Dec 02 2015

Delta has ended its interline ticketing and baggage agreement with Emirates.

An interline agreement is the most basic agreement and major airlines almost always have those with each other. Ending the interline agreement means neither airline will sell tickets on the other. And they won’t transfer baggage to each other, either.

Interline agreements were once a basic level of cooperation between airlines to provide service to customers. Now for Delta they are a strategic business tool.

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Dec 01 2015

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.

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Dec 01 2015

Starwood is offering “Blogger Thank You 2015” — 2015 bonus points for your next stay as a ‘thanks’ for all of your online feedback. And it stacks with other offers like their end of year bonus on stays 2 nights or longer and their 2500 point ‘keyless’ bonus. Registration is required and there’s really no reason not to register ‘just in case’ you wind up with a Starwood stay through the end of the year.

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Dec 01 2015

Delta is back with their year-end offer to sell qualifying miles to help you earn status. And the prices are jaw dropping, though they vary based on your current status and the number of miles you want to buy.

Higher status pays more, the more miles you buy the less they cost per mile. It looks like a Platinum would pay between 30 and 88 cents per mile. If you really care about Delta status… get thee on a plane!

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Dec 01 2015

So hotels have gone to greater lengths than airlines in trying to get customers to book direct. Generally when you book on Expedia you still earn frequent flyer miles for your flights, and are eligible for elite status accrual and elite benefits. (Although it may not always be as clear what restrictions apply to the fares you’re buying.)

Hotels on the other hand have imposed restrictions on points-earning, elite status earning and elite status benefits on these reservations. Now hotels are winning the battle over how much commission to pay, and what rates to even make available to online booking sites.

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Dec 01 2015

If airlines increasingly award points as a multiple of the price paid for your ticket, why do they call those points ‘miles’?

And if elite status at Delta and United are based on minimum revenue as a proxy for your value to the airline, why have distance flown requirements at all?

Reader Andrew runs into another rather vexing paradox of revenue-based frequent flyer programs: the infant fare.

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Dec 01 2015

I’m not at all a fan of most airline advertising, and I’m not claiming these are effective, but I sure do actually have favorites in the world of miles and points advertising. And one favorite video made by a frequent traveler.

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Nov 30 2015

It’s almost always passengers going berserk, like the 24 year old who attacked another passenger and then died prior to landing or the one who kicked and bit flight crew after being denied access to the premium cabin lavatory.

Or the woman dragged off a United Express flight when she refused to put her dog in a carrier. ‘Air rage’ doesn’t even always involve the Knee Defender. But it’s usually the passengers instigating things.

And when it’s the crew, it’s the pilots. So this seemed somewhat noteworthy.

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Nov 30 2015

IHG Hotels, which includes Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and related brands, announced a new partnership with Uber today.

That means Starwood, Hilton, and IHG all have Uber partnerships. But only Starwood’s is actually good. Although IHG has an interesting first-use bonus for Uber. Here’s how to benefit from all three.

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Nov 30 2015

The Los Angeles Times asks, “Are airlines padding flight times to improve on-time performance?” This gets it exactly backwards.

Airlines adjust their schedules to reflect how long it will take to fly from one airport to another. And they absolutely hate it. Just a couple of extra minutes per flight means several more aircraft are needed to operate the same schedule for a large domestic carrier.

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