Monthly Archives for June 2018.
I’ve harped quite a bit about the lack of benefits for Hyatt elites at Hyatt Place properties, especially now that the program has eliminated check-in amenities. The program doesn’t allow top tier elites to confirm suites at Hyatt Place hotels. Breakfast is for everyone, or at least for program members booking direct going forward.
Since I rarely want a late check-out at a Hyatt Place the only benefit I experience is bottled water.
When Hyatt updated its terms and conditions with changes to expiration for new suite and club lounge awards they also added a reference to cash and points awards at MGM M Life destinations.
The Office of Special Counsel today wrote to the President and Congress to reveal that “safety inspectors at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have improperly approved aircraft for commercial operations without first reviewing critical safety information that in some cases would have prohibited their operation.”
That sounds pretty scary and this is going to get some coverage but it turns out that most of the issues didn’t actually involve safety issues. They included things like expired registrations. And the majority dealt with small charter aircraft.
United has been slow to retrofit its fleet with new Polaris business class seats. Only 11 planes have been retrofit with these seats since the program was announced two years ago.
So far United says only 3 Boeing 777-200 planes have the new seats. This is the aircraft that’s getting international premium economy first, and that product will become available this month.
Overall I find the Japan Airlines first class lounge Tokyo Narita to be fine. It’s a nice enough place to pass the time before a flight, though it’s not a destination itself worth showing up at the airport early for.
The overall design is really dark. I would love it if the lounge were somewhat brighter. It’s nicer than all but a handful of business class lounges. The highlight for most is the sushi bar.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Lifetime means as long as American Express sees you as having had a card in the past. Often that seems to be around seven years. You can ask American Express what cards you’ve had in the past and they’ll tell.
There’s no more guessing, because American Express has a new popup when you submit an application — before they pull your credit — noting you’ve had the card in the past (or currently have it) and therefore aren’t eligible for a bonus. You can proceed with the application if you wish, or stop the process.
American’s food service in its clubs has really been boosted, and perceptions of their club experience should be upgraded as a result. Onboard I got a predeparture beverage, and that’s actually notable. And I tried a special meal at breakfast for the first time, unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be the passport to a great inflight meal the way it is at lunch and dinner.
American Airlines is reportedly looking at seasonal Philadelphia – Dubrovnik service.
Authorities in Dubvrovnik have been looking for twice weekly year-round service from New York. There’s a large Croatian population in New York, and an even bigger one in Pittsburgh.
United charges up to $75 for awards booked within 21 days of departure. However the ‘book farther out then change’ trick with United has persisted for a long time. I’ve written about it or linked to others writing about it many times.
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 »
