May
19
2021
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.
Airline CEO: Inflight Mask Mandates Here To Stay For Years
Which Hotel Chains Still Require Masks For People Who Are Vaccinated?
May
19
2021
Marriott and Hyatt no longer require vaccinated guests to wear masks indoors at U.S. properties, except where required by law. Employees will still wear masks. Hilton, though, still requires indoor masking.
Senator Ted Cruz Promotes Low Fares To Cancun
May
19
2021
In the midst of the worst storm Texas has seen in many decades in Februry, the state’s junior Senator Ted Cruz took his family out of the country. Amidst a backlash he changed his plans and returned home. He blamed his family for the mishap, saying he was just escorting the kids and always planned to return but that story turned out to be… less than accurate.
Now Cruz is poking fun at himself, with Houston media touting low fares to Cancun on Sun Country Airlines. Naturally he’s getting roasted on social media for it.
European Union Has Agreed To Open Borders To Vaccinated Travelers
May
19
2021
Greece is already open to Americans. France says it is opening June 9. Spain has said it is opening. Now the European Union has come to an agreement to accept vaccinated visitors this summer, and this is expectted to be passed by member states. The specific re-opening date when Americans will be able to enter without a Covid-19 test or quarantine remains to be set, as countries determine how they plan to verify vaccination.
The Energy Department Is Developing A Scanner So You Don’t Have To Take Shoes Off At Airport Security
May
19
2021
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory – the same people who brought you millimeter wave scanners at TSA checkpoints – are developing a new scanner so you won’t have to take off your shoes at airport security.
This project blasts these same millimeter waves at your feet, cutting down on the shoe carnival for flyers who lack precheck and reducing the time in line for passengers that no longer have to take their shoes off and put them back on.
Marriott Changed Award Categories At 15 Hotels That Weren’t In Its Published Announcement
May
18
2021
15 properties that were not included in Marriott’s list of changes for 2021 went up or down in category.
They went up some time between the list’s publication and now, with 11 of the 15 going up in category (charging more points for hotels despite the pandemic’s historic blow to travel) and 4 hotels going down in category.
American Airlines Investigating Pilot For Criticizing Diversity
May
18
2021
American Airlines reports they are “investigating” a pilot for his comments on social media and on a podcast about a diversity curriculum for his local Dallas-area school district.
The pilot has blasted the curriculum online, and the Southlake Anti-Racism Coalition which supports it. They, in turn, went to American Airlines claiming their employee is harassing them and sought to cancel him.
Warren Buffett Unloads Bank Stocks, Scuttling Rumored Merger
May
18
2021
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.
Act Fast: Award Nights Wide Open At Waldorf Astoria Maldives
May
18
2021
At the beginning of the month I reported that Hilton had raised the top price of an award night to 150,000 points and that this applies only to the Waldorf Astoria in the Maldives. Some redemption nights there are 120,000 points, however.
When this was discovered there were no redemption nights available at all. Even with the higher pricing it wasn’t possible to spend Hilton points for a standard room, and could only use ‘points as money’ to book rooms based on the prevailing room rate (which can cost over a million points per night). All of a sudden that’s changed so act fast.
British Airways Rolling Out Sleep Pods In Lounges
May
18
2021
British Airways has a new nap lounge called Forty Winks” which opened on Monday in the First Class lounge at London Heathrow airport, which is currently open to business class passengers as well, and will also be a feature in London’s Concorde Room and at New York JFK.
Their sleep pod with Restworks (so there’s a revenue stream) feature “the world’s first chair designed exclusively for power napping.”
