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.
Last year American Airlines stopped sending out physical elite membership cards and luggage tags to members promoting their “fully digital experience.” It was a cost-cutting move, taking something of emotional value away from top customers.
However elite kits are again being sent out to Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members. But if you’ve already qualified for next year’s status, you’ll need to call in to request yours.
Several Destination Residences are now bookable with Hyatt points. Some of these are amazing properties, and even good value. However there’s a dangerous pricing precedent at some locations where there aren’t “standard rooms” and everything costs more than the standard award chart as a result.
The original Covid-19 outbreak may have been nearly 40 times worse than official statistics suggest. The Wuhan airport re-opened in early April 2020 as a big show of Chinese success at containing Covid-19. They also put on a big show of disinfection, even though the airport had been closed for ten weeks.
Now they’re facing Delta, and transportation in and out of Wuhan is again cut off.
A passenger on a Frontier Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Miami was duct taped to his seat on Saturday after spilling a cocktail on himself, taking off his shirt, touching up flight attendants and getting into a fight. And the flight attendants who used the duct tape have been suspended by the airline.
Chase is launching an Air Canada Aeroplan credit card later this year and if you RSVP to be notified of the card’s launch you’ll be eligible for an extra 10,000 miles in addition to the initial bonus offer available with the card.
Spirit Airlines cancelled over a third of its flights on Monday, after having cancelled a similar (though slightly larger) number on Sunday. All day I’ve been hearing about passenger revolts, especially in San Juan, Puerto Rico but also in places like Philadelphia.
In some cases employees… just left. What we’re finding out now is that they may have done this for their safety, to protect them from rioting passengers. And it even appears the airline may have advised them to get out of uniform so they couldn’t be attacked by stranded customers.
Full service Marriott hotels in the U.S. were supposed to have their restaurants open July 1 which means where elite member benefits include restaurant breakfast that’s now supposed to be honored. Some hotels, though, are working angles to avoid offering it.
Take, for instance, the $27.85++ Sam Adams Summer Ale at New York LaGuardia that also incurs a 10% Covid charge that’s “not a gratuity for employees.”
When called on it the airport concessions company argued that this pricing was a ‘mistake’ but also a better value than they’re being given credit for.
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 »
