News and notes from around the interweb:
- This is your semi-regular reminder that you don’t want the free hotel room that your airline will give you during a controllable overnight delay.
Consider ‘self-insuring’ and just paying for your own room, or using credit card trip delay coverage if your rewards card offers it. While you may have an obligation to mitigate the costs this coverage would otherwise cover, I don’t believe you’re obligated to accept a room that’s uninhabitable.
@AmericanAir Due to a flight delay from MSP to Atlanta with 1 stop in Charlotte, I was given a hotel with unacceptable conditions (bugs in bed, poor room quality). I had to return to the airport and sleep in a chair. Requesting a full refund for my night lost in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/kOjSahvIAH
— juan pablo (@Pablosierra82) November 14, 2024
- Anything that begins “The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey” is going to be a disaster, serving special interests rather than the public interest or just bungling matters. So it is with their plan to not just allow already-expensive food and drink prices at their airports rise but to obfuscate the extent of the increase by also allowing JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark airport vendors to add a 3% surcharge separate from the increase.
Instead of capping prices at 10% over ‘street pricing’ (which the agency already fails to enforce) they’re moving that to 15% over. And then they’re going to let concessions charge 3% over their own published pricing (a deceptive practice) and call it an “employee benefits and retention surcharge.”
- Singapore Airlines to serve 2015 Cristal in first and suites class. As Quentin Tarantino said in Four Rooms, compared to Cristal “everything else is piss.” And then there’s Jay-Z:
You can’t roll a blunt to this one / You gotta, you gotta well, ya gotta light a J,
You gotta puff a J on this one / You can’t even drink Crist-OWL on this one / You gotta drink Crist-ALL.
- This data about India surprises me. So does China, in some sense, because while the country is obviously huge, rebuilding of flights between the U.S. and China has stalled.
- A back door to ConciergeKey status? Note that I do not give this claim much weight.
Comment
byu/cat-from-the-future from discussion
inunitedairlines - Tourist facing jail in Dubai after leaving negative review of dog groomer Even more striking, perhaps, is this sentence “A Sinn Fein spokesperson said Ms O’Neill was aware of the case and was making representations to the UAE embassy in London on behalf of Mr Ballentine.” Sure, they’re the largest Irish republican political party. I’m old enough to remember when they were the political wing of the terrorist Irish Republican Army. Now they are dealing with dog grooming reviews.
- From a congressional hearing on UFOs:
“Has the government conducted secret UAP crash retrieval programs? Yes or no?” Mace asked.
“Yes,” Elizondo said.
“Ok. Were they designed to identify and reverse-engineer alien craft? Yes or no?” the lawmaker asked.
“Yes,” Elizondo replied.
“Are you read into secret UAP crash retrieval programs?” Mace later asked.
“We would have to have a conversation in a closed session, ma’am,” Elizondo said. “I signed documentation three years ago that restricts my ability to discuss specifically crash retrievals.”
On the ‘free hotels’ for stranded passengers, I cannot recall a single time that this has ever worked out well for anyone I know, unless their ‘standards’ are very, very low. Had a doozy at MKE with United following a mechanical failure, where the airline sent us to 3 different hotels, each of which denied us; so, we ended up using our own Marriott points for an alternative. It sucks.
For the Port Authority, wow, everybody loves to hate on them, but I must compliment their recent progress at LGA and Newark Terminal A, both of which are newly renovated, and, honestly, are some of the best ‘new’ airports in the world at this moment. So, feel free to keep expectations low, and be pleasantly surprised if you happen to fly through those terminals.
Generally gate agents go with whatever pops up and that choice usually sucks. For AA, I find that if I go to the Admirals Club (assuming the airport has one and it’s open) I will be given a choice of hotels. Remember airlines get these hotels to next to nothing so you can expect a Comfort Inn or Best Western type.
The port authority of NY/NJ does not “allow high prices on food and drinks”. They actually cause high prices on food, drinks and nearly all airport services by charging exorbitant rental rates and all retail establishments at the airport.
I don’t think you should blame the retailer who has to deal with the high cost of all airport related services.
Anyone think that “Tony Soprano” and his “family” have anything to do with the prices, the lack of oversight, etc.?
OK having Sinn Fein negotiate for a guy who was jailed for posting something on-line is rich! This is the same party that, once they’re done playing with Molotov cocktails, enthusiastically support “hate crime” laws that have people imprisoned in the UK (their party now has more MPs representing NI than anyone else) and Ireland for things they posted to social media.
An irony that is lost on them, I am sure.
It is best not to criticize in another country. Governments can be sensitive, officials can be sensitive, business owners can be sensitive and ordinary people can be sensitive. Don’t complain when you have problems because you did not spend time learning about the laws there.
As for bugs in hotel rooms, I suppose that some could bring their own and then try to get compensated.
I was stranded at dca this summer. once hotel was approved i was offered a choice of SEVERAL hotels through a link, including the Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn crystal city (both acceptable).
Hilton didn’t honor hotel status because the airline paid the room (though a kindly desk agent slipped me a couple of coupons for breakfast and drinks)
Mostly true! Brings back bad memories when in PHL USAirways put me up in one such filth nest. In Vienna Austrian Airlines put me up in a non-chain hotel, but it was clean, decent, and downtown, did some shopping during my unexpected layover. Finally, the best hotel, drum roll, was Eurowings (LH owns them), Canceled flight, they put me downtown Cologne in a very clean Steigenberger. Next day took train to FRA for rescheduled flight via LH – but then UAL as LH asked volunteers to give up seats on LH to the states. That trip netted me $1,400 EU compensation for my troubles. Essentially covered a short 5-day trip to Europe.
The best airport restaurant is Umekes at Kona International on Hawaii Island. Small, local spot with the absolute best airport food anywhere. If you truly want to see local people getting paid good wages and excellent airport food at reasonable prices, this is the best spot. Surprised no one ever mentions it when talking about airport food.
@David P. High airport prices are not caused by high rents. Anyone suggesting that did not take or did not pay attention in economic classes. Prices are high because of the unusual demand curves of trapped passangers. Do you believe an outlet at the airport would reduce prices if their rent was halved? They maximize contribution margin to maximize profit.
Put up at Marriott O’Hare by LH.