Throughout the week, our team shares articles they’ve stumbled upon that may interest our readers, even if they might not otherwise merit a full post. Here are some of the posts we found interesting this week: No more phones in fancy bathrooms, Cathay Pacific says no changing frequent flier numbers after check-in, an adventure flying to Timor-Leste, and local Maasai seek to demolish a new luxury Ritz-Carlton camp for the sake of wildlife.
Why Nice Hotels Used To Have Phones In Bathrooms, But Not Anymore
Has anyone else noticed that upscale hotels don’t seem to have telephones in their bathrooms like they once did? (Or at least, that this has become less common?) Ben at One Mile at a Time not only noticed this but also took it upon himself to find out more. What he found was that AAA’s Diamond rating used to require a phone in the bathroom for a 4-Diamond rating or above (presumably for safety), but as of 2018 or so, they removed this requirement. After all, we all have cell phones now, and we all seem to take them to the bathroom with us. Perhaps they should have cell phone chargers accessible in each bathroom instead?
Cathay Pacific Bans Switching Frequent Flier Numbers Past Check In
Cathay Pacific made an update to its terms and conditions, whereby passengers will not be able to change the frequent flier number attached to their flight after check-in. Formerly, you would have been able to include one membership number when booking your flight for the status benefits you’d like to use while flying (for specific lounge access, for example), and then switch it to the frequent flier number you want the miles to be credited to, if different than the program giving you status. With these terms updates, you will no longer be able to do that, as the membership number in place at check-in will be the only one attached to the flight. This is, of course, essentially only relevant for paid flights since award bookings don’t qualify for earning anyway. But for anyone who occasionally pays for Cathay Pacific flights, you may now have to pick between the status perks you want and the earnings you want.
An Adventure Flying To Timor-Leste On Aero Dili – in 3 parts…
There are three different posts that tell an interesting story from Matthew Klint’s attempt to plan a quick visit to Timor-Leste. If you’re unfamiliar, Timor-Leste (also called East Timor) is a country once part of Indonesia in the collection of islands east of Bali. The story begins with “Booked: I’m Flying To Timor-Leste On Aero Dili!” where Matthew foreshadows a few of the reasons why his booking felt a bit like a gamble. For one, his incoming flight would arrive with barely enough time to catch the once-daily flight on Aero Dili out to Timor’s capital of Dili. For another, he was unable to successfully check in online and would have to handle that in his very short connection.
In his next post, “So Close, Yet So Far: My Attempt To Reach Timor-Leste Falls Apart“, I had serious flashbacks to the library of memories around frantic airport resolutions of one kind or another. In Matthew’s case, his incoming flight taxiid just a little too long, and he arrived at the Aero Dili check-in counter in time to speak with an agent (a hopeful sign!), but she insisted he was too late. Don’t worry, the next post turned everything around!
In his post “Unbelievable! Aero Dili Calls Me Back, Lets Me Board Flight To Timor-Leste,” we find out that the online check-in, which had produced an error for Matthew the day before, had somehow actually worked. (A case of the erroneous error screen?) The same attendant who’d insisted Matthew was too late to check in shortly after discovered that he was already checked in and called him back up to the check-in desk. He only had 25 minutes to make it back through immigration and board his flight, but he made it! To really drive home what an adventure it is to travel to these more obscure, small, and remote destinations, there’s yet another post where Matthew writes about the somewhat quirky experience getting through customs upon arrival: “Mild Debacle: Customs And Immigration In Timor-Leste“. When traveling to these lesser-touristed destinations, you can’t always plan for unpredictables…but you can kind of plan for the existence of unpredictables. Expect a little chaos, but it wouldn’t be an adventure without it!
Lawsuit Filed Against Marriott: Plaintiffs Seek Demolition of Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara Safari Camp
This story sounds like the plot of a great movie with major Fern Gully vibes (for all my fellow elder Millennials out there). In short, Marriott built a luxury Ritz-Carlton safari camp, which, according to the local Maasai leaders, disrupts the famous wildebeest migration route and otherwise disrupts animal movement. Now, a lawsuit has been filed against Marriott, which seeks demolition of the brand-new camp. I must admit, I’m rooting for the wildebeest here. I don’t think any of us wants to jeopardize the natural wonders we travel to see.
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