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.I installed a new feature for iPad viewers today that should allow you to flip through thepointsguy.com like a magazine. Let me know if you like it or not- I think it’s kind of cool, but I guess I’m a little bit biased!...
A nine-year-old child had a severe allergic reaction aboard a Southwest Airlines flight after peanuts were served on the plane Tuesday morning.The child’s parents said they warned the gate agents of their son Christian’s severe peanut allergy when they made their reservation and before boarding the flight from Atlanta (ATL) to Houston (HOU).“We checked in and made sure they knew about the peanut allergy,” Christian’s mom, Chelsia Calvert, told Click 2 Houston....
Back in October, Chase Ultimate Rewards was selling exclusive packages to the Sundance Film Festival,which begins this Thursday, January 16th. There were four separate packages available - Opening Weekend Celebration, Closing Weekend Celebration (both were $4,000 or 400,000 points each), Opening Day tickets or Closing Night and Ceremony tickets ($300 or 30,000 points).I ended up getting the Opening Weekend package for myself and am planning to be there this weekend. It’s my first time in Park City and at Sundance, so I’m excited to experience it....
Already this summer, American Airlines has canceled 50 flights out of Phoenix (PHX) as the airport was just too hot for some aircraft to takeoff. Last fall, Norwegian announced it was canceling its summer flights to Las Vegas (LAS) for the same reason. The desert summers were now just too hot for a fully-loaded Boeing 787 to take off some days, making profitable operations impossible for the narrow-margin low-cost carrier.Turns out, these impacts may just be the beginning....
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.Great news for T-Mobile customers planning to attend the 2016 Rio Olympics: the company recently announced that it’ll be offering free unlimited data during the month of August to customers heading to Brazil, so you’ll be able to easily keep in touch and share your experiences with friends and family back home....
Perhaps like many of you, I’ve gone full circle with airline lounges. For the first couple of decades of my life I never saw the inside of one and assumed I never would as I’m not a CEO, VIP, mover, or shaker. I assumed airline lounges were for very important folks with very big bank accounts. I then learned that airline lounges aren’t just for VIPs and super elite business travelers, but are also for those who like rewards earning credit cards, free drinks, some snacks, and maybe a family room....
Maybe he had a middle seat; maybe he didn’t get priority boarding. Whatever the reason for his grievance, a San Antonio-bound monkey escaped his cage Monday afternoon for a self-guided tour of the San Antonio Airport (SAT) baggage area.The monkey arrived at San Antonio (SAT) from Chicago (ORD) Monday afternoon and “inadvertently became free of his cage” somewhere along the way, said a spokesperson for American Airlines. The monkey, a rhesus macaque named Dawkins, had originally come from Boston (BOS), and was on his way to a new home at the Born Free USA primate sanctuary, located on 186 acres just outside the San Antonio area....
We’re now a few months into 2018, and since the TPG staff shared our travel predictions for 2018 late last year, we thought it would be fun to ask TPG Lounge readers what changes they anticipate — or fear — across airline, hotel and credit card programs for this year. The answers ranged from serious to humorous, specific to general, so we’ve collected a sampling of them to share and debate....
This is an installment in my March 2012 Asia Trip Series which includes: A Birthday Present To Myself: Business Class on the World’s Longest Flight for $2.50, Help Me Plan My Asia Trip Starting With Singapore, Flight Review: Singapore Airlines All Business Class Flight From Newark To Singapore, Hotel Review: Intercontinental Singapore, Video Trip Report: Singapore, Hotel Review: Le Meridien Bangkok Avantec Suite, Video Trip Report: Bangkok, Hotel Review: Le Meridien Angkor, Video Trip Report: Siem Reap, Hotel Review: Intercontinental Phnom Penh, Video Trip Report: Phnom Penh and the Khmer Rouge Killing Fields, Hotel Review: W Hong Kong....
Let’s face it, a hotel stay is basically a chance to collect things, whether it be sanctioned (mini-toiletry bottles) or not (bathrobes, tsk-tsk). But what about the hotel key cards themselves? As members of the TPG Lounge have shown, those seemingly unassuming rectangular squares can be primo souvenirs in their own right.Colorful CardsPhoto courtesy of Shuting ShaoShuting Shao has been collecting different hotel key cards for four years running, resulting in a hefty, colorful collection....
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.According to reports, Boeing is strongly considering building an even bigger version of the 737, which would be called the 737 MAX 10. Boeing needs a plane that will better compete with Airbus’ A321, which has been the industry leader for narrow-body jets in the last 20 years....
I’m flying on Malaysia Airlines for the first time tomorrow due to a pretty cheap business class fare (and my need to requalify for American Airlines Executive Platinum!) and I have to say I’m not worried about it. However, almost everyone I’ve told has either laughed or looked at me like I’m crazy for “jeopardizing my safety” for a low fare or elite status. In fact, many people that I’ve spoken to in Asia and the US have told me they’d refuse to fly them....
Toronto’s come a long way. Having shed its old “Toronto the Good” label — read: b-o-r-i-n-g — Canada’s largest metropolis has blossomed into a buzzing, big-time destination. Word’s getting out; the city keeps breaking its own tourism records, with more than 14 million visitors checking in last year. A lowish Canadian dollar — equal to about 80 cents USD much of this summer — definitely helps, as do nonstop sports, culture and food happenings, like the celeb-magnet Toronto International Film Festival, which opens September 7 this year....
Aviation geeks are a special breed. They’re the kind of people who will go out of their way to see a particular plane up close or even take a flight just for the aircraft rather than to reach a specific destination. Whether or not you’re able to take your #AvGeek hobby on the road, these mobile apps let you get close to the action.1. FlightRadar24FlightRadar24 is an excellent app for the nerdiest of the bunch, and was the most recommended download when I asked fellow #AvGeeks about their favorites via Twitter....
One of the questions I get with some regularity is related to where to sit with young kids on an airplane. This question can take many forms, from where to sit with an infant on a premium cabin on an international flight, to where to sit with a family of four on a domestic 737 in coach.There may never be a “right answer” on where to sit, but it sometimes isn’t even possible to give any specific advice without knowing the type of aircraft, which cabin(s) are being considered, whether or not you have access to extra legroom or bulkhead seats, and how many people are in your party....
TPG reader Patrick tweeted me this week to ask the following:“Can you use Oneworld partner British Airways to redeem for US Airways flights?“Recently American Airlines and US Airways announced that you be able to redeem frequent flyer miles in each others programs. So, TPG reader Patrick tweeted me this week to find out if if you could use Oneworld partner British Airways to redeem for US Airways flights now that American and US Airways’ partnership extends to mileage earning/redeeming on both airlines....
Last November I jumped on a Delta fare sale to Istanbul, which came to $576 total from JFK to Istanbul, building in stops in Rome and Amsterdam. In total I banked over 10,000 valuable Medallion Qualifying Miles. Flights to Istanbul are on sale again - and this time it’s for travel in from October 20 through December 10 and the price comes in even cheaper at $525. I played around and made a few mock bookings on both Delta and United to see what I could find....
Update 7/11/17 10:15am: Starwood has responded to this incident with the following comment:“It is our goal to ensure that every guest — in particular our loyalty members — receive the room type that have requested during the booking process. However, there are times when the available inventory on the day of arrival prevents a hotel from following through on each and every room request. Therefore if a situation arises, we try to re-accommodate guests offering them an alternate room type for one night before moving them to their preferred choice as soon as it becomes available....
Two major US airlines are in China’s sights after the country discovered they made references to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as countries independent from China.The Civil Aviation Administration of China sent a letter to United Airlines and American Airlines, according to Foreign Policy, warning them that they could be disciplined if they don’t remove public references to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau as countries independent from China. Inside China, the government severely punishes any reference to Taiwan as a separate nation....
Here’s a round-up of the week’s points, miles and travel industry news you may have missed:Get $400 back on a Qantas flight from #AmexOffers.Save $400 on a Qantas Flight with Amex OffersIf you spend $2,500 or more on Qantas airfare purchases, you can get a $400 statement credit with Amex Sync offers. This particular offer is available via Twitter, and you must sync your card to access it. You must book on Qantas....
