Quick Look: British Airways Club World Boeing 777 Cabin
On overnight flights, I like to board, settle down and get some rest as quickly as possible (especially on flights as short as the New York - London route) so I generally don't eat any of the meals served and my interactions with the crew are pretty limited. That's why what follows isn't going to be anything like a standard flight review and, instead, is just a look inside the Club World (Business Class) cabin of a British Airways 777.
The Airline Cancelled My Flight So This Is What I’m Going To Do
Yesterday, I got an email from British Airways to let me know that my Finnair flight from Helsinki to Los Angeles (booked for a few months' time has been cancelled) so I thought I'd write a quick post setting out how I plan to tackle this minor set back in the hope that it may give less experienced travelers an idea of how to approach any similar situations they may encounter.
Qatar Airways Is Now Codesharing on American Airlines Flights
Back in February, American Airlines backtracked on two key positions it had taken in recent years. First, the airline did a u-turn on its relationship with Alaska Airlines and the two are now best friends and, just a few days later, American Airlines forgot that it had been calling for Qatar Airways to be banned from operating services to/from the US and announced a strategic partnership with the Middle Eastern carrier. The first stage of that partnership has now kicked into action.
My Very Small But Very Annoying Issue With Chase
On the whole, I'm a fan of Chase. I've never really had any problems with the bank and I'm a big fan of a number of its travel-related credit cards which I'm very happy to hold. Just recently, however, I've had one small but annoying issue with Chase that I thought I'd share.
British Airways vs Cabin Crew: A Lot Of People Are Missing Two Key Points
It's no secret that we're in the midst of the biggest crisis the airline industry has ever seen so it's no surprise that a large number of airlines are currently taking significant measures to protect their business. One such airline is British Airways and the measures that British Airways is taking have led the airline into direct conflict with a key part of its workforce - the cabin crew.
The UK Continues Embarrassing Mixed Messaging On Quarantine Rules
Eight days ago the UK's Prime Minister appeared on national TV to address the nation and to update it on the direction the country would be taking as it attempts to emerge from lockdown. The country was hoping for clear messaging and a road map back to normality but, instead, it was presented with 15 minutes of waffle and ideas that had clearly not been thought through.
Here’s What Select Major Airlines Are Doing With Elite Statuses [UPDATED]
As the current travel crisis continues and as it becomes increasingly obvious that most of us are not going to be able to travel for a significant portion of this year, airlines around the world have been taking measures to keep their frequent flyers happy. In this post, you'll find brief details of what some of the major airlines around the world are doing for their frequent flyers together with links to further information where possible.
Delta Confirms It Is Retiring Its Boeing 777 Fleet This Year
Delta is the proud operator of 18 Boeing 777 aircraft and it has refitted each of these aircraft with its highly acclaimed "Delta One Suites" that have taken US airline premium cabins to a whole new level. With that in mind, it's more than a little surprising to see Delta announce that it will be retiring all 18 of these aircraft by the end of this year.
WOW: The New Qatar Airways Cancellation Policy IS As Good As Some Suspected
I'm delighted to be able to hold my hands up and say that I was wrong. Earlier, when I wrote about the latest changes to Qatar Airways' cancellation policies, I stated that I thought one of the options was far too good to be true and that I would be very surprised if the option worked as a number of people suggested it would. Well, not only am I very surprised, I'm stunned!
Emirates is Restarting Flights To Nine Destinations
Most of the world may be living under significant travel restrictions but Emirates has announced plans to restart flights to nine destinations from later this month as it looks to find a way out of the current crisis. The first flights the airline will offer since it grounded its fleet at the end of March are mostly to cities within Europe, but the United States and Australia will be seeing select services resume too.
Richard Branson Is Raising $400m To Help Rescue Virgin Atlantic
"Vieco 10" probably won't mean much to most people but it's the name of the investment company owned by Virgin Group (and therefore Richard Branson) which holds a controlling interest in Virgin Galactic. Last night, in a statement to the New York Stock Exchange, Vieco 10 confirmed that it is disposing of up to 25m shares in Virgin Galactic as Richard Branson seeks to raise funds to save a number of ailing travel enterprises.
The UK Will Impose Quarantine On Visitors…Sort Of…Sometime…
In last night's address to the nation, Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a series of announcements regarding the progress being made and the path his government will steer over the course of the coming weeks and months and, as far as travel goes, he made one very important announcement
These Airlines Now Require Passengers To Wear Face/Mouth Coverings
For reasons that haven't always been very clear, there has been a lot of debate, discussion, and controversy over the use of face masks during the current pandemic but, regardless of how you feel about wearing something that covers your mouth and nose, a number of major airlines now insist that passengers take precautions on board.
United Airlines Is Raising $2.25 Billion To Pay Off A Loan
Towards the end of last month, United Airlines announced that it was planning to raise $1.1 billion from a public stock offering to go alongside the $5.0 billion the airline has received from the US government and now the airline is heading back to the markets to raise yet more cash. This time it's cash that it needs to pay down an existing loan.
Qantas Presses Pause On Project Sunrise
Project Sunrise is Qantas' ambitious plan to offer non-stop flights from the Australian east coast to cities in Europe and cities on the east coast of the United States. Back in December, the airline announced that it had selected the Airbus A350-1000 to be the aircraft that would operate the first groundbreaking routes and that it would be making a final decision on the viability of the project in March 2020. That announcement now seems like a lifetime ago.
Virgin Atlantic Is Abandoning Gatwick & Cutting Over 35% Of Its Workforce
Virgin Atlantic has just announced that it plans to "reshape and resize" its operations in a bid to survive the current crisis. With the airline struggling to raise desperately needed funds and with the British government still apparently not inclined to offer a lifeline, Virgin Atlantic says that it will be closing down its operations at Gatwick and shedding 3,150 jobs.
Marriott Raises $920 Million From Chase & American Express
Marriot has just announced that it has raised $920 million in cash through the agreements it holds with JPMorgan Chase and American Express and, in doing so, follows Hilton in using its credit card partners to raise much needed liquidity during the current crisis.
AAdvantage credit cards now earn miles towards Million Miler status
Up until 2011, all miles earned through credit card spending counted towards American Airlines Million Miler status while the miles earned from the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card counted through 2012. Since then, only miles earned by flying (better known as "butt-in-seat" miles) have qualified to move the needle in the Million Miler program...until now.
Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy review (Airbus A330-300)
Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy cabin is known for offering the widest seats you'll find outside of a First or Business Class cabin and, combined with the airline's reputation for friendly flight attendants, that's what made this cabin an appealing choice for an overnight flight that I had to take between Washinton D.C. and London at a time when Business Class fares were sky-high.
US Citizens Shouldn’t Assume That They’ll Be Able To Travel Internationally Anytime Soon
I made the conscious decision to see out the current crisis outside of the US and away from my home in Los Angeles and, as a result, I'm getting a close look at how another country is handling the pandemic and how other countries are viewing the US response to Covid-19. The news on the latter isn't good.
Citi Extends Its Welcome Offer Earning Period & Improves The Prestige Card
Citi has just announced two new measures to make life easier for new credit card holders and its Prestige cardholders. The measures are nowhere near as significant as the measures we have already seen announced by Amex and Chase earlier in the day, but they're important nevertheless.
British Airways Is Testing A New Avios Redemption Option On Its New York Route
One of the major issues with British Airways long-haul awards is the high surcharges that accompany all such bookings. While the number of Avios needed to book a flight can often be reasonable, the cash co-pay that British Airways charges can make bookings highly uneconomical...especially in Economy Class. Now British Airways is testing out a new redemption option on its New York - London route.
United Devalues MileagePlus (Again) When It Thinks No One Is Looking
United appears to have chosen a moment in time where it thinks that its customers aren't watching to push through a subtle (yet very real) devaluation to its MileagePlus loyalty program - a program that had already been significantly devalued since the beginning of this year.
Gold Star Service From A Fantastic British Airways Cabin Crew
've been meaning to write about this experience for some time and just haven't got around to it but, now that we're living through a period when most of us can't travel and when airline crews must be going through a terrible time, I thought it might be nice to recognize some really nice, kind and thoughtful service Joanna and I received on a flight earlier this year.
Expired IHG Free Night Certificates Are Reappearing (But Some Aren’t Working Correctly)
The IHG free night certificate that I get through my legacy IHG Rewards Club credit card expired earlier this month and disappeared from my account. IHG had already confirmed that certificates with 2020 expiration dates from 1 March onwards would be extended through December 2020 but it's only now that my replacement certificate has appeared online. That's the good news.
Why I Generally Avoid Using Travel Agencies For Flight Bookings
For a lot of frequent travelers, there's a very obvious reason why booking hotels through one of the many online travel agencies may not be the best policy (you won't earn hotel loyalty points and your elite status will not be recognized), but because airlines aren't often seen to be treating travelers who have booked through agencies any differently to travelers who have booked directly, often there isn't the same level of reservation when it comes to using agencies for airfare bookings. Perhaps there should be.
Delta Is Raising $3 Billion To Ease Its Liquidity Issues
Yesterday, I wrote about United Airlines heading to the stock market to raise up to $1.1 billion to add to the $5 billion the US government just handed the airline, and now it's Delta's turn to tap up big investors for more cash as it announces a bond issue and a new Term Loan B facility which will total an impressive $3 billion.
I’ll Be Using Airbnb A Lot More After This Is All Over
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United Airlines Is Raising $1.1 Billion From The Stock Market
It was just last week that United Airlines revealed that it was receiving a $5 billion bailout from the US government with around $3.5 billion of that bailout coming as a government grant which will never have to be repaid. Apparently that wasn't enough as the airline has now announced that it's now raising over a billion dollars in cash from a public offering of common stock.
Is Anyone At American Airlines Actually Doing Any Thinking?
For the past few days, I've been drafting a blog post which was going to point out something that I found interesting. American Airlines, the airline that has done a superb job of destroying its loyalty program, making its aircraft increasingly uncomfortable and generally annoying as many of its customers as possible, appeared to be negotiating the current crisis with a rarely seen level of skill...at least as far as customer service goes.
Of Course Virgin Atlantic Should Be Saved…It Just Has To Be Done Correctly
There's an incredible amount of nonsense doing the rounds right now and the lastest involves suggestions that the British government shouldn't be offering assistance to Virgin Atlantic and that the airline should be allowed to go to the wall. As usual, these suggestions are coming from people with little or no understanding of what Virgin's demise would mean, people who don't understand how bailout could be structured and people who are incapable to see past their dislike of Sir Richard Branson. Hopefully, the UK government will ignore them all.
Emirates’ New Cancellation Options Are Fantastic (Especially If You’ve Already Accepted A Voucher)
Emirates is one of the many airlines that have been showing a very serious reluctance to offer passengers refunds on their canceled flights even though refunds are exactly what these passengers are entitled to but, somewhat unexpectedly, Emirates has had a big change of heart and is offering customers a variety of options that now put a lot of other airlines to shame.
IHG Is Confirming Free Night Certificate Extensions
Lately, I've been giving IHG and IHG Rewards a deserved hard time by pointing out how they have been doing less than their competitors in a number of areas relating to customer care and by pointing out that they only have themselves to blame if customers are less than happy with them overall...but I've finally had some positive news drop into my inbox.
British Airways Refunds: It May Still Be Possible To Request Refunds Online
Up until a couple of weeks ago there were at least a couple of well-documented workarounds to requesting a British Airways refund online but British Airways got wise to these loopholes and shut them down pretty quickly. Of late, it has appeared as if last remaining ways to request a refund from BA involve phone calls or emails and that all online options have been removed...but that may not be so.
4 Hyatt Status Extension Questions Answered
Last week, Hyatt announced that it was extending its moratorium on points expirations, extending the expiration dates of various award instruments and extending elite statuses into 2022, and there have been four questions that I've been receiving from readers over and over again regarding Hyatt's announcement so I thought I'd address them in this post.
The Citi Premier® Card is changing…for better & for worse
I'm new to the Citi Premier® Card. I've had it for less than two months and it's only in my credit card portfolio because I'd had enough of the Citi Prestige® Card but didn't want to give up on Citi's ThankYou program entirely. Now we're hearing news that the Citi Premie®r Card is changing and that it's changing significantly enough to affect most cardholders.
This Status Extension Argument Makes No Sense To Me
In the past few weeks, we have seen a lot of the big airlines and hotel chains offering status extensions to members of their loyalty programs but we have also seen quite a few loyalty programs choosing a different path and, instead, choosing to take much shorter-term measures.
This short-termism doesn't really make any sense to me but what makes even less sense is the argument that I've seen put forward to explain (or excuse) the moves being taken by the likes of British Airways and IHG Rewards.
American Airlines Is Now Offering Elite Status Credits On Alaska Airlines Flights
Back in 2017 American Airlines and Alaska Airlines announced some significant negative changes to their partnership and it was only October last year that American Airlines removed Alaska Airlines from its list of award partners...but that was then and this is now.
Delta Pauses Automatic Advance Upgrades & Blocks Middle Seats
Delta has just announced a series of new measures which it hopes will help passengers to continue practice social distancing in the air as well as on the ground. These measures include pausing advance complimentary upgrades and blocking seats in most cabins across the airline's remaining route network.
How IHG Has Gone From Hero To Zero Very Quickly
It was way back on 12 March that IHG Rewards was the first major loyalty program (from the hotel or airline industry) to take measures to make it easier for its members to earn/retain status this year but that appears to have been the end of the program's interest in looking after its members and guests.
I Love Air Canada’s Innovative Offers To Its Elite Flyers
I don't have very many dealing with Air Canada so I can't really comment on how well or badly the airline is dealing with customers in the current environment, but I can say that I love a couple of innovative offers that the airline put to its elite members in an announcement it released yesterday.
How To Get A Refund From British Airways – The Last Working Ways
British Airways has been one of the many airlines that have been trying their very best not to offer customers refunds (or making refund requests as difficult as possible) when their flights have been cancelled, and this is despite the fact that the European Commission and the US Department of Transport both recently restated that refunds have to be offered.
United MileagePlus – Status Extensions, Reduced Elite Requirements & More
United is the second of the three big US carriers to announce measures aimed at placating its frequent flyers (Delta announced its measures yesterday) and the airline is going further than simply extending status for all that currently hold it – there are changes to this year’s elite status requirements, it will be easier to earn status through credit card spending and numerous flyer benefits will no longer expire this year.
Aer Lingus Aer Club Is Gifting Tier Points To Its Members
We've already seen hoteliers like Hilton and Radisson offering elites generous status extensions and airlines like Qatar Airways, Virgin Atlantic following suit, but a few hoteliers and airlines haven't been quite so forthcoming and, up until now Aer Lingus was one such airline. Not any more.
Finnair Is Introducing A New Business Class Fare (And You Should Be Careful)
Recent news out of Finnair suggests that the airline is set to follow Emirates' example and, from later this year, offer a Business Class fare that doesn't come with all of the usual benefits associated with Business Class travel.
Alaska Airlines & American Are Offering Improved Reciprocal Mileage Earning
Now that American and Alaska are playing nicely together again both airlines are offering significantly improved reciprocal mileage earnings on each other's flights - flyers can now earn and redeem Alaska miles on all American Airlines flights and they can earn and redeem American Airlines AAdvantage miles on all Alaska Airlines flights.
My Highly Insignificant, Yet Still Highly Annoying Dilemma
Earlier this week I wrote a post about how I'm using the thoughts of future travel to distract myself from the fact that I'm grounded and stuck at home for the foreseeable future. In that post I mentioned that one of the trips I'm planning would probably require me to buy some miles - it does and this is now causing me a dilemma.
Hilton Isn’t Changing Diamond Status Benefits (For Now)
At the beginning of the week, there was a rumor circulating that Hilton Honors may be in the process of withdrawing a benefit that is considered among the most valuable by its top-tier Diamond status holders but based on a recent update, those fears were unfounded.
Marriott Hacked (Again): Have You Been Bonvoyed?
If you've ever had any dealing with Marriott you'll probably already know that its IT systems are pretty useless but what you may not know is that its IT systems aren't very secure. In fact, their security appears to be laughably easy to circumvent.
A Quick Update On British Airways Refunds
A little over a week ago, a couple of workarounds were found (by people a lot more tech-savvy than me) which allowed British Airways customers to request their refunds via an online form rather than having to wait on the phone lines for hours on end and, as I seem to be getting more and more questions about the state of these refunds, I thought I'd post a quick update on what I've experienced and what I've noticed.
British Airways reduces elite status targets but misses the mark (by a distance!)
British Airways has finally published details of the changes that it's making to the British Airways Executive Club Tier Points targets in light of the current travel crisis but, unsurprisingly, the changes are mostly miserly and poorly thought through.
Incredible! Now Some Airlines Are Seeking Permission To Rip You Off
I've long thought that most airlines (not all) are run by people with little or no soul and by people who have little to no regard for their customers. Sadly, it's taken a worldwide pandemic to prove me right.
Remember How Airlines, Hotels and Agencies Are Acting Right Now
At some point in the future, life will return to what it was like just a few months ago and people will be going about their lives and doing their best to forget the chaos that we're witnessing right now...but I hope we don't forget everything.
Use The New Marriott Tool To See Room Rates With All Fees & Taxes Included
In countries where the hotel industry lobby doesn't own the people's elected representatives (at least, not entirely), hotel websites are obliged to show the total cost of a room with all taxes and fees added in. Sadly the United States isn't such a country so, on most US hotel websites, the cost of a room that a customer is first presented with often has little in common with the final price paid.
How To ‘Force’ The British Airways Website To Offer A Cash Refund (Canceled Flights)
There's a saying that says that desperate times call for desperate measures, and a number of airlines appear to be taking that saying very literally as they blatantly attempt to circumvent laws that dictate that passengers are due a refund if an airline cancels their flights. British Airways is one such airline.
How I’m Earning Virgin Atlantic Gold Status In Just 6 Weeks (I Think!)
I have only ever held top tier status with two airlines - American Airlines and British Airways - but it looks like a couple of fares that I managed to book over the weekend may be my ticket to top tier status with Virgin Atlantic as well.
This Is Why I’ll Never Be A United Airlines Frequent Flyer
Right now there are a few corporations in the travel world that aren't doing a very good job of looking after their customers but there's only one that's actually taken measures that will very obviously make their customers' lives worse...and all at a time where the very opposite is what's needed - meet United Airlines.
The US Adds The UK & Ireland To The Transatlantic Travel Ban – Here Are The Facts
The United States has announced a 30-day ban on travel from 26 28 European countries to the United States which will come into force late on Friday 13 March 2020 (the UK/Ireland ban starts on 16 March). The counties affected are those signed up to the Schengen Agreement which abolished all forms of border control at the countries' mutual borders and, as of 14 March, the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Huge News: Hyatt Pushes Back Devaluations To 2021 (And More)
We've just had some huge news out of Hyatt that should make a lot of people very happy indeed - the introduction of peak and off-peak pricing in the World of Hyatt program is being pushed back to 2021 and all but 5 Hyatt properties will now be remaining in their current World of Hyatt categories.
This Is Why Heathrow’s Immigration E-Gates Can Be A Joke
The introduction of electronic immigration gates at London’s super-busy Heathrow airport was hailed as the UK’s answer to speeding up the process to enter the county, the end of long immigration lines (for eligible travelers) and it was supposed to be almost as revolutionary as Global Entry has been in the US. But it isn’t. It’s nowhere near as good as Global Entry and it turns out there’s a very good reason for this.
I Downgraded My Citi Prestige Card And Confirmed Something Good
Over the past month, I've been reviewing my credit card portfolio and the result of the review has been that I've canceled once credit card, upgraded two and downgraded one and, in the process, I confirmed (re-confirmed may be a better term) something about the Citi Prestige card that I think is worth passing on.
I’m Taking The American Airlines/Etihad Situation Seriously
At the end of last week OMAAT published a post showing that American Airlines had removed Etihad from the list of partners it displays on its website and, unsurprisingly, this sent the rumor mill into overdrive.
Hyatt Is Offering 10,000 Points To Guests Cancelling Non-Refundable Reservations
Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian is in the process of sending out emails to Hyatt loyalists detailing all the precautionary measures that the hotel chain is taking in the light of the worldwide coronavirus situation and to reinforce Hyatt's "increased flexibility with travel planning".
I Don’t Understand Qatar’s New Travel Ban
As coronavirus fear spreads around the world we're seeing different nations taking different approaches in the battle to contain the virus' spread and there's one nation's approach that has left me scratching my head because it seems a little half-baked.
Scientist Wants To See Frequent Flyer Programs Banned
Dr. Richard Carmichael is, according to his Twitter account, a Chartered Psychologist at Imperial College London and he has written a report on "Behavior change, public engagement and Net Zero" in which he looks at what choices people can/should be making that can contribute to reducing emissions that lead to climate change.
Los Angeles Amex Centurion Lounge to open on Monday (9 March 2020)
The long wait for a Centurion Lounge is finally over for those of us who pass through LAX on a frequent basis as Amex has now revealed that its Los Angeles Centurion lounge will open on Monday 9 March 2020.
Review: British Airways 747 First Class (MIA-LHR)
For a recent trip, I was booked to fly in British Airways Club World (Business Class) on an overnight flight between Miami and London. I asked the agent at the check-in counter if they were offering any upgrades to First Class and was quoted a price of $950 - I turned it down. On an overnight flight where I'm going to spend the majority of my time resting or sleeping $950 is considerably more than I'm prepared to pay.
On What Routes Does Virgin Atlantic Fly The A350 (New Business Class)
When an airline takes delivery of a new type of aircraft it's not always a key moment in its timeline but, in Virgin Atlantic's case, the day its first Airbus A350-1000 took to the skies with a planeload of passengers was the day that Virgin Atlantic finally brought its A-game to the transatlantic premium cabin table.
Fly In More Comfort With These Four American Airlines Domestic Wide-Body Services
Widebody aircraft mean large premium cabins (good for upgrades from cargo class), large numbers of seats with extra-legroom (for when the upgrade doesn't clear) and lie-flat seats in the frontmost cabin (for when the upgrade does clear or for when you're paying to fly upfront) so it's always good news when we see Dreamliners and 777s scheduled to fly between various US cities.
Two Upgrades, A Downgrade & A Cancellation – My Month With Credit Cards
This month saw more activity in my credit card portfolio than any other month in the last 4 years and that's entirely down to the fact that I realized I was missing out on good value benefits by sticking with two of my cards, the fact that I realized that I was paying an annual fee for a card that I could no longer justify and the fact that I finally got around to ditching a card I've been threatening to ditch for months.
Use AAdvantage Miles to upgrade your flights
With American making premium cabin saver awards harder and harder to find it has definitely become a lot more challenging to find great uses for AAdvantage miles in recent years (especially if you're based in the US), but the lack of saver award space doesn't have to mean that an AAdvantage balance is worthless or near-impossible to use effectively.
Virgin Atlantic Upper Class A330-300 review (LHR-IAD)
It has been quite some time since I last flew with Virgin Atlantic and while my last experience in the airline's Premium Economy cabin was very good, my feelings towards the older of the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class A330 cabins were less than positive. It would be interesting to see how I felt this time around.
I Knew Marriott Would Make This Mistake…But At Least It’s In My Favour!
In August last year, Marriott announced a couple of significant changes to the way its Points Advance reservations work and when these changes came into effect in September, I pointed out that the Bonvoy program's systems appeared to be incapable of dealing with one of these changes correctly. I also pointed out that I thought I could see how Marriott's solution to this system flaw may actually benefit some guests....and I was right.
Review: BA1 – British Airways A318 All-Business Class Flight (LCY – JFK)
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Huge News: Alaska Airlines To Join Oneworld + American Expands In Seattle
Alaska Airlines and American Airlines have issued a joint statement in which they have announced a new "West Coast International Alliance" under which Alaska's West Coast network will connect up to (and feed) American's long-haul network, which will see Alaska Airlines becoming a member of the oneworld alliance in 2021 and which will see American Airlines launching a new route to Asia and a new route out of Alaska's hub in Seattle.
American Schedules Increased Service To Rio De Janeiro In 2021
American has recently been trying to make up for the collapse of its partnership with LATAM (and the exit of that partner from the oneworld alliance) by partnering with GOL, a Brazilian airline based in Sao Paulo.
Virgin Atlantic Reveals Award Charts For Air France/KLM Redemptions
Virgin Atlantic has been partnering with Air France/KLM for a number of months with all three airlines codesharing on multiple routes while allowing members of their respective loyalty programs to earn miles when booking flights on all three carriers. So far, however, it hasn't been possible to redeem Virgin's Flying Club miles on Air France or KLM....but that has just changed.
Hyatt hotel category changes announced (& more news too)
At the beginning of December Hyatt announced that it would be introducing peak, standard, and off-peak award pricing from March this year but the hotelier didn't let us know exactly when those changes would be introduced or if hotels would also be moving categories...but now we know.
Review: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Heathrow Terminal 3
Lounges like Cathay’s “The Pier” First Class lounge and Qatar Airways’ Al Safwa First Class lounge always make the "top airport lounges" lists (with good reason) and are a cut above most lounges, but the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow T3 regularly gets a mention too (it seems almost universally popular) so I was excited to finally be able to take a look inside and see what's on offer.
Lounges like Cathay’s “The Pier” First Class lounge and Qatar Airways’ Al Safwa First Class lounge always make these lists (with good reason) and are a cut above most lounges but the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow T3 regualry gets a mention too (it seems almost universaly popular) so I was excited to finally be able to take a look inside and see what's on offer.
How to find your Marriott Free Night Certificates in your Bonvoy account
This post is the first in a series of three which will examine how to find Marriott free night certificates in your Bonvoy account (via desktop and via mobile app), how to apply a free night certificate to a single night booking and how to apply a certificate to a multiple night booking.
14 Things I Learned/Discovered In Ho Chi Minh City
I’ve just returned from a short but fun trip to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and thanks to some good tours, friendly locals, a bit of personal experience and a little bit of reading I discovered a variety of things about the city and the country that I never knew before – here are 14 of the things that I learned and that spring to mind (there are probably a lot more).
New York Residents Can No Longer Renew Or Apply For Global Entry
In December last year, the state of New York introduced a new law which allows undocumented immigrants to apply for a state driving license and, in a twist that few would have seen coming, this law is now being cited as the reason why residents of the state of New York can no longer apply for or renew Global Entry membership.
British Airways Reschedules A350 Service To Tokyo (And Consolidates Service)
The British Airways A350-1000 may have been the launch aircraft for the airline's new Club Suite Business Class product but it's also the aircraft that has been at the center of the recent controversy surrounding how the airline has chosen to equip the latest addition to its fleet.
American’s AAdvantage Program Ends Three Hotel Partnerships
The American Airlines AAdvantage program is emailing members to let them know that it will be ending its partnership with three significant hotel chains from later this year and, although members are being given 2 months' notice of the changes, some will still find this a disappointing move by the airline.
Capital One adds two hotel partners & improves a transfer ratio
Capital One has just announced that it will be adding two hotel loyalty programs to the list of partners to which holders of select Capital One cards can transfer their miles (these are programs to which no other credit card currency can be transferred) as well as improving the transfer ratio to one of its existing partner programs.
Welcome To Brexit – What The UK Government Wants UK Travelers To Know
The United Kingdom will officially leave the European Union (EU) at midnight Central European Time today, 31 January 2020, and it’s interesting to note that the British Government waited until approximately 36 hours before that momentous occasion before it updated its webpage setting out what effect Brexit may have on its citizens' future travel plans….and the details don’t make for pretty reading.
Marriott opens the refurbished Ritz-Carlton South Beach
Marriott has announced the reopening of the Ritz-Carlton South Beach following a $90m renovation project that has seen the property keep its Art Deco design but has also seen a wholescale floor-to-ceiling modernization of the property.
United Adds A 777 To A Transcon Route (Summer Months Only)
Savvy travelers are always looking to book the most comfortable cabins possible when planning their trips and with most domestic routes dominated by narrow-body abominations, the appearance of a wide-body aircraft on a domestic route is often a great chance to travel that route in considerably more comfort than normal and a great chance for flyers to try out an international premium cabin for a lot less than it would usually cost.
Star Alliance limits 3rd party lounge access for Gold elites
When a hotel or airline loyalty program puts introduces an apparently unnecessary devaluation I can't help but wonder if they truly understand how they're helping to make the competition look better...and that's how I feel about Star Alliance right now.
Did The IHG Rewards Club Just Get Devalued Again?
Based on recent history IHG usually uses the beginning of a new year to put through some negative changes to its loyalty program (in 2018 top-tier redemptions became more expensive and in 2019 over 570 properties became more expensive) but so far 2020 has seen IHG Rewards remained unchanged...until now.
Qantas Flyers Lose Access To The American Airlines Arrivals Lounge In London
The entry criteria to the American Airlines arrival lounge at London Heathrow T3 have always been stricter than the entry requirements to most other oneworld airline lounges and now it seems that the lounge is about to get even more exclusive as Qantas pulls the plug on access for its flyers.
Plaza Premium Lounge London Heathrow T3 (arrivals) joins Priority Pass
London Heathrow Terminal 3 is home to most of the oneworld airlines (American Airlines, Qantas, JAL, Cathay Pacific, etc...) as well as to airlines such as Delta, Virgin Atlantic, and Emirates....and it's even the terminal that British Airways uses for the flights that it can't fit into its T5 home.
Odd: United Adds True Polaris Business Class To A Seasonal Route
United's Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners all offer true Polaris Business Class seats and are mostly (possibly entirely) based at the airline's Newark hub and, in a recent schedule change, one such aircraft has been scheduled on a route that I didn't expect to see it operate.
Oops!…Chase Did It Again!
It was only yesterday that I was giving Chase a well-deserved hard time for altering credit card benefits without any advance warning and sometimes even without informing cardholders at all (cardholders are left to find out by chance or from the various blogs that write about this stuff...and that's if they ever find out at all!) and now it seems that the card issuer has repeated the trick with another one of its credit cards...albeit a credit card that's no longer open to new applicants.
Qatar Airways Adds Qsuite Service To Another UK Airport
Thanks to the introduction of new aircraft and the increased speed with which Qatar Airways is refitting its older aircraft, the Qsuite Business Class cabin is not nearly as hard to find and book as it once was...but it's still exciting to see it being rolled out to more and more new cities.
The Chase Sapphire Cards take a hit (a small but important one)
One of the big reasons why I think the Chase Sapphire Reserve card still has its uses is because, despite the highly annoying news we got last week, the card still offers some of the best consumer travel protections around...as does its sister card the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Review: American Airlines 767 Business Class (JFK-MIA)
One of the best ways to fly domestically is, unsurprisingly, to fly in First/Business Class and one of the best ways to fly domestic First/Business Class is to book a flight which offers lie-flat seating in its premium cabin(s) - that's why I was pleased to find that I could book American's widebody 767 aircraft for a flight between New York JFK and Miami.
Qatar Airways Announces 8 New Routes (And One Is Great News For Me)
Qatar Airways is undoubtedly one of the best airlines in the world (especially if you're flying in Business Class) and thanks to some of the amazing premium cabin fares that it offers between Europe and Asia it's also one of the more popular airlines too.
That's why the news that the airline is launching 8 new routes between March and November 2020 will bring a smile to quite a few people's faces...and to mine in particular thanks to one specific route coming later this year.
This Is What Comes In The Marriott Lifetime Titanium Package
I had absolutely no idea that Marriott sends out special packs to Bonvoy members who earn Lifetime Elite status (I haven't even been sent an elite status card for the last 3 years) and, even though I earned the status back at the end of 2018, it was only over the recent holiday period that I received my pack in the mail.
Did You Know That You Can Earn American Airlines Business Extra Points With Rocketmiles?
I haven't really paid much notice to Rocketmiles over the years because bookings made through the site aren't eligible for elite status recognition nor do they earn guests points in any hotel programs but a recent tweet caught my eye and taught me something I didn't know - Rocketmiles also partners with the American Airlines Business Extra program.
Credit Card News & Offers
