[Updated] British Airways reacts to the chaos at Heathrow with an improved flexible booking policy (temporarily)
Following the decision by Heathrow Airport to attempt to limit the number of passengers that pass through its doors this summer, British Airways has temporarily updated its flexible booking policy to make it easier and cheaper for customers to change their plans.
Air New Zealand will boost capacity to Los Angeles (temporarily)
Air New Zealand has announced that it plans to temporarily boost the number of flights that it offers to one of its key destinations - Los Angeles will see more Air New Zealand flights from mid-August.
Indirectly, British Airways is now a Citi ThankYou transfer partner
An important change that took place in the miles and points world earlier this year had the knock-on effect of making Citi's ThankYou points a little more valuable and it's that knock-on effect that I'll discuss in this article.
A quick look at the new Virgin Atlantic A330neo Premium cabin
Virgin Atlantic recently unveiled its impressive new Upper Class (Business Class) cabin that will debut on its new A330neo aircraft and at the same unveiling, the airline also gave us a look at what the Premium (Premium Economy) cabin will look like on the same aircraft.
American Airlines A321neo Economy Class review (Flying to Hawaii)
The Airbus A321neo is one of the youngest aircraft models in the American Airlines fleet and if you're traveling between the West Coast and Hawaii with American, this is probably the aircraft you'll find yourself flying.
Delta announces a huge order for an aircraft that Boeing has threatened not to build
After two or three years of rumors, Delta has used the Farnborough International Airshow to finally announce that it plans to throw Boeing a lifeline by ordering up to 130 of its 737 MAX aircraft. As with most aircraft orders that get announced at airshows, this order may or may not be fulfilled in the way that it's currently being presented but because this order involves the MAX 10, there's actually an outside chance that the order will not be fulfilled at all.
A look at the American Airlines Admirals Club at LAX Terminal 5
As I found myself passing through LAX last week and, for once, using Terminal 5 rather than Terminal 4 or the Tom Bradley International Terminal, I took the opportunity to take a quick look at the Admirals Club that American Airlines offers at T5.
Qantas is removing its vaccination mandate for international travel
Towards the end of 2020, Qantas was one of the first airlines to introduce a rule that required all passengers to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Now, following the Australian government's decision to allow unvaccinated travelers to enter the country, Qantas has said that it will roll back its vaccination rule.
I got a good look at the new Virgin Atlantic Upper Class seat & Virgin’s surprise
Last night, I was fortunate enough to attend the unveiling of the new Virgin Atlantic Upper Class seat that will debut on the airline's new A330-900neo aircraft so, for once, I didn't have to rely on a press release to get a feel for what a new seat is going to offer.
2,500 bonus miles for checking in early with Etihad
In anticipation of a very busy July, Etihad has been trying to improve the check-in facilities that it offers at Abu Dhabi International airport and it has brought back a check-in option that we last saw back in December. This time, however, that check-in option also comes with a bonus offer.
Air Canada & Emirates announce a new partnership (reciprocal benefits on the way)
Air Canada and Emirates have announced a new 'strategic partnership' that the airlines say will create more options for customers when traveling on both of the carriers’ networks and which is expected to improve the customer experience for members of Aeroplan and Emirates Skywards.
This is breakfast in the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow (currently)
When I dropped by the British Airways Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow T5 a couple of weeks ago, it was my first visit in a number of months and I noticed that the food service had changed since the last time I visited. Not really a very notable thing but as I ended up taking a few pictures, I thought that they may be of interest to anyone who may be visiting the lounge in the coming weeks.
Virgin Atlantic confirms that it will launch flights to Tampa
Following a few weeks of rumors, Virgin Atlantic has now confirmed that it plans to launch a new service between London Heathrow and Tampa later this year as it continues to grow its post-pandemic route network.
Singapore Airlines will add flights to Los Angeles & extend Vancouver service
Singapore Airlines has announced that it expects its SIA group capacity to reach 81% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year and to help with that aim, it has confirmed that it will be increasing its frequencies to Los Angeles and Paris and that it will be extending its Vancouver service into the winter season.
Marriott Bonvoyed my Suite Night Awards too
Most people with extensive experience with Marriott know that Bonvoy Suite Night Awards are not as valuable as Marriott would like everyone to think. Sometimes, they can be utterly useless. Still, having Suite Night Awards in your account is better than not having any at all so when Marriott appeared to have extended the validity of some of my SNAs to the end of this year I was pleased. Surprised, but pleased.
Star Alliance’s EVA Air will launch two new routes to Europe
As things stand, EVA Air offers flights from Taipei to just four European cities - Amsterdam, London, Paris, and Vienna - but following an announcement earlier today, two more cities will soon be added to that list.
Dear “My Hyatt Concierge”, you’re fantastic!
There are a few obvious reasons why Hyatt Globalist status is so nice to have - excellent suite upgrades, waived resort fees on cash bookings, 4 pm late check-outs, free parking on award nights, etc... - but none of these is the reason I've got extra love for the World of Hyatt program right now.
My first-world lounge problem when traveling as a family
I'm flying over to London at the end of this week to catch up with some friends and to attend the unveiling of Virgin Atlantic's new Business Class seat for its A330 aircraft. On my outbound journey, I'm traveling alone but when I return home, I'll be accompanied by four other members of my family and this has thrown up a very first-world problem for me.
SAS flies for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States
SAS, the Scandinavian airline, has been in financial turmoil for some time and had announced a plan to restructure its business earlier this year in an attempt to get its house in order. Now, however, with its pilots out on strike, the airline has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States.
Etihad is the first airline to restart non-stop service to Beijing
When Etihad flight EY888 landed in Beijing this morning at 05:25 (local time) it was a significant occasion. After all the turmoil that the past two years have thrown up, EY888 signaled the start of the first regular non-stop international passenger service to Beijing by a foreign carrier since the Chinese capital's authorities announced that services could resume.
Etihad brings back Abu Dhabi stopover deals – 3 offers available
As the travel world continues to recover from the shock of the past two years and airlines start to see demand claiming back towards levels last seen in 2019, Etihad has brought back its stopover deals for travelers transiting through Abu Dhabi.
Alert: 700 British Airways employees have voted to go on strike
With European airports already struggling with the increased demand in travel and with UK airports currently being hit particularly hard, it looks like things may get a lot worse for some passengers once the summer holidays are upon us.
Good news: The Qantas First Class Lounge at LAX is reopening
Unsurprisingly, the Qantas First Class Lounge at LAX closed down almost as soon as the travel world came to a screeching halt in March 2020 and it has remained closed ever since. The oneworld Business Class lounge at LAX which Qantas also operates reopened late last year but until now, there has been no sign of the First Class lounge reopening. That's about to change.
Qatar Airways will reduce select services to support flights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup
This coming winter, Qatar is set to be the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup which will see tens of thousands of football (soccer) fans descending on the Middle Eastern state to support their national teams. For Qatar Airways, this represents a considerable challenge as it now has to work out how to transport all of these fans from and to their home countries.
Four US British Airways lounges are now part of the Priority Pass program
In a move that's more than a little surprising, four British Airways lounges in the United States have joined the Priority Pass program and can now be accessed by holders of a wide variety of US-issued credit cards.
Oman Air confirms that it will join the oneworld alliance…eventually
OK, I admit it. I didn't think that this would be a post that I'd find myself writing.
The rumors that Oman Air was looking to join the oneworld alliance have been going around for some time (they date back well before it was ever suggested that Alaska Airlines would join oneworld) and I never really thought anything would come of it.
JetBlue secures permanent London Heathrow slots & adds a new Gatwick flight
JetBlue has made a number of announcements today that see the airline firming up its position at London Heathrow, expanding the service that it offers between New York JFK and London Gatwick, and slightly improving its customers' ground experiences at London's two biggest airports.
Is this easy path to oneworld Sapphire status now dead?
Historically, those of us who are in a position to book premium cabin flights for travel between Europe and Asia have had a very easy path to oneworld Sapphire Elite status courtesy of one of the world's best airlines - Qatar Airways. Now, however, it's starting to look like that path may have been shut down.
Korean Air will restart its Las Vegas route next month
From 1 July, Korean Air will bring back services thrice-weekly services to Milan Malpensa, and Vienna, while from 10 July it will also start to operate three weekly flights between Seoul Incheon Airport and Las Vegas.
Etihad confirms its return to Heathrow Terminal 4
Like all the pre-pandemic residents of T4, Etihad had to move into temporary accommodation as the pandemic ran roughshod over the travel industry and demand for flights plummeted, but with Terminal 4 now scheduled to reopen next week, the carrier has confirmed that it will be shuttering its operations in Terminals 2 and 3 and heading back to its original home.
This is the kind of nonsense Marriott Bonvoy needs to cut out
There are a number of serious issues with the Marriott Bonvoy program and a lot of them are a result of Marriott allowing various brands and individual properties to plow their own furrow and to pick and choose what aspects of the Bonvoy program they want to adopt.
United Airlines adds new plant-based items to menus on select routes & in select lounges
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Good news: British Airways reduces surcharges on Iberia bookings
For quite a few years, there have been a number of reasons why it has been a good idea for flyers to have an Iberia Plus account as well as a British Airways account despite the fact that BA and Iberia are sister airlines and share the same rewards currency. Quietly and without any apparent notice being given, British Airways appears to have removed one of those reasons.
Chase & British Airways improve the Travel Together companion voucher
Earlier today, I wrote about British Airways improving the Companion Voucher issued by UK-issued American Express cards and while that news probably wasn't particularly interesting to US-based readers, the follow-up news that Chase and British Airways have improved the Travel Together benefit that comes with the British Airways Visa Signature® card will probably attract more attention.
Capital One improves lounge entry benefits on multiple cards
Over the past year, Capital One has been causing waves in the travel segment of the credit card world with the changes that it has been making to some of its products and the benefits they offer. Now, with yet another positive move announced, Capital One has improved three of its cards even further.
Amex UK improves its British Airways Companion Voucher (2-4-1)
It looks like American Express is starting to feel the pressure from the recently introduced UK Barclaycard Avios cards because it has just announced an unexpected improvement to the Companion Vouchers offered by its British Airways co-branded cards in the UK.
This is why you shouldn’t use PayPal’s currency conversion (a quick reminder)
I like PayPal. I make a substantial number of transactions with non-US entities and PayPal often makes my life easier. There is, however, one aspect of PayPal that I avoid at all costs - the currency conversion system - and I strongly advise everyone else to avoid it too.
British Airways ends its ‘Book With Confidence’ policy
Like pretty much every major airline around the world, British Airways introduced a flexible cancellation policy shortly after the Covid pandemic started playing havoc with everyone's travel plans. The policy was designed to encourage travelers to make future bookings at a time when the travel environment was highly unstable so with the worst of the pandemic apparently now behind us, the airline has chosen this moment to roll back its 'Book With Confidence' policy and to go back to its historic fare rules.
Catching Covid & an unplanned break from writing
It's been a while since I last published an article on TFM so as I slowly get this site back up to speed, I thought that I'd take time (and 900+ words!) to explain what's been going on with me and, just as importantly, to get myself back into the habit of writing again.
Marriott Bonvoy dynamic pricing is yielding some unexpected results
Over the past few days, the Marriott Bonvoy program has moved over to a dynamic pricing model for award bookings, and while some of the results of that move are far from unexpected, some of the things that I'm seeing are a little surprising.
Finnair is bringing its new Business & Premium Economy cabins to the United States
Back in February, Finnair surprised the world when it unveiled a new (and different) Business Class seat alongside a new Premium Economy Cabin. At the time, it was thought that until a significant number of Finnair's long-haul aircraft had been retrofitted with the new cabins, the new seats would be limited to the airline's Asia routes but as it turns out, that's not going to be the case.
Marriott’s move to dynamic pricing is delayed…but only by a few hours
Yesterday was supposed to be the last day that Marriott Bonvoy members could book awards at a variety of high-end properties (and a number of less high-end properties) at the rates set out in the program's award charts, but that's not how things have turned out.
Qantas doubles its flights between Melbourne and Los Angeles (the A380 is coming back!)
Following on from the announcement that Qantas will launch a new service between Melbourne and Dallas/Fort Worth later this year, we now have confirmation that the airline is about to double the number of flights that it offers between Melbourne and Los Angeles and that its A380 will be making a very welcome reappearance on this route later in the year.
Can everyone now get 20% off select IHG Rewards awards? (for a limited time)
Last week, IHG Rewards brought back an excellent sale which sees the cost of awards reduced by 20% for stays of up to 3 nights commencing no later than 25 May. At the launch, the sale was only open to holders of select IHG Rewards co-branded credit cards but we were promised that it would be opened up to all IHG Rewards members within a few days.
Marriott Bonvoy eliminates award charts & moves to dynamic pricing tomorrow
Towards the end of October last year, Marriott dropped the bombshell news that it was planning to make significant changes to how the Bonvoy program works, and now that we're less than 24 hours away from these changes coming into effect, I thought I'd post a reminder of what we should expect.
Qantas announces a new route to Dallas/Fort Worth
Dallas/Fort Worth is the home of American Airlines - Qantas' transpacific partner - so it's a destination that can act as a gateway for Qantas flyers wanting to reach a myriad of other locations within the United States. That's why Qantas already operates flights between Sydney and Dallas and why the airline has now announced that it will also fly to Dallas from Melbourne.
Singapore makes it a lot easier for vaccinated travelers to visit
Singapore has announced that it is making significant changes to its COVID-19 travel rules and that following a review of procedures, it will be discontinuing the use of Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) as well as removing the need for vaccinated visitors to take an on-arrival test.
British Airways is paying out compensation from a recent meltdown
A few weeks ago, BA had one of its bigger meltdowns of recent years when an unspecified IT failure meant that, among other things, BA crews (both air and ground) could not be scheduled correctly which led to the airline canceling most of its short-haul flights on Saturday 26 February.
Air New Zealand will finally launch its long awaited New York service this year
In what now seem like the carefree days before the pandemic and before yet another war took over our TV screens, Air New Zealand was set to launch one of the longest flights in the world between Auckland and New York. Then the world put up the closed sign and the plan was mothballed. Now, with New Zealand taking its first tentative steps towards reopening, the Auckland to New York route is back on the agenda and scheduled for later this year.
Fantastic: You can now link your British Airways & Qatar Airways accounts + combine Avios
Last month, Qatar Airways announced that its Privilege Club frequent flyer program would be replacing Qmiles with Avios as its currency and as of today, that transition appears to be complete. As importantly, not only do flights credited to the Privilege Club now earn Avios but flyers with British Airways Executive Club and Privilege Club accounts can now link those accounts and move Avios between them.
Hyatt’s award costs are going up tomorrow – book now to avoid higher rates
This is a reminder that Hyatt's 2022 award category changes come into effect from tomorrow, 22 March, and that means that we have less than 24 hours in which to lock in the current award prices at 70 World of Hyatt properties that will soon cost considerably more.
Air Canada will bring back flights to Brisbane & Auckland and increase flights to Sydney
With Australia now open to vaccinated travelers and with New Zealand set to welcome vaccinated travelers from over 60 countries in early May, Air Canada has chosen this moment to announce that it's going to increase its services to the Southern Pacific starting from this northern hemisphere summer.
British Airways clarifies its face covering rules…sort of
A couple of days ago, British Airways announced that it would be dropping its rule that requires passengers to wear face coverings onboard all of its flights but then, 24 hours later, we heard that British Airways was telling staff that it was backtracking on that decision and that face coverings would continue to be required. It was hard to know what was going on. Now, finally, we have a bit more information.
Qatar Airways will bring back its service to London Gatwick
At the height of the pandemic, Qatar Airways was the largest airline in the world as it continued to operate a significant number of international routes as other airlines mothballed their fleets. The airline's Doha to London Gatwick route, however, didn't survive those dark days but in a sign that we're continuing on the road back to normality, Qatar Airways has confirmed that it will return to Gatwick this summer.
British Airways backtracks on face coverings policy (mask wearing still required)
48 hours ago, we first started to hear stories that British Airways was planning to remove its rule that requires passengers to wear face coverings on all flights. Less than 24 hours ago, British Airways announced that as of today, face coverings would only be required onboard flights where the relevant authority with jurisdiction over the flight requires masks to be worn. Now, a story has emerged which suggests that British Airways has had a change of heart.
UK drops last travel restrictions + British Airways & Virgin Atlantic drop mask requirements
While guidance has remained in place in some areas, the UK population has been free of domestic Covid restrictions for almost a month and despite a sign that hospitalisations due to Covid may be on the rise, the UK government has announced that all remaining travel restrictions are being lifted and the UK's two long-haul carriers have announced an end to mask-wearing onboard.
If you thought international travel was rebounding quickly, you may need to think again
With numerous nations now having done away with a lot of their day-to-day Covid rules and with more and more nations relaxing or discontinuing their travel restrictions, you could be forgiven for believing that everyone who has been missing international travel over the past two years is now booking trips like crazy. Apparently, however, that may not be the case.
Is this a new annoyance on Marriott’s website?
Ordinarily, I find Marriott's website to be pretty user-friendly and mostly free of the kinds of glitches that cause me to want to rip what remains of my hair out of my head (I wish I could same the same about ba.com!) but in the past few weeks, I've noticed one particular oddity appear three times while I've been performing award searches and I like to know if anyone else has noticed anything similar.
Amex announces a new Centurion Lounge at Atlanta International Airport
Rumors of a new Centurion Lounge at Atlanta's primary airport have been doing the rounds for some time and Amex has even put out a few hints here and there, but it has taken until today for an official announcement to be put out - the Centurion Lounge at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will open in 2023.
Don’t assume that you know a hotel’s award cancellation window
One of the often-mentioned major benefits of making a hotel booking with points is that points bookings are usually considerably more flexible than the cheaper cash rates on offer. Where a discounted cash rate is often non-refundable once booked, a points booking is usually considered to be cancelable, without penalty, until a few days before arrival. This, however, is not always the case so it pays to read the small print carefully before you make an award booking.
Marriott announces plans for its first St. Regis property in the UK
It's been a bit of a UK centric day today on Traveling For Miles with confirmation of a new Hyatt Regency for London and the news that Qantas is bringing back the Perth - London route in July and the UK-related news continues here with an announcement from Marriott that it will open its first St. Regis property in the UK next year.
Qantas brings its A380 back to London & announces restart of the Perth – London route
It's safe to say that Qantas has been one of the airlines worst hit by the chaos that the pandemic brought to world travel but with most of Australia now reopened to vaccinated travelers, it looks like the airline is getting things back to 'normal' as quickly as events allow.
Aer Lingus is restarting another US route tomorrow
In the past few months, I've written about Aer Lingus more than at any other point in the short life of this site but somehow, somewhere down the line, I appear to have missed the announcement that from tomorrow, Aer Lingus is heading back to the West Coast.
Confirmed: A new Hyatt Regency is coming to London this summer
Unofficially, we've known this for some time, but Hyatt has now finally put out an official statement confirming that it will open the Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars in the City of London later this year.
Grrr…apparently oneworld elites cannot reserve seats on the Alaska Airlines website (+ 1 more issue)
Alaska Airlines has been a member of the oneworld alliance for almost exactly a year so with that 12 month anniversary approaching, I don't think it's unreasonable for a customer to expect the airline's website to be able to deal with all of the more basic benefits that the oneworld alliance offers. Apparently, however, this is too much to ask.
Marriott.com adds lowest rates calendar to booking searches
In the past couple of days, Marriott has made a small enhancement (a real one) to its website and it now offers customers the option of accessing a property's rates across a whole month directly from the search results page. In the grand scheme of things, this isn't groundbreaking, but it's a nice addition to Marriot.com.
Huge News: Qatar Airways will adopt Avios as its loyalty currency
In an announcement that's nothing short of stunning, Qatar Airways has confirmed that it will be adopting Avios as the currency for its Privilege Club loyalty program from late next month. Qmiles are going to be history and going forward, Privilege Club program members will earn the same currency as members of the British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, and Aer Club.
Delta will offer three new routes to Hawaii next winter
The current winter season may still have over a month left to run but Delta is already getting ready for winter 2022/23 by planning a number of new routes to Hawaii. Both Oahu and Maui will be seeing new services from Delta with the new routes originating in Atlanta, Detroit, and New York.
How to combine Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (Freedom Cards to Ultimate Rewards Cards)
In this post, I set out a simple step-by-step guide that will show you how to combine the points earned by the Chase Freedom Flex® Card, the Chase Freedom Unlimited Card, and the legacy Chase Freedom Card (which is no longer open to new applicants) with points earned by one of Chase's Ultimate Rewards credit cards.
American Airlines will suspend 3 routes, delay 1 route and cut another
Late on Friday, a leaked American Airlines memo delivered the news that over the weekend, the airline was planning to suspend services on three of its international routes, to delay the launch of an international route it had promoted with quite a bit of fanfare, and to halve the number flights on another international route. It's unclear if all these updates have now been processed but these cuts are very real.
JetBlue’s newest route to Mexico has now launched
The JetBlue and American Airlines "Northeast Alliance" may still be facing a number of regulatory hurdles, but that doesn't appear to have slowed down the number of new routes and added route frequencies that we've seen JetBlue bring to fruition in the past year. The latest announcement sees the airline confirming that it has lauched its newest leisure route between New York JFK and Mexico's Pacific Coast.
Alaska’s Mileage Plan adds Malaysia Airlines awards…but it may as well not have bothered!
In the past 24 hours, Alaska Airlines has added another oneworld partner to its Mileage Plan program - Malaysia Airlines - but now that I've seen the levels at which the awards have been set, I can't help but wonder why the airline bothered.
British Airways announces a new service to New York
British Airways has announced plans to launch a new daily service between London Heathrow and Newark Liberty later this year as the airline continues to revive its long-haul network following two years in the doldrums.
Ignore this terrible advice from a Twitter travel chat
Yesterday, I happened upon a scheduled Twitter chat that was covering the miles and points world and I watched as various contributors answered questions that were designed to give less experienced miles & points enthusiasts some ideas on how to get good value out of their balances. Usually, I ignore these kinds of chats but on this occasion, I watched this chat long enough to see a truly terrible bit of advice being handed out.
United will resume its San Francisco – Melbourne route in May
United Airlines hasn't operated either of its routes between the United States and Melbourne since the pandemic put life on pause but in a move that appears to be aimed at getting a head start on Qantas, the airline has now scheduled the return of its route between San Francisco and Melbourne.
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow T3 – A Review
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow Terminal 3 is often talked about in the same breath as some of the best airport lounges around the world so as I was passing through T3 on a recent trip, I made some time to get some pictures of the Clubhouse and to reacquaint myself with a lounge that I seem to like more each time I visit.
Iberia confirms two new routes to the United States & returns to San Francisco
Back in November, Iberia announced that it had plans to launch two new routes between Madrid and the United States from April 2022. The new routes were to serve Dallas and Washington D.C. but at the time of the original announcement no schedule information was provided and no firm start dates were offered up either. Today, that changed.
The new Emirates lounge dedicated to unaccompanied minors
In recent years, a number of airlines have stopped offering dedicated services for unaccompanied minors but Emirates appears to be bucking that trend with the announcement of a new Dubai lounge for the exclusive use of young passengers who are traveling solo.
Time probably running out to lock-in a great IHG Rewards credit card pairing (select cardholders)
ln a little over 6 weeks' time, the IHG Rewards Club Premier Card will be getting refreshed and the good news is that the changes that are being made are almost entirely positive. The less good news is that it looks like once the changes go live, a great two-card pairing that currently remains open to holders of the legacy IHG Rewards Club Select Card will no longer be an option.
Aer Lingus is resuming non-stop flights to Miami (Business Class awards available)
Aer Lingus has announced that it plans to restart non-stop flights between Dublin and Miami later this year and as long as this plan isn't upended by an unexpected turn of events courtesy of the coronavirus, this should be good news for fans of Avios who have been burned by the latest British Airways devaluation.
Devaluation: Hyatt announces award category changes for 2022
The World of Hyatt has just announced that 146 of its properties will be changing award categories in a little over a month's time and while the changes are pretty evenly split between properties moving up a category and properties moving down, it's interesting (and a little worrying) to see that Hyatt will be moving nine of its properties into Category 8 which up until now, has been reserved for SLH properties only.
British Airways increases surcharges on most Business Class long-haul award bookings (ex. UK)
If you're a British Airways flyer based in the United States, the airline showed its disdain for your loyalty a little while ago when it increased the surcharges for award travel originating on this side of the pond without any notice. Now, in what appears to be BA's version of 'leveling up', the surcharges for Business Class award travel originating in the UK have also been increased without warning.
This is the new Finnair Premium Economy cabin
Earlier today I wrote about Finnair revealing an entirely new Business Class cabin but, arguably, the bigger news of the day was that Finnair has also said that it will be fitting a Premium Economy cabin to all of its long-haul aircraft for the first time in its history.
Alliance-wide upgrades coming to oneworld in 2022…apparently
We've been hearing rumors of alliance-wide upgrades coming to the oneworld alliance since well before the pandemic so the fact that these are being discussed isn't news. What *is* news is that we're now expecting to finally see these upgrade options become reality later this year...apparently.
United Airlines announces expanded Cape Town service (Business Class awards available)
After a long hiatus brought about by the pandemic, United Airlines restarted its route between Newark and Cape Town in December last year with the same 3x/week seasonal service that it used before the travel world closed down. Now and with passenger numbers clearly on the rise, United is keeping a promise it made in 2019 and expanding its service to the Cape.
Finnair unveils its new Business Class Cabin
Finnair has been teasing this for weeks, but today the teasing ended and the airline finally unveiled its new Business Class cabin, a reworked Economy Class cabin, and announced that it will be introducing a long-haul Premium Economy cabin for the first time in its history. This post will look a the new Business Class cabin while subsequent posts will explore the new Economy and Premium Economy cabins.
Alaska Airlines will expand & upgrade select lounges in Seattle & Portland
Alaska Airlines has just announced what it's calling "a significant, multi-million dollar renovation and expansion of [its] most popular Lounges" which will see select lounges in Seattle and Portland get a short-term makeover before, longer-term, they're moved to new locations within their respective airports.
My approach to international travel right now
More and more counties are now reopening their borders to vaccinated international travelers so with more options of places to visit than at any other point in the past two years, you could be forgiven for thinking that I'm busy booking trips to all corners of the world to make up for lost time. That, however, isn't the case.
Australia announces reopening date for vaccinated visitors
Just a few weeks ago, the Australian government indicated that it was using Easter as a target reopening date for vaccinated visitors so it's both surprising and gratifying to suddenly be told that the country will open up considerably earlier. Now, instead of aiming to reopen at some point in April, Australia says that it will welcome vaccinated visitors in just two weeks' time.
Time for more countries to excuse the vaccinated from all travel testing measures
A couple of days ago, the UK announced that travelers who have been fully vaccinated will no longer have to take pre-departure tests and will not be subject to post-arrival testing either and this has already kick-started a small but significant resurgence in travel bookings which is welcome news to the beleaguered industry. Now it’s time for the news to get even better and for more countries to follow suit.
Highly unexpected efficiency from ITA Airways (a status match success + what to expect)
ITA is still offering a status match to its new loyalty/rewards program and despite the fact that this offer has been available for at least a couple of months, it's one that I hadn't remembered to act upon until recently. When I finally got around to submitting my details, I fully expected to have to wait weeks (possibly months) before I heard back but much to my surprise, it looks like ITA is taking this promotion seriously.
Pictures and a quick look at the new Tommie Hollywood (LA’s newest World of Hyatt property)
The Tommie Hollywood is the latest Hyatt property to open its doors in Los Angeles so as I'm currently back home on the West Coast and as the Tommie is only three weeks old, I took the opportunity to head over to Hollywood to see what the new property offers.
How American Airlines nearly ruined my trip home before it had even started
Right now, I'm back home in LA and in the middle of a tier point run that I didn't really want to do, but it's only thanks to a stroke of good fortune that I actually got home on my planned date. Thanks to a rather incredible screw-up by American Airlines, my whole trip was nearly cancelled before I had a chance to board a single flight.
Qantas Lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 3 review
After being shuttered for almost 20 months, the Qantas Lounge at London Heathrow T3 finally reopened its doors on 10 December and is welcoming oneworld flyers once again. Fortuitously, I was flying out of Heathrow Terminal 3 shortly after the lounge reopened so I paid it a visit and took a look at what it's offering as the travel world struggles to get back to some semblance of normality.
American Airlines ends Award Wallet access
For a little over 8 years, Award Wallet has had an agreement in place with American Airlines which has allowed it to access flyer data via an API that, in turn, allowed it to keep members informed of any changes to their flights and AAdvantage account balances. As of today, that access has been revoked and Award Wallet members can no longer use the application to track their American Airlines flights or AAdvantage accounts.
The tier point run I really didn’t want to do
Back in March, the news that the vaccine rollouts were gathering pace led to a moment of over-optimism on my part that resulted in me booking a multi-segment tier point run to get me back to LA for the upcoming holidays. The booking seemed like a good idea at the time, but with events unfolding as they have, the tier point run turned into a trip that I really didn't want to take.
A basic hack to get around the latest British Airways annoyance
If you've tried to get through to British Airways to deal with a booking issue, you will probably have noticed that getting to speak to a fellow human being has become almost impossible. It doesn't matter what time of day you call, the automated phone service will almost inevitably hang up on you. Fortunately, there appears to be an incredibly simple way to get around this problem and it relies on the airline's greed.
The UK was correct in how it handled the ban on travel from Southern Africa
The United Kingdom was just one of the many nations that moved to ban travel from Southern Africa when the Omicron variant first came to light and it took a lot of criticism for doing so. Yesterday, those travel bans were lifted, and despite being a staunch critic of the UK administration I have to admit that on this occasion, they got things right.
American Airlines will add Doha to its route map but I have no idea why
American Airlines has announced that it plans to launch a new service between New York JFK and Doha from summer 2022 but despite the fact that I've had a few days to mull over this announcement, I'm still at a loss to explain what the airline is thinking. To me, it makes no sense at all.
British Airways will finally fly to Portland from next summer (and will restart another US route)
British Airways announced that it would be the first airline to operate a year-round direct flight from the UK to Portland, Oregon, almost exactly two years ago but because of a little thing called a coronavirus, the route never launched as planned. Now the route is back on the BA map and all things being equal, it will launch almost exactly two years late.
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