Refurbished American 777-200 Now Flying

American is in the process of refreshing their longhaul fleet. That started with the introduction of their 777-300ERs, which feature a new first and business class product. That was followed by them introducing a new business class product on their 767-300s, which were badly in need of a refresh.

And now they're finally refreshing their 777-200s:

-- In April American revealed the new business class seats they'd have on their 777-200s

-- In June American confirmed the first destination for the refreshed 777-200s would be Santiago

-- In September we saw the first real pictures of the new 777-200 business class product, given that the first aircraft had been reconfigured

The post Refurbished American 777-200 Now Flying appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/05/refurbished-american-777-200-now-flying/

Loyalty Programs Should Be Loyal

I recently saw Delta Points sharing a Delta Skymiles ad, which I’ve seen around over the past couple of years and have a copy of. It’s especially ironic. They lay down a belief about what a frequent flyer should do. The ad came out around 2012, if memory serves. I’m not sure how well they […]

The post Loyalty Programs Should Be Loyal appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/05/loyalty-programs-loyal-program-changes-mind/

Plane Spotting on Maho Beach, St. Martin

from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog http://everything-everywhere.com/2014/10/04/plane-spotting-maho-beach-st-martin/

Asiana A380 First Class Los Angeles To Seoul

Hello from Seoul! As I mentioned on Friday, I just flew from Los Angeles to Seoul Incheon on the Asiana A380. It’s the last A380 presently in commercial service that I’ve yet to fly, so I was excited to check it out (I've already reviewed the A380 first class products offered by Air France, British Airways, China Southern, Emirates, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways).

I should start by saying that I’ve long been a huge fan of Asiana. I’ve flown them in first class on their 777 and 747, and while their hard product has always been lacking, the soft product was among the best in the sky, on par with ANA, Cathay Pacific, Singapore, etc.

On the A380 the first class cabin consists of a total of 12 seats, spread across three rows in a 1-2-1 configuration.

The post Asiana A380 First Class Los Angeles To Seoul appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/05/asiana-a380-first-class-los-angeles-seoul/

Sapphire Preferred or Arrival Plus for General Spending?

TPG reader Kenny emailed me to ask: “I have both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Barclaycard Arrival Plus. I’ve already met the minimum spending requirements to get the bonuses. For all of my travel and dining, I use Sapphire Preferred on top of the Chase Freedom bonus categories. For all my other spending, where […]



from The Points Guy http://thepointsguy.com/2014/10/sapphire-preferred-or-arrival-plus-for-general-spending/

Can I Separate a Two-Night Hotel Stay to Earn Elite Credit?

TPG reader Junaid asked me on Facebook: “I recently signed up for the Marriott Rewards Premier credit card, and was curious about an upcoming two-night hotel stay. Can I book each of the two nights separately and get credit for two different stays with Marriott in order to earn elite status? Basically I’d reserve one […]



from The Points Guy http://thepointsguy.com/2014/10/can-i-separate-a-two-night-hotel-stay-to-earn-elite-credit/

How to Be a Travel Hero: How to Handle Yourself When Flight Schedules Melt Down

After several tough travel weeks for the nation’s air transport system, Joe Brancatelli runs a column on tactics for dealing with air travel meltdowns. He suggests: Assume the worst will happen Don’t check your bags Avoid regional airlines Have access to airport lounges Get yourself an airport hotel He’s got more suggestions, so read the […]

The post How to Be a Travel Hero: How to Handle Yourself When Flight Schedules Melt Down appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/05/travel-hero-handle-flight-schedules-melt/

Bonus On Purchased Avios — Should You Buy?

Through October 31, 2014, British Airways is offering up to a 20% bonus on the purchase of Executive Club Avios. They're offering a 20% bonus when you purchase at least 2,000 Avios. You can purchase at most 27,000 Avios through this promotion, which is the annual limit per account per calendar year.

If you max out the promotion you can purchase a total of 32,400 Avios for $768, which is a total of ~2.37 cents per Avios.

That’s definitely not a rate at which I’d speculatively stock up on Avios, though the thing about Avios is that with certain redemption patterns they can be among the most valuable points currencies out there. I've explained how useful Avios can be for shorthaul awards, given that they start at just 4,500 Avios one-way for flights of under 650 miles.

The post Bonus On Purchased Avios — Should You Buy? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/10/05/bonus-purchased-avios-buy/

Reader Success Story: A Babymoon in Portland for $89.10

Over the years, we’ve had many readers share their success stories with us. Folks for whom traveling domestically once a year was a luxury are now traveling the world with just a few credit card sign-up bonuses. And the best part? They are sharing their stories with us and others who benefit from knowing that […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/10/reader-success-story-a-babymoon-in-portland-for-89-10.html

Walking Around Beijing

Snapshots In writing the essence of this photo, I started thinking about the word “snapshot” — it got me to thinking… what do you think about it? Sorry for the esoteric questions, btw! Daily Photo – Walking Around Beijing In some ways, this photo is quite banal. In fact, I'll be honest, in Most ways. […]



from Stuck in Customs http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2014/10/05/walking-around-beijing/

Four years later, did Google kill flight search?

from Elliott http://elliott.org/the-navigator/four-years-later-google-kill-flight-search/

The Very Best Travel Tricks and Tips

Here are the best travel tricks and tips, the highlights of View from the Wing posts from September. Last month I summarized the very best travel posts from August. And in July the most useful and interesting developments from June. I also wrote a post with the most useful advice I’ve given, overall. It turns […]

The post The Very Best Travel Tricks and Tips appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/04/travel-tricks-tips-save-fly-free/

Once a Draw, Restive Region in China Suffers After Unrest

After reports of rioting, terrorism and deadly police shootings, tourism has plummeted in Xinjiang, long considered one of China’s most exotic destinations.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3f206222/sc/39/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C10A0C0A50Cworld0Casia0Conce0Ea0Edraw0Erestive0Eregion0Ein0Echina0Esuffers0Eafter0Eunrest0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

In Transit Blog: In Iceland, Roaring Geysers and Roasting Beans

With its tourism up in Reykjavik, there are more tourists — and in its coffee shops — than ever.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3f206221/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C10A0C0A40Cin0Eiceland0Eroaring0Egeysers0Eand0Eroasting0Ebeans0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Signs you're from Western Australia

The Yanks have Puerto Rico, the Euros Mallorca, but you’ll always have Bali.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/9-signs-born-raised-western-australia/