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.
The San Francisco Centurion Lounge Is To Double In Size (Almost)
The American Express Centurion Lounge at San Francisco International Airport is one of only nine Centurion lounges that are currently open but, following an agreement that Amex has reached with the airport, it won't be a lounge that many frequent visitors will recognize in the not too distant future. The lounge is getting bigger. A lot bigger.
American Airlines introduces new Wi-Fi subscription plans
American Airlines has finally decided to do something about the fact that its fleet has three different Wi-Fi suppliers but there has never been a single plan to cover access to all three networks. As of yesterday, the airline is now offering a choice of two monthly plans that give users access to Wi-Fi on all American Airlines aircraft regardless of who the Wi-Fi supplier is.
American Airlines Is Eliminating More Award Fees & Extending Mileage Expiration Dates
American Airlines has just announced some good, positive changes to its AAdvantage program which will come into effect from tomorrow, 11 November 2020. Two fees are being eliminated and mileage expirations are being extended so, although for most people this year will almost certainly be remembered for the terrible toll that Covid-19 has taken, a small crumb of comfort may be that it's also the year that has seen airlines roll back a swathe of fees that most of us have resented for years.
Is This More Bad News Regarding The Qatar Airways Unbundled Business Class Fares?
As I noted yesterday, Qatar Airways has revamped its fare codes and, in the process, has introduced an unbundled Business Class fare that offers customers less than what most Business Class fares offer. The Qatar Airways website has now been updated to show the new fare options (on most routes) and in researching the latest changes, I noticed something that I wasn't expecting to see.
Virgin Atlantic Will Operate Just 14 Routes During England’s Lockdown
Virgin Atlantic has now published its flight schedules for the rest of November as the airline responds to the month-long lockdown that the British Government has imposed on England. With at most 14 routes operating between now and 2 December, Virgin Atlantic's schedule has been pared to the bone.
Breaking: First Coronavirus Vaccine Appears To Be 90% Effective
In news that's only just breaking, biotech developers Pfizer and BioNTech say that they have developed a coronavirus vaccine that was found to be more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 in research participants.
Bad News: Qatar Airways Is Set To Offer Unbundled Business Class Fares
Back in June 2019, Emirates dropped the bombshell that it would start to offer a 'Basic' Business Class fare that stripped out a number of benefits that we have all come to expect from a Business Class ticket and, earlier this year Finnair announced that it planned to introduce a 'Business Light' fare on select routes. To most readers, those announcements weren't especially bad news, but they were a clear indication of a direction the airline industry is taking. Today's news, however, could be more serious.
Warning: British Airways Cancellation Notices Can Be Misleading
British Airways will start suspending at least 46 routes starting from tomorrow so, in the next few days, a lot of people will be receiving messages that inform them that their flights have been canceled or that they have been rebooked on to other flights. If you receive one of these notifications, please be careful as their contents do not fully inform you of your rights.
British Airways Is Suspending These 46 Routes Starting Tomorrow
Yesterday, a letter sent out by Mark Muren, BA’s head of global sales, gave a very strong indication that the airline was about to start canceling a significant number of its routes following England's descent into its second lockdown of the year. Now, courtesy of a document shared with another blog, we know that at least 46 routes will be suspended during the coming month with a number of suspensions kicking in as of tomorrow.
Warning: Get Ready For A Stream Of British Airways Flight Cancellations
England went into lockdown for the second time today and with all outbound travel being discouraged and with airlines already at the mercy of England's ever-changing quarantine rules, this is a body-blow to the likes of Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. So far, there hasn't been too much evidence of deep route cuts from the UK's primary long-haul carriers but, based on a letter just sent out by BA's head of global sales, a significant number of cancellations appears to be on the way.
My experience applying for & using the World of Hyatt credit card
Towards the beginning of October I mentioned that I was planning to apply for three new credit cards in the coming months so, now that my first application is out of the way, I thought I'd write a post on how the application process went and on the timeline I encountered when it came to being able to make use of the various benefits that the World of Hyatt credit card offers.
Virgin Atlantic Announces A New Caribbean Route
Virgin Atlantic may still be fighting for its very existence (alongside a host of other airlines) but that hasn't stopped it from announcing a new route between the UK and the Caribbean that, all being well, it plans to launch next summer.
We’re About To Get Locked Down For The Second Time
Today and tomorrow (and possibly for a few days after tomorrow), a large part of the world will be concentrating on events going on back home in the US. I, however, can't help but focus on the fact that from 00:00:01 this Thursday morning, England will be entering into its second lockdown of the year. As I happen to be sheltering in England right now, that's a prospect that I'm not looking forward to.
Chase is changing the timeframe for earning a free night with the World of Hyatt credit card
As well as giving cardholders a certificate for a free night at any Category 1 - 4 Hyatt property every year (just for holding the card), the World of Hyatt credit card also gives cardholders the opportunity to earn a further free night certificate through spending. Starting next year, Chase is changing the timeframe cardholders are given to earn that second free night. The change isn't bad or majorly significant, but it's a change that for one year only, opens up an opportunity.
The Los Angeles Centurion Lounge Is Reopening Today (But Not As You May Expect)
American Express has just let me know that the Centurion Lounge at LAX (in the Tom Bradley International Terminal) will be reopening its doors today. Unlike a lot of other Centurion Lounge reopenings, however, the LAX Centurion Lounge's reopening will be far from normal.
Will IHG Now Charge 100,000 Points/Night For Select Basic Rooms?
IHG has now added 400 Mr & Mrs Smith properties to its booking engine and as of late yesterday, most of these properties are now available for cash or award bookings. Since these properties were added, I've been searching the IHG site to see if I could find any particular sweet spots or great-value award redemptions and while I haven't noticed any notable good deals, I have noticed a point of concern.
Delta Devalues SkyMiles Again – Partner Award Costs Increase Significantly
It's not like Delta isn't known for devaluing its currency as frequently as possible, but at a time when the airline industry claims to be on its knees and very few people are flying out of choice, Delta's decision to quietly increase the cost of partner awards by 25% (and more) is very hard to understand.
American Airlines Rolls Back A Negative Program Change For Select Oneworld Elites
At the beginning of this month, American Airlines quietly removed a valuable benefit that had made available to all oneworld Sapphire and Emerald elites. There was no notice given for this move nor was any announcement made, but now it looks like American has had a change of heart...at least in part.
Avianca LifeMiles Offering 2021 Elite Status Credits In 2020
For most readers, Avianca is an airline whose primary purpose is one of an airline whose loyalty program offers a currency that can be used to book Star Alliance premium cabin awards at a reasonable cost. However, just in case you happen to be looking to earn status in Avianca's LifeMiles program, the latest news being emailed out to members may be of interest.
British Airways Brings Back Hot Meals On Long Haul & Ends Partnership With M&S
As of 25 October, British Airways is once again serving hot meals across all cabins on select long-haul flights and, according to one UK newspaper, the airline has decided to sever its relationship with Marks & Spencer and enter into an agreement with "another great British brand" who will supply the airline's buy-on-board Economy Class menus.
I’m Taking A Break
The last time I set foot in an airport or an aircraft was over 7 months ago and, by quite a margin, this has been the longest period of time in which I haven't traveled in almost 20 years. With the world in the state that it's in right now, I'm still not ready to travel abroad for fun or for the blog, but I definitely need a break from work and my daily routine so it's time for a staycation of sorts.
The UK Government Rules Out Airport Testing As A Way To Avoid Quarantine
The UK currently imposes a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine on anyone arriving into the country from somewhere that isn't on its list of low-risk locations and, for the past few months, various travel industry leaders have been lobbying the government to offer alternatives to quarantine. The principal suggestion for an alternative has revolved around the government testing arriving passengers for Covid-19 and then allowing those who test negative to bypass self-isolation but, as of earlier today, that course of action has been firmly ruled out.
Qatar Airways Now Offers A Range Of Gourmet Vegan Dishes In Business Class
Qatar Airways has announced that it has introduced its first range of "gourmet" and "fully vegan" dishes to is Business Class à la carte menus. The new dishes are being offered across all Qatar Airways flights out of Doha and on select flights arriving into Doha.
Is This The End Of The Etihad A380?
The Etihad Airbus A380 is home to the most opulent way of traveling on a commercial airliner (The Residence), one of the world's best First Class seats (the Etihad First Class Suite) and it's only one of two commercial aircraft to offer an onboard shower. Sadly, if you were hoping to try out any of these indulgences you won't be doing so any time soon.
Emirates Plans To Ramp Up A380 Service For Summer 2021 (Tentative)
For the upcoming Northern Hemisphere winter, Emirates has only been able to justify scheduling its Airbus A380s on 7 of its routes, and for an airline with well over a hundred such aircraft in its fleet, that's an issue. Now, in the latest update to its Summer 2021 schedule, Emirates is looking a bit more optimistic as it prepares to increase the number of routes on which it plans to operate the world's largest passenger aircraft.
Alaska Airlines Will Join Oneworld On 31 March 2021
Originally it was meant to happen by the end of this year, but when Alaska Airlines realized just how complicated joining a global airline alliance can be, the date for it to join oneworld was pushed back to "not before the end of the first quarter" of 2021. Well, as vague deadlines go, that one turned out to be remarkably accurate because Alaska Airlines has now announced that it will join the oneworld alliance on 31 March 2020.
Big News: Alex Cruz Replaced As British Airways CEO
International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways, has announced that Alex Cruz is stepping down as CEO of the UK's flag carrier and, following a transition period, will be relinquishing his role as chairman too. All of this comes towards the end of a year which has seen the airline industry brought to its knees by Covid-19 and thousands of employees losing their jobs at British Airways.
American Airlines Announces Its Switch To Beijing Daxing Airport
Before the current travel crisis, all American Airlines services between the US and Beijing used Bejing Capital Airport (PEK). All of American's passenger services to China are currently suspended but the airline has just announced that when it resumes operations between Dallas Fort Worth and Beijing, it's aircraft will be landing and taking off from the Chinese Capital's newest airport - Daxing International Airport (PKX).
American Airlines Temporarily Reduces Frequencies & Removes First Class Between LAX & JFK
If you were hoping to fly American Airlines First Class between LA and New York in November you're out of luck. If you were hoping to have a good choice of flights to choose from on this route in November you're going to be disappointed. If, however, you're flying between LA and New York in Business or Economy Class in the month of November, you may actually like what comes next.
Qatar Airways Confirms That It Will Bring Its Qsuite To San Francisco
Qatar Airways currently operates eight routes between Doha and the United States and from the end of the year, the airline will add a ninth - San Francisco. The West coast gateway has been part of Qatar Airways' plans in the past (back in 2018) but the planned service never materialized. This time around, however, there's a lot more reason to expect the new route to go ahead.
Amazing. Marriott Just Lost 122 Properties In North America (Including a Major Hawaii Resort)
Service Properties Trust, a company that owns over a hundred properties that are currently operating under various Marriott brands, has announced that it is terminating all of its agreements with Marriott effective 31 January 2021. There doesn't look to be any going back so from 1 February next year, Marriott's North America portfolio will have noticeably fewer properties in it than it did the day before.
The Last British Airways Heathrow 747s Will Depart Tomorrow (Flypast Arranged)
Well that was quick! In the middle of July, British Airways announced that it would be retiring all of its Boeing 747s, in the middle of August the retirements began, and now we're being told that the last two British Airways 747 based at London Heathrow will depart tomorrow morning.
American Express Centurion Lounge At JFK Will Open “In The Coming Days”
American Express has today announced that it will open its 13th Centurion Lounge at New York JFK Airport Terminal 4 "in the "coming days". While that's hardly a precise way of letting us know when the lounge will open its doors, it's probably safe to say that the lounge will be open by the end of the week.
United Airlines Brings Back Non-Stop Service To Shanghai
For most of this year, only a limited number of flights have been permitted between the United States and China with United Airlines and Delta being the only US carriers offering services to Shanghai. Up recently, both airlines have been serving Shanghai via Seoul but with Delta planning non-stop service to Shanghai during the upcoming winter season, United Airlines has now announced that it too will be resuming non-stop service to Shanghai from later this month.
United Airlines Announces Significant Route Resumptions & Expansions
United Airlines has just announced that it will be resuming service on "nearly 30 international routes" across Asia, Europe, and South America as well as offering customers expanded services to destinations in the Caribbean, Hawaii, Central America, and Mexico.
American Airlines Removes A Valuable Benefit For Oneworld Elites
American Airlines has made some good customer-friendly moves of late and it has been great at telling everyone about them via social media, press releases, and email blasts. What the airline has been less good at doing is letting flyers know when it makes a negative change and at some point in the last few days, the airline has eliminated a key benefit it has been offering to select oneworld elites.
Hilton’s Has Updated Its Flexible Cancellation Policy – It’s Not Good News
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Alaska Airlines Will Add Another Five New SoCal Routes This Winter
Alaska Airlines is continuing to build on its new friendship with American Airlines by adding a number of routes out of Los Angeles and Palm Springs as well as increasing the frequencies on a further three routes that it already operates out of LAX. Coming on top of the airline's previously announced expansion at LAX, this is another big bit of positive news for travelers based in Southern California.
Emirates Will Offer Its A380 On Just Seven Routes This Winter
Emirates operates the largest fleet of Airbus A380 aircraft in the world and it's safe to say that without the investment Emirates put into the A380 program, the aircraft would have gone out of production a lot earlier than this year. Still, even a behemoth like Emirates isn't immune to the current travel crisis and few things highlight that fact better than the airline's plans for the Winter 2020/21 season which will see it operating its A380 on just seven international routes.
Chase Sapphire Spending Bonuses & Statement Credits Ending – 3 Days Left
The Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred credit cards have been offering special benefits and enhanced earnings in select shopping categories since the beginning of July, but with the end of September rapidly approaching, cardholders have just days left to make the most of what these cards currently offer.
United Airlines New Hawaii Routes Now Open For Reservations
A little under three weeks ago, United announced a number of new international routes to Africa and India as well as two new domestic routes that the airline said would “make it easier than ever to travel nonstop to Maui and Kona for the 2021 summer season”. Following a weekend schedule update, the new Hawaii routes are now in the systems and United.com is taking reservations.
Delta Is Already Scaling Back Transatlantic Plans For Winter Season
It was less than four weeks ago that Delta first unveiled its transatlantic plans for the upcoming winter season (and for summer 2020) and, at the time, I pointed out that the proposed plans looked ambitious in the light of what was going on around us. Delta has now posted a long list of updates to its worldwide schedules for winter 2020/21 and it looks like the airline has come to the same conclusion that I did as it cuts routes and frequencies proposed just 4 weeks ago.
Delta Eliminates Change Fees On Most Domestic Award Bookings
Delta Platinum and Medallion members have long been able to change award bookings without incurring a penalty but now, with immediate effect, everyone else can feel a little bit more like an elite flyer with Delta after the airline announced that change fees on domestic award bookings are now (mostly) a thing of the past.
Emirates Cuts Capacity And Delays Restarts On Routes To The United States
As I seem to keep saying, if you think that we're anywhere the end of this current crisis you just have to look at the various plans the airlines are making to see that we're not even close. We're seeing a lot of airlines eliminating routes and cutting capacity on routes seemingly every time a new set of schedule changes is released, and the latest airline to post less than optimistic schedules is Emirates.
KLM Cuts Service To 3 US Cities & Reduces Capacity To Others
In the last 24 hours, KLM has updated its schedules for winter 2020/21 and when you compare the services the airline plans to offer to the services offered pre-Covid, it doesn't make for pretty reading. Three US cities are set to lose service altogether, while even major partner hubs like Atlanta will be seeing reduced capacity.
The “New” British Airways First Class Seat Is Nothing To Get Excited About
It all started yesterday when an over-eager British Airways employee put out a tweet (now deleted) that let the world know that British Airways would be offering a new First Class option in the not too distant future. Earlier today, British Airways emailed staff to let them know that a "modified First seat experience" is on the way (this has been widely leaked already) but the reality behind the news is far less exciting than most had probably hoped.
EL AL Set To Resume New York Service In October
As with all of the world's airlines, EL AL has effectively been on hiatus for most of the year so far but unlike a lot of its competitors, EL AL is yet to resume passenger services on its international routes. From October, however, that's set to change with the airline scheduling a return to New York JFK as well as to three other international destinations.
British Airways Responds To Virgin Atlantic: Adds New Route To Pakistan & Accelerates Another
At the beginning of September, Virgin Atlantic announced that it would be launching three new routes to Pakistan from later this year as the airline looks to move away (at least temporarily) from its heavy reliance on transatlantic traffic. Now, less than two weeks after Virgin Atlantic's announcement, British Airways has responded and it's not good news for the smaller carrier.
Earn 3x AAdvantage Miles with World of Hyatt [Targeted]
The World of Hyatt is currently sending out emails to targeted members with an offer of three AAdvantage Miles per dollar on all Hyatt stays through the end of the year. Considering this offer will stack (very nicely) with the upcoming promotion in which WoH members can earn up to four times the usual number of base points, this is an incredibly generous offer to receive.
Review: Conrad London St James (Covid Edition)
The Conrad London St James is arguably Hilton's best property in London, but it's a property I had never visited until recently as I usually prefer to make the most of the fantastic weekend deals that are often on offer at the London Marriott Canary Wharf. On this occasion, Joanna and I were looking for a change of scenery and with the Conrad selling award nights at a very reasonable price, it was easy to decide to see what the property has to offer.
Global Entry, SENTRI & NEXUS fees may be about to increase
Global Entry, SENTRI, and NEXUS are programs offered by the United States Customs & Border Protection Bureau (CBP) which offer expedited immigration procedures to travelers considered low-risk by the US authorities. The fees for these programs haven't changed in years but a new filing by the CBP suggests that the bureau will be seeking to increase the fees charged by two of the three programs while the fee charged for the third will decrease slightly.
Alaska Airlines’ Admission To Oneworld Delayed (Good News For Some?)
When the news that Alaska Airlines was planning to join the oneworld alliance broke last February, it was news that very few people had expected to hear. The airline followed up that surprise with another one when, earlier this summer, it suggested that its membership of the oneworld alliance may be complete before the end of this year. Sadly, that's a target that the airline no longer expects to meet.
JetBlue Announces 24 New Routes (Includes Latin America & The Caribbean)
JetBlue has announced that it plans to add 24 new routes to its network from later this year with a view to concentrating on leisure destinations served from the airline's focus cities around the United States. With multiple new flights to cities across the US, Latin America, and the Caribbean, this is the airline's attempt at shoring up its finances while, business travel continues to show little sign of recovery.
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