Monthly Archives for May 2015.
The Grand Hyatt DFW is a gorgeous hotel, a good property in its own right and not even merely ‘the best at the airport’.
Since my last stay they’ve even started letting Gold Passport Diamond members order complimentary room service breakfast.. seemingly without limit.
The Alaska Airlines Visa is my favorite Bank of America credit card. And an offer that many thought was dead is still around if you know where to look. That’s true despite only having a 25,000 mile signup bonus most of the time. (They did once have a 50,000 mile offer and they’ve also done 40,000 mile offers but most often 25,000 miles is best.) Until recently there was a 25,000 mile signup bonus that also came with a $100 statement credit when you spent $1000 on the card within 3 months. That statement credit more than covers the card’s $75 fee. The fee isn’t waived the first year. On the other hand though, the personal card’s signup bonus often posts before your card even arrives in the mail – no purchase necessary (the business…
It’s hard to fathom how banks can make money rebating 2% on purchases — they may not make that much from each transaction. So how are these products possible? And will they last? Which are the best ones? And do you want cash back or airline miles?
Too often frequent flyer programs think they can Jedi mind trick their customers. But that’s so ten years ago.
What matters more than anything now is authenticity.
Or,as I wrote in 2009 customers will work with whatever game is offered as long as the programs shoot straight and play fair. …
The DOT has unilaterally decided to ignore its published rules, and has provided guidance that it will no longer make airlines honor mistake fares — as long as airlines make consumers whole for costs they incur in reliance on those fares.
That’s a bad approach, ripe for potentially even more abuse than the requirement that airlines honor their fares. Here’s how consumers will take advantage of the rule, and other problems with the DOT guidance. And here’s why the DOT may change its mind again any day now…
As part of Cathay Pacific’s revamp of its frequent flyer program, there’s discussion of limiting partner airlines from accessing award space on their flights. This would be a huge deal for AAdvantage members. But how likely is it?
A collection of interesting links you’ll want to see, many you’ll want to click.
I’ve argued that the New York LaGuardia Central Terminal replacement won’t happen anywhere close to on schedule. There’s little question in my mind that the project will be a boondoggle.
Indeed, a week ago the project suffered another delay.
But that doesn’t mean, as an op ed in today’s New York Times suggests, that LaGuardia ought to be shuttered and air traffic sent farther outside the metropolitan area.
Most people flying American’s new Boeing 787 aren’t going to be enjoying the flat bed business class seats with all aisle access.
Most passengers are going to be flying in American Airlines 787 economy. In fact, for the inaugural Dallas – Chicago flight on the aircraft I flew in coach myself. I flew up front for the return, Chicago – Dallas. That way, I could experience both and compare.
Readers naturally are wary of fuel surcharges, and I absolutely hate them. But you should be educated about how much they are for different destinations before dismissing them out of hand — some programs that add fuel surcharges also charge much fewer miles. It’s worth learning the sweet spots where fuel surcharges can be well worth the savings in miles.
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 »
