The Paranoid, Cautious Approach to Transferring Points and Booking Awards

man in suit looking at computer screen
Aug 26 2018

Yesterday I helped someone with an Air China first class award. Air China certainly doesn’t have the best first class, and you might think it’s not worth the miles.

This is the story of an award booking that appeared to fail, but where perseverance got it ticketed. However there’s a better approach that takes some of the risk out of award booking.

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It’s August 25 — and Korean Air Still Shows Up as a Chase Transfer Partner

first class cabin
Aug 25 2018

Chase announced that the last day to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Korean Air’s SkyPass program would be Friday, August 24 and that effective today Saturday, August 25 Korean would no longer be a Chase transfer partner.

That notice is still on the Chase Ultimate Rewards website. However Korean Air is also still listed as a transfer partner and the website is allowing me to begin the process of initiating transfers.

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DEAL: New York – Madrid Just $813 Roundtrip in Premium Economy

airplane seats
Aug 25 2018

Premium economy is like domestic first class, sometimes with better amenities when you’re flying internationally. It stands between coach and business class and is often an affordable alternative that’s especially attractive to leisure flyers, business customers buying up themselves when their employers won’t pay for a premium economy, and folks flying Westbound from Europe on a day time flgiht where sleep isn’t a priority.

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Coffee, Tea, or Me? One Airline Hires Only Single Women Under 28 as Flight Attendants

vietjet calendar cover
Aug 24 2018

There’s a long history of sexualizing flight attendants. It remains a part of the culture in the U.S. but isn’t nearly as overt as it once was. In part that’s because travel is no longer nearly as glamorous, and airlines in the U.S. rarely promote the glamour of most of their travel experience (and when they do it now focuses on product). U.S. culture would no longer be as welcoming of this as it once was either.

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Why You Can’t Check a Pet as Cargo on Most American Airlines Domestic Planes

american plane in hangar
Aug 24 2018

American Airlines does not allow pets to be checked as cargo on their Airbus narrowbodies. They are growing this fleet with A321neos that begin delivering at the start of 2019.

Airlines are cracking down on emotional support animals. Small pets can travel in the cabin for a fee, but larger pets need to be checked. Owners of larger animals then may be caught between Scylla and Charybdis unable to bring their animal on board as an emotional support animal, unable to bring them in cabin for a fee, and unable to check them when traveling on half the domestic fleet — and many destinations are served exclusively by these aircraft.

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Surprisingly Civilized: Actual Printed Menus on a Midcon, Pillows for Shorthaul

groceries
Aug 24 2018

Flight attendants may be given detail on an airline’s food. They rarely pay it much mind, and I usually get blank stares and shrugs when I ask something about a dish before I order it. So I’ve learned not to ask.

Not only did I get a description of the dishes I could choose from, I didn’t have to ask the flight attendant what the wines were. If I ask I usually get another blank stare, “red and white” or sometimes if I’m lucky they will show me the bottle.

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