United is running an ad campaign attacking Southwest over its inflight product – because if you don’t have Rapid Rewards elite status, buy a premium fare, or pay for ‘Early Bird check-in’ you need to check in 24 hours prior to your flight to avoid being assigned one of the last boarding positions and therefore one of the last shots at picking a seat on board.
But United is worse.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Have a few spare United Airlines miles? They could make a difference in the last moments of someone’s life. The miles sitting in your account can bring someone comfort, and bring family together with their loved ones before it’s too late.
I joined the board of Give A Mile which uses donated miles for trips of compassion. They are currently raising United Airlines MileagePlus miles to provide flights to people to spend the last days with a loved one. And if you’ll chip in a few miles, I’ll match them. I’ve already donated to this campaign. I’ll do more, and I’d appreciate your help.
Marriott told us that next year’s award pricing will be worse than what it is today. We should believe them.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Los Angeles-based documentary film producer and cinematographer Erroll Webber had film equipment go missing from his luggage in Anchorage. Before checking bags on his United flight he stuck an Apple AirTags on one of the equipment bags.
Webber’s bag made it, he says, without the film equipment. But he was able to track it to the perpetrator’s house.
President Biden has been talking up poor disclosure of airline fees, as though consumers don’t know that checked bags come with a fee, or that airlines don’t tell them what a seat assignment might cost (they literally present a seat map with prices, because they are trying to sell these seats).
Few politicians have ever hurt themselves railing against airlines.
Delta Air Lines is offering free inflight internet to elite SkyMiles members on many planes that are equipped with their fastest satellite wifi. Entering your SkyMiles number and password at DeltaWifi.com unlocks the service now where offered. This is part of the airline’s slow test to ensure they have enough bandwidth when usage goes up as a result of not charging for connectivity.
Cathay Pacific has started routing flights over Russian airspace again, after pausing the practice as a result of Western sanctions which followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Their New York – Hong Kong flight takes a ‘polar route’ which touches the eastern part of Russia, because it’s faster and they don’t have to weight restrict flights as they do taking a longer route.
Alaska Airlines and Lyft have a new partnership. You’ll earn 1 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan mile per dollar spent with Lyft in the U.S. and Canada, and through December 31 you’ll earn 2 Alaska miles per dollar. Pay with Sapphire Reserve to earn 10 points per dollar as well.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
