Lebanon’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation has banned passengers departing from Beirut from traveling with walkie talkies and pagers – either with them into the cabin, or in checked luggage. I fully expect calls to broaden the ban put in place by Lebanon – to electronics broadly, and even wifi, out of fear that a connected device could be ordered to detonate.
A confrontation took place between an American Airlines passenger and gate agent in Miami, with the passenger walking down the jetbridge without being given permission to board and – it seems – the employee grabbing at the woman’s phone (she was filming the interaction) and grabbing her.
Six months ago I wrote that JetBlue would open lounges at New York JFK and Boston Logan airports. The carrier pushed back on this – in June the airline said that lounges were too expensive and not profitable – but today they’ve announced it.
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.
With the deal for Alaska Airlines to buy Hawaiian Airlines ,now done, they’re beginning to move forward on integrating the two carriers.
Consumer group Travelers United has sued Avis Budget Group under the Washington, D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act for egregious junk fees charged on top of advertised rental car prices, characterizing the practice as “bait and switch” and “drip pricing.”
Dr. Erin Nance, a New York-based orthopedic hand surgeon, and founder of a social media platform for women dealing with chronic health issues, flew American Airlines in business class to Europe. She stepped in and gave up her lie flat seat to save the flight from having to divert to Canada. And now the airline is pretending they don’t know who she is when she’s asking about a make-good on her ticket.
One of the more egregious examples of hidden, undisclosed fees I’ve seen has to be the Hyatt Place St. Augustine / Vilano Beach which reportedly adds a “Mandatory Valet Parking Fee” of $25 per night.
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 Department of Justice didn’t oppose Alaska Airlines buying Hawaiian. That meant the Department of Transportation would allow it, but it was clear they were going to require specific concessions. That’s all happened. Alaska can now close the transaction to acquire Hawaiian Airlines.
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 »
