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 Airlines Introducing New Breakfast to Domestic First Class Starting October 1
American has 4 ‘cycles’ of domestic first class meals that they rotate. New meals debuted in August 2015, and were supposed to cycle for a year.
The same food is still being served, but there are changes to breakfast in October and last I heard there’s to be an update to other meals in November.
Easy to Forget San Diego Airport Trick and Bottom Line on Marriott-Starwood
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.
United: How Often Your Upgrade Clears Influences How Often Your Upgrade Clears
A year ago United introduced free domestic first class upgrades farther in advance, and free international business to first upgrades to high value customers.
But here’s something I didn’t know about — the number of flights in a row that a 1K misses an upgrade can influence their upgrade priority on an upcoming trip.
Experiments With Linked Marriott-Starwood Accounts, Transfer Times and Points Expiration
Since Marriott and Starwood accounts can now be linked, and you can transfer points back and forth between accounts, I was curious about the process to see how it would work in practice. I learned three things when I made a transfer of 1000 Starwood points into 3000 Marriott points.
Fly Premium Economy to Europe for Less than Coach, and Stack With Amex Savings
The cheapest coach roundtrips between New York and London on Virgin America are running $658 – $780 per person depending on the day of travel. Meanwhile Premium Economy is available for the same price or less, it’s $658 even when coach is more.
This deal is available from other East Coast Virgin Atlantic cities as well, for instance I’ve found it from Washington Dulles. This gets even better. If you’re buying two tickets, you can get $200 back…!
One Thing That Improves Your Chances of an Upgrade and the Worst Thing to Do If You Miss a Flight
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.
Delta Just Killed It With Their New Safety Video
I like American’s new safety video even though (perhaps because of) I’m not much of a fan of cheesy or over-the-top safety videos. I think it’s a solid effort, and I give it high marks precisely because it’s not the most wild and creative thing out there. It’s modern, and does the job.
However I have to give real kudos to Delta’s new safety video which debuts onboard October 1.
How to Link Your Starwood and Marriott Accounts — and Get Elite Status Instantly
Marriott has acquired Starwood, and on day one they’re already making it possible to link frequent guest accounts, match status, and transfer points between programs.
Marriott and Starwood are still separate, the programs are still independent — you earn and redeem Starwood points at Sheraton, Westin, etc. and you earn and redeem Marriott points at Marriott, Renaissance, etc. — but you can move your points back and forth and elite customers of one can be treated as elites with both.
5 Great New Opportunities Created by the Marriott-Starwood Merger
Now that Marriott’s acquisition has closed, and they’re already letting you link accounts, match elite status, and move points between programs, there are fantastic arbitrage opportunities created.
However long the period lasts where the Marriott program and Starwood program retain their separate identities while letting members move their points and status back and forth between the two — whether only a little over a year, or for two years — this period may wind up as one of the real golden ages of hotel loyalty programs.