Enter the Copa Airlines “My Paradise” sweepstakes by July 5, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a four-day trip for four to Nassau, Bahamas, including air, transfers, hotel, some meals, and a dolphin swim. To enter, play the game (no skill required), provide the requested contact information (name, email, etc.) on the…
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. Wyndham’s Rewards Program Is Now…
With 7,800 properties in more than 70 countries, the Wyndham Hotel Group is the world’s largest hotel network. That’s right: bigger than Marriott, even after it absorbs Starwood. Bigger than InterContinental. Bigger than Hilton. In a business where bigger is assumed to be better—economies of scale, more opportunities to earn and redeem loyalty points, and…
Over the past several years, Choice’s recurring promotional offer has been 8,000 points after two stays. Sometimes it’s promoted as such: 8,000 points after two stays. More often though, the headline promotes either a free night or a gift card—both of which are available for 8,000 points. For its latest promotion, the featured bonus is…
Although the proliferation of revenue-based programs and dynamic award pricing is changing the game in fundamental ways, the availability of award seats remains one of the key factors in determining the real-world value of any airline loyalty program. It would seem, then, that a definitive comparison of award-seat availability among the various airline programs would…
Flying to Europe between now and July 31? Good. Flying on a first-, business-, or full coach-fare ticket? Even better. Because, bonus miles. Offer Details Through July 31, AAdvantage members can earn up to 50,000 bonus miles when traveling roundtrip between the U.S. and Europe on American, British Airways, Finnair, or Iberia, as follows: 2,000…
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) have a novel proposal to alleviate the expected congestion at airport security checkpoints this summer. In a letter sent this week to executives at 12 U.S. airlines, the senators called on the carriers to “suspend bag fees for the summer”: We write in the wake of…
I recently dubbed Alaska Airlines’ loyalty program, Mileage Plan, the “Best Mileage Program for Average Travelers.” It’s a hard-won honor, awarded for two principal reasons. First, Alaska has chosen to retain Mileage Plan’s distance-based earning scheme, even as most other airlines have adopted less generous spend-based earning. And second, Alaska has cobbled together a roster…
As it has been doing with some regularity, Southwest has upped the sign-up bonus for its Rapid Rewards Premier credit card to 50,000 points. The 50,000-point bonus kicks in after a new cardholder charges $2,000 within three months. There’s no published end date to this 50,000-point sign-up bonus, so it could be ratcheted back at…
Long lines, full flights, niggling fees for everything: Welcome to the new normal when it comes to air travel. While the flights can’t get much fuller, and there are few new opportunities to charge extra for non-basic services, those long lines are going to get longer before they get shorter. That’s partly due to the…
Enter the Conde Nast “Readers’ Choice Awards” sweepstakes by June 1, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a 15-day Viking River Cruises trip for two from Amsterdam to Budapest, including air and transfers. To enter, vote for the best airlines, airports, cities, hotels, islands, and other categories in Conde Nast’s 2016 Reader’s…