Posts

I read an interesting article on Bloomberg yesterday that noted a study ordered by Congress found that decreased competition in the airline industry thanks to major airline mergers like those of Continental/United and Delta/Northwest have meant a rise in flight delays and cancellations since 2005. The study looked at 2,500 routes and statistics from 2005-2012.More mergers mean more flight delays.Mitchel Behm, an Assistant Inspector General of the Department of Transportation noted in the report that, “When competition decreased, both the average length of flight delays and percentage of total flights that were late increased....

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.There’s been a lot of buzz today on the incredible offer of an Amex Premier Rewards Gold Card with 2 years of the annual fee waived and 50,000 bonus points. It’s an incredible deal, however it is a targeted promotion for Columbia Business School 2011 and 2012 graduates....

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’m a big fan of Tumi luggage, but I’m not a fan of paying full price for it. I always get my Tumi goods deeply discounted and even though it’s still not cheap, I don’t mind paying for quality....

Last week, United launched its new Polaris “soft product,” including new amenities and food and beverage options on board, and a fantastic new Polaris Lounge at Chicago O’Hare Airport. United is rolling out much-improved seats beginning in 2017, but for now, the Polaris service is delivered using the airline’s existing fleet — while you’ll have a better onboard experience, these are the same old BusinessFirst (and Global First) seats you might not be terribly fond of....

Hopper, the app that helps travelers find the best pricing for flights by predicting price changes, just got a new feature called “Secret Fares” where the app updates users via push notification if prices for selected flights drop.Here’s how it works: Hopper partnered with several airlines — Air Canada, LATAM, Turkish, WestJet, Copa and Air China — and the airlines offer discounts exclusively to Hopper. If a flight you’re tracking has a secret fare associated with it, Hopper will send you a push notification to alert you of the price drop....

It’s been an exciting week for the Hyperloop. One of the companies developing the new form of transportation, based on capsules running in a vacuum at almost the speed of sound, has made two announcements, and beat a record.On Wednesday, Virgin Hyperloop One announced that it successfully conducted a third test of its pod, reaching a new top speed of 240 mph, a 48 mph increase over its previous record of 192mph....

An Iberia flight en route from New York to Spain was over the Atlantic Ocean when it had a sudden engine problem and was forced to make an emergency landing at Boston’s Logan Airport (BOS).Iberia Flight 6252 took off from New York’s JFK airport at about 9:15pm Tuesday, heading for Madrid (MAD). About 90 minutes into the flight, crew members “detected a technical problem in [one] of the engines” a spokeswoman for the airline told TPG....

What’s better than a transatlantic flight to Las Vegas? A transatlantic flight to Las Vegas on a Dreamliner. KLM has announced yet another new route for 2019 from its home in Amsterdam, with Sin City joining Boston to become the carrier’s 18th North Atlantic destination to be served directly.The Boeing 787-9 flights will offer 30 seats in World Business Class, 45 in Economy Comfort and 219 in economy. Initially, routes will run between Amsterdam (AMS) and Las Vegas (LAS) on Fridays and Sundays from June 6, 2019, with a third weekly flight being added on Tuesdays beginning July 2, 2019....

This week, TPG Senior Editor Kaeli Conforti is in Cuba on the first US cruise to the country in more than 50 years. Read on for her thoughts and experiences from the ship’s four-hour stop in Cienfuegos. Be sure to keep up with her travels on Twitter and Instagram.It’s hard to believe we’re already up to the second city of our seven-day Cuba cruise. We spent Thursday morning in Cienfuegos, a UNESCO World Heritage site full of gorgeous, French-influenced Neoclassical buildings, plazas and cathedrals that truly lives up to its nickname as La Perla del Sur, or the Pearl of the South....

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.On Dec. 7, 1941, fuel tanker YO-44 was able to avoid the bombs falling on Pearl Harbor by relocating to nearby Merry Point Landing, making it one of only five ships to survive the attack. The YO-44 was decommissioned after WWII and later became a fishing boat named the Kodiak Queen....

While low-cost carrier Norwegian Air has certainly expanded its route network throughout Europe and across the Atlantic to serve the US and Caribbean, it hadn’t developed its presence so much in Asia besides its flights between Copenhagen (CPH), Oslo (OSL) and Stockholm (ARN) to Bangkok, Thailand (BKK). But, that’s all about to change now, as the carrier just announced that it’s launching nonstop service between London Gatwick (LGW) and Singapore (SIN)....

Update 6/1/17 1:15pm: At launch, mobile check-in will be available at 22 properties, not 23. The Westin New York at Times Square will not have mobile check-in available as of today.Beginning today, Starwood Preferred Guest is making the check-in process at some of its properties more seamless, launching mobile check-in at 23 properties in the US. The chain plans to continue to roll out the service to more properties throughout the year, including international hotels in July....

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.Just this week, Uber added the ability to purchase gift cards, which you can either use for yourself or gift to a friend. Your gift card is valid for rides in any Uber city in the US. To use your gift card, simply go to the payment section within the latest version of the Uber app and then enter the code on your gift card into the ‘Add promo/gift card’ tab....

While many flight attendant uniforms don’t exactly project any strong fashion sense, a few airlines kit out their crews in ensembles that remind us all of the glory days of flying. Here are some mile-high styles from some of the world’s most fashion-forward airlines.1. Virgin America: The top spot has to go to a domestic airline - especially since compared to the rest of the field, the uniforms that Virgin America’s flight attendants wear really stand out for both sleek functionality, sass and a bold use of bright red that still pays homage to old school flight attendant patterns....

While often overlooked by points and miles enthusiasts, Lufthansa’s frequent flyer program, Miles and More, is on the rise. In December, the program announced that families will be able to “pool” miles together starting later this month. The program has now further improved by allowing you to book awards online on more of its airline partners including Cathay Pacific and, notably, United.Here’s a list of the previous and new airline partner awards that can be booked online:Previous Partners With Online BookingNew Partners With Online BookingAdria AirwaysAdria AirwaysAegean AirlinesAegean AirlinesAir CanadaAir CanadaAir ChinaAir ChinaAir New ZealandAir DolomitiANAAir MaltaAustrian AirlinesAir New ZealandAviancaANABrussels AirlinesAsiana AirlinesCondor AirlinesAustrian AirlinesCroatia AirlinesAviancaEgyptAirBrussels AirlinesEthiopianCathay PacificEurowingsCondor AirlinesEVA AirCroatia AirlinesLOT Polish AirlinesEgyptAirLufthansaEthiopianLuxairEurowingsSASEVA AirShenzhen AirlinesLOT Polish AirlinesSingapore AirlinesLufthansaSouth African AirwaysLuxairSWISS International AirlinesSASTAP PortugalShenzhen AirlinesTHAI AirwaysSingapore AirlinesTurkish AirlinesSWISS International AirlinesTAP PortugalTHAI AirwaysTurkish AirlinesUnited AirlinesThis unlocks the potential for some excellent online redemptions, especially for domestic flights within the US....

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 time to time, airlines offer sign-up bonuses for new members - usually 1,000 miles, but sometimes as high as 4,000. I was surprised to see Delta offering up to 10,000 miles, but the catch is that you need to either a) fly on a paid international ticket or b) fly on a paid first/business class ticket by December 31, 2011....

Last month, American Airlines announced its seating arrangement for its new 737 MAX. One stat that jumped out to us: 30-inch pitch throughout economy, instead of AA’s current standard of 31 inches of pitch.But, it was going to be even worse for the 18 passengers sitting in three rows of AA’s newest aircraft type, who would get just 29 inches of pitch. This is just one inch more than what knee-crushing Spirit Airlines provides....

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.World traveler, eccentric chef and foodie icon Anthony Bourdain recently launched a companion website to his popular program, Parts Unknown. The show, which airs on CNN, follows Bourdain as he explores off-the-beaten-path parts of the globe, introducing the audience to foreign cultures through his interactions with locals and getting to know the culture and food of the places he visits....

Yesterday United and American started selling Basic Economy fares on select routes, and generally speaking, this is really bad news. Contrary to how it is occasionally spun, Basic Economy fares do not mean that if you are willing to skip things like advanced seat assignments, earning miles as normal, and having a full size carry-on that you can save money. No, it means if you need or want those very normal things that have forever been included on these airlines, it now costs extra....

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.Minor Changes Coming to Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest in 2018While Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest will continue to run independently through 2018, there will be a few minor and mostly positive changes to both programs including the ability for SPG members being able to earn points for Hertz rentals, and never-expiring Starpoints for SPG members with lifetime status....