The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency is proposing to require that all passengers on flights in and out of the United States provide a U.S. address; two phone numbers, and an email address – or be denied boarding.
Southwest is offering six weeks of a companion pass – bring someone with you when you travel on points or cash for just the taxes – after you take just a single trip.
Register, purchase one roundtrip or two one way flights by April 5, and then travel by May 24. Your companion pass will be valid August 15 – September 30, 2023.
Staff for the Vice President are reportedly “revolting” over “the inferior quality of lunches on Air Force Two, the vice president’s plane.”
President Biden’s staff on Air Force One receive filet mignon, and the service comes on “gold-rimmed plates, accompanied by cold beers.” In contrast, staff for Kamala Harris receive “soggy sandwiches in brown paper bags – and no booze.” Instead, expect “cold pasta salads and water.” One staffer calls it “horrible slop.”
Expecting a woman to confront a tall man, when she’s pinned between him and the wall of an aircraft, without the assistance of cabin crew seems a bit rich. But not as rich as doubling down on the invasion of her personal space by looking over her shoulder at her phone screen. And somehow she’s being unreasonable for seeking comfort from a friend that she’s stuck next to him?
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The seal on a $100 bottle of whiskey was “obviously cut” and one-third of the bottle was drained when it was collected at baggage claim. It didn’t spill. And it was packed by an industry professional. Who could have taken the precious Glenmorangie?
We’ve all experienced tipflation: an expectation that we tip more, and more often, than ever before. When you walk up to an iPad to pay for a purchase you know what’s coming next. You’re literally standing in line to pay for something you picked up from a shelf yourself, and you’re about to be asked to tip for it. How does this make sense?
And then you’re presented with choices, maybe 20%, 22% and 25%. When did tipping expectations go so high?
Everyday passenger behavior in lounges has gotten worse, from being draped over couches asleep (lounge couches aren’t nap rooms) to simply sticking bare feet up on the furniture. Would you do this at the home of an acquaintance – someone you know, but not well? Why do this in front of other passengers, and on furniture that doesn’t even belong to you? United Clubs don’t allow outside food, surely clubs can impose minimum standards like ‘no shirt, no shoes, no entry.’?
With current service pretty limited – a ‘light refresh’ generally just includes emptying trash, replacing towels, and making the bed without changing linens – there’s not much left to take away. Yet somehow the Hyatt Regency John Wayne Airport manages to pull farther on both levers – add steps to the request process, and perform even less service than a light refresh.
A Delta Air Lines passenger reported that they made it to Detroit on Friday, but couldn’t get the last mile home to Cincinnati. There were strong thunderstorms in the area in the evening and that was wreaking havoc with flights. Delta, though, didn’t blame weather and say there was nothing they can do. Instead they rebooked passengers on short-distance final segments using their partner Lyft.
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 »
