by Chris Carley

“(Bad) Parents Take Their Kids to Las Vegas”

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A picture of the Las Vegas strip at night taken from a high vantage point. The view is north along the mid-strip area on December 23, 2015.

(©iStock.com/d25higgins)

Some colleagues and I walked down the Las Vegas Strip about midnight during a recent work trip. We saw a variety of people: tourists of all shapes, sizes, races, demeanors, and sobriety levels. Attraction hype people. Security and police officers. Vendors. Street performers.

You know, the typical Vegas Strip crowd. (Really, people you may see in any major city.)

We also saw some families with children in strollers.

One of my work friends asked our group a colorfully-phrased, rhetorical question: Continue reading →

by Chris Carley

BREAKING: Delta Flight Diverts to Portland, Passengers Stranded, Gates Filling Up

Los Angeles, California - April 18, 2014: A Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-200 with the registration N655DL takes off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in California. Delta Air Lines is the world's largest airline with 733 planes and some 160 million passengers in 2012. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Delta Air Lines flight 122 from Boston to Edinburgh, Scotland diverted to Portland Jetport in Portland, Maine, for an emergency landing. WMTW news writes that the crew reported engine problems Saturday night and landed at PMW. (Better to find out while close to land than, you know, over the Atlantic.) “Officials say the aircraft landed safely and no one was hurt,” MTW says. FlightAware data indicates the 757-200 departed Logan at 10:10 PM and arrived … Continue reading →

by Chris Carley

Rookie Wednesday: CLEAR’s Discounts for Delta Travelers (and Not Just Elite Flyers!)

The CLEAR enrollment center at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS).

Welcome to a regular feature on the Renés Points blog. This blog series covers in a “rookie” way either a Delta or travel related theme and attempts to break down to a basic level each topic. You can read up on all the previous posts HERE. Now on to this featured topic. CLEAR is a service both René and I love. Many Delta flyers — not just elites — can take advantage of fairly significant … Continue reading →

by Chris Carley

How Can Delta Sweeten SkyMiles for — and Retain — Medallions?

Delta Diamond Medallion card cut up

  Delta’s increased success — a reported 90% load factor — means more SkyMiles elite Medallions jockeying for benefits and perks. Complimentary first class upgrades are harder to score — thanks to FCM (sometimes for just $2). And autumn is around the time of year we hear about Delta’s SkyMiles “enhancements,” which many of us know is code for “devaluations.” (Don’t forget Delta SkyMiles is consistently voted the first runner-up (not the winner) in a … Continue reading →