Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for June 2015.

All 3 Airline Alliances Have Elite Status Match Opportunities. Here’s How to Get Yours.

by Gary Leff

Jun 23 2015

Airlines are interested in poaching the best customers of their competitors.

Frequent flyers sometimes want to switch airlines, but it’s tough — you’ve flown enough to earn perks, you don’t want to give up those perks and start from scratch with another carrier.

So many airlines will offer a status match: show that you have elite status on a competitor airline, and they’re willing to give you similar status to make it easier to move your business over.

There’s news, even, of a new alliance carrier offering a formal status match program. So it’s worth understanding what you can easily get…

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New Aspirational Option to Redeem Chase and Hyatt Points: Former Four Seasons Carmelo Resort & Spa

by Gary Leff

Jun 23 2015

Via the indispensable Magic of Miles, the Carmelo Resort & Spa in Uruguay has become a Hyatt.

The hotel is set in a forest overlooking the river. It’s a former Four Seasons which has only 44 rooms. The base room is 970 square feet. It’s a category 5 redemption (20,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points per night, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt).

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Complete Guide to the EVA Air Hello Kitty Jet Experience

by Gary Leff

Jun 22 2015

EVA Air ran Hello Kitty flights from 2005 through 2008, and brought them back in 2011. They’ve been running Hello Kitty flights ever since, and current Hello Kitty routes have some of the highest load factors in their system (around 85%). Of course they make smart business decisions about the routes, and while the Hello Kitty livery draws some passengers it’s clearly planes they’re filling and drawing enough revenue that justifies the expense of the onboard product. For instance, one of their Los Angeles flights had been operated with Hello Kitty aircraft but no longer is. The Hello Kitty Fleet Here are the current Hello Kitty routes: There are a total of (7) Hello Kitty planes currently: (3) Airbus A330-300s (2) Airbus A330-200s (2) Boeing 777-300ERs Which Hello Kitty Planes Fly Where? Hello Kitty Shining…

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Inside Star Alliance Member EVA Air’s 777-300ER Hello Kitty Shining Star Jet

by Gary Leff

airplane from the front looking back
Jun 21 2015

At the launch party for EVA Air’s Houston-Taipei service I had the opportunity to walk through their brand new 777-300ER Hello Kitty “Shining Star Jet” and have a look at all three classes of service.

Hello Kitty planes are a whole lot of fun. They offer a really nice enhanced soft product, bringing the Sanrio characters to life through video, meals, and a presence across the small items onboard like safety cards and even the toilet paper in the lavatories.

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Lack of Award Space on American’s Own Flights: No Saver Awards to Buenos Aires From Mid-July Through End of Schedule

by Gary Leff

Jun 21 2015

I value American AAdvantage miles quick highly — but for redemption on their partners, like first class awards on Etihad, and not for redemption on American’s own flights. In fact, all things equal, I would rather not redeem miles to travel on American (unless it’s redeeming 4500 British Airways points for an American flight under 650 miles).

Nonetheless, the lack of award availability on American’s international flights has become even worse, sometimes and some routes impossible.

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