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Hyatt Changes How Suite Upgrades Expire, Here’s How to Really Fix World of Hyatt

by Gary Leff on June 1, 2018

Jun 01 2018

Hyatt is extending the validity of the suite upgrade awards members already have through February 28 of the year following when they’re earned . The same applies for the four club lounge access awards given to Explorists each year.

Over the last six months Hyatt has been fixing some of the pain points in their new program. At the end of 2018 they announced free night awards for achieving status would last 180 days instead of 120, and award nights would count towards status.

Marriott’s New Program Drives Down Costs: Platinum Check-in Amenity Reduction

by Gary Leff on June 1, 2018

Jun 01 2018

Marriott’s program is about cost savings for hotels. CEO Arne Sorenson touted this in the chain’s earnings call earlier this year, noting that “loyalty rates have been reduced [to hotels] already twice and they will be reduced a third time” and several changes are helping the chain drive down those costs.

Redeemed British Airways Awards 2006-2013? Get Some of Your Fuel Surcharges Back or Free Points

by Gary Leff on June 1, 2018

Jun 01 2018

If you paid British Airways fuel surcharges between November 9, 2006 and April 17, 2013 you should get points deposited into your account — without doing anything at all — or if you prefer (and fill out a simple form) 16.9% of your cash back.

Passengers Leap Out of 737 Through Emergency Exits When Man Says He Has a Bomb

by Gary Leff on May 31, 2018

May 31 2018

A passenger joked about a bomb and everyone started leaping out of the plane through the emergency exits on Monday. And 10 passengers were injured, some hurt “after falling through the plane’s engine.”

Here’s video of the spontaneous evacuation with passengers jumping off the aircraft. Flight crew did not instruct passengers to leave the aircraft.

United Wants to Return to New York JFK — And Doesn’t Know How to Do It

by Gary Leff on May 31, 2018

May 31 2018

United pulled out of New York JFK entirely in fall 2015. A year ago the airline’s President Scott Kirby said that was a mistake. Now he wants to return to New York JFK and doesn’t know how to do it.

When the airline left JFK it was because bean counters looked only at revenue and expense for the those particular JFK flights and missed the bigger revenue picture — lucrative corporate contracts which made other routes profitable, and which they lost without the JFK service.

New Class Action Lawsuit Over AA.com Airfare Pricing

by Gary Leff on May 31, 2018

May 31 2018

The plaintiff would like you to think of this case as picking a pack of gum up from the store shelf, getting to the register, and being asked for more money than the posted sign.

I think of this more as showing the clerk at the register the list of what you want to buy, including an auto-generated price estimate, and the clerk goes in the back and checks and says they’re all out of the limited inventory of discounted product but they’re still willing to sell it to you at regular price.

Airbnb IPO and Pay Child Support to Travel Internationally

by Gary Leff on May 31, 2018

May 31 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.

American Express Adds Lufthansa Lounge Access Benefit to Platinum, Centurion Cards

by Gary Leff on May 31, 2018

May 31 2018

American Express has now made the benefit official, expanded it, and clarified access rules. Effective June 1, Platinum and Centurion cardmembers have access to Lufthansa lounges in Munich and Frankfurt when flying on Lufthansa, Swiss, or Austrian.

There’s even first class lounge access for Black Card cardmembers.

Etihad Set to Devalue Miles at the End of June

by Gary Leff on May 31, 2018

May 31 2018

Over the past three years Etihad has devalued its program several times. That’s to be expected because it was so much better than others in the region. Qatar Airways caught me by surprise over the last month first announcing booking fees for awards – just a straight-up tax on redemptions – and then increasing the price of most awards about 60% overnight without notice. The earn and burn program went from middling to terrible overnight.

And now Etihad is making changes again. They’re only describing the changes in broad strokes, even though they’re going to be implemented in a month.

United Airlines Dropped Tito’s Vodka, Now Serving Wheatley From “Man Who Launched a Million Hangovers”

by Gary Leff on May 31, 2018

May 31 2018

Wheatley comes from Buffalo Trace Distillery, owned by Sazerac, which is controlled by billionaire liquor magnate William Goldring, “the man who launched a million hangovers” and known as “the cheap-liquor billionaire.”

Hyatt Changes How Suite Upgrades Expire, Here’s How to Really Fix World of Hyatt

Marriott’s New Program Drives Down Costs: Platinum Check-in Amenity Reduction

Redeemed British Airways Awards 2006-2013? Get Some of Your Fuel Surcharges Back or Free Points

Passengers Leap Out of 737 Through Emergency Exits When Man Says He Has a Bomb

United Wants to Return to New York JFK — And Doesn’t Know How to Do It

New Class Action Lawsuit Over AA.com Airfare Pricing

Airbnb IPO and Pay Child Support to Travel Internationally

American Express Adds Lufthansa Lounge Access Benefit to Platinum, Centurion Cards

Etihad Set to Devalue Miles at the End of June

United Airlines Dropped Tito’s Vodka, Now Serving Wheatley From “Man Who Launched a Million Hangovers”

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About Gary Leff

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