Enter the World Travel Holdings “Sweepstakes at Sea” sweepstakes by January 31, 2017, for a chance to win the grand prize: a $3,000 cruise voucher, and 500,000 American AAdvantage frequent-flyer miles. Five runner-up prizes of 100,000 AAdvantage miles each will also be awarded. To enter, 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. Americans Would Rather Work Than…
According to Airlines for America, the trade group representing the interests of most U.S. airlines, this holiday travel season extends over a full 21 days, from December 16, 2016, through January 5, 2017. That’s a long time to endure the indignities and discomfort of crowded airports and overstuffed planes. A4A expects U.S. carriers to transport…
When a planned $32 billion expansion is completed, Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) will be the world’s largest. The airport, named for the emirate’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will eventually handle more than 200 million passengers a year, and be capable of accommodating 100 double-decker Airbus A380s at a time. For…
Need a vacation? You’d be hard pressed to find any American workers who would not nod affirmatively, vigorously, to that query. So you might assume that anyone with employer-paid vacation time would take full advantage of that time off. To take a vacation. You’d be mistaken. As a new Bankrate study shows, more than half…
Tired of slow inflight WiFi, or worse, no WiFi at all? Southwest has you covered. Or will have you covered, when its newly announced upgrade program is in place. By the end of next year, all 700-plus Southwest aircraft will feature onboard WiFi. That’s not the case today, as the carrier’s B737-300 Classic planes lack…
Alaska Airlines has been much in the news lately, with its acquisition of Virgin America and the announcement that it will be severing ties with longtime marketing partner Delta. Eclipsed by those high-profile stories was this week’s announcement of enhancements to its Mileage Plan loyalty program, and, more importantly, a forward-looking statement regarding the program’s…
Ever since Delta began ramping up operations in Seattle, Alaska Airlines’ hometown and main flight hub, the relationship between the two airlines has been disintegrating. And there was plenty to disintegrate. The carriers were long-time partners in each other’s frequent-flyer programs, and they code-shared on a host of flights. They were, in the industry vernacular,…
In case you were wondering, the best hotel loyalty program is Choice Privileges. That’s according to USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The nominees were picked by USA Today editors and a panel of travel writers, and the winners were then chosen by popular vote, by readers. Here’s their list of the 10 best…
While the Marriott acquisition of Starwood closed in September, the two companies’ integration is far from complete. In particular, Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest continue to operate independently, although members may now link their accounts, transfer points, and have their status matched. For better or for worse, the new promotions for Marriott, Starwood, and…
Enter the WGBH “Masterpiece 2017” sweepstakes by March 15, 2017, for a chance to win the grand prize: a seven-night trip for two to Great Britain, including air, hotels in Leeds and London, some meals, tours of various Masterpiece Theater shooting locations. To enter, provide the requested contact information (name, email, etc.) on the sweepstakes…