China Eastern Airlines and Taiwan-based China Airlines are partnering to offering reciprocal mileage earning for each others’ frequent flyer members. They are discussing future reciprocal e-ticketing and the possibility of codesharing as well.
Aviation Security and the Failure of Relative Risk
Once again, David Rowell is on a roll with his weekly aviation newsletter. I’m reproducing a larger portion than I normally ever would, because he does an excellent job summing up some recent stories that illustrate the current state of our approach to airline security. A flashlight battery ‘exploded’ on Saturday. The ‘explosion’ was apparently caused by a buildup of gas inside its five year old ‘C’ size battery. The person handling the torch suffered swollen hands, and several people nearby said they had ringing in their ears for a while after. But because this was at LAX airport, the entire International Terminal was evacuated for three hours. To make matters worse, at almost the same time, a passenger entered one of the other terminals through a ‘no entry’ exit, requiring terminals 6, 7 &…
It ain’t Star Alliance’s 5th Birthday Bonus, but it ain’t bad
Earn 15,000 bonus miles for flying on three different oneWorld carriers between October 1 and November 30 on eligible fares. Registration required. (Hat tip to Notiflyer.)
It’s not just Safeway and Vons anymore
The northeast Ohio supermarket chain, Heinen’s, is offering one Continental mile for every two dollars spent. Enroll at Heinens.com.
Changes to Come at Delta
Delta will be closing its Dallas hub on January 31 and redeploying aircraft to Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Salt Lake City. They’ll also be adding legroom and leather seats to coach.
21,000 Bonus Points for Priority Club Visa Signup
This free credit card, which doesn’t offer particularly good earning for your spending, does offer an excellent signup bonus. I previously provided a link that would give 21,000 bonus miles for a new card signup — now the link is official and on the Priority Club website with full details.
W Hotel Silicon Valley On Sale
The W – Silicon Valley is having a 12-hour sale: from 9am to 9pm Eastern today, Sunday night rooms through the end of the year are available for $59. W Silicon Valley is celebrating the end of summer with a 12-hour gift, just for you! Book a hotel room at W Silicon Valley beginning at 9:00 AM (EST) on September 9, 2004 and pay only $59 per room for Sunday night only. Rooms must be booked before 9:00 PM (EST) for Sunday stays between September 12 and December 26, 2004. May be booked on September 9, 2004 only. Click on “BOOK NOW” or mention rate plan WSUNDAY when calling 877-WHOTELS.
Continental adds ticketing fees
Continental jumps on the fee bandwagon. effective immediately, it will charge service fees when tickets are booked via its reservations centers or airport ticket counters in the United States. Continental will not charge a fee for booking and ticketing on continental.com or at airport self-service kiosks. A $5 USD fee will apply on tickets purchased via Continental’s U.S. reservations centers, and a $10 USD fee will apply on tickets purchased at a U.S. airport ticket counter. The $10 service fee at city ticket offices remains unchanged. The new non-refundable service fees apply for each domestic or international one-way or roundtrip ticket, and also for OnePass(R) reward tickets. The new service fees are waived, however, for all OnePass Platinum Elite members and their traveling companions booked on the same itinerary. While Platinum members can avoid fees…
British Airways to sell Qantas stake
British Airways is selling its 18.25% stake in Qantas. Cooperation continues between the two airlines as members of the oneWorld alliance, and through regulatory permission to cooperate in pricing between Sydney and London.
United Re-introduces Fly 3 Fly Free
For every three roundtrips on United, United Express or Ted flown between September 7, 2004 and January 31, 2005, United will give you a free coach domestic roundtrip ticket. Tickets must cost a minimum of $250, and discount economy tickets can’t include a Saturday stay. Registration is required by November 30th. The free tickets will be valid through June 10, 2005 for travel within the 48 contiguous US states (though residents of Hawaii and Alaska can fly from their home state to the US mainland). The free tickets are not upgradeable, require 14-day advance ticketing and a Saturday night stayover, and certain travel dates are blacked out. On the plus side, they are booked in “S or T class” meaning deeply discounted coach rather than coming out of award inventory. Hey, I won’t want to…
