Aug
31
2015
I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
US Threatens to Shoot Down Flight Over a Cat in the Lavatory, and More.
About Gary Leff
Citibank is Holding a Concert in LA — That Only American AAdvantage Cardmembers Can Attend
Aug
31
2015
Various frequent flyer programs, and also banks, promote the ability to get VIP tickets to shows or access to experiences that would otherwise be beyond reach. Most people don’t take advantage of them, but I really like that they offer ‘life experiences’ — the ability to leverage the relationships of a big company to gain access to things you probably couldn’t do on your own.
Don’t Make This One Mistake Now That US Airways Website No Longer Books Flights
Aug
31
2015
You can no longer search flights at USAirways.com. Instead, when you enter search information you get redirected to the AA.com website.
Now, American and US Airways flights become one on October 17. From that date onward there will only be American Airlines flights.
For travel through October 16, though, customers have been advised that they are better off booking US Airways flights directly. That’s especially true for elites — if you book an American codeshare for a US Airways flight, you cannot upgrade until check-in.
Behind the Curtain: What Delta is Really Trying to Do With Their Frequent Flyer Program
Aug
31
2015
Delta laid out a plan for SkyMiles several years ago. And all they’re doing now is executing on it.
When Delta rolled out the revenue-based earning part of their big overhaul of SkyMiles, I wrote that they had planned to go to revenue-based redemption too but backed off of that late in the game.
Let’s peak behind the curtain of what they were planning.
American Agrees to Honor Big Mistake Fare… Then Cancels Bookings Anyway
Aug
31
2015
American was pricing Brazil-issued tickets with the wrong currency conversion. This was posted on Flyertalk on August 20, and a bunch of people purchased all kinds of tickets at ~ 90% off.
American confirmed through several sources that these fares would be honored. …Now I’m seeing a bunch of reports that several folks are having their itineraries cancelled. I reached out to American to find out what was going on.
Quit Pretending You Like Monuments on Vacation and Do What You Want… And More
Aug
30
2015
I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Delta’s Gorgeous New SFO Sky Club Has a Celebrity Chef and Adventurous Menu
Aug
30
2015
I’m very impressed by what Delta has done with their brand new San Francisco Sky Club that opened this past week. It’s aesthetically gorgeous. And while complimentary food items remain limited (no matter how they trumpet the improvements there) they have a strong paid menu with a celebrity chef.
Delta’s Sky Club celebrity chef is Mai Pham who has two restaurants in Northern California and a Food Network show on Vietnamese food.
OUCH: Amtrak’s New Revenue-Based Program Will Be Much Worse Than We First Thought
Aug
30
2015
Amtrak announced their new revenue-based program which goes into effect January 24. And they laid out details that suggest points will be worth 2.56 apiece (Acela trains) or 2.9 cents apiece (all other service).
It turns out that the value of points presented is not true at all.
How a Simple Ticketing Technique Can Save You Money on Airfare
Aug
30
2015
A reader asks about buying a connecting flight beyond their destination, instead of just buying a non-stop flight to their destination. They fly the same non-stop flight anyway, and just skip the connection. Good idea? Bad idea? What are the benefits, and what are the risks?
The Simple Reason Amtrak Guest Rewards 2.0 is a Good Transfer Partner, But Poor Travel Rewards Progam
Aug
30
2015
Amtrak launches their new revenue-based loyalty program January 24. I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t nearly as bad as expected. But make no mistake that it is bad for the people it’s actually meant to reward.
Much of the analysis on other sites has focused on the strong points value, so folks accumulating points by methods other than actual train travel do fine (if not quite as well as the peak end as before). But I’m at least as interested in how the program performs as a mechanism of rewarding customers for train travel. And there it doesn’t fare well at all.
