
Watching the sun and the planes from a pretty perch at Delta’s exceptional Sky Club at SFO (Chris McGinnis)
TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):
1 This post has gone viral: Kicking “support animals” off the plane
2 Routes: New JetBlue transcon + more Mint, Delta, OneJet, United, AA
3 A sneak peek: Deep Dive: United Polaris business class (Part 1 of 3)
4 Flight 420? Unique, unusual or eccentric flight numbers

Soon in United Polaris business class: A Bloody Mary cart on flights that depart before noon (Photo: Scott Hintz)
5 Deep Dive: United Polaris business class (Part 2 of 3) Food & beverage, lounge
6 Low demand = super low prices this fall: The season for jaw-dropping low fares
7 100,000 members link accounts every day: Marriott Starwood: Higher prices, better rewards
8 Routes: SFO, Seattle, Oakland-Rome, JFK, Boston, Montreal, Detroit
9 Nice work, DL! Inside Delta’s newest SkyClub (Slideshow)
10 Vamos! Airlines start rolling out Havana schedules, fares

Looking down on the cacophony of Times Square from the cozy, recently renovated R Lounge at the Renaissance New York Times Square hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)
Last week I was in NYC for the Skift Forum, which is something like TED talks, but for the travel industry. I spent two days hanging out with wunderkinds, CEOs, visionaries, and media in the spectacular Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. (More on what I learned in a future post.) Thanks to the Renaissance New York Times Square hotel (4.5 stars on TripAdvisor) for putting me up for two nights to check out its latest updates, which include a refresh of the dramatic R Lounge overlooking Times Square. Since I’m not a big fan of Times Square, I found the lounge the perfect place to quietly sit above the fracas and enjoy the colors and a cocktail. I also checked out the hotel’s newest suites on the fourth floor…all are big bright (white and canary yellow) with terraces overlooking 7th Avenue. In a quirky twist, the terraces are carpeted in astroturf and have life sized plastic sheep that appear to be grazing. Rates start at around $350 per night. — Chris

A big bright white & yellow room with terrace overlooking Times Square (Chris McGinnis)
Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

Economy class on Cathay Pacific’s B777 is now 9-abreast as seen here. Soon it will squeeze in one more seat. (Photo: Ramsey Qubein)
Oh no! Cathay Pacific to introduce dreaded 10-across seating on Boeing 777s
A short history of airport moving sidewalks
Gogo plans to speed up inflight wi-fi…. in 2018
Frontier and Spirit to join TSA PreCheck
Maps that show how Americans speak English differently
Best Western launches new brand in the economy hotel segment
Check out what’s coming at Seattle-Tacoma International: A new glass enclosed pedestrian sky bridge that’s high enough for a 747 to pass underneath. Construction begins this fall and it’s expected to be operational in three years as part of the airport’s new international terminal. Full report from Glenn Farley here.
Wanna take a virtual fly through Sea-Tac Airport’s new International Arrivals Sky Bridge? Here’s your chance. #KING5News at 6:30. pic.twitter.com/6lQFrNSBUq
— Glenn Farley (@GlennFarleyK5) September 29, 2016
Frontier Airlines passengers can now use TSA PreCheck
Harvard Business Review warns biz travelers are targets of ‘spymail’ hacking on the road
World airline group finds air rage incidents are increasing
Orlando Airport’s lobby gets 1,560-foot-long hi-def video wall
Air France KLM will install Gogo satellite Wi-Fi in long-haul fleet
Uber starts selling gift cards
Lufthansa acquires the rest of Brussels Airlines
Air Berlin’s fleet shrinks in restructuring plan
Celebrity chef brings Latin cuisine to DFW Airport
Don’t miss out on these popular TravelSkills posts! Kicking support animals off planes | Shocked passenger refuses to pay $3 for water | Marriott-Starwood: Higher prices, better rewards | The 10,000 points question! | Eye-catching maps explain state of the world | Test your planespotting skills! )
DONT MISS! The 100,000 points question!
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