Category Archives for General.
Back in June I stayed at the Westin Stonebriar for the first time and I received an amazing upgrade while they seemed to confuse me with someone else, an important repeat customer.
I’ve been back twice and have had the chance to experience the hotel as a ‘regular’ Platinum member.
I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Airline upgrades are almost exclusively done by formula, with little discretion allowed to gate or check-in counter agents.
The only time there may be wiggle room is when a flight is oversold, and while elite frequent flyers may get preference for moving up to a premium cabin, the most important priority is getting a flight out on time. Other than these “operational upgrades” though, upgrades are going to be based on published criteria – not who is nicest, who dresses best, or who asks.
And I’m afraid to use my cell phone at immigration and customs. This rap star was riding a hoverboard and found out that at such a checkpoint rights are… shall we say… more limited.
Starwood now lets you transfer points to Korean Air, which is an amazing partner for first class awards, Europe business class awards, and Hawaii awards. Chase transfers to Korean are usually instant. In my first test Starwood took between 4 and 5 days. But that’s ok — because of Korean’s incredibly generous ‘hold’ rules.
IHG Rewards Club has moved to ‘gamified’ promotions with different pieces meant to incentivize behavior among members — with the specifics driven by data about your activity so far, like whether you’re a co-brand credit card holder or an elite. They’re out with a new one that can mean 2 free nights or over 150,000 points.
I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Several readers e-mailed me with a rumor that American Airlines’ decision to end Philadelphia – Tel Aviv service was driven by American’s Middle East partners. Israel’s Haaretz has picked up the story. It makes absolutely no sense.
Upgrades can actually be harder to get than awards, and more expensive too. Australia and New Zealand are two of the toughest destinations for either. While an upgrade on United with cash and miles can often be a much better deal than a straight purchased business class ticket, it’s going to be a tough strategy to pursue. Instead…
Delta has set a number of operational reliability records this summer.
I find Delta’s frequent flyer program both untrustworthy and less valuable than competitor programs. But I also think they run a good airline operation. Since an airline’s primary function is to get you from origin to destination in a safe and reliable manner, it makes sense to fly Delta especially on a non-stop basis and where their schedule is advantageous.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
