Starwood and Marriott Know They Have a Problem With Their Merger. And They Don’t Know How to Fix It Yet.

by Gary Leff

Feb 03 2016

For all the talk of financial synergies, scale in dealing with online travel agencies, and the operational skill Marriott brings to managing Starwood hotels, at core there’s still guests of the chain and in particular Starwood Preferred Guest members who drive an outsize portion of room nights. Marriott doesn’t want to lose Starwood’s customers to competitors.

Meanwhile American Express is desperate to find a way to keep its Starwood Amex intact with Marriott buying Starwood.

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Flew Short American Flights This Year? You Might Have Been Shorted Elite Qualifying Miles

by Gary Leff

Feb 03 2016

Elites earn a minimum of 500 frequent flyer miles on short flights, still, with American AAdvantage plus their elite bonus. Dallas – Austin is just 190 miles one-way but as an Executive Platinum I earn a 100% bonus on miles flown. Thanks to the 500 mile minimum I earn 1000 miles for the segment.

The same 500 mile minimum is supposed to apply to elite qualifying miles. And it does. Except that hasn’t been working properly with American’s new bonus qualifying miles on premium fares that started this year.

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No, “The Left” Didn’t Ruin Air Travel. Why Do You Ask?

by Gary Leff

Feb 03 2016

My Facebook feed was littered with shares today of a piece titled “How the Left Ruined Air Travel” and with many such attempts to use the narratives of frustrated travelers to advance a political agenda, author Josh Gelernter doesn’t appear to know enough about the subject to make the case stick.

Far away airports certainly won’t make travel better. “Conservative mayors” aren’t going to mean big close-in infrastructure projects. And lack of airport facilities isn’t the binding constraint in most cases standing in the way of competition.

But if you want more airline competition and to drive better service and low prices, you need to end corporate welfare. And that’s equally a Republican and a Democrat problem.

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Buy American Miles for Just 2 Cents Apiece Through Monday

by Gary Leff

Feb 02 2016

In mid-November American offered a purchase miles bonus that I thought was a bit disingenuous to tie to ‘Cyber Monday’. It was still a good deal as far as purchase miles bonuses go, just not credible to call a “second half of November sale” a Cyber Monday deal. And indeed they extended the offer through January 4.

Now US Airways Dividend Miles American AAdvantage is back selling miles at a discount, and again with a bit of a confusing offer — this time offering a stackable bonus and a discount, which I suspect just makes things more confusing, but does allow you to buy 142,500 miles at 2 cents apiece.

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Blac Chyna Denied Boarding By British Airways, Arrested for Drug Possession

by Gary Leff

Feb 02 2016

Apparently she was drunk and belligerent on the LA – Austin flight. According to TMZ she was ‘fighting with the flight attendant and acting like a drunken fool’ screaming “y’all got no respect for me, I gotta tie my shoes, let me tie my yeazies.”

Chyna headed to her connecting gate to continue to London but things didn’t end there. She was drunk and abusive at at the gate so British Airways refused to board her. So she headed to an airport bar, where things really went downhill.

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$20 Uber Credit for Existing Riders

by Gary Leff

Feb 02 2016

Visa is offering a $20 statement credit for your next Uber ride if you make a grocery purchase with your linked Visa by Sunday, February 7. Despite the marketing language, that purchase needs to be from Whole Foods.

Use that Visa for a purchase at Whole Foods by Sunday, and then take your next Uber ride by December 31, 2018.

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Details of the New Barclaycard Version of the JetBlue Personal and Business Credit Cards

by Gary Leff

Feb 02 2016

Barclaycard picked up the JetBlue co-brand from American Express. And they even bought Amex’s ‘back book’ meaning that existing American Express cardmembers get transitioned over to the new JetBlue Rewards MasterCard issued by Barclaycard.

A couple of weeks ago American Express sent notice of the transition to its cardmembers. JetBlue communicated last week. And Barclaycard is sending out information this week that may start hitting mailboxes by tomorrow. The card isn’t yet available for new signups, but we know what it offers now.

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