Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for February 2005.

How to destroy air travels and take away freedoms in one easy lesson

by Gary Leff

airport
Feb 28 2005

Quick quiz: What does TSA stand for? (T)aking (S)cissors (A)way (T)housands (S)tanding (A)round (T)ourism (S)uppression (A)gency Before deciding, please consider that The Department of Homeland Security is drafting a rule that will require airlines to pass on passenger manifest information as much as an hour before the departure of international flights bound for the United States Requiring information to be submitted an hour before flight takeoff involves a full 75 minutes greater notice than currently provided. This will mean passengers turning up at the airport at least an additional hour in advance of flight time. Multiplied across all the passengers each day, that’s millions of lost productivity hours each year. The problem compounds itself for connecting flights. It’s as yet unclear whether a passenger will have to have arrived at a connecting airport before the…

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Losses losses everywhere

by Gary Leff

independence air
Feb 28 2005

Just last week Independence Air said that its fourth quarter results would be ‘slightly better’ than the $82.7 million that it lost in the fourth quarter. I was skeptical, pointing out that the emphasis would no doubt be placed on ‘slightly’. Turns out that the results were worse: a fourth quarter loss of $86 million — and they’re still figuring out the accounting, so this may change. Meanwhile, United lost $326 million in January. After two years of bankruptcy protection they still haven’t figured out a viable business model. It seems the only ones making money on the airline are the consultants UAL’s professional payments alone totaled more than $13 million in January, including $1.4 million to consulting firm KPMG LLP; $2.4 million to Kirkland & Ellis LLP, the law firm that serves as United’s…

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Enhancements at Diners Club

by Gary Leff

dining
Feb 28 2005

I have long recommended the Diners Club credit card because, despite limited acceptance and a hefty annual fee, the benefits were really unparalleled: an outstanding rewards program, two full billing cycles to pay, free iDine Prime membership, concierge services, and primary rental car insurance. Needless to say, the anticipated linkup between Diners Club and Mastercard had me very excited. If my Diners Club card would get accepted everywhere that takes Mastercard, it would rise to a spot as my #2 credit card (behind the Starwood Amex). However, I’ve been nervous. I assume that the linkup with Mastercard would mean lower interchange fees for Citibank, which issues Diners Club in North America. And with lower fees I imagined cost-cutting from the benefits budget. Diners Club has assured the contrary. I received an information packet in the…

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My Point Blog

by Gary Leff

airplane
Feb 23 2005

Flyertalk welcomes a new blog, My Point by Joe Turner. Looks like posting has been going on for a couple weeks, though I just noticed it. Readers of this blog will probably enjoy that one. It’s also worth a mention that David Rowell has a new blog as well.

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Bid on Priceline, Get Assigned a Priceline Room?

by Gary Leff

Chris Elliott has a piece in US News on hotels assigning their worst rooms to customers booking through discount channels. This absolutely happens at some properties, though I’ve never experienced it personally through scores of successful bids. The best advice is that discount sites aren’t the right venue when room selection really matters. If you can afford a nice hotel with an ocean view on your vacation, Priceline may not be the right answer given the risk of being assigned a garden view. You might want to pay to actually reserve the ocean view room. On the other hand, if money is an issue then a “Priceline room” at a four star property may be better than a regularly-reserved room at the two star property you’d have otherwise booked. Meanwhile, if you do go the…

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A new Gratis offer: free Playstation Portable

by Gary Leff

free playstation portable
Feb 23 2005

Gratis Networks has a new free electronics offer (yes, another one!). This time it’s Free Playstation Portables. I’ve gotten the free iPod, the photo iPod, the desktop computer, the game system, the flatscreen TV, and the handbag. The Mac Mini has been shipped. Alas, I still have to wait for my free iPod shuffle — hasn’t shipped yet, and I want it. I’m not the most patient person in the world… It’s worth noting that these free offers probably mean a bunch of spam. If so, it all goes to my junkmail folder, but I assume that Gratis markets their customer lists. Their privacy standards have been roundly criticized. It seems a small price to pay for the great payoff in free electronics. I’d rather “sell” my information that way than give it away for…

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Some notes from recent travels

by Gary Leff

alaska airlines
Feb 23 2005

I flew a couple transcon flights on Alaska Airlines. The first, a breakfast flight, was very disappointing. The first class flight attendant spent the majority of the flight in the galley reading. She had a sour demeanor, and made requests unpleasant. Breakfast was sparse. The return flight was a different story entirely, a much more pleasant crew and a filling lunch. Still, the pitch is tight on Alaska’s first class product and the seats are old and visibly worn. Security lines were long at both Reagan National and Seattle. Not surprising, it was a holiday weekend. The first class/elite lines in Seattle make a huge difference. It’s a shame that National doesn’t offer this (and neither, unfortunately, does Dulles). Seattle is the original home of shoe removal. It’s commonplace nowadays, but it seemed to start…

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