JetBlue today announced an amendment to its existing purchase agreement with Airbus to increase the number of Mint-configured A321s, and add the option to acquire A321LRs (“LR” for long range) beginning in 2019. Adding more aircraft to the fleet with premium-cabin Mint accommodations is consistent with JetBlue’s claims for the service’s popularity. According to the…
American Airlines is on a roll, and not in a good way. After the merger with US Airways, the airline followed Delta and United in converting its loyalty program to a spend-based scheme, which means fewer miles and free trips for the great majority of American’s flyers. In April, American nixed its customer-friendly no-fee 24-hour…
IHG Rewards, the loyalty program of the InterContinental Hotels Group, today released its latest list of PointBreaks hotels that are available for booking for just 5,000 IHG Rewards points per night. Offer Details Beginning on July 25, IHG Rewards members can book award nights for 5,000 points at 138 participating hotels, for stays through October…
Enter the Hallmark Channel “Summer Nights” sweepstakes by August 29, 2016, for a chance to win one of two grand prizes: 1) a seven-day Virgin Islands cruise for two, including air and hotel before and after the cruise; 2) or a four-night trip to Victoria Island, British Columbia, to visit the set of “Chesapeake Shores,”…
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. New from Standard Hotels: Flexible…
“3 Nights for the Price of 2 at Starwood Hotels” That’s the headline version of a new promotional offer from Starwood and MasterCard. As headlines are wont to be, it’s a bit of an oversimplification. And arguably a misleading one at that. It’s actually not one offer, but several. Through December 31, buy two or…
For travelers to, from, or through Los Angeles International Airport, it may seem as though the airport, the world’s seventh busiest, is in a semi-permanent state of modernization and remodeling, with all the construction, traffic, and delays that entails. A pretty picture it ain’t. Any hopes for a reprieve from the disruptions were dashed with…
To overseas observers, the U.S. must look like a pretty scary place right now. What with the breakdown in law and order represented by the recent string of shootings, protests, and more shootings, and the generally vicious tone of the nation’s politics (Google “Kill Hillary” or “Trump Nazi”), anyone viewing this country through the lens…
Paris Hilton hasn’t been much in the limelight lately, and now we know why. The 35-year-old socialite and media magnet has been busy developing a new line of luxury hotels to open in Dubai, New York, and Las Vegas. As the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, founder of Hilton Hotels, Ms. Hilton presumably had an inside…
While it’s unlikely to ever become a standard hotel feature, flexible check-in and check-out is an obvious traveler-pleaser. Really, who wants to be locked into the hotels’ arbitrary definition of when a hotel stay can begin and end? Hotels are well aware of the demand for such flexibility, and indeed have made it a perk…
Do new free onboard snacks warrant a press release? JetBlue thinks they do. The airline, which for the purpose at hand claims to have been “made famous by its unlimited free blue chips and live seatback televisions,” has added Cheez-It crackers and Ocean Spray Craisins to its menu of complimentary snack options. “Tasty!” was my…