On an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to New York JFK Saturday, passengers pulled out their violins and played for the cabin as St. Patrick’s Day quickly approaches.
The music is excellent, but this isn’t what everyone had signed up for. There’s no “no music” section of the aircraft. It’s been described as ‘Aches On A Plane’ and we’re all just waiting for Samuel L. Jackson.
The minimum age to drink alcohol in the United States is 21 years old. You can vote at 18, serve in the military, but not have a beer or glass of wine. In much of the world the drinking age is lower. The law of the country whose airline you’re flying applies.
The Virgin brand hasn’t taken hold in the U.S. the way it has in other parts of the English-speaking world. It stands for being a bit cheeky, a bit cheeky, but often more style over substance. And in the case of the 268 room Virgin Hotels Dallas that means a straightforward full service property with… splashes of red, and one of Richard Branson’s books in the room.
Some of the most successful airports in the country are also frequently considered to be among the least well run or most corrupt. I’d put the New York area airports (Port Authority of New York New Jersey), Washington Dulles and National Airports (Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority), Atlanta and Detroit in this camp.
So does it matter if an airport is well run?
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Delta has a close collaboration with Starbucks already. American Express has given out Starbucks gift cards occasionally in the past when denying cardmembers access due to lounge crowding. Surely they could team to buy these cards at a big discount, driving business to Starbucks and freeing up lounge space.
A Delta Sky Club Executive membership went up by $650 this year. The airline could allow members paying $1495 back into the lounge when traveling on a basic economy fare. That extra membership cost covers a lot of $8 gift cards purchased for some percentage off of that.
Hotels want guests to give tips to workers, so they can pay lower wages. The CEO of one hotel ownership group actually said the quiet part out loud.
In 2019 Hilton’s CEO said that even he didn’t tip housekeeping. But now hotels are pushing it, and we face a collective action problem. The practice pushes down housekeeper wages, but if an individual guest doesn’t do it that’s less money in a given housekeeper’s pocket on that given day.
The space is now open, and it’s not only available to Black Card customers. There is an open Salon with complimentary coffee and (3) distinct areas with separate reservations. And a secret room.
Serial entrepreneur Steve Kirsch, who co-invented the optical computer mouse in 1980, has developed a real hatred for mask-wearing. It isn’t just that he doesn’t want to wear one. He doesn’t want anyone else to, either. When he flies, he offers other passengers money to take theirs off.
And he has a lot of money. He founded an internet search company in the 90s that he sold to Disney, and built several other companies including a anti-spam provider. So he thinks nothing of starting out with an offer of $100, and going up from there.
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 »
