Posts

In Dubai, a city synonymous with superlatives, the Guinness Book of World Records just confirmed newcomer Gevora Hotel to be the world’s tallest at just over 356 meters high (1,168 feet). Neighbor and previous record-holder the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai stands just one meter shorter at 355 meters (1,165 feet).The Gevora Hotel has four restaurants, one of which is situated on the rooftop with panoramic views of the city. To get up there, the hotel features six elevators for its 75 floors, or a total of 3,859 stairs for the truly dedicated....

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.American Airlines is making it easier to earn bonus AAdvantage miles when you buy gadgets for your loved ones. For today only, you can earn 6 miles per dollar spent on select Apple purchases made through the portal....

This weekend I am presenting at the Frequent Traveler University conference in Dallas and I wanted to bring some fun goodies like t-shirts and bears to give away (confession: we also desperately needed the closet space back to prep for two kids). I was going to fly the short flight from Houston to Dallas for the conference, but wasn’t quite sure how I would comfortably maneuver not only my (big) purse and carry-on luggage, but also this decent sized box of t-shirts and bears....

As a follow up to Monday’s post on the new Chase Fairmont Visa Signature card and the two free nights it gets you at any Fairmont in the world, I thought I’d take a look at the various “Collections” of the new Fairmont Rewards points system and some of the interesting properties where you can use your free nights. Feel free to add in your favorites in the comments section below!...

Check out this week’s travel contests and sweepstakes to try your hand at winning a trip around Scotland, a gourmet getaway to Atlanta, an island escape to Curacao, airfare for two on Delta to your choice of destination, or a beach vacation to Hawaii.Win a trip to Scotland. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.Win a Dream Vacation to Scotland From Walker’sYou can win a ten-day, eight-night trip for two to Scotland, including:Roundtrip economy airfareTravel insuranceAirport TransfersEight nights of hotel (Crowne Plaza Edinburgh - The Roxburghe/the Carlton, Edinburgh; Kingsmills Hotel, Iverness; the Station Hotel/St....

The United Kingdom’s government is reexamining American Airlines and British Airways’ joint venture partnership, it said Thursday.The biggest carrier in the world teamed up with IAG carriers British Airways, Iberia, Finnair and Iberia nearly a decade ago to align schedules, pricing and capacity on six transatlantic routes. This close partnership allows the carriers to share revenue on routes that are vital to each airline’s profits.“As five of the six routes subject to commitments are from the UK, and to prepare for the time when the European Commission may no longer have responsibility for competition in the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has decided to review afresh the competitive impact of the agreement in anticipation of the expiry of the commitments,” the UK regulator said....

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 month, British Airways experienced a massive meltdown — a worldwide IT outage, forcing it to cancel more than 700 flights. As it later turned out — after more than 75,000 passengers’ travel plans were affected — the outage was caused by a contractor inadvertently switching the power supply off....

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.Big Major Cay is an uninhabited island in the Bahamas — except for its famous colony of swimming pigs, a major tourist attraction that’s become a staple of the Exuma Islands, where Big Major Cay (aka. Pig Beach), is located....

One of the things I love most about being The Points Guy is getting to hear stories from readers about how award travel has affected their lives — the exotic vacations they’ve planned, the trips they’ve made to be with family and friends, the premium seats and suites they’ve experienced and so much more, all made possible by points and miles. I love to travel and explore, and it’s an honor to be able to help so many of you get where you want to go....

As I wrote last week, I used 37,500 British Airways Avios + $2.50 to fly American Airlines first class at the last minute (no last-minute booking fees with BA!) from Miami to Los Angeles when even coach tickets were going for over $500 one-way. I thought that was well worth the points price since I’d be flying on one of the airline’s 777-200’s, which services its international routes as well and contains the airline’s Flagship First Class Suite....

I’m off to Boston this weekend, so I thought it would only be appropriate to highlight one of my favorite Boston hotels, Four Seasons, from a recent stay. While Four Seasons unfortunately does not offer points or miles, I did at least earn American Express points for the room rate (though I really wish they’d ‘get with the program’ and start a formal loyalty program!) and I only stayed there one night....

On Sunday, an Amtrak train traveling from New York to Washington, D.C. found itself stranded on the track near Wilmington, Delaware. Sitting still for hours left some of the passengers quite hungry and given that Amtrak 161 had originated in New York City, it’s not all that surprising that passengers used to getting anything and everything delivered to them would try ordering food to their stranded train.These resourceful passengers called Dom’s NY Style Pizzeria to see if they could get pizzas delivered straight to the train tracks — and luckily for them, a valiant deliveryman was up to the task....

Here in East Texas we almost take for granted the relatively easy access to swimming pools we enjoy since they are almost standard issue in many nicer homes and even neighborhood associations. Even if you don’t have one, you may know someone with access to one, or you can always go to a local YMCA or city pool for a pretty low price. We don’t have our own pool, but we still manage to swim several times per week during the summer since pools are pretty much everywhere in this part of the world....

The debate is officially over. According to USA Today, Kansas City International Airport (MCI) is getting a new $1 billion terminal. The city approved the plan with a “3-to-1 margin" on Tuesday.The current airport’s design includes three terminals dating back 45 years which apparently do not meet today’s security requirements. The new version will feature only one terminal, providing more space for “larger jets” along with updated security that meets all regulations....

This is an installment in my Maximizing Elite Status series. Articles include; The Basics and Why People Mileage Run, Using ITA Matrix to Find Cheap Flights, How Much is Elite Status Worth?, Comparing Top Tier Status, Comparing Mid-Tier Status, Comparing Low Level Status, How to Get Elite Miles Without Flying, Understanding Elite Status Bump Thresholds, The Lowdown on Soft Landings, How to Cope with Losing Elite Status.Not all frequent flyer miles were created equal, and the same goes for airline elite status - especially at the top levels....

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.Children’s books — and movies like Night at the Museum — have long left kids fantasizing about what a museum slumber party might be like. But just because you’re old enough to (legally) order a cocktail doesn’t mean you’re not still curious....

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.Women have been getting a lot of attention in the travel world lately. In just the past year, we’ve seen female-only security checkpoints open at China’s Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN); a fleet of pink rickshaws for women, driven by women, in India; designated rows for female solo travelers flying Air India; and a whole package of special seating and services, like taxi stand escorts, on Vistara....

A major failure in airport security occurred today at New York’s JFK Terminal 5 — the terminal used primarily by JetBlue. Around approximately 6am this morning, 11 passengers passed through TSA PreCheck metal detectors into the secure area of the terminal without receiving the required security screening.Compounding this error was the TSA’s failure to promptly notify the proper authorities. TSA procedures are to immediately report the situation to law enforcement, who can then review the security tapes and find the unscreened passengers in the terminal....

If you’ve traveled through LaGuardia Airport (LGA) recently, you might have noticed an unassuming box ranging in colors from pearl to purple. If you were really paying attention, you might have even noticed a person inside. Chances are, though, you probably saw it out of the corner of your eye, did a slight double take, and then continued on over to the lounge or your gate.But if Jabbrrbox has their way, these 7-foot glass boxes will become a regular sight in many crowded spaces and airports around the world....

Officials in Santorini, the island hotspot that attracts nearly 2 million tourists every year, are saying they’ve had enough with visitors.Starting in 2019, the island will cap daily cruise ship arrivals at 8,000. “The island is saturated,” Mayor Nikos Zorzos told the Wall Street Journal. The mayor said the overflow of tourists has put too much strain on the island’s infrastructure and supply. Nearly half of the 2 million visitors coming to Santorini are day visitors come on cruise ships that stay on the island an average of seven hours, cruise operators and local officials told the WSJ....