Note: This is not an Onion article - this was reported in several more reputable newspapers (Chicago Tribute and NY Times)
It’s a bit strange this incident happen last fall and was only recently reported, yesterday.
Apparently it happened in daylight at 4:30pm, right before sunset, in Terminal C, Gate 17 and was first spotted by a United ramp worker who was directing traffic at the gate.
A flying saucerlike object hovered low over O’Hare International Airport for several minutes before bolting through thick clouds with such intense energy that it left an eerie hole in overcast skies, said some United Airlines employees who observed the phenomenon.
All the witnesses said the object was dark gray and well defined in the overcast skies. They said the craft, estimated by different accounts to be 6 feet to 24 feet in diameter, did not display any lights.
Though some people were upset the government was doing very little to investigate, a few people found it humorous.
“To fly 7 million light years to O’Hare and then have to turn around and go home because your gate was occupied is simply unacceptable,” said O’Hare controller and union official Craig Burzych.
Pretty interesting. I wish I’d been there to see it myself.
You can read about the details in the Chicago Tribune.
Click here and enter your Starwood Preferred Guest Number in the promotional code field after clicking the Subscribe Now! link.
Now go find a good place to eat.
Update: This didn’t work for me – no guarantees.
New updates to the forth-coming Registered Traveler program:
You will be able to keep your shoes on thanks to the advances of shoe-scanning technology! The newly developed kiosk will be able to scan your shoes for bombs while testing your fingers for traces of explosive-making materials. Sounds like fun.
The article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal says nothing about whether it will replace the numerous other security mechanisms. I’m very excited about going through a metal detector, the air puffing machine, and finally, a shoe scanning and finger testing machine.
I wonder when we’ll have that x-ray machine from the movie, Total Recall.
That’s what I’m hearing. This comes on the heels of a USAir hostile take-over bid for Delta Airlines last month for $8.7 billion.
From a business viewpoint, it looks like it makes sense, since each airline is focused on different regions, although they share many of the same routes, especially between each other’s hubs.
Chicago-based United is the nation’s fourth-largest carrier in terms of passenger traffic and is strong in the Midwest and Asia. It has major hubs in Denver, Chicago and at Washington’s Dulles International Airport. Its parent company, UAL, has a market capitalization of about $4.8 billion.
Houston-based Continental is the nation’s sixth-largest carrier and has major hubs in Houston, Cleveland and Newark. It has strong links to Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. It has a market capitalization of about $3.9 billion.
Nothing is set in stone, and there are a few things standing in the way such as: * Approval by federal regulators * An agreement between Northwest Airlines and Continental that gives Northwest the means to block a merger
What does this mean?
Well for the carrier employees, it likely means layoffs as duplicate flights are cut.
For carriers, it means lower overhead costs, which ideally would be passed onto the customer. Logically-speaking, many people would believe less competition means higher prices, but I point you to an article on a study done in 2000 specifically around airline mergers.
The study by the Economic Strategy Institute, a free market-oriented public policy research group, analyzed 322 individual markets currently served by the six carriers with the largest networks.
Assuming consolidation into three carriers, it found competition would soar 74 percent among markets with access to two or more major metropolitan centres, or “hubs,” while decreasing in 13 percent of cases and remaining unchanged in another 13 percent.
Who knows what it means to frequent fliers – my first guess is our status and the our points would be devalued as consolidation takes place. We’re talking more frequent fliers on less flights and more points being spent on less flights. On the flip side, it also opens up the possibility of more destinations so who knows?
I guess we’ll find out, shortly.
If you weren’t in the know, you’d have missed the pilot of the Registered Traveler program which began in July 2005 at Orlando International Airport.
The essence of the program is once you pass the background check, you’re given a biometric id card which allows you expedited access through airport security lines – ideally, without even having to remove shoes, laptops, or outerwear. One catch is a $99.95 annual price tag tied to the program.
It looks like the registration and biometric id can be provided by multiple vendors and will eventually be interchangeable at various airports. That’s a good thing. I would hate to have to purchase different biometric ids based on the airport. Selection of vendors appear to be up to the airports.
Apparently the first pilot has been successful and four additional airports will be selected for additional testing.
Verified Identity Pass Inc., which began the first Registered Traveler program at Orlando International Airport in July 2005, is planning to open its second site, in Terminal 7 at Kennedy International Airport, with a target date of Dec. 19, said Steven Brill, the chief executive of the company, which markets its version of the expedited security program under the name Clear.
While probably not attractive to your average recreational traveler, the $100 registration fee would be well worth it to the weekly road warrior. Seems like a pretty captive audience, so hopefully they don’t end up raising the fee. A possible indirect benefit to those travelers who choose NOT to use the program may be reduced regular security lines since the registered travelers would be moving through a separate security line.
Read all about it here.
The short of it:
Earn triple Starpoints® when you stay at participating Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, and W Hotels, in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and other cities in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic this winter.
Terms and Conditions:
Offer valid for all SPG members who register online or call 888-625-4988 and mention registration code CMT no later than March 31, 2007.
Please click here for a list of participating properties and specific offer dates which vary by property.
To earn the triple Starpoints, you must arrive on a Sunday through Thursday night except at the Sheraton Park Ridge Hotel & Conference Center and The Westin Philadelphia which require the stay include either a Sunday or Thursday night.
An eligible stay is defined as one or more consecutive nights paying a qualifying rate that are spent in the same hotel regardless of the number of check-in or check-outs that occur and post to the member’s Starwood Preferred Guest account.
The qualifying rates are RACK, COR, BAR, SET, and DAILY rate plans. Offer is not valid on package, promotional, group or entitlement rates.
Any bonus Starpoints earned will post to the member’s account within 2 to 3 weeks after the qualifying stay posts.
Use of Starpoints is subject to the terms and conditions of the Starwood Preferred Guest program, which are subject to change without notice. Full terms and conditions of the Starwood Preferred Guest program are found at www.SPG.com.
Not to be combined with other offers or promotions.
Not responsible for typographical errors. Void where prohibited by law. Starwood reserves the right to discontinue this offer at any time.
Again, the complete list of participating hotels and resorts is here.
If you’re already renting from Avis and you have an iPod, then sign-up for free iTunes song downloads – up to 10 free songs, every time you rent.
- 1-4 days = 5 free tracks
- 5+ days = 10 free tracks
Sign-up Steps:
- Register* today.
- Reserve your car through Avis.com or through the Avis reservation center at 1.888.777.AVIS.
- Receive an email containing your music download code(s) for the iTunes Music Store® just days after you complete your rental.
It’s open to U.S. residents through September 30, 2007.
Every week after returning from work on the road, I come back to a stack of mail piled on my kitchen table. Most of it is junk mail and of that, the majority are credit card offers. If you have good credit, you’re probably in the same boat as I am. All those credit card offers go directly into my paper shredder – you can never be too careful with the rising incidents of identity theft. I hate having credit card offers being past out like candy especially since my postal person has a problem delivering mail to the right address. Sometimes I wish there was a way to opt out, similar to the website for opting out of marketing phone calls.
Good news! While watching CNN’s Tip of the Day, I came across the solution to the problem. There is, in fact, a website (https://www.optoutprescreen.com) that let’s you opt out of all those credit card offers! It’s the only website that is endorsed by the four credit reporting bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis). This also includes insurance-related offers as well.
Please keep in mind that it will also opt you out of receiving credit-related offers from your existing credit card companies as well – so you’ll have to call them directly if you want to hear about any special offers they have for existing card holders.
You can also call (888) 5-OPT-OUT if you need help filling out the forms.
From the website:
Benefits of Receiving Offers:
Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion, (collectively the “Consumer Credit Reporting Companies”), encourage you to make an informed decision about receiving firm (preapproved / prescreened) offers of credit or insurance. There are several benefits of receiving firm offers.
- Consumers are provided with product choices
- Consumers learn about and have an opportunity to take advantage of offers that may not be available to the general public
- Firm offers help consumers to “comparison shop”, which may increase a consumer’s buying power.
Purpose of the Website:
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Consumer Credit Reporting Companies are permitted to include your name on lists used by creditors or insurers to make firm offers of credit or insurance that are not initiated by you (“Firm Offers”). The FCRA also provides you the right to “Opt-Out”, which prevents Consumer Credit Reporting Companies from providing your credit file information for Firm Offers.
Through this website, you may request to: * Opt-Out from receiving Firm Offers for Five Years - (electronically through this website). * Opt-Out from receiving Firm Offers permanently - (mail Permanent Opt-Out Election form available through this website). * Opt-In and be eligible to receive Firm Offers. This option is for consumers who have previously completed an Opt-Out request - (electronically through this website).
If you choose to Opt-Out, you will no longer be included in firm offer lists provided by these four consumer credit reporting companies. If you are not receiving firm offers because you have previously completed a request to Opt-Out, you can request to Opt-In. In doing so, you will soon be among the many consumers who can significantly benefit from having ready access to product information on credit and insurance products that may not be available to the general public.
Some of these ideas are common sense, but if you’re stuck somewhere without access to your battery charger, these battery saving tips may come in handy.
Tips on Saving Battery Life
- Turn off all sounds and vibration – shut off the vibration mechanism and the ringing sounds. Go completely silent. Granted, if you do not get too many phone calls, this won’t help you all that much.
- Shut off your bluetooth connection – searching for your bluetooth device and keeping it active takes power.
- Pause automatic email / data syncing – anytime your cell phone needs to transfer data over the cell phone network, it requires power. If your cell phone supports 3G technologies, you can expect this higher bandwidth benefit to require more power than traditional cell phone transmission technologies. Shut it off and set it to manual.
- Lower your brightness / contrast – you’ll suffer in terms of readability but unless you’re doing a lot of text messaging, dialing phone numbers and taking calls shouldn’t require you to look at your screen.
- Use text messaging – instead of calling someone, try text messaging if the message is short and to the point. Text messaging requires much less power than making a voice connection through a cell phone tower. Message a land-line number you can be reached at instead.
- Shut off your phone – yes this defeats the purpose of having the ability to take calls anywhere you want, but desperate times calls for desperate measures! Turn it on to check for voice messages / text messages.
Bonus Tip: Let’s say you’ve forgotten your cell phone charger at home and you’ve already boarded the plane for a 4 day trip to some remote location. What can you do if your cell phone is your only reliable source of communication for the entire trip? When checking into your hotel, ask them if they have any cell phone chargers. Every hotel I’ve been usually has a LARGE box of cell phone chargers that were left in rooms. They usually just give it to me even when I ask just to borrow it.