El Bulli will apparently be closing for a few years while they come up with new culinary innovation. (HT: Tyler). Here at Madrid Fusion, an annual international culinary conference, the news is all about chefs, and no news is bigger than that of Ferran Adrià, the chef of elBulli, reputedly the best restaurant — and the toughest reservation — in the world. To the accompaniment of dozens of flashing cameras and a live feed for Spain’s main television channel, one of the masters of the culinary universe declared that he would be closing his restaurant to the public for two years beginning in 2012. It’s not a definitive end to the restaurant that has been voted the best in the world five times (including in 2009) by Restaurant magazine, the recognized arbiter of such things.…
About Gary Leff
Reader Email: So What ARE Delta Skymiles Still Good For?
With the Singapore Airlines redemption option going away, my favorite feature of the Skymiles program will be no more. Reader Gene wonders what good options are left, and points out that Delta and Jet Airways are partners. My thoughts are as follows: 1. Korean is still a partner. Don’t trust Delta website inventory, I don’t really see business class availability on the Northwest website anymore, either. The same thing happened to Air France inventory. The website is just wrong, business class seats still exist, you just can’t find them by limiting yourself to the online tools that the airline provides. Now, Korean doesn’t often make more than a single business class seat available at a time. But it’s a good option. 2. Air France/KLM do make business class seats available stil… 3. Northwest legacy partnerships…
$10 Off Airtran
If you enter this sweepstakes you’ll receive a $10 off code by e-mail right away that’s good for an Airtran discount. You have to book by January 31 for travel through April.
Air New Zealand’s New Inflight Product Launch
The world is all aflutter with stories of Air New Zealand’s new product launch. The stories are of economy seats that lie fully flat. Real, or hot air? Air New Zealand flew Cranky Flier down to New Zealand to see the launch of their new cabin products. He has the trip report down to New Zealand posted, but not yet details on the new cabin. Kiwi Flyer has a first rundown of the details. Contra most reports, he says regular economy and business class receive only a modest refresh, with the big changes as follows: Sky couch economy seat – 3 seats sold as a pair with a mini bed. A new twist on the old standby of using an empty row to lie down. Space seat premium economy – a business lite product with…
Some Travel Providers More Generous Than Others in Their Offer to Members of Redeeming Points for Cash Donations
About 10 days back I wrote a post about travel providers being less than generous in offering members the ability to redeem miles for donations, and in awarding members with bonus miles for making their own donations. As I noted in the post at the time, I contacted American about the bonus miles they were awarding for donations to the Red Cross, and didn’t hear anything back. So I went on to explain how charities do buy miles as part of their donor acquisition strategy. But in fact airlines also partner with charities as part of their usual corporate giving. And according to this Nicholas Kralev column in today’s Washington Times, that’s the case with the Red Cross and bonus miles offered to members who donate for Haitian relief. Good on American! I wish they…
Safeway GroceryMiles Program Ending February 28
There’s this Flyertalk thread, and others. After February 28 it will no longer be possible to earn miles by shopping at Safeway or their other brands of grocery stores. Their United, Continental, American, and Alaska Airlines program all conclude at the same time. Miles were really my only interest in Safeway, there are much better and more convenient grocery store choices for me in my area. Now I no longer have the hard choice to make, they’ve made it for me…
Another Free 100 Continental Miles Offer
This time it’s 100 miles for learning about their cruise offers. Register by February 28 for promo code A8197 with your Continental Onepass number for the 100 miles. (Via Free Frequent Flyer Miles.)
50% Bonus on Delta Mileage Transfers
Delta is offering a 50% bonus on transfers of mileage from one account to another by January 31. The most miles you can transfer at a time is 30,000 and the cost is 1 penny per mile plus $30. You can thus ‘buy’ 15,000 bonus miles for $330. Not worth it to me, I won’t ever do this for a bonus of less than 100% (which they’ve offered in the past) just for the sake of accumulating miles. On the other hand, if you’re short miles for an award and you have a friend or spouse with some orphan miles this is one way to top off towards a specific redemption.
Up to 40% Bonus on American Express Transfers to Delta
Through February 28, Delta is offering a bonus on transfers from American Express Membership Rewards as follows: Transfer Points Mileage Bonus Total Miles 1,000 to 49,000 10% 1,100 to 53,900 50,000 to 149,000 20% 60,000 to 178,800 150,000+ 40% 210,000+ The bonus miles won’t post instantly the way that the initial transfer will, the terms and conditions say “Bonus miles will be posted two (2) weeks from the transfer receipt by Delta” although it’s possible the bonus miles will post more quickly than that. Registration is required to earn the bonus. Now, I’m not a fan of Skymiles in general. I would not be willing to give up the flexibility of Membership Rewards for a 10%, 20%, or 40% bonus just to park miles in Skymiles for the future (besides, transfer bonuses to Delta are…
Why I Collect Miles and Points
Another CNN.com piece interviews me, along with frequent flier (and commenter to this blog) Gene Gibbs. They quote what for me is my bottom-line in pursuing this mileage obsession: I can experience travel in a way that my income wouldn’t otherwise support. The airlines and hotels offer aspirational awards such that I can see the world in a way that I wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to. I love to try the different airline products, the different seats, the different meals and the different lounges. The Lufthansa first-class terminal in Frankfurt is very special, ANA probably has the best food in the sky with its first class, Emirates have installed showers. We all have our own reasons. There are some aviation junkies, I admit my interest in planes reduces to the amenities inside and not…
