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.
The 7 day moving average of confirmed Covid-19 cases is down over 96% from peak. Hospitalizations are at their lowest level since the start of the pandemic. We have vaccines and boosters and monoclonal antibodies and small molecule inhibitors – ways to prevent severe disease and to treat it – tools we were only beginning to have when restrictions were put in place.
Anyone advocating continued restrictions has the burden to lay out the off ramp. Under what specific conditions and metrics would they actually support an end to emergency pandemic rules?
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.
Paul Manafort was removed from Sunday’s Emirates flight from Miami to Dubai while he attempted to travel on a revoked passport.
Manafort chaired the Trump presidential campaign in the summer of 2016, and under his leadership had support for a free and democratic Ukraine removed from the Republican platform. He was accused of providing internal polling data to Russian intelligence working in Ukraine, and had previously lobbied for former pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych as well as former dictators of Zaire, Mongolia, and the Philippines.
My award booking partner, Steve operates an ‘Amazing Race For Normal People’ team travel competition to Europe once a year. Competitours.com features unique and compelling challenge activities that push you gently out of your comfort zone.
Your routing is a mystery, with each day’s location only revealed with a few hours’ notice. The destinations zig zag around the nooks and crannies of Western Europe- so forget the well-beaten tourist path. There are no eliminations and no one gets left behind as teams transfer to another destination.
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 »
