Federal Government Backs Down, Won’t Require “REAL ID” Until May 2025

by Gary Leff

Dec 05 2022

The federal government has ‘no fly’ and ‘enhanced screening’ lists, where they check the names of passengers and decide under what conditions someone is allowed to travel, if at all. It’s a form of pre-crime profiling where people have been added to the list by mistake, for revenge, or for any number of reasons that you aren’t allowed to know. The government claims it’s exempt from judicial review.

This process is meaningless, though, if people can change the name they fly under. So in 2005 Congress passed requirements for IDs that are harder to fake. Since then, however, rules requiring people to actually have a ‘REAL ID’ have been kicked down the road.

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Hertz To Pay $168 Million To Customers Arrested Due To Their False Police Reports

by Gary Leff

Dec 05 2022

Hertz announced a $168 million settlement covering 364 claims against them, at an average of just over $460,000 per customer.

There are perhaps a dozen more customers who are suing Hertz, that are not a part of the settlement. I have to think that in many of those cases the customers believe the egregiousness of their experience warrants a greater cash payout and that it makes sense to get closer to trial.

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I Asked The AI Chatbot To Compose A Rap Of American Airlines Dissing United

by Gary Leff

Dec 05 2022

Artificial intelligence has seen real breakthroughs. I don’t think we fully grasp yet just how far the science has come. But millions of people are getting their first self-aware glimpse via the free AI Chatbot. To be sure, much of our interactions with our phone and Google involve AI. And Tesla and Amazon have some pretty impressive projects. But does it really hit home until you have the ability to auto-generate a rap battle between airlines in under a second?

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ALERT: 9+ United Business Class Saver Awards To Asia, Nearly Every Day Starting Late March

by Gary Leff

Dec 04 2022

With United Airlines set to resume San Francisco – Hong Kong flights in March, business class saver award availability is wide open. You can book use the space to connect onward in Asia on airlines like Singapore and Thai.

As of this writing at least two business class award seats are available for every day except one March 24, 2023 – October 28, 2023. On most dates there are at least 9 saver awards in business class on the route.

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Chris Christie’s Niece Bit Officers After Being Kicked Off Spirit Airlines

by Gary Leff

Dec 04 2022

Chris Christie’s niece, Shannon Epstein, reportedly asked a family on board her Spirit Airlines flight home to New Jersey whether they were “smuggling cocaine” – because they appeared to be Hispanic.

She didn’t make it out of the New Orleans airport on Thanksgiving Day. Her flight was taxiing out when the pilot decided to return to the gate to have her removed from the aircraft. Officers met the plane and she… attacked them.

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