In my discussion last week about the ten best credit card signup bonuses, many of the reader comments centered around what’s looking likely to be a merger between American Airlines and US Airways. Several readers asked, given the probability of a merger, should they get in on the US Airways card now? In general my answer is yes but not for the reason most people seemed to be thinking. Neither the US Airways card nor the American Airlines cards will go away right away. In fact I expect both cards to stick around for awhile. But getting them now may provide for the opportunity to get them again (including signup bonuses) before one of them disappears. Getting a 50,000 mile bonus from the Citibank American card and a 40,000 mile bonus from the US Airways…
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Why in the World is US Airways Increasing Award Prices NOW?
It’s been 3 years since US Airways made major adjustments to its award chart. During that time they’ve been dubbed ‘the official consolidator for Star Alliance premium cabin fares’ because of the speed at which they’ve been printing miles on the cheap — through major promotions and offers to sell miles at a deep discount (through outright purchase or transfers from one account to another). In other words, the thinking has been that US Airways has offered up so many miles that they’ve become a way to buy miles and obtain ‘distressed inventory’ (which partners release as awards) across the Star Alliance. Basically they haven’t just been rewarding loyalty with miles, they’ve been selling partner award tickets for cash with miles as the intermediate form of currency. Given the production of so many Dividend Miles,…
How To Make Sure You Really Have a Ticket When You Redeem Your Miles
This one seems obvious, right? You redeemed your miles for a ticket, therefore you have a ticket. The airline even sent you a confirmation e-mail so everything is all set, right? Not necessarily and certainly not guaranteed if you used United miles to book the award. I wrote about this problem back in May (“United Award Tickets on Asiana Sometimes Cancel Themselves and How to Make Sure You Don’t Get Shafted“) and then again in July (“When You Purchase a United Award Ticket That Doesn’t Mean You Actually Have a Ticket“). It’s a Long-Standing Legacy Continental Problem I learned quite awhile ago, under the old Continental system, that sometimes flights you book using your miles — especially when those flights were on partner airlines — just ‘disappear’. They were confirmed, they were promised to you,…
Bits ‘n Pieces for February 6, 2013
News and notes from around the interweb: Cathay Pacific is offering snake plush toys for online booking. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has issued a non-binding ruling that Asiana flight attendants should be allowed to wear pants. Delta Skyclubs offering reasonably priced bottles of Dom Perignon. But if it’s the ’03, it’s too hit-or-miss to take the chance still. American’s Board of Directors is expected to vote in favor of a merger with US Airways at the beginning of next week. Expectation is American Chairman Tom Horton to stay on as non-executive Chairman for a specified term and then leave the company.
Grand Hyatt San Francisco: A Large Modern Hotel With a Small Hotel Feel
This past Monday I reviewed the Hyatt Regency San Francisco down on the Embarcadero. It’s a large atrium-style hotel that feels busy though I quite liked it (even though they failed to honor my confirmed suite upgrade). If I wanted to be in that part of the city I’d gladly stay there again. During the past week I made another trip to San Francisco and stayed at the Grand Hyatt. The Hyatt Regency is about 800 rooms, the Grand Hyatt about 660 so still a very large property but it feels much smaller. That’s mostly, I think, because the Grand is a much taller building with smaller individual floors and also a smaller lobby area. So you don’t feel the size of the property, since you aren’t walking around a ton, and you also aren’t…
Faster Free Nights are Back!
It was just back in September that I pronounced the famous Faster Free Nights hotel promotion dead. Not just resting. Not just simply ‘stunned’ or ‘pining for the fjords.’ Definitely deceased. And yet I opened up the front cover of February’s Inside Flyer to find this: Now, Faster Free Nights was the Greatest. Hotel Promotion. Ever run. Two stays — even one nights — with Hyatt and you earned a free night at any Hyatt in the world. Two airport nights and you’d have a night at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. Back in the day it was even better, because as long as there was some sort of charge on your folio a Priceline room would count. What’s more, as long as something billed to your room when staying on your free night, your free…
50% Bonus on American Airlines Purchased Miles – Almost Worth It!
For the last six months of 2012, American offered up to a 50% bonus on purchased miles. For a purchase of exactly 40,000, 50,000, or 60,000 miles that meant a price of 2 cents a mile, the lowest price I had ever seen American sell miles direct to consumer for. Through February 28 that offer is back. For A Limited Time Only: Earn Up To 30,000 Bonus Miles, A 50% Mileage Bonus As we move towards the new American, and continue to modernize and innovate, we would like to share the excitement of our new look, with you – our valued customer. Now, through February 28, 2013, you can earn up to 30,000 bonus miles when you buy AAdvantage® miles. This is a price at which I’m almost a buyer. I won’t be taking advantage…
It’s a Great Time to Use Delta Miles for Travel on Virgin Australia
I consider using Delta miles for travel on Virgin Australia to be the absolute best use of Skypesos. Delta even allows online booking for Virgin Australia awards and has stopped collecting fuel surcharges when redeeming for that carrier. While Delta miles tend to be the toughest to use of any major carrier, award availability tends to be quite bad. They don’t permit one-way awards for half the cost of roundtrip (neither does US Airways). Their agents are clueless, their award booking website offers limited partners and is generally quite broken. International first class awards aren’t allowed. And yet ironically the miles are better for travel between the U.S. and Australia — one of the toughest frequent flyer awards there is — than anyone else’s. And that’s not just because they will let you go the…
Malaysia Airlines Joins Oneworld Tomorrow – And New Oneworld Top Tier Alliance Benefits
Malaysia Airlines Joins oneworld Tomorrow Malaysia Airlines joins oneworld February 1. That’s not news, since it was long ago announced and is proceeding based on recently expected schedules. (It was originally set to join in late 2012, so even the first deadline was only missed by a wee bit.) It’s a great addition for folks using American miles in the U.S. — oneworld is light on Asian partners, this expands South Asian reach, plus it’s another option to Asia from the U.S. (Los Angeles – TaipeiTokyo – Kuala Lumpur). And they offer a great premium product. Hey, their satellite terminal first class in Kuala Lumpur even has lobster on the buffet. While American’s standard partner award rules will not permit travel from the US to Malaysia via Europe, or to destinations like India via Malaysia,…
Where the Award Seats Are: Summer Travel to Europe via Brussels
Star Alliance remains the best program if you want to get to Europe or Asia in business class on points, largely because they have the most carriers with the most routes, and of course neither United nor US Airways adds fuel surcharges to awards on any of their partners. LufthansaFlyer wrote this morning that Brussels Airlines has announced 5 times weekly service between Washington Dulles and Brussels beginning June 18. Lucky discussed this morning his recent business class flight on Brussels. They have a new flat business class seat, though Lucky finds it a bit narrow especially at the feet. Flight times: Washington Dulles – Brussels, 10:35pm – 12:10pm+1, SN516 (Sun/Tues/Thurs/Fri/Sat) Brussels – Washington Dulles, 5:30pm – 8:15pm, SN515 (Sun/Tues/Thurs/Fri/Sat) Since I happen to be based in DC this was exciting news. I figured I…
