The Wall Street Journal had a decent piece today on US Airways’ latest offer for American Airlines. (HT: Pizza in Motion) It suggested deal terms under discussion much like those I wrote about 3 weeks ago, that US Airways was offering American’s creditors 70% of a combined airline while some of those creditors were using an 80% share as a negotiating position. The Journal says we’re not near a deal. The discussions among American, its creditors and US Airways are expected to continue into next year, and the dynamics of the negotiations haven’t changed much since mid-November, said people close to the process. But it seems as though American’s management now believes that a deal is going to happen, watching the way rhetoric has changed. When it became clear that there was real momentum behind…
Monthly Archives
Monthly Archives for December 2012.
Hilton Changes Elite Qualification Requirements, Declares Gold and Diamond Benefits (Almost) the Same!
Last weekend I wrote that changing the qualification requirements for Gold and Diamond elite status that’s earned in 2013 for the 2014 member year. Gold goes from 16 stays, 36 nights, or 60,000 base points to 20 stays, 40 nights, or 75,000 base points. Each qualification method increases. Diamond goes from 28 stays, 60 nights, or 100,000 base point to 30 stays, 60 nights, or 120,000 base points. Stays and base points increase, albeit less dramatically in percentage terms than they do for Gold, and the number of nights required doesn’t change. It’s fascinating to me that you can now just get a credit card and have Gold status as long as you keep that card (the Citi Hilton Reserve Visa), or put $40,000 in spend on a credit card and have Diamond (both the…
Hyatt Gold Passport Eliminating Passport Extras Awards
Jeff Zidell, Vice President for Hyatt’s Gold Passport program, announced on Milepoint that they’ll be discontinuing Platinum Extras awards. As we have said before, we will continue to invest in benefits that enhance the Hyatt experience for the majority of our members and eliminate benefits that are not valued or not utilized. Our Platinum Extras program falls into the latter category, and so, we have decided to discontinue it as of December 31, 2012. After a thorough evaluation, we concluded that Platinum Extras did not provide a significant enhancement to the Hyatt experience; in fact, more than 75% of the awards earned by Platinum members were never redeemed. Therefore, it simply makes sense for us to focus our time, attention and resources on improving the program in new and innovative ways rather than administering a…
Bits ‘n Pieces for December 7, 2012
News and Notes from Around the Interweb: A fascinating story from Ask the Pilot on what really happened in the Air France Concorde crash in 2000 — faulty repair to a landing gear, overweight aircraft, error in shutting down an engine, in addition to the piece of metal of the Continental jet. Buying MyVanilla debit cards with a credit card and taking the money out at a bank. The Hampton Inn Logan Airport leaks that the first quarter HHonors promotion will be double miles or points between January 7 and March 31. In a first-ever legal action to enforce a 2004 California privacy law, that state’s attorney general is suing Delta for failing to include a privacy policy in its mobile app. The airline faces penalties of up to $2500 for each of the millions…
Suites, Treats, and Eats, a Malaysian Mileage Thanksgiving: Malaysia Airlines Business Class, Kuala Lumpur – Langkawi
Introduction: Constructing — and Re-constructing — the Award Trip American Eagle DC – New York and the New Nicest JFK Airport Hotel, the Hilton Cathay Pacific First Class, JFK – Hong Kong The Wing lounge in Hong Kong and Cathay Pacific Business Class Hong Kong – Kuala Lumpur Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Airlines Business Class, Kuala Lumpur – Langkawi The Andaman Langkawi Malaysia Airlines Business Class, Langkawi – Kuala Lumpur Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur Things to See and Do in Kuala Lumpur Korean Airlines First Class, Kuala Lumpur – Seoul and the Korean Airlines First Class Lounge Seoul Korean Airlines First Class, Seoul – Washington Dulles We were bid adieu on our way out of the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur by the same front office manager who had been on duty the night before when…
Business Class is All About the Seat
You want a little bit of food that’s edible in business class, for sure, although for a short (US East Coast to nearer Europe such as London) overnight you just want to sleep as much as possible — eat in the lounge or at a restaurant beforehand and hope they’ll finish meal service quickly (to stop the clanging) and turn off the cabin lights. For service, I don’t need the flight attendants to be nice to me, I just need their help or at least willingness to keep me hydrated. My expectations for business class are mostly modest. But I want a good seat. Business class is all about the seat. Regular readers know that I love first class, the journey can be very much a part of the trip. The food is good, the…
Frequent Flyers Giving Back
The Milepoint Kiva lending team has together made over $4 million in microloans, the third most of any Kiva group. The couple hundred passengers on last month’s Star MegaDO raised over a hundred thousand dollars for charity. The raffle and other activities at last weekend’s Frequent Traveler University raised over $10,000 for charity. And Randy Petersen dressed up as Santa and — in partnership with KULA Causes — gave everyone in attendance a code good for donating $10 to any charity of their choice. In the past Hyatt’s Jeff Zidell has shared that the chain does much of its philanthropy through its hotels — the Hyatt Foundation gives to local charities recommended by its properties, helping their hotels to participate in their local communities. Which is great. But today @HyattPR shared a new initiative that…
The Economist is Fascinated by the Star MegaDO 787 Charter Flight
Michael R passes along that The Economist added coverage of the Star MegaDO (without even going on the charter!). For them, it was an opportunity to summarize Stephanie Rosenbloom’s New York Times coverage. THE New York Times’s review of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is in—and it’s mixed. The paper sent a reporter to join a group of frequent flyers on a MegaDo, a sort of air-travel hobbyist event organised for people who really love planes. Part of the event was an alcohol-soaked joyride on a Dreamliner flying from San Francisco to Houston and then Chicago. As Gulliver and our sister blogs have documented, the new, all-composite Dreamliner has had a troubled early history plagued by delays, frustrated airlines, and cancelled orders. So the first North American charter flight for the plane is a big deal. Upshot:…
Suites, Treats, and Eats, a Malaysian Mileage Thanksgiving: Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur
Introduction: Constructing — and Re-constructing — the Award Trip American Eagle DC – New York and the New Nicest JFK Airport Hotel, the Hilton Cathay Pacific First Class, JFK – Hong Kong The Wing lounge in Hong Kong and Cathay Pacific Business Class Hong Kong – Kuala Lumpur Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Airlines Business Class, Kuala Lumpur – Langkawi The Andaman Langkawi Malaysia Airlines Business Class, Langkawi – Kuala Lumpur Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur Things to See and Do in Kuala Lumpur Korean Airlines First Class, Kuala Lumpur – Seoul and the Korean Airlines First Class Lounge Seoul Korean Airlines First Class, Seoul – Washington Dulles As we exited baggage claim a representative from the Grand Hyatt was one of the first ones spotted, with my name on a sign. I identified myself and he…
Strong Bonus for Le Meridien Stays in North America and French Polynesia
Starwood Preferred Guest is offering 1000 bonus points on your first Le Meridien Stay and 2000 bonus points on subsequent stays for through February 28. (Registration required by January 15.) At least one night of a stay has to fall during the December 3 through February 28 promotion period — a stay which began prior to December 3 or which ends after February 28 can qualify. Participating hotels are as follows: United States California Palm Springs Le Parker Méridien Palm Springs San Francisco Le Méridien San Francisco Massachusetts Cambridge Le Méridien Cambridge-MIT Minnesota Minneapolis Le Méridien Chambers Minneapolis New York New York Le Parker Méridien New York Pennsylvania Philadelphia Le Méridien Philadelphia Texas Dallas Le Méridien Dallas by the Galleria Virginia Arlington Le Méridien Arlington Canada Quebec Montreal Le Méridien Versailles French Polynesia Bora Bora…
