There’s something “odd” about this lost-luggage claim

Ali Jaffery’s lost-luggage claim is denied because of “substantial discrepancies” in the claim. Can Southwest Airlines do that? Question: I have a problem with Southwest Airlines, and I’m hoping you can help me. I took a direct flight from Washington to Chicago late last year. One of my two bags went missing. I reported it […]

The post There’s something “odd” about this lost-luggage claim appeared first on Elliott.

from Elliott http://elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/theres-something-odd-lost-luggage-claim/

Amazing Clouds over Queenstown

Cloud Types Anyone know what kind of clouds these are? Daily Photo – Amazing Clouds over Queenstown I don't actually go to downtown Queenstown more than once a week, but on this particular day I brought my camera… and boy was I glad. I so rarely see clouds like this here. The phenomenon did not […]



from Stuck in Customs http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2015/03/06/amazing-clouds-over-queenstown/

20% Hyatt Award Points Refund Posting Within A Week

In mid-February Hyatt launched a promotion whereby they're offering those with their co-branded Chase credit card a 20% refund on award redemptions through July 31, 2015.

The promotion is even better than that, since it applies to previously made reservations as well as to those that apply for the Chase Hyatt Visa during the promotion period.

I'll basically receive as many points through this promotion as I do through Hyatt's spring promotion, given that a 20% refund on award redemptions is huge.

Best of all, this applies to both free night and Points + Cash redemptions, so is extremely lucrative regardless of how you prefer to redeem your points.

The post 20% Hyatt Award Points Refund Posting Within A Week appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/03/05/20-hyatt-award-points-refund-posting-within-a-week/

Qatar Airways Flies A350 To Frankfurt To “Rub Salt In The Wound” Of Lufthansa

Qatar Airways' CEO, Akbar Al Baker, is no stranger to ridiculous soundbites. If there were an airline CEO worthy of a reality TV show, it would no doubt be His Excellency.

I mean, I think this clip from last year's Farnborough Air Show perfectly sums up what you can expect from him:

But via Flightglobal, I think this might just be one of his best quotes yet, from ITB Berlin, which took place this week:

The post Qatar Airways Flies A350 To Frankfurt To “Rub Salt In The Wound” Of Lufthansa appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/03/05/qatar-airways-flies-a350-to-frankfurt-to-rub-salt-in-the-wound-of-lufthansa/

The New Air France Process That May Prevent You From Booking an Award

Six weeks ago I wrote about the frustrations of a frequent flyer program fraud detection unit gone off the rails. Air France KLM’s Flying Blue shut down the account of someone who simply transferred points in from American Express Membership Rewards and redeemed those points for a ticket. The American Express account, Flying Blue account, […]

The post The New Air France Process That May Prevent You From Booking an Award appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/03/05/the-new-air-france-process-that-may-prevent-you-from-booking-an-award/

Living in Thailand is like...

Your head is always bobbing.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/12-things-happen-move-thailand/

All Hope Is Not Lost: American Airlines Actually Does the Right Thing

The vast majority of the times anyone (myself included) tells a customer service story involving an airline, it is usually because the airline did something wrong. However, airlines are not as evil as they sometimes seem to be — every once in a while they will do something to prove that they’re not completely out […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2015/03/all-hope-is-not-lost-american-airlines-actually-does-the-right-thing.html

Signs it's time to ditch Chattanooga

"3. Everyone you want to be hungover with on Sunday is at church."



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/10-signs-time-get-hell-chattanooga/

Is Double Your HHonors Worth Doubling Hilton Stays?

With the return of spring comes the renewal of the casual traveler and the beginning of tourism season. Going hand-in-hand with this is the return of the hotel promotions. In the last two months, many hotel chains announced their promotions, offering bonus points just for being their guest. Last week, Hilton joined their international counterparts […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2015/03/is-double-your-hhonors-worth-doubling-hilton-stays.html

Atlanta’s Airport Calls You Out, Lyft Wiggling Out of $1000 Offer, and Boeing’s Red Dot Special

News and notes from around the interweb: Important Issue of the Day: The Atlanta city council is really mad at how you’ve been referring to their airport. By a 14-0 vote they want the airport’s general manager to report to them on how they can get you to call use Hartsfield and Jackson when referring […]

The post Atlanta’s Airport Calls You Out, Lyft Wiggling Out of $1000 Offer, and Boeing’s Red Dot Special appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/03/05/atlantas-airport-calls-you-out-lyft-wiggling-out-of-1000-offer-and-boeings-red-dot-special/

In An Emergency Evacuation LEAVE ALL CARRY-ONS BEHIND

Here's something which I'll never understand. While I don't claim to always pay perfect attention to safety videos, surely we've all heard the line about leaving all carry-on items behind in the event of an emergency.

And if you haven't heard it and are in the unfortunate situation to have an emergency evacuation, you'll surely hear it when the flight attendant repeatedly yells at the top of his/her lungs to leave all carry-on items behind.

Yesterday a US Airways flight at Denver International Airport had to be evacuated via the emergency slides due to smoke in the cabin. And there's a video of the evacuation:

The post In An Emergency Evacuation LEAVE ALL CARRY-ONS BEHIND appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/03/05/in-an-emergency-evacuation-leave-all-carry-ons-behind/

Startup pitch: TeamRunner simplifies group sports team travel

Pity the soccer mom. And the hockey mom, the basketball mom, and the lacrosse mom. She has to drive hundreds or thousands ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/startup-pitch-teamrunner-simplifies-group-sports-team-travel/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=startup-pitch-teamrunner-simplifies-group-sports-team-travel

5 outrageous things that have happened to me as a black traveler

Touching hair, rubbing skin, taking photos...is anything sacrosanct?!



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/5-outrageous-things-happened-black-traveler/

Compensation for a Cancelled Flight (And I’ve Moved Halfway Across the Country)

I’m Living in Austin! Instead of traveling to Austin at least once a month, I’m now traveling to DC at least once a month. I haven’t changed jobs, I’ve only changed a bit of my area of focus and where I’m working from. I lived in the Washington DC area for the past 18 years, […]

The post Compensation for a Cancelled Flight (And I’ve Moved Halfway Across the Country) appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/03/05/compensation-for-a-cancelled-flight-and-ive-moved-halfway-across-the-country/

LaGuardia Airport Closed Until 7PM, Expect Delays Elsewhere

As if the weather on the East Coast wasn't bad enough (sorry, I can't relate, it's 70 and sunny here in Southern California), it looks like you can expect even more travel delays in the NYC area today.

A Delta MD-80 skidded off the runway at LaGuardia Airport. Fortunately there were no injuries, though LaGuardia Airport is shut down until at least 7PM today.

So if you're supposed to fly into or out of LaGuardia Airport today, or any other NYC-area airport, for that matter, you may want to check your flight status.

The post LaGuardia Airport Closed Until 7PM, Expect Delays Elsewhere appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/03/05/laguardia-airport-closed-until-7pm-expect-delays-elsewhere/

Mandarin Oriental: Undetectable malware stole our credit card data

Some of Mandarin Oriental’s point-of-sale systems at some of its luxury hotels in the US and Europe were infected with malware capable ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/mandarin-oriental-lost-credit-card-numbers-malware-attack/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mandarin-oriental-lost-credit-card-numbers-malware-attack

1,000 Free Club Carlson Gold Points Through Twitter

For the second year in a row, Club Carlson will be hosting a #HashtagHotelPromo on Twitter on March 19, 2015. Through this promotion they'll be giving away lots of prizes, including points, travel accessories, etc. (you can find the full list of prizes here).

While it's a couple of weeks until the actual "Twitter party," you can register now to earn 1,000 bonus Gold Points. The process is easy -- you just have to complete the registration form and follow @clubcarlson on Twitter.

In order to be eligible for the 1,000 bonus points you must have an active Twitter account for at least 30 days, and only the first 5,000 people that register are eligible. Bonus points should post within 4-6 weeks. Here are the full terms:

The post 1,000 Free Club Carlson Gold Points Through Twitter appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/03/05/1000-free-club-carlson-gold-points-through-twitter/

20 funny Polish phrases

A Polish person doesn't daydream. They “think of blue almonds” (myśleć o niebieskich migdałach)!



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/20-funniest-polish-phrases-use/

Plane skids off runway at New York's LaGuardia airport

An Delta flight skidded off a runway late Thursday morning at New York's LaGuardia airport.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/05/us/new-york-plane-runway/index.html

If this car can order a pizza, will the connected car become the next booking tool?

In partnership with Pizza Hut and Accenture, Visa has created a proof-of-concept vehicle ordering system that allows for seamless ordering, payment and ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/car-can-order-pizza-will-connected-car-become-next-booking-tool/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=car-can-order-pizza-will-connected-car-become-next-booking-tool

17 ways a place becomes is overrated

Paris Hilton went to Cuba for a vacation. Is it possible this country's status as an “it” destination may already be over?



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/17-ways-know-place-gotten-totally-blown/

When did the Ritz-Carlton start running an airline?

from Elliott http://elliott.org/the-good-news-guy/a-lost-luggage-case-with-an-unexpectedly-happy-ending/

Activities startup Musement receives 5M euro in funding

Musement, a new tours and activities site and app, said it has received 5 million euro in Series A funding. Participating in ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/activities-startup-musement-receives-5m-euro-funding/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=activities-startup-musement-receives-5m-euro-funding

5000 Free Singapore Airlines Miles Just for Registering (Attention United MileagePlus Refugees!)

Singapore Airlines is offering 5000 miles just for joining their KrisFlyer program and another 5000 miles if you credit a Singapore Airlines flight to the program by September 30. The signup bonus offer if valid through March 31 and requires registering with an Australian address. This is of unique interest to me since I have […]

The post 5000 Free Singapore Airlines Miles Just for Registering (Attention United MileagePlus Refugees!) appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/03/05/5000-free-singapore-airlines-miles-just-for-registering-attention-united-mileageplus-refugees/

Review: American Airlines First Class 777-300ER London To New York

I was really excited to finally fly American's new first class for the first time. I've flown their new 777-300ER business class many times, including the following routes:

-- Hong Kong to Dallas

-- Dallas To Hong Kong

-- Sao Paulo to New York

-- New York to Sao Paulo

-- London to New York

-- New York to London

I've been extremely impressed by the new product, so was very excited to try out their new first class, given that it never really looked that much better to me than their new business class product.

The post Review: American Airlines First Class 777-300ER London To New York appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/03/05/review-american-airlines-first-class-777-300er-london-to-new-york/

Which Countries Waive Reciprocal Visa Fees

Today, Steve Gempeler and Peter Gulas at Allied Passport & Visa tip us off to some changes in the visa world! The United States charges $160 for all nationals requiring a visa to enter the country. In return, many other countries charge US citizens reciprocal prices for their own visas, and some don’t even require...



from The Points Guy http://thepointsguy.com/2015/03/which-countries-waive-reciprocal-visa-fees/

11 changes to modern expat life

Here are 11 ways the world is changing for those living away from home.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/11-reasons-expat-life-not-used/

OTAs vs metasearch – a collision course or room for both?

Freedom of choice can be a wonderful thing. But when faced with countless travel websites consumers, more often than not in search ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/OTAs-metasearch-EyeForTravel/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sc-eyefortravel-march

4 uncomfortable truths about DC

Gentrification everywhere and an insanely high cost of living? Yeah, living in DC can be tough.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/4-uncomfortable-truths-living-washington-dc/

20% Rebate on Hyatt Award Redemptions Posting Much Quicker Than Promised

Hyatt is 20% of your points back on redemptions through July 31 if you have the Hyatt Visa. You have to register by March 31 then you’ll get 20% of your points back on redemptions with stays completed by July 31. While the rules made it appear this was for new bookings only, it isn’t, […]

The post 20% Rebate on Hyatt Award Redemptions Posting Much Quicker Than Promised appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/03/05/20-rebate-on-hyatt-award-redemptions-posting-much-quicker-than-promised/

Signs you're a starving artist in NY

"9. Gallery openings are your bars."



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/11-signs-youre-starving-artist-nyc/

AmEx Everyday Preferred vs. Premier Rewards Gold Card: Which Is Better?

Last week American Express announced some awesome changes to the American Express® Premier Rewards Gold Card.

For a long time this was one of the most compelling cards out there, though the value proposition of the card decreased over time, both in relative and absolute terms.

The annual 15,000 Membership Rewards point threshold bonus was eliminated as of 2015, apparently because it was under-utilized, and other compelling cards came into the marketplace.

The post AmEx Everyday Preferred vs. Premier Rewards Gold Card: Which Is Better? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/03/05/amex-everyday-preferred-vs-premier-rewards-gold-card-which-is-better/

Heads Up: A Cold War Missile Base in the Heart of the Everglades

The HM-69 Nike Missile Base sits amid the swamp as an eerie reminder of an era when South Florida remained on high alert.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/44112781/sc/10/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A150C0A30C0A80Ctravel0Ca0Ecold0Ewar0Emissile0Ebase0Ein0Ethe0Eheart0Eof0Ethe0Eeverglades0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Surfacing: Seattle’s First Downtown, Reimagined

Pioneer Square, which was settled in 1852 and fell into decline after World War II, is now home to artists, designers and inventive restaurants.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/44112785/sc/4/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A150C0A30C0A80Ctravel0Canother0Enew0Echapter0Ein0Ethe0Elife0Eof0Epioneer0Esquare0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Overnighter: The Mora River Valley Faces a New Battle

Touring a lush region of New Mexico, where a fight over oil exploration could change the valley’s face forever.





from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/44111902/sc/10/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A150C0A30C0A80Ctravel0Cthe0Emora0Eriver0Evalley0Efaces0Ea0Enew0Ebattle0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Dubai like you've never seen it

Graphic artist Clare Napper's tongue-in-cheek advertisements gently mock expat life in UAE.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/05/travel/dubai-posters/index.html

See this massive lake now before it's changed forever

Environmentalists warn that construction of the massive Nicaragua Canal could endanger Central America's largest lake.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/travel/lake-nicaragua-tour/index.html

The most romantic place to propose is ...

Paris may be France's city of love, but its most famous landmark doesn't even make it into the top five proposal spots, according to research by an online retailer. The Eiffel Tower languishes seventh, behind a slew of New York locations, Universal Studios Florida and a surprising top spot.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/travel/most-romantic-places-to-propose/index.html

21st century technology might have solved the mystery

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/world/malaysia-flight-370-tracking-technology/index.html

Buddy Holly plane crash may be re-examined

The National Transportation Safety Board may be taking another look at the 1959 crash that killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/entertainment/buddy-holly-plane-crash-reexamined/index.html

phrases only the Irish understand

"The Irish are particularly gifted when it comes to blaggarding people."



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/8-phrases-real-irish-understand/

How to Book Awards to French Polynesia

French Polynesia is composed of over 100 islands in the South Pacific. About a dozen or so of these islands have resort-style hotel accommodations, most notably Bora Bora and Moorea. The crystal clear water and calm beaches make French Polynesia one of the world’s ultimate aspirational award destinations. What is interesting about French Polynesia when […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2015/03/how-to-book-awards-to-french-polynesia.html