I wrote on Friday that Virgin Atlantic was expected to launch Austin – London Heathrow as its new U.S. route. Virgin is part of the joint venture across the Atlantic with Delta and Air France KLM. This is now confirmed. But they’ll be at a huge competitive disadvantage relative to British Airways on the route.
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.
The suite upgrade and celebration dinners are new, as are the formalized air travel credits though those betting to achieve top tiers wouldn’t normally be paying for things so the credits are a bit redundant. The elimination of resort fees for mid-tier elites is similarly welcome.
In making elite status harder to earn through non-gambling spend, though, it represents a strategic pivot away from using the program to attract families and other leisure guests that’s been a focus in recent years.
A woman in a red bikini became enraged when a black man approached the Diamond line at the front desk of the Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana on December 30th.
She can be seen on video circulating in social media yelling at hotel employees. The woman’s partner, who was reportedly drunk, insisted they were in line first and took offense at elites cutting in line.
Starting January 17, unvaccinated American Airlines employees – whether they have an approved vaccine exemption or not – will face new protocols.
For unvaccinated employees working in offices it’s effectively a masking requirement. For unvaccinated employees who work in airports and on planes this amounts to completing a ‘well for work’ survey once a week. They currently have to mask under federal rules anyway.
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.
A passenger on what looks like an American Airlines texts that they have Covid-19, which is the reason they’re traveling. They’ve decided to cut their trip short and go home early. And a passenger nearby snapped photos of the texts.
If you earned Platinum (50 night) or Titanium (75 night) elite status with Marriott in 2021 you only have until January 7th to make your ‘choice benefit selections. If you miss the deadline, you miss out on benefits like suite upgrade priority and free nights.
A reader shares they have a missing stay from December 27 that would push them over the threshold to earn Titanium. And Marriott won’t take a missing stay submission for that until January 10.
Delta Air Lines does not currently have upgraded lounges for international business class passengers the way that United and American do (though their Sky Clubs are nicer than United Clubs and Admirals Clubs). However that’s about to change.
In addition to plans for a Delta One business class lounge in Los Angeles and at New York JFK, which I’ve previously reported, there are plans for one in Detroit as well.
A plane filled with ‘maskless social media influencers’ was traveling from Montreal to Cancun. The group got raucous in the aisles, drinking their own alcohol and vaping against aviation regulations. The Canadian government is investigating the passengers, and Sunwing cancelled their return charter flight and banned the group, after video from inside the aircraft circulated on social media.
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 »
