When I flew with Southwest on the new 737 MAX 8 on its first day officially operating, the last thing I thought about was the possibility that the aircraft would have to be swapped out due to a mechanical issue. Much to my surprise, that exact scenario did happen just before its second-ever revenue flight.First, a bit of background: I booked three flights with Southwest for its inaugural day with the 737 MAX 8....
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.JetBlue is running a pretty amazing fare sale today only- $9 each way between Newark and Boston (you can originate in either city).The roundtrip fare comes to $39.40 with all taxes and there seems to be very good availability between May 4- June 15, 2011....
Norwegian Air has been in the news a lot lately. Last year, the airline took the travel world by storm by announcing that it was planning to offer $69 one-way fares from the US to Europe. And then it started expanding — at a seemingly alarming rate. In 2015, the airline announced it was adding nonstop service from the Northeast (Baltimore [BWI], Boston [BOS] and New York [JFK]) to the Caribbean (Guadeloupe Islands [PTP] and Martinique [FDF]) — and starting one-way tickets were really cheap....
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.2012 might still just be a few days old, but the dates have just been announced for this year’s Chicago Seminars where fellow frequent flyers and points junkies can get the latest news, strategies and first-hand access to some of the points world’s biggest players....
Love reading, beaches and people? A luxury resort in the Maldives could be your next employer.Philip Blackwell, the former head of British book retailer chain Blackwells, is looking for a qualified bookseller to manage a pop-up book shop, hosted by Maldives luxury resort Soneva Fushi and set to open on Oct. 1. In addition to selling a literary collection primarily consisting of illustrated tomes focused on design and locally-inspired art, the lucky candidate’s job duties will also include penning “entertaining and lively blog” posts about his or her travel experiences, as well as hosting creative writing courses....
Anyone who’s ever left something on a plane is likely familiar with that sinking feeling of realizing you’re missing the item once it’s too late.That happened to me recently. Once home, I realized I left my Chinese New Year calligraphy and an ANA Star Wars paper plane in a bag on my final flight home. I filed a lost item report that night, but United never recovered the bag.But my experience pales in comparison to TPG reader Danielle’s:A few months ago, I flew from London to Miami and forgot an expensive Burberry coat on my American Airlines flight....
There are a few fun travel contests and sweepstakes going on around the web this week. Here are some of our the TPG top picks to win some great travel prizes.Pin photos to win.Win a $2,500 Trip From Expedia: You could win a $2,500 vacation from Expedia to the destination of your choice for pinning your travel photos. Create a “My Storybook” board on Pinterest and add your dream travel photos to it....
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 few days ago I got an email from a reader asking if I had any suggestions regarding traveling with a toddler who was potty training. I have had the fortune (or misfortune?) of traveling several times with Little C while she was potty training, so I am happy to share some of the things that I learned during that process since I know this is an issue that almost every traveling family will face at one time or another!...
Uber is holding discussions with Google’s parent company Alphabet to add Google’s self-driving car product, Waymo, to its operations, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said Wednesday.Khosrowshahi said his ride-sharing company was building a stronger relationship with Google, and the two were in talks to add Google’s autonomous vehicles to the Uber platform. The discussions were “about putting them onto our network,” Khosrowshahi said at technology conference in California.“You build relationships slowly but surely,” Khosrowshahi said....
Update 12/28/2017: The Turkey-US visa spat has been resolved and now Americans are able to easily apply for Turkish e-visas once again.As the diplomatic row between Washington, D.C. and Ankara rose to new levels this week, with both countries suspending non-immigrant visas and effectively ending tourism between them, both American and Turkish travelers and businesses found themselves engulfed in chaos, with few clues as to what to expect next.“I called the Turkish consulate in Boston and the Turkish embassy in Washington, the visa call center and Turkish Airlines, and basically everyone was like, ‘We don’t know yet, but call this person,’ and then that person is like, ‘Call this other person,’” said Gary Clark, a 33-year-old toilet salesman from Chico, Calif....
“What do you have in there, bricks?!” Well, maybe… Flight attendants working on American-based carriers are forced to schlep every last bag with them since, for some reason, the ones in charge have decided that crew no longer need to check their bags — even when we’re gone for a week or more at a time! — while those of us flying for more civilized carriers in the rest of the world have the luxury of checking most of our prized possessions....
Nikki Emerson, 29, a British para-athlete was on an Emirates flight on her way to the Commonwealth Games in Australia when members of the crew told her she would have to wait up to one hour to use the restroom until after the food and drink service was complete. Emerson, who is slated to compete in the T54 1500m and T54 marathon events at the Games this week, told the BBC that the crew said they would assist her once they were available....
Today, I want to share a story from reader Lynn, who got hit with a fee for adjusting a ticket prematurely when plans changed. Here’s what she had to say:Our family of four was booked on an American Airlines flight to Saint Thomas a few summers ago, where we were going to take a ferry to the British Virgin Islands for a week of sailing fun with friends. Our son had recently graduated from college, and he was offered a job scheduled to start the week before our trip....
A redeye flight is reason enough to cringe, but couple that with smoke billowing out of one of the engines and you’ve found ideal conditions for a facepalm. For a reporter and photojournalist trying to get home to Detroit after covering the Lions’ stinging loss to the San Francisco 49ers, you’d have to assume such an event further salts the wound.Delta 1658, a daily redeye flight between San Francisco (SFO) and Detroit (DTW), began to take off as it usually does from The City by the Bay....
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 personally have never used a traveler’s check. I don’t really see the value in them- they cost money, many companies don’t accept them, and you don’t earn points on them. However, I’m sure there are still people who use them out of habit....
Our recent early summer trip to Alaska with the family was simply incredible, and I can’t say enough nice words about the people who live in that state and make it great. Of course, the gorgeous views and family friendly outdoor activities don’t hurt either. In this post I will focus on the family friendly eats and activities we experienced in and around Seward.Resurrection Bay Cruise + Seavey’s Iditarod Sled Ride and Kennel Tour:We spent our first night in Alaska at the Sheraton Anchorage, then headed south to Seward where we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express (links to both reviews above)....
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 recently made a quick trip to DC and I was torn between staying at the Grand Hyatt and Park Hyatt, but ultimately price won out. The Grand Hyatt had rock-bottom last minute rates of $99 v. my $260 corporate rate at the Park Hyatt....
Update 12/28/2017: The Turkey-US visa spat has been resolved and now Americans are able to easily apply for Turkish e-visas once again.I just landed in Turkey and was able to buy a visa and enter the country, as an American. In case you haven’t been following the news, that’s not supposed to happen.For my flights to the IATA World Passenger Symposium in Barcelona, Spain, I chose to fly Turkish Airlines from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, through Istanbul....
TPG contributor Debbie Emery did some research on the top ways to use your phone to communicate while traveling international, so read up before you get stuck with a huge bill after your summer trip abroad!A mammoth cell phone bill after an international trip can wipe out any savings you might have gotten by booking an award ticket, not to mention undoing all the benefits of a relaxing vacation before your tan has even faded, or aggravating your boss with a mammoth expense request....
TPG reader Luis tweeted me to ask:"@thepointsguy- I just got approved for a credit card. When can I apply for another one?“I’ve said it time and time again, but credit card bonuses are probably the most lucrative and easiest way to bring in tons of points and miles. A 60 second application online (and meeting spending requirements) can score you a free ticket to Europe. Some people have to fly all over the world multiple times to get that many miles, but you can do it in seconds in the comfort of your own home....
