News and notes from around the interweb:
- Fiji Airways – an American AAdvantage partner, with connections onward to Australia and New Zealand – is coming to San Francisco.
- Hyatt found malware in the payment processing systems used in hotels that they manage. (HT: Hans M. and several other readers.) Hyatt promises updates here.
- “The general manager of the Sheraton University City Hotel was sentenced to five years in federal prison on Tuesday for defrauding” the University of Pennsylvania of more than $3 million.
- On Wednesday a Delta Express flight from Monterrey, Mexico to Atlanta diverted to Corpus Christi, Texas because the air conditioning didn’t work. Two passengers received medical treatment. It got back into the air and then diverted again to Houston.
- How a Toronto motel gave birth to the Four Seasons hotel chain (HT: Larry L. on Facebook)
- “The travel industry don’t really care about us and our needs as road warriors.”
- This is both awesome and disturbing at the same time. Jingle Bells performed entirely with sounds from an Airbus A330. (HT: World Airline News)
“As one bank executive told me recently, airline credit cards are at a tipping point because banks now pay upwards of two cents each to buy those miles. “That’s close to unprofitable for us and very close to the point where banks may walk away” from the frequent flier game.”
So true. I don’t think airlines realize the fine line they are toeing. It’s increasingly less justifiable for a consumer to “pay” 2 cents for a single mile with an airline or bank program (by trading off with any of the 3-4 2% cashback cards). I like miles to get to Europe in business. That’s usually a $2,000 ticket when on sale. Miles don’t get me leverage anymore.
How does the TAP Jingle Bells video disturbing?
Fiji is also an Alaska Airlines partner.