JetBlue is on a promotional tear. Triple points for June flights. A fast track to elite status. Matching points for Virgin America flyers. And now this: free PreCheck enrollment for JetBlue’s Mosaic elite members. PreCheck normally costs $85 for five years’ worth of trusted-traveler status. For frequent flyers, it’s arguably worth more, especially with this…
Hilton this week posted upcoming changes to HHonors award prices. While such announcements are almost never good news—and are sometimes positively gut-wrenching—this round of changes is so modest in scope that it’s practically a non-event. On July 13, just 33 of the company’s 4,600 hotels will be recategorized, with 13 moving to a lower category,…
The usual sign-up bonus for the Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature credit card is 40,000 points. Not bad for a no-annual-fee card linked to a top-tier hotel loyalty program. When almost doubled, as it is here, that decent bonus becomes a real attention-getter. Offer Details For a limited time, the sign-up bonus for the card…
When Starwood introduced keyless entry in 10 hotels in 2014, it was hailed as the next logical move in the digitization of travel; the service was expected to quickly roll out across Starwood’s extensive network of hotels. Yesterday, almost two years later, Starwood issued a news release with an update on keyless entry. After all…
With the airport-security fiasco seemingly ever-present in the news, much has been made of the benefits to be had from enrolling in the TSA’s PreCheck trusted-traveler program. Even for occasional flyers, the savings in time and aggravation can be well worth the $85 fee for five years of relatively speedy security clearance. Rarely included in…
Chipotle, the super-popular international burrito chain, has had a bad couple of years. A series of E. coli and Norovirus outbreaks have dampened customers’ appetites for its self-described fresh, healthy fare, depressing sales and the company’s stock price. How to regain the trust and patronage of defected Chipotle customers? Take a page from the travel…
Until yesterday, American Airlines customers dismayed at the airline’s August 1 pivot to a spend-based mileage program had a fallback option: Earn miles for their American flights in Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan program, which still awards miles the old-fashioned way, according to the distance flown. Yesterday, however, with the publication on Alaska’s website of new…
Enter the Babich Wines “Trip to New Zealand” sweepstakes by August 31, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a seven-night trip for two to New Zealand, including air to and within New Zealand; hotels in Auckland, Marlborough, and Queenstown; choice of activities; and a NZD$1,000 gift card. To enter, provide the requested…
Looking to avoid the holiday crowds? Then plan on staying close to home this Independence Day weekend, because record numbers of Americans will be clogging the nation’s highways and airport security checkpoints. According to AAA’s just-released forecast, 42.9 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over the extended July 4th weekend, between…
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. $35,000 for Unlimited Biz-Class Flights…
With the high probability of Virgin America’s being folded into Alaska Airlines within the next two years, Virgin loyalists are in the market for an alternative. And JetBlue wants to be that alternative. In April, JetBlue’s “Calling All Virgins” sweepstakes targeted Virgin America customers in California and New York who had never flown JetBlue. And…