News and notes from around the interweb:
- Saudi Arabia’s first female pilot And yet she still can’t drive a car in her home country!
- More movement in the Las Vegas loyalty program affiliation space. Venetian linked up with IHG’s Priority Club. MGM M Life has done a deal with Hyatt Gold Passport encompassing 12 properties. Hilton lost their Vegas flagship, but has apparently now gained the former Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas which of course is 20 miles from the Strip. (HT: S.)
- 25,000 US Airways miles for laser eye surgery
- While I noted a week and a half ago that Virgin Atlantic is reducing fuel surcharges on coach awards and Iberia was bumping up those charges (from a previously reduced level), there was no word yet on British Airways — Iberia’s partner in the Avios program. It turns out that British Airways is bumping up those fees as well.
- There remain times when the Iberia Avios program is better — such as redeeming for Iberia flights (no fuel surcharges). To move British Airways Avios to Iberia’s program your Iberia account needs to be open for 90 days and must have earned at least a mile. Fortunately you can earn 15 points via Facebook.
The Venetian has been linked with IHG for a while now. When I stayed last November, I had my Intercontinental Ambassador benefits applied (well sort of).
it seems like it/s 25k for both eyes… i was hoping it’d be 25k per eye.
@Lantean — HAH! I don’t know of many decisions in which I’d refuse to be influenced by a 25,000-point bonus, but I do know that this is certainly one of them.
My wife lived in Saudi Arabia as a teen…she views the women there as living restricted lives but when it came to driving it sure was nice for her to just tell her driver where to take her, that it was more a luxury and less a restriction.
@Points – reminds me of the King of Queens where Doug got Carrie Lasik and it went all wrong…turned out he got a deal. Doug, how much’d you save? Half off the second eye. Hilarious!