The Big Beautiful Bill has more and more warts that just keep coming out, including a new $250 “Visa Integrity Fee” for most foreigners applying for U.S. nonimmigrant visas. It’s a ‘refundable deposit’ that you’re supposed to get back for leaving the U.S. on time, though no one knows yet how refunds will actually happen. Implementing a cross-agency refund system is going to take… time. The fee amount will adjust up with inflation.
There’s so much to do to improve customer experience at American that the biggest task is prioritization.
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.
Delta Air Lines flight 3788, an Embraer E-175 operated by SkyWest, nearly collided with another aircraft as it flew from Minneapolis–St. Paul to Minot, North Dakota In addition to operating as a civilian airport, Minot is home to an Air Force base where the 5th Bomb Wing’s 26 B-52 Stratofortress bombers are based. The Delta Connection flight began its descent toward Minot, and the plane suddenly performed an evasive maneuver to avoid another aircraft converging on their flight path. As relayed in video recorded by a passenger, the captain came on the PA to explain what happened. He apologized and detailed the abrupt turn to avoid a potential mid-air collision, “For those of you on the right-hand side, you probably saw the airplane kind of coming at us… nobody told us about it.” @azamora616 #plane#nearmiss#flight3788…
Four years ago Hilton eliminated free breakfast as a benefit for Honors Gold and Diamond members at U.S properties. In its place they offer a small food and beverage credit that can be used at any time throughout the day.
One rumor about tipping just isn’t true, that when you pay for premium drinks with SkyMiles at a Delta Sky Club that the airline pockets the tip and doesn’t pass it onto the server.
The highlight of the lounge – and some people love it, others hate it, my view was a bit more in the middle – is the food. They have actual beef, not something I’ve seen much of in Centurion lounges the past several years as the food budget appears to have been cut back.
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.
Order up a cocktail, sit at the bar, in a quiet spot, or by the fireplace. Head to the gameroom with friends. Book a facial using a QR code that’s ubiquitous throughout the lounge. And see whether you agree with the majority opinion that the food is spectacular, or with me that it’s a bit of a disappointment.
We’ve aleady seen airlines pull back flying for the fall, in anticipation of lower demand. That’s focused largely on early morning, late night and redeye trips and off-peak days.
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 »
