Flight Upgrades Much Harder to Secure, Even for Elite Travelers

While free upgrades to the front of the plane were once a common perk for frequent fliers, such giveaways now are largely limited to the ultraelite.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3e7de98f/sc/10/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C0A90C160Cbusiness0Cflight0Eupgrades0Emuch0Eharder0Eto0Esecure0Eeven0Efor0Eelite0Etravelers0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Buy IHG Points With 100% Bonus

Through September 22, 2014, IHG Rewards Club is offering up to a 100% bonus on purchased points. That's the best bonus I recall ever seeing on IHG Rewards Club points.

The cost to purchase points varies based on how many you purchase, as follows:

-- 1,000 - 10,000 points for $13.50 per 1,000 points

-- 11,000 - 25,000 points for $12.50 per 1,000 points

-- 26,000 - 60,000 points for $11.50 per 1,000 points

The post Buy IHG Points With 100% Bonus appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/15/buy-ihg-points-100-bonus/

Buying the Middle Seat Next to You for More Space: British Airways Raises Price But It’s Still Cheap

Head for Points writes about the increase in price that British Airways is pushing through for buying the middle seat next to you. Truth is, this is something I didn’t know, just how inexpensively BA offered this in the past. You would pay the same fare for the empty seat as for the one you […]

The post Buying the Middle Seat Next to You for More Space: British Airways Raises Price But It’s Still Cheap appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/15/buying-middle-seat-next-space-british-airways-raises-price-still-cheap/

Photo of the Moment: An Evening in San Diego on Coronado Island

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© peasap (Flickr)

The post Photo of the Moment: An Evening in San Diego on Coronado Island appeared first on Vagabondish.

from Vagabondish http://www.vagabondish.com/photo-evening-san-diego-coronado-island-california/

Pivotal Soft Case Rolling Gear Bag: Pack All Your Adventure Gear with a Twist

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I fancy myself a minimalist traveler, packing only what I need and not a hair more. But sometimes — on dive trips, backpacking expeditions, or when I just have to have my travel-size billiard table — I don’t have a choice. I just have to pack more. On those occasions, a solid, dedicated gear bag […]

The post Pivotal Soft Case Rolling Gear Bag: Pack All Your Adventure Gear with a Twist appeared first on Vagabondish.

from Vagabondish http://www.vagabondish.com/pivotal-soft-case-rolling-travel-gear-bag/

10 of the best Airbnbs in Tokyo

Here are some of the best Airbnbs we found available in Tokyo.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/trips/10-best-airbnbs-tokyo/

Gross encounters of the airborne kind

from Elliott http://elliott.org/elliotts-email/gross-encounters-wrong-kind/

In Transit Blog: Walkabout: Marriott Encourages Tipping; Air France Pilots Strike

A weekly capsule of travel news curated by our writers and editors.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3e7da91d/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C0A90C150Cwalkabout0Emarriott0Eencourages0Etipping0Eair0Efrance0Epilots0Estrike0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

4 Tips to Know Before You Go to Machu Picchu

The sacred Inca site of Machu Picchu in Peru is on most travelers’ bucket list and with the abundance of affordable flights popping up this year many have been able to make their dream of visiting the site come true. Fortunately my friend and I were lucky enough to be among that group. The trip […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/09/4-tips-to-know-before-you-go-to-machu-picchu.html

This six-year-old surfer will put you to shame

Her coach says she's one of the best six-year-old surfers and skateboarders in the world.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/sports/six-year-old-surfer-will-put-shame/

Have You Visited Any of Our 52 Places to Go in 2014?

With just a few months left in the year, check out our updated list to see if there are destinations you’d like to hit before 2015.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3e7d29cc/sc/4/l/0L0Snytimes0N0Cinteractive0C20A140C0A10C10A0Ctravel0C20A140Eplaces0Eto0Ego0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Why Do Airlines Overbook Flights?

I recently came across an article by Eric Jordan, the Conde Nast Traveler Ombudsman, about what type of compensation to expect when you are bumped from a flight due to airline overbooking. Keep in mind this refers to being involuntarily bumped from a flight, as opposed to voluntarily offering to take another routing.

His suggestions for overbooking compensation are spot-on, so I won't rehash them here, but I thought it might be interesting to talk about why airlines oversell flights in the first place.

The post Why Do Airlines Overbook Flights? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/15/airlines-overbook-flights/

Travelers possibly exposed to measles at Seattle airport

Travelers who passed through the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport earlier this month may have been exposed to the highly contagious measles virus, local health officials say.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/15/health/measles-seattle-airport/index.html

Road Trip Bliss: Portugal’s Southern Coast

Early seafarers inspire an epic adventure along Portugal’s endless coastal playground.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/09/15/road-trip-bliss-portugals-southern-coast/

JetBlue TrueBlue Lowers Award Minimum To 3,500 Points

JetBlue has a revenue based frequent flyer program, which is quite different than the chart based programs I'm most fond of.

Redeeming TrueBlue points is pretty straightforward. Each point gets you ~1.4 cents towards the cost of a ticket. The exact "cent per point" value varies a bit, but it is generally in that range. Interestingly the value is actually better when redeeming for their Mint Class, as each point gets you ~1.7 cents towards the cost of a ticket.

Anyway, for a long time the caveat has been that you had to redeem a minimum of 5,000 points per redemption. At a value of 1.4 cents per point, that means you could redeem a TrueBlue point for a minim of a $70 ticket. Or more accurately, you could redeem points for a cheaper ticket, though it would still cost you 5,000 points.

The post JetBlue TrueBlue Lowers Award Minimum To 3,500 Points appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/15/jetblue-trueblue-lowers-award-minimum-3500-points/