News and notes from around the interweb:
- New app gives 3% – 10% rebates on spending at restaurants
- Tonight: I’ll be speaking at Nomadic Matt’s meet up in Houston I look forward to meeting several of you.
- Free Japan SIM card. They even offer referral commissions though this is a ‘clean’ link with no benefit to me. (HT: khkchan)
- There’s not actually enough science to support claims of therapeutic benefits from emotional support animals (HT: Reid F.)
- The House Transportation Committee added language to the FAA reauthorization bill that would allow the FAA administrator to ban low cost foreign airlines boosting prices and protecting US airlines from competition.
The provision was a bipartisan effort of Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) and Pete DeFazio (D-OR) and is a sop to both airlines and labor unions at the expense of consumers (and in particular the least well off consumers who want or need to travel). (HT: @kcreedy)
Copyright william87 / 123RF Stock Photo - Visit cool new United Airlines museum inside the San Francisco airport
- Japanese hotels with a special room category for guests who are dead (HT: Alan H.)
In the Japanese hotels with a special room category for guests who are dead, who receives the frequent flyer mileage bonus for a hotel stay?
Trying to ban Norwegian brings out the very worst in American characteristics – protectionist and isolationist spring to mind, but also add in a touch of disregard for existing treaties and obligations.
@Gary – be sure to clearly avoid UA while in Houston, you never know what will happen with that bunch.
For the “free” sim card you need to pay ¥1,080 for the basic plan or ¥1,836 for 500mb included.
Not a “free” sim card, you need to pay a sim registration fee for the 100mb. Makes the offer even less compelling. Of course, you don’t learn that until after they have your info. Misleading at best.
Since my congressman is on the House Transportation Committee, I suppose I’ll have to round up friends and acquaintances to get on his case about banning low fares charged by foreign carriers.
Last time I attended one of his town meetings, he spoke in favor of competition. Must call him out on being inconsistent.
I wish the feds good luck in banning pets accompanying travellers for emotional support. They’d better choose carefully the experts debunking the notion that such pets should be classed as service animals, that is, w/o them the would-be traveller would be unable to fly. The fragile dears who need a pet or a coloring book will surely find experts to support their position.
BTW, are such animals carried at no charge?
These are the exact same labor practices used by the cruise ships! I don’t see them being banned from our US ports ? If it is really about labor practices, then let’s be consistent.
I’ll be shocked if that foreign airline labor cost bill goes anywhere. First, this isn’t a real problem and, second, you don’t want to give any bureaucrat authority to harass companies “just because he/she feels like it.”
USA airlines can easily compete against any airline even if their wages are ridiculous and pitiful. In the scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter. This is much different from a foreign government handing out billions in subsidies to their airlines — as is the case with some of the Middle East airlines. Since nobody can effectively compete against that, once the facts are established, gov’t intervention is warranted.