Traveling Home

According to a Sept. 25 Law360 article, Loews Chicago Hotel Inc. is facing a lawsuit alleging it "violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act when it failed to ask for an employee's consent while using his fingerprints as part of a timekeeping system."

According to the lawsuit, the hotel did not inform the employee it would be collecting biometric information and sharing it with third parties, and it did not inform them of how long the information would be kept for.

According to Joseph Duron, the plaintiff, employees are suing because the hotel is potentially exposing them to a "particularly dangerous form of identity fraud." Fingerprints cannot be changed once stolen, and the fingerprints could be linked to their social security numbers.

This is the second such lawsuit brought against Loews Chicago Hotel. Another one, filed by a female employee named Tekita Bryant, alleges that the hotel did not inform employees of the purpose or length of time for which their fingerprints were being collected, stored, disseminated and used. It also allegedly "failed to provide a retention schedule and guidelines for permanently destroying the employees' fingerprints."

According to Law360, these two lawsuits are among dozens filed in recent years under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act and that the "bulk of the litigation targets employees using fingerprinting to track employee hours."

Loews Chicago Hotel is not the only organization in Illinois facing a lawsuit for the alleged misuse of biometric information. Great America, an amusement park in Gurnee, Ill., owned and operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, is being sued by the mother of a 14-year-old boy for scanning and storing his fingerprints as part of the theme park entry and exit process. The fingerprint scan is a nationwide policy the company rolled out in 2014. To get into the amusement park, pass holders have to present their physical pass in addition to scanning their fingerprint. This case, known as Rosenbach v. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, is currently before the Illinois Supreme Court.

HT reached out to get the opinions of lawyers familiar with the lawsuit.

Emily Knight, Attorney, Tucker Ellis

"Companies are increasingly turning to biometric data because of its increased reliability and efficiency. … But unlike knowledge-based, personal information, biometric data poses significant risks because it cannot be replaced once compromised. Therefore, companies seeking to use this technology must do so carefully. …Hotels will constantly need to assess potential external as well as internal threats and develop appropriate safeguards in response. The BIPA requires companies protect biometric data in at least the same manner they protect other sensitive and personal information. At the very least, this means encryption, limited access, and retention and disposal policies. But as more companies incorporate this technology into its day-to-day systems, it is likely other states will begin enacting statutes that mirror the BIPA. Therefore, prudent employers should begin aligning their policies with the BIPA now to avoid liability later."

Linda Horras, Partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson

"It is possible that Chicago Loews Hotels simply did not know of BIPA. BIPA was passed in October of 2008. Fingerprint technology pre-dates that. … The problem, of course, is that lack of knowledge of the law is no excuse for violating it (not to mention the fact that BIPA has been around for a decade now). These lawsuits could only have been avoided by strict compliance with the BIPA statute. Employers who do not need this level of security may be better off with a traditional time clock or timekeeping system that does not use biometrics. Just because the technology is available does not mean everyone needs to jump at the chance to use it."

David Almeida, Partner, Co-Chair, Class Actions Practice Group and Chair, Retail, Hospitality & Consumer Package Goods Industry Team, for Benesch’s Litigation Practice Group

"These lawsuits have become fairly opportunistic lately.  It has become almost par for the course for plaintiffs’ side employment lawyers — when evaluating potential claims against their (often) former employers — to ask them whether they used a biometric timekeeping mechanism, resulting in a multitude of BIPA filings — well over 60 in the last two years. There has not been an allegation in any BIPA case filed, to date, that the biometric information collected has been compromised. Rather, the cases are based on alleged technical non-compliance in not having a publicly-available retention and destruction notice.

"The technology at issue does not involve fingerprints or biometric information in any relevant sense. Instead, the technology generally involves mapping certain points on a fingertip and converting that information to a numeric code, not unlike having an employee identification number. There is no real risk in this kind of technology leading to massive cyber security threats or identify theft. It is important not to lump this technology in with actual fingerprint technology or technology using facial scans. The type of data stored in these biometric time clocks would be useless to a would-be identity thief."

Visitors in Iceland often wonder how locals can live here since everything seems so expensive. They also ponder about where we shop for groceries without having to pay the white of our eye for the bare necessities while maybe secretly wondering whether there’s an underground supermarket below the city pond that only locals have access to. Although I’m not going to argue that food in Iceland is not pricey, because it is, I often feel visitors are quite unfair when they discuss these things. They sometimes make us sound like some cruel overlords that are purposefully trying to squeeze every single Euro or Dollar out of the people silly enough to visit us. Like it’s some kind of big conspiracy and the whole nation is in on it.

The fact of the matter is that we pay the same price for food as you do. The only difference is that we know where to shop and what to buy where because we live here. Just like you have the upper hand in your hometown.

There are many different reasons for why food is costly in Iceland: It’s the market size (340.000 people is not a lot y’all), it’s the fact we need to import almost everything (with high import costs, taxes, and duties) and maybe most importantly we have what in economics is called oligopoly in most markets in Iceland. What that basically means is there’s no true competition (something that is usually not considered good for consumers) because there are two or three big companies in each sector that divide the market between them. Often the companies will unofficially work together to keep the prices high, because it works in both their favor, even though officially consulting on prices like that is illegal.

This is not a specifically Icelandic problem, this is a dream scenario for most of the biggest companies in the world, but it may be easier for companies to get into this position here because of the size of the market. The important thing to remember though is that only a handful of Icelanders own these companies while the rest of us need to make do with whatever they throw our way.

The things that are produced locally are produced in such small quantities, at least compared to most bigger countries around us, that economy of scales (another economics term) doesn’t really apply here. I haven’t even mentioned the high cost of living, labor costs, rental costs and all the other things that affect the final price that you see in the store.

I don’t want to turn this post into an economics lesson (especially since I never finished my business degree and many of you who read this are much more qualified to explain such things than I am) but it’s just important to keep these things in mind when comparing prices to your home country and before you yell at an innocent bystander about how all Icelanders are literally just the worst.

But back to the business at hand – shops where locals buy their groceries.

Most people in Iceland, that have access to one that is, will do their main shopping for the week either in Bónus or Krónan. If you live in Borgarfjörður Eystri though, for example, you will need to drive 70 kilometers to the nearest low-cost grocery store so we here in the capital are definitely spoilt for choice compared to the countryside.

Bónus is the most basic of the Icelandic supermarkets and most widely considered the cheapest (although that’s not always the case). Their stores are usually a bit cramped and only carry the most common items people need. You won’t necessarily find an eggplant or lemongrass in Bónus but you’d find plenty of potatoes and red peppers. If that explains anything.

For us as a family, we often start in Bónus and try to buy stuff like bread, yogurt, cleaning products and such and then we might go to one of the other stores for the things we couldn’t find in there. Personally, I prefer Krónan over Bónus because their stores are bigger and nicer somehow and they tend to have a better range of products that I am looking for. The prices may be a bit higher than in Bónus (not necessarily though) but if you don’t have a big home the difference is probably not huge.

Krónan also caters better to those who have any kind of dietary restrictions or preferences and offer a lot of products suitable for vegetarians and vegans and those who are gluten- and lactose-free. I also like Krónan because they do things like offering fruit to children that visit the store, have special discount sections for things that are about to expire to try to combat food waste and in Krónan in Grandi, the one we most often visit, they have pretty decent sushi that is made on the spot.

Krónan also has a much better selection of meat than Bónus for us carnivores so when we want to cook something extra nice on the weekend we usually head straight to Krónan.

When we’re looking for something special though, especially when it comes to fruit and vegetables, we tend to go to Hagkaup for that as they have a much better selection (at considerably higher prices too). We mostly go to Hagkaup before Christmas or when we’re having a dinner party or something like that when we just can’t find what we’re looking for in Bónus or Krónan.

There’s another low-cost store called Nettó but because I prefer the other two I almost never go there. They are open 24/7 at their Grandi location though so if you return back to town after a long day on the road and need a low-cost supermarket then Nettó is a good option. We usually only go to Nettó at strange hours when we have forgotten something we need ASAP. They also have all kinds of other stuff like yarn and toys and a good selection of what they call “health products” like all kinds of Stevia sweeteners, protein and such.

You will find at least one of these three supermarkets in most bigger towns in Iceland.

Another option is Costco which opened its only location in Iceland about a year ago. Since Costco opened prices have gone down all around and the local chains have stepped up their game in many departments, such as the fruit and vegetable selection since Costco was offering seemingly better quality at better prices. Icelanders love Costco and kind of look at it as their supermarket savior that can do no wrong. However, recent price surveys have shown that the prices in Costco have gone up quite a lot since they first opened and they are often far from the cheapest option. Unless you need 300 rolls of toilet paper – that is.

I don’t like going to Costco because we have a small three-person home and we just don’t need nor do we have space for 12 toilet cleaners or 40 bags of potato chips. If you’re a Costco member at home and you are traveling with a big group it might be worth checking out though. My biggest pet peeve when it comes to Costco though is the amount of packaging they use for everything but we bought some fruits and vegetables there for our wedding and our kitchen was full of plastic containers after it.

Like with everything, you also sometimes have to look at the bigger picture. Since Costco sells so much toilet paper at ridiculously low prices the only toilet paper producer in Iceland has had to lay off a number of employees due to loss of sales (Costco imports their own brand). So we have to ask ourselves as consumers: is it more important to pay less per toilet roll or support local companies (without knowing anything about the environmental factors of producing toilet paper in Iceland vs. importing it) but I guess that’s a conversation for a whole different blog post though.

One mistake we see a lot of visitors make is to go grocery shopping (walking out with 4 or 5 bags worth of stuff) at 10/11 in Austurstræti. 10/11 is not a supermarket, it’s a convenient store, and it is consistently the most expensive store in Reykjavík. They also made the news here in Iceland a while ago because apparently, their prices went up after 8 pm. I don’t know if that’s the case anymore but I do know that I would never do my shopping there even though I drop by from time to time (OK quite often since our office is close by) for a sandwich or a yogurt.

One thing I’ll give 10/11 though is that they have pretty good monthly offers where they have selected products at pretty decent prices. Our office is usually pretty up to date with which chocolate bar is on offer each month.

There are other stores that people shop at but these are the main ones we use for our daily shopping. This post is also quite Reykjavík centric since that’s where I live and shop but I wrote a pretty comprehensive post about supermarkets in Iceland a while ago that gets updated every year.

I really do believe that if you have decided to come to Iceland, knowing that it’s an expensive country, that you just have to accept it and move on. You’re going to make yourself crazy constantly comparing it to home or complaining about the prices. A supermarket in Iceland, even if it would slash its markup in half and then slash that in half, can never offer the same prices as Walmart or ASDA and all these huge stores in the US and UK for example.

What you can do, however, is be smart about your choices and choose Bónus and Krónan over 10/11 if you are shopping for groceries. It can make a huge difference, especially if you’re staying somewhere where you’re going to cook your own meals. Krónur saved on bread and cheese are krónur you can spend on something more fun elsewhere.

American Express Gold Card

In 2015 AMEX refreshed the Premier Rewards Gold Card. The annual fee went up from $175/year to $195/year. The card offered a $100 annual airline fee credit, 2 points per dollar spent on gas, groceries, and restaurants, and 3 points per dollar on airfare.

The card is being refreshed again today and the name of the card is reverting back from American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card to American Express Gold Card. The annual fee is jumping up from $195/year to $250/year and that won’t be waived for the first year. If you have an existing Premier Rewards Gold card that renews before April you will pay $195 and renewals from April and on will pay $250.

The card is now metal and you can request a limited edition Rose Gold colored card from now through 1/9/19.

The signup bonus is now 50K points for spending $2K in 3 months. If you have or had the Premier Rewards Gold or a Gold card in the past you won’t be eligible for the signup bonus.

Additionally if you apply by 1/9/19 you’ll also get 20% back at US restaurants within 3 months of opening the card, up to a $100 statement credit.

The card will now earn 4 points per dollar on up to $25K of annual spending at US supermarkets and 4 points per dollar at US restaurants. Airline spending will continue to earn 3 points per dollar and there will still a $100 annual airline fee credit at the airline of your choice.

Unfortunately the gas category bonus is being eliminated. If you have an existing Premier Rewards Gold card you will keep the double points on gas until 10/4/19.

You can also get up to a $10 refund per month for spending at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and participating Shake Shack locations.

Is the refreshed Gold card worthwhile?

If you’ll maximize the $100 annual airline fee credit and the $10 monthly Grubhub/Seamless credit, that effectively lowers the annual fee from $250 to just $30. If you spend on bonus categories like US supermarkets and restaurants, then the 4 points per dollar can be lucrative.

For me personally, I value Chase points higher than AMEX points, so the 4 points earned at restaurants on this card isn’t necessarily better than 3 points per dollar on the Sapphire Reserve.

Additionally Chase’s bonus categories are valid worldwide, while AMEX restricts bonus categories to US spending.

The 4 points per dollar spend at grocery stores is valuable, though I earn 4.5 points per dollar at grocery stores and 3 points per dollar a gas stations by making 30 transactions per month on my AMEX Everyday Preferred card. However the Everyday Preferred caps that spending at $6K/year while the Gold card grocery bonus is valid up to $25K/year. The AMEX Blue Cash Preferred offers 6% cash back on groceries, but is also capped at $6K/year.

While the Chase Freedom card offers a quarterly 5x grocery bonus (and is currently offering 5x at ShopRite via Chase Pay), it would be nice to see Chase add a year-round grocery store bonus to one of their cards.

I don’t personally use Grubhub/Seamless and I probably value the $100 in airline fee credit at about $80, so that would make the effective cost $170/year for me. I’ve had the Premier Rewards Gold card in the past, so I won’t be eligible for the signup bonus either. That makes this card get a pass from me, but I can see how it can be quite lucrative for others for will take full advantage of the $100 in airline fee credits, the $10 monthly Grubhub/Seamless credit, and who are big dining/grocery spenders who value having AMEX points. If you haven’t had the Gold card in the past, then the 50K points are worth well more than the $250 annual fee.

Will you signup for the refreshed American Express Gold Card?

Sleepy little Vientiane is one of the more overlooked capitals of Southeast Asia—most pass through for no more than one night. But on a long-weekend trip, I quickly learned that what it lacks in wow-factor attractions, it makes up for with plenty of small-town charm.

I live just a short flight away, in Bangkok, but had never visited before—always seduced by flashier destinations when holiday time rolled around. Friends had told me that café culture rules in Vientiane and the city’s growing number of coffee shops make perfect pit-stops as you wander the still-standing French-colonial architecture—some addresses lovingly restored, others in advanced stages of decay. The low number of tourist sites, plus a compact, walkable downtown, is said to make the city’s slow pace of life surprisingly alluring.

So, when I heard about the opening of the city’s first real boutique hotel, Lao Poet, I had a feeling that owner Lamphoune Voravongsa, who also founded Luang Prabang’s lauded Satri House, felt the hip winds of change starting to blow through the languorous capital.

Friday Evening

After landing into the city at dusk, I checked into Lao Poet (doubles from US$88), which has brought a modern, more millennial-style stay to a city that’s better known for its heritage buildings. The 55-room boutique mixes Indochine antiques from Voravongsa’s own collection with hits of jewel-toned glamour reflected throughout the building: velvet cushions; fancifully painted wooden furniture; oversized vintage photographs of the city’s former residents. While the rooftop pool has views of the Mekong River and the palm-frond theme channels Wes Anderson, the hotel’s pretty moniker brings the brand back down to earth—it’s an homage to beloved Laotian poet Maha Kheo, who once lived on this site, and who oversees the lobby in the form of an oversize old photograph.

Across the street from the hotel is a smart choice for a first night’s dinner, La Cage du Coq (mains from US$6), referencing both the city’s former French rule as well as nods to Laos’s rural, agricultural soul. The brasserie is decorated with woven rattan chicken cages and plays a soundtrack of vintage French pop. The duck confit, Camembert ravioli, and a delicate tuna and pomelo ceviche were all perfectly cooked. And though it seemed like I was out of room for dessert, I was glad I indulged: a spot- on espresso topped by golden crema was delivered alongside a silky lemon tart alluringly served in a small pitcher.

Saturday

Setting out for a walk to familiarize myself with the city, the first stop was for coffee at the Cabana Design Studio & Café (coffee from US$2). Owned by interior designer and local tastemaker Nilada Ratanavong, the space is bright and filled with greenery, the menu offering hits like avocado on sourdough toast, and sweet mango waffles.

After breakfast, I strolled toward the morning market on Lane Xang Avenue, where locals buy everything from clothing to electronics to kitchen staples. I took in the chaos over a Thai tea and sampled honey so fresh bees were still stuck to the comb. (It’s not as scary as it sounds—Laos is well-known for its honey, and jars from small producers are found in nearly every corner store and larger vats in markets.) Down the street is another mélange of Franco-Indochinese culture: Patuxai, the Arc de Triomphe–inspired war monument features Laotian touches, such as renderings of Kinnari, a mythical bird-woman.

I stopped by Wat Si Saket (entry US$1), the only temple in Vientiane that survived the Thai invasion of 1828, then I was ready for an afternoon pick-me-up from a newbie to the coffee scene, Titkafe (drinks from US$2). The modern coffee bar is developing a reputation with the city’s bloggers and bean connoisseurs. I wanted to try their nitro cold brew, which is crafted with state-of-the-art technology not often seen in the laidback capital. Titkafe uses a mix of locally sourced beans that support farmers with imported beans to balance the flavors. I chose the “passion honey nitro,” which was surprisingly mellow.

Enticed by the vibrant Laotian textiles I kept seeing, I stopped into Saoban for souvenirs. Their wide selection of handmade fabric items (indigo scarves, Tai Deng woven wall hangings, ikat bags) comes with an attractive ethos: stock is sourced using fair-trade principles that support employment for local craftspeople— more than 95 percent of whom are women, according to the owner—and preserve traditional techniques. Between the crowds in the new café and the passion behind Saoban’s crafts, it seems that the city is developing an appreciation for locavore products.

Keeping my taste buds firmly in country I set off to Amphone (mains from US$5), a restaurant serving traditional Laotian dishes in a vintage turquoise villa. An order of som phak, or pickled mustard greens, arrived at the table spicy, bitter and fresh, their flavor amplified by slices of raw garlic and red chilies. Orr, a traditional Lao stew made with eggplant, fish sauce and sweet basil, arrived next. Mine combined minced fish and chopped greens in a clear broth with grilled shallots and chilies floating on top. Though it wasn’t beautiful, it tasted divine, like a fresher, healthier take on a Thai dish freed from the creamy shackles of coconut milk.

For a nightcap, though, I thought nouveau- Laos might be the ticket. Ratanavong had suggested I check out Cocoon (drinks from US$7.50), a new, tiny cocktail spot so completely hidden down an alley on Henbounnoy Street that it’s like it doesn’t want to be found. Done up like a gentleman’s lounge with just 20 leather seats, the vibe was anything but understated, with 90s R&B pumping from the sound system and Vientiane’s hippest crowd yelling above it. I felt lucky to nab a seat at the bar and ordered their most popular drink, Gung Special, made with Jameson, honey and fresh peach juice. Upon telling head bartender Tongchana Limchai that I liked negronis, he whipped me up an expert Boulevardier. I thoroughly approved.

Sunday

Breakfast on my last morning at Dough & Co (mains from US$4) kept me in modern Vientiane. This doughnut café was created by Christina Soukdala, a native of the capital who began her love affair with British-style doughnuts while studying in the U.K. The filled pastries—apple compote, raspberry jam, and dark chocolate on the day I visited—were sweet, chewy and messy in the best way possible. Many customers were ensconced behind their laptops; the café, housed in a greenhouse-like structure overlooking fields and a small stream, is a popular location for working travelers wanting an office with a fresher view.

On a sugar-high, I set off for Settha Palace (doubles from US$140), a historical hotel standing since 1932 that is one of the city’s great landmarks. I strolled the property and chatted with general manager Hala Krimi about life in Vientiane over lunch at their restaurant, Belle Epoque Brasserie (tasting menu US$58). In her year in the city, she’s come to appreciate the slower pace of life in a place she calls “a retreat from the world.” She’s lived in Dubai and Bangkok, but here, she said, is the best place to chill out and indulge in the pleasures of a long afternoon massage, a two-hour lunch, or watching the sunset over the river. “The luxury the city offers is time,” she said. Though trendy places to eat, drink and stay are adding a new dimension to this historic city, Vientiane still wears its sleepiness with pride, and that’s a reason to visit in itself.

Az osztrák fővárosban rengeteg magyar él, vagy ha nem is él ott, de sokan dolgoznak ott, vagy szaladnak néha ki egy rövidebb-hosszabb látogatásra. Nemrégiben a blogon is olvashattatok posztot, melyben Bécsben élő külföldiek mondták el a véleményüket annak kapcsán, hogy az Economist nemrégiben a világ legélhetőbb városának jelölte szokásos éves listáján. (A posztot itt olvashatjátok el.) A vélemények akkor is vegyesek voltak, most azonban következzenek egy olyan ember gondolatai, aki több mint hét éve él külföldiként Bécsben, ráadásul Claire szakmája szerint kifejezetten a bevándorlókkal foglalkozik (az International Centre for Migration Policy Development munkatársa), így talán elég jó rálátása van arra, mi vár a Bécsbe érkezőkre.

Neked mi az a pénz, amiért már nem mennél el Magyarországról vagy amennyiért hazatérnél? Írd meg a [email protected] címre!

„Hét és fél éve élek Bécsben, így amikor meghallottam, hogy ez lett a világ legélhetőbb városa, kicsit zavarban voltam, mint mindig, amikor Bécs hasonló elismeréseket kap. (A Mercer életminőséget rangsoroló listáján 9 évig volt egyfolytában első.) 

 A Globális Élhetőségi Index lényege, hogy különböző területeket (egészségügy, oktatás, stabilitás, biztonság, kultúra, stb.) rangsorol nyilvános statisztikák, szakértők segítségével. Mindenesetre Bécs közel tökéletes eredményt ért el. 

A város csodáit magam is meg tudom erősíteni, hiszen a közszolgáltatások és a tömegközlekedés annyira tökéletes, amennyire az emberileg lehetséges, emellett Bécs annyira biztonságos, hogy nyugodtan haza tudok sétálni bárhol az éjszaka közepén. 

Kevesebb, mint 15 perc alatt bent vagyok biciklivel a munkahelyemen, mindezt a jól kijelölt bicikliutak biztonságában, csodás állapotban lévő történelmi épületek mellett elsuhanva. 

Az évszaktól függően zenei, színházi, gasztronómiai, művészeti, tánc-, film- és irodalmi fesztiválok várnak, nyáron lehet úszni a Dunában, telente korcsolyázni a városháza előtt. Néha olyan az egész, mintha a városi élet valamilyen utópiájában élne az ember. 

Barátságosak-e a bécsiek? 

Csakhogy. Hasonlóan sok, itt élő osztrák és külföldi barátomhoz hasonlóan az én érzéseim is ambivalensek, mert akárhányszor kiteszem a lábam Bécsből lenyűgöz, mennyire barátságosak más városokban az emberek. 

Kicsit olyan, mintha ezekben a fent említett sorrendekben nem számítanának olyan tényezők, melyek fontosabbak a mentális, mint a fizikai jólétnek: a kedvesség, a barátságosság, a türelem, a rugalmasság és egyéb, az általános jólét kevésbé megfogható tényezői. 

Vajon csak szőrszálhasogatás lenne ezt felemlegetni, vagy a listák összeállítói egyszerűen nem vesznek figyelembe alapvető emberi szükségleteket, amikor csak a számokra és a városi infrastruktúrára összpontosítanak? 

Bécsben közel 1,9 millió ember él. Vajon a város minden lakosa számára egyformán élhető? Bécsi polgártársaim közel egyharmada külföldön született, 29 százalékuk nem osztrák állampolgár. További 10 százalékuknak legalább egyik szülője külföldi. 

Magyarán a város lakosságának kicsit több mint felét adják csak az osztrák szülőktől született helyiek. A többiek (köztük én is) vagy valamelyik európai uniós tagállamból (16 százalék) vagy harmadik országból (23 százalék) érkezett. 

A rasszizmus jelenléte 

A barátaim között (legyenek osztrákok vagy külföldiek) azok, akik muszlimok és/vagy barnább a bőrük általában nem tartják olyan nagyon „élhetőnek” a várost. Napi szinten tapasztalják meg a rasszizmus, az iszlamofób beszólásokat, azt, hogy nem férnek hozzá bizonyos szolgáltatásokhoz, nem érzik biztonságban magukat és a rendőrség zaklatja őket. 

A bevándorlók beilleszkedését mérő index 2014-ben 100 ország közül az 57. helyre tette Ausztriát az egyenlőség és a diszkrimináció-ellenesség terén, és úgy ítélte meg, hogy az országban erős a bevándorlóellenes érzület. 

Tavaly az országban a legtöbb rasszista incidens Bécsben történt, közülük sok a tömegközlekedési eszközökön. Az ilyen incidensek 6 százalékát a rendőrség és a biztonsági erők követték el. 

Bűnözés 

Csak 2015-ben és 2016-ban 134 ezer külföldi (az Európai Unió tagállamaiból és azon kívülről) költözött Bécsbe, közülük 25 ezer volt menedékkérő. Azóta a gazdaság nő, a munkanélküliség folyamatosan csökken. 

Noha Bécsben egyre többen élnek, a bűnözés még soha nem volt olyan alacsony, mint 2017-ben. Olyannyira, hogy Bécs éppen emiatt tudta idén megelőzni az ausztrál Melbourne-t az élhetőségi listán. 

A kormány mégis gyakran úgy festi le a bevándorlókat és menekülteket, mint akik kárt okoznak az országnak a munkanélküliség, a bűnözés és az erőszak miatt. Bár Bécs városa másképp áll a kérdéshez, sok területen mégis ki van téve a kormányzati politikának és gyakorlatnak. 

Összességében nagyszerű lehetőség egy ilyen élhető városban lakni. Csakhogy a nagyvárosi élet nem csak az élhetőségről, hanem az egymás mellett élésről is szól. Ha létezne Együttélési Index, azon Bécs aligha szerepelne túl jól. Ez az, ahol nekünk, bécsieknek – külföldieknek és azon osztrákoknak, akik otthonunkká tették a várost – még sok a tennivalónk.”

(Fotó: pixabay.com/tookapic)

A moderálási alapelveket itt találod, amennyiben általad sértőnek tartott kommentet olvasol, kérlek, jelezd emailben a konkrét adatok megjelölésével.

Intercontinental Hotels Group is piloting circadian lighting at its Crowne Plaza Atlanta airport property, which it says will “help guests sleep better”.

The Journi Mobile Task Light has been installed in guest rooms at the hotel, and features dual-spectrum technology, which switches between an alertness and focus-enhancing spectrum during the day, to a sleeping-enhancing spectrum at night.

IHG said that the lighting “helps to regulate the body’s circadian rhythm or 24-hour internal body clock which effects important biological functions such as sleep, hormone levels, body temperature and metabolism”.

Commenting on the pilot project Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President of Global Guest Experience Shared Services, IHG, said:

“At IHG, we want to make sure our guests are getting the best night’s sleep possible across our 5,600 hotels and portfolio of more than 15 brands. We are continually testing ways we can enhance the guest experience, loyalty and ultimately, owner value.

Our circadian lighting technology pilot is the latest example of the work we are doing to innovate the guest experience. We’re excited to be the first hotel company to pilot Healthe’s Journi product and are already working on what’s coming next.”

The group highlighted other sleep-enhancing initiatives across its brands, including a pillow menu at Holiday Inn properties, lighting profiles at Even Hotels which allow guests to change the colour of their lighting to blue, red, green or yellow, and aromatherapy oils at Crowne Plaza properties.

ihg.com

Let’s debunk some flight-booking myths.

There’s no special day to book flights—booking on a Tuesday doesn’t magically make prices drop.

And, contrary to popular belief, browsing in private, using a VPN or clearing your cookies doesn’t make that much of a difference in price. You might save 30 bucks, but when I’m hunting for cheap flights, I’m not trying to save tens of dollars—I’m trying to save hundreds and sometimes even thousands.

If you want to save the big bucks, you need some pro-level flight hacks to find cheap flights.

I’ve been booking flights for over a decade and, over the course of this time, I’ve saved a lot of money using a variety of tricks.

But you won’t master these overnight—it may take some time. So bookmark this page and come back to it before you book your next flight!

1. Look into Hidden City Ticketing

Say you want to go from New York to Dallas but the direct flight costs $300. But, there’s a flight from New York to Las Vegas with a layover in Dallas which only costs $200. Book yourself the cheaper flight and simply walk out of the airport in Dallas.

Sneaky, isn’t it?

You saved yourself $100 and you have the satisfaction of knowing you cheated the airline. Perfect.

But let me caveat this option by explaining the risks:

1. First of all, this only works if you have carry-on luggage. Checked baggage will be checked all the way to the final destination so you’d eventually have to go to Vegas to pick it up (not ideal).
2. Secondly, airlines do not like this at all (especially United). If you do it too often with the same airline they’re likely to notice and might take measure to punish you. They could invalidate your membership points, ask you to pay the difference for all flights you’ve taken, close your frequent flyer account, bump you off flights, or outright refuse you service.

If you don’t use hidden city ticketing repeatedly on the same airline and the same route (in essence, if you don’t establish a trackable pattern), Skiplagged is the site to use to find these fares.

2. Book an Open-Jaw Flight

Open-jaw flights are flights that fly into one airport and return from a different one. For example, if you are planning on traveling across Europe, you might want to fly from New York to London and then back from Athens to New York.

If you draw the flight path on a map, it’s basically an open triangle, or you might see that it resembles an open jaw.

With open jaw flights, you can take advantage of the cheapest possible flight instead of limiting yourself to only flying into or out of one airport.

For example, New York to London might be the cheapest flight you find from the States to Europe, but Paris to New York might be the cheapest flight back. Instead of booking a round-trip, make your way to Paris and fly from there instead!

Because these tickets are priced as round-trip fares even though they’re not exactly round trip, you won’t have to pay extra fees, like fuel surcharges, twice. These additional charges can sometimes add hundreds onto your ticket cost.

So how do you find open-jaw flights? The simple way is to use the “multi-city” option when you book on Google Flights, Skyscanner, or your OTA of choice.

The more complicated, but significantly more comprehensive option is the ITA Matrix.

With the ITA Matrix, instead of letting the OTA software tell you what flights you can book, you get to tell the OTA what specific flights you want. If you know how, you can search for hidden flights or force connections that the computers don't want you to make.

Start your journey down the rabbit hole with this article from Travel + Leisure and this thread on the FlyerTalk forums.

You can use these advanced features to do things like “segment runs” to help you reach status with a frequent flyer program—and that’s only the beginning. The options are literally endless, and if you want to dive deep into travel hacking, studying the ITA Matrix is the best thing you can do for yourself.

It’s important to note, however, that you won’t be able to book flights through the ITA Matrix. Instead, take the flight numbers and plug them into another booking site to make the purchase, or try BookWithMatrix.com, a tool designed specifically for booking flights from the ITA Matrix.

3. Look for Mistake Fares

Surely an airline would never be so foolish as to publish a mistake fare though…right?

Actually, airlines make mistakes all the time! I mean, have you seen the headlines recently?

I’ve seen round-trip flights from the U.S. to New Zealand for under $500. I also have a friend who flew to Spain for $150. Mistake fares are real, and they are amazing.

Prices for airline seats aren’t determined by someone sitting at a desk. They’re determined by a piece of software that automatically updates their websites. But, due to the complexity of pricing airfare, this software is known to glitch.

Luckily for us, there are websites who report solely on these mistake fares. Try these ones to start:

4. Search for “Hacker Fares”

It’s a myth that you’ll always get the best deal by booking a round-trip ticket with the same airline.

“Hacker Fares” might sound like some kind of nerdy computer magic, but they’re actually quite simple. Instead of booking a round-trip ticket, you book two one-way tickets with two different airlines.

For example, you fly New York to London with United because you found a really cheap one-way ticket, and then you fly back with Norwegian because, again, it’s the cheapest flight.

I don’t know why they gave such a simple process such an advanced-sounding name, but this is one of the easiest tricks to execute with the least amount of research involved.

Some flight search engines, such as Travelocity, automatically include hacker fares in their searches. But, regardless, if you’re booking each leg with a different airline, you’ll need to book them individually.

And if they aren’t included in your search, you’ll have to go lone wolf and find the fares for yourself.

Click here to see a list of my favorite booking websites.

5. Search the Local Airlines That Serve Your Destination

A lot of big search engines do not list low cost, local carriers, often because, in order to keep costs down, these small airlines don’t want to pay commission.

This means you’ve gotta do the research yourself.

Google the airport to which you are flying, and make a list of the small or lesser-known airlines that fly in to it. Then, search on the airline’s website directly. You might find a flight that’s pleasantly cheap!

Admittedly, this option requires a little more effort. There’s no cheat to get around it, but, it’s worth it for the money you save.

6. Book One Passenger at a Time

This doesn’t always make your flight cheaper but it’s worth trying, especially if you are traveling in a group. If you book five tickets all at once, you may find that the price per person is higher than if you booked one or two at a time.

Because airlines price out seats differently based on a slew of external factors, some end up drastically cheaper than others.

Flight search engines aren’t able to combine differently priced seats in your booking, so all five seats will come at whichever price has enough availability—not necessarily the cheapest.

If you have the time and patience to book flights one person at a time then this increases your chances of getting the best flight for each person.

7. Book Multiple Legs on Your Own

If you aren’t pressed for time and you have an iPad filled with movies, there’s no harm in spending a little longer in transit. Especially if it ends up saving you a sizeable stack of cash.

Often, flying direct is more expensive than flying with a layover, and most search engines will show you both direct routes and those with a change so you can compare the price.

Alternatively—and this is where things get really fun (and cheap)—you can do it yourself.

If you want to fly from New York to Copenhagen, for example, it might be cheaper to fly to London first. From there you can usually find a cheap flight with a low-cost carrier that will take you to Copenhagen. It’s a little bit more work—and you’ll have to recheck your baggage—but again, it’s worth it if it saves you money.

But, I offer this advice with two words of warning:

1. Really long layovers are hellish. I’m talking 15 hours in a small airport that you can’t leave with a bad WiFi connection and limited snack options. In these cases, it might not be worth it. Stick to large airports and get yourself a Priority Pass for access to a lounge.
2. Short layovers can be dangerous, especially if you are transiting through the U.S. A friend of mine recently flew from London to Dallas to Cancun, with a two-hour layover in Dallas. This was a big mistake. With her British passport, she had to join the “other” queue and ended up waiting three hours to get through customs. This resulted in a missed flight, a night in the airport and a miserable start to her vacation.

In the case of flying internationally, when you have to clear customs, I recommend three hours as the minimum time for a layover.

8. Book Round-Trip Tickets and Only Fly One Way

While aforementioned hacker fares are perfect if the airline sells cheap one-way tickets, not all airlines work like this.

Let’s For example, say you wanted a one-way, direct flight from London to Lima, Peru with British Airways. If you try and book this as a one-way flight it will cost you the equivalent of about $1,600. However, if you book a return flight the price drops to about $700… total.

It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense on the face of it, but such is the world of airline pricing.

This isn’t exclusive to British Airways, though. A lot of airlines charge significantly more for one-way tickets. Sometimes one-way will be cheaper and sometimes a round trip will be. You’re going to need to check both.

According to USA Today, there are a few reasons for this:

• A round-trip ticket is more convenient for the airline when it comes to scheduling (they know you’re going to be on that plane coming home).
• One-way fares tend to appeal to business travelers whose tickets are paid for by corporate departments that care more about convenience than cost.
• Round-trip travelers are usually tourists who are more interested in finding the cheapest fare, so the airlines cater their prices appropriately.

The next time you see an extortionate one-way ticket, see if the price drops with a return ticket. If it’s cheaper, purchase the round trip and then abandon the return leg.

Or, if you have open plans and aren’t sure of your return date, it might still be cheaper to keep the return flight and just pay the change fee once you know.

9. Sign Up for Credit Cards on a Regular Basis

Credit card bonuses are the easiest way to rack up large amounts of points and air miles with the lowest amount of effort. Credit cards regularly offer 50,000-100,000 points just to sign up for a new credit card, which is, conservatively, equivalent to a round-trip flight from the U.S. to Europe.

And before you interject, no, signing up for new credit cards doesn’t hurt your credit score as much as you think. You might notice a small ding at first (literally just a couple of points), but that evens out after a couple months.

Remember as well, lots of these credit cards have referral bonuses. If you have a friend or relative who could benefit from a few extra air miles, give them your referral code. You’ll both be rewarded with points.

Unfortunately, this only works for residents of the United States. There isn’t much of a points system like this elsewhere in the world.

10. Use Your Credit Card to Pay for Everything

Following on from point nine, once you have a credit card use it for literally everything. Whether it’s a $5 or $500 purchase, collect every point you can. Think Pokémon, but for airline miles. Gotta catch ‘em all!

That said, make sure you’re able to pay it all off at the end of each month. It’s easy to lose control with a credit card, and if you don’t have the self-discipline, it’s best not to use one.

Once you’ve racked up a hefty chunk of points, you can redeem them for travel. Use your points to book flights, hotels, cruises and car rentals.

Rack up enough points and you could be looking at an incredibly cheap—or even free—trip.

11. Transfer Points to Travel Partners

Rather than using your credit card’s travel booking portal, some credit cards let you transfer your points to a variety of different frequent flyer programs to get better deals. This may get you a better redemption value, although be sure to check as sometimes the credit card travel booking portals do actually have the best deals.

For example, Chase Ultimate Rewards points are the best if you want to transfer to travel partners. The program has 13 partners, many of whom will give you better redemption values than the Ultimate Rewards travel center itself.

Not all OTAs give the same results. I usually check at least three different sites before I decide which flight to book.

Use the following booking engines to get you started:

• Google Flights is a visual flight search that allows you to see prices laid out on a map as well as on a calendar. Use these data points to find the cheapest flight route on the cheapest day.
• Skyscanner has a ton of flexibility with regards to its search options, including being able to search different dates, entire months or cheapest months. This way, if you know which route you want to take but have some leeway with times, you can plug it in here and figure out when it’s cheapest.
• Momondo shows you “best flights,” which are a combination of lowest price and shortest travel time. But what makes Momondo unique is its ability to search multi-city destinations and filter your results by departure and arrival times, layovers, layover durations, airports, flight quality, air carriers and even aircraft. You can also use the trip finder for inspiration and to search by your budget, too.
• Kayak searches thousands of flight operators and shows prices from carriers and third-party sites. With the Kayak Explore feature, you can view a user-friendly map of flights based on location, price, duration of travel and more. If you already know your route, you can play around with cheaper nearby destinations to find less expensive alternatives.

And after you’ve checked the OTAs, make sure you check the airline’s website itself as well as your credit card’s travel booking portal. You never know what you’ll find in there!

13. Purchase Through Airline Shopping Portals

If you are a member of a frequent flyer or airline rewards program, you should be buying everything through their shopping portals.

Literally, everything.

Many frequent flyer programs even have browser extensions you can install that will let you know how many points per dollar you can earn when you book. For example, if I book on Booking.com through the United MileagePlus program on my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I earn three points/dollar at United plus three points/dollar at Chase.

That’s six points per dollar!

But it’s not only travel. If you’re moving to a new apartment and shopping at West Elm, or if you’re buying new ink cartridges for your printer, you’ll often get two times, three times and even up to 15 times points just for shopping through their portal.

Then, once you have enough, use those points to score yourself some cheap flights or upgrades. Even if the price is a little higher than, say, on Amazon, the point multiplier can make those couple extra dollars go a long way.

Saving money on flights is an art—not a science. It takes patience, perseverance and a little bit of know-how.

Don’t settle for the flight options you’re given—get crafty and creative. Use these flight hacks to help you find the cheapest flights all over the world. The time you put into learning how to utilize them can pay off fast. Real fast.

Heck, an hour of research today could save you hundreds tomorrow.

What’s the cheapest flight you’ve ever scored—and how’d you do it? Let us know in the comments below!

READ NEXT: 17 Things You Definitely Shouldn’t Do on an Airplane

Source: https://travelfreak.net/how-to-find-cheap-flights/

Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines aviation.

For all of our weekend roundups, go here.

>>JetBlue’s proposal to fly to Europe isn’t a bet-the-company idea. But it’s important, and the airline wants to get it right. It’s no surprise the carrier has been studying transatlantic flights for several years. This year, it expects to finally make a decision: Pros and Cons of JetBlue’s Possible European Expansion

>>Will JetBlue expand to Europe? It’s not clear. There are some strong reasons for, and some strong reasons against. The good news: The airline plans to share its decision at some point this year: JetBlue’s Great European Tease Is Almost Over

>>It’s good news for regional passengers who rely on Flybe’s services, but Virgin Atlantic will have plenty of work to do to make sure it can make the most of a combined long-haul, short-haul operation: Virgin Atlantic Steps In to Save Flybe

>>Joon attracted derision when it was first launched, with many people wondering whether an airline targeting younger, cooler travelers would really work. We now have an answer: Air France Looks to Shut Down Millennial Experiment Joon

>>Today, United’s rationale makes sense. Premium demand in many markets is robust, and United could probably make more money with more seats to sell. But what happens if business class demand drops at some point? United CEO Wants More Business Class Seats in Jets Flying Transatlantic

>>There have been several new technologies, from the New Distribution Capability to direct-connect, and blockchain, that have at times shown promise in easing the grip of the global distribution systems. For the last 20 years, the incumbent distributors have always managed to exert or shore up their roles: Airline Group Turns to Blockchain to Bypass Entrenched Distribution Systems

>>The partial government shutdown started just before Christmas, a slow time for work-related trips. But now that 2019 is well underway, business travelers are feeling an impact that will only grow if the impasse persists: Business Travel Is Taking a Hit From the Government Shutdown

>>You’re hearing a lot of doomsday forecasts for 2019. Global recession. Stock market rout. Runaway inflation. We’re here to give you the flip side for how travel this year could be just fine. Listen to our experts on Wednesday, January 16 at 1 p.m. EST on a Skift Call. Please join us for this all-important discussion: Skift Call Jan. 16: Why Travel Needs to Shake Off the Gloom in 2019

>>Southwest has perennially been a thorn in the side of online travel companies that lusted after getting access to its flights and fares. But no one can credibly argue that Southwest’s insistence on direct distribution hasn’t worked for the airline. Its competitors and peers inside and outside of the airline industry can only be jealous: How Herb Kelleher Made Southwest a Vexing Problem for Online Travel

>>It isn’t clear precisely by what terms American Airlines and Expedia settled their trademark infringement lawsuit. What is known is that Expedia’s Add-On Advantage program, the subject of the dispute, remains operational: American Airlines and Expedia Quietly Settle Trademark Lawsuit

>>We always hear airlines are a scale business. So can an airline with 30 airplanes and a measured growth plan succeed? We’re not sure, but we’ll be watching: Sun Country: Inside America’s Most Unusual Airline

>>From the sounds of it, Norwegian’s next earnings update won’t be pretty but it will be hoping that it has done enough cost-cutting to put it on a sounder footing in 2019: Struggling Norwegian Thinks It Is in Better Shape for 2019

>>No destination gets away uncriticized for imposing a tax on tourists. Japan is no exception, especially since the destination is loved by millions of tourists and it isn’t clear-cut why they are being taxed. But it’s unlikely tourists will say sayonara to Japan, say operators: Japan Rolls Out New Departure Tax Opposed by Airlines

>>IAG’s outspoken CEO Willie Walsh has always been confident about post-Brexit flying rights — unlike some other airline bosses. The problem is the European Union seems to have other ideas: Post-Brexit Ownership Rules Could Put British Airways Owner Under New Scrutiny

See full article