Senator Ted Cruz Promotes Low Fares To Cancun

by Gary Leff

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.

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European Union Has Agreed To Open Borders To Vaccinated Travelers

by Gary Leff

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.

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The Energy Department Is Developing A Scanner So You Don’t Have To Take Shoes Off At Airport Security

by Gary Leff

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.

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American Airlines Investigating Pilot For Criticizing Diversity

by Gary Leff

british tail plane
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.

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Act Fast: Award Nights Wide Open At Waldorf Astoria Maldives

by Gary Leff

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.

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British Airways Rolling Out Sleep Pods In Lounges

by Gary Leff

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.”

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