Yesterday commenter TJ flagged that ANA is introducing a new zone-based award chart effective April 12. The only problem is that I haven’t found an English-version of the announcement, and have been on travel and time-constrained. We care because ANA: Is a Star Alliance member, so their miles can be used on a variety of partner flights Their website is in general the best for booking Star Alliance awards, showing award space on on all Star partners. They are an American Express Membership Rewards transfer partner, so lots of US folks have access to their miles. The current distance-based award chart has some fantastic values. Fortunately both Travel is Free and Points with a Crew are unpacking what the changes mean. Bottom-line is that at the margin there will be some great values that disappear,…
Monthly Archives
Monthly Archives for November 2014.
Turns Out Hyatt’s Elite Status Challenge is NOT Gone For Good…
On Monday it was being reported that the Hyatt Diamond challenge had ended. Hyatt was exceptionally generous in that they were willing to give elite members of other hotel chains temporary top tier status, while offering an expedited way to keep that status. And they even gave these temporary Diamond full confirmed suite upgrades as though they had earned the status for a year. This was exceptionally game-able. Plenty of folks signed up for a credit card that gave them Hilton Gold status and leveraged that into Hyatt Diamond — maybe transferred some points into Hyatt from Chase Ultimate Rewards, booked cash and points award stays, upgraded them to suites at booking and enjoyed free breakfasts during their stays. Hyatt confirmed yesterday that the Diamond challenge offer was discontinued on October 31. With the confirmation,…
Snap! That Won’t Work… The War On Water Has Been Won, But We Still Keep Fighting…
I’ve written that the flight I fear the most are United’s Hong Kong routes in economy. I wouldn’t much love American’s Hong Kong – Dallas in back either. Hong Kong airport isn’t an ally in the War on Water. Since you can take water through their checkpoints, there’s an additional security check at the gate or on the jetway for all US-bound flights and all US airline flights (regardless of destination, for instance I’ve experienced it Hong Kong – Ho Chi Minh City on United). The same applies to Australia flights. You can buy water in the airport, but it will be confiscated from you upon boarding. So you’re reliant upon the airline’s flight attendants to stay hydrated flying super long haul. I always wanted to freeze water and take it through a TSA checkppint…
A Website Everyone Should Know About to Keep Programs Honest
Hilton is the hotel program that devalued the most in 2013. Now, instead of showing members a list of all of the hotels changing categories in a single shot, they make changes as they go. And in the name of transparency, they just post hotel redemption category changes to a web page throughout the year. They don’t give notice to members of changes on that page. So I always try to keep a keen eye on it. Today I got notice that the Hilton Garden Inn New York-Times Square Central drops from Hilton HHonors category 9 to category 8 effective this coming Monday, November 11. Not a big change, and the only one just posted as I write this. But supposedly posting to this page was meant to increase transparency. How, exactly? Are members supposed…
Priceline Isn’t the Company You Think it Is
Marketplace interviewed me for this morning’s coverage of Priceline’s earnings report. “It’s not just William Shatner, but the whole company has to boldly go where no travel company has gone before,” says Gary Leff, who writes the viewfromthewing.com blog. “They haven’t quite figured out how to teleport themselves into the future of online travel.” Leff says Priceline’s third quarter earnings report will give a glimpse of the success of the company’s strategy of growth through the acquisition of other companies. Priceline as a company bears almost no relation to the brand that you think of — William Shatner, bidding for hotels and airfare. At one point years ago they were going to revolutionize travel — and everything else. They were going to be the platform to liquidate excess unsold inventory well beyond room nights and…
Double Elite Qualifying Nights, 250 Free Miles, and an Exploding Toilet Inflight…
News and notes from around the interweb: “The bathroom just exploded” onboard a Virgin Australia flight that had to return to LAX. Passengers say the toilets overflowed. The airlines claim it was the sinks. Either way, it apparently smelled. Very bad. Club Carlson is offering your choice of double points OR double qualifying nights through December 30. You must register and choose to take advantage of the promotion. (HT: Loyalty Lobby) 250 free Lufthansa Miles & More miles for downloading the IHG Rewards Club app. Wendy Perrin recommends London Heathrow layover hotels. To me the best choice is driven by which terminal you’re flying in and out of, and you take the one attached to your terminal when that applies (such as the Sofitel attached to T5). Hyatt confirms to me what was believed to…
A Day in the Life of Delta’s Porsche Tarmac Transfer Program
Last summer United started rolling out Mercedes tarmac transfers… something Delta started doing with Porsche in November 2011. United has a broader Miles for Mercedes tie-in as well. Of course this all follows on Lufthansa’s innovation, not just at their First Class Terminal in Frankfurt (since first class passengers wait in a different terminal from everyone else, there must be some way to get to the plane!) but also for passengers whose plane departs from a non-gate position and are waiting in one of the first class lounges in Frankfurt with the capability and also from the first class lounge in Munich under similar circumstance. Now American, through its partnership with Cadillac, offers tarmac transfers as well. Even though it’s no longer really a competitive advantage, Delta is promoting their offering with this new video…
The British Airways Cost to Redeem US Airways Flights to Canada, Mexico, and Caribbean Going Down
As I explained in British Airways Visa Drops First Year Annual Fee, Still Offers 50,000 Points, redeeming British Airways points for short non-stop flights in economy on American, US Airways, and Alaska Airlines are a great deal. You can spend as little as 4500 points one-way, instead of the “usual” 12,500 with US mileage programs. Premium cabins are relatively pricey though — British Airways charges twice the price of economy for business class awards, and three times the price of economy for first class awards. US Airways and American both call their domestic premium cabin ‘first class’. That means it costs three times as many points as coach. Washington DC – New York LaGuardia is 4500 points one-way in economy, 13,500 in first class. Dallas Fort-Worth – Austin is 4500 points one-way in economy, 13,500…
What Do You Do When You Grab a Mistake Fare to Europe and Asia for Someone, And…
Back in May there was an airline mistake deal, New York through Milan and onto Asia for ~ $130. For instance, When a mistake fare comes along, you have to move fast! You can’t dither, talk to your friends, think about whether you want to travel. You have to act. And buy. Right away. Here’s how to find airline and hotel mistake deals These are the all-time best airline and hotel mistake deals At the end of the day, you book non-refundable travel far off into the future. And then mistake or not, life intervenes. Jordan Axani booked one of the Milan – Asia mistake deals and then he and his girlfriend broke up. Her name was Elizabeth Gallagher and now he’s looking for someone else named Elizabeth Gallagher to travel with. Because the name…
Review: American Airlines First Class Buenos Aires – New York JFK
You’ll Also Want to Be Sure to Read: American Airlines Flagship Lounge, New York JFK American Airlines First Class, New York JFK – Buenos Aires Review: Park Hyatt Buenos Aires Eating Around Buenos Aires: Four Notable Meals to Consider In Search Of — and Forgetting — the Past in Buenos Aires American Airlines Admirals Club Buenos Aires I arrived at the gate a minute or two after boarding had commenced, and the crowd was descending on the gate. When I reached the front of the line I was flagged for additional questioning. Perhaps it was that I was in Buenos Aires for just a weekend, or perhaps it was that I didn’t have any checked bags, but I got several inquiries about what I had been doing there and also whether or not I had…
