Monthly Archives for November 2016.
One of the many irritants of travel-rewards programs is expiring miles. Typically, miles or points expire if there’s no account activity during a two- or three-year period. It’s a policy that’s irrelevant to high-frequency travelers, because they’re constantly on the go, pushing the expiration date forward with every trip. But for the great majority of…
When it comes to commercial air transportation, consumers have two bottom lines. First, it must be cheap. And second, it must be safe. Under President-elect Trump, it’s likely to become less of both. This week, Trump chose as his new Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, whose record as Secretary of Labor and Deputy Secretary of…
Since the first steps in normalizing relations between the U.S. and Cuba two years ago, interest in visiting the island nation has swelled, culminating in the resumption, after 50 years, of commercial air service by American carriers, beginning with JetBlue’s launch of service between Ft. Lauderdale and Santa Clara, Cuba, on August 31. Other airlines…
It’s the week after Thanksgiving, and if my email inbox is any indication, the world is awash in limited-time sales. Which means my Delete key is getting quite a workout. Snooze-you-lose travel sales (flash sales, Black Friday sales, Cyber Monday sales, and so on) are bad marketing and a consumer disservice. A one-day sale on…
While the Thanksgiving travel period was mostly uneventful, thankfully, at least one plane-full of holiday flyers got more than their fair share of inflight drama. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, aboard Delta flight 248 between Atlanta and Allentown, PA, a belligerent male passenger stood up in the aisle, arms raised in triumph, and harangued his…
Enter the Tasting Table “Trip to Barcelona” sweepstakes by December 31, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a trip to Barcelona for two, including airfare, two nights at the Mercer Barcelona hotel, breakfasts, a scenic sailboat cruise, and a $500 dining stipend. To enter, provide the requested contact information (name, email, etc.)…
Airport lounge memberships are a luxury that most can afford but very few can actually justify. If you don’t fly at least semi-regularly, it just doesn’t make financial sense to spend almost $500 for an annual lounge pass. A $50 day pass, maybe. But even that’s a stretch. Don’t expect lounge access to get any…
Inflight WiFi is good. Even better is free inflight WiFi. No, there’s no industry trend toward offering free onboard Internet access among the airlines—JetBlue is the exception—as there has been among the major hotel chains. And there isn’t likely to be any time soon. The economics of WiFi-in-the-sky and WiFi-on-the-ground are different. And besides, charging…
Delta is promoting its latest award discounts as a pre-Black Friday sale. Whatever you call it, it’s an opportunity to get more value from your Delta frequent-flyer miles. Offer Details Through November 28, Delta SkyMiles members can book roundtrip award flights to select destinations within the U.S. for as few as 10,000 miles. (While Delta…
It’s become an industry-wide marketing trend recently for airlines to serve branded coffee and promote the association. Boast the roast. Delta, for example, began serving Starbucks brews on select flights in 2013, and has since expanded the offering worldwide. Here’s how Delta touted the global rollout, in 2015: “With a high-quality global brand like Starbucks…
Enter the DRAFT Magazine “500 Years of German Beer Culture” sweepstakes by December 15, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a trip to Germany for two, including airfare, accommodations, ground transportation, brewery tour, and some meals. To enter, provide the requested contact information (name, email, etc.) on the sweepstakes landing page and…