It’s getting harder and harder to give the folks at Skymiles benefit of the doubt. What would you think of a program that: Without notice removed its published award prices from its website Told you that whatever price you were quoted at a given time was ‘the’ price Wouldn’t give you a target for how many points you’d need to save up for your dream trip? That’s what Delta just did.
ASIA
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A 70 Year Old United Flight Attendant Rebels Against the Airline’s Uniforms in an Anonymous – and Graphic – Viral E-Mail. You Have to See What She Says…
The following e-mail has been circulating broadly. I cannot directly vouch for its authenticity, though it came to me from someone inside the industry. Considering that this is plausible regardless of the source, what does it say about labor relations, employee attitudes, and the changing nature of the profession at US airlines? As for the specifics of the claims, do you buy that flight attendants are being asked to do more with fewer tools — considering fewer meals served and cashless cabins? THE NEW “UNITED/UCO” UNIFORMS. Written by a United Flight Attendant/Anonymous During her fitting appointment for the new uniform, a friend of mine, an attractive, sophisticated, slim woman in her sixties, asked to have her new uniform skirt long enough to cover her knees. She was told that, in an effort to prevent the…
Yesterday I Suggested 4 Credit Cards. Here’s What to Do If You Just Want One.
I receive compensation for many links on this blog. You don’t have to use these links, but I am grateful to you if you do. American Express, Citibank, Chase, and other banks are advertising partners of this site. I do not write about all credit cards that are available — instead focusing on miles, points, and cash back (and currencies that can be converted into the same). Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Chase Sapphire Preferred has been — and remains — the best all-around, most rewarding personal credit card for the past four years. If you’re just getting started in the hobby, it’s the card you should get. It plays a key role in the wallets of many of the most experienced miles and points enthusiasts. It has a strong signup bonus, it offers some of…
We Want to Preserve the Things We Don’t Want to Use or Pay For: Hotel Okura Edition
Via Curtis M., Tokyo’s Hotel Okura is slated for demolition. Five decades ago it was a gem of architecture, combining Japanese aesthetic and modernism. It’s across from the US Embassy, so has been a watering hole for ex-pats, State Department employees, and people who merely list their official employer as the State Department. Presidents from Nixon to Obama visited the hotel. So did Harrison Ford, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. And James Bond, in the novel You Only Live Twice. ‘Taking you to your hotel first – the Okura, latest of the Western ones. American tourist got murdered at the Royal Oriental the other day and we don’t want to lose you all that soon. Then we’ll do a bit of serious drinking. Had some dinner?’ The hotel, a Leading Hotels of the World property, will…
Now It’s American’s Turn: HURRY for Great Business Class Award Space to Europe!
Yesterday I wrote that US Airways had (briefly) opened the award floodgates for transatlantic business class space. Inventory had also been wide open for the weekend and two weeks ago we saw nearly whole cabins available. These weren’t glitches mis-pricing awards, these were opportunities to get awards at their regular prices — but on most flights, most dates, on certain routes. And they were opportunities to do it without fuel surcharges. With British Airways as the primary transatlantic partner of US Airways and American, and with the hefty fees imposed for awards on that airline, many find Europe premium cabin awards cost prohibitive. Over the past few years, American hasn’t offered much space on their own flights. There’s some airberlin space and occasional Finnair space, but their routes are limited. Iberia is feast or famine,…
You Can Now Book American and US Airways Standard/AAnytime Awards With Either Airline’s Miles
US airlines generally allow you to book miles at a ‘saver’ or ‘low’ award level, and at a more expensive price point that offers greater availability. The old standard used to be that spending ‘double miles’ would get you any seat, any flights. That’s how it worked at American for the most part until April 8. Alaska, Amterican, and Delta now offer multiple tiers of prices. United doesn’t offer ‘last seat availability’ to general members who are not co-brand credit card holders. Last seat availability is offered only to folks with the United Explorer and Club cards and to elites. The idea of spending extra miles to get the seat you want isn’t universal, you can’t do it with British Airways or Virgin Atlantic miles for instance. Most European and Asian carriers don’t offer this,…
United’s Secret Award Discount Still Works: Save Up to 25,000 Miles Roundtrip for Business Class Partner Awards
Two months ago I wrote about United’s unpublished business class partner award discount. United has been charging less for partner awards than their award chart says they will, charging as though you were flying just on United (perhaps a technical glitch rollings back a big chunk of the Great Devaluation). For US – Europe, business class awards are supposed to cost: 57,500 miles if you fly United (115,000 roundtrip) 70,000 miles if you fly a partner (140,000 roundtrip) But many partner awards are still pricing at the United price, a savings of 25,000 miles on a roundtrip. When this ‘discount’ first started pricing, it appeared to work only through March. But it works farther out in the calendar now as well. Here’s an Austrian itinerary in April: Here’s a Lufthansa itinerary in May: And LOT…
Another Airline Abolishes Fuel Surcharges, Etihad Lights Money on Fire, and Another Flight to Cuba
News and notes from around the interweb: Etihad’s quest to build its own fourth global alliance buy buying stakes in money-losing airlines that will continue to lose money, but can be used to redirect traffic through Abu Dhabi, continues with Alitalia. Cranky Flier dissects the Alitalia turnaround plan and finds it strangely like all the past failed turnaround plans. Etihad is just the latest (and possibly last) deep pocket. If you have an award on Etihad, check your flight schedules. They’ve just re-timed a bunch of flights for March 29-onward. That’ll create better connectivity to some destinations, but may be highly inconvenient for folks who already have travel plans. Speaking of bailouts, Thai Airways will get one instead of being allowed to file bankruptcy. According to the Prime Minister who installed himself in last year’s…
Taking Advantage of a Legal Loophole: You Can Avoid Paying Fuel Surcharges on Award Tickets If You Know Where to Start and End the Trip
Fuel surcharges are the bane of many frequent flyers, junk fees adding hundreds or even a thousand dollars onto award tickets by many frequent flyer programs around the world. Airlines like fuel surcharges because: Changing the fuel surcharge in a market can raise or lower every ticket price in that market, no need to re-file every single fare. They allow an airline to raise price even with many fixed-fare agreements. And, of course, because they can be charged to frequent flyers trying to redeem a captive points currency. US frequent flyers — who don’t participate in mileage programs based outside the US — don’t have to deal with fuel surcharges very much. American adds them to awards on British Airways (and to a very modest extent on Iberia) Alaska adds them to awards on British…
Chase Airline Transfer Partner Back Online!
Korean Air is one of my favorite Chase points transfer partners. First class awards have been so darned easy to get. There are real sweet spots in their Skyteam award chart They offer cheap awards to Hawaii Although they are of course very Korean and their processes for redeeming awards are unique. Korean went offline as a Chase transfer partner in November, though I wrote that it was expected to come back based on what Chase was suggesting. Korean Air’s website said it would be back in January. Last week Chase began confirming it would be back very soon, and customer service reps were saying January 25. And transfers are now back online! As much as I love the ability to be able to transfer Chase points to United, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Hyatt……
