Downgraded: Michigan’s roads
Several counties in Michigan are opting to grind deteriorated paved roads into gravel roads rather than re-pave them. The money’s just not there. That’s progress!
Downgraded: U.S. treatment of international visitors
Because international travelers to the United States, who are already subjected to fingerprinting, photographing, and prying questions galore, apparently haven’t been treated sufficiently like criminals… Homeland Security is now launching a pilot test of fingerprinting visitors as they leave the country as well. Be treated like a criminal when you come in, be treated like a criminal when you leave. Just lovely. Foreigners departing from Atlanta or Detroit will have the pleasure.
Upgraded: Free wi-fi on Virgin America June 24
Google and Virgin America are teaming up to offer a day of free inflight wi-fi, online games, and other hijinx.
Downgraded: Extended Stay Hotels … and the Federal Reserve
Extended Stay Hotels, the parent of Extended Stay America, Crossland Studios, and Homestead Studio Suites, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. And who’s left holding the bag? The Federal Reserve!
Downgraded: United Mileage Plus
United Mileage Plus has been on a downward trajectory for some time, but Gary Leff pinpoints the absurdity of United’s blocking of frequent flyer tickets on partner airlines. The airline doesn’t want to make those tickets available because it costs them money when you use your miles on partners. But other Star Alliance airlines don’t block partners like this. It’s a United-specific problem, and it’s getting absurd. Gary writes: “In the last two days I’ve been told ‘Lufthansa doesn’t fly to Frankfurt’ and (looking for flights departing Hong Kong) ‘Thai Airways doesn’t fly to Bangkok that day.’” It’s insulting.
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June 17th, 2009 at 8:51 am
It seems that Michigan and United have something in common: they’re circling the drain economically.
At least Michigan has decided to prioritize its expenditures in a sensible way. United, on the other hands, is actively encouraging its members to purchase “Award Accelerator” to double their mileage take on trips, so that they can arrive and the non-existent award much faster.
United: the prize is to fly other carriers and not have to put up with surly treatment from your disgruntled staff or your inferior in-flight product.
United’s MP staff told me today that the reason I can’t have a seat on a partner carrier is that “they haven’t made them available to United,” a blatant lie. Is this really how they feel they should treat someone who has been a 1k customer for 5 years?
June 17th, 2009 at 11:58 am
United has to be the poster child for frequent flyer program ineptness. I fly mostly internationally and switched my Star Alliance miles to Lufthansa Miles & More five years ago. It is a really great program and almost what I would consider a “gold standard”. The only thing that irks me is that there is no type of “automatic upgrade” from economy to business class on internal-EU flights, similar to what US airlines have on domestic flights. Really sucks when you are sitting in economy and can see that there are 9 seats open in business class (which admittedly isn’t all that great within Europe, but the food is better and the middle seat is converted to a table).
On the other hand -
* once you achieve *Silver (Frequent Traveler – 35K miles) or *Gold status (100K miles – Senator), you keep it for two years
* Short a few miles for an award? No problem if you are a Senator – you are allowed to overdraw (but if you lose Senator status and haven’t replaced those miles, there is a fixed rate you must pay per overdrawn mile).
* Senators get companion and child award tickets at reduced award levels.
* Frequent Travelers and Senators get complimentary access to Lufthansa lounges (only Senators get access at all Star Alliance lounges)
* Award ticket availability at desired rates seems to be pretty good
If UAL goes under, we can only hope that the Obama administration would somehow allow Lufthansa to buy them (hey, Fiat did it – why not?)
June 24th, 2009 at 11:41 am
It looks like United postponed their co-pay upgrade program until January now, with some modifications from customer feedback:
http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,53079,00.html