Last fall the ‘new Alitalia’ ITA Airways offered to give elite status to anyone with a pulse. Many may have skipped that at the time, since the new airline wasn’t yet a part of the SkyTeam (or any) alliance so it was still somewhat speculative what the benefit to do so would be.
Now they’re once again status matching through April 15. Status will be valid through April 15, 2023. There are 3 steps.
A Southwest Airlines agent was punched – and then had to be restrained by another employee – after a disruptive passenger was offloaded off of a flight that had just returned to the gate on Tuesday.
The customer, identified by police as Courtney Drummond, can be seen in video taken by an onlooker shouting and walking up to the counter – before whaling on the employee who hadn’t been a part of any earlier altercation.
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.
Seagulls have become a nuisance along the Grand Canal in Venice, and hotels have adopted a variety of strategies to ward them off. Two in particular – Marriott’s excellent Gritti Palace and Preferred Hotels’ Hotel Monaco – have started issuing water pistols to guests.
Southwest Airlines doesn’t offer Basic Economy. All of their fares all cancellation while retaining full credit towards a new ticket, and they do not charge for two checked bags. They promised not to take anything away from the lowest fares even as they rolled out a new, more expensive fare type. And that’s exactly what they’ve done.
Since American Airlines introduced first checked bag fees in 2008, U.S. carriers have come up with creative ways to monetize everything from seat assignments to seat backs and tray tables. Whether they’re advertising to passengers in the inflight entertainment or passing out credit card applications, there’s little about the journey that isn’t monetized.
U.S. carriers have nothing on their Indian counterparts. Low cost carrier SpiceJet has teamed up with that country’s pharmaceutical industry to pitch medicinal supplements to passengers, offering free samples like at Costco hoping that one you try you’ll buy.
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 world was shocked last May when a Southwest Airlines passenger attacked a flight attendant, chipping her teeth, bruising her and sending her to the hospital for stitches after being asked “to fasten her seat belt, stow her tray table and wear her face mask properly.”
Vyvianna Quinonez was charged for her violent behavior on board that San Diego-bound flight on May 22, 2021. She pled guilty. But was she too drunk to be sentenced?
Singapore will remove most pandemic restrictions April 1. Vaccinated travelers will be able to visit, arriving on any flight and any airline, and no testing on arrival will be required. Scrapping of pre-departure testing is under consideration, and no booster shots will be required.
But perhaps the most underreported element of Singapore’s re-opening is that they’ll begin accepting paper vaccination records.
SkyTeam member Saudia has an amazing business class fare of $734 from Madrid to Bangkok that’s widely available. The price drops even more if you have young children traveling with you.
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 »
