Sep
02
2015
I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
A United Award Hack to Save Money Plus Airfare Discounts
DOT Committee Recommends Cell Phone Use Be Allowed Onboard
Sep
01
2015
The Department of Transportation’s Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection voted to recommend that airlines be permitted to choose whether or not cell phones are allowed onboard their planes.
Could Transaero Imperial Class Awards Finally Become a Reality? Aeroflot Buys Them for One Ruble
Sep
01
2015
Russian carrier Transaero is being acquired by Aeroflot for just one ruble (and assumption of debt).
This is especially interesting because Transaero has one of the most elusive first class products in the sky. And if they joined Aeroflot in Skyteam we’d be able to use Korean Air miles (transferred from Chase or Amex) or Flying Blue points (transferred from Amex or Citi) to book the seats finally!
Get that Airline Record Locator Right Away. And Use the ‘Correct’ Phonetic Spelling, Darn It!
Sep
01
2015
It’s very important to get record locators from phone agents as soon as a reservation is created. You could get kicked off of a phone call and it would be difficult to retrieve the reservation.
When reading the confirmation to you, you’ll often use a phonetic alphabet, words that stand for letters. And agents make up the darndest words…
Hilton Launches New Partnership With Uber, Gives You Access to Uber Data
Sep
01
2015
Hilton announced a partnership today with Uber.
And when I first saw this — whoa, didn’t Starwood get any exclusivity in the hotel space when they did their Uber deal?
Could This Be the Dumbest Christopher Elliott Column Yet? Why Does Anyone Publish This Dreck?
Sep
01
2015
Over at Fortune, Christopher Elliott says that suffering economy passengers are subsidizing the perks for premium cabin passengers. In fact he has it exactly backwards.
And he has several of his facts wrong, too.
Starwood Transfers to Korean Post on Overnight Sunday/Monday Morning
Aug
31
2015
Two weeks ago Starwood Preferred Guest added Korean Air as a transfer partner. That’s fantastic because Korean has some of the best redemptions in first class (amazing availability), to Hawaii (cheap awards on Alaska, Delta, and Hawaiian), and for business class to Europe (40,000 miles each way with fuel surcharges).
I tested a one point transfer from Starwood to Korean (no minimum transfer is a benefit of being a Starwood Platinum): a Wednesday afternoon transfer appeared the following Sunday night/Monday morning.
That same Monday when I found the points in my account I made another points transfer, looking for another data point for when points would post.
US Threatens to Shoot Down Flight Over a Cat in the Lavatory, and More.
Aug
31
2015
I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Citibank is Holding a Concert in LA — That Only American AAdvantage Cardmembers Can Attend
Aug
31
2015
Various frequent flyer programs, and also banks, promote the ability to get VIP tickets to shows or access to experiences that would otherwise be beyond reach. Most people don’t take advantage of them, but I really like that they offer ‘life experiences’ — the ability to leverage the relationships of a big company to gain access to things you probably couldn’t do on your own.
Don’t Make This One Mistake Now That US Airways Website No Longer Books Flights
Aug
31
2015
You can no longer search flights at USAirways.com. Instead, when you enter search information you get redirected to the AA.com website.
Now, American and US Airways flights become one on October 17. From that date onward there will only be American Airlines flights.
For travel through October 16, though, customers have been advised that they are better off booking US Airways flights directly. That’s especially true for elites — if you book an American codeshare for a US Airways flight, you cannot upgrade until check-in.
