Newsstand - One of our own quoted in WSJ

Craig6Z was quoted in the WSJ today. Article Begins on Page B-1 of today's WSJ, entitled: "Travelers Shy About Attending Sydney Games" by Jonathan Weinbach.

...Adds Craig Rubin, an executive with Swett and Crawford in Woodland Hills,
Calif,: "I never seriously thought about going to the Olympics." Part of
the reason, says Mr. Rubin, who has been to Australia before, is that "Sydney would not be a first choice for a vacation."


So, Craig6Z, by my calculations, you still have 14 minutes and 32 seconds of fame remaining.

I, on the other hand, seriously thought about going to the Olympics, but had my hopes dashed when I learned that procrastinating and pontificating weren't yet Olympic sports.

Pontificating is an Olympic sport, but only the Vatican sends a team. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Well, that makes two FT'ers quoted in the WSJ on the same day.

From:

August 18, 2000

Mourning Becomes Expensive;
'Bereavement Fares' Aren't Cheap
Airlines Feel Some Empathy, but 'Fares of Last Resort' Aren't Necessarily Bargains
By NANCY ANN JEFFREY
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

* * *

Sheryl Mexic of Houston, a self-described "air-fare guru," searched the Internet last year to find a better deal for her company's chief executive, who needed to fly from Houston to Tallahassee, Fla., for a cousin's funeral. On Delta, the CEO's secretary found a fare of more than $700. Ms. Mexic says she saved him about $300 by linking two flights: a Houston-New Orleans flight on Southwest for $200 and a New Orleans-Tallahassee flight on US Airways Express for about $220.

"If you are creative and you know which airlines serve which routes, you usually can beat what a travel agent or the airlines will tell you," she says.
END

Unfortunately, the reporter failed to include what I made very clear to her, and that was the fact US will grant a bereavement fare when the deceased is a cousin. No other airline that we contacted would do so. Without US halving the MSY-TLH portion of this trip, he would have taken DL via ATL.

Bereavement fares for a COUSIN .. wow that is a long shot. What about a high school buddy, or next door neighbor in 1968? They really are being generous!

Well done to Craig and Sheryl in WSJ. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Me, I'm flying OUTTA Sydney to USA/Mexico for the Olympics .. this place will be a madhouse!

Also UA are giving me TRIPLE points til 2001 so I'll take every 20,000 mile round trip I can squeeze in!

THANK YOU UNITED United.

------------------
~ Glen ~

Sydney wouldn't be my first choice either!

One word of warning for our readers who plan to visit Sydney. If you're planning on swimming in Bondi beach be aware that not far offshore is a large pipe which has been known to dump raw (well almost raw)sewerage on occasions...
http://www.fbe.unsw.edu.au/subjects/arch/5203/97-s2/assign2/Bondi/bon12.html
http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/sts/sbeder/elephants.html

cheers Peter



[This message has been edited by ffhound (edited 08-20-2000).]

go Sheryl!

And OZStamps, we used bereavement fares for a FRIEND on US and they gave us an excellent fare with no trouble.

Richard .. what kind of PROOF do they seek for those fares? Seems like they are pretty much for the asking on UA Air anyway?!

------------------
~ Glen ~

ozstamps, those in ATL in '96 who left the city thinking it would be a madhouse lived to regret it. Traffic was fabulous (e.g., none), and the atmosphere in the city was like nothing before - or since, unfortunately http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

MileJunkie .. Premex has said the same kind of thing about LAX Olympics! Less traffic than usual I think he said.

With the wonderful surprise TRIPLE mile bonus UA have announced, I do not think I'll regret it though!


http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif



------------------
~ Glen ~

MORE WSJ STORIES

Sure ly I'm NOT the only FTer who got the following email!

<<Hi,

My name is Jane Costello, and I'm a reporter with The Wall Street Journal
Online. I saw your posting on FlyerTalk about First Class amenity kits, and
it inspired me to follow up with a story. So if you have a minute, I'd like
to ask you about your favorite amenity kit, and which items you find the
most unusual and useful. What do you do with them after the flight? Is
there anything that's missing -- i.e. something you would find helpful that
is never included?

Please e-mail me back with your name, where you live and approximately how
many miles you fly each year.

Thanks in advance for your help, and I look forward to hearing from you.

--Jane>>


She's on vacztion this week, doing story next.

Steve

Hmmmmmmmmmm.....eat your heart out boys. She nicely asked me for my PHONE NUMBER etc.

Originally posted by ffhound:
Sydney wouldn't be my first choice either!

cheers Peter

Continuing your Sydney bashing, ffhound? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/rolleyes.gif

Indeed, many FT'ers have spoken/corresponed with Jane and various other WJS and other reporters! They too know that FT is THE source for current FF info! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif No surprise, eh? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

geo1004 .. Melbourne is such a boring city, that when they get sick of watching paint dry, and grass grow, they put on an extra winter jacket, and turn their attention on Sunny Sydney. They were rather pissed they ran an unsuccessful Olympic bid in 1996.

The IOC decided the finalists in the 100 meters all running in fur coats or polar fleece jackets would not be good for the Olympics image, so they gave it to Atlanta!

------------------
~ Glen ~