GeekSugar

How the American Airlines Bankruptcy Will Affect You

Emily Co — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:56:27 PST

There's always a feeling of confusion when a major retailer goes bust, but what we really want to know is what it means for us and how we'll be affected. American Airlines announced it was filing for bankruptcy this morning, which leaves loyal customers wondering what's going to happen to their miles and if it's going to be harder to book a flight with them. Here's a quick roundup of burning questions you might have:

Will American Airlines go out of business and stop flying?

When a company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it doesn't mean it's going to close shop and disappear. It just means the airline gets time off from creditors to do some financial reorganization. Chapter 7 bankruptcy, on the other hand, would mean that business would close. American Airlines has not filed for that, and there seems to be no plans to do so. Airlines such as Delta, Continental, and United have all filed for bankruptcy and are now stronger for it after taking the time needed during the bankruptcy period to put their books in order.

Can I still use my miles?

Yes, the airline says that the frequent flier program will not be affected, and you'll be able to redeem and use your miles. In the past, airlines that have gone bust, such as Pan Am and Eastern, transferred miles to the airlines that purchased some of their assets.

What's going to happen to my flight?

You don't have to worry about the tickets you currently hold, according to Rick Seaney, the CEO of FareCompare, a company that helps customers find air travel deals online. “Tickets won’t be an issue because of the kind of bankruptcy they’re filing,” Rick tells Time. The airline has also said it will continue to honor tickets and reservations.

Read on to learn how you should manage your miles.

Daily Tech: The Pogoplug Shares Content Via Four USB Drives

GeekSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:40:33 PST

The Pogoplug is a neat gizmo that allows you to share movies, music, or photos using four USB drives - Gizmodo
The BlackBerry Curve 8530 is now available from Verizon - RIMarkable
American Airlines has just launched a widget that will let you know if your plane has WiFi - Engadget
Check out the ultimate holiday smartphone buying guide - CrunchGear
Vive la France! Twitter is now available in French - TechCrunch
Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom for the Wii is a great game for kids ages 3 to 6 - USA Today

Ruth Reichl to Star in New Gourmet Travel Show

YumSugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:30:53 PDT

Looking forward to Bravo's Top Chef 6, Food Network's The Next Iron Chef, and the rest of Fall's food-focused lineup? Then there's one more show to TiVo. On Oct. 17, Gourmet magazine will debut a series on public television entitled Gourmet's Adventures With Ruth. On the half-hour show, editor Ruth Reichl travels the world visiting cooking schools with the likes of Frances McDormand and Lorraine Bracco. Gourmet's Adventures With Ruth will also air on Gourmet's TiVo channel, as well as the American Airlines in-flight television channel. At least 10 episodes will be backed by the airlines, whose sponsorship includes branding spots, ad pages in the magazine, and a presence on the website.

As Ruth Reichl's number-one fan, I can't wait to see this show - although I'm curious to know how different the point of view will be from its predecessor, Diary of a Foodie. Will you watch Ruth Reichl eat her way around the globe?

American Airlines Hopes Boston Market Meals Will Take Off

YumSugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:00:16 PDT

Perhaps Virgin America's move to take flight with absinthe has inspired other airlines to focus on its in-flight services. American Airlines has announced that it will begin serving items from Boston Market on select flights.

Beginning tomorrow on flights to and from Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and Hawaii, American will offer a bevy of menu items from the chain popular for its rotisserie chicken. The $10 selection includes the Carver sandwich, the Beef Brisket Grinder, and the Italian Grinder, as well as the Chicken Caesar, Market Chopped, and Italian Chopped Salads. The airline plans to serve the selection to additional routes starting July 1.

The familiar Boston Market brand could be welcome on airlines, which are not usually known for their selection of food. Still, even though I haven't been to a Boston Market in a while, I don't recall shelling out anywhere near $10 for a sandwich. Would you order Boston Market on your next flight?

Source

Daily Tech: Get Sirius XM Radio on Your iPhone

GeekSugar — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:15:31 PDT

If you already have a Sirius XM subscription and can't wait for the official app to come out, a new app called Pocket Tunes Radio can tune into both Sirius and XM stations for $9.99. - CrunchGear
American Airlines planes to bring WiFi Internet connections to 300 planes that are primarily used in the US. - USA Today
Dell recently announced some new rainbow-colored desktops, which start at $300. - Wired
QuickPlay Media's PrimeTime2Go now makes full-length television shows available on the BlackBerry Bold and Curve 8900. - Engadget
A new bridge, which would connect two Microsoft campuses across a six-lane highway, is causing a lot of controversy since 50 percent of its cost is going to be paid by taxpayer dollars. - Switched

Front Page: Tornadoes, American Airlines, Petraeus Day Two, Nepal

CitizenSugar — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:57:46 PDT

Several tornadoes ripped through West Texas and Oklahoma last night. Winds of up to 70 mph and heavy rains left one dead, at least five houses destroyed, and 3,500 without power. Flooding caused the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to close five highways in the state, while Arkansas also saw flash flooding.
American Airlines has canceled 900 additional flights today as it continues to perform safety inspections on certain jets. It's the third consecutive day of cancellations for American Airlines, who also canceled 1,094 flights on Wednesday and 460 flights the day before.

General Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, remained consistent in his second day of testimony before Congress with his recommendation to suspend troop reductions in Iraq. The recommendation shows that Iraqi forces remain unprepared to take over the mission of securing their own nation. Some questioning Petraeus became frustrated as he steadfastly declined to specify what conditions would need to be present on the ground before he would endorse withdrawals to take the number of American troops far below the 140,000 set to remain there after July. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid expressed his frustration saying, “based on everything we have heard, we can reach only one conclusion: With 160,000 courageous American troops serving in Iraq, President Bush has an exit strategy for just one man - himself - on Jan. 20, 2009.”
Voters in Nepal have cast ballots in historic elections, the first since 1999. At question is an assembly that is expected to rewrite Nepal's constitution and abolish its monarchy. Polling was mostly peaceful, although one person was killed in election-related violence. Results are expected over the next 10 days.

Flying the Scary Skies? The Airline Industry Hits Turbulence

CitizenSugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:00:22 PDT

Suddenly those gross, germy, blankets are the least of air travelers worries. The FAA is answering to Congress today over whistle-blower information surfaced casting doubt over Southwest Airlines safety practices.

The tip came from an FAA inspector who called out his bosses saying, "I'm here today because I'm concerned of the safety of the flying public which has been jeopardized by the abusive authority in violations of the federally regulations." He says Southwest pressured the FAA to hide safety problems. Insert the small tab into the buckle of your seatbelt, there's a ton more airline news, just

read more. Also today, United became the latest major carrier to ground planes unannounced after failing to make required checks of the planes' fire-suppression system. (Southwest and American have both also grounded planes recently.) Aloha Airlines lei-d off 1,900 employees when it was grounded this week, and ATA skidded into bankruptcy, quitting today. What's behind all the sky-bound turmoil? Is the FAA too easy on the airlines? Are consumers, constantly after bargain-basement fares, partially to blame? Source

American Airlines Wants You To Log On In-Flight

GeekSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 03:00:58 PDT

While American car rental service Avis has been offering WiFi for their customers for some time, logging on in-flight isn't an amenity most American travelers have been able to savor - until now. Just days after Virgin America showed off its new, tech-infused planes, AirCell, a provider of aviation communications systems, announced it will join forces with American to test its new system for providing on-board Internet access.

According to Reuters, American will test the service on its 767-200 aircraft, which mainly flies transcontinental routes. Apparently Boeing has halted the use of its Connexion unit, which allowed airlines to provide high-speed Internet service to passengers, because it was too expensive and customers didn't want to pay for the usage. According to AirCell, its system will be less expensive - likely $100,000 per plane or $10 per flight.

Source

Miranda Kerr Gets Red-Hot to Celebrate a New Gig With Qantas

Allie Merriam — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:43:43 PST

Miranda Kerr wore a red Georges Chakra dress for the Qantas Airways Spirit of Australia Party last night at LA's Roosevelt Hotel. The model is one of the airline's new celebrity ambassadors, along with fellow Aussie David Whitehill. Miranda seems super excited about her latest job. She tweeted yesterday, "I'm excited to represent Qantas as a global Ambassador. I love everything Australian, and Qantas is an iconic Australian company." She was joined by many other celebs from the land down under, including Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Newton-John, and Ryan Kwanten. John Travolta went as well despite being 100% American, but he is an aviation enthusiast. We caught a moment with Miranda on her way inside. She gave us an update on her son Flynn, who turned one on Jan. 6, and said Orlando Bloom was home on daddy duty - stay tuned for that today on PopSugar Rush!

Rachel Zoe, Skyler, and Rodger Wrap Up Their St. Barts Escape

Molly Goodson — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 11:18:18 PST

Rachel Zoe carried her son Skyler on her hip as husband Rodger Berman surveyed the scene at the Miami airport on Friday. The family of three was coming off of their extended vacation in St. Barts, where they hit the beach every day and hung out with some of their famous friends. Rachel, Rodger, and Skyler were spotted with a bikini-clad Julianne Hough and shirtless Ryan Seacrest on one afternoon, and Marc Jacobs on another. Rachel is headed into another hectic award season, but unfortunately her vacation ended on a stressful note. Rachel tweeted about American Airlines bumping them from first class, which comes after her luggage was lost on the way there as well.