The Daily Valet. - 8/22/23, Tuesday
✔️ Is Skiplagging Worth It?
Tuesday, August 22nd Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
It’s all fun and games until you’re banned from an airline.
Today’s Big Story
Is Skiplagging Worth It?
The travel hack airlines hate might be over before it ever really took off
By now, you've probably heard about skiplagging. We've mentioned it here in the newsletter before and it seems like it's becoming a proper travel hack. But it might be over before it's ever really taken off, no pun intended.A quick refresher: skiplagging is booking a flight with the layover as the actual intended destination. You see, if you thought that longer flights are always the most expensive route to take when flying, think again. Budget travelers discovered that by nabbing a continuing flight, you can sometimes save serious money. Also called “hidden city ticketing”, the travel tip can come in handy when flights to your intended destination are sold out.But ... this can cause headaches for airlines, since missing passengers on a connecting flight are a problem for multiple reasons. Some carriers are so fed up with these sneaky travelers that they're taking action in the form of fines, cancellations and even lifetime bans. Some are even suing passengers, saying it's not fair for them to be losing money on empty seats that they can't sell.Most of these lawsuits have been dismissed, but the latest from American Airlines could have adverse consequences for Skiplagged, a company that aids customers in utilizing this loophole. United already sued them. So did Southwest Airlines. Skiplagging's impact on airline performance was detailed in a 2022 study by the University of Utah, and revealed that the scheme can actually lead to increased prices and flight delays. Interestingly, this latest lawsuit from American Airlines claims that Skipplagged is deceiving the customers themselves. “Skiplagged often charges consumers more than if they had booked a ticket directly with American or through an authorized agent of American…even though it has no authority to form and issue a contract on America's behalf, somehow it can still issue a completely valid ticket,” the lawsuit says.Could this lawsuit be the end of skiplagging? Travel writer Amanda Gabriele says it probably depends if they have enough evidence that says customers have actually been swindled into paying higher prices for airfare on the Skiplagged platform, rather than snagging a deal. Of course, for now you can look for own hidden city fares, so long as you aren't checking a bag and don't fear the potential repercussions from the airline in question.
FYI:
Most airlines define a layover as any connection of less than four hours on a domestic flight or less than 24 hours on an international flight.
Pediatric Gun Deaths Hit New Record
U.S. children and teens are more likely to die because of guns than car crashes, drug overdoses and cancer
The rate of children's deaths by firearms increased by more than 41% from 2018 to 2021, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. The alarming statistic clearly indicated that America's gun violence epidemic has gotten worse, experts say.And the term “pediatric gun deaths” has become a uniquely American distinction. Firearms are now the leading cause of death among kids in the United States, surpassing motor vehicles, drug overdoses and cancer. According to NBC News, more than 80% of the gun deaths were among males 19 and younger. Black male children were more likely to die from homicide. White males 19 and younger were more likely to kill themselves with guns.“This is a public health issue,” Dr. Chethan Sathya, pediatric surgeon and the director of the Center for Gun Violence Prevention at Northwell Health, told HuffPost. “And I'm sure it's going to continue to be the number one killer of kids in 2022. And maybe in 2023. It's not going away.”
FYI:
The new study aligns with earlier findings on the topic. A recent Pew Research Center report found that gun deaths among U.S. kids rose 50% between 2019 and 2021.
The First Republican Presidential Debate
Are we really here, already?
Ready or not, the 2024 presidential race is officially underway. And the stage is set for the first Republican presidential primary debate—scheduled to take place on Wednesday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Eight Republicans have qualified for the debate, the Republican National Committee announced Monday evening. To make the first debate stage, the RNC required candidates to draw at least 40,000 individual donors and register at least 1% support in three national polls or in two national and two early state polls that met the RNC's criteria.The list includes North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. Former President Donald Trump, the clear front-runner in national and early state polls, has said he would skip the debates and called on his rivals to drop out. According to Vox, this is essentially an opportunity for any of the other candidates (most of whom are polling in the single digits) to have a breakout moment and make the case for why Republican voters should consider them over Trump.But that won't exactly be easy. Intelligencer pulled together a comprehensive list of “what each candidate needs to to accomplish on Wednesday night”—everything from attacking Trump to resetting sagging or lagging campaigns. If you want to watch, Fox News will broadcast the event, with live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. Or you could tune into Trump's taped interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, which is cleverly scheduled to air simultaneously.
Meanwhile:
Donald Trump seems bulletproof among GOP voters, polls show.
The “Nocebo Effect”
When Negative Thoughts actually Harm your Health
Have you heard about the phenomenon known as “nocebo” (or “nocebo effect”)? It's not some modern pun on “placebo”, but an actual Latin word: “I shall harm”. And it refers to any instance where negative feedback makes one less confident about his or her health. In an era where negativity and anxiety can creep into our lives from any and every angle, it's no wonder it's being discussed more now.And the proliferation of health trackers is only making it more common. When your smart ring informs you that you've got an elevated respiratory rate, or your Apple Watch shows a dip in REM sleep, suddenly you feel a whole lot worse, right?As InsideHook points out, this deluge of health information—in which you are understandably very invested—can also prove overwhelming and unhelpful. In fact, it's been shown to torpedo your performance (at work, in workouts, etc.) and even worsen the side effects of medicine and vaccines. Even experts recommend not living and dying by the scores your wearables give you. Let them be a guidepost, but not a dictum on how you should be feeling about yourself.
FYI:
Nearly 60 million Americans currently own and regularly use a wearable fitness tracker.
In Other News
The former president will have to post a $200,000 bond.
Aldi Is Getting Bigger. Here’s Why the No-Frills German Grocer Is Looking to the Southern U.S. for Growth.
Have you heard about ...
The Long Read
Some say men are programmed to “spread their seed” while women need monogamy. Really?
Pipitone’s study and the work of others seem to indicate that men are more opportunistic than women when it comes to casual sex. But don’t applaud bro-scientists just yet. Actual scientists say there may be sociological, rather than biological, reasons for this finding - namely stigma, sexual satisfaction differences, and inaccurate reporting. ”
- By Lana Schwartz
Read It:
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Morning Motto
Seize the opportunities when they present themselves.
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