American Airlines Changes Baggage Rules & Expands Basic Economy To Asia & Oceania
American Airlines has just announced some changed to its baggage rules as well as indicating that it will begin to sell Basic Economy fares to its destinations in Asia and Oceania. Some of the updates are positive, but there's bad news buried in there too.
500,000 Dead – Time To Call Out The Covidiots
As the United States passes the tragic mark of half a million deaths as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, it's important to make sure that we learn as many lessons as possible from the past 12 months. Governments and scientists will have their own lessons to learn but for everyone else, one of the key things to remember will be just how many know-nothing idiots were telling us that Covid-19 is "just another bad flu".
I’m Genuinely Excited To Find Out What Hyatt’s Next Promotion Will Be
Before this year, the last hotel promotions that I genuinely looked forward to were IHG's Accelerate promotions which had all but fizzled out by the end of 2018. Since then, a lot of the promotions that hoteliers have been publishing have been boring and pedestrian but Hyatt's performance in the second half of last year now has me eager to find out what more it has in store.
United Airlines Adds A New Route To London Heathrow
United Airlines has announced that it will be expanding its global network with a new route to London Heathrow from later this year which, according to the airline, will make it the only US carrier to offer non-stop service between the nation's top seven business markets and London Heathrow.
JetBlue Is Adding 15 New Routes Out Of The New York Area (Domestic & International)
Yesterday, American Airlines confirmed that it will be adding 18 new domestic and international routes out of the Northeast as part of its new partnership with JetBlue and as I covered that news at the time, it's only fair to cover the news that JetBlue will also be adding new domestic and international routes out of New York - there will be 15 new routes in total.
American Airlines Adds 18 New Routes Out Of New York & Boston (Domestic & International)
American Airlines and JetBlue have today announced that they're moving forward with their previously announced agreement by codesharing on 80 flights out of New York and Boston. More importantly for American Airlines loyalists, we've also been told that the new tie-up with JetBlue will see American launch 12 new domestic routes and 6 new international routes out of New York and Boston this year.
2021 Could Finally Mark The End Of My Top-Tier Oneworld Status
My chosen airline loyalty program, the British Airways Executive Club, has extended elite statuses by a year and cut the targets for elite status in 2021 but it still looks like I may have to accept that I'll have to give up my top-tier status when it runs out at the end of the year.
Amex is bringing a Centurion Lounge to Washington D.C.
American Express has today announced that it plans to open its 16th Centurion Lounge at Washington D.C.'s Reagan National Airport (DCA) and it has confirmed existing plans to almost double the size of the Centurion Lounge in San Francisco and to triple the size of the Centurion Lounge in Seattle.
Reminder: Chase Sapphire card holders get added benefits at SBE properties
Accor Hotels took over full ownership of the sbe hotel brands in late 2020 (brands which, among others, include the Delano, Mondrian, SLS, and Redbury brands) so I thought I'd write a quick post to remind holders of the Chase Sapphire cards that their cards give them valuable additional benefits when they stay at select hotels in the sbe portfolio.
Flying Blue Offers New Elite Status Extensions
As the fallout from the pandemic continues to wreak havoc with international travel, we're starting to see more airlines and hotels introducing new sets of measures to keep their elite guests and flyers happy. Flying Blue is the latest airline loyalty program to recognize that additional steps are needed as it announces more status extensions for its elite flyers.
Odd: Is United Not Reducing Planned Service Out Of JFK After All?
Late last week we got news that United Airlines was pushing back its planned return to New York JFK for a second time, and connections within the airline told Zach Griff that United would be scaling back its planned frequencies on its new transcontinental routes. Well, the schedules are now showing the new launch dates for United's JFK services but, strangely, the frequencies remain unaltered.
United Airlines Will Add A New Hawaii Service From SoCal
With Southwest less than a month away from launching new services to Honolulu and Maui out of its base in Long Beach, United Airlines has now announced that it will be upping its game in Southern California by launching its own new route to Honolulu in a few months’ time.
The UK Reveals Full Details Of Hotel Quarantine
On Monday 15 February, the UK government is introducing a 10-day supervised quarantine for travelers arriving into England from countries the government has put on its travel "red list". Details of the quarantine rules and procedures have been drip-fed to the public over a period of weeks but with the new rules set to come into effect in under 4 days' time, full details have now been published.
Marriott will open a new property on Maui in April (or May)
Amidst a variety of announcements that we've recently seen Marriott making, one small bit of news appears to have slipped under the radar. Within the next few months, Marriott Bonvoy members will have a new Hawaiian property at which to burn their hard-earned points.
United Airlines Pushes Back Its Return To New York JFK (Again)
Back in November, United Airlines announced that it was planning to reintroduce service out of New York JFK at the beginning of February 2021. Then, in early January, that proposed launch date was moved back to the end of February. Now, that launch date has been moved once again.
Amusing: UK Government Quarantine Portal Went Down In Minutes
Today is the day that the UK Government was due to release all the remaining details of its mandatory supervised quarantine program, and today was supposed to be the day that travelers would be able to book their quarantine hotel accommodation and the PCR tests that they'll need to take while in quarantine. Unsurprisingly, things haven't gone according to plan.
Earning Hyatt Globalist Elite Status – How Much Did It Cost Me? (And How Much Do I Think It Cost)
When, in late 2020, Hyatt announced that it would be slashing its elite status requirements for 2021 and that all stays made through 28 February 2021 would earn double elite night credits, I knew immediately that I would set out to earn Hyatt's top-tier Globalist status. Late last month I achieved my target and as a few people have been asking, I thought I'd share how much Hyatt Globalist status ended up costing me (and how much I actually consider it cost me).
Marriott Bonvoy Is Set To Absorb 19 Properties Into Its All-Inclusive Portfolio
Marriott has today announced that it has entered into a deal with Blue Diamond Resorts to incorporate 19 of its all-inclusive resorts into its Autograph Collection portfolio. The resorts are spread across six destinations and will add almost 7,000 rooms to Marriott's current all-inclusive offering.
UK Announces £1,750/Person Government-Supervised Quarantine Plans
The UK's Health Minister Matt Hancock has finally announced further details of the government's supervised quarantine scheme that is set to come into force from 15 February, as well as revealing plans for fines and potential prison sentences for anyone evading the new restrictions.
American Airlines Plans More Miami Expansion (New Route To Tel Aviv & More)
American Airlines is the largest carrier at Miami International Airport and it has now announced a further expansion of its route network out of its south Florida hub. Travelers can expect new non-stop services to South America and Israel as well as two new domestic seasonal routes and increased frequencies to the Caribbean and Latin America.
Southwest Is Adding Yet More Routes Out Of California (In April)
On Friday, I wrote about the great new flight options that Southwest will be giving the residents of Southern California when it launches 7 new routes out of Long Beach at the beginning of March. Today I'm quickly going to go over the details of five more new routes that Southwest will be launching out of California in April.
Is The UK Government About To Make Another Big Error With Quarantine Rules?
Over the weekend, reports emerged in the UK press suggesting that the British government is considering making changes to its quarantine rules for travelers arriving from countries that are not on the UK's "red list". Assuming the reports are accurate (they probably are), there's an excellent chance that the government is about to add to its ever-lengthening list of pandemic mistakes.
Delta WIll Continue To Block Middle Seats Through April 2021
Delta has today announced an extension of the measures it first introduced back in April 2020 as the airline says that it will continue to block the middle seat in its aircraft through April 2021.
Marriott has opened the W Melbourne
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Marriott's plans to open almost 100 new Asia Pacific properties in 2021, and now we already have one of the properties featured in that article welcoming guests - the W Hotel Melbourne is officially open.
UK Government-Supervised Quarantine Is Coming On 15 February (It’s A Mess)
The UK government has finally confirmed that it will be introducing its long-awaited supervised quarantine from 15 February. With just ten days to go to the implementation of this plan, you'd be forgiven for thinking that most of the details had been agreed and that the government was now just working through the finer points that need to be ironed out. Sadly and unsurprisingly, that's not the case.
The UK Has Extended Its Airport Slot Waiver (Bad News For JetBlue)
As far as news from the UK government is concerned, I've been mainly concentrating on what it has been saying with regards to pre-departure testing requirements and its travel policies relating to countries in which new variants of the coronavirus have appeared. This may be why I didn't notice that last Friday, it extended the waiver it has in place for the rules governing slots at the nation's airports.
LOT Polish Airlines Is Launching A New Route To New York
Before the pandemic wreaked havoc with the airline industry, LOT Polish Airlines had built up a good network of flights between Poland and the United States. A number of these services were suspended or cut back significantly in the first half of 2020 but LOT is now starting to add flights back and has now even announced a new route between Poland and New York.
JetBlue Reveals Its Fantastic-Looking Transatlantic Business Class Seats
When JetBlue rolled out its domestic 'Mint' Business Class cabin almost seven years ago the product was a game-changer. JetBlue brought down the cost of US transcontinental Business Class fares while offering an excellent product and it shook up the market. Now, JetBlue has turned its sights on the Business Class transatlantic market, and the product it will be using on its new routes could well change the game again.
The Denver Amex Centurion Lounge will open on 1 February
Towards the beginning of October and despite the pandemic, American Express opened its new 15,000 sq ft lounge at New York JFK. Today and in continuing defiance of the world around us, American Express announced that its new Centurion Lounge at Denver International Airport will open next week.
The UK Has Now Banned Travel From The UAE (Bad Luck “Influencers”!)
Over the past couple of weeks, and as it battles to try to get its coronavirus infection rates under control, the UK has been announcing new restrictions on international travel. Pre-departure testing rules for all international travelers have been introduced, all travel corridors have been suspended, travel from an entire continent has been banned and government-supervised quarantine measures have been announced. Now, as new variants of COVID-19 continue to raise fears, one of the world's current busiest air routes has been shut down.
Marriott Showcases Its New Sheraton Hotels & Their Designs
Way back in 2018 (in what seems like an age ago), Marriott announced that it would be giving its Sheraton brand a much-needed facelift and dragging the brand into the 21st century. Now, three years down the road, Marriott is ready to show us the promised changes that are now coming to fruition and the new look Sheratons that have been refurbished from top to bottom.
The UK Will Introduce Mandatory Hotel Quarantine Rules
For the past few days, there have been rumors going around that the UK government was considering implementing Australia-style mandatory hotel quarantine measures on international travelers as the country tries to stop the inflow of new variants of the coronavirus. Today, the UK's Prime Minister and Home Secretary both confirmed that such measures are on their way.
Marriott Launches Eco-Friendly Experiences Pilot In Asia Pacific
Marriott has announced the launch of the 'Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy' program which the hotelier says is aimed at creating opportunities for its guests in the Asia Pacific region to engage with local communities and their local environment during their stay.
Lyft Is Offering Free Car Rental Upgrades with SIXT
Lyft has been offering car rentals for some time but it was only last year that it partnered with SIXT to expand its offering. I've never used the Lyft app to book a rental car, but that might change now that Lyft is offering its Lyft Pink members free upgrades with SIXT.
ANA Suspends Two US Routes & Postpones Two More For Summer 2021
ANA has today announced its list of route postponements and suspensions for the summer 2021 season and with little sign that the world is getting the pandemic under control and with the United States contemplating mandatory quarantine requirements for all international travelers, it's no surprise to see ANA cutting back on its US operations.
Southwest Has Banned Emotional Support Animals
In news that was entirely expected, Southwest has announced that it's following in the footsteps of Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, and United Airlines by banning emotional support animals from its flights.
The United States Travel Bans Are Back & South Africa Has Been Added
Exactly a week ago, people living in Europe were given a glimpse of hope that they would soon be allowed to travel to the United States when Reuters announced that on the order of outgoing President Donald Trump, the United States would be lifting the restrictions that have banned most travelers from Europe, the UK, and Brazil from entering the country since March. Just hours later, the incoming administration put those hopes on hold.
Former Boeing Engineer Says 737 MAX May Still Be Unsafe
Ed Pierson, a former senior manager at Boeing and a key witness at the congressional hearings that investigated the issues that led to the two disasters involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, has suggested that although the US has recently cleared the aircraft to return to the skies and although the European authorities are set to do the same this week, issues surrounding the 737 MAX have not been fully addressed.
KLM Will Not Be Suspending Long-Haul Flights After All
Last week, the government of the Netherlands voted to introduce new strict domestic restrictions on the movement of its citizens and, following that announcement, there were strong indications that the national airline, KLM, was set to suspend all international flights from last Friday.
Israel Effectively Bans International Air Travel For The Rest Of January
Israel may currently lead the world in terms of the percentage of the population that have been given their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine but the country has also seen a significant surge in new coronavirus cases in recent weeks and, with fears growing that a new and potentially more deadly variant of the virus is being imported into the country, Israel's government has taken action.
American Airlines Releases Details Of Its New Tel Aviv & Athens Routes
American Airlines has now released details of two new routes that we were first told about when the airline announced its new and at the time, surprising, partnership with JetBlue in July last year. Back then, the airline could only tell us that a seasonal route between New York and Athens would launch in summer 2021 and that flights between New York and Tel Aviv were planned for some point in the future. We now know a lot more.
Qatar Airways Brings Back Service To Another US City & Adds Flights To Six More
In its latest route update, Qatar Airways has confirmed that it has now scheduled the resumption of yet another of the US routes that it suspended early last year (its 12th US destination), and the airline has also said that it will significantly increase frequencies on a further seven of the routes that it currently operates between Doah and the US.
Lufthansa Group Airlines Will No Longer Accept Most Face Coverings
Lufthansa Group (which includes Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, and Brussels Airlines) has today announced that while passengers are currently expected to wear masks that cover their mouth and nose during boarding, during the flight, and during disembarkation, as of next month most face covering will no longer be in compliance with the Group's policies.
The United States May Introduce Quarantine For International Travelers (It Hasn’t Yet)
President Biden issued a series of executive orders yesterday as he starts to implement his administration's agenda and, unsurprisingly, one of the key focus areas for the new administration is the current pandemic and the spread of COVID-19.
KLM Is Expected To Suspend All Long-Haul Flights From Tomorrow
Although it is yet to be confirmed by the airline, it is being widely reported that KLM will temporarily halt all long-haul operations from tomorrow, 22 January 2021, following the introduction of new travel restrictions by the government of the Netherlands.
Yesterday, I Received A Simple But Sharp Reminder Of How Real This Pandemic Is
So far, I've been very fortunate. None of the people that I care about most has contracted COVID-19, no one I know has died, and no one I know has become dangerously ill. Yes, just like for millions of other people, the pandemic has affected my life negatively in numerous other ways (some worse than others), but when it comes down to the ultimate price this pandemic can extract, I've been spared.
Singapore Airlines Introducing “One-Stop Online Solution” For Pre-Departure Testing
Singapore Airlines is partnering with Collinson to trial an online portal that will allow its customers to arrange a pre-departure COVID test, receive their results and have evidence of their results ahead of any flights they may need to take.
Trump Orders Removal Of Select US Travel Bans But Biden Will Rescind That Order
Yesterday evening Reuters announced that on the order of outgoing President Donald Trump, the United States would be lifting the restrictions that have banned most travelers from Europe, the UK, and Brazil from entering the country since March. Swiftly, however, the incoming administration made it very clear that these bans would be staying in place.
Virgin Atlantic’s Cancellation Policy Is Excellent (And I Made Good Use Of It)
Virgin Atlantic can be a bit slow to process refunds from flights that it has cancelled (although it doesn't come close to being as slow as some airlines I could name), but the airline offers a couple of options in place of refunds and in instances where a traveler chooses to cancel a trip that are excellent and well worth highlighting.
Big News: The UK Is Closing All Travel Corridors On Monday
The UK is due to impose pre-departure COVID testing rules for all international arrivals from Monday and, this morning, it banned most travel to/from South America, Panama, and Portugal. Just now, however, the UK government has gone a step further and announced that all its travel corridors are being closed from 04:00 on Monday.
Wow. The UK Just Banned Travel From An Entire Continent
Thursday is the day on which we've come to expect the UK government to tell us which countries it's adding to its travel corridor list and which it's removing and, on the whole, we don't usually see too many big surprises when the announcements are made. Yesterday, however, was no ordinary Thursday.
IHG Rewards makes earning elite status a lot easier
For 2021, we've seen Hilton take significant steps to make earning elite status easier, we've seen Hyatt make earning top-tier status easier than it has ever been before, and we've recently even seen Marriott making Bonvoy status relatively simple to earn, so it was only a matter of time before IHG followed along and that's exactly what has now happened.
Is Hyatt About To Lose 22 Properties In The United States?
Two of the more interesting bits of fallout that we've seen from the current crisis have been IHG losing over 100 North American properties in August 2020 and Marriott losing 122 properties in North America in October 2020 and both of those events had one thing in common - the owner of the hotels. Now it looks like Hyatt may be going down a similar (if slightly different) road with the same owner.
United Airlines Follows The Rest And Bans Emotional Support Animals
It started with Alaska Airlines towards the end of December, and then American Airlines and Delta banned emotional support animals in statements issued last week. Now the last of the 'Big 3' US airlines has come into line with United Airlines changing its terms and conditions to reflect that it too will no longer accept emotional support animals onboard.
Alaska Mileage Plan Will Create A New Top-Tier Elite Level In 2022
To earn top-tier status with Alaska Airlines a flyer is currently required to credit just 75,000 elite qualifying miles to their account. From 2022 that will no longer be the case as, in a move that was reasonably easy to predict, Alaska Airlines has just told members that it will be creating a new elite tier level next year.
Virgin Atlantic Isn’t Devaluing Delta Awards As Badly As First Suggested
On 1 January, Virgin Atlantic published a new award chart for all Delta award bookings that did not include non-stop travel between the US and UK. Shortly after publication, it became clear that the people in charge of the award chart had no idea what they were doing and that the information being supplied was wrong. Those mistakes have now, finally, been corrected.
Emirates Brings Back Flights To Three US Cities (And Boosts Flight To Two Others)
As things stand, Emirates offers non-stop services between Dubai and six major US cities. Starting from next month, Emirates will start to bring back a number of its previously-operated Americas routes which will see the airline will serving nine US destinations by the beginning of March. In addition, two of Emirates' existing US routes will see services boosted.
British Airways Makes Real Improvements To Short-Haul Economy Class Catering
British Airways has today announced an unexpectedly good update to its short-haul Economy Class catering that sees the airline pulling back further from the cuts that it began to implement just a few years ago.
Now Delta Bans Emotional Support Animals
First Alaska Airlines banned emotional support animals at the end of December, then American Airlines announced a ban earlier this week and now Delta has announced that it too will no longer ticket emotional support animals from Monday, 11 January.
A Workaround To See Your Rollover Nights On The Hilton App
As seems to happen at the beginning of every year, the Hilton Honors website and app don't appear to be showing travelers the number of nights that they have rolled over from the previous year, their current progress to elite status, or their progress to the next milestone reward, but a Loyalty Lobby reader appears to have found a workaround that may help some readers get around this issue.
Marriott Adds A New Boutique Hotel In Tuscany
These may not be the best of times in which to be opening a new hotel but that hasn't stopped Marriott from unveiling a new Autograph Collection property in Tuscany, Italy. The Grand Universe Lucca, a former 16th Century Palazzo, opened its doors yesterday and joins the Marriott Bonvoy program as a Category 4 property.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Introduces Milestone Rewards
The Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program has launched a milestone rewards program that sees members earning bonuses as they earn more and more Elite Miles in a calendar year. At the lower levels the bonuses aren't particularly exciting, but once you earn 20,000 Elite Miles things start to look a lot more interesting and the bonuses start to have some actual value.
Qatar Airways Brings Forward Its Flights To Seattle
At the beginning of December, Qatar Airways announced that it would be launching a new service between Doha and Seattle in the Spring of this year as well as entering into a frequent flyer partnership with Alaska Airlines on December 15. Now the airline says that it will launch its Seattle service a lot sooner.
Emirates Brings Back The ‘My Emirates Pass’
Countries like the US and UK may still be struggling with huge coronavirus infection rates but some parts of the world are starting to see a bit of normality returning. One sign that Dubai is starting to see a return to normality is the welcome return of the 'My Emirates Pass' which sees an Emirates boarding pass turned into a discount coupon for spending at over 450 locations.
American Airlines Is The Latest Airline To (Mostly) Ban Emotional Support Animals
American Airlines has today said that it's following in the footsteps of Alaska Airlines and effectively banning most emotional support animals from its aircraft from next week.
The Citi Prestige 2021 Travel Credit Is Also Valid For Dining & Groceries
The Citi Prestige Card must be one of the most highly devalued cards of recent years (it’s gone from being a “must-have” card to a card whose existence can, for some, be hard to justify) so it's nice to be able to confirm that the card is bringing back a very useful benefit that we first saw in 2020.
Standby For More Points Confusion From Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic used the cover of New Year's day (a day when a lot of people aren't paying attention to the miles & points world) to cynically increase the cost of a significant number of awards for travel with Delta without any notice whatsoever. Now, it would appear as if Virgin may be about to backtrack on some of the changes and that we may see entirely different award costs (for some routes) appear at some point this week.
Emirates’ New Premium Economy Cabin Will Operate Between Dubai & London
Emirates recently unveiled its new (and first) Premium Economy cabin that has been installed in the latest Airbus A380 to be delivered to the airline and we now know the route on which the cabin will first appear.
Qatar Airways Says Its 10% Bonus On Travel Vouchers Is Permanent
While a significant number of airlines spent most of 2020 doing their very best not to refund monies that their customers were entitled to (the behavior of some airlines when it came to refunds was nothing short of despicable), some airlines chose to incentivize travelers not to request refunds by offering bonuses to those who accepted a travel voucher instead.
Emirates Refreshes Its A380 First, Business & Economy Class Cabins
Earlier today, Emirates unveiled the new Premium Economy cabin that has been installed on its newest Airbus A380, but that wasn't the end of the news the airline had to share. The latest Emirates A380 to be delivered also comes with First, Business, and Economy Class cabins that have been retouched and refreshed.
Emirates Finally Unveils Its New Premium Economy Cabin
The only things that feel like they have been around longer than the pandemic are the rumors surrounding the new Emirates A380 Premium Economy cabin, but those rumors have finally been put to rest with today's unveiling by the Middle Eastern carrier.
Pictures & Notes From The Virgin Atlantic 747 Farewell
A couple of weeks ago Virgin Atlantic hosted a very low-key farewell for the last of its Boeing 747 aircraft which, on December 21st, took off from Heathrow in Virgin Atlantic livery for the final time. I was one of just 42 incredibly fortunate people who were able to snap up tickets for the final goodbye and what follows are some of the pictures that I took on the day.
Hyatt Expects To Open 13 New Lifestyle Brand Properties In The United States In 2021
Hyatt has announced that 2020 has seen it open 7 new US properties across its Thompson and Hyatt Centric brands and it has also now confirmed that it expects to see a further 13 new properties (from the Alila, Hyatt Centric, and Thompson brands) open up across the United States in 2021.
All Hilton Diamond Elites will be able to gift elite status for 2021
Hilton Honors has announced that from next week it will be extending a "one-time opportunity" to its Diamond and Lifetime Diamond Elite status holders which will allow them to gift status for one year to a family member or friend.
Alaska Airlines Changes How Elite Status Is Earned & Announces Oneworld Status Levels For Mileage Plan Elites
Alaska Airlines is set to join the oneworld alliance from 31 March 2021 (it had originally hoped to join in 2020) and today has seen the airline confirm the oneworld status levels that each of Mileage Plan’s elite tiers will be receiving once the airline’s membership of oneworld is complete. Today has also seen the airline make a small (and positive) change to how elite status is earned.
American Airlines Unveils New Benefits For Executive Platinum & Platinum Pro Elites
In the middle of October American Airlines announced a series of changes to the AAdvantage program with a view to keeping its elite flyers happy. Among other things, the changes announced included the introduction of new rewards for flyers who earn AAdvantage Executive Platinum and Platinum Pro status but further details surrounding these rewards weren't forthcoming. Now, American has told us more and there's some very good news for Platinum Pro elites.
Delta Eliminates Change Fees On Select International Bookings
Back in November, American Airlines announced that it was eliminating change fees on most international bookings that originate in the United States and now, three weeks later, Delta has followed suit with a similar announcement of its own.
Virgin Atlantic Is Considering Introducing Household Accounts For All
Earlier this year Virgin Atlantic gave its Flying Club members an early Christmas present when it announced a series of positive changes to its loyalty program. Between awarding elite credits on award bookings to making its vouchers considerably more useable, Virgin Atlantic has already used 2020 to improve the Flying Club's offering significantly. Now it may be about to improve it again.
Qatar Airways Adds Seattle To Its Network & Will Partner With Alaska Airlines
Qatar Airways has confirmed that it plans to operate flights between Doha and Seattle from the first quarter of next year taking its tally of US destinations up to 11. The airline has also said that it also plans to enter into a frequent flyer partnership with Alaska Airlines (headquartered in Seattle) ahead of that airline's entry into the oneworld alliance.
Hyatt Says It Will Add 20+ European Properties By The End Of 2023
Hyatt has said that it plans to add over 20 European properties to its portfolio by the end of 2023 which will represent a 30%+ increase in the number of hotels that operate in Europe under various Hyatt brands.
IHG Announces A New Kimpton For Europe
IHG's Kimpton brand has a staunchly loyal following (one that dates back well before the brand was purchased by IHG) but it has long been a brand with a very US-centric portfolio. In recent years, however, Kimpton has been expanding outside of the United States and the latest property to be announced is a second new Kimpton for Spain.
Kimpton’s New Secret Password Has Been Revealed
Kimpton is the boutique hotel brand that has built itself up into a position in which it generates a great deal of loyalty and affection from its more frequent guests, and its the boutique hotel brand which has somehow pulled off the trick of maintaining this relationship despite being engulfed by the behemoth that is IHG.
Virgin Atlantic Will Sell Tickets To A Farewell For Its Boeing 747
Airlines like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic were set to operate their 747s for a few more years before the coronavirus rolled into town. Then, with schedules pared to the bones and with passenger numbers going through the floor, there was suddenly no viable reason to keep the uneconomical 747s in the skies. The virus saw to it that the British Airways aircraft didn't get the farewell they deserved, but now Virgin Atlantic is giving a few lucky fans the chance for one last moment in time with the Queen of the Skies.
England Will Give A Quarantine Exemption To Select Business Travelers & Professions
England has been imposing 14-day quarantines on travelers arriving from most parts of the world since the middle of the summer but, from 16 December, that quarantine is period set to be reduced to just five days for travelers who test negative for Covid-19 on day five. Now the government is going a step further by offering a full exemption from quarantine for select business travelers and select professions.
Forget Hyatt Globalist, I May Mattress Run All The Way To 4 Suite Upgrade Awards!
With Hyatt's recent announcement that it has reduced its elite qualification criteria for 2021 by half and with the discovery that this now means that World of Hyatt members can earn Hyatt Globalist status by spending as few as 10 nights in Hyatt properties worldwide, a lot of people seem to be considering doing a mattress run to earn that valuable top-tier status. I may take it one step further. I may mattress run to earn the suite upgrade awards too.
Taking A COVID Test At The Sofitel Heathrow T5
Recently, I took a trip back home to Los Angeles, and in the spirit of being a good traveler, I decided to take a Covid test before I flew out just to check that I wasn't asymptomatic and at risk of infecting all around me. With the Sofitel Heathrow T5 being very convenient and now offering Covid tests bundled with a room rate ("test and rest"), that's where I chose to take the test.
Emirates Is Starting To Reopen Its Worldwide Lounge Network
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2021 Is Unlikely To Be An Exciting Travel Year For Me (But That’s Ok)
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Quick Review: The Sofitel Heathrow Terminal 5 (Covid Edition)
At the time of my stay a the Sofitel T5, England was under its second lockdown of 2020 (a lockdown which has ended today) so there isn't much point in writing a full review of the property as a lot of what the Sofitel usually offers wasn't available while I was there. Still, the rooms don't change because there's a pandemic raging outside, and a lot of the current safety precautions will be with us for some time to come, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on the Sofitel as I found it in the middle of last month.
Yes, You Really Can Earn Top-Tier Hyatt Status In Just 10, 13 or 15 Nights
At the time I was writing about yesterday's big Hyatt announcements, two things flashed through my mind. Firstly, I thought that the decision to reduce the elite qualifying criteria by 50% was incredibly generous. Secondly, it occurred to me that the combination of the reduced elite status targets and the extension of one of Hyatt's promotions may open up an incredible opportunity to earn Hyatt elite status with fewer nights than ever before.
Marriott Now Has One Fewer Hotels In Central London
Back in the summer, news broke that Marriott would be losing one of its properties in the heart of London this fall and, as of a few days ago, the Le Meridien Picadilly is no longer part of the Marriott network.
What it’s like flying British Airways Club World during lockdown (daytime flight)
Recently, I took my first flights since the beginning of March and I finally got home to Los Angeles for a few days. I've been putting off a return to LA for months (I've cancelled four separate trips) but, eventually, things came to a head and I had no choice but to fly.
Great News: London Is Finally Getting A Park Hyatt
I'm an unabashed fan of most Park Hyatt properties so I'm always especially happy when news of a new property drops into my inbox. Last year saw the announcement of a new Park Hyatt for Los Angeles and now we're getting details that London will be getting a new Park Hyatt within a couple of years.
Alaska Airlines Swaps Airbus A320s For New Boeing 737-9 MAX
In the past few days the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted its ban on Boeing's 737 MAX aircraft (other jurisdictions have yet to follow suit) and we're already seeing airlines lining up to give support to the beleaguered aircraft. Alaska Airlines is the latest US carrier to provide a show of faith to the MAX as the airline confirms that it is swapping a number of its Airbus A320 aircraft for new Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft.
United Airlines Brings Coronavirus Testing To Houston
United Airlines may have been the first US airline to announce Covid-19 tests for travelers heading to Hawaii and it may have been the first US airline to announce measures to test transatlantic passengers for coronavirus before their flights, but it was American Airlines that was first to act when it comes to testing on routes to Latin America and the Caribbean. Now, United is making moves in those regions too.
American Airlines Eliminates Change Fees For Select International Bookings
The major US airlines have recently been rolling back some of the fees that they have introduced over the years as they stumble towards the conclusion that they're going to have to be ultra-competitive in the coming years if they're not to lose out on market share to their closest competitors. Now, in the latest fee-cutting exercise, American Airlines has announced that it is eliminating change fees on select international bookings.
Surprising: American & Alaska Airlines Will Offer Reciprocal Upgrades
With Alaska Airlines expected to join the oneworld alliance at the end of the first quarter of 2021, it's not a major surprise to find out that the two airlines plan to offer reciprocal elite benefits next year. What is surprising, however, is that both airlines say that they will go as far as offering select elite flyers from the other airline's loyalty program complimentary domestic upgrades on the flights they operate.
You Can Now Apply For British Airways Refunds Online (Again)
Since early March, customers have had to put in a call to British Airways if they wanted a refund for a trip that the airline had cancelled but now, finally, British Airways has brought back the option to request a cash refund online. The option to request a refund on an Avios booking has yet to be brought back online and the availability of the cash refund option is far from obvious, but it's there.
Chase is discontinuing the legacy Hyatt Credit Card + offering bonuses to all Hyatt card holders
The original Chase Hyatt Credit Card has not been open to new applicants for a number of years (the World of Hyatt Credit Card took its place) and although existing cardholders have been able to use their card as normal since the card was withdrawn from circulation, Chase and Hyatt have now decided to retire the card for good.
Qatar Airways Returns To Miami And Adds Flights To Chicago & New York
Qatar Airways has announced that it is restarting operations to seven of the destinations that it served before the coronavirus intervened and turned the travel world upside down, and the airline has confirmed that it will be boosting services on two of it key US routes from as early as this weekend.
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