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Want A Hot Meal In American Airlines First Class? Order A Special Meal

by Gary Leff on October 7, 2022

Oct 07 2022

Especially on sub-1500 mile routes, American Airlines meals can be disappointing. The watchword here is inconsistency. I expect that out of my home town of Austin where catering hasn’t been able to keep up with American Airlines growth, and meal provisioning has frequently had to be trucked in from Houston.

Still I was especially non-plussed by the options presented to me for my recent Austin – Charlotte – Austin flights in first class. The turkey sandwich even reared its ugly head. For dinner!

What Happens To All The Elites That Get Downgraded Now That Status Extensions Are Over?

by Gary Leff on October 2, 2022

Oct 02 2022

Airlines are about to downgrade the elite status of 25 million frequent flyers. At the start of the pandemic loyalty programs extended elite status. Customers who earned their status in 2019 weren’t flying. Borders were closed, businesses weren’t sending people on the road.

Put Your Spend On The Bilt Card Today, Also Free Points For Trivia Questions

by Gary Leff on October 1, 2022

Oct 01 2022

Today is the first of October and the first Bilt Rewards ‘Rent Day’. They’re giving away a lot of points, Bilt Mastercard cardmembers and also for people who don’t have the card. It’s a way of really owning a day in the marketing space – a day that resonates with a large chunk of the population.

The first of every month they’ve got promotions and offers. Today you can receive free points in the Bilt app with their Points Quest trivia feature. They have Virgin cruise discount offers and they partner with Virgin as a points transfer partner, so they’re giving you 500 free points for linking your Virgin account now. And you can earn a lot of extra points today spending with the no annual fee Bilt Mastercard.

Uh Oh: Alaska Airlines Will Introduce “Simplified Award Chart” Before End Of Year

by Gary Leff on September 30, 2022

Sep 30 2022

News out of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan that they will be revamping their award charts before the end of the year is certainly not welcome – especially because the airline is providing little detail despite explicitly committing to 90 days’ notice before any changes.

Award Space To Europe Is Back With A Vengeance!

by Gary Leff on September 26, 2022

Sep 26 2022

Just a few weeks ago the prospect of trying to coordinate changes to Europe awards would have given me heartburn. There was simply very little award space, save for a handful of airline and routes that I used as ‘worst-case scenarios’ when helping people to redeem their miles. And I didn’t want worst-case scenarios traveling with my wife and daughter.

Fortunately things are really looking up for those of us looking to use points for travel abroad, especially to Europe.

Bilt Rewards: Earn 6x On Dining, 4x On Travel Once Each Month

by Gary Leff on September 26, 2022

Sep 26 2022

he Bilt Mastercard, the no annual fee card that lets you earn points paying rent at no cost (up to $100,000 per year) and earns double points on travel and triple points on dining, now earns even more one day a month.

Dubbed “Bilt Rent Day,” on the first of every month Bilt is offering up to 6x points, free points, and Virgin cruise discounts.

Why No One Will Build An Engine For Boom’s Supersonic Plane

by Gary Leff on September 22, 2022

Sep 22 2022

It’s possible to build a supersonic plane, but efficiencies and regulation killed the Concorde. Boom can presumably develop a plane, and a top engine manufacturer can produce an engine for it. But will it sell to airlines who see themselves able to operate enough of the planes, to enough places, with enough frequency – given a market that will pay a premium for the option – in order to buy enough planes and engines where the whole thing works out as a business? Engines can cost billions of dollars to design and tens of millions of dollars apiece to purchase.

Garuda Indonesia Dropping Most International Service, Eliminating First Class

by Gary Leff on September 16, 2022

Sep 16 2022

SkyTeam member Garuda Indonesia suffered greatly during the pandemic, including from government policies that banned most foreigners from coming to the country for an extended period of time. But it wasn’t Covid-19 that really did it in. They were forced to restructure $9.5 billion in debt earlier this year, citing in part “leasing costs way above the industry average” according to the country’s State Enterprises Minister. Unmentioned, of course, are the charges that were brought against the airline’s former CEO over money laundering and millions of dollars worth of bribery in connection with overpaying for Airbus aircraft. Such things are common in South and Southeast Asia, especially in connection with government-backed carriers. The airline has a new business model. They’re going to focus on domestic travel, and give up most international routes. That means reconfiguring…

oneworld Alliance Prepares To Grow In Africa With RwandAir Tie-Up

by Gary Leff on September 15, 2022

Sep 15 2022

The former Rwandair Express is 20 years old and Qatar Airways agreed to purchase a 49% stake in the historically loss-making airline last year. They operate a dozen aircraft including Airbus A330 widebodies and Boeing 737 narrowbodies. They serve Brussels and London in Europe; Dubai, Mumbai and Guangzhou in the Mideast and Asia Pacific; and nearly 20 destinations in Africa.

United Airlines Launching Non-Stop Service To Dubai!

by Gary Leff on September 14, 2022

Sep 14 2022

United Airlines used to partner with Emirates, and after a period of time trying to convince the U.S. government to keep Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways out of U.S. markets they’ve rekindled the love. They’re re-launching their Emirates partnership.

This new United – Emirates partnership isn’t just about providing connecting feed to Emirates flights in the United States – bringing passengers to and from Emirates gateways for travel to Dubai and beyond to the Mideast, India and South Asia, and Africa – but is also going to be about providing connectivity for United beyond Dubai.