Now JetBlue is courting disgruntled Delta SkyMiles members
The radical changes to Delta's SkyMiles program were only made public a couple of weeks ago, but already the vultures are circling. On Monday, Alaska Airlines was the first to offer SkyMiles members an alternative home and now JetBlue has joined the fray with what appears to be a very generous status match offer to Delta flyers looking for a more appropriate frequent flyer program.
Alaska Airlines is tempting Delta flyers with a new route & a generous status match
The dust may not have yet settled on the remains of the old Delta Skymiles program, but with details of the new Skymiles program already angering, upsetting or annoying what appears to be a significant number of people, Alaska Airlines is making moves to capitalize on Delta's disenchanted flyers.
Big changes coming to Delta Sky Club access rules
Delta has had a problem with overcrowding in its Sky Clubs for some time and in the past couple of years, it has brought in various measures to try and sort the problem out. Unfortunately, none of these measures have made much of a difference so far.
The Lufthansa A380’s are making their comeback on routes to the US
In 2021, Lufthansa's CEO told the world that the airline's A380 would not return from their pandemic-induced grounding and in April 2022, the same CEO reiterated that Lufthansa's A380s were gone for good. Just 3 months later, however, the narrative suddenly changed and the largest passenger aircraft around found itself with a new lease of life within the Lufthansa fleet.
Delta does what Delta does best… devalue its loyalty program (this time, in a big way)
Delta has announced that it will be moving down the path that American Airline's forged back in 2022 by revamping its frequent flyer program and using just a single metric to decide what elite status (if any) members of the program should have.
Lufthansa will operate three new routes to the US in 2024
Business travel may not be back to pre-pandemic levels, but that doesn't appear to be a major issue for Lufthansa with the airline announcing three new routes to the US from summer next year (two of which include destinations that the airline has not served in the past).
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is changing its Silver Tier seating benefits
Virgin Atlantic has announced that in a little under a week's time, the seating benefits associated with its Flying Club's Silver Tier will be changing, and while the reaction to this news will depend heavily on what fares people normally book, I suspect most people will see this as bad news.
Marriott’s 4Q 2023 worldwide promotion is now live
While the latest World of Hyatt global promotion doesn't go live until next month, Marriott's idea of a 4Q 2023 promotion is now live so if you haven't already registered, now is probably the time to do so.
Don’t cry ‘clickbait!, it’s not our fault!
Accusations of 'clickbait' are to be found all over the internet, and while it's often a term that's misused by those too lazy to think up a more relevant rebuke or by those who don't appear to know what clickbait actually is, there's no arguing with the fact that genuine clickbait can be very annoying.
This Chase free night certificate “glitch” is annoying
Free night certificates that come as a credit card benefit are mostly pretty simple to use, but things aren't always as straightforward as they should be. I, for example, have recently had an incredibly annoying time trying to redeem one particular certificate and as a quick web search has revealed that I'm far from alone, I thought that I'd flag the issue so that anyone reading this knows what can go wrong and how I eventually got around the problem I faced.
Emirates will offer an ‘all A380’ service to/from Sydney
In the past few hours, Emirates has announced that it will be moving to offer an all-A380 service on its route between Dubai and Sydney before the end of the year. It has also confirmed that it is in talks with Adelaide airport with the aim of restarting service to South Australia once the airline's new Airbus A350s begin to arrive.
British Airways extends its double Tier Points offer through 2024
Following on from Tuesday's news that British Airways will be moving, in part, to a revenue based loyalty program, the airline has now also announced that it is again extending its offer of double tier points on bookings made through its British Airways Holidays subsidiary.
Alaska Airlines announces two new coast-to-coast routes
Alaska Airlines is probably best known for being a West Coast carrier specializing in flights out of the Pacific Northwest, but it has some transcontinental routes too and starting this winter, two new coast to coast routes will be added to the airline's schedules.
British Airways announces five more ‘Avios only’ flights for 2023/24
In recent times, Qantas is probably the best known airline to publish flights on which all seats can only be purchased using miles or points (rather than cash), but in April this year, British Airways joined in the fun when it announced 'Avios only' flights to/from Sharm El Sheikh and Geneva.
Yet another Hyatt property is playing around with award availability
When it comes to award night availability, the World of Hyatt rules are simple – if a property is selling an entry-level room for cash, that same room must also be made available for award bookings. This is part of the ‘no blackout dates’ policy enshrined in the World of Hyatt terms and conditions and it's one of the things that a lot of us really love about Hyatt's loyalty program.
The InterContinental Carlton Cannes will reopen as the Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, on Monday
The final months of 2022 brought bad news for members of the InterContinental Ambassador program. In November, IHG confirmed that Ambassador benefits will no longer be offered at Regent Hotels & Resorts and that the programs free weekend night certificate will no longer be useable at Kimpton properties. And in December, we were told that the InterContinental Carlton Cannes would be reflagged as the Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, following refurbishment works.
Booking IHG reward nights? Beware the hidden junk fees!
When you make an award booking with Hilton or Hyatt you don't have to worry about resort/destination/amenity fees because those chains waive their junk fees on award bookings. You don't even have to hold elite status with Hilton or Hyatt to avoid these fees because everyone gets junk fees waived when booking awards with these guys. Sadly, the same is not true of award bookings with IHG or Marriott.
Another annoying junk fee at the Andaz West Hollywood
Unlike quite a few posters over on Flyertalk, I don't have much of an issue with the Andaz West Hollywood as a property (we put friends up there on 'guest of honor' bookings reasonably frequently), but I've often railed against the ridiculous and indefensible destination fee that the property charges.
I tried out the British Airways ‘Best Price Guarantee’ earlier today
The fact that most large hotel chains offer some sort of guarantee that the price a customer will pay when they book directly through them is the lowest price available is pretty well known. What appears to be less well known is that a number of airlines offer a similar policy and earlier, I finally had a chance to see how well (or badly!) BA's best price guarantee policy can work.
The very odd booking issue with JetBlue’s new Paris route
Yesterday was the day that JetBlue opened up bookings on its new route between New York JFK and Paris and while it was nice to see the airline offering special discounted rates to publicize its new flights, it was a little odd to find that JetBlue had failed to highlight one key issue that some customers will face when trying to book.
I didn’t know that Chase Freedom bonus points can be earned retroactively (sometimes)
Something that most people reading this article will probably know is that every quarter, the Chase Freedom Flex® credit card and the Chase Freedom credit card (not open to new applicants) offer bonus points for spending in select categories to cardholders who register their cards after the quarterly categories have been announced.
World of Hyatt devaluation – these are numbers & some key movers
Last week, Hyatt announced that a significant number of properties that participate in the World of Hyatt program will be moving categories at the end of this month. Overall, the news isn't good, but a look at the numbers shows that how someone views the upcoming changes will probably depend on where in the world they most enjoy spending their points so the upcoming changes will almost certainly not be universally disliked.
Was the latest United Airlines flash promotion a rip-off? What am I missing?
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Etihad will offer double daily service to New York starting this summer
Etihad has announced that with advanced bookings looking strong and with demand for travel not really showing much sign of waning (despite the economic outlook), it will increase its frequencies between Abu Dhabi and New York to offer flyers in those cities a double daily service.
British Airways is now permitting fee-free flight changes for Heathrow & Gatwick arrivals (Border Force strike dates)
A couple of days ago, British Airways announced that because Heathrow Airport was suffering significant delays and issues due to weather, it would permit some passengers to change their outbound flights. Now, the airline is saying that some passengers whose arrival dates coincide with the UK Border Force's strike days later this month, can make select fee-free changes to their bookings.
Significant changes coming to the American Airlines AAdvantage program
The AAdvantage program's current incarnation is still very new (it only came into being earlier this year) but American Airlines is already pushing through new changes which, on the whole, are probably going to be unpopular.
British Airways is offering limited free flight changes for Heathrow departures
In the past few days, southern England has seen a light dusting of snow and because most of the UK's transport infrastructure is utterly incapable of dealing with any kind of weather that isn't light rain, various services have been disrupted.
Delta is resuming flights to Cuba next year
Delta has confirmed that it plans to restart service to Havana in the first half of next year following the route's suspension in March 2022. The route will operate twice daily from Miami and will link into Delta's service from ten other US airports.
[Updated] Etihad is bringing back its A380s this summer
The rumors that Etihad would bring back at least some of its A380 grew strongest in late summer and now, after a period in which the airline hasn't been saying much about its Whale Jets, we finally have news that the rumors were true. Four Etihad A380s will be returning to the skies later this year.
[Updated] Did British Airways just slash award surcharges for US departures? (Yes & No)
British Airways appears to be pushing through some big changes to its loyalty program today and because we haven't yet had a public announcement from the airline, it's not yet clear what all the changes will look like.
These are the luxury EMEA properties that Hyatt has in the pipeline
Hyatt has issued a new update on its plans for luxury hotel openings in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and although a number of the properties included in the update have been mentioned (at one point or another) in the past, the fact that the pandemic caused so much havoc with some of these plans means that it's good to see where things now stand.
Finnair is bringing its new Business Class & Premium Economy cabins to Miami
Towards the beginning of the year, Finnair surprised quite a few people when it unveiled a new and very different Business Class seat alongside its long rumored Premium Economy Cabin. Since then, we've seen the new cabins appearing on select routes to Asia as well as on a couple of Finnair's US routes, and now they're coming to Miami.
InterContinental Ambassador members lose an important option in Europe
The past few weeks haven't brought good news for members of the InterContinental Ambassador program. Back in November, IHG confirmed that Ambassador benefits soon won't be offered at Regent Hotels & Resorts and that the programs free weekend night certificate will no longer be useable at Kimpton properties, and now we're told that a major InterContinental property in Europe is being reflagged.
Accor ALL points now convert to Flying Blue in a ratio of 1:1
Flying Blue, the loyalty program for Air France and KLM, has had a partnership with Accor's ALL program for some time and in the past few hours, that partnership has got a little bit more interesting as the ratio in which Accor points transfer across to Flying Blue was improved significantly.
Iberia will add more flights to Dallas & has moved into JFK T8
Iberia has confirmed that it will be increasing the number of flights that it offers on its route between Madrid and Dallas and that it has now followed in the footsteps of British Airways by moving its New York JFK operations into Terminal 8 alongside American Airlines.
Marriott will open three new high-end all-inclusive properties in Mexico
It has been a while since we heard Marriott talk about its plans for its all-inclusive collection, but the silence has now been broken with news that we can expect Marriott to open three new high-end all-inclusive properties in Mexico in the next three years.
Hyatt announces plans to buy Dream Hotel Group (more properties coming to the World of Hyatt)
Hyatt has today announced plans to purchase Dream Hotels Group, which is expected to add twelve properties to the World of Hyatt program in the short-term and a further 24 properties in the medium term.
Deal: Get 4 months free with a new VPN service (30-day money back guarantee)
Recently, I've had a couple of reasons to write about why I think having access to a VPN service is both important and helpful (see here and here) and right now, the provider that I use is offering new customers up to 4 months free (16 months in total) when they take out a subscription in the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale.
Interesting: Amex removes Frontier as a Platinum Card airline credit option
A number of American Express Platinum Cards offer cardholders an airline fee credit as a way of helping them offset part of their card's annual fee (or, as a way of helping them justify their card's annual fee) but at some point in the past few days, this benefit became a little weaker.
Chase’s Hyatt offers may work abroad even if they’re not meant to
Right now, a number of Chase credit cards are offering cardholders capped discounts of 10% or 15% on Hyatt spending made by the end of the month, but per the offer's terms and conditions, these savings are only available for spending made at Hyatt's domestic properties. Those terms, however, may not actually reflect how things really work.
Check if you’ll be approved for an Amex card without it impacting your credit score
American Express has confirmed that it's piloting a new "experience" for consumers, which will allow select applicants to find out if they'll be approved for their preferred Amex card without having their credit score affected (i.e. Without a hard pull on their credit file).
IHG is adding up to 70 all-inclusive properties to its portfolio
IHG is the latest of the big hotel groups to decide that it needs to increase its foothold in the all-inclusive market so in a move that will see up to 70 new properties coming under the IHG umbrella, it has announced a strategic partnership with Iberostar Hotels & Resorts.
Virgin Atlantic will fly to the Maldives and the Turks & Caicos from next year
British Airways may have announced yet another route to the US yesterday, but Virgin Atlantic has just stolen all the thunder in the UK by announcing that it plans to launch services to the Maldives and the Turks & Caicos Islands in 2023.
A mostly pointless Marriott Bonvoy elite status is getting more expensive
Ambassador Elite status is the very highest level of status that you can earn with the Marriott Bonvoy program and it's the only Bonvoy Elite status that currently comes with a spending requirement. In 2023, that spending requirement will be going up.
British Airways has just announced a new route to the United States
Speculation that British Airways was planning to announce a new route to the US has been growing for some time and the range of potential new US destinations that people have been suggesting has been impressive - Indianapolis, Hartford, Detroit, Cleveland, and Salt Lake City are just a few destinations that have been mooted. The time for speculation is now over, however, as we finally know what the new route will be.
Big news: JetBlue announces new transatlantic routes to Paris
JetBlue is obviously very happy with how its first foray into the transatlantic market has been going (the airline's London routes) because it has just announced that it will be adding two new transatlantic services to Paris next year.
British Airways is trialling biometrics for international departures
Biometrics are not exactly a new thing in the travel world - British Airways has been using biometrics to speed up boarding on domestic flights since 2017 and American Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, and others have been using biometric boarding gates at various US airports since 2018 - but now British Airways has announced a trial that will take things a step further at London Heathrow.
Another reason you should have a VPN when you travel
Safety and security are always the key reasons given when people talk about why it's a good idea to have and use a VPN when traveling but while that's clearly the correct thing to focus on, there's also another reason why it's a good idea to have access to a VPN when you're abroad.
Hyatt announces a new all-inclusive resort for Europe (new WoH properties coming this year)
Hyatt got into the all-inclusive resort business when it bought Apple Leisure Group for $2.7 billion back in November 2021 and just recently, it showed its commitment to expand on that purchase when it announced that it would open 5 new all-inclusive properties in Bulgaria over the next two years.
Today, that expansion continues with the news that Hyatt will open the Dreams Madeira Resort Spa & Marina in Portugal in 2024.
British Airways will add more flights to Pittsburgh in 2023
Pittsburgh Airport has announced that British Airways will be increasing the number of flights that it offers to/from London Heathrow once the summer 2023 schedule is in place.
British Airways A320 Club Europe (Business Class) review
Club Europe is the name that British Airways gives to the short-haul Business Class product offered on its flights within Europe and last week, I got to see what the current Club Europe product is looking like when I flew on a British Airways A320 to Sofia.
Marriott is introducing the “Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy” brand
Marriott has today put out an announcement to say that it's expanding its portfolio beyond hotels, resorts, timeshares, and home rentals and that it plans to offer apartment-style accommodations in locations around the world.
Hyatt has opened a new Unbound Collection hotel in NYC…and I’ll be avoiding it
Hyatt has confirmed that Grayson Hotel has become the first Unbound Collection property to open its doors in New York City.
United announces changes coming to MileagePlus in 2023
As of next year, United's MileagePlus program will be bringing in the elite qualification criteria that it had promised to introduce before the pandemic put a halt to the program's plans. Unfortunately, that means that the lower elite status thresholds that flyers have been enjoying for the past few years will soon be nothing more than a pleasant memory but on the upside, there is at least a little bit of good news coming out of MileagePlus today.
The British Airways Avios calculator appears to be returning some odd results
The British Airways Avios calculator can be a very useful tool for anyone wanting to see how many Avios and Tier Points they'll earn from whatever bookings they're making or planning but right now, I'm not convinced that it's showing the correct information.
British Airways website not working? This workaround may be able to help
Over the weekend, British Airways was, once again, having serious issues with both its desktop site and its app and as this is becoming a common occurrence, now seems like a good time to mention that the next time you're struggling to access your British Airways account or check-in for a flight online, there is a small workaround that can sometimes come to your aid.
The Elizabeth Line: A review of the new direct service from Heathrow to central London
Part of the Elizabeth Line (formerly known as Crossrail) has been open for a few months but it was only yesterday that passengers traveling from Heathrow into the heart of London were able to do so without the need for a change of trains. As I happened to be at Heathrow anyway, I decided to take a look at the new service to see what it has to offer.
Warning: Dormant credit and debit cards are not immune from fraud
Most people are probably very aware that the debit cards and credit cards that we use in our everyday lives are targets for scammers and fraudsters who would like nothing more than to get hold of our details and make off with as much of our cash (or the credit card company's cash) as possible. But did you know that even a card that you haven't used for years can be compromised?
United Airlines opens a new Grab-and-Go “club concept” in Denver
Designed to coincide with the opening of the Concourse B expansion at Denver International Airport, United Airlines has today opened a new "club concept" at the airport which allows eligible flyers to get some food and drinks "to go" before heading to their gates to catch their flights.
Coming soon: Earn Avios on Uber rides taken in the UK
British Airways has announced that at some point later this month, members of its Executive Club loyalty program will be able to collect Avios every time they make a booking through the Uber app in the UK.
The InterContinental Ambassador program is rolling back some positive changes
There aren't many things that you can point to that got better as a result of the Covid pandemic but the rules surrounding some of the benefits offered by the InterContinental Ambassador program can be counted among them. Now, because the world is almost back to how it was in 2019 (albeit, sadly, without the low interest rates!), IHG is rolling back those positive changes.
The Platinum Card® from American Express just got improved (slightly)
Quietly and without any fanfare, two slight improvements to two of the benefits offered by the Platinum Card® from American Express have been made. Considering how much publicity Amex normally throws behind "improvements" that don't actually improve the card, it's surprising that more hasn't been made of these changes but, nevertheless, this is genuinely a little bit of good news.
How my iPad “went missing” at Heathrow security
Recently, I was catching an early flight out of London Heathrow, and because I got to terminal 5 before the security lane at the First Wing opened, I decided to use the priority security lane at the north end of the terminal rather than waiting for the First Wing line to open. In hindsight, that was a poor decision.
The inevitable British Airways Executive Club devaluation is on its way
It has been rumored for some time and now, thanks to a press release from Iberia, we know that the British Airways Executive Club will take its first step towards being a revenue-based program at some point in 2023.
Hyatt Place London City East – An in-depth review
An in-depth review of the Hyatt Place London City East - one of the newer Hyatt properties in the British capital and the most centrally located of Hyatt's select-service London properties.
Emirates brings its Airbus A380 Whale Jet back to Tokyo
Earlier this week, finally Japan caught up with the rest of the world (well, most of it) and fully reopened its doors to visitors for the first time since the pandemic first became a thing. Now, as demand for travel to Japan starts to spike, airlines are rushing to meet that demand in whatever way they can.
Aer Lingus will return to Connecticut after a 3 year hiatus
Aer Lingus has confirmed that its Dublin - Harford (CT) route will be returning next year following its suspension at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. News of the returning route is the second US announcement that Aer Lingus has made recently following the news that Cleveland will be added to the airline's network next summer.
Delta announces a new tie-up with Starbucks (earn miles & stars)
Delta and Starbucks have announced a new partnership that allows customers with SkyMiles and Starbucks accounts to earn miles and stars when they buy their morning coffee and when they fly.
Hilton’s free night certificates will now be usable every day of the week
Three of Hilton's co-branded credit cards have, historically, allowed cardholders to earn free night certificates that could be used at any Hilton property in the world...but only on weekends. Now, however, it looks like Hilton is turning a temporary, pandemic-induced enhancement into a permanent enhancement and making the certificates considerably more valuable.
United Airlines announces new routes to Spain, Germany, Italy & more
United Airlines likes a good teaser more than most and it was back to its old ways yesterday in a social media post that suggested that we should expect new routes to far-flung parts of the globe. Well, the teasing is now over as United has just announced its latest plans for 2023.
IHG announces that it will open new Paris property in 2023
IHG announced the launch of the 'upscale' voco brand back in 2018 and we're told that to date, the brand has expanded at a faster pace than any other brand in the IHG stable. In 2023, that expansion is set to continue with the opening of the voco Paris Porte de Clichy.
Austrian Airlines adds more Premium Economy seats to its 777s
Austrian Airlines updated its 777 aircraft to include a Premium Economy cabin back in 2018 and now, just 4 years later (keep in mind that for two of those years the travel world was at a standstill), the airline has confirmed that it will increase the size of its Premium Economy cabin by 67%.
Radisson Rewards is introducing dynamic awards & more
It has been a long, long time since I last considered myself to be a fan of Radisson Rewards and outside of the occasional good points sale/promotion, I had stopped engaging with the program in any meaningful way some time before it split in two and became ever more cumbersome to use than ever before.
Delta makes earning elite status more expensive & adds new choice benefits
In the miles & points world, it's often a bad sign when you read of a loyalty program announcing that it is "enhancing" benefits, as no one running any of the major loyalty programs appears to know what that word means.
The Hawaiian Airlines credit card now offers more free checked bags
I have to confess that this really isn't a critical piece of news that you all need to know but as we have quite a few readers from Hawaii and the West Coast, this seemed like something we should share - the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite Mastercard® now offers cardholders more free checked backs on select flights and that could be a money saver.
Hyatt is adding 31 existing European properties to its portfolio
It was only yesterday that I noted that Hyatt has been on a European announcement spree of late with its La Zamba property opening in Spain, news that Bulgaria will be getting Inclusive Collection resorts, the opening of the new Thompson in Madrid, and the signing of a luxury UK property, and just as I thought that the announcements would dry up, Hyatt now tells us that it has signed a deal to add 31 existing European properties to its portfolio.
IHG has opened a new Kimpton in the Mediterranean
IHG has announced the opening of its latest property in Spain with the Kimpton Aysla Mallorca now accepting guests. We're told that the property "emulates a sanctuary of luxury and wellness" and that it has "a strong and exclusive commitment to active leisure and local contemporary art" (no, I don't know how a hotel can have an "exclusive commitment to active leisure either).
You can now use points to pay for your whole JetBlue Vacations booking
Historically, members of JetBlue's loyalty program have only been able to use points to save money on the flight portion of a vacation deal but as of today, TrueBlue points can be used to save on the cost of a whole vacation package.
Approved for the credit card I didn’t really like (I was sure I had been rejected!)
Part way through last month, I mentioned that although I have never been the biggest fan of the World of Hyatt Business credit card, my thinking had shifted slightly and I was now tempted to apply. Well, I took a couple more weeks to think things through and after deciding that the card would be a useful addition to my portfolio, I finally submitted an application last Friday. What happened since is an example of why you shouldn't give up if an instant credit card approval isn't forthcoming.
Hyatt is adding a beautiful luxury UK property to its portfolio
Hyatt has been on a European announcement spree recently with its La Zamba property opening in Spain, news that the Inclusive Collection is coming to Bulgaria, and the opening of the new Thompson in Madrid. Now, that announcement spree continues with news that Hyatt is adding a new luxury UK property to its Destination brand.
Save time by using British Airways ‘overnight bag drop’ at Heathrow & Gatwick
Air travel is noticeably less fun when the hours before a flight are spent in a seemingly never moving line waiting to drop off your checked baggage instead of relaxing in a lounge or at the gate and when it comes to long lines, London's two primary airports can be especially bad. Fortunately, some British Airways flyers may be able to save themselves from the lines by using the airline's 'overnight bag drop' option.
British Airways will fly the new Club World suite to Singapore & Sydney
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Worrying – Alaska Mileage Plan says it’s bringing in a “simplified award chart”
At some point in the past 24 hours, a new message has been uploaded to the Alaska Airlines airlines award chart page and miles & points fans of a nervous disposition are not going to like it. The wording seems innocuous but those of us who have been around this hobby for some time will recognize that something bad may be heading our way.
American Airlines handled my self-inflicted 500-mile upgrade issue very well
As I'm usually more than happy to call out airlines when they're acting poorly (or like imbeciles) it's only fair that I give credit where credit is due when an airline does something well. In that spirit, I'd like to point out how helpful the agents at AAdvantage customer services were when I caused a minor issue for myself that need never have arisen.
Aer Lingus has announced a surprising new route …to Cleveland
If you sat me down and asked me to name as many transatlantic routes as I can (both existing and potential), I'm not sure that the Dublin to Cleveland route would appear in my first thousand guesses. That, however, is exactly the route that Aer Lingus has now announced that it plans to fly.
Will Marriott devalue Bonvoy Platinum Elite status?
It's not much of a secret that there are few things that Marriott likes more than a good old-fashioned devaluation so following the news that Bonvoy Platinum Elite status is now being handed out as a credit card benefit, speculation has been growing that the benefits associated with Platinum Elite status will soon be cut. So, is a devaluation imminent?
Double dip Avios & ALL points with the new Qatar Airways/Accor partnership (but be careful)
The Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Accor Live Limitless (ALL) have announced an expansion of their partnership that will allow travelers to earn the currencies of both loyalty programs on just a single booking.
Virgin Atlantic delays (slightly) the introduction of its new A330-900neo aircraft
Virgin Atlantic was excited to announce that it will join the SkyTeam alliance in 2023 earlier today but what it hasn't come out and told its flyers is that it won't be launching its new A330-900neo aircraft on the originally published schedule - the inaugural flight has been pushed back by a couple of weeks.
A tier point run to get me home – 930 tier points in a single trip (the reasoning & the cost)
When it comes to my travel plans, I like to be organized and I like to plan ahead and that's why even though we're not yet into October, I've already spent a couple of months contemplating my travel options for 2023. It's also why I've already made a number of bookings for travel deep into next year. One of those bookings is a tier point run and in this post, I'll explain what a tier point run is, why I've decided that a tier point run is necessary, and what I've booked.
Big news: Virgin Atlantic will join SkyTeam in 2023
Big news in the world of airline loyalty - Virgin Atlantic has announced that it will join the SkyTeam Alliance next year and this means that Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members will soon have access to more routes and more elite benefits when flying with other SkyTeam airlines.
How to edit or disable Hilton’s two-factor authentication
Hilton seems to be using two-factor authentication a lot more of late and that may or may not suit all the Hilton Honors members out there. If you're in the position of needing to change or disable your two-factor authentication settings, this article will show you just how easy that is to do.
Delta enhances its European summer schedule (in a good way!)
Delta has announced that next year's summer season will see it relaunching a number of routes that were suspended while we dealt with the pandemic, relaunching a number of routes that the airline hasn't operated for years, and launching at least one completely new route (albeit not a very interesting one!). Most importantly from my point of view, Los Angeles will finally be getting a little love.
Marriott will open a new luxury EDITION property in the Italian Lakes
Lately, Marriott has been making a lot of announcements regarding its plans for new properties but the one that piqued my interest most was the announcement of a new luxury property that will open in the Italian lakes in 2025.
The Ritz-Carlton™ credit card just got better (I didn’t see this coming)
Yesterday was a big day for announcements in the world of Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit cards with news that the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™️ American Express® Card has been refreshed and the news that two new mid-tier cards have been launched. There was, however, one other piece of Bonvoy credit card news that didn't get any fanfare at all and for some, it was the best news of the day.
Hyatt has opened a new property in Spain (and it may turn out to be a fantastic place to use points)
It was as far back as December 2020 that Hyatt let us know that it planned to add a number of properties to its European portfolio by the end of 2023 and it's one of the hotels mentioned in that announcement that has just opened its doors in southern Spain.
Hyatt is losing one of its smaller “London” properties
Recently, I've been checking rates at some of the lower category Hyatt properties within easy reach of Los Angeles and London (I'm contemplating a year-end mattress run) and a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that, rather mysteriously, the Hyatt Place West London Hayes wasn't offering any rates past the end of October.
How Hyatt credit card elite night credits work & key differences in how they’re earned
Chase issues two Hyatt co-branded credit cards (a consumer card and a business card) and as both offer cardholders a way of earning World of Hyatt elite night credits from the spending they put on their cards, I thought that I'd write a quick article covering how these credit card elite nights work.
I’m not “done with Bonvoy” but my Marriott strategy has definitely changed
The Marriott Bonvoy program has been on a downhill trajectory for some time (some would say it's been on the decline ever since it gave up the pretense of keeping all the good parts of the SPG program) and with the removal of award charts and the move to dynamic pricing, we've finally reached a point where I've had to sit down and think seriously about whether or not it's worth persevering with the program at all.
Delta is refreshing its Premium Economy dining service and amenities
Delta has confirmed that as of today, 20 September 2022, customers flying in its Premium Economy cabins (Delta Premium Select) can expect to find an improved dining experience onboard and that starting next month, Premium Economy flyers will start to see new handmade amenity kits waiting at their seats.
American Airlines will launch new Business Class suites in 2024
American Airlines has today announced that it will be fitting new Business Class and Premium Economy seats on aircraft that it expects to be delivered in 2024 and that select existing aircraft will be getting new premium cabins too.
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