A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
There are active discussions around what to do with the Airbus A321T premium configured fleet and a report suggests that there’s a plan to rip out the interiors and replace them with the standard domestic ‘Oasis’ offering.
The A321T offers 10 first class, 20 business class, 36 Main Cabin Extra (extra legroom coach) and 36 economy seats and is used on premium cross country routes. Moving to ‘Oasis’ would mean these planes would lose seat back television, a lot more seats would be squeezed in, and there would no longer be a lie flat business class or first class product.
American Express has a huge new offer for The Platinum Card® from American Express. In recent years the main offer has let customers earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points, and there have been targeted offers for more.
Now they have a public offer that may net you as much as 210,000 Membership Rewards points more than you’d normally earn for your spend on the card.
Hyatt is cutting in half the number of nights required to earn elite status in 2021, and extending several promotions into early 2021. You can earn status easily just with a Hyatt co-brand credit card too.
Marriott is offering about 90% of their 7500 hotels at off peak redemption prices for bookings made by December 14 and stays through February 28, 2021.
A Marriott spokesperson says “Of the 90% of properties offering solely off-peak rates, about two—thirds of those properties had previously been offering a mix of rates during the promotional stay period.” And that just shows that Bonvoy has been gouging members for redemptions at a majority of its hotels.
Stephen McIntyre called himself the ‘Tampa Gift Card King’ and after $10 million in volume faces five years and three months behind bars for “conspiracy to commit money laundering.”
Last Saturday evening a Puerto Rico National Guard soldier was attacked by an arriving passenger after the guardsman asked the man to wear a mask and fill out a Covid-19 health declaration. The man, who reportedly smelled of alcohol, objected to the mask and health form requirement – and other passengers and local health care workers in protective gear dove for cover to stay out of the way of his objections.
When the man was arrested he yelled, “It’s gonna be all on social media.” That’s true, but perhaps not in the exculpatory way he’d hoped.
A London Heathrow-based flight attendant for British Airways has deleted most of her social media accounts as an airline investigation is underway to uncover her identity, after the a U.K. newspaper revealed that she offered illicit onboard entertainment to passengers for a fee.
On Tuesday the U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a report on the perimeter rule at Washington National airport. Limits are placed on the distance flights can operate from the airport in order to limit congestion and noise and to protect Dulles airport for longer haul traffic.
The Boeing 737 MAX is officially allowed to fly again in commercial service. A lot of things need to take place before that happens, but while Southwest Airlines plans to take 4-5 months to get the plane back in the air, American Airlines is far more aggressive – planning to fly it again on December 29th.
Employees of American Airlines and its wholly-owned regional carriers (Enjoy, Piedmont, and PSA) and of the American Airlines Credit Union are being invited to take one of five ‘flights to nowhere’ on the Boeing 737 MAX before it re-enters commercial service at the end of December.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
