TravelZoo has a weekly special with the W Seattle, my favorite W hotel property and my favorite hotel in Seattle — $139 a night through July 4. It’s valid any night of the week but requires an arrival on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
This rate must be booked by March 28 and April 27, 28 and May 20-24 are blackout dates.
The rate plan is WLTB3.
Further to my comments on rental car companies being subjected to San Jose’s ‘living wage’ rules, a reader writes:
To me, that doesn’t seem like such a terrible thing. Why grope around for all of these abstruse and unproven second-order effects, plus make a guilt-by-association reference to apartheid, rather than focus on the main question — should the law require that employers pay employees enough money for employees to live a half-decent life? I understand that your answer to that question is “no,” but that’s for ideological reasons, not for practical ones like “higher rental car prices.” We can reduce rental car prices substantially if we taff the counters with prison labor, or indentured servants from Myanmar. But those are not the rules that most Americans want, and understandably so. If rental car employees make a living wage, then rental car prices may, or may not, be a little bit higher. So what? Is that what’s really important?
A little clarification is probably in order.
I think I hedged quite a bit on second order effects of applying San Jose’s ‘living wage’ rules to rental car employees because I don’t know of a specific empirical examination of minimum wages on rental car worker employment.
I was quite explicit that raising minimum wages often
does not increase unemployment.
But I think it’s quite demonstrable that in most cases there’s a clear substitution effect — even if the net number of jobs were not to fall, there’s a shuffling of who has which jobs.
I just think the story is a whole lot more complicated than “the workers will have more money.” As I wrote:
I suggest some possible directions where one might look for second order effects in this case which may undermine the goals the advocates of the policy have.
And while I’m not in favor of installing ‘indentured servants from Myanmar’ at rental car counts (just as I presume this reader isn’t interested in boosting the minimum wage to $1575.00 an hour…), I would be in favor of more immigration as the best way to alleviate poverty for the greatest number of people.
Via Tripso Daily the San Jose Airport Commission has voted to recommend to the city council that airport rental car company employees be subject to the city’s ‘living wage’ rules.
The actual impact of minimum wage rules is always hard to predict. Increasing the minimum wage doesn’t always lead to unemployment as critics would suggest, often because the prevailing wage is already higher than the minimum wage. For instance, increasing the federal minimum wage to $6 wouldn’t have a tremendous impact on rental car employees at the airport, since their average wage is already more than that.
At the same time, minimum wage rules often change who is employed. Higher wages often mean that companies are keeping for more productive employees, especially when an employer is subject to wage rules that surrounding businesses are not. If airport rental companies have to pay a higher minimum wage than other San Jose businesses, they’ll attract more job applicants and skim the cream of the labor pool crop. That comes at a cost to workers in the existing lower wage pool.
(This understanding was put into practice in South Africa under apartheid, where minimum wage rules were used to reduce black employment and transfer jobs to White Europeans.)
The living wage policy could cost rental car companies $6 million to $12 million a year, and the companies are looking at moving off-site outside the rule’s jurisdiction. Not mentioned in the article, some companies may leave the market. That change could allow higher rental car prices to prevail, fewer cars rented, fewer people employed, and any number of other results.
Still, predictions of doom may not come true at all, especially in a growing economy where the prevailing wage may well reach the level of any mandated increase.
What I find most bizarre is how this rule is applied:
The general philosophy at the time was that the living-wage policy would cover private companies working under city contracts for which the city could potentially assume responsibility itself, Mr. Manheim says.
As a result, the airport’s restaurant workers and retail store employees are covered by the city’s living-wage policy while car rental employees, taxi drivers and airport shuttle drivers are not, he says.
“The rationale is that the city does sell food, like in Kelley Park, but . . . the city would never rent cars,” Mr. Manheim says.
Digital City used to publish the best low airfares from various cities across the U.S. It was an invaluable tool for finding out about great deals. Alas, it got the axe.
One of the drivers of that project has new blog — a daily update of airfares like what Digital City used to offer, but at the moment just for the New York area.
Folks who call New York home need to check out Today’s New York Area Airfare Report.
Intercontinental Hotels offer Priority Club points for stays but maintains a separate elite program — Ambassador status — which is purchased rather than earned.
The benefits of this status are Gold Elite membership in Priority Club (unless you earn platinum on your own), a free weekend night certificate (in conjunction with a paid weekend night, valid on just about all rates), one room-class upgrade, late check-out, a free in-room movie with each stay, and a welcome amenity.
There’s also an upper tier of Ambassador, Royal Ambassador, awarded based on revenue spent with the chain. Early check-in is available, guaranteed upgrades, and free mini-bar are the parks. That status can’t be purchased.
The usual cost of membership is $150, although there are sometimes promotions to earn the status free with a certain number of hotel stays.
I joined for a year in August 2004 when there was a signup offer of 25,000 Delta miles. Since Delta had a parallel offer of 5,000 bonus miles for transfers of points from hotel programs, I actually received 30,000 Delta miles.
The welcome packet also came with a 5,000 point Priority Club certificate and two nice luggage tags. I emailed the Ambassador program and asked for more luggage tags. They sent me a new welcome packet which included the tags and another free weekend night certificate.
I understand that they’ve caught on, and requests for additional luggage tags no longer generate additional free night certificates. And I’m not certain that the welcome packet will continue to include the 5000 point certificates as they aren’t a published benefit of Ambassador status.
Nevertheless, for those interested in the program there are several current bonus offers — though all far less lucrative than last year’s Delta bonus. If you’re going to join the program, it behooves you to use one of the following links, rather than earning nothing at all.
The Northwest offer is for 3,500 Worldperks miles, and expires February 28, 2006.
Then there are offers for 3,000 miles (expiring December 31, 2005) with seven airlines:
The program doesn’t make sense for people who aren’t going to be staying at Intercontinental properties. But in some cases a single stay can make the program worth it. For example if you’re traveling to French Polynesia, perhaps at the Intercontinental properties on Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora a single night’s upgrade alone can be worth the price of membership.
Delta is offering a 15-20% bonus for transfers from American Express Membership Rewards between April 1 and May 15. Registration required.
(Hat tip to Free Frequent Flyer Miles.)
The people that brought you the free iPod, free Playstation Portable, free handbag, and free iPod Shuffle are at it again with a new offer. This time it’s a free digital camera.
Among the cameras is a Canon Powershot S70 7.1 megapixel which retails for about $500.
Like all of the free electronics offers, you have to sign up and complete a marketing trial (several are free if you cancel within the trial period) and get friends to do the same.
Whereas the iPod shuffle offer requires only three referrals and the Playstation Portable requires five referrals, the digital camera offer takes ten — but then the iPod Shuffle retails for $100 and the camera is five times pricier.
Once you’ve entered your email address, you’ll be asked whether you want to participate in several offers. Choose not to, as the offers won’t get you anything. After several optional offers, you’ll be taken to the main free electronics page where you’ll have the chance to complete your own marketing offer as well as refer friends.
You could apply for a no-fee credit card, or sign up for a Netmarket trial for $1. I did the Netmarket offer when qualifying for the iPod shuffle, and cancelling with them was easy.
Delta introduced their ‘SimpliFares’ intitiative on January 4th and their efforts were widely matched across the country.
Though airfares have dropped since the end of 2004, the number of fare basis codes on an average route has increased by nearly a third.
On Friday I mentioned a signup bonus of 15,000 points for the free Hilton American Express.
Looks like from a discussion at Flyertalk that the card has some new improved benefits.
Historically the card come with Silver elite status and has offered 3 Hilton points per dollar spent, plus an additional two points per dollar spent at Hilton hotels.
Effective April 15th, there will be three new benefits:
These changes make the card a pretty attractive proposition. I’m not really a Hilton guy, so I have to look closely at whether Hilton properties meet my award goals (the card doesn’t seem that great a deal for other redemption options). But I probably will want to earn a certain number of Hilton points and this looks like a good way to retain my Gold VIP status.
Anecdotally Hilton may even be providing Diamond status with higher levels of spend, I’ll be listening very closely for more information on that.
Update: Got a postcard in the mail about Gold VIP status based on credit card spend. $20,000 is calculated on a calendar year basis.
In addition to the bonus for converting Marriott hotel points that American is offering (mentioned yesterday), through March 31 American is offering a 20% bonus for converting Priority Club hotel points as well. Registration is required.
Through May 31 American is offering a 20% bonus on points converted from Marriott. Registration required.
Also via Free Frequent Flyer Miles, as always the Hilton American Express has no fee. Now there’s an offer of 15,000 bonus miles with first use.
As I’ve explained before, American Express is pretty good at figuring out who they’ve given signup bonuses to in the past. If you previously signed up for a Hilton Amex with a 10,000 mile offer you’ll probably get only 5,000 more points this time — that is, you’ll get the difference between what’s on offer now and what you’ve gotten in the past.
In my experience, Bank One (actually now JP Morgan Chase) and Citibank are pretty good for giving multiple signup bonuses…
Via Free Frequent Flyer Miles, Radisson is offering 2,000 bonus Goldpoints for first-time use of their new online checkin feature at Radisson.com through June 30, 2005.
Gary Steiger also reminds his readers something that I post every three months at Flyertalk.com — that you get 500 Goldpoints for updating your email address every 90 days. I set a reminder in my Outlook and every 90 days switch between my primary email address and my Yahoo account.
Points.com is offering double miles for any points exchange into Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan through March 31.
Incidentally, the rumor is that Alaska will be introducing a new top tier to its elite level program. Details on Platinum status are sketchy at this point.
When I read the headline in the Phoenix Business Journal, “America West adds Australia to frequent flyer program,” I assumed that America West must have inked a deal with Qantas.
Nope. They’ve expanded their partnership with Hawaiian Airlines to include Hawaiian’s service to Sydney via Honolulu.
Oh well, any new award redemption option is a good thing.
American Express is offering 15,000 bonus miles with first purchase and first year free for taking their Delta card.
The page has a live link to an offer for the Delta Business American Express, first year free with 12,500 bonus miles — though the page says the offer expired February 28th. You could try to apply for it and my experience is you’ll likely get those miles. Or you could play it safe and go for the first year free offer with 10,000 bonus miles.
Note that you could also wait for a direct mail piece, which gets sent out pretty regularly to Skymiles members (though I don’t know which ones) offering the business card with 15,000 bonus miles at signup plus 5,000 miles for each of two additional fee-free cardholders.
Site59, the provider of last-minute discount travel packages, is offering $59 off packages of $300 or more with promo code JETSET59 (valid through March 15).
I’ve been brushing my teeth with Colgate Total ever since it won Slate‘s Paste Test. So this trivial rebate worth $2.99 was interesting to me, since it was for a free tube of the stuff.
A bit of a limited audience for this one, but still quite generous: Register to earn quadruple miles for your spending with USAirways (e.g. tickets, club memberships) when paying with the USAirways Visa between March 1 and March 15.
Register to earn double miles on all purchases with the Delta American Express from March 15 to April 15 (up to 10,000 bonus miles).
