Global Entry is fantastic skipping the immigration and customs queues when you return to the U.S. I didn’t love the fingerprinting or background check that went along with it, but I figured all my cell phone data was being logged anyway long before Edward Snowden was cool. So if the surveillance was inevitable I figured I might as well at least get the convenience. Now that I have it, it’s hard to imagine life without it — and not just queuing up at immigration, but also that I always get PreCheck at TSA now rather than having it be hit-or-miss through my airline elite status. A Customs and Border Patrol agent can mark you down with a strike that can take it away from you, though. So you’d better cross your I’s, dot your T’s,…
Full Disclosure: How I Got My Hilton HHonors Diamond Status Instantly, for Free
Just days ago I shared my elite status update and why I chose each program. Since that was meant as a window into my actual travels, and I reported just 4 stays and nights with Hilton for the year, I thought an update was appropriate. I now have Hilton HHonors Diamond status. Downgraded to Silver I was a Silver. For the past several years I’ve been an HHonors Diamond from credit card spend. I figured that I would get a soft landing to Gold, which in the limit is just as good, but was given silver instead when I didn’t requalify. Hilton bumped me up to Gold as a courtesy, a generous offer which I declined. They moved me back to silver.
Who Wins — and Who Loses — With the American-US Airways Mileage Program Integration That’s Just Been Announced?
On net I think the details of how American AAdvantage 2015 plans to combine with US Airways Dividend Miles in the second quarter of 2015 is the best possible outcome we could reasonably have expected. I did expect that the combined program would have 4 elite tiers (as US Airways has today, and as both Delta and United have as well) and would move to a system of unlimited complimentary upgrades or all members (though I don’t think that system is better for lower tier elites, because it pushes down their success in actually getting upgrades — a system that has them ration when they request upgrades means they are more likely to get upgrades when they do request it). As far as what could have happened — award chart increases, going revenue-based like United…
Aeroplan Drops The Hammer, Makes Award Booking Harder With New Restrictions
Aeroplan may seem like the kind of thing only our friendly neighbors to the North care about, but it’s actually one of the most useful American Express Membership Rewards transfer partners. Aeroplan has access to the same awards that United does thanks to the Star Alliance. Their award chart is reasonable for many destinations. And their website is pretty good. Transfers from Amex are instant. Aeroplan costs just 45,000 miles each way in business class to nearer Europe. Winter is Coming for Aeroplan Routing Rules Two days ago I noted that Aeroplan routing rules were changing in terms of how they determined whether flights were permissible for award redemption. Every city pair has a published ‘maximum permitted mileage’ — a number of miles you can fly when going from A to B. Some city pairs…
Canada’s Supreme Court Rules Against the French and Fast Track to Top Tier Hotel Elite!
News and notes from around the interweb: Don’t miss my giveaway for hotel stays and Frequent Traveler University tickets. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone at Frequent Traveler University December 5-7 in DC! Canada’s Supreme Court ruled against allowing damages for the couple who wasn’t able to order an inflight 7-Up in French. Free parking when you fly out of Washington’s National airport. VOILA Rewards top tier elite status after just one stay. More success converting the Chase Hyatt Visa annual free night into Gold Passport points Accor’s offer of 5000 Aeroplan miles per one night hotel stay has been pulled early. Guess they realized it was too generous, probably pondered it while test driving a Cadillac. You can join the 40,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to…
Earn 5000 Bonus Miles on Your Next Delta Flight!
Next year Delta is only going to award miles based on the cost of a ticket. Right now though you can earn the actual miles flown on Delta plus 5000 miles for your next flight. The only catch is you have to credit the flight to Delta’s Skyteam partner Alitalia, registering for your new Alitalia Millemiglia account by November 28 and taking that flight within 3 months of enrolling.
Delta Will Eliminate Stopovers on Awards in January
This is my best read and advice, not something that Delta has officially confirmed, just something I believe they have tipped their hand on. Delta rolled out IT changes that caused stopovers not to price correctly a couple of days ago. Adding a stopover in Europe on a business class award cost 50,000 miles more than a roundtrip. Instead of 125,000 miles, stopping in Paris instead of just connecting there was 175,000 miles: It turns out that Delta didn’t mean to eliminate stopovers. Their IT just started charging more now.
ACT NOW If You Want to Take Advantage of a US Airways Trial Preferred Challenge
US Airways offers a paid status challenge program where you get temporary status for 90 days and then have an opportunity to fly to keep that status on an accelerated basis. At the beginning of the month US Airways eliminated the ability to buy miles towards status, which used to be a great alternative to mileage running for those last few flights you’d need to qualify. But how long will these paid challenges still be around? Reader Mike P. asks, Any thoughts or predictions on how long US Trial Preferred will be around? I would like to start a trial as late as possible so that much of the trial activity can be in earning year 2015. But then again, I’m nervous they will pull the program. Mike would like to fly his challenge in…
Delta’s Website Charging Tens of Thousands of Extra Miles for Awards: Feature or a Bug?
This morning I wrote that Delta had started charging more miles for stopovers on international awards and that one of two things were possible: An unannounced devaluation, with stopovers no longer permitted on a roundtrip award (even though no such announcement had been made and the website said stopovers were still allowed) A glitch with the pricing engine. I showed a pricing example, where a stop in Paris on the way to Prague cost an extra 50,000 miles on a business class award ticket. Drop that simple Paris – Prague flight and the price came back down. We didn’t’ have enough information to know which scenario it was though — unannounced devaluation, or technical glitch. As I wrote, Delta doesn’t appear to be pricing US-Europe awards correctly, stopovers are costing extra. It’s either an unannounced…
RANT: American Needs to Bring Back the Old Cookie!
This is probably the ultimate first world problem sort of complaint, but American has replaced the first class warm cookie of deliciousness with one that isn’t worth eating, and that I decline now every time. Perhaps that’s good — I don’t need it anyway — but I share my experiences and thoughts on this blog both large and small, I compliment the little things and criticize them too. Meal service isn’t just about whether there’s a meal, but what’s served. When I first started flying for work in the mid- to late-90s, lunch on a cross country flight might be a steak, served in courses after an appetizer of shrimp. I remember how controversial the ‘gourmet’ burger was on United in early 2001, and it was much better than the cheeseburger on American and Continental…
