The End of Lifetime Star Alliance Gold Disaster is Confirmed, Here’s What to Expect from a New Program

A couple of days ago I shared that it appeared Aegean Airlines Gold status would no longer be for life. The full details are out, and I — and many others — are about to get one last year of Star Alliance Gold status. This is a big deal because it was the easiest Star […]

The post The End of Lifetime Star Alliance Gold Disaster is Confirmed, Here’s What to Expect from a New Program appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/24/lifetime-star-alliance-gold-disaster-confirmed/

Beachgoers Under an Umbrella in Anguilla

from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog http://everything-everywhere.com/2014/09/24/beachgoers-umbrella-anguilla/

Which 2% Card Is Right For You

Excellent credit will all but guarantee you’re getting at least 2% back on all of your credit card purchases. At least 2% because if you’re creative, you can work yourself up to 5% (in some cases it’ll limit you to a net of about 3.8% after fees), but I’m willing to put more into this […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/09/which-2-card-is-right-for-you.html

Aegean Lifetime Star Alliance Gold Ending

You've gotta love airline alliances and the arbitrage opportunities that exist thanks to their unique programs. For example, I was a top tier elite member with British Midland (bmi) for five years before I actually flew with them. I was actually sort of convinced they weren't a real airline for a long time. And I'd speculate that a majority of bmi's top tier elite members had never actually flown with them.

Since joining the Star Alliance in 2012, one of the greatest Star Alliance frequent flyer programs has been Aegean, the Greek airline with a fleet of 30 narrowbody aircraft.

For one, Aegean had extremely reasonable requirements to achieve Star Alliance Gold status to begin with. You needed just 20,000 elite qualifying miles to achieve top tier status with them, and they'd give you 1,000 elite qualifying miles just for signing up. So in reality you needed just 19,000 miles to qualify.

The post Aegean Lifetime Star Alliance Gold Ending appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/24/aegean-lifetime-star-alliance-gold-ending/

Emirates A380 First Class Award Space Wide Open This Winter – Act Fast!

The easiest way to search for award space is with the Alaska Airlines website, since Alaska is a partner of Emirates and allows searching their space online. They also show an award calendar. Historically they have only shown a subset of the space that Emirates makes available. Expertflyer shows space, at least as offered to […]

The post Emirates A380 First Class Award Space Wide Open This Winter – Act Fast! appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/24/emirates-a380-first-class-award-space-wide-open-winter-act-fast/

6 characters you'll meet in New York

Even though you’re sure he'd vehemently deny all association with you, as far as you’re concerned, he’s your friend.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/6-characters-youll-meet-new-york-city/

Virgin Australia New Business Class Unveiled

Today Virgin Australia revealed their brand new business class product, which they'll offer through their Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 fleet by early 2016.

It looks like their new product will consist of reverse herringbone seats, which are my favorite type of business class hard product. Here's how they describe the new business class suites:

"The revolutionary Business Class suites, which convert into 80 inch lie-flat beds, represent a major enhancement to the travel experience on board Virgin Australia’s Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 aircraft and the first major product innovation to be announced under the airline’s new three-year strategy, Virgin Vision 2017."

The post Virgin Australia New Business Class Unveiled appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/24/virgin-australia-new-business-class-unveiled/

Pursuits: Sips From a Cider Spree in New York State

Hitting orchards, shops and restaurants on a decadent tasting tour.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3ecbb50b/sc/10/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C0A90C280Ctravel0Csips0Efrom0Ea0Ecider0Espree0Ein0Enew0Eyork0Estate0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Convert Miles Between Singapore And Virgin Australia Soon

Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia announced an innovative new option today, whereby it will be possible to convert miles between the two programs.

There are lots of airline partnerships out there, and typically when airlines are partners, it means you can redeem one airline's mileage currency on the other airline. However, it's typically not possible to convert or combine miles from different mileage currencies towards a single award.

In walk Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer.

The post Convert Miles Between Singapore And Virgin Australia Soon appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/24/convert-miles-between-singapore-and-virgin-australia-soon/

In Transit Blog: Sky-High Rolling in Las Vegas

The High Roller in Las Vegas gives visitors an opportunity to celebrate above it all.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3ecb522e/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C0A90C240Csky0Ehigh0Erolling0Ein0Elas0Evegas0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Why Delta’s 2015 SkyMiles Changes Aren’t Bad For Everyone

My friend Rene at Delta Points is a bit of a Delta fanboy. It's kind of amusing at times. Naturally I checked my calendar to make sure it wasn't April 1 when I saw his headline yesterday -- "99 Days till #DOS – Why #Skymiles2015 will be horrid for EVERYONE! (even Delta)"

He takes January 1, 2015 seriously... he even has a countdown clock! While I'll likely spend New Year's Eve watching the ball drop on TV, Rene will be in a bathtub eating ice cream (which, on second thought, sounds more fun than watching the ball drop on TV).

Anyway, Rene's post is actually quite interesting, so I'd give it a read.

In part it's interesting because I largely disagree. Rene says the 2015 SkyMiles changes are bad for EVERYONE... even Delta! I disagree, because I don't think the changes are bad for Delta, and I don't think they're bad for me (though I certainly think they're bad for most Delta frequent flyers).

The post Why Delta’s 2015 SkyMiles Changes Aren’t Bad For Everyone appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/24/deltas-2015-skymiles-changes-arent-bad-everyone/

How Did You Get Hooked on Points and Miles?

When I explain this hobby to most people, they usually reply with, “This sounds like a scam” or “If this is legit, why isn’t everyone doing it?” or “Won’t this destroy my credit?” It’s precisely because of questions like this that some people never get into the points and miles hobby. Either they go unanswered […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/09/how-did-you-get-hooked-on-points-and-miles.html

13 things people ask Californians

“Have you ever seen snow?” (Often followed up by: “Do you know what seasons are?”)



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/13-things-people-always-ask-native-californians/

36 Hours in Florence, Italy

See the skyline without battling crowds, sample pastries from a secret gem, sip artisanal beers and soak up culture during a weekend in the Tuscan capital.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3ecaa727/sc/10/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C0A90C280Ctravel0Cthings0Eto0Edo0Ein0E360Ehours0Ein0Eflorence0Eitaly0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

@NatGeoTravel: Virtual Photo Workshop

Travel photography is, on the surface, a very simple endeavor. Go to a faraway place, stand in front of something you can't see at home, and take a picture. What's so hard about that? Well, that may well be the recipe for generations of boring family albums. Find out how to up your photography game when you're exploring the world by joining @NatGeoTravel's Dan Westergren for a live photo workshop at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 2.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/09/24/natgeotravel-virtual-photo-workshop/