Some Six Senses Resorts Are Now Bookable With IHG Rewards Points
IHG announced the purchase of Six Senses Hotels Resorts for $300m in February 2019 and IHG Rewards members shave been waiting patiently ever since to be given a chance to use their points to book these luxurious properties. Now, that wait is over (at least in part) because 6 of the Six Senses properties are now showing award night availability on IHG's website.
Hyatt Plans To Open Six New Properties In India In 2021
India already has over 30 Hyatt properties spread across the vast country with most Hyatt brands represented, but 2021 will see a further 6 properties (across two brands) added to Hyatt's India portfolio and the hotelier plans to have over 50 properties in the country by 2023.
Alaska Airlines Flights Now Earn British Airways Tier Points (First Class Earns Fewer Avios)
Today is 31 March, and that means that after a slightly longer process than was first anticipated, today is the day that will finally see Alaska Airlines join the oneworld alliance as a full member. We've already seen Alaska Airlines make changes to its award chart as it prepared to join the alliance, and now British Airways has updated its systems to reflect Alaska Airlines' new status as a member of the oneworld alliance.
United Airlines Has Launched Its JFK Routes To Los Angeles & San Francisco
After a series of delays and postponements, United Airlines has finally returned to New York JFK and is now operating a transcontinental schedule to both Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Emirates Announces That Another US Route Is Coming Back
With the UAE's vaccination program going very well and with the United States aiming to have given most of its population at least one of two vaccine doses by June, Emirates has decided that it's prudent to bring back one more of its routes that was suspended almost as soon as pandemic was declared.
Hawaiian Airlines Will Launch A New Route Between The Mainland & Maui
Hawaiian Airlines has announced that it will offer a seasonal service between Phoenix and Maui this summer as it looks to complement the service it already offers between Phoenix and Honolulu.
United Adds New Routes Between The Midwest & The East Coast
United Airlines has announced a series of new routes for the summer season which will see it linking seven cities in the Midwest with a variety of popular getaway destinations in New England and the South.
Some Global Entry renewals are processing without interviews
Whether you're applying for access to the US Global Entry program for the first time or if you're renewing your membership, you're usually required to attend an interview at a Global Entry processing center (usually an airport or an embassy) before your membership is approved or renewed. Right now, however, some memberships are being renewed without the need for an interview.
Amex Boosts The Points Bonus Offer For Pay Over Time (For Some)
Earlier this month American Express started targeting more cardholders for a promotion in which it offers bonus points in exchange for a cardholder signing up for its Pay Over Time Option. Now, even more cardholders are being targeted and some are seeing their original bonus offers improved considerably.
Reminder: Award Bookings At Ten Hyatt Properties Will Cost More From Tomorrow
A couple of weeks ago, Hyatt announced that a total of eleven of its properties would be changing award categories this month and that award bookings at ten of those properties would soon be costing more. Tomorrow morning is when these changes kick in so if you need to book an award at a property that's moving up a category, now is the time to book it.
American Airlines Plans To Bring Back 10 European Routes Starting Next Week
Europe's vaccination program is in disarray, rates of infection are on the rise in a majority of countries on the continent, and cities and regions are being put back into lockdown, but that doesn't appear to have put off American Airlines which, starting next week, is scheduled to restart ten of its European routes.
Delta Is Adding New Seasonal Routes Out Of Los Angeles
As part of a broader set of domestic route announcements, Delta has confirmed that it plans to follow in the footsteps of Alaska Airlines and offer more seasonal services between California and destinations that offer travelers access to wide open spaces, national parks, mountains and more outdoor activities than most people can handle.
Enough Is Enough. Maintaining A UK Travel Ban Into The Summer Is Unacceptable
I've spent the past year supporting every measure that scientists have said are needed to help us beat back the coronavirus, and I've adhered to all the conditions imposed during three full lockdowns here in the UK, but some of the new messaging that came out of the UK over the weekend goes too far. Worse still, it's messaging that could cause a good-deal of harm.
Hyatt Has Opened Two Great-Looking Luxury Properties In California
In the past four days, Hyatt has announced the opening of two properties that are new to the World of Hyatt program, and with both properties belonging to the upscale Alila brand and with both properties located in my home state of California, this is news that I'm genuinely excited about.
The Star Alliance Lounge In Sao Paulo Will Close Permanently
Star Alliance may have more branded lounges than any of the other major alliances (we're still waiting for more news on the first oneworld branded lounge that was announced two years ago) but it's about to lose a key lounge in South America - the Star Alliance lounge at Sao Paulo Guarulhos Airport is about to be closed.
Mistake Or Deliberate? Did Hilton Just Roll Back Some Positive Changes?
At the beginning of last year, Hilton made a few small but customer-friendly changes to the terms and conditions of its Hilton Honors loyalty program but for reasons that are as yet unclear, these changes appear to have been rolled back.
Hyatt Will Move Into The Refurbished Rio Las Vegas
Hyatt already has a foothold in Las Vegas through its partnership with MGM but following a major refurbishment of the Rio Las Vegas, World of Hyatt fans visiting Las Vegas will soon have the option of enjoying multiple Hyatt full-service properties too.
No Notice Devaluation: British Airways Increases The Cost Of Some Short-Haul Awards
In a move that's very true-to-form, British Airways has quietly and without any notice to Executive Club members, increased the cost of some of its short-haul awards. The increases are already in effect (so there's no way to avoid them) and they affect most of the routes that British Airways operates within Europe.
Cathay Pacific Eliminates Two Award Types & Introduces A Miles Plus Cash Option
Cathay Pacific has started emailing out members of its Asia Miles program to let them know that two of the three award options they have grown accustomed to having are being eliminated and that the option to use Miles Plus Cash is being introduced and is being brought to the Cathay Pacific website.
Amex Carried Out A Travel Survey & These Are Some Of The Results
Between 15 and 24 January 2021, American Express ran a series of polls across various countries to see how people were feeling about travel this year, travel in the future, and their feelings on travel in general. There isn't anything hugely surprising in the results (although I'm not sure I understand the logic of paying more for your next trip just because you didn't take one in 2020) but as people seem to love a survey, I thought I'd post the results that Amex has made public.
British Airways Club Europe May Offer A Lot More Value This Summer
As a general rule and as long as I'm not indulging in a Tier Point run, I avoid British Airways Club Europe as I find it to be a colossal waste of money. This summer, however, it looks like some routes may offer a Club Europe option that will be considerably better than the norm and possibly even great value for money.
American Airlines Now Displays Partner Booking References
Quietly and without any fanfare, American Airlines appears to have made a small but important improvement to its website and mobile app. When a customer books a fare that involves travel on a partner airline, aa.com and the American Airlines app will now display the booking reference for the partner airline as well as the American Airlines booking reference (record locator).
Delta Introduces Contactless Payments Onboard & Trials Seatback Menus
Delta has announced that starting from 16 March, its cabin crews will be equipped with tap-to-pay processing terminals that will allow customers to start making onboard purchases without the need for them to come into contact with the terminal.
Is This The Birth Of A New Low-Cost Transatlantic Airline?
With Norwegian reduced to an unrecognizable shell of the airline it once was, the low-cost transatlantic experiment looked to have finally come to a shuddering halt, but the experiment may be alive and well after all. A little-known airline, Neos, may be about to try to chance its luck against the legacy carriers.
American Airlines Adds & Brings Back More Routes Out Of Austin
American Airlines has just announced that it will be offering ten more routes out of Austin by the end of the summer with seven of the new routes set to be operated year-round and three of the routes to be operated on a seasonal basis.
Alaska Airlines Announces Another Four New Routes
It was less than a week ago that Alaska Airlines announced four new routes out of California and today the airline is back again with another announcement of new routes that should please travelers based in the Pacific Northwest.
Dreaming Of Travel: Qatar Airways A350-1000 (Qsuites) Review
As most of us still can’t travel internationally and as it’s nice to be able to dream of visiting great places (and briefly forget about what’s going on around us), I’ve been taking a look through some old trips and publishing pictures and flight reviews.
Amex Targeting More Cardholders For Easy Bonus Points (Pay Over Time)
American Express is back with another set of offers targeted at cardholders who have yet to sign up for its Pay Over Time option. As far as I can tell there are at least two different offers in the wild (one for 10,000 and one for 20,000 points) and as even I've been targeted for an offer this time around, it looks as if the targeting may be quite broad.
Virgin Atlantic Will Bring Its New Business Class To Orlando (And Other Leisure Routes)
Earlier this morning, Virgin Atlantic announced that in honor of International Women's Day it will be naming two of its aircraft after "iconic women". As praiseworthy as that gesture is, another piece of news buried within the same announcement will probably be of most interest to flyers - Virgin Atlantic will be bringing its new and hugely improved Business Class cabin to Orlando and other leisure routes.
Dreaming Of Travel: A Review Of American Airlines A321T Business Class (LAX-JFK)
American Airlines operates its best narrowbody aircraft (complete with lie-flat seats in First & Business Class) on a few select transcontinental routes on which the airline feels that it needs to compete for premium passenger traffic. One of the routes on which these aircraft operate is the route between Los Angeles and New York (JFK).
Time For Oneworld Airlines To Limit Lounge Access For Qatar Airways Elites
The whole point of airline alliances is that they encourage people to stay loyal to a group of airlines because those airlines all offer them reciprocal miles/points earnings and reciprocal benefits. As soon as any part of that reciprocity stops, the shine is taken off an alliance, and that's why airlines should take action when cracks start to appear.
Dreaming Of Travel: Budapest – A City In Pictures (And A Few Words)
I don't usually write about the many places I'm fortunate enough to visit because destination reviews aren't really my forte and there are just too many tastes to cater to. However, as most of us still can't travel internationally and as it's nice to be able to dream of visiting great places (and briefly forget about what's going on around us), I thought I'd resurrect some pictures of a trip I took to Budapest and shine a light on a city that really surprised me.
I'm not about to write an in-depth review of my visit to the Hungarian capital (I can't imagine that being interesting to most readers) but I thought I'd share a few images from my trip to a city that really surprised me.
Citi ThankYou Rewards: Transfer Partners & Transfer Times [2025 Edition]
Citi ThankYou points are one of the four big transferable currencies in the miles & points world and can be earned by using select Citi credit cards (e.g. the Citi Strata Premier® Card), and these points can be transferred across to a variety of other travel loyalty programs.
Hyatt Lists 13 New Properties That It Will Open In 2021
Back in December, Hyatt announced that it expects to open 13 new US lifestyle brand properties in 2021, in January it announced that it was adding 3 more properties to its European portfolio, and now it has named a further 16 properties that it says we can expect to open their doors and welcome guests at various points this year.
Qantas Will Offer Three ‘Mystery Flights’ From Three Different Cities
with Australia's borders still firmly closed and with international travel looking unlikely before the latter half of this year, Qantas is bringing back its 'Mystery Flight' concept in a limited (and slightly tweaked) way, as the airline looks to promote domestic tourism.
Did You Know: Airlines Limit The Cards You Can Use When Paying With PayPal
Recently, I wrote a post reminding readers to use up their Platinum Card PayPal credit before it expired at the end of the month and a comment on that post opened my eyes to an issue that I had no idea existed. Apparently, some airlines prevent customers who are paying via PayPal from paying for their goods/services with some of the cards linked to their PayPal account.
A Good Example Of A Truly Bad Marriott Bonvoy Policy
Marriott is the largest hotelier in the world (by some distance) so it stands to reason that its Bonvoy rewards program has more members than any other hotel rewards program around. Sadly, size isn't everything, and while a lot of Bonvoys deficiencies are well documented, I've just been given another reminder of just how bad some of Marriott Bonvoy's policies can be...even if you hold top-tier status.
Emirates Now Allows Flyers To Pay For An Empty Adjacent Seat
Emirates has announced that it is now allowing Economy Class passengers the chance to pay to reserve seats that adjoin the seat they are booked to travel in should they require more personal space on their flight. The principle seems simple enough but there's one little catch that makes this a less impressive option than it may otherwise be.
A Small Signal From Amex That Things Are Slowly Going Back Towards “Normal”
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Austrian Airlines Plans To Restart Service To Two US Airports
As the world starts to believe that we can finally see a glimpse of hope that the coronavirus will be brought under control, we're beginning to see more and more airlines planning to restart some of the routes that they cut almost a year ago. Recently, Emirates said that would be returning to a number of US cities and now Austrian Airlines has committed to do the same.
Alaska Airlines Is Matching Delta, Southwest & United Airlines Elite Status (No Challenge!)
Alaska Airlines has launched a new opportunity for flyers holding elite status with either Delta, Southwest, or United Airlines to add "no strings attached" Alaska Mileage Plan elite status to their portfolio.
Qantas Pushes Back International Flights To October 2021
Right at the very start of the year, Qantas announced that it was planning to restart international flights from July 2021. That news led to the airline receiving a short, sharp rebuke from the Australian authorities for preempting what should be a governmental decision. Now, following confirmation that Qantas' international flights will now not resume before October, it would appear as if the airline has come to heel.
Impressions: The Hyatt Place West London Hayes (A Mini Review)
The Hyatt Place West London Hayes is one of two Hyatt properties in the vicinity of London Heathrow and it's the cheapest Hyatt property in the UK. I visited this property earlier in the year as part of a mattress run on my way to Hyatt Globalist status so what follows are some of the pictures I took during my stay and a few observations from my visit.
Alaska Mileage Plan’s New Earnings Chart & New Fare Classes
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American Airlines Changes Baggage Rules & Expands Basic Economy To Asia & Oceania
American Airlines has just announced some changed to its baggage rules as well as indicating that it will begin to sell Basic Economy fares to its destinations in Asia and Oceania. Some of the updates are positive, but there's bad news buried in there too.
500,000 Dead – Time To Call Out The Covidiots
As the United States passes the tragic mark of half a million deaths as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, it's important to make sure that we learn as many lessons as possible from the past 12 months. Governments and scientists will have their own lessons to learn but for everyone else, one of the key things to remember will be just how many know-nothing idiots were telling us that Covid-19 is "just another bad flu".
I’m Genuinely Excited To Find Out What Hyatt’s Next Promotion Will Be
Before this year, the last hotel promotions that I genuinely looked forward to were IHG's Accelerate promotions which had all but fizzled out by the end of 2018. Since then, a lot of the promotions that hoteliers have been publishing have been boring and pedestrian but Hyatt's performance in the second half of last year now has me eager to find out what more it has in store.
United Airlines Adds A New Route To London Heathrow
United Airlines has announced that it will be expanding its global network with a new route to London Heathrow from later this year which, according to the airline, will make it the only US carrier to offer non-stop service between the nation's top seven business markets and London Heathrow.
JetBlue Is Adding 15 New Routes Out Of The New York Area (Domestic & International)
Yesterday, American Airlines confirmed that it will be adding 18 new domestic and international routes out of the Northeast as part of its new partnership with JetBlue and as I covered that news at the time, it's only fair to cover the news that JetBlue will also be adding new domestic and international routes out of New York - there will be 15 new routes in total.
American Airlines Adds 18 New Routes Out Of New York & Boston (Domestic & International)
American Airlines and JetBlue have today announced that they're moving forward with their previously announced agreement by codesharing on 80 flights out of New York and Boston. More importantly for American Airlines loyalists, we've also been told that the new tie-up with JetBlue will see American launch 12 new domestic routes and 6 new international routes out of New York and Boston this year.
2021 Could Finally Mark The End Of My Top-Tier Oneworld Status
My chosen airline loyalty program, the British Airways Executive Club, has extended elite statuses by a year and cut the targets for elite status in 2021 but it still looks like I may have to accept that I'll have to give up my top-tier status when it runs out at the end of the year.
Amex is bringing a Centurion Lounge to Washington D.C.
American Express has today announced that it plans to open its 16th Centurion Lounge at Washington D.C.'s Reagan National Airport (DCA) and it has confirmed existing plans to almost double the size of the Centurion Lounge in San Francisco and to triple the size of the Centurion Lounge in Seattle.
JetBlue Eliminates Most Change Fees But Makes Basic Economy A Lot Worse
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Reminder: Chase Sapphire card holders get added benefits at SBE properties
Accor Hotels took over full ownership of the sbe hotel brands in late 2020 (brands which, among others, include the Delano, Mondrian, SLS, and Redbury brands) so I thought I'd write a quick post to remind holders of the Chase Sapphire cards that their cards give them valuable additional benefits when they stay at select hotels in the sbe portfolio.
Flying Blue Offers New Elite Status Extensions
As the fallout from the pandemic continues to wreak havoc with international travel, we're starting to see more airlines and hotels introducing new sets of measures to keep their elite guests and flyers happy. Flying Blue is the latest airline loyalty program to recognize that additional steps are needed as it announces more status extensions for its elite flyers.
Odd: Is United Not Reducing Planned Service Out Of JFK After All?
Late last week we got news that United Airlines was pushing back its planned return to New York JFK for a second time, and connections within the airline told Zach Griff that United would be scaling back its planned frequencies on its new transcontinental routes. Well, the schedules are now showing the new launch dates for United's JFK services but, strangely, the frequencies remain unaltered.
United Airlines Will Add A New Hawaii Service From SoCal
With Southwest less than a month away from launching new services to Honolulu and Maui out of its base in Long Beach, United Airlines has now announced that it will be upping its game in Southern California by launching its own new route to Honolulu in a few months’ time.
The UK Reveals Full Details Of Hotel Quarantine
On Monday 15 February, the UK government is introducing a 10-day supervised quarantine for travelers arriving into England from countries the government has put on its travel "red list". Details of the quarantine rules and procedures have been drip-fed to the public over a period of weeks but with the new rules set to come into effect in under 4 days' time, full details have now been published.
Marriott will open a new property on Maui in April (or May)
Amidst a variety of announcements that we've recently seen Marriott making, one small bit of news appears to have slipped under the radar. Within the next few months, Marriott Bonvoy members will have a new Hawaiian property at which to burn their hard-earned points.
United Airlines Pushes Back Its Return To New York JFK (Again)
Back in November, United Airlines announced that it was planning to reintroduce service out of New York JFK at the beginning of February 2021. Then, in early January, that proposed launch date was moved back to the end of February. Now, that launch date has been moved once again.
Amusing: UK Government Quarantine Portal Went Down In Minutes
Today is the day that the UK Government was due to release all the remaining details of its mandatory supervised quarantine program, and today was supposed to be the day that travelers would be able to book their quarantine hotel accommodation and the PCR tests that they'll need to take while in quarantine. Unsurprisingly, things haven't gone according to plan.
Earning Hyatt Globalist Elite Status – How Much Did It Cost Me? (And How Much Do I Think It Cost)
When, in late 2020, Hyatt announced that it would be slashing its elite status requirements for 2021 and that all stays made through 28 February 2021 would earn double elite night credits, I knew immediately that I would set out to earn Hyatt's top-tier Globalist status. Late last month I achieved my target and as a few people have been asking, I thought I'd share how much Hyatt Globalist status ended up costing me (and how much I actually consider it cost me).
Marriott Bonvoy Is Set To Absorb 19 Properties Into Its All-Inclusive Portfolio
Marriott has today announced that it has entered into a deal with Blue Diamond Resorts to incorporate 19 of its all-inclusive resorts into its Autograph Collection portfolio. The resorts are spread across six destinations and will add almost 7,000 rooms to Marriott's current all-inclusive offering.
UK Announces £1,750/Person Government-Supervised Quarantine Plans
The UK's Health Minister Matt Hancock has finally announced further details of the government's supervised quarantine scheme that is set to come into force from 15 February, as well as revealing plans for fines and potential prison sentences for anyone evading the new restrictions.
American Airlines Plans More Miami Expansion (New Route To Tel Aviv & More)
American Airlines is the largest carrier at Miami International Airport and it has now announced a further expansion of its route network out of its south Florida hub. Travelers can expect new non-stop services to South America and Israel as well as two new domestic seasonal routes and increased frequencies to the Caribbean and Latin America.
Southwest Is Adding Yet More Routes Out Of California (In April)
On Friday, I wrote about the great new flight options that Southwest will be giving the residents of Southern California when it launches 7 new routes out of Long Beach at the beginning of March. Today I'm quickly going to go over the details of five more new routes that Southwest will be launching out of California in April.
Is The UK Government About To Make Another Big Error With Quarantine Rules?
Over the weekend, reports emerged in the UK press suggesting that the British government is considering making changes to its quarantine rules for travelers arriving from countries that are not on the UK's "red list". Assuming the reports are accurate (they probably are), there's an excellent chance that the government is about to add to its ever-lengthening list of pandemic mistakes.
Delta WIll Continue To Block Middle Seats Through April 2021
Delta has today announced an extension of the measures it first introduced back in April 2020 as the airline says that it will continue to block the middle seat in its aircraft through April 2021.
Marriott has opened the W Melbourne
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Marriott's plans to open almost 100 new Asia Pacific properties in 2021, and now we already have one of the properties featured in that article welcoming guests - the W Hotel Melbourne is officially open.
UK Government-Supervised Quarantine Is Coming On 15 February (It’s A Mess)
The UK government has finally confirmed that it will be introducing its long-awaited supervised quarantine from 15 February. With just ten days to go to the implementation of this plan, you'd be forgiven for thinking that most of the details had been agreed and that the government was now just working through the finer points that need to be ironed out. Sadly and unsurprisingly, that's not the case.
The UK Has Extended Its Airport Slot Waiver (Bad News For JetBlue)
As far as news from the UK government is concerned, I've been mainly concentrating on what it has been saying with regards to pre-departure testing requirements and its travel policies relating to countries in which new variants of the coronavirus have appeared. This may be why I didn't notice that last Friday, it extended the waiver it has in place for the rules governing slots at the nation's airports.
LOT Polish Airlines Is Launching A New Route To New York
Before the pandemic wreaked havoc with the airline industry, LOT Polish Airlines had built up a good network of flights between Poland and the United States. A number of these services were suspended or cut back significantly in the first half of 2020 but LOT is now starting to add flights back and has now even announced a new route between Poland and New York.
JetBlue Reveals Its Fantastic-Looking Transatlantic Business Class Seats
When JetBlue rolled out its domestic 'Mint' Business Class cabin almost seven years ago the product was a game-changer. JetBlue brought down the cost of US transcontinental Business Class fares while offering an excellent product and it shook up the market. Now, JetBlue has turned its sights on the Business Class transatlantic market, and the product it will be using on its new routes could well change the game again.
The Denver Amex Centurion Lounge will open on 1 February
Towards the beginning of October and despite the pandemic, American Express opened its new 15,000 sq ft lounge at New York JFK. Today and in continuing defiance of the world around us, American Express announced that its new Centurion Lounge at Denver International Airport will open next week.
The UK Has Now Banned Travel From The UAE (Bad Luck “Influencers”!)
Over the past couple of weeks, and as it battles to try to get its coronavirus infection rates under control, the UK has been announcing new restrictions on international travel. Pre-departure testing rules for all international travelers have been introduced, all travel corridors have been suspended, travel from an entire continent has been banned and government-supervised quarantine measures have been announced. Now, as new variants of COVID-19 continue to raise fears, one of the world's current busiest air routes has been shut down.
Marriott Showcases Its New Sheraton Hotels & Their Designs
Way back in 2018 (in what seems like an age ago), Marriott announced that it would be giving its Sheraton brand a much-needed facelift and dragging the brand into the 21st century. Now, three years down the road, Marriott is ready to show us the promised changes that are now coming to fruition and the new look Sheratons that have been refurbished from top to bottom.
The UK Will Introduce Mandatory Hotel Quarantine Rules
For the past few days, there have been rumors going around that the UK government was considering implementing Australia-style mandatory hotel quarantine measures on international travelers as the country tries to stop the inflow of new variants of the coronavirus. Today, the UK's Prime Minister and Home Secretary both confirmed that such measures are on their way.
Marriott Launches Eco-Friendly Experiences Pilot In Asia Pacific
Marriott has announced the launch of the 'Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy' program which the hotelier says is aimed at creating opportunities for its guests in the Asia Pacific region to engage with local communities and their local environment during their stay.
Lyft Is Offering Free Car Rental Upgrades with SIXT
Lyft has been offering car rentals for some time but it was only last year that it partnered with SIXT to expand its offering. I've never used the Lyft app to book a rental car, but that might change now that Lyft is offering its Lyft Pink members free upgrades with SIXT.
ANA Suspends Two US Routes & Postpones Two More For Summer 2021
ANA has today announced its list of route postponements and suspensions for the summer 2021 season and with little sign that the world is getting the pandemic under control and with the United States contemplating mandatory quarantine requirements for all international travelers, it's no surprise to see ANA cutting back on its US operations.
Southwest Has Banned Emotional Support Animals
In news that was entirely expected, Southwest has announced that it's following in the footsteps of Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, and United Airlines by banning emotional support animals from its flights.
The United States Travel Bans Are Back & South Africa Has Been Added
Exactly a week ago, people living in Europe were given a glimpse of hope that they would soon be allowed to travel to the United States when Reuters announced that on the order of outgoing President Donald Trump, the United States would be lifting the restrictions that have banned most travelers from Europe, the UK, and Brazil from entering the country since March. Just hours later, the incoming administration put those hopes on hold.
Former Boeing Engineer Says 737 MAX May Still Be Unsafe
Ed Pierson, a former senior manager at Boeing and a key witness at the congressional hearings that investigated the issues that led to the two disasters involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, has suggested that although the US has recently cleared the aircraft to return to the skies and although the European authorities are set to do the same this week, issues surrounding the 737 MAX have not been fully addressed.
KLM Will Not Be Suspending Long-Haul Flights After All
Last week, the government of the Netherlands voted to introduce new strict domestic restrictions on the movement of its citizens and, following that announcement, there were strong indications that the national airline, KLM, was set to suspend all international flights from last Friday.
Israel Effectively Bans International Air Travel For The Rest Of January
Israel may currently lead the world in terms of the percentage of the population that have been given their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine but the country has also seen a significant surge in new coronavirus cases in recent weeks and, with fears growing that a new and potentially more deadly variant of the virus is being imported into the country, Israel's government has taken action.
American Airlines Releases Details Of Its New Tel Aviv & Athens Routes
American Airlines has now released details of two new routes that we were first told about when the airline announced its new and at the time, surprising, partnership with JetBlue in July last year. Back then, the airline could only tell us that a seasonal route between New York and Athens would launch in summer 2021 and that flights between New York and Tel Aviv were planned for some point in the future. We now know a lot more.
Qatar Airways Brings Back Service To Another US City & Adds Flights To Six More
In its latest route update, Qatar Airways has confirmed that it has now scheduled the resumption of yet another of the US routes that it suspended early last year (its 12th US destination), and the airline has also said that it will significantly increase frequencies on a further seven of the routes that it currently operates between Doah and the US.
Lufthansa Group Airlines Will No Longer Accept Most Face Coverings
Lufthansa Group (which includes Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, and Brussels Airlines) has today announced that while passengers are currently expected to wear masks that cover their mouth and nose during boarding, during the flight, and during disembarkation, as of next month most face covering will no longer be in compliance with the Group's policies.
The United States May Introduce Quarantine For International Travelers (It Hasn’t Yet)
President Biden issued a series of executive orders yesterday as he starts to implement his administration's agenda and, unsurprisingly, one of the key focus areas for the new administration is the current pandemic and the spread of COVID-19.
KLM Is Expected To Suspend All Long-Haul Flights From Tomorrow
Although it is yet to be confirmed by the airline, it is being widely reported that KLM will temporarily halt all long-haul operations from tomorrow, 22 January 2021, following the introduction of new travel restrictions by the government of the Netherlands.
Yesterday, I Received A Simple But Sharp Reminder Of How Real This Pandemic Is
So far, I've been very fortunate. None of the people that I care about most has contracted COVID-19, no one I know has died, and no one I know has become dangerously ill. Yes, just like for millions of other people, the pandemic has affected my life negatively in numerous other ways (some worse than others), but when it comes down to the ultimate price this pandemic can extract, I've been spared.
Singapore Airlines Introducing “One-Stop Online Solution” For Pre-Departure Testing
Singapore Airlines is partnering with Collinson to trial an online portal that will allow its customers to arrange a pre-departure COVID test, receive their results and have evidence of their results ahead of any flights they may need to take.
Trump Orders Removal Of Select US Travel Bans But Biden Will Rescind That Order
Yesterday evening Reuters announced that on the order of outgoing President Donald Trump, the United States would be lifting the restrictions that have banned most travelers from Europe, the UK, and Brazil from entering the country since March. Swiftly, however, the incoming administration made it very clear that these bans would be staying in place.
Virgin Atlantic’s Cancellation Policy Is Excellent (And I Made Good Use Of It)
Virgin Atlantic can be a bit slow to process refunds from flights that it has cancelled (although it doesn't come close to being as slow as some airlines I could name), but the airline offers a couple of options in place of refunds and in instances where a traveler chooses to cancel a trip that are excellent and well worth highlighting.
Big News: The UK Is Closing All Travel Corridors On Monday
The UK is due to impose pre-departure COVID testing rules for all international arrivals from Monday and, this morning, it banned most travel to/from South America, Panama, and Portugal. Just now, however, the UK government has gone a step further and announced that all its travel corridors are being closed from 04:00 on Monday.
Wow. The UK Just Banned Travel From An Entire Continent
Thursday is the day on which we've come to expect the UK government to tell us which countries it's adding to its travel corridor list and which it's removing and, on the whole, we don't usually see too many big surprises when the announcements are made. Yesterday, however, was no ordinary Thursday.
IHG Rewards makes earning elite status a lot easier
For 2021, we've seen Hilton take significant steps to make earning elite status easier, we've seen Hyatt make earning top-tier status easier than it has ever been before, and we've recently even seen Marriott making Bonvoy status relatively simple to earn, so it was only a matter of time before IHG followed along and that's exactly what has now happened.
Is Hyatt About To Lose 22 Properties In The United States?
Two of the more interesting bits of fallout that we've seen from the current crisis have been IHG losing over 100 North American properties in August 2020 and Marriott losing 122 properties in North America in October 2020 and both of those events had one thing in common - the owner of the hotels. Now it looks like Hyatt may be going down a similar (if slightly different) road with the same owner.
United Airlines Follows The Rest And Bans Emotional Support Animals
It started with Alaska Airlines towards the end of December, and then American Airlines and Delta banned emotional support animals in statements issued last week. Now the last of the 'Big 3' US airlines has come into line with United Airlines changing its terms and conditions to reflect that it too will no longer accept emotional support animals onboard.
Alaska Mileage Plan Will Create A New Top-Tier Elite Level In 2022
To earn top-tier status with Alaska Airlines a flyer is currently required to credit just 75,000 elite qualifying miles to their account. From 2022 that will no longer be the case as, in a move that was reasonably easy to predict, Alaska Airlines has just told members that it will be creating a new elite tier level next year.
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