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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....

American Airlines is in the process of revolutionizing its fleet — both in good ways and bad — and that means its planes can still be frustratingly inconsistent, especially on US domestic routes. Some long domestic routes will lack power or in-flight entertainment, even in first class. Meanwhile, you can find lie-flat seats sold as economy on one-hour flights. If you’ve got some flexibility in your travels, knowing American Airlines’ fleet schedule can mean getting a superior experience....

When news broke that the fatality on Southwest Flight 1380 was due to a weathered engine blade striking 43-year-old Jennifer Riordan’s cabin window, shifting air pressure and partially pulling her outside of the window, there was a change in the way some consumers felt about onboard safety.Now, after an inspection revealed beat-up engine blades acoss other airline fleets, General Electric — one of the two companies that owns the engine manufacturer — is calling for more frequent check ups....

JetBlue is running a promotion through this Friday (11:59 pm Eastern time on July 25, to be exact), effectively offering a 20% discount for all award redemptions for travel between September 2 and October 31, 2014. This offer is not a true discount, since you will initially be charged the full price, and the 20% will be credited back to you in 4-6 weeks.This offer is available for travel either in economy, or in JetBlue’s new Mint Business Class between JFK and LAX....

If you’re old enough to remember the Y2K scare, you might not know who Niall Horan is, even if you’ve heard his songs on Top 40s radio stations. But throngs of teens would happily have traded places with Horan’s recent plane mate, who really managed to get the celebrity’s attention.The Irish pop star took to Twitter Tuesday to share a note he received from Marit, who was headed to Europe for the first time:Image courtesy Niall Horan via TwitterWhile traveling parents should never feel required to bribe their fellow passengers, everyone appreciates a thoughtful gesture....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Citi Prestige CardLast May, TPG Senior Points & Miles Correspondent Nick Ewen and his family stayed at the Vero Beach Hotel & Spa in Vero Beach, Florida, where he utilized a status match in Kimpton loyalty program and was granted top-tier Inner Circle status. He had a phenomenal experience, prompting him to give Kimpton Karma Rewards a closer look — and book this second stay at the property....

Trick Dog, San Francisco’s award-winning cocktail bar helmed by partners Josh Harris and Morgan Schick, just unveiled an aviation-themed drink menu with frequent fliers in mind. The Mission District bar — known for introducing a brand-new cocktail menu based on a different theme every six months — recently announced the arrival of Trick Dog Airways, running from now until July 5, 2018.Riffing on in-flight information cards, TD Airways has a tri-fold menu with illustrations by Peter Gamlen and features plane model diagrams, international terminal maps and business class selections for those who like upgrades....

Social media is increasingly becoming the method airlines, hotels, credit cards and consumers get in touch with one another about the latest news, deals and promotions. Here’s a look at the latest interesting trending topics and more on social media from the week. Every week, Team TPG combs through Facebook posts, Tweets, Instagram pics and more to find the most interesting things going on during any given week, but if we miss something you’d like to discuss feel free to:-Post on my Facebook wall-Tweet me @thepointsguy-Instagram me @thepointsguyHere are some of the biggest news stories and promotions that everyone has been tweeting about this week....

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.From this Flyertalk thread, it seems that Starwood was lenient this year and decided to extend Platinum status for some people who didn’t hit the 25 stay/ 50 night qualification requirement. I’m not sure what the threshold was, but it’s clear that Starwood wants to retain people’s loyalty- even if it means bending the rules a little bit....

TPG reader Mike writes:“I have a question on behalf of my coworker. She’s taking her family to Europe this summer and has a ton of AA and Avios miles and is having trouble using her miles to get her family over there using her miles and on business class. I’ve seen or heard of people like yourself who help plan travel for her for a fee. Do you have any recommendations of people who can help her book her trip using her miles (or miles and $) to help her get the best deals?...

United Airlines really makes its public relations team earn its keep. In the most recent update on the airline’s employee bonus situation, things will stay the same — but not for long.Let’s backtrack a bit. Last Friday, the carrier announced it was striking employee bonuses from the 2018 budget, replacing them with an arbitrary lottery giveaway each quarter.Based on the swift and outraged employee backlash, United backpedaled on its announcement a couple of days later, in order to “consider the right way to move ahead....

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.Hurricane Matthew has been wreaking havoc along the Eastern Seaboard of the US — high winds and torrential rainfall have caused millions to evacuate their homes to stay safe. United Airlines has stepped up to assist in the relief effort by matching donations to organizations such as the American Red Cross, Americares, Airlink and OperationUSA, up to $100,000....

Each Saturday, we round up news stories that you may have missed from the week before, including several that already appeared on The Points Guy, and some more that we haven’t covered yet. If you’re an avid TPG reader, scroll down for the new stuff. Here’s the top miles, points and travel news you may have missed this week.US Airlines Drop $8.5 Billion in Value After United Earnings CallUnited CEO Oscar Munoz held an earnings call Tuesday night — following the call not only did the airline see a major drop in value, but that drop spread across all airline stocks in the US....

While I’m still not yet ‘old’, back when I was a kid there was no internet, no endless selection of things to watch thanks to Netflix, YouTube, streaming, or easily recorded TV. When no kids in the neighborhood were available to play, going to the grocery store with my mom on a weekend afternoon was better than just sitting at home. As an added bonus, you could usually convince her to let you put a couple things in the basket....

At this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg, TPG sat down with ViaSat’s VP of Commercial Mobility, Don Buchman, to talk shop about the upcoming ViaSat 2 satellite launch, and what it will mean for airlines and their customers.First, I asked Buchman for some background on what ViaSat already has in place, along with what’s to come.“Our ViaSat 1 and KA-SAT are now old technology, 6-7 years old,” said Buchman....

Update 7/5/17: United has now resumed premium-cabin sundae service, with ice cream being served in paper bowls. They’re as tasty as ever, but the presentation’s a bit lacking with this updated format:Now this? Oh when will it end…Assuming you manage to still be in your seat after the aircraft door is closed, you’ll (no longer, for now) be in for a treat — well, one treat in particular. The pinnacle of in-flight decadence, an ooey gooey served-at-your-seat ice cream sundae, is but the latest casualty of United’s crusade against anything and everything “flyer friendly....

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.TPG reader Jeremy asks:“In general, is it more valuable to accumulate hotel points or airline miles (assuming you’re maximizing each)? In other words, if you had to pick only one bucket, which would be worth more to your budget?...

To celebrate its first anniversary, the hotel booking site Rocketmiles is offering 5,000 bonus miles on new hotel bookings today only.Rocketmiles is a hotel search engine and booking app you can sign up for here that works with a few premium hotel partners in several US cities to offer customers who book rooms bonus miles with Air France/KLM, Alaska, American Airlines, Delta, Etihad, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, United, US Airways and Virgin America....

Cancun, Mexico’s most popular destination, and the nearby Riviera Maya, are tourist magnets thanks to their white-sand beaches, buzzy nightlife, modern chain hotels and many nonstop flights from the US. But there’s so much more to the Yucatan peninsula than the resort scene. Head west, not south, to discover more authentic and distinctive experiences, like staying in a magnificently restored hacienda, visiting colonial cities like Mérida — which turned 475 years old this year — and touring ancient Mayan ruins....

American Airlines made waves Friday night by announcing a massive new order of 47 Boeing Dreamliners. At list prices, the deal is worth $12.3 billion. Airlines always pay substantially less than list price for orders this large, but this is still the largest order for twin-aisle jets from a US airline in a long time.Monday morning, we got some more details about this order from a Securities and Exchange Commission Form 8-K filing AA made to inform investors about more details of the deal....