Passengers departing from San Diego (SAN) this past weekend — many of them fresh off Comic-Con International: San Diego — were devastated to learn that their comic books had been placed on United’s checked bag no-fly list at the request of the TSA. The only problem? The TSA says that there was no ban.The incident first came to light on Sunday morning when a perplexed flyer tweeted a friendly PSA to raise awareness about the ban....
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.EXPIREDThe credit card offers this year have been pretty fantastic - lots of waived first year fees and bonus miles. While 30,000 miles is just slightly above average, United just upped the ante and is not only waiving the first year fee ($60), but is also throwing in an upgrade certificate, a $50 statement credit, and a $25 travel voucher....
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 week, the US Food and Drug Administration released a warning about the dangers of eating or drinking foods prepared with liquid nitrogen immediately before consumption. In a world where people often seek out bizarre, specialty foods on their travels, it’s an alert that is especially important for adventurous epicures....
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 week I wrote about a great deal where you can make a purchase at Gilt Groupe and get 1,500 United/Continental miles and 5 miles per dollar spent.If you were holding out to buy something you might actually use, then you might want to check out their current offer of a $100 Travelocity Hotel gift certificate for only $50....
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.Now through July 31, 2013, US Airways is offering a 50% bonus on miles for every hotel stay and car rental you credit to your Dividend Miles account. Just register here and then make sure your account number is on your reservation....
This is the first post in TPG’s new review series in which TPG team members give their take on some of the snazziest amenity kits in the skies.Swiss International Air Lines’ amenity kits were designed with a Swiss style of luxury in mind according to the company, and these are packed with goodies that keep the kit true to its homeland. In this review, we take a look at what makes Swiss Air’s first-class amenity kits — available for both men and — stand out and where they falter....
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.For many, flying with children is an overwhelming experience. Even though I’ve done it nearly 30 times with my two-year-old and six times with both my two-year-old and 12-week-old, it doesn’t get easier. That’s why it really makes a difference when an airline goes above and beyond to make flying with children a bit more fun....
It’s a huge year for travel to Cuba. In March, several airlines proposed nonstop flights from the US to a handful of Cuban destinations, and last month the Department of Transportation approved new service on several US-based carriers — including American, Southwest, JetBlue and Silver Airways, among others. Now, that latter airline is working to fill seats on its first flights, first offering a 33% discount code and now giving customers an opportunity to buy one flight and get another for free (before taxes and fees), to take later in 2016....
TPG reader Ed wrote in the other day about a situation that provides a good cautionary tale as a reminder to us all that you need to read the terms and conditions of any bonus or promotion you plan to take advantage of, or you could be out a lot of money. Ed wrote up his experience for Forbes.com, and I briefly corresponded back and forth with him via email, but wanted to blog about it so others didn’t end up in the same situation....
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.If you:1) Don’t currently have elite status with USair (and haven’t participated in any of their recent elite status promotions)2) Plan to purchase a ticket on usair.com and fly on US by Sept 15You can get free Silver status for 90 days....
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.In November I wrote about Delta’s intentions to add a premium economy cabin and today the official announcement was released about their new “Economy Comfort” seats. I have to say I’m pretty impressed. My original questions were:1) Will elites have access to this premium cabin - if so, at what price?...
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.Not to sound like a broken record, but today is the last day before Avios points replace Executive Club miles. This isn’t the end of the world if:1) You want to use British Airways miles to fly on British Airways flights2) You have a British Airways 2-4-1 voucher, which mandates that you do #13) Want to redeem your points for short haul flights4) Want to redeem for domestic/Hawaii awards (except maybe East coast to Hawaii)5) I could be wrong about all of these, because we still don’t know exactly what will be announced tomorrow!...
Starting this September, you’ll no longer be able to stay at the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas.The iconic hotel received a notice terminating its management agreement this past week, following the property’s sale to an undisclosed buyer for $214 million. Vital Vegas suggests that the buyer may be California-based investor Man Ho “Ronnie” Lam, owner of the Hilton Lake Las Vegas.The 392-room Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas opened in December 2009, and is one of only 13 properties around the world to hold the Triple Forbes Five Star Award: three five-star ratings for the hotel, the spa and the hotel’s signature restaurant – an award the Mandarin Oriental has held for seven consecutive years....
Whether you’re a nervous flyer or just can’t deal with all the mayhem of airport parking, security checks and everything else that’s required to move you from Point A to Point B, traveling can be a stressful experience for even the most frequent fliers. While airports have tried to help by offering therapy animals — including dogs, pigs and mini-horses — England’s Monarch Airlines has come up with a new idea to help anxious passengers: Mood Food....
The first ever Oneworld Megado began yesterday with a quick jaunt across the pond from JFK-LHR aboard one of American Airlines’ flagship 777-200’s.American Airlines really rolled out the red carpet for attendees making it quite possibly the best customer service I’ve ever gotten in an airport. Upon arrival I was welcomed numerous times and escorted through security. The lines weren’t bad at all, but it was nice to have an entourage....
Earning lots of points and miles means having lots of credit cards, and having lots of credit cards means either carrying around an enormous wallet or being forced to leave most of your cards at home. So a few years ago, several companies announced plans to create all-in-one “smart card” devices, with the idea being that you’d electronically “load” your multiple cards into one credit card device which would then be the only card you’d carry in your wallet....
There have been a lot of changes to the British Airways program announced this week, some good, some bad and a lot to be determined. While they’ve stressed that the elite program is going to stay in tact, they’ve been mum on the exact details of elite status under the new “Avios” program. On Flyertalk, the BA rep had dodged the question directly several times, so it’s clear that the details are not yet finalized....
In today’s news of things that will make you say, “wait, what?” — an Uber driver, allegedly one with an actual, real-life license, decided it was a grand old idea to drive down some stairs in San Francisco. Thankfully, though, no injuries were reported.We’ve all made some questionable driving decisions at one point or another, but this one really takes the cake. Can you imagine going for a stroll in the Castro — or just picking up some food at Safeway, where it all went down (pun intended) — and next thing you know, there’s a car....
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.United is now offering some fliers the opportunity to purchase priority boarding. With it, there’s no need to purchase the rest of the carrier’s Premier Access bundle package, which also includes priority check-in, security, boarding and baggage handling....
If you look at the list of upcoming Polaris Lounge openings, it might seem odd that one of United’s largest US hubs is excluded — Denver (DEN) won’t be getting a Polaris Lounge of its own. The reason? As of today, the only intercontinental United flight operating from DEN flies across the Pacific to Tokyo. But, come March 24, 2018, UA will have another DEN long-haul on its route map, when it resumes seasonal daily service to London-Heathrow (LHR), a route that United reportedly hasn’t offered since 2010....
