A lot of people on the US Airways Dividend Miles Flyertalk thread reported major issues yesterdays when they were unable to use US Airways miles to book awards on Star Alliance partners. Panic set in that US Airways had pushed up its exit date from Star Alliance to this week and that you would no longer be able to book Star Alliance Awards with Dividend miles at all, let alone next year....
Update 2/11/18: The airline has clarified that unfortunately the “wine arc” (re: wine flight) will be eliminated as well, though passengers can still request to try as many wines as they wish.United Airlines confirmed that the airline will eliminate drink cart service in its Polaris international business class cabin beginning May 1 of this year.Currently, these carts provide passengers with custom Bloody Marys and mimosas on morning flights — typically outbound from Europe, or daytime eastbound transatlantic flights — and wine carts on all other routes....
A woman at Cairns Airport (CNS) in Queensland, Australia, accidentally triggered an evacuation of the entire domestic terminal when she set off an alarm by walking back through an exit.Hundreds of passengers were forced to wait outside while airport officials investigated the situation. Airport staff and retail workers were also forced to evacuate during the incident.“We have spoken to the lady, and it is believed she forgot something and left the plane to run back to get it,” an airport spokesperson told Fox News....
The US expansion of WOW Air continues. This time, the Iceland-based carrier announced that it’s heading south to Dallas - Fort Worth (DFW).In Wednesday’s announcement, WOW Air detailed its plans to launch 3x weekly service between DFW and Reykjavik (KEF). The route, which is set to launch in May 24, 2018, will be served by WOW’s A330 aircraft.Here’s the route schedule:WW192 Dallas (DFW) 4:10pm Departure ⇒ Reykjavik (KEF) 4:45am (+1) ArrivalService on Tuesdays, Thursdays and SaturdaysWW191 Reykjavik (KEF) 9:30pm Departure ⇒ Dallas (DFW) 12:45am ArrivalService on Mondays, Wednesdays and FridaysTickets are now on sale for the new route, with one-way fares starting at $99....
Your boss has called you into a conference room on a Friday morning. There was nothing on your calendar so you’re curious what this impromptu meeting is regarding. As you slide open the glass door with a cheerful “Happy Friday,” you notice that the head of HR is sitting next to your superior. Your stomach turns.Yes, the worst has happened and you are losing your job. As your heart ricochets against your ribcage and sweat sprouts from the top of your head, your mind begins to race....
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that he would ban vehicles from the roads winding through Central Park below 72nd Street starting June 27, the day after public schools close for summer break. The scenic drives currently are open to traffic during limited hours.“This park was not built for automobiles,” de Blasio said during the announcement in Central Park. “It was built for people.”According to The New York Times, the east-west transverses at 65th, 79th, 86th and 97th Streets, which run through the park and keep traffic flowing from one side of Manhattan to the other, will not be affected....
Last week, we wrote about American’s challenge for Gold and Platinum status, which requires a small cash co-pay, but is available even if you don’t currently hold status with any other airline. Now, TPG reader Tony K. has shared a new opportunity to jump up to AA’s top-tier Executive Platinum status, though you will need to have United 1K status (not Delta Diamond or status from any other airline) in order to participate....
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.MasterCard recently released its travel data/statistics from the beginning of the year to present day. What did we see? Good news for the travel industry, as both consumer airline ticket sales and consumer lodging sales are up 1....
Allegiant, the Las Vegas-based low-cost carrier, is making an unusual move for an airline: it’s building a hotel and condo complex in Florida. The resort—called Sunseeker—is slated to open in 2020. The airline’s plan is to bring its passengers to a wholly-owned and operated resort complex in Port Charlotte near Punta Gorda airport (PGD) just outside of Ft. Myers.When it opens, Allegiant will be poised to become the world’s first vertically-integrated airline and leisure travel company....
Last week, we noticed an interesting development on American Airlines’ website. For the first time, Iberia award flights started showing up on certain routes. Sure enough, on AA’s partner airline website, there was a new banner “You can now redeem AAdvantage® miles on aa.com for award travel on Iberia.“The problem was that only intra-Europe flights were showing up in searches. Even Iberia flights that had award availability showing on ExpertFlyer, British Airways’ website and Iberia’s website weren’t appearing on AA....
TPG reader Mark tweeted me to ask:@thepointsguy–“I’ve always banked miles earned on British Airways to American Airlines, but am I better off earning Avios and using them for American flights?“With so many airline partners these days, you have a lot of choices when deciding which one to fly. If you fly American Airlines, for example, you can bank the miles you earn to other partner programs like Alaska Airlines, British Airways, or even Quantas....
On Friday at 11:46 pm local time, the airline known as Air Berlin landed for the very last time. Air Berlin flight 6210 from Munich (MUC) to Berlin’s Tegel (TXL) would be the last flight for what was Germany’s second-largest airline. This final flight comes less than 11 weeks after Air Berlin declared bankruptcy and began a sharp reduction in service.The historic last flight was operated by an Airbus A320 with the registration D-ABNW....
For most people, having a single seat on one of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners is awe-inspiring enough, but those that want to go the extra mile will now be able to charter their very own private jumbo jet for $70,000 an hour. In other words — a round-trip nonstop flight from London to New York would cost a minimum of half a million dollars.On typical commercial flights a Boeing 787 carries up to 335 passengers, but this plane’s custom-built 2,400 square foot cabin will only accommodate up to 30 of your best friends....
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.It’s back-to-school shopping season, and for supplies that need to be purchased, airlines are offering bonus miles if you use their shopping portals. We told you last week about United’s offer of up to 3,000 bonus miles, and now American Airlines is offering bonus miles for shopping as well....
Because of its lucrative earning structure, some great redemption values, a generous elite status system and new credit card products, I’ve been giving the Club Carlson hotel points program a close look in my Maximizing Club Carlson series, whose posts include Base Level Earning and Redemptions, Business Program, Elite Status and Cash + Points Redemptions.Enter my contest by telling me your favorite Carlson credit card benefit.This week, I’ll be hosting Club Carlson’s “Golden Giveaway” and awarding two of my readers with a $500 Visa gift card and a full year of Gold status (or Concierge status if you already have Gold status)....
On May 11, Wyndham Rewards is launching a new loyalty program, switching to a flat redemption rate of 15,000 points for a free night (plus no blackout dates!) at all Wyndham hotels—so now’s the time to snag lower-rate redemptions at Wyndham’s most budget-friendly properties. TPG Contributor Lane Nieset has scoured Wyndham’s present Tiers 1-4 to find some great redemptions of 5,500-14,000 Wyndham Rewards that will still be possible before May 11....
I get it: We all want answers. It’s been a rough winter for Northeast travel, with multiple superstorms, nor’easters and flooding airports. With cancellations and delays galore, we all just want to know where to go, what to do, and who can help.It all began with a prim request for contact, just like any other frustrated traveler might tweet. Except the requester was no ordinary individual: It was @qrsupport, reaching out for help from none other than New York’s John F....
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.Anyone who’s traveled to, from or through New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) since August knows about the threat of intense gridlock traffic. While the problem started last summer, the issue recently resurfaced when people were seen walking down the Grand Central Parkway, weaving through stopped cars just to catch their flights....
This week, I went north of the border to Toronto, Canada, to film an appearance on a CTV show called “The Social,” where I talked about how Canadians can maximize their points and miles.The Ritz-Carlton Toronto. Photo courtesy of hotel.The quick trip seemed like a great excuse to try a new hotel in a great city, and while I don’t often stay at Ritz-Carltons since neither Marriott Rewards nor Ritz-Carlton Rewards is one of my main hotel points programs, I decided to book into the Ritz-Carlton Toronto for one night....
Chances are you have been overcharged or cheated by a taxi driver. Maybe the driver took the long route or failed to turn on the meter, surprising you with an unexpected fare. It happens even to the most seasoned travelers. Using a ride-sharing app, such as Uber, can be a way to avoid potential problems of that nature, but driver dishonesty can still happen. I found myself the victim of one such case, and I was able to resolve my situation, using a local taxi-hailing app....
