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.
Andrew shares a pretty crazy story about trying to fly from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Seattle in Delta’s business class that he booked with Alaska Airlines miles.
He had some real bad luck on the trip. His rental car was broken into in the south of France and his family’s luggage was stolen. He needed new bags and he went to Ikea.
At New York JFK TSA tried to cover it up when they let passengers go through security without screening. They also ran through the terminal screaming about bombs and shooting victims when there weren’t any. Several times at New York JFK passengers have landed and just skipped immigration.
A New York security screener sexually assaulted a passenger. And in the New York area customs employees are reportedly hazed on rape tables with the theme to jackass playing in the background.
Hyatt has managed to turn an emphasis on experiences into something entirely transactional. They’re only offering it temporarily. And it’s not super high value, either.
In March there was a report that Emirates and Etihad were considering merging.
Now Emirates CEO Tim Clark says he’s open to working with Etihad, and offers a non-denial denial about a likely merger.
Key details include that it’s valid for your first 8 flight segments booked and flown after registering but no later than December 31.
Codeshares on joint venture partners American Airlines, Finnair and Iberia are eligible.
Dubai airport has approved a series of new security measures including buying new Chinese-made explosive detection machines that apparently can identify more types of explosive materials.
They’re also introducing new facial recognition technology. You walk through an aquarium and your face is scanned on departure.
Today Alaska Airlines is introducing first class pre-order meals through their mobile app. You’ll be able to order between 24 hours and two weeks prior to departure.
American Express is running a 30% bonus on transfers from Membership Rewards to Virgin Atlantic through November 30. I note this is a new bonus since they offered it back in May.
This is a great way to book one of my 17 favorite award redemption values.
Singapore Airlines flies to two destinations from Los Angeles — Seoul and Tokyo Narita (with continuing service to Singapore). Both flights are operated with Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, not with Airbus A380s, so first class is still a bed with great food and service but isn’t their suites class product.
Singapore’s Los Angeles – Seoul flight is wide open with saver award availability for two passengers in first class.
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 »
