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)
Some links to products and travel providers on this website will earn Traveling For Miles a commission that helps contribute to the running of...
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.
Two More US Cities Will Get Qatar Airways Qsuites Service This Year
Qatar Airways has gradually been increasing the number of aircraft and number of routes on which it offers its highly acclaimed Qsuites Business Class cabin and 2020 will be the year in which all of the airline's US routes will finally offer passengers Qatar's premium Business Class cabin.
Asiana Cuts Planned Business Suites & Significantly Reduces Business Class To NYC
Asiana is one of a number of airlines that haven't enjoyed the best of health in recent years and it has been taking various measures to improve its financial performance. In 2019 we saw the airline scale back its First Class offering by rebranding its most premium cabin as "Business Suites" and removing true First Class dining and services and we saw it axing a number of its less profitable routes as well.
Now it looks as if Asiana is scaling back its premium cabin offering between Seoul and New York City.
Oh Chase, what are you thinking?!
There have been rumors floating around about possible changes to the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card for at least a year and these rumors came to a head a couple of days ago when a few specific changes were mooted.
Now, despite the fact that Chase has yet to officially inform any cardmembers of impending changes, we're being reliably told that January 12th will see the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card get a mini-makeover...and it's not going to be a good one.
2 Years On & My Move To The British Airways Executive Club Seems To Be Working Out
I didn't make the change to BA lightly. I had enjoyed the best part of a decade as a top-tier AAdvantage member but the rapid devaluation to benefits that followed the US Airways takeover of American Airlines combined with the introduction of minimum spend criteria meant that AAdvantage Executive Platinum status was no longer a sensible option for me. The status cost too much to earn and math just didn't stack up.
Review: Qantas International Business Lounge Perth (Terminal 1)
If you're traveling in a premium cabin on a oneworld airline out of Perth you'll almost certainly be traveling out Terminal 1 (unless you're flying with Qantas) and this means that the lounge you'll be using is the Qantas International Business Lounge which is located across from Gate 52.
The World of Hyatt devaluation announcement actually made me happy
Ok, clearly I'm never usually happy, delighted or ecstatic when a loyalty program puts through a change that effectively devalues its offering but, in the case of the recent changes we saw Hyatt announce to the World of Hyatt award chart, my overall feelings were those of relief and, yes, happiness.
Review: Qatar Airways A380 Business Class (Perth-Doha)
It has been a while since I've posted a review of the Qatar Airways A380 aircraft and that's probably because, despite the fact that I fly with Qatar Airways reasonably frequently, I rarely seem to find myself traveling on routes where the airline offers its largest aircraft.
On a recent trip to Australia that all changed and I found myself booked on the Qatar Airways whale-jet for the 11+ hour flight between Perth and Doha.
United Adds Summer Domestic Wide-Body Service Out Of Denver
One of the cheaper ways of trying out an international premium cabin product is to find a domestic route on which one of the big international airlines is using a widebody aircraft in full international configuration, and right now that what United has scheduled on one of its routes out of Denver.
Delta Schedules More A330-900neo Service Out Of Seattle
Delta started taking delivery of the new Airbus A330-900neo back at the end of May and it has been operating the latest-generation aircraft on routes out of Seattle since July. So far we've seen the aircraft operating to Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo Narita but a recent schedule update shows Delta adding more A330-900neo service out of Seattle in 2020.
Marriott Bonvoy’s ‘The Langley’ reviewed
Earlier this year, with very little fanfare, a new Marriott property opened outside London. The property is called The Langley (a Luxury Collection property) and it sits within a 130-acre park in the British countryside a little over 7 miles from Heathrow airport.
Joanna and I spent 2 nights at the property and, having reflected on our stay, I feel confident in stating that this property offers one of the very best redemption options in the whole Marriott Bonvoy hotel chart - it's fantastic.
Quick Look: The New Qantas First Class Lounge In Singapore
Today marks the opening of the new Qantas First Class lounge in Singapore which will work in tandem with the existing Qantas Business Class lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 1. Qantas has now released details and a few images of the new lounge and it looks pretty good.
United Cuts Service To Hong Kong (Again) As American Doubles Down On Tel Aviv
These are tough times in Hong Kong and with the protests showing no real sign of dying down for good (and having dragged on for far longer than anyone had expected) the appetite for travel to the 'Special Administrative Region' has dropped significantly.
Air France Making Positive & Negative Changes To Its San Francisco Service
Sometimes it can be quite amazing what a difference an aircraft swap can make and a recent change of heart by Air France is a great example of how an airline's decision on which aircraft to use can make a significant difference (both positive and negative) to its offering on any given route.
I Had No Idea You Could Enroll For TSA PreCheck At Staples Stores
I get TSA PreCheck as an added bonus alongside my Global Entry membership so perhaps that's why I've never realized (or noticed!) that some people can now avoid the hassle of a trip to a government enrolment center when applying for TSA PreCheck by visiting their local Staples store instead.
British Airways Opens Its Renovated Lounge In Geneva
British Airways is in the middle of a much needed lounge investment program and after announcing the reopening of a significantly improved lounge in Johannesburg a couple of weeks ago, the airline now says that it has reopened its revamped lounge in Geneva.
The New Virgin Atlantic A350 Is Coming To LAX From 19 April 2020
I have a strange love/hate relationship with Virgin Atlantic. I love Virgin's crews, its ground staff, the atmosphere onboard its aircraft and the airline's excellent Premium Economy Class product, but I hate the airline's Upper Class seat with a passion....and that's why I've been waiting for this news for months!
LATAM Will Leave Oneworld In October 2020
At the end of September it was announced that the planned joint venture between American Airlines and LATAM would not be going ahead following the failure of both airlines to find a solution to an unfavorable ruling by the Chilean Supreme Court earlier in the year.
How I’m Choosing My Flights Should Worry American Airlines
A few months ago I explained why I thought American Airlines often makes it easy for travelers to dislike it and with no signs on the horizon that American Airlines management has any interest in improving its customer-facing operations, I thought I'd share how my own travel choices have been changing and why this should be of concern to the airline.
Hong Kong Airlines Has Scaled Back Planned Service To Vancouver
Last week's move to cut its route to Los Angeles left Hong Kong Airlines airline with only a route between Hong Kong and Vancouver as evidence of its once big plans for transpacific travel and, as some suspected, a recent schedule update now shows this route is also facing an uncertain future.
Quick Look: The New British Airways Lounge In Johannesburg
British Airways has announced the reopening of its lounge at Johannesburg International Airport following extensive renovation works and the airline has now shared some images and details of what customers can expect when they next visit the facility.
Virgin Atlantic Is Adding More Flights To Las Vegas & Orlando
I'm always happy to see airlines adding new routes or more capacity to existing routes as the more seats that airlines have to fill the harder it is for them to increase prices...and I hate paying any more than I absolutely have to for the flights I book.
Delta Opens A New Sky Club In New Orleans Today
If you're a Delta flyer based in New Orleans the airline has some good news for you - as of today, 6 November 2019, the latest Sky Club is opening at Louis Armstrong New Orleans international airport.
Annoying: Marriott Has Made Suite Night Awards Officially Harder & More Expensive To Use
I've had mixed fortunes with Marriott's Suite Night awards this year with great success at stays in Sydney and, most recently, in Venice, but I've also had my fair share of frustrations with various properties choosing not to allow me to apply a Suite Night award to my reservation because Marriott allows them to opt-out of offering that particular benefit (the London Edition and the Langley both spring to mind).
Now it looks as if Marriott has officially made Suite Night awards officially harder to use.
39 New Properties Join The World Of Hyatt…But There’s A Catch!
Hyatt's loyalty program has been expanding at an impressive rate over the past 18 months and after integrating 8 Destination Hotels properties into the World of Hyatt in August/September, and after adding a further 49 SLH properties to the program in October, Hyatt has now announced that a further 39 Destination Hotels properties will join the World of Hyatt in the next week....but this time there's a catch.
Hong Kong Airlines Cancels Los Angeles Route And Exits The US Market
After flying its last flights between Hong Kong and San Francisco at the beginning of October, Hong Kong Airlines has now announced that it will be closing down its route to Los Angeles from February 2020.
Marriott Is Buying Seven Caribbean Hotels To Add To Its All-Inclusive Portfolio
At the beginning of August Marriott announced that it planned to offer guests more all-inclusive options and that it planned to do so with a mixture of new-builds, conversions of its existing resorts and new management contracts with existing all-inclusive resorts.
Well, now you can add acquisitions to that list too as Marriott has now announced that it has agreed to buy Elegant Hotels Group for approximately $130m and will be folding the groups 7 existing properties into its all-inclusive arm.
American Express Is Adding Benefits To Its Corporate Cards
American Express has announced that starting today and going forward, it will be adding new benefits to all three of its Corporate Cards as it brings some cards into closer alignment with their personal and business counterparts and as it incorporates new partnerships with Uber and CLEAR.
Southwest Is Making The Companion Pass Harder To Get (And Making A Small Improvement Too)
To earn a Companion Pass for 2020 a Rapid Rewards member has to fly 100 one-way qualifying flights or earn 110,000 Companion Qualifying Points by the end of the calendar year, but the qualification requirements for the qualification year starting on 1 January 2020 have just been increased.
Qatar Airways Gives Top-Tier Elites Free Access To The Al Safwa First Class Lounge
Qatar Airways has announced that, with immediate effect, Platinum-tier Privilege Club members may access the Al Safwa First Class lounge in Doha free of charge when traveling in Business Class.
Air New Zealand Will Offer More Legroom In Economy Class (For A Price)
Air New Zealand appears to believe that there are a significant number of flyers for whom its standard Economy Class seats are too tight and for whom the cost of Premium Economy is too high and it plans to monetize this group - welcome to "Economy Stretch".
American Adds Domestic Wide-Body Service Out Of Philadelphia (Very Briefly)
This is just a quick note to let readers know that American Airlines has scheduled a 787-8 Dreamliner to briefly operate on two of its domestic routes out of Philadelphia - if you'd like to try out a long-haul lie-flat bed this may be one of the cheaper ways to do it.
Chase Is Starting To Make Slight Changes To Some Cards’ Benefits
When I get an email from a credit card issuer with a subject line that reads "Please read: Important changes to your credit card benefits" I usually expect the worst.
Following the drastic cuts made by Citi, the changes being made by Barclays and the recently announced benefit reshuffle at American Express I think I'm entitled to feel a little concerned when I get an email from a fourth credit card issuer to let me know that changes are on the way
Here’s A Great Alaska Miles Redemption & Here’s Why It Just Got A Little Better
Alaska Mileage Plan is an incredibly popular loyalty program in the miles and points world because it's one of the few loyalty programs left that still rewards travelers for the distance they fly, its award booking rules are comparatively flyer-friendly, and it allows members to book economical premium cabin awards on a number of very useful airlines.
This is How Distance Flown Can Be Still Very Important To Earning United Premier Status
United has completely overhauled the way Premier status is earned and has increased the spending thresholds for each status level too but, despite its best efforts to shift MileagePlus towards being a revenue reward program, the airline hasn't actually managed to prevent the distance travelers fly from having a significant effect on the status they can earn.
Qatar Airways Adds More Qsuite Service To Copenhagen
Select high-value destinations (e.g New York and London) have seen Qatar Airways offer them Qsuite Business Class service on multiple daily flights for some time but now that exclusive list is growing and it looks like Copenhagen will be the next city to have more than one daily flight offering Qsuites Business Class service.
Huge Changes Coming To United MileagePlus – Are You A Winner Or Loser?
Some links to products and travel providers on this website will earn Traveling For Miles a commission that helps contribute to the running of...
Fiji Airways Reveals New A350 Business Class (Coming To Los Angeles)
Earlier this year Fiji Airways and Airbus let it be known that it would be taking delivery of two Airbus A350-900 aircraft in the latter part of 2019 and that the new aircraft would come fitted with an all-new lie-flat Business Class cabin as an enhancement to the angle-flat Business Class seats the airline currently offers.
United Announces The First 15 CRJ-550 Routes (Flights On Sale Tomorrow)
United Airlines has announced that fares for flights on its new regional Bombardier CRJ-550 aircraft will go on sale from 12 October 2019 for travel commencing 27 October 2019. The airline has also announced the first 15 routes on which the CRJ-550 will operate.
Singapore Airlines Awards Bookable Through Alaska Mileage Plan (View The Full Award Chart)
Singapore Airlines has been an Alaska Mileage Plan partner since September 2017 but although it has been possible to earn Alaska Miles on Singapore Airlines for the past two years it's only now that Alaska Miles can be used to book Singapore Airlines awards.
49 More Properties Join The World Of Hyatt
I have to hand it to Hyatt, they've been doing an exceptional job of incorporating properties from the Small Luxury Hotels portfolio into the World of Hyatt and today sees another 49 such properties join the program taking the overall total of participating SLH hotels to over 250.
Qantas A330 Business Class review (Sydney – Perth)
A review of the Qantas A330-200 Business Class cabin, service, and experience on an evening flight between Sydney and Perth. Get a view inside the A330 all-aisle-access Business Class cabin, have a look at the food served onboard and find how good or bad the service was on this 4+ hour flight.
American Airlines Pushes Back 737 MAX Service To January 2020
The saga of the 737 MAX aircraft continues as American Airlines confirms that it now doesn't expect the aircraft to be returning to its operations before the middle of January next year.
AMEX Will Open A Bigger Lounge In Sydney This Month
The better known American Express airport lounges are the Centurion Lounges that are primarily found in the US as well in a limited number of international airport locations, but these aren't the only AMEX airport lounges around.
San Francisco To Get Service From Two More European Airlines
I love it when we get more transatlantic service to the West Coast because the more seats we see scheduled to fly to Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego the harder it becomes for airlines to increase fares...and right now I'm very happy.
Credit Card News & Offers
