General

Sep 08 2016

About six weeks ago I covered American’s new domestic first class upsell program where they e-mail non-elite flyers with offers to sell first class seats if still available the day before departure.

These upgrades are after elite upgrades the day before departure, so they don’t trade off with elite upgrades that are confirmed at least a day in advance however they certainly can trade off with available inventory for elite upgrades closer-in. We now know that in the event of a flight cancellation they have a higher priority than elite upgrades.

Continue Reading »

Sep 07 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.

Continue Reading »

Sep 07 2016

Delta flights between Philadelphia, Chicago, and Boston and Ireland are available for less than $350 roundtrip. Fares are available from September through May excluding peak holiday dates. From Philadelphia you can fly into Dublin or Shannon, from Chicago and Boston the fares work to Dublin.

Continue Reading »

Sep 07 2016

Virgin Atlantic is offering 30% off economy and premium economy awards booked by September 22. This is better than their usual sales.

Continue Reading »

Sep 07 2016

Last week $1395 business class roundtrips between New York and Paris. That’s a lot less than most airlines normally charge, but is it a good deal?

John in the comments says it’s not. It’s stupid, even.

Continue Reading »

Sep 07 2016

With Marriott acquiring Starwood — a deal that hasn’t yet closed thanks to delays by Chinese regulators — a lot of members are going to be seeing changes.

Today Marriott Rewards’ strongest argument is ubiquity. What members tell me most often what they like about Marriott Rewards is ‘no matter where I go, I can earn my points’. In the US at least there are Marriott family properties pretty much anywhere.

Marriott is also already more rewarding for in-hotel spend than Starwood, and certainly clustered in the middle of the pack with competitors. And Marriott has started to improve since announcing its deal with Starwood.

Continue Reading »

Sep 06 2016

Delta really does have $62 one-way fares from New York to Grand Cayman, including all taxes. Roundtrip fares are $190 which is phenomenal.

Travel is available September through mid-February with some peak dates like December 16-27 and New Years Eve and New Years Day excluded. This is a $24 base fare in each direction, so it’s mostly taxes.

Continue Reading »

Sep 06 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.

Continue Reading »

Sep 06 2016

For several years American Airlines offered a clear value proposition. It made sense to fly American and earn status in the AAdvantage program because they were more rewarding than Delta or United. I’ve written for many years that benefits which are significantly more rewarding than average won’t lost, and it’s no surprise that American has cut back on its generosity.

However with the airline operation lagging, cuts to the AAdvantage program, and strong indications of more cuts to come, I’ve been flying American less.

Continue Reading »