Monthly Archives for September 2015.
Starwood is a 20% bonus on purchased points. Starwood points are the most valuable loyalty currency, and there’s leverage in any bonus they offer, however I don’t think this offer is cheap enough to justify buying.
One Mile at a Time “If you have a driver’s license from New York, Louisiana, Minnesota, or New Hampshire, you may soon need a second form of ID to get through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints.”
Except.. full implementation of the Real ID Act for air travel in January of next year just Ain’t. Gonna. Happen.
With Uber’s new partnership with Hilton, you can remind yourself to request an Uber when leaving the hotel through the Hilton app. Gee, I’m always forgetting that part.
Virgin America is the latest travel provider to tie up with Uber, and their new partnership comes with free Uber rides to the airport (with ticket purchase) and concert trip giveaways.
British Airways is running an award sale for the back half of this month — cash and points transatlantic awards start at just 5460 points roundtrip. And that turns out to not even be a good deal, believe it or not…
75% Bonus on Purchased United Miles Through September 30
United was offering a targeted 75% bonus on purchased miles, but now it appears open to everyone.
The next time an airline tells you they want to run an inprofitable route for ‘aircraft utilization,’ be suspicious.
With Jeff Smisek departing United — the proximate cause being his dinner with Andre Samson, but the departure representing an opportunity to break from the past several years and get a fresh start. Because the airline has been plagued with problems, largely stemming from top leadership.
Delta refused to renew its interline agreement with American at standard industry pricing that allowed the two airlines to accommodate each others’ passengers in the event of irregular operations.
Now it looks like American is hitting Delta in the New York market, just as Delta co-brands an ad campaign with the state of New York to declare its supremacy there.
In June I wrote about a man who had his life savings confiscated because his luggage smelled of pot. It was one of over 90 such seizures in a year at the Cincinnati airport alone.
In July I wrote about a man who had $44,000 seized at New York JFK even though he was never charged with a crime. He couldn’t get his money back because it took him 90 days to get assistance jumping through all of the required hoops to file a petition for the funds to be returned — and the government only gives you 35 days to file in federal court.
Of course famous people who actually become abusive inflight don’t suffer such punishments.
I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
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 »
