by Lufthansa Flyer | Aug 24, 2014 | Featured, Lufthansa |
In the words of the immortal Yogi Berra, it’s ‘Deja Vu All Over Again’……
The union representing the majority of Lufthansa pilots has threatened the airline with what it calls an ‘imminent’ strike after breaking off talks with airline this weekend. Though they said that they will strike at any moment, they promised to give enough notice so that passengers would not be stranded at airports. So thoughtful.
Apparently the negotiations that have taken place over the 3-4 months after the last strike in April did not please the union so they are back at their typical antics. During the April version of the strike, the union actually lost support of the public that they usually enjoy during their tantrums. This will not help their public relations this time either since they are threatening to strike during the peak of the European vacation season that runs into mid-September.
If your travel over the next days and weeks involves Lufthansa-operated flights, please pay special attention to these developments as they will obviously impact your travel. I’ll provide updates as more information becomes available.
Couple this with the beginning of an Icelandic volcano eruption that threatens air travel, and we’re staring at an unfortunate ‘1-2 combination’ that promises to make things interesting.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Aug 24, 2014 | Featured, Industry News, Travel |
Iceland’s Bardarbunga Volcano has been making news all week as 1000s of minor earthquakes began rattling the region. On Saturday, the volcano began to ‘officially’ erupt which has prompted Iceland to close a small part of the airspace near the volcano as a precaution. Thus far, the closure has not affected air traffic.
The the closed airspace covers a 100 mile x 140 mile perimeter around the volcano. Iceland also raised their aviation alert to “RED” indicated that they expect a significant eruption which will expel dangerous ash into the atmosphere.
If you recall, back in 2010, Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokul erupted which affected over 100,000 flights and millions of passengers. That eruption also wreaked havoc with airline profits and aircraft.
If your near term travels involve flying the North Atlantic corridor, basically the route used by Airlines flying between the USA and Europe, you may want to start paying attention to this event and perhaps plan a contingency in the event of an eruption that cripples travel.
If the situation deteriorates, Airlines will begin to allow passengers to rebook or cancel their travel plans without assessing any fees or penalties. I suspect that this event will play itself out in the next few days so be prepared!
by Lufthansa Flyer | Aug 22, 2014 | Featured, Lufthansa, Miles & More |
This offer caught my eye as I was reading my Miles & More Newsletter email today. Normally I pass by these types of offers but this one caught my attention. For one thing, I thoroughly enjoy reading The Economist (almost ‘required’ reading in my ‘real job’) and also the offer to subscribe to The Economist at 61% off the newsstand rate is a great deal as well. Top all of this off with 10,000 miles and it is a no brainer!
At a 61% discount, the subscription amounts to $160 a year or a bit over $3.00 a week which includes access to their online content as well. Factor in the 10,000 miles into the mix and you wind up paying only 1.6 cents per mile while getting a great magazine delivered each week!
Miles & More is also offering an alternative package where you will earn 7,500 miles if you subscribe to the print only version of The Economist. The print only subscription is $127 a year and is 69% off the newsstand price. This package would equate to getting the miles for 1.7 cents. Not a significant difference as far as CPM (cost per mile) is concerned.
If you are interested in taking advantage of this offer to bolster your mileage balance, here is the link that was provided in the email that I received. Even if you don’t read the economist, this promo is still quite attractive simply for the miles!
