A dad and his 13 year old daughter flying American Airlines from Seattle to Charlotte last week were shaken to their core when law enforcement met them on arrival. The flight’s crew had radioed ahead to report him as a suspected sex trafficker.
The pair were traveling to the man’s oldest daughter’s graduation. The first time he noticed something amiss was during the flight when he got up to use the lavatory.
Say what you will about the business logic of providing United pilots with a richer contract, these aren’t traditional blue collar workers. They aren’t working 80 hour weeks to make ends meet and slowly falling behind, they fly 80 hours a month, and are well-paid, and many of them have side businesses – hardly the image of Cesar Chavez standing up with grape workers, “We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure.”
Spirit Airlines offers less legroom than other airlines. While Southwest might give you 32 inches of pitch (the distance from seat back to seat back), American Airlines, Delta and United usually offer just 30 inches. Spirit? 28.
So if you want to be comfortable on a Spirit flight, you’re going to need an aisle seat – and to make full use of stretching into the aisle. And once you’re planning to to that, why not kick your feet up and enjoy… with your very own portable ottoman?
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.
The problem for hotels with dropping daily housekeeping is that they’re eliminating the things that make them different than an Airbnb and Airbnb has been their primary competitive threat. At some properties it also just cashes out as gross.
Marriott’s AC Hotel in Downtown Minneapolis tells guests just leave your trash in the hall.
The customer thinks they’re dealing with the airline. They’re told they have no other options but to pay. And travelers, desperate for help, clearly agree to be charged.
99% of pilots casting a ballot voted to authorize a strike. This was largely pitched to members as negotiating leverage: vote to strike so you don’t need to strike. It’s a threat to the company to get them to give more in negotiations.
Once a union calls for strike authorization, members have to go along – otherwise the union’s credibility implodes and the company knows there isn’t a strike threat looming in the background.
Despite several reports in frequent flyer forums and on blogs to the contrary, it is still possible to make changes to partner awards. No policy change went into effect May 4 that would alter this. And American Airlines confirms this to me.
Southwest Airlines released a 12 minute film about a woman who a flight, rented a car, and wound up in the 1880s. It’s Back To The Future meets The Big Chill but with a woman who meets up with her father in a past that precedes both of them. And they did this as an homage to Kiyoshi Kurosaw because something about their 50th anniversary being two years ago.
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.
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 »
