The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General completed a report on government oversight of airline frequent flyer programs.
The Department of Transportation believes that airlines make available enough frequent flyer award seats and are transparent in the way they operate the programs. However the DOT does not pay enough attention to concerns about changes to programs without notice.
United held a call yesterday morning where CEO Oscar Munoz talked about the ways that the airline would cut costs and generate more money from customers.
United has a lot of catchup to do with the rest of the industry on both sides of the equation. My takeaway was that their plan seems to be to copy and catch up, rather than chart their own course.
There are really only 3 elite statuses that I care to requalify for.
Now that we’re midway through the year I decided to check in and share where I’m at qualifying for each. I’ve already requalified with American and with Starwood. I’m well past halfway towards Hyatt Diamond again.
The nice thing on the airline front is that it frees me to be even more of a free agent (buying on schedule and price) that I have been already — and I’ve already been doing it more than in past years.
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.
Prince William flew British Airways Club Europe from Lyon to London Heathrow after a disappointing English performance in UEFA Euro 2016 soccer.
British Airways premium cabin short haul seats offer 30 inches of pitch. That’s less than economy on most US domestic flights.
Upside is a new travel booking site that will help you save money and gives you back gift cards for business travel. It’s brought to you by the founder of Priceline, it was just announced today, and it debuts in September.
Sign up today as a pre-launch VIP and you’re guaranteed $150 back on every trip through the end of the year. You just provide your email address and answer a few multiple choice questions and your VIP status is locked-in.
The cities where air service are growing and where it’s shrinking should come as no surprise.
There are cities which made sense as hubs but once the arilines maintaining operations there merged those hub operations were pulled down. In the midst of a merger airlines always say they’re committed to all of the major cities they operate in — but those obligatory statements should never be given greater weight than the underlying economics of the cities and route network that a combined airline will operate.
There’s no question that, from their earliest days, flight attendants have faced sexual harassment. It’s probably somewhat less common, at least in the U.S., than it used to be — which isn’t to say it’s uncommon.
I love Sri Lanka. And since I’ve been to the Maldives each of the past 5 years, it’s been easy to visit, as the capital Colombo is less than 500 miles away. There is no such thing as bad Sri Lankan food and I even go out of my way to stop for Sri Lankan when flying out of New York JFK.
A reader is going to win a 5 night stay in a suite inclusive of a dinner, massages, and even cooking class. And all you need to do to enter is comment in this post, see inside for details.
Starwood is offering a 30% discount on purchase of Starpoints through July 1.
This is tied for the second biggest discount I’ve ever seen on Starwood Starpoints, which I believe is the most valuable currency (one point is worth more than one of any other point). The ‘regular’ discount that Starwood runs occasionally is 25%. Last month for the first time they ran 35% off for co-brand credit card holders.
Here’s what you can do with this offer.
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 »
