Rapid Travel Chai

SkyTeam has been asked to have pity on Star Alliance and OneWorld travelers in Shanghai in terms of lounge access, the Shanghai Daily reports. This reminds me at some point to challenge the conventional wisdom that SkyTeam is the weakest of the three in Asia. For East Asia, which is the most critical for many business travelers, SkyTeam I believe is the strongest of the three. OneWorld just has hubs in Hong Kong and Tokyo and little in the way of point-to-point travel beyond those hubs.

Hostess is heading for liquidation, read this NYT essay on this guilty pleasure of Americana.

Why Argo is Hard for Iranians to Watch from The Guardian examines that exceptional movie. I saw it this week and the scenes of Tehran are hauntingly accurate, bringing my own, peaceful walk around the US Embassy two years ago back in vivid detail.

I am have an Ireland road trip weekend after Thanksgiving, heading up to the North, so read with interest NYT’s Where Irish ‘Troubles’ Began, the Arts Heal.

The ebbs and flows of colonial relationships are fascinating, and today, as I struggle with my Brazilian Portuguese phrasebook, I read with interest the Washington Post article on Portuguese heading to Mozambique to escape the euro crisis.

Flying with Fish explains how airlines come up with flight numbers. There is something enchanting about certain numbers, and when they change, like Delta denuding the classic NWA single and double-digit flights to Asia, the magic is lost.