Yesterday I linked to a rumor about supposed upcoming changes to Marriott Rewards. I emphasized that it was a rumor, I didn’t have direct knowledge but it was something posted by Loyalty Traveler. It was based on a posting in the Marriott Insiders online community. The gist was a new higher award redemption tier, increased point requirements across the board for all tiers, an end to automatic lounge access for Gold and Platinum members when not upgraded to an executive floor, and confirmed suite upgrades for Platinum Premier members in a new formalized top tier. Marriott Rewards has denied that these changes are pending. (HT: Matt in the comments.) There are no changes planned to Elite benefits. There is nothing hidden in these words – we have no devaluation of Elite benefits in the discussion,…
Why I’m Considering Buying US Airways Club Access — Even Though I Already Have Access (Hint: Just for Elite Qualifying Miles)
This morning Lucky wrote about an offer of 5000 elite qualifying miles for buying a US Airways club membership. 5,000 Preferred-qualifying miles: new & existing members* Earn 5,000 Preferred-qualifying miles when you buy or renew an annual membership by May 31, 2014. Enroll or renew online or call 800-828-8522 and use promo code NM500 for new memberships or CR500 for renewals. Here are the prices for club membership: I already have access to US Airways lounges and to American Airlines lounges. Through March 22, I can use my American Express Platinum card. I have British Airways Gold status, that will soon be downgraded. I’ve signed up for the Citi Executive card that comes with lounge access… and a 100,000 mile signup bonus. And if I didn’t already have club access, I could redeem Business ExtrAA…
Vietnam, Cambodia, Macau and Hong Kong Trip Report: The First Class Side of the Pier Lounge and Flat Seats Hong Kong – Ho Chi Minh City
Index: Introduction, Positioning Flight to New York, and the Hilton JFK British Airways First Class Lounge, New York JFK Cathay Pacific First Class, New York JFK – Hong Kong The Pier First Class Lounge and Cathay Pacific Business Class, Hong Kong – Ho Chi Minh City Park Hyatt Saigon Lunch at Pho Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam Airlines Business Class, Ho Chi Minh City – Danang Hyatt Regency Danang Resort & Spa Vietnam Airlines Economy, Danang – Siem Reap Park Hyatt Siem Reap Angkor Wat and Other Temples Dragonair Business Class, Siem Reap – Hong Kong Turbojet, Hong Kong Airport – Macau and the Sheraton Macao Hotel The Venetian, Fernando’s, and the Ferry to Hong Kong Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Harbor View Suite Bo Innovation, Hong Kong Amber Restaurant, Hong Kong Cathay Pacific The…
Big Rumored Devaluations to Marriott Rewards Awards and Elite Benefits
Loyalty Traveler reports on rumored changes to the Marriott Rewards program for 2015. These are uncomfirmed, though Ric is usually quite circumspect in terms of the sorts of rumors he passes along. The points required for award stays will be increased by at least 5,000 points per night across all levels and the 5th night free will disappear. Category 10 will be added and require 60,000 points per night (read mass devaluation). a new level will be announced above Platinum and the requirements will be formally revealed. (i.e. everyone will know how to achieve PP, if that is what it is called) New benefits for Gold, Plat, and the new PP will be announced. These will include things like confirmed suite upgrades (for the new PP), instant upgrades using online check-in, free breakfast (including resorts…
Award Ticket to Hawaii for Credit Card Signup
As I noted last month, Barclays now issues the Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite MasterCard®. When I wrote about the product previously, there was no referral credit available for it. For full disclosure, now there is, I do receive credit if you use my link when signing up for the card. The card offers 35,000 miles after $1000 spend within 90 days. The Value of the Signup Bonus — A Free Ticket to Hawaii.. Or More Than One Since HawaiianMiles cardmembers get a 2500 mile discount each way on award travel, this is enough for a roundtrip economy ticket between the mainland US and Hawaii. A couple could each get the card, each spend $1000, and have enough points for two tickets to Hawaii. What’s more, cardholders are allowed to pool points across multiple accounts (10…
The Short Window to Use US Airways Miles for Award Tickets on Both Star Alliance and oneworld Airlines
US Airways, having taken over merged with larger American Airlines, will be leaving the Star Alliance (where it partners with airlines like United, Lufthansa, Turkish, Asiana, Thai, etc.) on March 30 and joining the oneworld alliance (where it partners with airlines like British Airways, Iberia, LAN, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, etc.) on March 31. As a result, March 30th is the last day to book Star Alliance awards — awards that combine flights on its various Star partners. Starting March 31st you’ll be able to use US Airways miles to book award tickets on its various oneworld partners. Already you’re able to book awards on American Airlines. I’m most looking forward to using British Airways points to book short-distance awards for cheap miles (4500 points each way for flights under 650 miles) from my home airport…
Award Discounts, Inflight Internet Discounts, Miles for TV, and Extra Rewards at Office Depot (Bits ‘n Pieces for March 13, 2014)
News and notes from around the interweb: 30,000 United Miles for DirecTV service which I’ve written about in the past has been extended through April 19 (HT: Free Frequent Flyer Miles. There’s also an offer for 25,000 American miles. You can now (through April 10) double dip at Office Depot using Plink Rewards (but Staples is gone from their network). Gogo inflight internet monthly rates go up by $10 on April 6 but if you have an existing plan before that you’ll be grandfathered at old rates. I currently pay $39.95 per month for unlimited access on American Airlines flights (amortized across all of my flights I consider a pretty good value), access to Gogo on all airlines they serve would be $5 more per month. A 30% off first month offer is available. Air…
Qatar Airways Defends Itself Over Mistreatment of Employees
Last month I linked to an article about working conditions at Qatar Airways. Qatar judges potential flight attendants on looks and personality, and no tattoos are allowed. Employment policies include, At the tryouts, information is shared about what the employees are signing up for. A pledge to stay single for five years, that permission from CEO Akbar Al Baker is required to marry as a flight attendant, and if you become pregnant, you must inform the company immediately. Also, Qatar Airways reserves the right to fire an employee without having to give a reason. Qatar closely monitors flight attendant behavior both on duty and off. And, typical of employment in the region, The entire country of Qatar adheres to a sponsorship system where the employer dictates the right of the employees to enter and exit…
British Airways Will Have First Class On to Their New 787-9 Fleet Arriving Next Year
Current Boeing 787s (787-8 aircraft) operated by British Airways are configured with business class, premium economy, and economy seating. However according to Australian Business Traveller, British Airways is planning a new first class cabin for its forthcoming Boeing 787-9 fleet in a further evolution of the current design seen on its Airbus A380s. …Van der Post has now confirmed that the long-range Boeing 787-9, which it will begin flying next year, will also have a small number of First suites at the pointy end. “It may not be a full cabin of 12 to 14 seats, it will be a little bit smaller” van der Post told Australian Business Traveller. The A380 seat is an evolution off of the 777/747 seat. I like first class more on their 777 than their 747. I flew both…
“The Best Time to Book Airline Tickets is 3:15am on Fridays. Here’s Why.”
A couple of days ago I shared Peter Greenberg’s advice for the best time to book an airline ticket. His claim was so non-sensical that I did not even bother to refute it. I left it to readers. He said you needed to buy tickets on Wednesday at 1 am, because “most low airfares seem to appear between Sunday night and Monday night. And then, when people find those fares, they have 24 hours in which to purchase them. At midnight Tuesday, all the discount fares that weren’t purchased come flooding back into the airline’s computer systems.” But — you could only purchase these fares over the phone. Readers submitted their own (im)plausible stories about why the best time to book tickets is actually 3:15am on Friday. I promised to pick a ‘winning story’ and…
