United has announced details of their Basic Economy product. In June United estimated Basic Economy would increase revenue by $150 million by 2018.
Effective with flights starting January 11, while American is still calling its premium cabin first class, they’re using business class fare buckets.
As a result British Airways appears to be going from charging 30,000 points one-way to charging just 15,000 for flights up to 1150 miles.
A month ago Alitalia doubled the price of many partner awards overnight and without notice. At the same time, they brought partner award booking online and did not increase the price of awards on Alitalia’s own flights and promise not to through the end of 2017.
However they do appear to be overcharging taxes on Alitalia awards, and misrepresenting fuel surcharges as a fee imposed on them rather than one the airline is charging itself.
A new legal challenge to mileage expiration in Europe raises interesting arguments about fairness and frequent flyer programs.
Expiring miles remove liabilities from a balance sheet, letting an airline recognize revenue while confiscating what is often seen morally (if not legally) as an asset.
Program policies have varied tremendously over time — sometimes a loyalty program doesn’t want to lose a customer, other times they value revenue recognition, and we’ve seen a see-saw across programs over time and different approaches around the world.
A British businessman was reportedly flying to South Africa in BA first class on October 14, when “after a few drinks” he placed his phone under a flight attendant’s uniform “uniform as she leaned over to serve another passenger” and took photos.
He apparently wasn’t particularly sneaky about it, being noticed by the flight attendant and by other passengers in the cabin (British Airways first class also isn’t especially private).
One of the best deals in travel is the British Airways AARP discount. I love stacking British Airways business class sale fares with $400 off business class fares and even a further 10% discount for eligible Chase credit card holders (using promo code CARDOFFERU).
Customers with the J.P. Morgan Select card are going to be transitioned to the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. They won’t get the Sapphire Preferred’s signup bonus of 50,000 points after spending $4000 on the card within 3 months of their new account, so will probably be wishing they had simply signed up for the card themselves directly.
Hilton is reportedly letting Diamond members who have requalified for their elite status already use stays through the end of the year towards 2018 status.
If you do qualify for Diamond based on hotel activity, and have already done so, if you have the option for rollover nights along with current promotions you have a reason to continue staying.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker spoke at a Centre for Aviation event and made some of his most provocative statements yet.
While the man is known to have a ‘truth problem’ he’s always colorful, such as claiming that Delta flies ‘crap airplanes’.
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.
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 »
