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Watching Up in the Air, moviegoers are likely to be impressed by the obsession of Ryan Bingham (played by George Clooney) to reach 10 million frequent flyer miles. It is easy to fantasize about the perks that status might bring: front-of-the-line access, voyages to remote beaches at the price of nothing, expensive wines, surprise treats.... But before you stuff some shirts into a carry-on and prepare to brave the skies as Bingham does in the film, be aware that the glories of becoming an American Airlines 10 million miler have been given a little movie-magic...
...receives a surprise champagne celebration onboard, and American Airlines' chief pilot appears for a congratulatory sit-down visit. Bingham, already the owner of an impressive graphite card (a status invented by the film), receives an instant upgrade: a personally engraved metal card that will allow him to directly access his own private operator, someone who will greet him by name. (See 50 essential travel tips...
That said, Dunkelberger's Executive Platinum status with American is pretty sweet: it offers upgrades, lounge access and a 100% flight mileage bonus (meaning he doubles his miles with each trip), to name a few benefits. But he must also hit certain mileage marks each calendar-year or else lose his privileges. (See how to get double air and double rail miles...
...House and Senate will iron out their differences over a host of issues, the odds that some kind of health care legislation will make it to President Obama's desk early next year have grown substantially. "Today, the Senate took another historic step toward our goal of delivering access to quality, affordable health care to all Americans," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement. He went on to add that the bill will help "promote choice and competition to drive down skyrocketing health care costs for families ... all across America...
...striking as the new figure is, it's not clear how much of the rise reflects a true increase in ASD risk and how much is due simply to improved awareness and diagnosis of the disorders. Increased access to special education classes and other therapies may also be inflating the numbers, as educators and parents enroll more children in hopes of optimizing their learning environment. Indeed, CDC researchers found that among sites where they had access to both health and education records, the prevalence of ASD was higher on average than in sites where only health information was available...