Ease of Travel

CNNMoney reports that InterContinental Hotels Group is going to kick off a new frequent guest rewards program that will give members the ability to spend their points on any hotel that accepts American Express cards. A guest accrues points in the Priority Club and, as part of the new “Any Hotel, Anywhere” program, they can redeem it for cards they can use anywhere. They’re also running a promotion where they’re going to distribute luggage tags and one out of six will have a code that gives them free stays at the hotels (you enter the code online).

InterContinental Hotels Group operates InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Reports, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites.

Hurricane Katrina’s been in the news lately, battering Louisiana and Florida and driving up the price of fuel. One of the consequences of Katrina has been its effects on airlines trying to stay above water:

The storm forced the closure of several airports and caused scores of flight cancellations throughout the Gulf Coast region Monday. It also caused a surge in oil prices, something the airlines have been battling for months with no end in sight.

The result could mean more pain for Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc., a major carrier to the area affected by the hurricane, as it continues to try to avoid a Chapter 11 filing. More broadly, the other airlines also could suffer. Like Delta, Eagan, Minnesota-based Northwest Airlines Corp. also is in danger of bankruptcy.

Check your frequent flyer miles and see what recourse you may have if either Northwest or Delta go under.

CNN reported today that a man died today after attempting to stop someone from stealing approximately $52 worth of gas in Alabama… is gas so expensive that people are willing to put other people’s lives in jeopardy? Granted this wasn’t an armed robbery but the man filled up his tank and tried to drive off when the 52 year old Husain Caddi grabbed onto the car and was dragged across the parking lot. He eventually let go and was run over by the car’s rear wheel (he later died at the hospital). When this driver is caught, and he probably will be since there will be security cameras snapping up images of his plates, he’s going to realize how stupid he was because he traded $52 in gas for some heavy jail time.

This is a huge story that I’m surprised isn’t given more press – some Alaskan residents are suing the TSA to force them to release the data they’ve collected as part of the anti-terrorism Secure Flight program. The TSA has been denying them these records and even deleting them, that is, until a district court ordered TSA to stop. One man claims, rightfully so in my opinion, that if you’re denied access to air travel you’re effectively exiled, it’s not like you can cab it from Alaska to… anywhere. Honestly, I don’t see why TSA has a problem with this unless they’re doing something illegal.

The TSA had not notified the public before contracting with a private company to add more information to the database. The expanded records included information such as full names, phone numbers, dates of birth and possibly other personal information, the lawsuit says.

The Government Accountability Office, an investigative arm of Congress, concluded earlier this year that the TSA violated the law when it did not fully inform the public about the scope and methods of its data collection.

I look forward to seeing how this develops.

When you rent a car, they typically will ask if you want collision coverage (called a collision damage waiver, but essentially is insurance with a $0 deductible) and usually the correct answer is NO. If you pay with a credit card, most of the time they offer collision coverage free of charge. If you have automobile insurance, then you will probably be covered. But in some small instances, you actually aren’t covered and should be getting it…

Read the rest of this entry »

In a CNN article today it was reported the Transportation Security Administration would consider dropping the ban on razor blades and small knives (as well as other recommendations). Perhaps some of the other recommendations have merit (such as removing the requirement to remove shoes, reducing patdowns, and exempting passanger categories like judges, congress-members, military, etc) is incredibly stupid.

An initial set of staff recommendations drafted August 5 also proposes that passengers no longer have to routinely remove their shoes during security checks. Instead, only passengers who set off metal detectors, are flagged by a computer screening system or look “reasonably suspicious” would be asked to do so, a TSA official said Saturday.

Why in the world would you ever allow a single knife or blade ever onto a flight? There is no reason for it to be in your carry-on (if you need it, check it) because there is no reason you would ever need it on a flight.

Some of the other “changes proposed by the staff, which also would allow scissors, ice picks and bows and arrows on flights” are equally ridiculous.

Until yesterday (Aug 10), Southwest Rapid Reward points were valid for a mere twelve months (pretty standard for frequent flyer programs that use points instead of miles). Now, they’re valid for twenty-four months which means you now have twice the time to fly enough to earn free flights. All points you current have last twelve months longer and all new ones will be valid for twenty four months. Here is what the Rapid Rewards E-Mail Update stated:

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s like they saw the Geico TinyHouse commercial and thought it would make a great business model for a hotel room – they may be right. Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who brought you the no-frills airline EasyJet, now has EasyHotel – a no frills, ridiculously cheap, tiny hotelier. Featured on CNN’s Business Traveler site, the rooms range in size from 60 to 80 square feet at a maximum cost of $90 a night. However, EasyHotel might not be the cheapest option depending on where you’re going.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gerri Willis writes a daily column of five tips and today they feature things you can do in the event of bad service or a bad product, as it relates to travel. Some of these are common sense, you may already do these things, others are on that border of where you aren’t sure if it’s customary to ask or if the company will laugh at you. This covers airlines, cruises, hotels, tours, and online travel agencies (Expedia, Travelocity, etc).

Read the rest of this entry »

Request an auto insurance quote from American Express and score 500 Delta Skymiles, no expiration date listed.

You are being offered a chance to earn 500 miles for a qualified auto insurance quote!

We believe safe drivers should pay less. The American Express Property Casualty companies reward safe drivers for their good driving records. We have established high standards to consistently provide you with the service you can count on from an American Express company.