 07 2023

A first class American Airlines passenger was kicked off of a flight after requesting a predeparture beverage. He refused to leave after being told to do so a flight attendant and a pilot, so police were called.

He wants to know what he’s done. It doesn’t matter, he’s been told to leave and in the moment there’s nothing he can do about it. The request does not have to be reasonable. He’s going to have to comply.

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European Court To Rule If It’s Sexist To Give Flight Attendants Less Than Pilots For Meals, Hotels

by Gary Leff

Apr 06 2023

Pilots have a lot more sway at airlines than flight attendants. It’s harder to become a pilot, in part because government regulations make doing so time-consuming and costly. That makes it hard to replace pilots. Pilots also have a lot more say over an airline’s operation, so can slow it down dramatically.

Those are important reasons why pilots are paid more. They receive better benefits. And their life on the road often features better hotels, better ground transportation, and higher meal allowances. Is that… fair?

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