News and notes from around the interweb:
- An Australian senator has been banned from the airline for six months after a Melbourne airport tirade in which she was denied access to the VIP Chairman’s Club there and allegedly called the airline’s CEO (who is openly gay) a “poof.” The ban even includes Jetstar. First she appeared to admit the allegation about saying ‘poof’ but then took to social media to deny it, and Qantas backed her up.
However because she’s a Senator they didn’t just ban her – they negotiated the ban with her office according to media reports.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce - Pretty cool sight-seeing train in the U.S. and Canada offers up to 20,000 Aeroplan points for a trip this year and offers upgrades to Aeroplan elites and co-brand credit card customers too.
- Couple visiting New Orleans robbed inside Marriott hotel room while they slept. Apparently their door didn’t close properly.
- The James Hotel in New York is offering 40% off to people named James
- Cranky Flier on the implications of American and JetBlue sharing fare data with each other in order to award miles the arrangement is unique – usually partners award miles based on distance and fare class rather than passing individually-identifiable fare information to the other carrier.
- American Airlines adds Rosetta Stone and Skillshare to inflight streaming entertainment
- Hilton Honors Free Weekend Night Reward certificates issued before May 1, 2020 that were set to expire August 31, 2021 have been extended until January 3, 2022.
Certificates issued between May 1 and December 31, 2020 are already valid for 24 months, and those issued in 2021 are valid through December 31, 2022.
These certificates, while still called Free Weekend Night Reward certificates, can currently be used without a night of week restriction (so not just weekends).
- Qantas plans to offer elite status credit for vaccination. At first Australia’s biggest problem was its government bungling the vaccine rollout, then Aussies weren’t even taking the vaccines that were available (mostly AstraZeneca). Without much Covid in the country there hasn’t been a huge impetus, but that leaves everyone vulnerable to even a small slip and keeps borders closed. Many believe the latest lockdown there could spur people to get jabs.
This is a very dangerous precedent where people can be banned from traveling for speech. Travel by air is government regulated. Commercial air travel is not a completely private enterprise. It is akin to a toll road where there is no other road available. It’s getting to the point where airlines are being outrageous with their bans. Interfering in political representation is border line criminal.
@Jackson Waterhole
Nothing whatever to do with banning ‘speech’, this was was about her abuse of staff in a QANTAS lounge, which she was not eligible to enter. She accepts her culpability, acknowledges that she behaved appallingly, and considers the 6 month ban to be fair and appropriate. She has alternative airlines to fly with ( assuming she stays calm…a big ask in her case).
It was who she said it to, not what she said. If it was to a trolly dolly, it would have been swept under the rug and NO ONE would care. But because he is the CEO of the company she attacked him personally. She sounds like a Karen and needs an ATTITUDE adjustment with some time out. It was not speech, it was HATE SPEECH, you would no that if you were gay. You do not go around saying he N word or J word. So why would you say what she did . It is a derogatory word towards gays and she know it, if not why not call him a Homosexual? or Gay?
Politicians DO NOT have free speech for being a BIGOT.
@Jackson Waterson
In what state in the U.S. are there only Toll Roads and no other roads available?
As usual Jack you’re making stuff up that you don’t know about.
@Jackson Waterson there is lots of private planes that can take her where ever she wants to go. It may cost her more but that is the cost of having a TRASH TAKING mouth. She can fly from SYD to Perth on a prop job while they crop dust the outback. Bullies NEED TO BE STOPPED. Just got rid of the Orange one in the USA
Qantas have issued a release to state that while the Senator was abusive, the said senator did not make the alleged “poof” comment:
“Although Qantas wouldn’t normally comment on individual customer incidents, the airline confirmed on Friday that Lambie had not made the reported homophobic remark.
“The allegation of hate speech being used in our lounges requires a response. We have confirmed with our lounge staff that Senator Lambie did not make a homophobic remark as part of the incident for which she has apologised,” the airline said in a statement””