You’ve probably noticed by now that my posting rate has gone down rather significantly over the past few weeks. Its been a rather crazy few weeks for me, and unfortunately regular blog posts have been impacted. That said, there’s just so much happening that I had to at least attempt to get something out. So I’m treating this as a quick roundup, it is by no means all inclusive.

Hurricane Harvey

• There really aren’t words for what we are seeing down in Texas, and now Louisiana. I’ve been impressed with some of the really positive stories of airlines going out of their way to help.
• We’re seeing a number of “promotions” where you can earn miles for donating to various organizations. Like this United example where you can get up to 1,000 United miles for donating. It ends up being just 4x, and my opinion: donate because its right, not just to get 4x miles.
• I’ve been really impressed with the imagery we’re seeing from GOES-16 Experimental (I think that’s the technical term). You may recall that my wife worked on that satellite and we were down in Cape Canaveral for the launch in November. Including a photo below, courtesy of the GOES-R program.

Hurricane Harvey just prior to making landfall

Other Thoughts

• Chase updated their terms for the Sapphire Family, limiting the signup bonuses you can get.
• From the Travel Update – What airlines offer free transit hotels. This is a pretty nice game changer for some places that force an overnight anyway. 
• EVA Air is the latest to cease 747 passenger flights. 
• Bank of America seems to be cracking down on heavy churners.. Milenerd may be the latest prominent person to acknowledge the new reality.
• Doctor of Credit makes a very valid point – support the sites that you enjoy. It doesn’t even have to be financially. Just sharing your favorite blogs or blog posts is meaningful. It can make a big difference, knowing people are reading your material and appreciate it enough to share it.