We let some steam off about the United Mistake Fare, learn of the ridiculous Hilton HHonors Lifetime Diamond qualification criteria, learn how to properly use Softcard, get some free Gogo, visit Seoul and the Kowloon Walled City and more!
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Hilton HHonors Lifetime Diamond Status Requirements Published – Loyalty Lobby Ok, you know I spend lots of time in Feedly. So, when I saw this…magically I saw many Titan bloggers suddenly write about it too! Coincidence? You decide! I bet they were all busy massaging their main plastic merchandise!
The Cheapest Way to Get Up and Running With Softcard Mobile Wallet – Milenomics This is not for me and probably not for you. But for the ones who may be interested and qualify, this is very well written!
If you have these Amex cards: Business Centurion® or Business Platinum Card® or Corporate Centurion® Card, Corporate Platinum Card®,Corporate Gold Card or Executive Gold Corporate Card you can now load your Gogo account with 10 day wifi passes so you can waste even more time online even while flying! (HT to Doctor of Credit).
Surreal hyperlapse of Seoul – Matador Network Wow, surreal and magnificent!
26 photos of Hong Kong’s chaotic Kowloon Walled City, once the most crowded place on earth Absolutely mesmerizing pictures!
14 secret tricks to get more out of Google.
When underperforming the S&P 500 is a good thing – Investment News Excellent article. The market is NOT just the S&P 500 or the Dow!
The Greatest Display of Shooting You Will See Today – Twisted Sifter DID THIS JUST HAPPEN????
Ok, let’s talk about what dominated the blogwaves. Yep ladies and gents, yet another mistake fare. This one by United and you had to pretend you were in Denmark and you could fly from Europe to the US on business and first for obscenely low prices. I have seen this movie before. It is discovered on FlyerTalk, a Titan blogger puts it out (thanks a lot View From The Wing) and then all hell breaks loose as every wannabe blogger feels they have to put it out there to let their readers know, to inform them while hoping this will generate amazing traffic they can monetize in some way in the future. But you clearly know it is all over when the mainstream media takes a hold of it. It’s the same old story every time. The excitement, the frenetic clicking to book trips (were you doing it on company time, come on now!), then the inevitable bragging. But when mainstream media gets involved the writing is on the wall. And then, BANG, United decides not to honor and the ridiculous indignation and foaming at the mouth of this latest injustice committed by a faceless public company in the name of, get this, its shareholders! I say/tweet (sometimes no difference!): “How about some personal responsibility from Titan bloggers who encouraged readers to book the UA mistake fare. How about suing THEM instead?” Even Business Insider wrote about it. But when Business Insider does a FOLLOW up on its story you know that this “deal” was doomed from the start! Well, while investigating this story TBB staff (of one) identified the Million Mile Secrets ghost writer. Who else could write this story, look at the arrows!!!
Meanwhile, One Mile at a Time continues on the Barcelona W hotel incident with his mom. If I were his mom, I will tell him not to bother me anymore leaving me alone the only night in Barcelona, thanks a lot. Anyways, we get more updates on the loss of her purse. Or theft. Or whatever. And is it just me or isn’t he playing the big blogger card to get more concessions/compensations/freebies/publicity out of this? At this point I wonder if this will surpass the number of blog posts written about the other mega event of the last 12 months: the Korean Air macadamia nut “indident” (now at 12 blog posts, I am sure we have not seen the end of it yet!).
Oh, for the mistake fares. If you did it please let it go. Don’t be a douchebag and, you know that is coming, do not bring up class action lawsuits and crap like that. If you go that route, do it for the right reasons, like age discrimination #wink #LOL.
I kept only the “best” of the most biased pumps of yesterday…
TBB intern slacking:
Thank you for reading and supporting my blog by clicking the crap out of my $$ links! Proof why I suck in pumping. I tweeted this earlier today trying to pump my links up! “The more you click on my links the higher the probability United will reverse its decision to not honor today’s mistake fare.” Thanks to the reader who got the AA Platinum card from me, when this happens I feel Titanic for sure lol!
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First, and cancelled?
Booked a few, will be cancelled, will not lose any sleep over it.
(Unlike the sleep I may have lost coming back from Miami in a United seat!)
Ha ha ha. Same here. But if its not too onerous I’ll probably file a DOT complaint. I’ve been screwed by United so many times I’ve lost count. An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.
Second, lives in Denmark so no cheating on credit card adress, fully expected fares to be cancelled. Not upset. #noharmnofoul #winsomelosesome #gottabeinittowinit #firstmistakefareeverbooked #wassimplyhopingforsomegoodwillmiles
Third, and missed it!
BTW, I loved Kathy’s take on it:
http://willrunformiles.boardingarea.com/surprise-flybilletter-english-surprise-airfares/#sthash.BNNlh6lt.dpbs
For post of the day, I nominate the 13 stages of a mistake fare by HansGolden http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/24333242-post1362.html
Seriousy if you don’t stop saying titan I might have to stop reading
John, they are Titans, it true. Just ask them.
Hey Buzz-
I’m confused. If everyone who got the UA mistake fare had to pretend they were in Denmark, how do the fraud rules come into play? Comments on VFTW are full of ‘they owe it to me’ and ‘filed DOT complaint’, but what do you put on your DOT filing “I purposefully misrepresented that I met the required conditions for this fare, and now United won’t honor the deal.”?
What are the penalties for civil fraud? What’s the line between civil fraud and criminal fraud? Maybe this isn’t fraud but then what is?
One more thing while I have the mic: A recent comment said Mommy Points was really trying hard. How did the writer know that? And how many extra points do they get for trying hard? I know that’s a tough question but, after all, you da’ Buzz.
I enjoyed the four lessons post, especially the one about spending it all. Reminds me of someone who said if you’ve done an effective job as a parent, you’re out of work in 18-20 years.
That’s the sort of unemployment I’m looking forward to! (in 14 years …..)
Last month I bought a ticket from Air France. I clicked on the UK flag and paid in GBP for a flight departing from Indonesia. I’m pretty sure there’s a way to select US rather than UK, but I didn’t bother. Fraud? Clicking on a country on a website is not representing that you live there, but rather that you wish to view that particular version of the website.
Not buying it. You click on Denmark because it is a hell of a deal, a deal you know (especially you!) it is…too good to be true. So, you took a chance. UA canceled them. And that should be the end of it.
No disagreement there, George. Of course I did! If UA reinstates, great. If not, it was fun. But viewing a site in a format other than your own country’s, and making a purchase there, isn’t fraud.
Thanks for all the comments, much appreciated.
Just a few comments on your comments.
Thanks Kenny for that FT link, so right on, sooooo funyy!
Really trying not to say Titan but…not doing very well obviously. It has stuck. Like Vendoming. I think it’s hilarious What do I say? Commercial bloggers? Just does not do it, nowhere the stigma associated with it. You got a better one? Pimping bloggers may offend more lol.
I think the ones who filed DOT complaints about this one are douchebags too Sam 🙂 Your questions are deep, especially distinguishing between civil and criminal fraud. When it gets to that point…
Regarding Mommy Points trying hard, I guess everyone who blogs somewhat regularly tries hard. She sure has gone all out commercial. Which is fine I guess. Just pisses me off while they sell the “I am a miles expert” line while pumping plastic in almost every post. Going from Kansas City trips to see gandma to posting about the Hyatt options in Maldives, wow! And loved this line: “if you’ve done an effective job as a parent, you’re out of work in 18-20 years.”
Well, at least we know whose side you’re on. Or perhaps your memory is faulty and you’ve forgotten how Tilton and his gang of butchers used chapter 11 to screw 120,000 employees by dumping pension liabilities, while increasing their own benefit packages and paying themselves tens of millions of USD in bonuses from the savings taken from employees? Or maybe you’ve forgotten how over the last decade United has led the way in routinely screwing their customers and gutting their FF programs? Or maybe your moral compass is broke, and you’ve forgotten that United is not a person entitled to decency and respect, where one should approach with a sense of forgiveness and turning the other cheek. They’re not a small business or credit union entitled to ethical reciprocity. United is one of the more soul-less enterprises on the planet, whose sole raison d’ tois is to increase greed, with the demonstrated willingness to use any means they can get away with. In terms of ethics, any individual that can take advantage of United has the right, if not the obligation, to do so. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. And the only douchebag in this debate is the one who sides with United.
I can count in one hand how many times I have flown United. I do love using UA miles by the way.
You have a right to be angry on the airlines’s business practices. Legacy airlines have a tendency to screw their customers especially now that there so few! Gutted FF programs? Compared to Delta’s record on that these guys are angels LOL.
U talking about broken moral compass, u serious? I am not the one pretending I live in Denmark so I get charged in Krones which is obviously an error and you know it! This is the act my moral compass has a real problem making me take such action. PERIOD. Please spare me all the additional excuses to justify THIS action! Soul-less, really? I think of the poor kid who made an error in that software company who is probably fired now and is in despair. I don’t think about the other stuff you are talking, I think about this poor guy or gal who just made a mistake. We all make mistakes dude. Eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth is, well, ridiculous! When these mistake fares with the blogs go off on such a lightning speed these days you should not be upset that United decided to take action to screw you out of your ridiculously priced airfare. Fine when it happens to just a few in FT only days, it’s a rounding error and may even get some positive PR out of such event. When it gets so widely spread we are talking REAL money here. And they will do what they can to protect their interests…and they did! And that’s that. Be angry to the other bloggers who widely wrote about this and so many mainstream media picked up on it (MOST EVER!) and not to me who this act just did not meet my OWN ethical standards.
Hope you did not file a DOT complaint. I guess there are worse things…suing for age discrimination LOL
Move on. Win some lose some right?
Where was One Mile at a Time’s coverage of the mistake fare? Was he too busy booking as many first class fares on Lufthansa and Swiss for himself? Or he did not have the time because he was using his Titan powers to try to get the entire W Barcelona staff fired and the hotel shut down if they don’t compensate him lifetime SPG ambassador status and 2,000,000,000 star points for something that could have been avoid if 1) he didn’t ditch his mother to go have dinner with someone else 2) his mother didn’t talk to strangers 3) if his mother called the front desk when the stranger came to their room and 4) dont let someone you don’t know into your room. Sure the hotel has some cupability here, he acts like he and his mom did not make any tremendously stupid mistakes that enable this to occur.
if I was still doing “Gem comments of the week” this one would have made it for sure! You nailed it. Thanks for taking the time.
Thanks Elaine for mentioning my post on the Surprise Fare – I try for original content, or at least original perspective, which is difficult in the world where those who write the same thing over and over are the ones most read.
And thanks as always George for your great writing, wry humor and terrific insights.
I’m not sure I see how this mistake fare was very different than the Wideroe fares – I just think that United is fighting against them harder. One of the known methods of looking for good airfares is to look in the websites from other countries – expedia brazil, etc. This is not that different, and not (terribly) nefarious. Perhaps the reason for this loophole might be United’s own sloppiness, rather than that the frequent flyer group has become more cunning. Eh, nevermind, I need more coffee.
I love the term Titan – did it originate here, or somewhere else?
As for the saga of Ben’s mom – I truly feel badly, though the entire series of events is truly a lesson on what not to do. I’m fine with all of our discussion and criticism in comments such as here, but what irks me (though I’m not 100% sure why it irks me so) is when other bloggers have seen fit to write blog posts on it.
‘Titan’ comes from a tweet sent by a British blogger at the BACon conference last year (I was also there, but it wasn’t me) when MMS took to the stage.
Thanks for the kind words Kathy!
UA is fighting because we now have so many blogs fighting for clicks! So if one writes about it they all feel like they must write about it too and then all hell breaks loose when the mainstream media gets a hold of it. And in this case they sure did! Business Insider (twice!), Marketwatch, Quartz and more my mind escapes them right now. We are talking real money and real people’s jobs severely affected. So they fight back as they can. No surprise there at all. I am just amazed at the speed this whole thing happens these days, faster and faster!
Oh yeah, thanks Raffles on the origination of the term Titan. I remember now. Here it is:
https://twitter.com/Elena_Nikolovaa/status/513751777884135424/photo/1
Regarding Ben’s mom issue, yeah you are right it should be a lesson on what not to do. And this is coming from a veteran expert traveler? Anyways, TBB is about the blog buzz so talking about this is part of what this blog is about. I was going to say something involving the T word but trying to please reader John 🙂
Many people are reminding me that the Titanization of these bloggers came from the BAcon conference, which I was at! Randy was glorifying Gary and Ben as bloggers. They really do have quite large followings. Anyway, I think we should switch to the term Maverick! Now I have a funny picture in my mind of Gary looking like the Marathon Man!
As for Ben’s mom, I don’t mind the discussion here. It’s some bloggers who are trying to capitalize on the topic that irk me. Guess that’s nothing new, right? Has Ben still not said where he went that day??
“Delta” is just truly amazing. In one stroke (or is it 2? okay, let us take it as 3 for the time being), it is capable of getting all the “American” (“Hawaiian”, “Alaskan”, “British”, “Indian”, “Greece” 😉 et al) from the North, East, “SouthWest” of the “US”, “United” in “Spirit” (and to protect their wallets?), be it you are in the “BoardingArea” or you are “Prior2Boarding” or you are somewhere out side as a “Saverocity”, “FreequentFlyer” or you are bothered about “MileEconomics”. Whatever it is and whoever you are, Delta is just amazing.
Delta is the Durian of the US airlines
P.S. Full disclosure: Can’t stand durian!
So that Kowloon Walled City place had 33,000 people in 6 acres. For the sake of comparison, Manhattan has a little over 100 people per acre. Wow.
I thought about touring that place but I preferred drinking some wine (free) and eating a $40 burger (free with Arrival points) at the lobby bar of the intercontinental HKG 🙂
I believe the picture of the above posted building is mislabeled. Please correct name to Maldive’s Motel 6.
I will have a tough time staying there for free 🙂
I think that the real problem faced by the frequent flying americans is that while Delta is stupidly arrogant, all other US based airlines are arrogantly stupid.
This one could have made the “Gem comments of the week” for sure 🙂
I could be wrong on this, but I am fairly sure first to the punch on the breaking Hilton lifetime news was actually Hiltonhotelfans… Certainly that’s where I sourced it and credited it.
I certainly didn’t see LoyaltyLobby’s coverage till after I’d been notified by HHF.
Maybe…but I am taking the position (which is true) that I first saw it first on Feedly at LL 🙂
I am not following HHF, I think I see some stuff on Twitter by them…I think. Should I? Maybe it was in the big purge I did several months ago when I wiped out about 200 from my Feedly feeds!