Bits ‘n Pieces for March 29, 2013

by Gary Leff

News and Notes from Around the Interweb:

  • Delta will be squeezing four more coach seats into their 737-900s by shrinking the lavatories.

  • More Than Mary has started a series with my advice on getting a little extra luxury for your travel spend, the first part of the series focusing on hotels – with a tip a week for the next six weeks, I believe.

  • SAS will be eliminating intra-European business class. Possibly short-sighted move, if my conversation with a British Airways exec a couple of weeks back is any indication — BA loses money on their intra-European business product itself, but maintains it because it’s key to be able to sell long haul premium cabin seats (they believe cunnecting premium cabin passengers would book away without an intra-European premium product).

  • Le Club Accorhotels instant top tier platinum status for new accounts is back apparently. Doesn’t get you much but you can status match to Club Carlson, Best Western, or Priority Club with it.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Smaller lavs. is to slow down the rate of growth of the mile high club, it has nothing to do with the resulting increase in the number of coach seats. 😉

  2. I just flew LY (EL AL)on a 777. The mid cabin coach bathroom was as spacious as SQ C. Go figure.

  3. I would agree with SAS. I flew business class in Europe and it does not make too much sense as the distances are short compared to North America. Not to mention the seat (at least in case of Lufthansa) was the same as in coach (there was no middle seat, actually it was physically there but couldn’t be booked, you know what I mean). The business class cabin was almost empty every time.

  4. I’m fine with a smaller lav, if we can just teach people how to keep urine within the tiolet and not on it or on the floor in front of it.

  5. Hello Gary – how do we status match to Priority Club? Do you have the contact info (phone or email for this)? Thanks.

  6. Le Club Accor Platinum got us a top floor view room at the Novotel Auckland Airport, free internet and a small food amenity (although the latter might have been due to my wife’s birthday).

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