It’s been several years since I’ve shared thoughts on effective philanthropy and donating miles. It certainly seems like we have more crises, more often, and more needs top of mind for help than ever before. I suspect that might not be correct in absolute terms, but the breadth of speed of information flow brings needs to the forefront constantly. And for many people, especially readers of this blog, miles may be an underexploited resource to help.
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.
A Southwest Airlines passenger had left their phone behind in the gate area. They’d already boarded their flight, and the plane had pushed back. A gate agent worked to get the phone down to the ramp. A ramp worker brought it out to the aircraft. They weren’t going to open the aircraft door. Instead, the pilot opened the cockpit window and leaned out. Stretched as far as he could out the window, the ramper jumped as high as he could to pass off the phone.
On November 14, 1992 Vietnam Airlines flight 474 crashed during a tropical cyclone as it approached Nha Trang. The Yakovlev Yak-40 aircraft was carrying 25 passengers and six crew. Only one person, a passenger, survived.
The sixteen year old Soviet-built aircraft had departed Ho Chi Minh City. As it neared Nha Trang Airport, it descended below its expected altitude. It hit trees and crashed. The aircraft was destroyed.
The month before the pandemic American Airlines lost 75,000 checked bags. Incoming CEO Robert Isom told an internal group of American employees just after that that “every lost bag is nearly $60.”
The bet is that the bank will lose money on interchange, but make money on APR. They’re looking for customers who will revolve. Banks lose money on some customers (who pay off their bills each month) while making money on those who pay monthly interest charges.
Southwest Airlines famously doesn’t show up when searching online travel agency websites. Historically if you’ve wanted to buy a ticket on Southwest, you’ve had to go directly to Southwest to make the purchase. No longer! A simple trick will show Southwest flights in Google Flights searches.
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.
9/11 hijackers used boxcutters. TSA was created to stop future 9/11s. They search wheelchair-bound grandmothers, steal from passengers, and light billions of dollars on fire each year – all while admitting in court that they see zero active threats to defend against.
But when passengers actually bring boxcutters to the checkpoint? Yeah, they got through and a Frontier Airlines flight had to divert after one was being used by an unruly passenger.
There are 1,430 slot machines in the Las Vegas airport. Those slot machines have generated $1 billion in revenue.
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 »
