Lucky posted about his rankings of first class airline products. This followed my ranking of top first class airlines list. You can see our full rankings, side-by-side, at FlightFox. Click ‘Flight Blogger Ratings’ on the upper right hand side. You can then sort by his and by mine. He threw down in a couple of places, offering disagreements. And I think that comes down to a few key differences.
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Why Delta Miles Haven’t Suddenly Become ‘Great’ – But I Still Work Hard to Earn Them
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). Offer Expired. Lucky asks Is the relative value of Delta Skymiles increasing? And technically the relative value might be — if they’re a 2 on a scale of 1-10, and United used to be an 8 but has dropped to a 6 then Delta miles are, relative to United, more valuable than they used to be. But that really doesn’t tell us much. Here’s why it matters: The…
Citi Improving Its Thank You Points Program With a New Transfer Partner!
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). Citibank emailed yesterday to share that they’ve added Air France KLM’s Flying Blue as a points transfer partner in their Thank You program. Thank You Premier and Prestige cardmembers can now transfer points to: Air France-KLM Asia Miles Etihad Airways Guest EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles Hilton HHonorsTM Malaysia Airlines Enrich Qatar Airways Privilege Club Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus Of these, Singapore…
40% Bonus on Purchased Alaska Airlines Miles is Back!
Alaska Airlines is offering up to a 40% bonus on purchased miles through October 14. This isn’t all that uncommon an offer. Sometimes it’s 30%, sometimes 35%, and sometimes 40% — as often as not Alaska offers some sort of bonus on purchased miles. But this is as good as I’ve seen it. A purchase of 40,000 points earns 56,000 miles at a total cost of $1182.50 or ~ 2.1 cents per mile. Key things to know:
Does a Passenger Have a Right to Recline Their Seat in Coach?
Scott Mayerowitz reports that a United flight was diverted today when a fight broke out onboard. One passenger was using the ‘knee defender’ to stop the passenger in front from reclining their seat. The flight from Newark to Denver diverted to Chicago, where the TSA deemed it “a customer service issue.” The flight continued to Denver and arrived 98 minutes late. The fight started when the male passenger, seated in a middle seat of row 12, used the Knee Defender to stop the woman in front of him from reclining while he was on his laptop… A flight attendant asked him to remove the device and he refused. The woman then stood up, turned around and threw a cup of water at him, the official says. That’s when United decided to land in Chicago. The…
Award Space Bonanza! Take Your Whole Family to Europe in Business Class!
A month ago I wrote that the new Turkish Airlines San Francisco – Istanbul route was wide open with award space. West Coast – Europe can be tough to get with miles, especially in premium cabins. But this new flight, operated 5 days a week, had business class award availability every day, in fact enough seats to take the whole family every day the flight operated. A month later, here’s where you will find enough business class space nearly every day to take the whole family to Europe.
Don’t Waste Money or Miles on First Class!
Away is Home asks, Why waste money on a first class seat? And I think it’s not so simple. You have to understand what you get and what it costs to know whether you’re wasting money, getting a fantastic value, or just getting what you’d expect for the cost. Because there are times when it’s a waste, times when it’s a great deal, and that varies by airline (and frequent flyer program) and by passenger preferences. So is first class worth it – in miles or money?
Cathay Pacific is Launching a Boston Flight.. With First Class!
Cathay Pacific will start Boston – Hong Kong service in May of next year. This is exciting because Cathay Pacific is my overall favorite airline, and their Hong Kong – New York JFK service is my favorite flight in the world. When I first saw the news I thought it would be like the Newark and Toronto, with three classes of service — Business, Premium Economy, and Economy. Instead it’s like New York JFK, Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles, and San Francisco with 4 classes of services — the three above plus a first class. The plane, a Boeing 777-300ER, will carry 275 passengers and offer first class, business class, premium economy, and economy cabins. Here’s the schedule: The 16-hour Hong Kong flight is scheduled to run four days a week, leaving Boston on Tuesday, Wednesday,…
The Most Lucrative Hotel Elite Status Now Has Published Criteria
Intercontinental’s Royal Ambassador elite level is in some ways the best elite status of any hotel program. It’s also one of the most vexing. The positives are remarkable. On top of the usual elite level benefits one finds with the major chains, they offer: Guaranteed 8am check-in, not just 4pm late checkout Complimentary free drinks from the mini-bar The minibar thing is ultra-cool. But after a few times over-indulging, and hosting parties in your suite, at least I find that you really just appreciate it for always having a bottle of water handy. 8 a.m. check-in is huge for arrivals in Europe and even some parts of Asia — knowing you’ll have a room after a long flight and without having to pay for the previous night.
The Monumental Importance of Hotel Coffee
Lots of hotel coffee in the U.S. is bad, but tends to be so much better in Asia. Coffee is important to me, a basic that I expect to be well provided-for by any full service hotel. I was frustrated when the Andaz Wall Street got rid of their 24 hour complimentary espresso machine in the lobby as a cost-cutting measure. Without coffee machines in the room, and without 24 hour room service even that can be a big deal when you wake up at 5 a.m. I always thought that the W brand’s ‘Whatever, Whenever’ concept was a good one though execution hasn’t often measured up. Like when the Whatever, Whenever line at the W San Diego couldn’t get me coffee at 5 am. The whatever part should have been easy since all I…
