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Business Class Fare Alert: East Coast – Europe From $1490 Roundtrip

by Gary Leff on October 13, 2018

Royal Air Maroc plane

Oct 13 2018

Pulling up Royal Air Maroc fares between Washington Dulles and Barcelona brings up pricing around $1700 which is great in itself. They fly Boeing 787s with lie flat business class between Washington Dulles and Casablanca. From there it’s a short 737 flight to many destinations in Europe.

But it gets better. Skyscanner is coming up with sites selling it even cheaper — from $1490 roundtrip. Roundtrip business class fares are available between $1500 and $1700 to several other destinations like Madrid, Paris, Lisbon, Rome, Milan, and Amsterdam.

What Top Consultants Are Telling Airlines They Should Do to Change Their Programs

by Gary Leff on October 13, 2018

hawaii

Oct 13 2018

McKinsey & Co has a new report “How to improve airline customer-loyalty programs.”

It begins by outlining the challenge airlines face managing the balance between printing miles and making award seats available for redemption.

Inflight CNN May Get Expensive and More Wealth Coming for Uber Drivers

by Gary Leff on October 13, 2018

person holding phone near steering wheel

Oct 13 2018

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.

What Cuts Will American Airlines Announce This Month?

by Gary Leff on October 13, 2018

american airline plane

Oct 13 2018

American Airlines stock has plummeted. The price of fuel is way up. The markets haven’t liked their big capital expenses, in new aircraft and facilities.

Their third quarter earnings call is scheduled for the morning of Thursday, October 25. And they need to walk in with a narrative Wall Street might like.

New Low Value Mileage ‘Upsells’ Will Make Delta Elite Upgrades a Rarity

by Gary Leff on October 13, 2018

airplane seats

Oct 13 2018

During the airline’s earnings call yesterday CEO Ed Bastian says Delta is now up to monetizing “about 60%” of their first class seats. So they’re behind goal (though they’re apparently ahead of their peers who are likely still in the 40’s).

One way they plan to increase the number of seats they’re upselling to customers, rather than offering as complimentary upgrades, is to offer payment by miles as an alternative to cash.

Air Canada Bans Grandma Who Wanted Flight Attendant to Pick Up Trash

by Gary Leff on October 12, 2018

air canada plane tarmac

Oct 12 2018

In a post-9/11 world it’s important not to challenge a flight attendant’s authority because you may wind up confronted by law enforcement. I’ve seen passengers express concern when a flight attendant moved their stuff in the overhead bin, and immediately face an “are we going to have a problem today?” response.

So it doesn’t surprise me that a situation with a 71 year old grandmother flying with her grandchildren ended badly.

The Unabomber’s Home Will Soon Be a Hyatt and Why Hooters Air Failed

by Gary Leff on October 12, 2018

unabomber

Oct 12 2018

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.

Amazing Cathay Pacific Business Class Award Space for 4+ Passengers

by Gary Leff on October 12, 2018

airline cabin

Oct 12 2018

What’s striking is how much availability exists on Cathay’s routes between the US and Asia. In fact with so many ways to get to Hong Kong there’s usually a means to do it for the family with some flexibility if you’re booking far in advance.

25% Discount on Turkish Airlines Domestic Awards

by Gary Leff on October 12, 2018

turkish airlines plane

Oct 12 2018

Citibank added Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles as a transfer partner last year. That means plenty of people have access to Turkish frequent flyer miles.

As a result it’s worth sharing that Turkish is running a 25% discount on domestic award tickets for booking and travel through the end of the year.

As Marriott Workers Strike, Guests Stuck With the Full Bill But Less Service

by Gary Leff on October 12, 2018

western gaslamp

Oct 12 2018

8,000 Marriott employees are on strike in 8 cities. That encompasses 23 hotels in Boston, Detroit, Oakland, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, and Hawaii out of about 6500 Marriott properties worldwide and includes housekeeping, bartenders and others represented by union UNITE Here.

Marriott’s position has been that hotels are open and they’re ready to welcome guests. Guest reports suggest otherwise. And Marriott won’t waive cancellation rules or notify guests in advance about the ways in which stays will be disrupted.

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 »