Dec
26
2020
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.
Inside The Status Match Game, From An Airline’s Perspective
Why French Polynesia Hotels So Often Disappoint
Dec
26
2020
A correspondent shares his recent experience with an overwater bungalow at the Hilton Moorea. He found “the grounds are lovely, the staff was very nice, the breakfast excellent” (though service not proactive). However this was overshadowed by problems with his room and with the hotel’s service, truly creating a ‘stay from hell’.
Here’s What Happened To The Class Action Refund Lawsuit Against American Airlines
Dec
25
2020
Several lawsuits were filed over airlines’ resistance to providing customers with refunds when either cancelling or substantially changing itineraries early in the Covid-19 pandemic, as required by U.S. law. A class action lawsuit against American Airlines has been resolved in a draw.
In my experience American Airlines was one of the few ‘good guys’ with refunds. The places to focus on are the airlines and online travel agencies which really did act badly against their customers – like United, JetBlue, Air Canada, and online travel agency sites.
Costa Rica’s Dumb New Restriction On Tourist Activity
Dec
25
2020
Costa Rica has been one of a handful of places to welcome Americans in recent months. They’ve been dealing with significant spread of Covid-19 since August. So far over 160,000 Costa Ricans have been confirmed to have the virus, and around 2000 have died.
The country has new restrictions going into effect December 31.
[Roundup] Business Class Awards Non-Stop To South Africa (Rare!)
Dec
25
2020
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.
American Airlines Flight 1859 Made An Unexpected Stop On Christmas Eve
Dec
25
2020
On December 24, the midday American Airlines Los Angeles – Honolulu flight cancelled. Christmas in paradise was at risk for its passengers.
So American Airlines decided to add a stop to its Los Angles – Maui flight 1859 to drop off passengers in Honolulu enroute to Maui’s Kahului Airport.
Delta’s Operation Melting Down Again Over Christmas
Dec
25
2020
Delta cancelled 67 flights on Christmas Eve day. They had already cancelled 123 flights on Christmas Day, or 10% of their schedule, by 6 a.m. on the East Coast. In contrast American Airlines had cancelled only one flight.
This follows an operational meltdown over Thanksgiving.
The Christmas Eve Safety Briefing That Makes Flights Awesome
Dec
24
2020
Many flight safety briefings are done by video nowadays, at least on aircraft equipped with inflight entertainment. But flight attendants used to do safety briefings live and on some aircraft of course they still do.
As long as all of the relevant information is included in the briefing, the particular verbiage isn’t dictated. Back in 1999, I think, I first heard “‘Twas the Flight Before Christmas” and it went something like this:
[Roundup] China’s Travel Hacking Program Is Targeting Your Biometric Data
Dec
24
2020
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 Reason American Airlines Matched Delta’s $479 Business Class Brazil Mistake Fare
Dec
24
2020
Delta ran a $479 roundtrip business class fare from New York to São Paulo. It only lasted for a few hours. It was probably a mistake fare, but many people assumed it was intentional because of something very strange that happened next. American Airlines matched the $479 roundtrip business class fare.
