Sep 25 2015

I’ve been a fan of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card as an important tool for frequent flyers for a long time because:

• It earns one of the most valuable points currencies, which transfer to a variety of airlines (including in all 3 major airline alliances) and hotels.
  
• It earns points quickly, with double points on both travel and dining (what travelers tend to spend on most).

Recent reports are that Chase has only wanted to approve this card for new customers that haven’t applied for 5 new cards in the past two years.

That means three things…

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Sep 25 2015

American published new mileage earning rates for flights on British Airways and Iberia effective October 1. But they only published the changes on non-US websites, and only when viewing those sites in their native languages.

It turns out that ending the ability to earn full mileage on British Airways and Iberia flights was something published in error and that has been reverted on the website.

One imagines this was at least seriously under discussion, and could come, given the reduced earning that the British Airways and Iberia programs offer for discount fares on their own flights. But that day is not today.

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Sep 25 2015

Instead of increasing the density of reconfigured Boeing 777-200 planes from 260 seats to 289 seats (and reducing the number of business class seats onboard), American tells me they’ve decided those 260 seat aircraft will stay in that configuration as a subfleet. That’s great for passengers.. and for upgrades.

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Sep 24 2015

Panama City-based Star Alliance airline Copa, which used United’s MileagePlus as its frequent flyer program until this summer, is getting up and running. They’ve been aggressively status matching especially United elites and folks with Latin America mailing addresses and with status in competitor programs.

They’ve handed out free miles just for joining. And they have reasonable award charts.

Now they have a big 150,000 mile offer for flying to Copa’s ‘new destinations’.

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Sep 24 2015

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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Sep 24 2015

The American Airlines Boeing 777-200 retrofit project has been slow. Deliveries of the 787s had been delayed. And that’s long been though to be the result of slow deliveries of seats from Zodiac.

Now comes news that American has dropped Zodiac as their seat supplier.

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Sep 24 2015

One of the best ways to check availability on oneworld airlines (which are partners of American Airlines) is to use the British Airways website. That’s because BA.com shows the most partners online — including Japan Airlines flights that are not available on the other good site for award searches, Qantas.

Unfortunately the British Airways site is given to ‘break’. It will either not show entire airlines (for awhile US Airways flights didn’t show there but fortunately those show at AA.com!) or will show ‘phantom’ award space, it will appear as though awards are available but in the end the space isn’t bookable and will error out at BA.com (or if you call a partner airline, you’ll be told the space isn’t available).

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Sep 23 2015

Reacting to the news that the moving walkways on United’s C concourse at Chicago O’Hare are being removed after the walkways in DFW’s D terminal were taken out in order to encourage more retail shopping, David B. e-mails,

“[Moving walkways are] already gone from Terminal C in Newark, makes traveling with the three kids much worse. And as much as foodies love the new restaurant selection in Newark, it’s terrible for families, expensive, slow, and not the sorts of food kids want to eat.”

Here’s why.

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Sep 23 2015

The four most important words in travel are Hang Up, Call Back.

But seven words line up right behind those: You don’t get if you don’t ask. Sometimes you just need someone to help you get something you’re entitled to or at least not unentitled to. Other times you need someone to bend the rules, or go out of your way.

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