ASIA

Search Results for "ASIA".

Is This The End of Award Space to Australia?

Delta miles are great (yes, they really are!) for: Virgin Australia business class between the US and Australia. Australia awards, especially without transiting Asia, are among the very toughest to get but Delta miles have been this easy in the past. Saudia. Want to take your whole extended family in business class to India and surrounds on the same long haul flight? And they actually have a bit better of a product than you think. Virgin Atlantic without fuel surcharges, now that Delta owns 49% of the airline. Last month I highlighted Virgin Australia’s amazing award availability between the U.S. and Australia. Specifically, I showed just how many dates you’d find at least four business class seats on the Los Angeles – Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne routes. Sadly wide-open availability is no longer the case.

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What’s the Best Place in the World to Live for Convenient Travel?

Reader Jeff asks a question that may be too subject for me to answer definitely, what do you think? What is the best place in the world to live in to take advantage of not just miles/points, but to have relatively close access to great travel destinations? Criteria: — best proximity to desirable travel areas. I realize this is incredibly subjective, but, in general, most people would put Europe and SE Asia high on the list of desirable travel destinations.. Places with good climates, reasonably safe, etc. — major hub for an airline alliance — a nice place to live He goes on to speculate that outside of New York and Washington DC (with Star Alliance hubs and short travel time to all of the Americas and Western Europe) you’d rule out both North and…

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Free Points Giveaway, 100% Transfer Bonus, and Double Miles for the Whole 4th Quarter!

News and notes from around the interweb: I’m giving away 75,000 Hyatt points! You can enter up to 4 times. I received an email from Avianca LifeMiles that their 100% bonus on transferred miles has been extended through July 21. A resort that hides bottles of rum in the water Up to 30% off Hyatts in Asia through July 20 Fly Copa airlines in August or September and then all of your Copa flights October through December earn double United MileagePlus miles. Registration required. Starwood is offering 35% off award redemptions at 6 of their most absurdly priced resorts. You can join the 40,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts by email (just one e-mail per day) or subscribe to the RSS feed. It’s free. You…

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My Mid-Year Elite Status Update: Am I Walking the Talk?

I share my thoughts and advice on loyalty programs all of the time, I thought it would be useful to also share what I do and let you evaluate whether I practice my own advice. At the same time, where I focus my own stays (and how much I’m traveling) may be illuminating and sharing this gives me an opportunity to articulate some of my own thinking. Of course, in revealing what status I currently have and where I am mid-year in requalifying, it doesn’t actually include all of my travels. I’ve done two major Asia trips on points this year already, and have more award travel coming up. There will be 60,000 or 80,000 flown butt in seat miles that don’t get included in my flight totals. I’ve also been flying a bunch of…

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New Marriott Rewards Features, and Obama Cuts in Line for Food

Apparently Obama cut in line at Franklin Barbecue. Even Anthony Bourdain waited the three hours in line while taping his show. Owner Aaron Franklin says no one has ever cut in line before. The President could have avoided this political scandal by just attending a frequent flyer event there. Marriott introduceds SPG Moments Flash Perks (redeem points or cash for experiences) and Local Perks (experiences during hotel stays). Catch Me If You Can It seems that Mitt Romney flying coach is a thing. Up to 5000 Aeroplan reservations for each new Air Canada booking between Canada and the U.S., Europe, and Asia Study says standing-only airplanes could fit more passengers. Someone spent time on – and someone else presumably funded – that study. It won’t make this any more likely to happen, however. (HT: Alan…

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50% Off Buying Miles from US Airways This Month

US Airways is offering a targeted bonus of up to 100% additional miles when you buy miles through July 31. The offer is targeted, then you go to the buy miles page you have to enter your account information to see whether you’re being offered a bonus. I was able to see the offer on able half the accounts I manage. If the offer is available to you, buying miles at a 100% bonus means buying them at a cost of 1.88 cents per mile. US Airways is almost always selling miles on the cheap, which is to say at a price higher than I’m willing to pay but much lower than the ‘retail’ price that almost never prevails. Seriously, has the Federal Trade Commission really never launched an investigation of US Airways Dividend Miles…

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1000 Free Miles, 40% Off Hyatt Sale, and $25 off $25 at Costco

What Others Are Writing That You Need to Know: The Only Packing Tips You Need to Know $25 off $25 at Costco Hilton makes mid-year award category changes — with no notification to members, other than on an obscure website, and with just one week’s notice Hyatt Asia Pacific 40% Off Sale this weekend only. 1000 Free Air Berlin Miles How an airport sign designer pursues their craft You can join the 40,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts by email (just one e-mail per day) or subscribe to the RSS feed. It’s free. You can also follow me on Twitter for the latest deals. Don’t miss out!

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United Announces the Elimination of Garlic Bread and Ketchup

While United makes excuses for losing $600 million in the first quarter, and is out of ideas so just copies Delta, they get more and more desperate. Strategy plans are said to look like what’s “found in a typical operating department’s annual budget presentation than in a corporate presentation..” So where do they turn for salvation? Elimination of ketchup from Europe flights and garlic bread from Asia flight premium cabins. The airline that spent 2013 losing 250,000 customers a month is eliminating complimentary meals on their Honolulu – Guam flights. They’re also shrinking the lavatories on 737-800 and 737-900 aircraft. They call them ‘space saving lavatories” which sounds almost futuristic… like Magic Flush. Why you may ask are they doing this? To squeeze in more rows of coach, of course! In a move @FakeUnitedJeff would…

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Double Elite Nights, Travel With Models, and Get Miles for Getting More People to Track Their Points

News and notes from around the interweb: Double elite night credits from Ritz-Carlton. So should you choose to belong to Marriott Rewards or Ritz-Carlton Rewards? I use AwardWallet to track my miles and points. I’ve been recommending it for years, but never gave out my referral link for it (feel free to leave yours in the comments). Via Frequent Flyer University, AwardWallet referral points are now redeemable for airline miles. Chance to Win 3 Nights in New York and 200,000 American AAdvantage miles. This is a big sweepstakes campaign rolling out from Marriott in New York that we’ll be seeing all over Facebook, Tripadvisor, and elsewhere. I entered, and I don’t usually do these. Uber introduces #UberHottie in South Africa. Tap a button on your phone and you can ride with a good looking celebrity,…

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