Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader Chris, who spent more miles than he needed to on a short flight within Europe. Here’s what he had to say:My girlfriend and I were planning a trip to Rome, with me departing from New York and her flying from Belgrade. Since I had the longer route, I spent a lot of time trying to optimize my flight using United miles....
We flew on United out of Denver this past weekend with little kids and car seats, and the airport was an absolute zoo on one of first busy summer travel weekends. Thankfully, once we had the car seat and kids situated on the plane, the rest of the journey was smooth sailing for us. The same cannot be said for another mom doing virtually the same thing, at the same place, at the same time....
American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, is ever-expanding its network. In May, AA launched new routes to Prague and Budapest and added a new route to Venice. Not long after that AA announced new service to Hawaii and the Caribbean.Although some of these routes might be a bit of a stretch, this week AA unveiled an especially peculiar new venture: Dallas/Fort Worth to Del Rio, Texas (DRT), a city that has 35,998 residents as of a 2016 Census Bureau estimate....
TPG reader Ahmed sent me a message on Facebook to ask about transferring points:“I’ll be transferring Amex points to Etihad Guest to book an award on American Airlines. I confirmed the availability, but how can I make sure it will still be there once the transfer goes through? I don’t want my points to be stuck with Etihad.”Finding award availability sometimes requires patience and a bit of savvy, especially on premium and international itineraries....
Delta has announced a new partnership with the on-demand aviation company, BLADE, that will allow for seamless helicopter transfers between New York’s JFK airport and Manhattan.The new service will be available to Delta customers flying into and out of JFK. If you are flying from Manhattan, you’ll arrive at one of BLADE’s three lounges and then take your 5-minute helicopter flight to JFK. After landing a member of Delta’s Elite Services team will collect your baggage and accompany you to ground transportation that will take you to your departure terminal....
A month after announcing its fitness-focused day trips, Equinox — which operates SoulCycle, PURE Yoga and the namesake Equinox gym network — has doubled down on its foray into the luxury travel market.Last week, Equinox said it would begin offering “bespoke travel experiences” in tandem with the company’s launch of Equinox Hotels, slated for the spring of 2019. At the helm of the brand’s multi-day itineraries is Leah Howe, formerly of Van Wyck & Van Wyck and Butterfield & Robinson....
It wasn’t all about work for me this past weekend at the Chicago Seminars - I also got to meet and talk with other start ups, including a great new site called Routehappy, which rates and tracks airlines and specific flights based on user-generated reviews. When I want to know about an upcoming flight, I usually go to a site like Seatguru to find out about the aircraft type and the amenities onboard, and while a valuable resource, it’s not always up to date, it can be hard to tell exactly which version of which aircraft will be flying the route I’m on, and there aren’t any good photos to help me poke around the plane and see if it’s something I want to fly....
Sharks are one of nature’s most fascinating creatures. Sitting atop the oceanic food chain, they seemingly glide through the water effortlessly. Their bodies and scales are so efficient that they’ve recently been studied by aircraft manufacturers with the hopes of improving plane designs.At the ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research in Hamburg, Airbus partnered with Lufthansa Technik, the maintenance business of Lufthansa Airlines. The two companies worked together to develop a way to have robots apply a texture modeled from sharkskin to the exterior of aircraft....
On the heels of both Hilton and Marriott announcing their fall 2015 promos last week, IHG has just released details of its own fall points promotion. IHG’s is called Accelerate, and is in effect for stays from September 15-December 31, 2015.As with many IHG Rewards promos, each member gets a targeted offer based on his or her profile, with a variety of stays and activities earning various bonuses. To see your own offer, you must sign in and register here....
Kuwait Airways will pay an Israeli citizen whom it barred from flying based on her nationality.Last November, Mandy Blumenthal was barred from purchasing a ticket on a Kuwait Airways flight from London (LHR) to Bangkok (BKK) via Kuwait (KWI). Blumenthal was at the Kuwait Airways ticket counter in Heathrow airport, where she attempted to purchase a ticket to go on vacation. After the Kuwait agent saw her Israeli passport, she was repeatedly told that “Israeli passport holders are not permitted to travel on Kuwait Airways....
This Wednesday, February 29, 2012 is the last day to transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to AirTran. This is significant, because at some point AirTran A+ credits will transfer into Southwest Rapid Rewards points, however Southwest has not yet announced the transfer ratio, which is annoying.I suspect news will come in March, since the acquisition, which was announced in September 2010, is finally coming to fruition with AirTran’s fleet starting to be painted....
A tourist in Hawaii was fined $1,500 after he touched a seal and harassed a sea turtle and posted videos of the incidents on Instagram, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says.The Alabama man was on a trip to Kauai last year when he posted the videos to his Instagram page. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement used his profile information on the social networking site to track down his home address....
Chef Daniel Rose grew up outside Chicago, but made his name as a chef cooking in Paris, where he owns the game-changing restaurant, Spring, as well as bistros La Bourse et La Vie and the soon-to-open Chez La Vieille.This year he logged tens of thousands of American AAdvantage miles flying back and forth between Paris and New York, gearing up for the opening of his first American restaurant, Le Coucou, which debuted this June at the 11 Howard hotel....
Last month, Norwegian Air announced new routes from the US to several cities in the UK with introductory fares starting at a jaw-dropping $65 one-way. Today, the carrier shared some more new routes that will be operated by its new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft — this time with fares starting at $89 one-way with service to Bergen (BGO).The new routes operate between BGO and two of the carrier’s new East Coast cities — Newburgh (SWF) and Providence (PVD)....
Less than one year after Norwegian Air launched transatlantic service from three new, smaller airports on the East Coast, the company says it’s cutting one of the airports altogether. On Tuesday, the low-cost carrier announced that as of March 25, 2018, it’s suspending its only nonstop flight out of Hartford’s Bradley International Airport (BDL), which offered service to Edinburgh (EDI) on its Boeing 737 aircraft.Following the news that the Scottish government postponed a reduction on air passenger taxes, Norwegian issued a statement about the reduction in frequency to EDI — including eliminating it altogether from BDL....
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.Airline phone agents are the bane of my existence. As part of my award booking services, I call the airlines every day, so I’ve had the unique opportunity of speaking to hundreds of phone reps. While a few are truly gems who are fast and know the rules, many are clueless and their mistakes can cost you time and money....
For years, Singapore Airlines has been leading the way when it comes to long-haul business class — while there’s always been room for improvement, SQ was one of the first airlines to offer lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, and innovations like Book the Cook make the carrier even more appealing.That said, there’s been one element of the business-class experience that I’ve found especially puzzling: the conversion from upright seat to lie-flat bed....
If you’re a T-Mobile Simple Choice customer, you are now free to roam about the continent. Beginning July 15, T-Mobile is extending coverage and calling across the US, Mexico and Canada for all Simple Choice customers at no extra charge, according to the latest “Un-carrier Amped” announcement from the company.This new move, called Mobile Without Borders, includes unlimited calling to Mexico and Canada from the US for free, including landlines and cell phones....
I’ve heard my fair share of theories describing the causes of jet lag, but none explain it fully. Sometimes it’s worst going east, other times it’s worst going west. Regardless of the direction, I’ve come up with a short routine I do whenever I get to my hotel room after a long flight.The primary theory behind this routine and these particular exercises is to calm the nervous system by using a few simple yoga postures....
The Royal Air Force (RAF) celebrated its centennial anniversary Tuesday by formation-flying 100 aircraft over Buckingham Palace. Queen Elizabeth praised the RAF for the “tenacity, skill and gallantry” the force had displayed in its “remarkable contribution to defense” over the past century. “I remember the Battle of Britain being fought over the skies above us,” she said, “and we shall never forget the courage and sacrifice of that time.” (Then-Princess Elizabeth was 14 in 1940, when the Battle pitched British fighters against German planes, and resulted in the RAF likely stopping a Nazi invasion....
