Monthly Archives for December 2023.
The U.S. could sure benefit from airline competition measures proposed for Argentina. Foreign competition alone isn’t a panacea – government airports collude with airports to block access in the most desirable places and government slot controls block new entrants to congested airports as well – but we’d be far better off with both Ryanair and Singapore Airlines providing options to consumers for both cheaper and improved experiences in the air.
After an hours-long mechanical delay, United Airlines cancelled flight 997 from Accra, Ghana to Washington Dulles on Thursday. Customer baggage was offloaded and returned. Passengers were told to return the next day, but were not provided with hotels for the night.
Friday night, another mechanical delay for this flight. And another eventual cancellation. Military was called in. The airline announced that no hotel rooms would be provided, and this time luggage wasn’t returned.
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.
New Years Day the clock resets on a number of benefits, and the calendar forces me to make a number of moves. I’ll be sitting on my couch with a cup of coffee early in the morning doing a number of rewards errands, before heading to the airport for a new year of travel.
Here’s my checklist for 7 tasks I’ll accomplish on New Years Day.
Vasu Raja, American Airlines Chief Commercial Officer, appeared on the airline’s podcast for employees and laid out what he sees as their strengths and plans they’ll be pushing forward on.
American Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Vasu Raja was the last guest of the season for the American Airlines internal podcast for employees. At the end of his interview, asked what’s coming in 2024, he noted that he was being interviewed solo and “there’s nobody here to tell me what I can’t say, so I’ll reveal a bit more.”
My cousin David, staying at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park, was evacuated from his room Friday morning after a guest flooded an entire floor of the hotel, set off a fire alarm, attacked hotel staff and was throwing things out the window.
Michelin-starred celebrity chef Aurélien Largeau, of La Table d’Aurélien Largeau at Hyatt’s Hôtel du Palais Biarritz in southwest France, has been fired after video spread online of hazing in his kitchen. A junior member of the kitchen staff (commis) was “tied to a chair naked for hours with an apple in his mouth and a carrot in his anus with all the chefs – known as the kitchen brigade – looking on, including Largeau.”
A passenger in India was arrested for making a bomb threat against a flight in order to get his lost wallet back. He’d flown Spicejet from Delhi to Bangalore on Tuesday and realized he left his wallet on the plane after he landed and was about to leave the airport. Still standing by the airline’s ticket counter, he was easy to arrest.
The international date line is a great trick that makes it possible to have two New Years Eve celebrations the same year, and five flights allow you to do this – spending New Years Eve in one city, flying to another city and doing New Years Eve again – because you don’t fly out until January 1, and arrive back on December 31. Time travel!
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 »
