Here’s an item I first read about in a milepoint thread started by forum member sobore.   Kyle Gosnell, his wife and his son were traveling from Denver to Belize City on American Airlines.  

Despite clearing TSA and being boarded by a gate agent in Denver, when they got to DFW to make their connection, the American Airlines gate agent denied them boarding because of a “damaged” passport.

Denver television station KDVR that first reported the story. Here’s Gosnell’s explanation to their reporter Hema Mullur:

Gosnell, his wife Dana, and their young son, Kye, received boarding passes all the way through to Belize City.
But in Dallas, they hit a roadblock.

“They took a look at our passports and said that my passport was mutilated, therefore I wasn’t able to fly,” Gosnell said.

The reporter asked American for a comment:

A spokesperson for the airline didn’t give FOX31 an official statement, but said it is within the airline’s rights to refuse a traveler for a passport that might not be able to be scanned.

American is paying for the family’s hotel in Dallas while they wait to get a replacement passport.

Without being able to examine the passport, I guess I can’t second guess the DFW gate agent, but if the “damage” is exactly as it appears in news video, then it seems more like an instance of a gate agent in a bAAd mood.

My passport doesn’t look much better.

Anyway, go here to view the video for yourself, then come back and share your thoughts.

Flickr Photo: Screenshot taken of the original news video posted on the KDVR website.

Check your email inbox for this new targeted offer from the American Airlines Business ExtrAA program:

Give Your Business a Boost. Earn 1,000 Business ExtrAA bonus points – that’s halfway to a round trip ticket!!

The American Airlines Business ExtrAA program has teamed up with VerticalResponse to offer your business the marketing tools you need to stay competitive — plus you will earn 1,000 Business ExtrAA bonus points after your first purchase of $5 or more before May 31, 2012. With 1,000 bonus points, you will have a great head start on your next round-trip ticket!

Your company can benefit from a variety of VerticalResponse solutions to help expand your business in a dependable, affordable way, with proven results. Try them out for free with a no-risk trial.

Open your business to a whole new audience with marketing programs including:
Email Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Event Marketing
List Building and Management
Postcards
Online Surveys

A 1,000 points is pretty sizable. It’s halfway to a round-trip domestic ticket. It’s an upgrade to first class with enough points left over to get a day pass to the Admirals Club.

I visited the promotion page and took a look at their services and prices and VerticalResponse has some pretty cool tools, and spending $5 is pretty easy.

For $5 you can send out a mailer to about 300 clients. Or for the same price, you can send out 6 post cards. Either way, VerticalResponse had some nicely designed templates and an online assistant to walk you through the process.

Again, it’s a targeted offer. Here’s the fine print:

You received this email because you have opted in to receive emails for Business ExtrAA Account News and Information.

*Based on Economy PlanAAhead award valid for the Continental U.S., Canada and Mexico. All taxes and fees, including reservation fees, assessed at the time of ticketing are the responsibility of the passenger.

This offer is available only to recipients of the email sent by American Airlines to select Business ExtrAA® members and is valid through May 31, 2012. Promotional bonus points available for new VerticalResponse customers only, who provide the requested information using the enrollment site provided via link from this email and complete a qualifying purchase with VerticalResponse of $5 or more between January 26, 2012, and May 31, 2012.

Points will post to your company’s Business ExtrAA account 6-8 weeks after promotion ends

Go here for complete details.

Here’s a new bonus offer from Avis that will let you earn a discount and some extra miles with a 2 day rental:

Now through July 31, 2012, American Airlines AAdvantage members can earn 500 AAdvantage bonus miles from Avis on rentals of 2 or more consecutive days at participating airport locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Use coupon # MUAA086 and provide your AAdvantage number at the time of reservation or at the rental counter to earn your AAdvantage bonus miles. These AAdvantage bonus miles are in addition to the AAdvantage base miles you earn every time you rent with Avis.

This offer is in addition to your everyday savings of up to 25% when you use AWD # K817100.

Go here for complete details.

Other Avis Options

Avis offers 50 base miles per day, so with this offer a 2 day rental will earn you 600 AAdvantage Miles. Avis has a much better offer of 1,500 bonus miles plus base miles, but it requires a minimum 3 day rental.

Other Rental Options

Dollar and Thrifty both have less generous 150 miles per day promotions that require a 3 day minimum.

Hertz is offering 3 AAdvantage Miles per $1 spend and only a single day minimum, but unless you spend $200 over 2 days, the Avis offer is probably your best chance to earn some extra miles with a short term rental.

Photo: Avis CheckIn
Credit: oliver eiternick

You probably recall the controversy Citibank started last month, when they started sending out 1099s to customers that received big AAdvantage Mile signup bonuses for opening new accounts accounts last year.

The move made a lot of customers unhappy, and as you might have expected, it was only a matter of time till someone filed a lawsuit.

The Courthouse News Service is reporting that last week, plaintiffs Bertram Hirsch and Igor Romanov, through their attorney James Kelly, filed suit in federal court claiming that:

Citibank lured them in by offering 40,000 frequent-flier miles to open an account – but didn’t tell them they had to report 2½ cents per mile as income to the IRS…

Citibank grossly overvalued the miles, which have no actual value to customers and should not be taxable.

Seth over at The Wandering Aramean does an excellent job explaining that while the IRS hasn’t said that Citibank is correct, or that the government is going to go after taxpayers, the agency confirmed that big mileage sign-up bonuses can be considered a taxable event.

The plaintiffs concede that it’s possible for the miles to be taxable, but disputes the value of each mile:

Even if the airline miles were taxable, Citibank’s practice of valuing the airline miles at 2.5 cents per mile is grossly unfair and deceptive. Airline miles have no value to Citibank customers that can be fixed at the time they are awarded. If redeemed, these miles typically have an average value to customers of between .76 cents per mile and 1.2 cents per mile. At least one study recently concluded that American Airlines miles in particular are only worth about .76 cents per mile.

I agree, 2.5 cents per mile does seem a little high.

Now this seemed a little odd:

Hirsch, a semi-retired lawyer, says he became concerned when he read the fine print on Citibank’s offer letter, which states: “Customer is responsible for taxes, if any.”

Hirsch says he asked a local Citibank employee if the miles were taxable, to make sure he did not exceed a certain income threshold, so he could keep his retirement benefits. He says the employee assured him the miles were tax-free.

It seems to me that if the attorney Hirsch was worried about an item in the terms and conditions of the offer, he should have consulted with a tax attorney rather than a bank employee.

So far, there’s been no repose from Citibank nor have I been able to find a link to the actual. petition.

Prediction

I’m not a Court TV analyst, nor is my name on a short list fill the next vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, but I do have AAdvantage Elite status so I think I’m qualified to make a few predictions about the legal outcome of this case.

Citibank will settle the case by offering to pay plaintiffs’ attorneys a large sum of money, a portion of which will probably go to the two lead plaintiffs, and anyone that decides to join the case as a plaintiff, will get a few extra miles worth less than $25.

Photo: Mystery Judge
Credit: Mike Licht on Flickr

In the 1970s, American Airlines flight attendants would give out free AstroComics to kids on their flights.

The comic books featured well known Harvey Comics characters Casper the Friendly Ghost, Wendy the Witch, Richie Rich as well as some of the lesser known ones like Little Audrey, and Dot.

Anyway, this was back before the days of $2 headphones ( and deregulation), but in a world of Angry Birds and iPads, the idea of kids reading comics books seems as quaint as the idea of an airline giving them out.

What really seems antiquated is the “Story of you Stewardess” from the “All About Your Flight Crew” section of each comic book.

I always have some business or vacation travel on the planning calendar, so I use AA.com fare alerts and Kayak price tracking to keep me from missing out on a fare sale to one of the destinations on my watch list.

So when I get the weekly American Airlines Net Saver email, I almost always glance at prices, but unless there’s just some stupid cheap price to someplace I’d like to visit, I don’t pay that much attention. 

Every summer I escape from the Texas heat by fleeing to Montreal. I’ve been hoping for some decent fares during August but haven’t seen anything arrive in my inbox, so I went online to AA.com to look at fare sales.

And while I still can’t find a decent fare to Montreal, the rest of the world in on sale.

Europe.  Central American.  South America.  First Class.  Business Class.  Coach.  The last time I saw fares this low was back in the early days of the recession in 2008 and 2009.

Anyway, I don’t write about fare sales very often, but I thought that these were worth mentioning.

South America – Business Class Flight Deals

If you’re planning to visit South America or you’re participating in an Elite Status Challenge, here are some really great prices on business class fare to the region:

American Airlines is offering discount Business Class airfare to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Belo Horizonte, Brazil now at AA.com. Purchase your tickets on AA.com by February 16, 2012. Begin travel by February 25, 2012. All travel must be complete by February 29, 2012.

For example, you can buy a round-trip ticket from Dallas or Los Angeles to Buenos Aires for less that $4,000. That’s about $3,000 less than the usual fare.   The sale ends today, go here for more info.

Europe Flight Deals

If you’re thinking about taking a spring break in Europe, here are some unusually cheap fares. While it’s often easy to find a decent price on flights to London, this sale offers the most number of cities I’ve seen in a while.

Immerse yourself in history with a European vacation. Stroll down ancient cobblestone streets, shop the finest boutiques and explore countless museums. Find special prices from American Airlines to Europe on AA.com. Purchase your flight by March 8, 2012, , and begin travel by April 1, 2012, to save. All travel needs to be complete September 26, 2012.

Go here for more info.

Flight Deals to and from Miami

If you wanting to visit Miami, or you looking for some mileage run opportunities, take a look at these two sales:

Main cabin

American Airlines announces great flight deals for travel between Miami and select U.S. cities. You must purchase your tickets by February 28, 2012, to save! Travel is valid for these sale prices through June 12, 2012.

First Class

American Airlines is offering discount First Class airfare between Miama and select U.S. cities now at AA.com. Purchase your tickets on AA.com by February 28, 2012 for travel through June 12, 2012.

Here are some sample fares:

Coach
Boston – Miami $127 each way
Newark – Miami $100 each way
San Francisco – Miami $181 each way
Dallas – Miami $140 each way

First Class
JFK – Miami $538 each way
Washington Dulles – Miami $622 each way.

Go here to look at coach fares and go here to view first class prices.

Black Atlas, the American Airlines online community that focuses on the African-American traveler, is giving away a trip a week through the end of April:

A trip a week? NOW THAT’S TRIP!

Enter the Steve Harvey Trip-a-Week Sweepstakes. You and a friend could win travel certificates to your favorite destination!

Winners will receive two travel award certificates to one of the following American Airlines service destinations:

48 contiguous United States
District of Columbia
Canada
Caribbean
Bahamas
Bermuda
Mexico

A winner will be announced live on the Steve Harvey Show each Monday morning February 13 – April 30.

Entering is easy, all you have to do is join BlackAtlas.com, and if you’re already a member, there’s no need to register. You’re automatically entered.

You can listen to Steve Harvey’s morning show online or go here to find a radio station in your area.

Go here for complete rules and go here to enter.

Good luck!

Photo: Steve Harvey, April 6, 2010
Credit: Glory Foods on Flickr

I received an email yesterday to let me know that the double elite qualifying miles I earned during January, with the now expired systemwide DEQAA promotion, have posted to my account.

I’m not a mileage runner, not because I think it’s a bad idea but because I don’t have the time, so the bonus miles I earned during January are kind of paltry in comparison to others.

I’ve heard from a few people on Twitter that were able to earn status in a single month: Congratulations to @jamucsb and @crismanila77.  

I read that the Happy Flyer was able to reach Platinum in a month.   And Jerry from The Frequent Flyer Collector blog told me that he he was able to earn 94,690 elite qualifying miles in January!

I’ve actually earned more EQMs this month than I did last month, but with the bonus I was still able to reach Gold by the end of January.

Did anyone else earn AAdvantage elite status during the promotion?

(Just a quick note to let you know that Daraius over at Million Mile Secrets is giving away a $150 American Airlines gift card.  To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment.)

(Proving that no detail is too unimportant for this blog) If your name is Tom Horton (and you’re not the CEO of American Airlines), I’ve got some bad news and some good news.

First, the bad news: If you were planning to use your name with your own website, you’re out of luck.

Earlier this month American registered TomHorton.com. According to Domain Wire, they paid about $1,000 for it.

Now the good news: American’s PR firm registered TomHortonSucks.com, so at least you won’t have to worry about your brother-in-law using the domain to post embarrassing photos of you.

Here’s an update of current travel sweepstakes from American and oneworld member LAN.

From American Airlines: “Check It Out. Check It Off.” Sweepstakes

AA.com and MasterCard have teamed up to create three once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences to Napa, New York or Paris. Enter today for a chance to check one of these great travel adventures off your bucket list.

All entries must be received by 11:59 a.m. CT on March 19, 2012.

From American Airlines Vacations: “Piece Together Your Next Vacation” Sweepstakes

Complete a Puzzle.
Choose an Offer.
Book your Vacation for a chance to win 100,000 AAdvantage Miles!

The promotion ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on March 9, 2012

From LAN USA and Global Traveller Magazine: “Get There In Style with LAN Airlines” Sweepstakes

Enter to win two round-trip business-class tickets on LAN Airlines from one of LAN’s four U.S. gateways (New York, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco) to a South American destination of your choice.

The deadline to submit you entry is 11:59p.m. EST on March 15th 2012.

Win a $25 Kiva Gift Card

Blogger Michael W joined the Milepoint Kiva Lending Team and he’s giving away $25 Kiva Gift Card. To enter, all you have to do is go here and leave a comment.

LAST DAY:  From American Airlines Publishing and Celebrated Living Magazine “Readers’ Choice Platinum List Survey Sweepstakes“

Choose your favorite hotels, spas, cruises, and golf courses in the survey between November 15, 2011 and February 14, 2012 you’ll automatically be entered into a sweepstakes to win the Grand Prize of:

• 500,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles

• A full-day Land Rover Driving School

• A three-night stay at the world-famous Biltmore Estate in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, breakfast daily, and one dinner.

Valentine’s Day is big business. According to this graphic from OnlineMBA, Americans will spend almost $6 billion on flowers, dinner, and candy.

It’s also great opportunity to earn some AAdvantage Miles. Here are are few ideas to help you do that.

Dinner

I almost missed this promotion, but fortunately Michael W Travels spotted it: AAdvantage Dining is offering a Get Ahead Bonus.  After spending $75 and earning 1 mile per dollar between now and the end of March, you’ll be able to earn 2 miles per dollar through the end of April.  So take your Valentine out to dinner, and you’ll be earning twice them miles for the next couple of months.  Full details here.

If you haven’t signed up for AAdvantage Dining, the Weekly Flyer over at Points, Miles & Martinis tells you how to earn a 1,500 AAdvantage Miles signup bonus.

Chocolates

If you want to give the gift of Chocolate, order from Harry & David and AAdvantage eShopping and earn up to a 20% discount and 6 AAdvantage Miles per dollar.   Get your order in by 1PM EST and still get it delivered tomorrow.  Go here for more info.

Flowers

Flowers may be the least useful of gifts, but they earn the most miles. Order from FTD and receive 30 AAdvantage Miles per dollar.  Use your Citi AAdvantage credit card an earn an extra 300 miles.

Spa Treatments

Pamper your Valentine with a spa treatment gift certificate from SpaFinder.   Certificates are accepted at more than 5,000 spas.  Order today from SpaFinder and AAdvantage eShopping and receive the gift certificate by email and earn 3 AAdvantage Miles per dollar.

Here’s some other Valentine’s Day news:

Here’s an item from PAK’s JAL Blog:  If you’re departing from Narita on JAL tomorrow, the first 1,000 male passengers will receive Valentine’s Day chocolates.

Also on the subject of Valentine’s and Japan, Hooters has teamed up with Hello Kitty to offer the first 1,000 couples dining at their Tokyo location a commemorative pin depicting Hello Kitty pin.

 I’m not sure which is worse: Taking your Valentine’s date to Hooters, or Hello Kitty dressed as a Hooter’s waitress.

Graphic credit: Online MBA Blog