View from the Wing - Page 933 of 3097 - Thought Leader in Travel

Hotel Chains, Rental Car Companies “Asked” To Help Track Down Capitol Rioters

by Gary Leff on January 18, 2021

Jan 18 2021

What happened at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th was… deplorable, to borrow a phrase. Using the events of January 6th to impose new screenings for hotel guests, and eliminate guest privacy by requiring chains to track service requests for the government is as well.

IF you prefer a room with a specific view, the government might want to know, to question you later if a crime occurs in the area your room overlooks. Your upgrade requests suddenly become national security concerns.

American Airlines Testing Tapas As a First Class Meal

by Gary Leff on January 18, 2021

airplane food

Jan 18 2021

During last week’s American Airlines management meeting with employees, a pilot asked about the abysmal state of crew meals, complaining about the cheese plate. Crew generally receive what first class passengers get, and the airline revealed a test of tapas.

Ignore The Snipes From Competitors, American’s Deals With JetBlue And Alaska Are Good For Consumers

by Gary Leff on January 18, 2021

outside airport

Jan 18 2021

By giving American strength in areas where they’re weak, we’re going to see a viable competitor:- especially against Delta and United in New York. Delta is the clear market leader in ‘actual New York’ and United is dominant at Newark. American-JetBlue together become a third competitor.

And with Alaska, American addresses its weakness in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest – and helps preserve Alaska as a strong competitor against Delta’s encroachment in Seattle.

Man Misses Airports So Much He Turns His Treadmill Into A Moving Walkway, His Washing Machine Into…

by Gary Leff on January 18, 2021

Jan 18 2021

TSA reported travel numbers remain low compared to last year. We’re all hopeful that vaccination, combined with the sheer number of people who have recently had Covid-19, will suppress the pandemic and bring about a return to normal life soon. In the meantime we make do.

One man recreated the travel experience at home with his exercise treadmill and his washing machine.

Man Afraid Of Traveling Lived In The Chicago O’Hare Airport For Three Months Before Being Arrested

by Gary Leff on January 18, 2021

airport

Jan 18 2021

Many of us have avoided airports during the Covid-19 pandemic. While air travel is probably safer than most indoor environments, much of what you might do at a destination is off the table. And airports themselves generally lack HEPA air filtration, and there’s often too much congregation at security checkpoints and gate areas.

Which makes it such a strange choice, to me, that one man afraid of the novel coronavirus, decided to live at Chicago O’Hare for the past 3 months. The 36 year old California man has been arrested for criminal trespass.

23 Year Old Woman Stopped From Boarding Flight Because She Was “Showing Too Much Skin”

by Gary Leff on January 17, 2021

Jan 17 2021

A 23 year old woman was refused boarding her flight VA1447 from Adelaide to Gold Coast on Virgin Australia on Wednesday because her outfit’s top was “showing too much skin.” The Virgin brand, though, has literally sold sex for decades,

Marine Confronts A Trump Supporter At The Atlanta Airport Who Just Flew Home From D.C.

by Gary Leff on January 17, 2021

Jan 17 2021

The Atlanta local CBS television station went to the airport to interview Trump supporters returning home from D.C. where some protested and others stormed the U.S. Capitol attempting to disrupt the counting of electoral votes last week.

While talking to a man in a Make America Great Again hat, a man walks up and identifies himself as a “twenty year Marine” and says he “fought for [the man’s right] to protest” and is offended by how the protests broke down into violence, calling them terrorists.

Baby Kangaroo Hops Down The Aisle Of American Airlines Flight

by Gary Leff on January 17, 2021

Jan 17 2021

A flight attendant shared a kangaroo hopping down the aisle of an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Newport News, Virginia.

Judging from the video it appears to be a on board a Bombardier CRJ-900 regional jet operated by PSA Airlines, which is an express carrier owned by American Airlines.

Vaccine Tourism Has Started With Trips To The UAE, India And Morocco

by Gary Leff on January 17, 2021

Jan 17 2021

I think everyone’s ready to get back to normal after 2020 and a rocky start to 2021. Vaccines hold that promise, but the rollout is slow. And those with the means will go to lengths to accelerate their shots. That’s why I wrote back in November that I expected vaccine tourism to become a trend in early 2021. Last month we started to see travel agencies advertising vaccine tourism packages.

And now trips are actually happening.

Couple Meets On Southwest Flight, The Pastor Who Sat Between Them Officiates Their Wedding

by Gary Leff on January 17, 2021

Jan 17 2021

A couple just got married who met inflight on Southwest Airlines in November 2018. On a 5 a.m. flight from New York to Dallas, he sat in the window seat and spying an open exit row aisle she sat down beside him. She assumed they’d have an empty middle, perfect for the 1381 mile journey.

However Bonny Andrews, a pastor from India visiting to start a new ministry, sat between them in the middle seat – and struck up a conversation. At 5. A. M.

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 »