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Summaries and links for all the posts which appeared on Traveling For Miles this week. Includes a reminder that you’re running out of time to buy Alaska Miles at a good rate, news that IHG and Chase are seriously devaluing the IHG Rewards credit card, a review of the Qatar Airways A380 Business Class product, news of a new Hilton resort opening in the Maldives at the end of this year, a look at a few American Airlines routes you should probably avoid and a lot more.
Click on the headlines to read more
Monday
I’m Taking A Proper Vacation! (Sort Of…..)
I have a really good time flying to all the various places I get to visit and I love exploring new cities and cities I can’t resist revisiting but, when it comes right down to it, I’m almost always working. I don’t get on an aircraft without taking at least a hundred pictures and I can’t walk into a hotel room without taking at least a hundred more. When I’m in airport lounges I’m almost always writing (and taking yet more pictures) and, even when I’m a few thousand miles away from home and visiting a fantastic new city, I’m usually doing something blog-related before I allow myself to go out and explore.
April 2018 Flying Blue Promo Awards Are Live (Travel 31 May – 30 July)
The April 2018 Flying Blue Promo awards have now been published, they cover travel between 31 May and 30 July 2018 and need to be booked by 29 April 2018. The first thing that’s noticeable when you load the Flying Blue promo awards page is that there are no North America awards at all. This doesn’t appear to be a glitch as the awards have now been available for over 72 hours and no new awards have been made available.
Hilton Adds A New Resort In The Maldives
The majority of miles & points collectors like to use their balances on aspirational travel and when it comes to aspirational travel the Maldives ranks quite highly. If you’re a Hilton loyalist, right now you have just the one option when visiting the Maldives (the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island) but, from the end of this year, a second Maldivian property should be bookable on Hilton.com.
Tuesday
Daily Getaways 2018 – Previews Now Live
Daily Getaways is a set of promotions which runs for 5 weeks every year and is sponsored by the US Travel association. The promotions usually include points packages sold at a discount, rental car elite status offers, discounted tickets to theme parks and other deals along the same lines. Daily Getaways will run between 9 April and 11 May and we now have our first preview look at what promotions will be on offer in the first two weeks.
Chase/IHG Is Seriously Devaluing The IHG Rewards Card
It has now been confirmed that IHG and Chase are seriously cutting the major benefit offered by the IHG Rewards credit card. Starting this May all free night certificates issued on the anniversary of IHG Rewards credit card membership will be limited to properties costing 40,000 points or less.
7 Good Kimpton Deals Which Could Save You Money
Kimpton is the boutique hotel brand purchased by IHG back in 2015 and just recently incorporated into the IHG Rewards program. The hotels have a small but vocal following and, if you feel like finding out why some of these properties are so popular, you should check out these offers first to see if you can make the most of any of them.
Wednesday
Sign Up For Marriott’s 2nd Quarter MegaBonus Promotion
Marriott’s 1Q MegaBonus promotion is set to end on 15 April and the hotel chain has already announced the 2Q promotion that will follow it. Unsurprisingly this too is called “MegaBonus” and it starts the day after the 1Q promotion ends so there’s no gap between promotions.
How I Booked The Iberia A350 Business Class Cabin & Got A Great Deal
I’ve managed to book myself into the Iberia A350 Business Class cabin while the aircraft is still flying crew orientation flights between Madrid and London – more importantly I got a great deal when I redeemed some points.
You’ll Soon Be Able To Book The Luxury Ritz-Carlton Yacht
The chances of anyone ever catching me on a cruise that isn’t around the fjords of Norway or viewing Orcas off Canada or trying to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights is generally about as close to zero as you can get….but the new Ritz-Carlton yacht may just change that.
Thursday
Starwood’s 2Q 2018 Promotion – More Nights, More Starpoints
Starwood has followed in Marriott’s footsteps and released its promotion for the second quarter of 2018….and it’s just as bad as Marriott’s. Starwood’s 1Q promotion offered double Starpoints after the first stay as well as a bonus 500 Starpoints when a stay included a Friday or Saturday night which, while hardly inspiring, was better than the dross Starwood has unveiled for 2Q 2018.
American Airlines 737 Max 8 Routes (a.k.a Routes You Should Avoid)
The American Airlines 737 Max 8 aircraft has a cabin configuration that no traveler should be looking forward to. This is the aircraft that has introduced 30″ of leg room to the American Airlines fleet & which offers a lavatory so small that an American Airlines pilot called it “the most miserable experience in the world”.
Alaska Airlines Will Fly Between JFK & San Jose From This Summer
Alaska Airlines has announced a new route it will be offering flyers from summer 2018 as it launches flights between New York’s JFK airport and San Jose, California. The airline has also now offered up a timeframe for the opening of its new Alaska Lounge at JFK so travelers will have somewhere to rest/work before their flights.
Friday
British Airways Quietly Drops Its London – Oakland Route For Winter 2018/19
British Airways is the latest airline to cut service without letting anyone know (American did it last week when it tried to mask route cuts with a few new route announcements) and it’s interesting that the route it’s cutting is the route between London and Oakland.
Review: Qatar Airways A380 Business Class (Night Flight DOH-BKK)
An in-depth review of the Qatar Airways A380 Business Class product as experienced on an overnight flight between Doha and Bangkok. Having tried out the Qatar Airways A380 First Class product last year and not really been that wow-ed by it, I was looking forward to checking out the Business Class Cabin
ENDING SOON: Buy Alaska Miles For 2.11 Cents Each
The current Alaska mileage sale has been running since mid-February and ends on Monday 9 April so you have this weekend to decide if you have an account that needs topping up. This mileage sale is offering bonuses of up to 40% but, as this is a targeted promotion, Not all accounts will have been targeted for a bonus that high (bonuses appear to range between 20% and 40%) but, based on anecdotal evidence, the 40% bonus offer is reasonably widespread.
