Jan
30
2016
The single most lucrative thing you can do to earn large amounts of miles, quickly and easily, is to sign up for credit cards that offer big up front bonuses.
The Best Way to Bulk Up or Replenish Your Miles
About Gary Leff
American Opens the Floodgates on Transatlantic and Transpacific Premium Cabin Award Space
Jan
29
2016
American said to expect more premium cabin award availability, that there’s be more to come beyond what we’d already seen, and that it would be noticeable.
There’s a ton of flights with at least 4 business and 4 first class award seats available to a variety of destinations. And it is interesting that we are seeing this before premium cabin award prices go up on March 22 even!
IHG Rewards Club Adds 2 New Redemption Categories, Most Expensive Night Now Up to 60,000 Points
Jan
29
2016
Last night I gave a heads up that IHG Rewards Club — the points program for Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, and related brands — would be adjusting the redemption prices at about 8% of participating hotels.
They’re giving a modest amount of advance notice — changes go into effect February 17. That lets you make any future date bookings now at the old price for hotels that are going up.
How American is Thinking About What Really Matters to Customers
Jan
29
2016
The things that were most interesting to me about American’s earnings call weren’t falling airfares and weakness in South America market; the Zika virus; or American’s record profits, whether it’s fair to say that they had the most profits of any airline in history (or whether Delta ‘excluding employee profit sharing’ is higher, since of course those are wages and as Doug Parker pointed out the difference in profits between the airlines is Delta’s big losses on fuel hedging, something American doesn’t do).
The audience for the earnings call was mostly financial analysts. American was getting beaten up on, despite its profits and margins, for low fares. The critique was, why don’t they do more, actively manage to find ways to keep more of the cost savings from lower fuel? However there’s always some important tidbits that matter from a customer perspective, and to understand the direction the airline is going and what matters to its leadership. So here’s what was most interesting to me, that will be a different emphasis from mainstream financial reports on the call:
Wait, Citi Prestige Card Now Gets You Complimentary Champagne and Strawberries?!
Jan
29
2016
Last week I noted that Citi moved the card over to using Aspire Lifestyle Concierge. They have a much smoother process now for bookings using the 4th hotel night free benefit.
But there’s another hidden benefit to this change: Aspire’s Preferred Restaurant Program.
American Airlines Premium Cabin Award Availability Improving
Jan
29
2016
In my post about the surprising availability of American Airlines premium cabin awards on a plethora of transatlantic and transpacific routes on.. Wednesdays, some readers suggested that I may have buried the lede.
Donald Trump and Holiday Inn Express, Airline Call Center Hijinks, and Airports’ Right to Kill Birds
Jan
29
2016
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.
IHG Rewards Club Announcing Reward Night Price Changes Tomorrow
Jan
28
2016
We’re getting more than 2 weeks advance notice that IHG Rewards Club reward night point prices will go up or down by 5,000 or 10,000 points per night at 400 properties.
United Launching One of World’s Longest Flights, San Francisco – Singapore
Jan
28
2016
United is launching San Francisco – Singapore service June 1 operated by a Boeing 787-9.
This flight is 132 miles shorter than Qantas’ Sydney – Dallas, which is the current longest flight in the world. And it’s shorter, of course, than the Dubai – Auckland, New Zealand flight that Emirates just announced for March. United will terminate service between Singapore and Tokyo/Narita effective June 2, 2016 (eastbound).
There are several things striking about this development.
50% Off oneworld Redemption for New Members
Jan
28
2016
oneworld airline airberlin has a fantastic promotion for new members joining.
Join using the promotion link by March 31. Make your first redemption by December 31. Get half the miles back from that redemption. Boom.
