Wide open business class awards for four or more passengers between the U.S. and Europe in Virgin Atlantic’s new product for multiple cities.
Since this is available for 2021, it’s reasonable to book, and there are great mileage values out there – and you can book the seats using points from any of the major transferable bank currencies.
We’re past the stage where every discussion of travel leads to trip shaming, and have entered a stage where people disagree about whether they’re ready. That means it’s at least possible to offer promotions now without being universally shouted down for encouraging travel that nearly everyone agrees people shouldn’t be doing.
Not only has business travel ground to a halt, but as a result employee expense reimbursements have too.
In normal times expense reimbursements are one of the primary areas of fraud that companies face. Employees fake receipts. They change amounts on receipts. They mis-describe personal purchases as being for business and submit those. They submit the same item more than once. Employees know which supervisors don’t look closely, and learn which companies don’t use sophisticated software to catch these tricks.
First is an offer of gift cards at a discount. Gift cards usually sell to merchants for less than face value, and you can often buy them at a discount on the secondary market, but when you can buy them directly from a brand you have less to worry about in terms of fraud or technical glitches.
Second Marriott is offering points with the biggest bonus we’ve seen – you are prepaying for stays, effectively, at a discount here as well. And while gift cards can’t be used at Marriott’s homesharing service they’re offering a discount on those bookings as well, for two days only.
Right now people are fighting on board over lack of social distancing, although sometimes they’re just freaking out on social media about it.
People are getting pretty political over mask wearing and nearly every U.S. airline will begin requiring them. If folks want to boycott Costco, imagine once they are on board trapped inside a metal tube…?
Redeeming airline miles or hotel points for retail products is almost never going to be a good deal. The loyalty program has to actually buy the item, perhaps they’re getting a modest deal compared to street prices but there’s usually a third party managing the process for them too that takes a cut. There’s not going to be any leverage redeeming miles this way.
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.
Two and a half weeks ago I warned that Avianca seemed likely to file for bankruptcy. Now it has filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
United Airlines, which knew the situation well, had already written down $700 million worth of debt down to $3 million. The Colombia-based carrier already ceased commercial flying two months ago and furloughed most employees. It is winding down its operation in Peru.
Restaurants in Texas were permitted to re-open under new strict guidelines just over a week ago. Indoor spaces are limited to 25% of their previous capacity. Menus are single use only. Condiments cannot be left on the table, but provided only on request. Flatware cannot be pre-placed on tables either and instead must be given to each guest after being seated.
Still, I haven’t dined in at any restaurants yet. There’s one restaurant, however, with a concept that makes me feel safe.
This is a report out that cruise bookings are up 600% off of an extremely low base, and up 200% year-over-year. The claim is highly dubious if taken to mean that the cruise industry is on a path towards recovery or that people are prepared to cruise in the middle of a global pandemic.
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 »
