A Brief Update From the Road

• Looks like the Wright Amendment deal has cleared Congress and is now on the way to the President for signing. PlaneBuzz and State of the Airlines had pieces on this today. This means that in eight very long years, the distance restrictions for flights from Dallas/Love Field will be lifted. At least as soon as this takes effect, airlines can begin selling connecting flights from Love to anywhere they want. That should help Southwest considerably.
• Upgrade: Travel Better points out a very helpful mileage earning offer today. Looks like US Airways will allow all points to be elite qualifying through the end of the year. This means that any points you earn at hotels, car rentals, even flower deliveries will count toward elite status. You need 25,000 miles to qualify for the lowest level. The good news is that my current plan has me 500 miles short, so this will be nice. The bad news is that it means a lot more elite members and the benefits will be diluted. They also point out something that I found in my email inbox today. United is giving double elite qualifying miles through the end of the year if you pay $499. Yikes. That’s pricey, but I guess if you need it, it’s worth it.
• Many of you have heard about the horrific crash in Brazil between a corporate jet and a Gol 737-800 on a scheduled flight. Though the corporate jet was able to land, the Gol flight crashed and all 155 people on board perished. It’s extremely sad when something like this happens, and it’s even more difficult to swallow when it’s something that seems so preventable. The planes were cruising at 36,000 ft and they both should have had a traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) installed. It will be very interesting to hear what actually happened here.

I’ll try to post a couple times when I can this week, but I may be too busy. Talk to you all again soon.