One Mile at a Time [OMaaT] discussions [merged]
May 10, 2019, 12:45 pm
#3706
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: DL PM; IHG PlatAmb; Hilton Dia; Marriott Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,320
In the US, there is almost one trillion USD that are outstanding at any given point in time. Almost half that (over 400 million) are revolving balances, meaning they are not being paid off, but accrue interest). These are the highest level of household credit card debt ever and Fobes reported on March 26 that half (!!!) of all Americans have maxed out their credit limits. I don't see how this ends well when the next recession comes around. And those numbers should concern the big banks and the TPGs pf this world.
Oh...and while economics are playing out the way they do, airlines are devaluing their award charts to the point where there is no longer a way to know for sure that applying for cards will even be a viable way to redeem for the aspirational awards in the first place...that should put pressure on airlines because I would expect consumers to move credit card spend almost entirely to bank issued credit cards earning a more flexible currency than miles from a single airline. AA loses money flying but makes money because they sell miles to Citi. This during (likely the tail end) one of the greatest bull markets of all time. What happens when the inevitable recession happens?
I have little pity for anyone in this chain of events. Not the airlines who announce they will never lose money again and hose their fliers at every turn, nor the consumers who overload on debt. At some point, someone is going to have to pay the piper...
And agreed with several. ANY financial advice, including credit card debt etc should be required to be provided by a licensed professional. Period.
Oh...and while economics are playing out the way they do, airlines are devaluing their award charts to the point where there is no longer a way to know for sure that applying for cards will even be a viable way to redeem for the aspirational awards in the first place...that should put pressure on airlines because I would expect consumers to move credit card spend almost entirely to bank issued credit cards earning a more flexible currency than miles from a single airline. AA loses money flying but makes money because they sell miles to Citi. This during (likely the tail end) one of the greatest bull markets of all time. What happens when the inevitable recession happens?
I have little pity for anyone in this chain of events. Not the airlines who announce they will never lose money again and hose their fliers at every turn, nor the consumers who overload on debt. At some point, someone is going to have to pay the piper...
And agreed with several. ANY financial advice, including credit card debt etc should be required to be provided by a licensed professional. Period.
May 13, 2019, 8:21 am
#3707
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,171
This is Marriott’s first promotion on purchased points since the Bonvoy program was formed. I do think the pricing is a bit on the steep side, though with a specific use in mind this could represent a good deal, especially if you’re just topping off an account for a redemption. If you’ve been considering buying points but haven’t done so yet, you have just a couple of days left to do so.
May 13, 2019, 8:32 am
#3708
Join Date: May 2002
Location: STL
Programs: DL PM/1MM, DL SkClub LT, Marr LT Plat, IHG Plat, HH Diam
Posts: 2,001
He just posted his top 10 credit cards for May.
Pimped the Bank of America AS card with the 40,000 offer but failed to mention the better offer of 40,000 + $100 statement credit. Oversight or BOA not giving an affiliate commission on the + $100 offer? Hmmmm
Pimped the Bank of America AS card with the 40,000 offer but failed to mention the better offer of 40,000 + $100 statement credit. Oversight or BOA not giving an affiliate commission on the + $100 offer? Hmmmm
May 14, 2019, 7:40 am
#3710
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 1
Half of a trillion dollars is 500 billion - so which is it? 400 million revolving out of a trillion or 400 billion revolving out of a trillion?
In the US, there is almost one trillion USD that are outstanding at any given point in time. Almost half that (over 400 million) are revolving balances, meaning they are not being paid off, but accrue interest). These are the highest level of household credit card debt ever and Fobes reported on March 26 that half (!!!) of all Americans have maxed out their credit limits. I don't see how this ends well when the next recession comes around. And those numbers should concern the big banks and the TPGs pf this world.
May 14, 2019, 10:50 am
#3711
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: AA LT Plat, UA 1k/1mm+, National EE, IC Plat, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 2,605
Excellent point. I will have to revisit my math on all this as I was pulling from several sources including the Fed. There are several errors I could have made. My larger point should not be missed though. I will try and post ALL the numbers and sources here for all to see. Won't be until much later tonight though.
Jun 12, 2019, 11:28 pm
#3712
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Economy, mostly :(
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 7,801
Pretty shocking plagiarism on the EK new H fares. Zero reference to the FT thread despite the article and comments mirroring almost verbatim the points made therein and this having not been posted elsewhere or published by EK, so clearly that being his source.
Jun 14, 2019, 8:46 pm
#3713
Suspended
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 68
Travel bloggers, they're just like us!
I didn’t used to be big into skincare, though having a husband who is militant about it has changed me. Every morning and night I have to use a cleanser and moisturizer, and that’s only the beginning.
But even before I did that, I never understood why people used airplane hot towels to wipe their faces:
Why do people wipe their faces with hot towels?
This isn’t the part I’m that confused about, but I’ll mention it nonetheless.I didn’t used to be big into skincare, though having a husband who is militant about it has changed me. Every morning and night I have to use a cleanser and moisturizer, and that’s only the beginning.
But even before I did that, I never understood why people used airplane hot towels to wipe their faces:
- Of course it’s great to wash your face, even if that would ideally involve using a cleanser
- But if you’re someone who uses a moisturizer, wouldn’t you want to moisturize after removing whatever is on your face? I realize everyone has different skin, but my skin gets dry if I wash my face but don’t put on moisturizer
Jun 24, 2019, 12:43 am
#3714
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New England
Programs: American Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,640
https://onemileatatime.com/brussels-...ht-to-nowhere/
No, Lucky, OO is simply the registration prefix for Belgium. Brussels Airlines planes were registered with Belgian registrations starting with OO even before Lufthansa bought them. Anyone could have googled it and gotten the correct answer. Come on. It was registered in Belgium because it was to be operated by Brussels Airlines. Whether it operates under the Brussels brand or the Eurowings brand is irrelevant when it comes to aircraft registration!
What happened?
Well, we’re not sure, as the airline isn’t saying, other than noting that it was for “operational reasons.”
The flight was supposed to be operated with an A330-200 that had the registration code OO-SFZ, but it got swapped last minute for operational reasons. The plane was then operated by an A330-300 that had the registration code OO-SFL.
There are some interesting things about this plane:
It flew for Lufthansa until March 2019
Then it was transferred to Brussels Airlines, and it began flying for them as of May 18, 2019
While the plane is flown by Brussels Airlines, it’s technically registered to Eurowings, given that it has an “OO” registration code
This is part of Brussels Airlines being integrated into Eurowings, which is their low cost carrier
This was the plane’s first flight to the US since it was re-registered as a Brussels Airlines/Eurowings plane
Well, we’re not sure, as the airline isn’t saying, other than noting that it was for “operational reasons.”
The flight was supposed to be operated with an A330-200 that had the registration code OO-SFZ, but it got swapped last minute for operational reasons. The plane was then operated by an A330-300 that had the registration code OO-SFL.
There are some interesting things about this plane:
It flew for Lufthansa until March 2019
Then it was transferred to Brussels Airlines, and it began flying for them as of May 18, 2019
While the plane is flown by Brussels Airlines, it’s technically registered to Eurowings, given that it has an “OO” registration code
This is part of Brussels Airlines being integrated into Eurowings, which is their low cost carrier
This was the plane’s first flight to the US since it was re-registered as a Brussels Airlines/Eurowings plane
Jun 24, 2019, 12:55 am
#3715
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,171
Ben and his team should stick to documenting premium seats and catering. There is more to the EW/SN Story. More here https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luft...ssels-why.html
Jun 24, 2019, 2:31 pm
#3718
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: UA Premier 1K: PlAAtinum; DL SM, MM; Marriott Gold; CO Plat Emeritus; NW Plat Emeritus
Posts: 4,776
Ben and his team should stick to documenting premium seats and catering. There is more to the EW/SN Story. More here https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luft...ssels-why.html
Jun 25, 2019, 12:02 am
#3719
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New England
Programs: American Gold, Marriott Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 5,640
https://onemileatatime.com/american-...hts-to-boston/
Really? American is the only one to offer a domestic Flagship First service, yet they're not premium?
Did no one tell him about United's 28J 757s? Also, which of those airlines has aircraft with 14 lie-flat business class seats?
Lucky makes The Points Guy's list-writing interns look like experts.
And watch how fast it gets deleted or buried.
What went wrong here? Of course my first instinct is to say that American simply isn’t a premium airline, so with the competition they probably had a hard time getting market share.
Delta, JetBlue, and United all offer 14-16 business class seats on these flights, which probably more reasonably reflects the demand.
Lucky makes The Points Guy's list-writing interns look like experts.
And watch how fast it gets deleted or buried.
Jun 25, 2019, 1:25 pm
#3720
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: UA Premier 1K: PlAAtinum; DL SM, MM; Marriott Gold; CO Plat Emeritus; NW Plat Emeritus
Posts: 4,776
So I like Ben. But seriously, he's offering fleet advice to Lufthansa? I think they run a reasonably successful operation and have some competent people.