TODAY'S READ
Airline Industry Meltdown, How US Bungled the Plague, Health Savings Accounts, Travel During Covid
We bring you content about the airline industry meltdown, how US bungled the plague, where to hold Health Savings Accounts, travel during Covid, the New England Journal of Medicine goes political, snow ball fight from 125 years ago, Hyatt extends benefits, get five free nights at Marriott, Waldorf Astoria sells out, we visit Siberia, Alaska, NYC and Scotland, the best Covid-19 coverage, a sick scammer in Toronto warning, we make fun of the VP debate, we go on with survival shelters, serial killers, starships, graveyards and stuff you can only find here in my blog. Approaching 8 years blogging for you, time to raise my fees lol.
TBB Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!
Support TBB by applying for CREDIT CARDS or visiting our LINKS or Donate
You like my blog? Send a link to someone please!
Shop & support the blog with the TBB Amazon link!
This goes out to subscribers via email the day it is posted at 8 am. After that I may add something new and I indicate it like this: Update. So you all come back often and check what was added, it may, wait for it, shock you!
There is a LOT in this post. You all enjoy the weekend and thanks for spending some of it reading my blog. If you are not into the frequent flyer miles/points game please feel free to skip the Miles & Points section.
Let’s get the party started, got my double dose of dexamethasone! #joking
TOP PICKS
I am starting a new blog section titled TOP PICKS. For readers who have been here for a while it is similar to the “Best of Web” posts I used to do. I pick some content that deserves special mention in these now weekly curated blog posts I do. As I think everything I post here is a must read, think of these in this section as the MUST must reads! 🙂
This baby blog of mine started primarily for my travel hobby. It has evolved to a blog dedicated to world domination and freeeedom. Oh, wait, maybe it is the dexamethasone kicking in? Ok, wait, where was I? Oh yeah, let’s circle back to travel. This is a MUST read if you are interested in the topic!
Inside the Airline Industry’s Meltdown
Please take some time to read it. Just one selected excerpt below. The article looks more into how KLM is dealing with this, gets into economics, how things are going to change, carbon emissions and lots more, enjoy!
In 1998, airlines sold 1.46bn tickets for one kind of flight or another. By 2019, that number had shot up to 4.54bn. This year has undone it all. Early in March, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) published two potential scenarios. The more extreme one forecast a global loss of revenue of $113bn. By mid-April, about 14,400 passenger planes around the world – 65% of the global fleet – had been placed into storage…By June, Iata had to issue a revision: Revenues will fall by $419bn this year, precisely half of what airlines earned in 2019. [ Holy mother of God!]
The prestigious medical journal The New England Journal of Medicine was founded in 1812. It has never endorsed a political candidate. Until now! Please read EVERY word and vote accordingly, thank you!
Dying in a Leadership Vacuum
The final paragraph goes like this…
Anyone else who recklessly squandered lives and money in this way would be suffering legal consequences. Our leaders have largely claimed immunity for their actions. But this election gives us the power to render judgment. Reasonable people will certainly disagree about the many political positions taken by candidates. But truth is neither liberal nor conservative. When it comes to the response to the largest public health crisis of our time, our current political leaders have demonstrated that they are dangerously incompetent. We should not abet them and enable the deaths of thousands more Americans by allowing them to keep their jobs.
And now for something just so visually pleasing that it became a Top Pick. Just a 52 second clip from a snowball fight. In a street. In Lyon, France. In 1896! Colorized!
Snowball Fight (1896) Louis Lumière AI Colorized DeOldify
MILES & POINTS
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: 65k CitiBusiness AA, 20k Chase Freedom Flex, 130k AMEX Hilton Business & Hilton Surpass, $300 Blue Cash Preferred, $200 Blue Cash Everyday, 70k AMEX Delta Platinum Business and 60k Platinum Personal (ending 10/28/20), 140k IHG Rewards Premier, 100k IHG Rewards Traveler, 5 Free Nights for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, 60k AMEX Delta Gold Business and 50k Gold Personal (ending 10/28/20), $300 AMEX Blue Business Plus. Please use my Affiliate links.
If you do not see a credit card with my affiliate links, perhaps I could refer you? Contact me please, thank you!
Chase Sapphire Preferred 80,000 Points Signup Bonus with $4,000 Spend. I can now refer you to this card, contact me via email travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com and thank you!
Marriott has come out with a credit card offer that offers 5 free nights for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card. But you must be careful about Marriott’s rules.
We continue to see higher signup bonuses offered by banks as predicted. AMEX is now offering higher bonuses on the Blue Cash Preferred and Blue Cash Everyday cards, in the form of statement credits, $300 and $200 respectively. The Preferred card has an annual fee of $95 which is waived in the first year and has excellent select earning categories while the Everyday version has no annual fee with lower caliber earning categories. I still think the Amex Membership Rewards family of points is of a lower quality than the Chase Ultimate Rewards. I am not going to do pumpy posts trying to speak them up so I sell more, I will leave that to other bloggers out there. But if you find these are right for you please consider getting them from a blog you want to support to keep going, thank you! So, Chase and Amex have been doing their part here, it is time for Citi to start raising their offers next I think, come on!
Looks like hotel companies are doing this again and again. You start to wonder if we don’t get back to normal soon…there would be less and less hotels that survive. Hyatt Extends Benefits to Help Customers – Award Chart Changes Pushed Again, Expirations Moved, and More.
If you have a personal United card with an annual fee and you are not a hardcore United flyer (when flying returns that is) why not downgrade to the no annual fee new United Gateway card which will still get you the better award inventory.
British Airways offers an up to 50% off award sale. We like deals around here. But not during a global pandemic and certainly NOT on flying British Airways airplanes due to ridiculous fees tacked on! And why they are not doing away with those fees yet is even more ridiculous!
TRAVEL
Really good real post by Nomadic Matt on What’s It Like Traveling the US During Covid-19. Sticking to road trips personally, no airplanes the rest of this year. It sucks but it is what it is. I think Matt was one of the first bloggers who got the virus months ago…
Anyone buying? Waldorf Astoria hotel will auction off 80,000 items including pieces from suites used by Edward VIII and Wallace Simpson, Winston Churchill and Cole Porter in a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ event.
Never heard of this place, wow! The picturesque ghost town at the edge of the world. Once a booming mining town in the early 20th Century, now the remnants of Kennecott remain surprisingly preserved, perched on the mountains of the Alaskan wilderness. Only around 200 people still live in and around the area, embracing the isolation of one of the most remote ghost towns in the world. Other “successful” bloggers out there keep linking to stupid clickbait shit. I prefer to find truly eclectic shit for you and nobody links to me. It sucks and you are welcome.
Cool photos: Brooklyn in Kodachrome – 1970s New York City In Color.
As we are all doing more road trips I thought this is a cool link. 10 of the most unique tunnels around the world.
Best road trip on the planet, seriously? Scotland’s answer to route 66… 500 miles of non-stop scenery through the breathtaking Highlands!
Wow, New York City from above.
Well, we visited cold Alaska above. Why don’t we get to an even colder place? Siberia baby! Glimpses of the Isolated Communities Along a Remote Siberian River. I wonder if they have high speed internet…
COVID-19
You know there has been a persistent theme in my blog when Covid-19 broke out and I focused on it that the US response has been absolutely disastrous. If you watch this you will realize why. At some point some will have to face reality and retire magical thinking! How America Bungled the Plague.
Loved this article dealing with pandemic monitoring, insurance, reinsurance and stuff like that. We Can Protect the Economy From Pandemics. Why Didn’t We? A virologist helped crack an impossible problem: how to insure against the economic fallout from devastating viral outbreaks. The plan was ingenious. Yet we’re still in this mess. The product was there in 2019 but nobody bought it…then after Covid-19 hit everyone wanted it…human nature.
There was a lot of buzz last week about The Atlantic article pointing to an overlooked variable in this pandemic. Frankly, it was way too technical and over my head. Kottke.org has a very good summary and preview of it here: “This Overlooked Variable Is the Key to the Pandemic”. Last link leads to the actual article if you are inclined to read the whole thing.
Fantastic AMA (Ask Me Anything) thread at reddit: We are COVID-19 vaccine researchers, Anna and Paul. After successful trials in mice, we’ve been carrying out the first human trials of a brand-new type of vaccine with the potential to protect a significant proportion of the world’s population. Ask us anything!
The latest article by Michael Lewis. Read it and weep cry, sounds like Florida but it is not, so sad! Inside a California Covid Revolt. Residents of Shasta County have taken resistance to Covid-19 restrictions to another level: “full-on anarchy.” I am still crying…
It just saddens and angers me that we managed to politicize a public health issue…like masks, WTF! Months Into the Pandemic, 16 States Don’t Mandate Mask Use. Why?
I really enjoyed this interview: Germany Has Its Own Dr. Fauci—and Actually Follows His Advice. If we only did not have so many freedom fighters here fighting for their right not to suffocate wearing a simple mask smh.
Really good explanation: Charting a Coronavirus Infection.
And now for something different, getting away from the medical angles to focus on the economic angles. Most specifically, The productivity pitfalls of working from home in the age of COVID-19. Nicholas Bloom is widely known for his research showing the benefits of working from home. But in the current coronavirus crisis, the economist fears productivity will plummet. Let’s all hope he is wrong!
We are still learning more about the virus. It appears we are into the second wave everywhere. Vaccine trials are proceeding well, as well as therapeutics. Dr. Fauci has predicted we go back into some kind of normal at the end of 2021 which I think it is the best guess right now. Get accustomed to wearing masks and avoiding closed spaces for a while everyone. Both son and wife can now work from home until end of June 2021. Our life is changing due to the virus. If only we had an effective response dealing with it from the start here in the US…
Never Forget!
PERSONAL FINANCE
I have been thinking a lot lately about this but this guy managed to write them all down in a single blog post: The 7 Things That Matter For Markets Going Forward. And I agree 100% with this statement: “One thing I am sure about is there are no easy answers to low bond yields for investors. This is the hardest investing environment ever when it comes to wealth preservation.”
This is a decent roundup and comparison of the companies offering Health Savings Accounts HSAs.
I try to help people in my blog. By educating them. And warning them about scum scammers. Like this guy, wow! Heartbreaker. To women in search of love, Shaun Rootenberg seemed like a catch. What they didn’t know: he’d spent decades stealing from just about anyone who crossed his path. Lonely women on dating sites were only his latest prey. He is still out there in Toronto roaming free smh.
CURRENT EVENTS/POLITICS
I watched the debate. You know we have entered some magical parallel reality when the fly won the Vice President debate this week.
With both guys running for President, one 74 with Covid-19 and obese and the other 78 years old, we are all wondering: What happens to the U.S. presidential election if a candidate dies or becomes incapacitated?. It can get really confusing, here is another article on this topic: What if Trump Can’t Run? Many Steps Are Clear, but Some Are Not.
We have no words left…Trump and his staff’s refusal to wear a face mask is a catastrophe. A face mask might have protected Trump, his staff, and the people around them from the coronavirus.
Okay, one more left and then I plan to move on…I think. Donald Trump Failed to Protect America, and Himself.
Prepare yourselves for far out stuff to happen after the election. The Attack on Voting in the 2020 Elections. If you noticed, even Pence refused to guarantee a safe transition. PREPARE!
VP Debate recap.
ODDZ & ENDZ
Ok, this is a fun link: The 25 Most Expensive Things Ever Sold on eBay. Made me dream about one of you buying such an expensive item with my Amazon link lol.
I was really surprised how widespread this type of stealing is. I guess it makes sense. The Pirates of the Highways. On America’s interstates, brazen bands of thieves steal 18-wheelers filled with computers, cell phones, even toilet paper. And select law enforcement teams are tasked with tracking them down.
The graveyard of products killed by Google just keeps growing! Killed by Google.
Well, after pirates and graveyards above, let’s keep the doom theme with: Here Are 26 Of The Most Horrifying Serial Killers To Ever Walk This Earth.
This is so cool. FICTIONAL STARSHIPS Size COMPARISON. In 3D.
In case you want to escape after November 3, this guy gives us lots of ideas! Survival Shelter Ideas.
Do you have lots of cassette tapes stored somewhere like I do? You thought they long ago went extinct, right? Well, NO! I really enjoyed watching this: Throwback on a Comeback: The Last Cassette Tape Factory.
Let’s get back to some amazing photography, shall we? Winners Of The Close-Up Photography Of The Year 2020 Competition. I had a really tough time picking just one photo to feature here!
BLOG BUZZ
We are now entering BLOG BUZZ, a section for advanced hobbyists and veterans of this fast imploding hobby and also a section where I go on and on about some stuff that happens in my life because it helps me feel better about myself.
I finally got to this section very late Thursday night. I think I have enough above so please cut me some slack for cutting this a bit short okay? It’s not like I am getting rich from blogging, sad!
Looks like Shawn is making this reselling thing work and keeps Miles to Memories going which provides a nice variety of content. Reselling During the Pandemic: Huge Challenges & Opportunities, But Perspective Helps Too.
I am slowly getting back to running, hitting 20 miles this week and last but…very slow. I have until October 31st to do the virtual Detroit Half Marathon . I deferred my 2020 Athens Marathon entry to next year.
Movie theaters are opening today in Michigan. I missed going to the movies but…it may be a while before I return. I hope they are still there. So tough to be in some industries!
Will corona totally kill all first class seats? Not yet but if the present pandemic lasts more months (which it likely will) I don’t think they will. And then how bloggers will sell more plastic doing trip reports how they travel for free sleeping in first class seats if you could only get several credit cards with their affiliate links. I am surprised we have not seen more blogs quitting…
One more on the VP Debate you guys!
For one night the name of my indoor soccer team was trending on Twitter!
And I leave you with this…
TBB
travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
Follow TBB on Twitter @FlyerTalkerinA2.
You can subscribe to TBB below, winners only!
Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
The post Airline Industry Meltdown, How US Bungled the Plague, Health Savings Accounts, Travel During Covid appeared first on TravelBloggerBuzz.
--
By: TravelBloggerBuzz
Title: Airline Industry Meltdown, How US Bungled the Plague, Health Savings Accounts, Travel During Covid
Sourced From: travelbloggerbuzz.com/airline-industry-meltdown-how-us-bungled-the-plague-health-savings-accounts-travel-during-covid/
Published Date: Fri, 09 Oct 2020 10:30:57 +0000
tbuz1
No comments:
Post a Comment