Posts

Fast on the heels of Hilton’s announcement Monday that it would be discontinuing its Points + Variable Miles double dipping earning option, the program sent out emails to targeted elites who have already requalified for their current status in 2013 for the 2014 year the opportunity of a “Status Jumpstart” where all their future stays (not nights) through the end of 2013, in addition to their 2014 stays, will count towards their 2015 status....

For my first trip to Greece — specifically to Mykonos, one of the most gorgeous of the Cyclades Islands — I wanted to be sure to stay somewhere I could be assured a good view of the Aegean Sea. Hotel Belvedere Mykonos, perched way up on a hilltop along the central western coast of the island, definitely fit that bill, and I was happy to find a great pool scene here, as well....

IHG Rewards is having a “Flash Sale” of up to 25-75% off award reservations booked by 10:00 am ET tomorrow (Tuesday) for stays booked October 8 through November 8, 2013.The IHG 24-Hour Flash Sale offers savings for stays October 8-November 8, 2013,IHG announced the news to their online community along with a full list of the hotels participating and the savings offered at each. There is no special link or code needed, and the discounted rates load automatically....

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.A helicopter carrying Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump was forced to land when one of its two engines failed mid-flight on Thursday, authorities told CNN.The Sikorsky helicopter was shuttling President Trump’s daughter and son-in-law from Washington, DC, to New York City when one of its engines failed and forced the couple to divert to Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), where they then opted for a commercial flight to New York....

A Lion Air aircraft skidded off a runway at Indonesia’s Gorontalo’s Djalaludin Airport (GTO) on Sunday, causing the airport to shutdown in order for emergency crews to remove the damaged plane.Flight JT892 from Makassar, Indonesia (UPG) to Gorontalo (GTO) skidded off the runway after touching down at about 6:35pm local time. Even though it was raining, the visibility conditions for landing met the required standards, Power Sihaloho, Gorontalo airport management head said, according to Indonesian papers....

The Points Guy has teamed up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help dreams come true for children who are fighting life-threatening medical conditions. Since more than 2.8 billion airline miles are needed to cover travel for every child’s wish this year alone, they need our help to make that happen.We’re sharing the stories of how four carriers — American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines — are helping Make-A-Wish to grant travel wishes....

Last year Norwegian rapidly expanded its US service by focusing on serving smaller airports outside of large cities. It launched transatlantic service from three smaller northeastern airports using narrow-body Boeing 737s to keep costs low.In January, the budget airline announced that it was pulling out of Hartford (BDL) altogether and would be reducing frequencies on other routes, too.Now, Norwegian has told TPG that it’s making even more cuts from Providence (PVD) and New York Stewart (SWF)....

Flyers have an innate bias toward seats on the starboard, or right-hand, side of the plane when given a chance, a British study has found.“It seems to be, curiously, a bit of a contrast between what people did in all these lab studies and how they act in the real world,” psychology lecturer Stephen Darling, of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, said in a phone interview Tuesday.When Darling began the study, he expected that the results would show a slight bias toward the port, or left-hand, side of the plane, conforming to a psychological phenomenon known as pseudoneglect....

Getting married is great, don’t get us wrong. But if you’re a big points enthusiast like we are, you may have racked up millions of miles and want to protect those assets in the event you and your partner split up. Each of you come into marriage with miles on your credit cards or airline accounts and it’s common to want to safeguard that property.“Generally speaking, people who are just getting married do not think about protecting something as untraditional as airline miles as part of their prenuptial agreement," says Jordana Barish, a matrimonial and family law attorney and partner at the Manhattan law firm, Garr Silpe, P....

Update 5/27/18 11:43pm: An auto-generated email arrived confirming that United issued the 3,750 miles.This week, I flew United’s 777-200 from Chicago (ORD) to Shanghai (PVG) — I wanted to get in one more Polaris first flight and review before the airline’s long-haul first class is scrapped entirely on June 20.It was a pleasant journey overall — the crew was friendly, the food was decent and there were new movies to watch — but the Wi-Fi didn’t work even once during our 14-hour journey....

A Southwest Boeing 737 headed from John Wayne International Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California, to San Jose (SJC) was evacuated in an emergency Monday night due to a fire. Flight 2123 was stopped by ground crews after being pushed back from its gate when they noticed a fire in the rear of the plane.The Boeing 737-700, with 143 seats, was immediately evacuated via the emergency slides and the overwing emergency exits....

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.Transferring airlines miles to another member is generally a big waste of money. While it can come in handy when trying to top up another family member/friend’s account, I much prefer to generate miles via promotions or in a worst case scenario transfer American Express Membership Rewards points directly into their account to avoid paying money to simply move a mile from one account to another....

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.Updated 7/10/17 12:30pm: A United representative confirmed that there won’t be any new lounges opening until “early 2018.” Read the full story here.Last year, United launched its brand new business-class product, Polaris. And along with it, the carrier also opened its first Polaris lounge at its hub in Chicago (ORD)....

It’s a sad day for Stroopwafel fans — at least those traveling in United economy on domestic flights departing before 9:45am.The “Stroop,” as it’s been affectionately coined at TPG headquarters, first began making its way to United Airlines coach passengers in 2016. As of this weekend, the carrier’s replacing the beloved breakfast treat with maple wafers from the Byrd Cookie Company.As described by the airline, the replacement treat “combines a crunchy texture with a sweet maple flavor....

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.US Airways has extended their 100% buy miles bonus until November 30th. I’ve written a lot about this promo, frankly because its a great deal. While they keep extending it, this will run out one day soon and it’ll be one of the “remember when” type promotions we remember fondly in the future....

If you’ve ever wanted to spend the night in a windmill, head to Amsterdam. This is no tourist gimmick — the Airbnb rental is a windmill from 1874 that has been renovated to fit up to six guests.Located a quick drive from Amsterdam in Abcoude, the interior of this home is far from what the original millers would have experienced. The living area is decked out in blue and red furniture and fixtures with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside (complete with Delft plates and serving ware, of course)....

From now until August 31, 2011, you can earn a $75 MasterCard giftcard when you stay at a Intercontinental Hotel Group property (Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites) for two consecutive weekend nights. Register here.This can also be stacked with their double points and 15k promotions (and any others they decide to run between now and then). I find Priority Club promotions to be dizzying, but lucrative when you pay attention and register for all of them....

Is there any better way to relax than to have ice tinkling in your glass as you lean back in a chair and watch the sun set across the city spread out below you?As cities continue to grow more vertical, there has been a proliferation of restaurants and bars that dangle from rooftops, rotate for a 360-degree view or feature breathtaking open air venues. Just within the past year, Tower Club at Lebua opened the world’s tallest alfresco Champagne bar, Flute A Perrier Jouet Bar, in Bangkok, while One World Observatory in New York City recently reclaimed its status of having the highest bar in the Western Hemisphere, One Mix....

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.Just a friendly reminder that the A-MAZING American Express Membership Rewards 50% transfer bonus and 25,000 MQM gift when you transfer at least 50,000 points ends on Wednesday December 15th. As long as you are registered and transferred by the end of the day on December 15, you will be fine....

Four passengers were forced off a Delta flight leaving Fort Wayne, Indiana (FWA) on Saturday, following a dispute over putting a cell phone in airplane mode.Robyn Rodgers posted on Instagram that she was “unfairly ejected” from Delta Flight 4527 to Atlanta (ATL), operated by SkyWest Airlines, after a spat with a flight attendant over her phone’s airplane mode setting. Rodgers writes that just before takeoff, a Delta flight attendant “rudely” told her to put her phone into airplane mode, then stood “menacingly” over her as she swiped to change her phone’s settings....