12 Observations/Thoughts From My Recent American Airlines Business Class Flight
Earlier this month, I flew American Airlines Business Class from Los Angeles to London Heathrow and while a full review of this particular flight is probably unnecessary (I've got another AA Business Class review in the pipeline), I thought I'd share a few thoughts and observations now that the number of people flying from the US to Europe is on the rise.
It’s Vitally Important For Europe To Ban US Travelers (Apparently)
If the headline for this article upsets, annoys or angers you, please don’t bother complaining to me. I’m just the messenger. The sentiment expressed in the headline is based entirely on the signals being sent out by the United States government.
Alaska Airlines Adds Three New Routes To Mexico For Winter 2021/22
Bay Area residents rejoice. Alaska Airlines has today announced that it's adding three new routes to Mexico for Winter 2021/22 and all three routes will be originating in San Francisco. Alaska Airlines already boasts more non-stop flights between the West Coast and Mexico than any other airline and this news just shores up that lead.
Dear White House, Get On With It Or Tell The Truth.
The US administration has a problem. It has been telling everyone who is prepared to listen that its Covid policies are driven "by the science" but it now finds itself in a position where that's patently untrue. There is absolutely nothing scientific about the current ban on travelers arriving from the UK, Ireland, or the Schengen Area but instead of addressing that situation, the administration appears to have decided to stick its head in the sand and do nothing about it.
Tip: Hyatt Properties Showing No Award Availability May Have Bookable Award Nights
I've just been checking for award availability at a Hyatt property in California and stumbled across a small but potentially significant anomaly that I didn't know about - it's possible for the Hyatt website to display no award availability for your chosen travel dates when the property that you'd like to stay at actually has rooms available for award bookings on the dates in question.
British Airways Devalues JAL & Cathay Pacific Partner Awards (Another No Notice Devaluation)
Sadly, the headline says it all. British Airways has increased the cost of select Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific partner awards without giving Executive Club members any notice whatsoever. The changes only affect short-haul flights of up to 2,000 miles but with some awards now costing over 50% more, this isn't good news for Avios collectors.
We Left England Just In Time – The Government Advice Continues To Be Ridiculous
As of Monday, 19 July, most Covid-related rules governing behavior in homes and in public in England have been lifted so that life, such as it is, can get back to some kind of normality. Or at least that's what the public has been told. Unfortunately, because the UK government is led by people who would struggle to run a lemonade stand, life, for a lot of England's residents, is currently far from normal and, sadly, it's only going to get worse.
Something To Watch: Will The Amex Platinum Cards Offer Access To Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses?
Plaza Premium seems to be on a little bit of a roll. Recently, Capital One announced that its new lounge in Denver will be operated in partnership with Plaza Premium, and now we’re hearing that Plaza Premium has just taken over the running of all Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses outside of the UK. For holders of the Platinum Card® from American Express, and the Business Platinum Card® from American Express, this may turn out to be good news.
Be Careful. Another New Hyatt Will Charge You A “Destination Fee”
I’m a big fan of Hyatt and I make no apologies for believing that the World of Hyatt program is the best major hotel loyalty program around…and by some considerable difference. I am, however, getting more than a little tired of seeing an ever-increasing number of World of Hyatt properties charging guests inexcusable Resort/Destinations fees. It’s also very disappointing to see that a new Hyatt that’s soon to open in Los Angeles will be adding this rip-off fee to most guest’s folios.
Does Anyone Else Dread Flying On Short-Haul Leisure Routes?
I try my very best not to fly with low-cost carriers. I have no issue with the fact that they charge you extra for the air onboard, the fact you often have to walk the distance of a marathon course across a searing hot airfield to get to the aircraft or the fact that they frequently land nowhere near the city you thought you were heading for. That’s all part of their business model and I accept that.
Capital One will open a new lounge in Denver
Capital One has already committed to opening airport lounges at Dallas Fort Worth and at Washington’s Dulles International Airport, now it has confirmed that it will be opening a new lounge at Denver International Airport too.
US CBP Is Now Giving 2 Years Grace For Global Entry Renewals
The pandemic has brought chaos to a whole variety of things in the travel world and the Global Entry program has not escaped unscathed. Fortunately, over the past 18 months, the US CBP has been reasonably swift to take action to try to alleviate the issues caused by the seemingly ever-increasing backlog of applications, and now, with the backlog not really getting noticeably smaller, it has extended the Global Entry grace period to two full years.
Heathrow Airport Gets A New Priority Pass Restaurant
In a move that has clearly been made to address (at least in part) the lack of Priority Pass lounges at Heathrow T2 as quickly as possible, Priority Pass has signed up a restaurant at the terminal at which holders of select Priority Pass memberships can enjoy a credit towards whatever they choose to spend.
Finnair Adds A New 7th Freedom Flight To The United States
Finnair has announced that it plans to base three of its Airbus A350 aircraft at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport this coming winter season and use them to operate three new 7th freedom flights. Two of these flights will be heading to Asia while the third will be crossing the Atlantic to the United States.
NEWS: No More Quarantine For Vaccinated UK Residents Returning From Amber List Countries
The UK's Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has just addressed Parliament to confirm that fully vaccinated UK citizens/residents arriving into England from "amber list" countries will no longer have to self-isolate upon their return to England. The devolved nations will be reviewing their rules separately and may or may not follow England's lead.
How I Helped Friends Negotiate The US Entry Restrictions & Get To Los Angeles (With a 3,400 Mile Detour!)
Despite the success of our vaccination program and the fact that most European countries are now welcoming visitors from the United States, the US government shows no signs of lifting the restrictions that it has in place for non-residents/non-citizens wishing to travel to the United States from the UK, Ireland, and all the countries signed up to the Schengen agreement.
UK Airlines Trial Fast-Track Arrivals For Vaccinated Passengers
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Heathrow are this week, launching a trial to prove it’s possible to quickly and easily identify and verify fully vaccinated passengers arriving in the UK as the travel industry seeks to persuade the government to relax entry restrictions for low-risk travelers.
Is There A Point To England’s Test & Trace (For Travelers) Program?
I've traveled in and out of England a number of times in the past few months and each time I've entered the country I've been contacted by England's NHS Test & Trace team who want to check that I'm self-isolating as required. I have no problem with this, but having now had quite a bit of experience with the Test & Trace team, I can't help but wonder if there's any point to the operation.
Finnair’s Business Light Fares May Not Be So Bad (For Some)
For the past few days, things have been looking pretty gloomy on the Finnair Business Class fares front, but a little bit of digging has revealed that the news may not be quite as bad as we thought. In fact, the news could have been a lot worse.
The US & UK Are Damaging Their Vaccination Projects With Their Stance On Travel For The Vaccinated
I've been a strong supporter of most of the stronger measures that both the US and UK governments have used during the coronavirus pandemic, but we've now reached a point where both governments are sending out dangerously mixed signals that are playing into the hands of the more ignorant members of our societies.
DELAYED: Aer Lingus Launches Two New Routes To The United States (And One To The Caribbean)
We've known for some time that Aer Lingus has been planning to launch a number of new non-stop transatlantic routes from Manchester in the UK with New York and Boston among the destinations being targeted but details have been thin on the ground. Now, however, Aer Lingus has finally unveiled its plans and they're not entirely free from surprises.
Is This A New Level Of Idiocy From The UK Government?
At various times, in the past 18 months, the UK has seen shortages of one thing or another but one thing that has never been in short supply is stupidity at the very highest levels of government. After month after month of mistakes, lies, poorly executed plans, and half-baked ideas, I thought that the government had finally reached a level where it was no longer able to surprise me with its idiocy. Sadly, I may have been wrong.
Turkish Airlines Increases Services To Five US Cities
Turkish Airlines operates to 10 US cities out of its base in Istanbul (the Turkish Airlines website may claim that the airline flies to "208 different locations in United States" but that's simply untrue) and this month sees Turkish Airlines boosting services to 5 of those 10 cities as the airline begins to approach the service levels it offered before the pandemic ruined world travel.
Alaska Airlines Announces New Winter Routes From The West Coast
In the past three months, Alaska Airlines has announced new routes out the Pacific Northwest, new routes to California's wine country, and new routes between California and a number of National Parks in Montana. Now the airline is back with news that it will be launching four new winter routes out of three of the West Coast cities that it serves.
When Did US Carriers Make Inflight Wi-Fi So Expensive?
This is a genuine question. I've taken very few domestic flights on which I've needed to use Wi-Fi in the past few years and I was mostly crossing the Atlantic with British Airways in the year leading up to the pandemic, so when I recently took flights with American and United and saw how much they were both charging for inflight wi-fi I was genuinely taken aback.
Quick Look: United Airlines 737-900 First Class (SFO-LAX)
Recently, I needed to get from San Francisco back home to Los Angeles, and rather than flying with one of the carriers I would normally choose (American Airlines or Alaska Airlines), I found myself flying with United. The short nature of the journey means that this flight clearly doesn't warrant a full "review", but I thought I'd share a few pictures and thoughts about the flight nevertheless.
No. Americans Visiting The UK Don’t “Have To Quarantine For 10 Days”
As we finally get to a point where governments on both sides of the Atlantic start to openly acknowledge that we have to find a way to open up travel across The Pond, I keep seeing media outlets (and a well-known credit card site that poses as a media outlet) making the statement that US travelers visiting the UK currently "have to quarantine for 10 days" upon arrival. As a statement of fact, that's incorrect and it's a great example of lazy journalism.
American Airlines Announces More Significant Expansion In Austin
Just a few months ago, American Airlines announced that it was adding a significant number of new routes to its operations in Austin as well as bringing back a few routes that it had operated in the past. Today, American had doubled down on its Austin expansion by announcing more new routes that are set to take flight in the fall.
American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class LAX – LHR (Night Flight)
Last week I wrote about my American Airlines Business Class flight between London and Los Angeles which took place during the hours of daylight so this post will take a look at what American Airlines is currently offering passengers on the overnight flight in the opposite direction.
Quick look: Amex Centurion Lounge at San Francisco (SFO)
American Express is now operating all but two of its domestic lounges so on a recent layover in San Francisco, I dropped into the Amex Centurion Lounge at SFO to take a look at how things are shaping up in the current environment and to see what Amex is offering travelers fortunate enough to have access.
Planning An International Trip? Make Sure You Know What “Fully Vaccinated” Means
Although governments around the world are still struggling to come together to agree on a way forward for a COVID passport (or something akin to a COVID passport), more and more countries are saying that they will accept "fully vaccinated" visitors from later this year. On the one hand that sounds promising but, on the other hand, it could spell problems for travelers who don't read the small print.
[Updated] Which Amex Centurion Lounges Are Open Or Are Opening Soon?
One of the nicer benefits that are offered by the Platinum Card and the Business Platinum Card from American Express is entry into the Centurion Lounges that Amex has been opening up around the United States and in select countries around the world. Covid-19 has seen all of these lounges closed for much of this year but a few lounges have now reopened and, with a bit of luck, more reopenings may be on the way.
Hyatt & SVC Reach Agreement – Only Five US Hyatt Properties To Disappear
At the beginning of January, it looked like Hyatt was going down a similar path to both Marriott and IHG as it entered into a dispute with an owner of 22 properties that were flagged under the Hyatt Place brand. At that point, it looked like Services Properties Trust was going to move control of its Hyatt Place properties to Sonesta, but following negotiations, it now seems that an agreement has been reached in the case of 17 of those 22 properties.
United Should Probably Rethink Its Boarding Group Numbering
Recently, I took my first flights with United Airlines for over a decade and while a number of observations came out of those flights (observations that will come up in future posts), one thing that my recent experiences appear to suggest is that United should probably consider changing how it numbers its boarding groups.
Delta Expands Flights To Paris & Adds A Route To The South Of France
With France having announced that it will be accepting fully vaccinated visitors from the United States from 9 June, Delta has announced that it is adding flights to Paris from Minneapolis/St Paul and Boston and that a seasonal service to the south of France will also operate this summer.
A Chase Sapphire Lounge May Be Coming To An Airport Near You
Chase has issued a press release to say that it plans to open a series of lounges at airports around the United States and that each lounge will be branded as a "Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club". Not much detail has been given about what the lounges will offer or where the lounges will be located but there are one or two things that we do know.
Emirates Will Launch A New Route To Miami This Summer
Since the beginning of the year, we've seen Emirates announce the resumption of services between Dubai and various US cities that saw their non-stop ties to Dubai cut when the pandemic first took hold. Now the airline tells us that it's ready to go one step further by launching a completely new route to the US - to Miami.
United Airlines Signs Agreement To Go Supersonic
United Airlines turned all mysterious yesterday when it deleted all of its images from Instagram and used its social media channels to tease an announcement scheduled for 6:00 am Central Time. Well, the teasing is now over and we know what it was all about - United is the first airline to sign a commercial agreement to buy aircraft from Boom Supersonic.
Trying To Use Marriott’s Suite Night Awards Continues To Be Incredibly Annoying
Marriott's Suite Night Awards are supposed to be one of the best benefits that the Marriott Bonvoy program offers as they're only offered to members who credit a minimum of 50 nights to their Bonvoy accounts in a calendar year, but the more I try to use them the more convinced I am that they're not a particularly useful benefit at all.
Are We Really Going To Criticize American Airlines For This?!
Last week, American Airlines used various social networks to share a great picture taken by @bee.kreates and originally posted to Instagram. The picture, as you'll see below, shows a silhouette of an aircraft flying across a Chicago skyline and while it got nothing but positive comments on American's Instagram feed, some of the comments on Twitter were considerably less complimentary.
GREAT NEWS: British Airways Doubles The Number Of Guaranteed Award Seats In Most Cabins
With the UK travel industry still struggling to get a recovery underway thanks to government regulations surrounding COVID testing, self-isolation, and mandatory quarantines, British Airways has announced that it will be offering more guaranteed award seats on every flight than it has ever offered before.
American Airlines & JetBlue Now Offer Reciprocal Mileage & Elite Qualifying Credits On Most Flights
American Airlines and JetBlue have today announced that they are now offering near-universal reciprocal mileage earning and elite status credit accrual for members of the AAdvantage and TrueBlue programs. Flyers from both airline programs can now choose whether to earn AAdvantage Miles or TrueBlue points when they book with either airline and depending on which they choose, they'll also earn credits towards elite status too.
Quick Look: British Airways First Lounge Heathrow (What It’s Like Right Now)
The British Airways First Lounge is the only British Airways lounge currently open at Heathrow Terminal 5 and so until that situation changes, it's open to all travelers passing through T5 whose fare or airline status gives them lounge access as one of their benefits. With American Airlines and Qatar Airways now operating out of T5, this is currently a lounge for more than just British Airways passengers.
British Airways Opens ‘Forty Winks’ Sleep Lounge At Heathrow (Also Coming To NYC)
The Elemis Spa that once sat between the British Airways First Class lounge and the Concorde Room was confirmed as a permanent casualty of the pandemic a few weeks ago and now the often forgotten Business Center in the First Class lounge has been confirmed as a permanent casualty too. It hasn't, however, taken British Airways long to come up with a plan for the spaces that these two facilities once occupied.
Confession: I’m Breaking A Significant Rule Of The Miles & Points Game
The miles and points game is full of unwritten rules that help guide us away from doing something stunningly stupid, that help us make the most of the opportunities we’re presented with and that, on the whole, help us to travel in a lot more comfort and luxury than the people who know nothing of the game we play. Right now, however, I’m breaking what could be classified as the most important unwritten rule of them all.
Has British Airways Got The Key To Unlock The Travel World
If you're one of the lucky ones who has been able to travel internationally in recent months you'll know all about the circus that can surround pre-departure Covid-19 tests, and if you're reading this while waiting for your chance to finally get back to exploring the world you should know that it's a circus that you'll soon have to deal with too.
American Airlines Introduces New Amenity Kits
Possibly in the hope that more people will soon be traveling and that international travel may once again be an option for people to consider, American Airlines has announced that its introducing new amenity kits for its premium cabins.
Delta Has Announced A New Service To Croatia
Although the European Union has made some positive noises about opening up its borders to travelers from the United States, nothing concrete has yet been put into place and that has left the bigger US airlines looking around for destinations that they don’t yet serve and that are happy to accept visitors with a year’s worth of travel dollars burning holes in their pockets.
British Airways Will Let You Book A Check-In Time Slot
If you’re lucky enough to have mid-tier airline status or higher or if you only fly in premium cabins, you’re probably not accustomed to having to worry about the length of the lines at airport check-in desks. That, however, is not a privilege shared by the overwhelming majority of travelers around the world.
My Strange World Of Hyatt Credit Card Statement Credit
As most of you with Chase credit cards will know, for the past few years Chase has been publishing offers that give cardholders a small credit for spending with select retailers and, occasionally, with one or two hoteliers. Recently, a credit from one of these offers hit my World of Hyatt credit card account but, a little amusingly, I have no idea what that credit is doing there.
Iberia Plus Devalues Select Award Sweet Spots (No Notice Given)
Over the weekend, it looks as if Iberia Plus took a leaf straight out of the IHG playbook and made a number of changes to the cost of select awards without giving members any notice at all. While it's always disappointing to see the cost of awards increasing, in this case it's especially disappointing as the changes see Iberia eliminating a number of especially good sweet spots.
American Is Reopening More Admirals Clubs & Revamping Select Offerings
American Airlines has announced that this month will see it reopening more Admirals Clubs that were shuttered towards the beginning of the pandemic, that some lounges will see their operating schedules extended, that more touchless technology is being trialed to reduce unnecessary contacts when accessing a lounge, and that revamped food offerings are now being served.
Alaska Airlines Adds More California Services
At the beginning of last month, Alaska Airlines announced four new seasonal routes out of California's three biggest airports and now the airline has announced that it's about to offer more services to the very heart of wine country from a variety of airports in Southern California.
Earn Thousands Of American Airlines AAdvantage Miles When You Buy Or Sell A Home
Every year we seem to hear of new ways for people to earn miles and points from sources that have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with travel, and while I have no idea how long this source of miles has been around, I've just discovered that you can earn a substantial number of American Airlines miles when you buy or sell a home.
Another IHG Mess – The Promotion You Were Targeted For May Not Be Valid
Earlier this month, a significant number of IHG Rewards members had a message dropped into their accounts informing them that they could earn 10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights they consume at IHG properties in 2021. Well, there's a very good chance that if you saw that message in your account it was there in error and you weren't really targeted for that promotion at all.
Southwest Airlines Is Now Offering Hawaii Pre-Clearance From 5 California Airports
Southwest Airlines has announced that customers traveling to Hawaii from five of its California departure points are now able to get clearance to enter Hawaii before they depart for the islands. With document screening lines at the various Hawaiian airports often resembling lines for rides at a pre-pandemic theme park, this is good news for Southwest Airlines flyers.
Australia Will Get A New InterContinental Property This Year
Australia is already home to seven InterContinental properties but by the end of 2021, that number will go up to eight following the announcement that the Hotel Continental on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula will reopen as the InterContinental Sorrento later this year.
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.
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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