Looks like there’s a happy ending to the sad tale of the boyfriend who was dumped by his girlfriend and left with a round-the-world itinerary in her name: he’s now found a (platonic) taker for the free trip, a young woman with the same nationality and name.Jordan Axani, a 28-year-old guy from Toronto, recently parted ways with one Elizabeth Gallagher before the couple could take an already-ticketed trip around the world....
If you’re not sure of your travel plans, it’s nice to have the option to make a cancellable hotel booking (or two). That way, you have a place to stay if you need it — without having to pay last-minute booking rates — but you aren’t stuck paying for the room if plans change. Just next Saturday, I’ve got hotels booked for three different cities — as I’m not sure which city I’ll end up in....
American Express’ network of Centurion lounges is already known for the quality of the food in each location, as each lounge has a menu created specifically for it by a high-profile chef. The upcoming lounge in Philadelphia, however, may feature the best culinary partnership between Amex and a local chef. As reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Amex has teamed up with Philly local and celebrity chef Michael Solomonov, who is working to create a menu complete inspired by Israeli cuisine, set to debut when the lounge opens next month....
Last week, I wrote about a Q1 Hilton promotion rumor, which now turns out to be true (well, besides the Delta component- so far).Per this link, the Q1 promotion is:With Hilton HHonorsâ„¢’ More Nights, More Points offer, you can earn free nights faster than ever. Stay two nights and double your points for your entire stay. Stay three nights to triple your points, or four nights to quadruple your points. Book at any of the 3,600 hotels in 82 countries before March 31, 2011 and earn points fast....
If you have a couple minutes, you might as well enter this interesting Star Alliance contest.The contest is meant to publicize the Star Alliance Upgrade program, which allows you to use a bunch of Star Alliance frequent flyer program miles to upgrade full Y (expensive) fares. So if you are flying United and have a ton of American Express points, you can transfer them to Aeroplan or Continental and use them to upgrade the United flight....
The skies over the eastern Mediterranean Sea are so dangerous, because of the Syrian war, that commercial planes risk being shot down if they do not steer clear of the area. That’s the warning coming from a group of aviation professionals including pilots and flight dispatchers, which has told its members to “reconsider” flying there. According to OPSGroup, the situation is so bad it is reminiscent of the days before Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile in Ukraine in 2014, with the loss of 298 lives....
It’s amazing that we don’t hear more stories about out-of-control beverage carts while in the air, considering the number of flights where drinks are served. In case you missed it, a couple of weeks ago, Gilbert Ott, who runs the blog God Save the Points, was on a redeye flight with American Airlines from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK) when he came face to face with a runaway beverage cart....
Pilots and flight attendants are more familiar with the ins and outs of travel than almost anyone else. And, after chatting with a number of pilots and flight attendants about what they eat while flying, we decided to query them on the world’s best airports for dining. Below, six pilots share their favorite food-focused airports, and where they refuel.Delta Air Lines Captain Walter Judy: Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)I spent the last six years flying as a copilot on our 757 and 767 fleet, flying domestically and internationally, while working in a management job, and transitioned to being a full-time-flying captain on the MD-88 flying domestically three months ago....
It’s not news that plastic is harming and endangering marine life, but after upsetting videos of sea turtles injured by plastic straws, there has been a widespread call for the end of single-use plastics.Americans use about 500 million straws daily, according to the National Park Service, and that staggering amount of non-biodegradable waste is washing up in oceans and other bodies of water.“Plastic pollution is causing devastating marine life issues with plastic now found in the bellies of whales, turtles, and more including seabirds, of which 99% of all species are expected to have ingested plastic by the year 2050,” Dune Ives, the executive director of Lonely Whale told USA Today....
An American Airlines flight to Hawaii turned into a dire situation with passengers being told to urinate in plastic bags and bottles after a someone flushed a diaper in the aircraft lavatory, breaking the toilet.According to a video taken by a woman on board the flight, there was an announcement on the plane’s PA system stating there was an issue with the aircraft lavatory. When the woman asked a flight attendant about using the restroom, the flight attendant told her she would have to go in a plastic bag....
So you’re going to Mardi Gras, one of the biggest parties in the world. Should be simple, right? If you’re walking down Canal Street with a gaggle of beads around your neck and a very large cocktail in your hand, you certainly could be doing worse. You could also be doing much, much better.Mardi Gras is a centuries-old cultural phenomenon, and like any great tradition, it’s deep and layered. I lived in New Orleans for seven years and, even as a resident, it took me several years to truly embrace the Carnival spirit....
Update 1/11/17 5:07pm: An American Airlines spokesperson has responded to our inquiry about this situation:The same-day flight change reference was an error on one of our aa.com pages. We will reach out to those who purchased Platinum Pro to apologize and offer a refund.We applaud American Airlines for acknowledging this error and offering a refund for those who may have purchased Platinum Pro status relying on this benefit.This afternoon, we noticed that the American Airlines elite benefits website was updated....
Update 1/20/17: We have received the following confirmation from an American Airlines spokesperson:When Premium Economy launches as its own class of service, upgrades from Main Cabin to Premium Economy will not be available via mileage or systemwide upgrades and will clear from Main Cabin or Premium Economy into Business. We’re developing temporary options to give our best customers a way to upgrade into this new class of service and we’ll announce more details once they’re available....
The Airbus A350-900 destined for Delta is starting to take shape at the factory — winglets and all. The carrier’s giving future passengers a look into the progress of Ship 3501, its soon-to-be flagship aircraft.Many of the body components, including the tail, wings and winglets, arrived at Airbus’ factory in Toulouse, France in January 2017. Since then, the components have been placed together in the formation that will ultimately complete the aircraft....
Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Want a free drink and more legroom on American Airlines? Just switch seats. On Wednesday, American sent a memo to front-line employees, detailing some passenger-friendly changes to the carrier’s Main Cabin Extra product — most notable of which was complimentary beer, wine and spirits for MCE passengers....
Amtrak has just announced that they will be changing their refund policy for reservation cancellations. As of March 1, 2014, if you book a Coach class or Acela Express Business class reservation, you must cancel it at least 24 hours prior to the train’s scheduled departure in order to be eligible for a full refund.This means that if you cancel it within 24 hours, you will have to pay a refund fee (this only applies to Value fare tickets as Saver fare tickets are not refundable)....
Last week, Jessica Gorman, the head concierge at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in Atlanta was awarded the prestigious Marjorie Silverman Young Leader Award from Les Clefs d’Or, the international association of elite concierges. We spoke to her by phone — she was vacationing in Prague after her big win — about her award, the state of the hotel industry and how getting a framed picture of your dog placed in your hotel room is worth more than the most difficult dinner reservation....
Since it launched in 2013, replacing ART HK, Art Basel Hong Kong has become one of the premier events in the art world calendar. This year’s public shows take place March 29 from 1pm – 9pm, March 30 from 1pm – 8pm and March 31 from 11am – 6pm at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Private viewings will be held on the 27th and 28th. Ticket prices start at $250 HKD (~$32 USD)....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature CardUpdate 12/21/16: The triple points promo has been extended through January 31, 2017, so you still have a few weeks to earn.Hilton’s currently running a lucrative promotion through which you can earn triple points for any stay booked with the Hilton HHonors app between now and December 31, 2016. Hilton’s not stopping there, however. The hotel chain is running another promotion with Visa which will earn you 5,000 bonus points when you book a stay with a Visa card through the HHonors app....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – Citi Hilton Honors Reserve CardHilton has introduced a new feature within the Hilton HHonors app called Fun Finder, which acts like a personal travel assistant that can help you with anything you want or need at a Hilton resort. The new software uses a technology called beacon — which is similar to GPS, but goes further and can give you accurate information down to the inch....
