General

Category Archives for General.

IHG Rewards Club Points Will Become Redeemable at 500 Mr. and Mrs. Smith Luxury Hotels

Sep 23 2019

Starting “early next year” IHG Rewards Club is introducing a new earn and burn relationship with Mr. and Mrs. Smith hotels. There will also be some form of elite benefits at Mrs. and Mrs. Smith properties, because IHG says that their “most loyal members” (presumably Spire Elites, but also “including InterContinental Ambassadors and Kimpton Inner Circle members”) “can expect free room upgrades whenever available and a free gift, called a Smith Extra, on arrival at each Mr & Mrs Smith hotel.”

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What’s the Worst International First Class in the World?

airline cabin
Sep 22 2019

Now that BA has finally gotten their act together on internet – fuel surcharges on award tickets aside – I’d fly them over American, though I do think Qatar Airways QSuites is better than British Airways first class (and the new ANA business class seems like it may be as well).

Since I rank both Air China (as well as China Eastern) over American, and British Airways as well, is there any airline besides TAAG Angola at the bottom of the list if we were to put together an argument for absolute worst international first class in the world?

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Qatar Airways Announces Record $632 Million Loss

qatarplane
Sep 18 2019

Qatar Airways announced a loss of 2.3 billion Qatari riyals (US$632 million) for the fiscal year ended March 31, for a -4.8% margin. That’s their second straight year of losses and ten times the loss of the prior year.

The airline basically gets a pass on its financial performance while the country is being blockaded by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt. That eliminates travel to 20 destinations in the region, and forces the airline to take circuitous flight routes – increasing fuel costs and flight times (and making the carrier’s schedules less desirable for customers).

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