It’s been awhile since Hyatt’s last systemwide bonus promotion. That will be remedied beginning next month, with a new offer that, at least for high-frequency travelers, will have been well worth the wait.
27.07.2023 - 18:50 / smartertravel.com / Tim Winship / Airlines
Update, September 18: The FAA has issued updated guidance regarding usage of Samsung Galaxy 7 phones in flight, stating “passengers may not turn on or charge the devices when they carry them on board a plane. Passengers must also protect the devices from accidental activation, including disabling any features that may turn on the device, such as alarm clocks, and must not pack them in checked luggage.” The statement does not mention if any penalties are associated with failure to comply with this guidance. Read the full statement here.
American, Delta, and United are asking travelers to turn off their Samsung Galaxy 7 phones while in flight, citing concerns over the possibility that the phone’s batteries could catch fire and explode.
The move is a step beyond similar recommendations the FAA issued last week.
On Monday, Consumerist highlighted anecdotal reports of these policies. However, American, Delta, and United now have official notices posted asking travelers to turn off their Galaxy 7s, per the FAA’s advice. Consumerist also notes that Lufthansa, Virgin Australia, Qantas, and Singapore Airlines have issued similar instructions to their passengers. Chances are more airlines will follow suit.
Related:FAA Issues Terrifying Warning About Checked Bags Containing This Everyday ItemOur own Tim Winship explained that the problem is with the lithium-ion batteries used in the phones. These batteries have been implicated in at least 35 cases of overheating and catching fire, which led Samsung to recall over 2.5 million phones.
So: If you have a Samsung Galaxy 7 phone, it’s safe to expect you’ll be asked to turn it off. It’s also probably a good idea to look into the recall.
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Solved: The Mystery of the 787’s Smoking Batteries The Bestselling Holiday Gift of the Year Is Now Banned by Major Airlines After 787 Debacle, FAA on the Hot Seat AgainWe hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
It’s been awhile since Hyatt’s last systemwide bonus promotion. That will be remedied beginning next month, with a new offer that, at least for high-frequency travelers, will have been well worth the wait.
Beginning on June 1, Spirit will become the third airline to pull out of the Cuba market altogether, joining Frontier and Silver Airways. Two other airlines, American and JetBlue, have cut capacity on their Cuba flights, either by reducing frequency or downgrading to smaller planes.
When Muslim Advocates and the NAACP issue a joint letter accusing the U.S. airline industry of racism, it’s big news. And when the NAACP, the “nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization,” follows that up with an advisory specifically questioning the racial policies of the nation’s largest airline, American, it’s nothing less than a media firestorm. Indeed, all the major news media covered the story exhaustively. And “American Airlines” has been a trending Twitter topic for several days.
Enter the American Airlines “Your Vacation Spot” sweepstakes by April 1, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a $10,000 American Airlines Vacations travel voucher.
Alaska Airlines is justly lauded for its Mileage Plan loyalty program, which among other features boasts 17 airline partners, allowing program members to earn and redeem miles for flights throughout the world.
Tickets go on sale today from a brand-new airline.
Yesterday’s crash landing of Emirates flight EK521 in Dubai generated a flood of images of panicked travelers, loaded down with their carry-on bags, fleeing the burning B777-300. The headline of Bloomberg’s coverage of the incident said it all: “Crashing, Burning Planes Don’t Stop Passengers From Grabbing Their Luggage.”
On Friday evening—traditional timing for bad-news announcements that companies hope will go unnoticed by the public and unreported by the media—American published the new mileage-earning rates, effective from August 1, for travel on AAdvantage partner airlines.
In 2015, flyers filed 15,260 complaints with the Department of Transportation. That was a 34 percent increase over 2014’s 11,365 complaints.
I recently dubbed Alaska Airlines’ loyalty program, Mileage Plan, the “Best Mileage Program for Average Travelers.” It’s a hard-won honor, awarded for two principal reasons. First, Alaska has chosen to retain Mileage Plan’s distance-based earning scheme, even as most other airlines have adopted less generous spend-based earning. And second, Alaska has cobbled together a roster of earning and redemption partners that rivals those of the world’s largest airlines.
Travelers who grumble that the airlines have gone too far in shrinking the width and legroom of coach-class seats won’t be getting any relief from Congress any time soon.
Turn your travel flexibility into cash. Well, not cash actually. Gift cards. But still, a reward with some monetary value.