Monthly Archives for August 2016.
Enter the Draft Publishing “Bon Voyage Belgium” sweepstakes by September 5, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a seven-night beer cruise between Amsterdam and Brussles, including air between New York and Brussels, train between Brussels and Amsterdam, meals, brewery tours, and tastings. Related: Sweepstakes: What Would You Do with 1 Million United…
Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week. If it was a good deal—or a notably bad deal—from an airline, hotel, or car rental loyalty program, you can read all about it here, and plan your travel accordingly. How NOT to Survive an…
To seasoned travelers, the words “program updates” are the ultimate buzzkill, foreshadowing a raft of customer-unfriendly changes to the loyalty programs they’re invested in. Their trepidation usually turns out to be well founded, as it was with the program updates announced by United earlier this week. Of the four major changes, three are negative. But…
Got an AAdvantage credit card issued by Citibank or Barclays? Then you may be entitled to book American award flights for fewer miles. Holders of the various AAdvantage-affiliated credit cards can book awards to selected U.S. and Canadian destinations at discounted prices. The discount varies, according to the card type. For the Platinum, World Elite,…
Yesterday’s crash landing of Emirates flight EK521 in Dubai generated a flood of images of panicked travelers, loaded down with their carry-on bags, fleeing the burning B777-300. The headline of Bloomberg’s coverage of the incident said it all: “Crashing, Burning Planes Don’t Stop Passengers From Grabbing Their Luggage.” That’s newsworthy, but it’s not news. Last…
Ever-ready to stick a thumb in the eye of other airlines, Spirit’s latest promotion turns mainstream loyalty marketing on its head. Instead of awarding more miles for higher-priced tickets—as has become the norm, with the proliferation of spend-based schemes—Spirit is offering a mileage bonus that increases as the airfare decreases. “The less you spend, the…
I’m not a fan of flash sales. If a company discounts its product or otherwise adds value to a purchase, then it should allow sufficient time for the offer to be widely communicated, thoughtfully considered, and calmly acted on. “Snooze you lose” has always struck me as disrespectful and a bit nasty. Notwithstanding my grumbling,…
It wasn’t that long ago that Southwest’s self-proclaimed identity as the Love Airline was a credible bit of branding, reflecting a virtuous circle of contentment among the airline’s customers, employees, and shareholders. For now, however, the love fest appears to be over. Last week, the directors of the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association, which represents the…
Through October 31, members of the Club Carlson program can earn bonus points for stays at Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson Red, Park Plaza, Park Inn, and Country Inns & Suites hotels as follows: Double points for Sunday through Thursday check-ins Triple points for Friday or Saturday check-ins There’s a limit of 50,000 bonus…
American’s AAdvantage program was the first modern travel-loyalty program, and for most of the years since its launch in 1981 it was not only the largest but also arguably the best of the airline mileage programs. Although the program, along with American itself, had lost much of its luster in recent years, it benefited greatly…
Enter the United Airlines “Billion Mile Giveaway” sweepstakes by September 30, 2016, for a chance to win one of 100 grand prizes of 1 million United MileagePlus miles, plus $750 to cover taxes, each. Runner-up prizes include smaller numbers of miles. In total, 1 billion miles will be given away. Related: Win a 7-Day Virgin…