Six weeks ago I wrote about South American airline TAM’s fantastic first class award availability. TAM has pretty much never released first class award space, occasionally I saw seats when they first joined Star Alliance but more or less not at all since then. So it was a surprise that so I was shocked when the floodgates had opened. First class seats are now (either by change in policy or mistake) available in droves. On some flights it’s the entire cabin that’s open. TAM flies from New York JFK, Miami, Orlando and Mexico City to São Paulo. They also fly from New York JFK and Miami to Rio de Janeiro, and Miami to Manaus, but that’s with a 767 which doesn’t offer first class. Business class availability is also very good at present. TAM’s 777s…
Monthly Archives
Monthly Archives for March 2014.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong’s Amazing Views and Club Lounge: Vietnam, Cambodia, Macau and Hong Kong Trip Report
Index: Introduction, Positioning Flight to New York, and the Hilton JFK British Airways First Class Lounge, New York JFK Cathay Pacific First Class, New York JFK – Hong Kong The Pier First Class Lounge and Cathay Pacific Business Class, Hong Kong – Ho Chi Minh City Park Hyatt Saigon Lunch at Pho Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam Airlines Business Class, Ho Chi Minh City – Danang Hyatt Regency Danang Resort & Spa Vietnam Airlines Economy, Danang – Siem Reap Park Hyatt Siem Reap Angkor Wat and Other Temples Dragonair Business Class, Siem Reap – Hong Kong Turbojet, Hong Kong Airport – Macau and the Sheraton Macao Hotel The Venetian, Fernando’s, and the Ferry to Hong Kong Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Harbor View Suite Bo Innovation, Hong Kong Amber Restaurant, Hong Kong Cathay Pacific The…
Citi Improves Prestige, British Airways Offers Leniency, Azul Turns Blue, and Doug Parker Bonuses His Run From Competition (Bits ‘n Pieces for March 25, 2014)
News and Notes from Around the Interweb: British Airways may be willing to extend the life of expired miles, with the requirement of some account activity within 90 days of their having done so to keep the points alive. Not all true: The Best Kept Secrets You Don’t Know About Flying The American Airlines Admirals Club Guest Access page now lists the Citi Prestige card as offering access on the same terms as the Citi Executive card. Coupled with with improved points-earning and redemption value, the card is actually worth half a look. Doug Parker runs from competition. The New American Airlines strategy in New York seems to be serving small communities rather than major business destinations. And they’re 1000 bonus miles on 10 new routes for travel between April 1 and June 30. Registration…
Singapore Has a Useful Chart on How They’re Dealing With the Exit of US Airways and TAM From Star Alliance
Alliance benefits, like Star Gold recognition, go away once an airline leave the Star Alliance. Reciprocal frequent flyer agreements may exist entirely apart from the alliance. Singapore’s agreement with US Airways has an end date that’s after US Airways’ departure from Star. Singapore appears to be continuing its frequent flyer relationship with TAM. Both US Airways and TAM leave Star Alliance and join oneworld on March 31. Here’s what will happen to their relationships with Singapore. In the case of US Airways, it’s not all that useful to US Airways Dividend Miles members during the April through July period. US Airways has a great award chart for intra-Asia travel, if there’s availability you can book Singapore – Male (Maldives) roundtrip in business class for 30,000 miles. But US Airways doesn’t have access to Singapore Airlines…
Get 1000 Bonus Miles For Your Room Preferences
PointsHound will give you 1000 bonus miles with your first hotel booking when you use my referral link. (Their standard referral bonus is just 250 miles.) New or existing customers who book a 3-night stay by April 1 can earn an additional bonus 1000 miles for letting them know your room preferences. Seriously. PointsHound wants you to know about their ‘premium concierge service’. The day before your arrival at the hotel, our Concierge Team will send you an email asking for your specific room preferences..Respond to the email and we’ll contact the hotel on your behalf, get your room assignment, and make sure you’re all checked in when you arrive! By taking advantage of this, they’ll give you 1000 bonus miles in the program you’ve chosen to earn miles with. PointsHound (like Rocketmiles) lets you…
US Airways Won’t Adopt American’s Award Rules on March 31, and Other Answers!
As a followup to my questions about how US Airways Dividend Miles awards will work starting March 31 when the airline joins the oneworld alliance, I asked some additional questions. We already know that US Airways is keeping its own separate award chart rather than adopting American’s. And we know that US Airways Dividend Miles will add fuel surcharges to British Airways and Iberia awards as American does today. But I still had outstanding questions about US Airways routing rules. The initial answers I was getting weren’t on point, so here’s what I asked hoping to get a clearer answer (and not to have American have to explain much). I asked whether US Airways systems were going to be updated to auto-price awards and auto-validate routings using the American’s rules? I assumed that they would…
More Answers On How US Airways Award Tickets Will Work Starting March 31
US Airways departs Star Alliance on March 30th, and enters the oneworld alliance on March 31. A communication from Dividend Miles made it sound like award travel using US Airways miles would be booked not based on its own existing award chart but would be starting to charge prices that match those charged by the American AAdvantage program. That’s of interest because many awards are more expensive, and others less expensive, under the American program. Especially of note is the US Airways business class award to ‘North Asia’ for just 90,000 miles roundtrip compared to 110,000 under the American program. I don’t know anyone who thinks that an award ticket to Hong Kong is going to cost 90,000 miles in the future but the hope is that the US Airways award chart pricing will stay…
The Most Special, Aspirational Hotels That Are a Great Value on Points
Ted commented on a recent trip report post, Gary I share your passion for aspirational travel in Asia. I followed your lead and went to the Conrad Koh Samui, Maldives and Hong Kong. Have you found anything else that compares? I am looking to book my next trip. This reminds me a little bit of a classic line from a classic 1980s movie, and a more philosophical take on the same problem — the problem of actually doing everything you set out to do. In the movie Die Hard, the villain Hans Gruber (played by Alan Rickman) declares, And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer. Benefits of a classical education. This turns out to be a misquote, perhaps of Plutarch, and Alexander the…
The Venetian, Fernando’s, and the Ferry to Hong Kong: Vietnam, Cambodia, Macau and Hong Kong Trip Report
Things to Do in Macau — Index: Introduction, Positioning Flight to New York, and the Hilton JFK British Airways First Class Lounge, New York JFK Cathay Pacific First Class, New York JFK – Hong Kong The Pier First Class Lounge and Cathay Pacific Business Class, Hong Kong – Ho Chi Minh City Park Hyatt Saigon Lunch at Pho Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam Airlines Business Class, Ho Chi Minh City – Danang Hyatt Regency Danang Resort & Spa Vietnam Airlines Economy, Danang – Siem Reap Park Hyatt Siem Reap Angkor Wat and Other Temples Dragonair Business Class, Siem Reap – Hong Kong Turbojet, Hong Kong Airport – Macau and the Sheraton Macao Hotel The Venetian, Fernando’s, and the Ferry to Hong Kong Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Harbor View Suite Bo Innovation, Hong Kong Amber…
What’s Your Biggest Hotel Pet Peeve?
When writing about the Charleston Place Hotel, I could nearly feel the month-old aching of my shin. My biggest hotel pet peeve is a bed frame that extends out significantly past the mattress. It’s one thing to have this at home, you know it’s there, you’re used to it. But when you’re not expecting it? Well, I walked into it. I bled. And.. I walked into it again hours later. No hotel should have bedframes like this. Oh, there are plenty of things that irk me in a hotel, I have a whole list of hotel must-haves. But this is my biggest pet peeve. What is your biggest hotel pet peeve? You can join the 30,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts by email (just one…
