Monday, September 30, 2013

FAA Rules To Become Slightly Less Antiquated

From the same people that still believe the majority of us do not know how to fasten our seat belts, now comes the news that certain use of electronic devices will be allowed during takeoffs and landings.

For the longest time, the experts who run the FAA believed that anything that has "an on/off switch" must be turned off.  Never mind that there is no scientific evidence that the "On" devices have no impact on flight operations, and the fact that a significant percentage of travelers either forget to turn their devices off or simply put them in "Airplane mode".  The best part about this potential new rule is that passengers will have one less instruction to listen to before takeoff.  FAA must have finally concluded that with tens of millions of devices that remained on during takeoffs and landings, and the even larger number of devices that are on within proximity of gates and runways, airplanes managed to take off, fly and land safely without a single incident.  While mobile phone conversations should continue to be prohibited, all other uses should be allowed. www.premieretravel.com

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Call for Rally in Favor of Airline Merger Attracts 300

Union members of USAirways and American Airlines called for a "rally" that attracted about 300, mostly union members of both airlines to demonstrate their "grassroot" support for the merger and to urge the Department of Justice to drop its opposition to the merger.

The sides will appear in court in November to argue the lawsuit brought by the carriers against the DOJ.  The airlines contend that DOJ granted previous airline mergers, so therefore, they should also approve this one.

It is notable that the carriers insisted on keeping all their slots at Reagan National (71% of the slots) and threatened to cut off services to/from smaller airports if they were forced to give up slots.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

A United Bonus Worth Checking


United Begins Three-Day Promotion Offering Big Bonus to MileagePlus Members
 
United today launched a three-day promotion offering MileagePlus members a bonus of up to 60 percent on award miles purchased between September 3 - 5, 2013.
 
The promotion is a chance for MileagePlus members to maximize their bonus opportunities by spreading the word to family and friends.
 
By going to united.com/peoplepower to purchase miles, MileagePlus members can share the promotion through social media channels and view the progress of the bonus. Each participating member will receive a minimum 30 percent bonus on award miles purchased through the promotion. The bonus will increase to as much as 60 percent if there are more than 1,500 qualifying transactions.
 
MP Promo 2 MP Promo 1

Promotion terms and conditions are available at united.com/peoplepower. Participating MileagePlus members must purchase at least 5,000 award miles.