Dec
16
2020
Would you like to sit in the Covid or non-Covid section, sir?
Swipe Right: Thailand Partners With Tinder To Bring Back Tourism
Dec
16
2020
Thailand has re-opened to tourism albeit with restrictions such as a 15 day quarantine on arrival. People from all over the world can now travel to the country for their fix of beaches, boat noodles, and bar fines.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is working to bring back vacationers, and has launched a partnership with Tinder hoping leisure travelers will swipe right on domestic trips within the Land of Smiles.
Southwest Airlines Adds Two New Cities, Including (A Return To) Fresno
Dec
16
2020
Southwest has aggressively added destinations during the pandemic. Some, like Chicago O’Hare, because of a unique opportunity to gain access to an airport that was full prior to 2020. Others are leisure destinations where they’re seeking new revenue opportunities for planes that have nowhere to go.
Over the past couple of years Southwest growth has been constrained with the grounding of the MAX. They haven’t had the planes to add new destinations. Now they have a surplus of planes because they haven’t needed the frequencies they used to offer, especially on business routes between major cities. And with the end of ‘middle seat blocking’ on Southwest they have even less need to add incremental flights in those markets.
Pittsburgh Airport Introduces On-Demand Covid-19 Testing Inside The Terminal
Dec
15
2020
I really like the Pittsburgh airport. There’s a Hyatt hotel on the grounds, and they pioneered allow people to go through security even when not traveling same day, something we lost in this country after 9/11. The program meant people could meet arriving passengers, shop and dine, and planespot.
Now they have something new to like: on-demand Covid-19 testing inside the terminal.
A-Rod Is Going To Buy 20 Hotels And Turn Them Into Hiltons
Dec
15
2020
Former Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, who recently failed in his bid with fiance’ J. Lo to buy the New York Mets, will invest in and front a $650 million hospitality fund which plans to acquire 20 hotels – largely in New York, Miami and Seattle but potentially also the Caribbean – and turn them into Hiltons. He’s already acquired the Curio Collection hotel in Miami.
Just Joining American AAdvantage Now Gets Better Boarding Privileges
Dec
15
2020
American Airlines is making the AAdvantage program friendlier for new members, who are the people that are flying today. They’re introducing better boarding just for joining the program, after eliminating telephone booking fees for award redemptions for all members and eliminating mileage redeposit fees, too.
Frontier Airlines Promises New, Uncomfortable Seat Will Be Good For The Environment
Dec
15
2020
Frontier Airlines announced today that their 156 Airbus planes on order, which begin delivering in March, will receive Recaro’s slimline SL3710 seats. Slimline seats are known for passenger discomfort. They have less padding, and therefore take up less space. That lets airlines squeeze more passengers into the same amount of space. Frontier claims the sufferiing, though, is good for you because it’s good for the planet. Is that true?
A Way To Book Las Vegas Strip Hotels Without Resort Fees (And Lower Rates, Too)
Dec
15
2020
One of the most annoying features of hotels is the resort fee, a mandatory charge that’s not included in the room rate in order to deceive customers – to make a hotel look less expensive than it is. The practice spread beyond resorts to city hotels, and became known as a ‘destination charge.’ Even with many of the supposed-inclusions the resort fees pay for suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, the charges persist.
Las Vegas is a city where resort fees play a hugely distortionary role. Hotels cut prices to rock bottom levels to fill rooms. And there’s a way to get an even further discount – and skip the resort fees. Hotels that want to compete in the future need to pay attention.
500 Free Hyatt Points For Meditating Are Now Posting
Dec
15
2020
Hyatt points for opening up their app on December 9th and playing a brief Headspace recording are posting. I’m surprised by the IT that made this work as there was no registration or indication on the app that they’d be bonusing this, just separate communication from Hyatt.
Passenger Reportledy Died Of Covid-19 On A Flight Yesterday
Dec
15
2020
A passenger with Covid-19 died yesterday on a domestic flight, as reported by a fellow passenger on twitter. The passenger is LAX-based, and the other flight I’ve found to or from LAX which diverted yesterday was UA591 from Orlando. United confirms it diverted for medical reasons.
