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.
Whenever an airline discounts awards on a route, it’s worth checking to see whether availability is really good. Usually a discount corresponds to a flight being lightly booked.
Similarly, when a flight is new it often takes awhile to book up, and award space can be good. Or an airline might initially load inventory for a new flight with plenty of space.
Radisson hotels in the Americas is now part of Choice hotels, while the international Radisson chain remains separate. The two were split because of Chinese ownership and concerns over control of U.S. data.
Intending to target SAS EuroBonus frequent flyer program members, there’s a link to sign up for the international Radisson Rewards program with top tier elite status, or upgrade an existing account to that status.
American Airlines is running its annual fundraiser for Stand Up To Cancer, in place for five years. They’re awarding quite a few bonus miles for donations to cancer research. Donations of $25 or more earn: 25 miles per dollar, but 50 miles per dollar if you pay with an American Airlines U.S.-issued cobrand Mastercard, on up to $10,000 in donations The miles earned for donations to Stand Up To Cancer do not count as Loyalty Points. This is American Airlines and co-brand partners supporting a fundraising drive, not Stand Up To Cancer buying Loyalty Points (which American charges quite a lot for!). So this won’t help your quest for status. Too bad, a $4,000 donation to charity would earn Executive Platinum status if it did! Is This The Best Organization To Donate To? I don’t…
Airline crew often work two jobs which runs counter to rest rules meant to limit their airline work to ensure they’re fresh on board.
One flight attendant working the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 flight where a door plug blew out in January had started work more than 9 hours prior to the flight.
A deal should be possible, notwithstanding that the Biden administration has opposed most forms of consolidation and cooperation (successfully in the airline industry, less so outside of it).
They need a little more time to get something done – and the parties still seem to think it’s possible – as suggested by another extension this time through the end of Monday.
Alaska Airlines flight attendants have just voted down the contract their union negotiated. It would have given them an immediate 18% raise and then 3% raises in subsequent years. They’d receive boarding pass and retro pay back to 2022. The vote wasn’t close – 68 to 32 against.
Starting today, American’s Gold members and above receive free checked bags when flying Gol. Each bag may be up to 50 pounds. One companion on the same reservation is entitled to a single complimentary checked bag as well.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby laid out the competitive landscape of the airline industry for his employees. United is doing well, Kirby is overly optimistic. He offers important insights but the path is far more fraught for the airline than he lets on.
Upgrades are tough out there. First class doesn’t cost as much as it used to when airlines sold only about 10% of the seats up front. Planes are full and plenty of people have status. They’re more likely to pay for first class outright. And airlines sell first class upgrades aggressively. There are far fewer leftover seats available complimentary to those with airline status.
Now, at least, American Airlines will reward you when you buy a coach ticket and take their paid offer for an upgrade.
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 »
