With major changes to Delta and United’s frequent flyer programs in the past year and more to come from the American Airlines/US Airways merger, I asked TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen to look at the current state of airline award routing rules for the US legacy carriers. Each day this week he’ll feature a different carrier (see yesterday’s post on Delta); read on for his analysis of award routing rules on United Airlines....
Uber had a tough 2017 with a rash of negative press that hung over the company like a dark cloud. But 2018 is shaping up to be a better year, and at Bloomberg’s #TheYearAhead event, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi shared some exciting news about the company’s self-driving cars.Khosrowshahi said that he believes Uber will have autonomous cars “within the next 18 months.” And these aren’t just test vehicles, these are on the road....
TPG reader Robert sent me a message on Facebook to ask about buying miles:“I fly every week for work, mostly with Delta or American. Both airlines offer mileage multipliers whenever I check in for a flight; are those a good deal or just a sucker punch?”Airlines like to portray frequent flyer programs as a way to give back to loyal customers, but they also happen to be highly profitable. Loyalty programs can bring in billions of dollars of revenue annually; much of that is from selling miles to partners (like credit card issuers and other travel providers), but some is from direct sales to consumers....
FlixBus, a favorite bus company among Europeans and those who travel through Europe on a budget, just launched US routes at the end of last month. I’ve enjoyed taking FlixBus in Europe, so I jumped at the opportunity to be on one of its first trips in the US. FlixBus launched many West Coast US routes on May 31, and I hopped on one that’d take me from Los Angeles to Las Vegas....
When we decided to splurge this summer and stay at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resortwe did it with the full intention of not just using the room as a place to lay our heads at night. Instead, the resort itself was to play an important role in our Disney vacation. From the lava pool, to the Kiki Tikis splash play area, to the character breakfast at ‘Ohana and more, we wanted to take the time to enjoy the amenities at Disney’s Polynesian....
Sometimes bigger isn’t always better. Just ask the Airbus A380.According to the Independent, the first double-deck Superjumbo plane (which can seat up to 800 passengers, but most are arranged to accommodate less than that) now resides in an airport parking lot patiently waiting to fly.The aircraft, which started service back in 2007 with Singapore Airlines, needs a new partner to get back up and running again.The plane’s owner, Dr. Peters Group, flew the plane back to Tarbes Lourdes Pyrénées Airport in France (not far from where it was built) and repainted it white while it’s kept in storage....
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.AvGeeks, be warned — a Qantas pilot just raised the bar for in-flight proposals.Over the weekend, Captain Dooley Ellis, who was flying QF93 between Melbourne (MEL) and Los Angeles (LAX), made the most memorable announcement of his life over the A380’s PA system....
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.The very nature of the hospitality industry requires that a hotel’s main goal is to make its guests happy, hence the popularity of 100% satisfaction guarantees for stays at thousands of hotels around the world. But Countryside Hotels, a hotel group based in Sweden, is making a unique pledge that goes above and beyond the usual service: if a couple gets divorced within a year of staying at one of the group’s hotels or inns, they’ll refund the unhappy exes the cost of a two-night stay....
Every traveler knows that in some destinations, tourists are bound to shell out a little more cash than others.But some countries attract such massive amounts of travelers, they can rake in top dollar from the tourism industry by sheer force of numbers.New data from the World Tourism Organization shows the top countries making the most money from tourism. They are also – unsurprisingly – the countries with the highest number of international arrivals....
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.If you look at the top of the screen, you’ll see a new menu item for “Travel Gift Guide.” Right now there are 22 items - ranging from 99 cents to $159,000, and all of them are either items I use, TPG reader recommendations, or ridiculous pipe dream fantasies of mine (Hello, Necker Island!...
From traveling with a screaming child that cannot be soothed, to acknowledging and affirming their place in our world, discussing whether kids belong in airports is a topic that can go haywire as fast as a toddler meltdown.TPG Lounge member Bryan N. recently asked, “What is your position on taking kids into airport lounges?“Are these hallowed sanctuaries of elite access meant to be child-free at all costs, dependent on good behavior, or open to all who hold the requisite access?...
This is the eleventh post of my South Africa Series. Follow along to read my reviews on several different aspects of my trip. Other posts in this series include: Come Along With Me To South Africa!; Flight Review: South African Airways Business Class JFK-JNB; Hotel Review: Westin Cape Town; Trip Report: Watching African Penguins at Boulders Beach and the Cape of Good Hope; Cape Town Dining; Hotel Review: Hilton Cape Town; 10 Things I Love About South Africa; Hotel Review: 12 Apostles Hotel and Spa Luxury Room; Trekking Up Table Mountain In Cape Town; Hotel Review: Hyatt Regency Johannesburg; Safari Highlights at Sabi Sands Game Reserve in South Africa; Safari Highlights at Sabi Sands Game Reserve in South Africa....
As first and business class products get better across airlines, the Great Squeeze continues in economy. While Delta’s CEO has pledged never to drop economy pitch below 31 inches, American Airlines’ CEO wouldn’t even commit to not going below 30 inches. Now, United’s actions show they have no limit either.While still maintaining 24 first class seats, United plans to add 21 more economy seats to its 757-300s. That’ll increase the economy cabin seating from 189 to 210 seats....
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.Install the US Airways Dividend Miles search toolbar and get 500 points. You get an additional 500 if you are a Preferred member or have a US Airways Mastercard. Additionally, you get an additional mile for every 3 searches you make....
Ahh, Clapping While Flying. Rarely does this simple gesture mean as much as it does on planes, where clapping can be used as a gesture of gratitude or approbation upon safe landing after a difficult descent, or passive aggressively toward a delinquent fellow passenger.But what does it mean when people just clap over any landing? Apparently we weren’t the only ones wondering about this. TPG Lounge member Ignacio R. recently asked the Facebook group…“Do people clap their hands after landing anywhere else in the world?...
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.Last week, I announced the semifinalists for our Into the Blue: Marathon to a Million contest. I was thrilled with the submissions we received, and it made it hard to select our semifinalists. And even if you weren’t selected as one of the five semifinalists, there’s no reason to be too upset, especially if you live in the Bay Area....
Berlin is one of the most progressive cities when it comes to modernized urban landscapes and public art — with so many corners and façades filled with color, street art and Berlin have become synonymous. For the past decade, Urban Nation, a Berlin street art institution, has pioneered and championed the movement by inviting world-renowned artists to transform anything from old highways to Cold War-era buildings into beautiful works of graffiti art....
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.When ya gotta go, ya gotta go… Just not in Old Faithful, please. In another case of tourists behaving badly, a Colorado man was arrested after urinating in the famous Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park.Gabriel Villalva, 27, left hundreds of tourists speechless when he walked off the boardwalk up to Old Faithful, urinated into it and then laid down and put his head directly inside....
We decided about two months ago to personally witness and experience the American Total Solar Eclipse. We wanted the whole enchilada, the deluxe package of maximum totality. However, to achieve this meant travel, as the view from our front porch in southeast Texas was only going to be about 65% occlusion. We looked at the eclipse maps that highlighted the areas of our country that were in the path of totality....
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.3,000 SPG points is about $90 to me, so this one is a NO BRAINER. It’s not gonna last long, so do this right away.Click here, like them, fill out the form, share it with your friends when prompted....
