Air France’s frequent flyer program, Flying Blue, is a 1:1 transfer partner of American Express, but I generally don’t recommend using them for awards. Their taxes and surcharges are usually very high so it usually makes sense to transfer to Delta instead (usually at a significant transfer bonus) to book the same Skyteam award. However, every two months Flying Blue runs a list of routes that are 50% off for award redemptions....
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.A man who was kicked off his American Airlines flight on Monday, February 26, refused to leave without a fight…or his clothes. The man, who was a passenger on AA5466 bound for Cincinnati (CVG) from Charlotte (CLT), was reportedly ejected from the flight for erratic behavior....
I was up in Toronto on Monday filming an appearance on a CTV show called “The Social”, which you can watch there, where I talked about how Canadians can maximize their points and miles, and since then, my mind has been on news from our neighbor to the north since a lot has been going on up there.Back in July when Aeroplan announced major changes to its award redemption chart and the institution of new revenue-based elite benefits that will start January 1, 2014, there was some speculation as to whether it would also be partnering with a new credit card issuer....
Following a soft US launch late last year, Qatar Airways is now flying the Airbus A350 between Doha and three destinations in the United States: New York City, Boston and Philadelphia. It’s a phenomenal plane, despite some initial hiccups, and if you’re looking to travel to Qatar (or beyond), it’s one of your best options — especially in business class.However, as a reader recently shared, Qatar will pull the A350 from Philadelphia service for the entire month of May....
On October 28 last year, American Airlines flight 383 was departing Chicago O’Hare Airport (ORD) for Miami (MIA) when it suffered what’s known as an uncontained engine failure, caused by a weakness in the high-pressure turbine disk of the General Electric CF6 engine on the right side of the plane. The engine basically exploded and sent debris flying, piercing the plane’s wing, resulting in a catastrophic fuel fire which severely damaged the plane....
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. Every week, Team TPG and I comb through Facebook posts, Tweets, Instagram pics and more to find the most interesting things going on. Here’s a look at the latest interesting contests, trending topics and more on social media from the week, but if I 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 hottest news stories that everyone has been tweeting about this week....
On Monday, July 24, several United flights out of Chicago O’Hare (ORD) were canceled late in the evening, leaving “hundreds” of passengers stranded overnight at the airport. At 4:00am the next day, airport security woke the travelers — young and old — to retrieve the cots and blankets that had been provided.United passenger Liz Smith was booked on United flight 1610, which was scheduled to depart at 7:32pm Monday evening. “Our flight was initially delayed for a half hour due to a late inbound aircraft,” Smith told TPG....
Can you think of a more miserable travel experience than subjecting yourself to being on an aircraft for 17 hours straight?Well, one person has managed to make a 17-hour nonstop flight all the more unbearable. A man on Qantas’ ultra long-haul flight from Perth (PER) to London (LHR) was found to not have moved from his seat once during the 17-hour flight.Researchers from the University of Sydney were conducting a study on the effects of jet lag during long-haul flights....
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.Okay, this may pale in comparison to monster 100,000 point offers we’ve seen lately, but this is a decent option for those who can’t get in on the credit card offers. Debit card deals are few and far between lately, so if you have tarnished/bad credit or you can’t afford a credit inquiry, this may make the most sense....
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.The Federal Aviation Administration issued a new warning to US airlines on Sunday to “exercise caution” when using Iranian air space due to military activity.The new warning from the federal aviation body was issued on the day that last year’s similar cautionary alert expired....
If you’ve ever fantasized about having a meal in the cockpit of a Douglas DC-3, you’re in luck. American Airlines converted a DC-3 aircraft that served during World War II into a gourmet food truck, dubbed the DC-3 Gourmet, and it’s now open to the public at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum (TAM) in Compton, California.TAM describes itself as “a living classroom in South Los Angeles that brings aviation history to life and is empowering the dreams of more than 5,000 local youth to take flight....
Here at TPG, we talk a lot about how to sit at the “front” of the plane (that is, the business- and first-class cabins). However, for those of you who have ever wanted to try sitting at the real front of the plane, TPG Senior Points & Miles Correspondent Jason Steele has some suggestions.There are a couple of seats on every flight that you can’t reserve no matter how many miles you have....
Back in 2015, Airbus and Boeing were at odds over equipping airliners with flight recorders, commonly known as black boxes, that will eject and float in the event of a crash. While Seattle-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing had no such plans, citing possible safety risks due to accidental ejections, Airbus believed that this added feature will prevent flight recorders from being trapped in wreckage, making it easier to locate.Standing firm on its commitment to improving aviation safety, the European aerospace giant announced at the Paris Air Show that new fixed and deployable flight recorders will be implemented for it’s airliner programs, beginning with the A350 in 2019....
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.Update 1:48pm EST: Looks like its mostly gone, but some may be available on Orbitz.com. Can’t hurt to check! Congrats to those who got in on this unbelievable fare.Wow, wow, wow! Haven’t seen a domestic transcon fare this cheap … well, ever....
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.Ralph Waldo Emerson mused: “Life is a journey, not a destination.” Based on the flight track below, one might think that the pilots of American Airlines flight 1126 took this quote to heart when flying this flight Saturday evening....
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.When it was first announced, American Airlines’ pilot shortage caused a headache for both the airline and its passengers. While the, uh, nightmAAre before Christmas has since been resolved, and AA says all of its holiday flights will be fully staffed with pilots, the mix-up could come with a hefty price tag for the airline....
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 May 13th, Club Carlson will be turning their Twitter account into a private 24-hour party that they are calling #HashtagHotel. During their Twitter “party,” they will give away Gold Points, Elite Status and other travel items such as luggage, noise-canceling headphones and cameras....
Airlines around the world launch and announce dozens of new flight routes and service changes every month. Today, we’ll share just a few of the latest flights that will take to the skies this month or in the near future. Keep in mind that exact flight details (like schedules and aircraft, among other things) may change.NEW ROUTES LAUNCHED IN JULY 2018Fly Southwest from Oakland to Four US Cities (launched July 8, 14, 15)San Antonio’s Riverfront is truly magical....
Each Saturday, we round up news stories that you might have missed from the week before. Here’s the top miles, points and travel news you might have missed on TPG this week.JetBlue’s Founder May Start a New US AirlineDavid Neeleman, founder of JetBlue, sent out hints that he may be starting a new airline in the US – and it may be here in 2020.Keep Faith, Silver Medallion Elites: You Too Can Upgrade to First ClassTPG shared a few ways Silver Medallion Elites can make it to an upgraded seat, since it typically seems impossible....
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.Japan is one of my favorite countries — it’s been about 18 months since my last trip, so I’m excited to be heading back this week to work on some exciting new content for TPGtv with my film crew....
