Scrap over dead wife's airpoints

My other half knows my login details for my Qantas account. We both frequently check each others bookings so we can try to make our travel plans coincide. I'd hope that if I died, he would log into my account and use my points to book a trip to somewhere he's always wanted to explore.

As long as the vessel carrying the ashes can go through the xray and the contents can be viewed, there is no problem. If the vessel is dense ceramic or lead then the TSA has an issue.

Wow, didnt realize you are so correct....

My point that you obviously missed is where would the bending of rules stop? if you give latitude to any rule, you are asking for trouble and start a precedent for other rules/regulations to be "bent" as well. If everyone starts bending rules, where does it take everyone? Granted this subject re: miles is trivial, but the concept of bending rules in any instance is dangerous. Would you purchase a vehicle who's manufacturers regularly bent the rules on engineering / manufacture? Would you deal with a financial institution if they bent the rules as far as your money is concerned? The airline has a policy and thats that. Black and White. Unless you of course play by your own set of convenient rules and policies. I politely excuse myself from discussing this further since apparently I'm wrong in thinking rules and regs exist for a reason.

Hopefully this will happen to us all one day, as apposed to being at work or in aged care

I have given my friend Chimpy my points pin, and I hope he cleans it out before the airline gets wind of my demise

The check-in would be interesting if you tried to use points to get back home

Try Australian customs, they are strict on bringing anything in except chocolate and sweets.

So, a close relative dies and leaves unused miles in their account: If there's to be no one-time break for everyone, on what basis would you distinguish on a case-by-case basis between those whose families get to keep the miles, and those whose miles get confiscated in accordance with the rules?

Is the airline supposed to distinguish between those who are more dead than others?

Maybe the airline is supposed to say that Granny was 95 and would never be likely to have used those miles anyway, so they're being confiscated; but little Johnny who was only 17 would have used them so Mummy and Daddy can have his miles?

So tell us please: When a relative dies, which families deserve this one-time break, on a discretionary case-by-case basis?

I don't know.

You are a little extreme in your example! , life is not as rigid as you make it out to be , I would guess that everyone has asked at one time for some business to make an exception and appreciated it when they did and led to them being a loyal client

just saw this in my hometown paper -- guess u agree -rules are rules and no exceptions

It was an opportunity for the people of Shelter Island to honor a fallen hero and his comrades by displaying the American flag. Along the way, however, LIPA managed to infuriate local lawmakers by enforcing a little-known fee to hang those flags on utility poles.

As town officials were making plans last month to commemorate a native son -- Army 1st Lt. Joseph Theinert, who was killed June 4, 2010, by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan -- they said they received a call from a Long Island Power Authority representative. He told them of a $5-per-pole annual fee to hang flags along the parade route to be traveled by Theinert's troop members as part of last weekend's ceremonies.

Lawmakers on Shelter Island and elsewhere went through the roof.

"What's the fair market value on patriotism?" asked State Sen. Kenneth LaValle (R-Port Jefferson), who has battled behind the scenes to nix the fee, however small.

"It seems absolutely ludicrous," said Peter Reich, a Shelter Island Town councilman. "The American flag? I mean, come on."

LIPA said it has no choice but to enforce the fee for the 19 poles it owns along the route. The agency later prorated the charge to the two months the flags will be up.

Verizon, which owns 65 of the poles along the route, said Monday in response to Newsday questions that it would waive its fee. "Verizon does allow for pole attachment fees to be waived for commemorative ceremonies such as this, and we intend on waiving it in this case," spokesman John Bonomo said.

LIPA cited a requirement in a state authority reform law in imposing the fee. LIPA chief operating officer Michael Hervey, who has offered to pay the fee himself, called the decision to enforce the charge an "unintended consequence" of the law. "I don't think anyone expected this to apply to flags on poles, but if you read the language there's no way around it," he said. Hervey added, "We welcome any amendment to state legislation that would allow for American flag attachments to our poles without fees."

Mark Ketchum, Shelter Island's superintendent of highways, said he was surprised when a LIPA representative contacted the town after news of his plans for the flags appeared in a local newspaper.

The town had to sign a contract with LIPA's contractor, National Grid, agreeing to the $5 fee and assuring that it had liability insurance.

"My first reaction was that this is ridiculous," Ketchum said. "It's not like I'm putting up a banner for a yard sale -- this is an American flag."

The Shelter Island American Legion, which paid the cost for the heavy-duty brackets and poles for the flags -- after getting a steep discount from the Shelter Island Hardware Store -- was scheduled to pay the pole fee. An American Legion official didn't respond to a request for comment.

I'm not going to lie, "Weekend at Bernie's" did cross my mind as I typed out the post above.

And, thankfully, kaya. Everytime I bring kaya back, I just say "I've got 3 tins of kaya" and they say "no problem. step right through sir". It's bizarre that they're hyperlax about an egg product. But then again it's probably hyperprocessed and resembling nothing that it once did. (And I guess that is KIND OF a sweet)