How to Use 50,000 (or more!) Avios without Paying a Fortune in Fuel Surcharges

Short version: earn Avios from British Airways, but don’t use them to fly with British Airways. More below. *** In a post from a few days ago, I mentioned that the British Airways Signature Card now offers a 50,000 Avios signup bonus with no annual fee in the first year. This is a special promotion…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/use-avios-without-paying-fuel-surcharges/

One of the World Deals in Travel, and You’ll Never Believe Who’s Buying It (Maybe Even You)

When you buy tickets from an airline, or check-in online or at a kiosk, you may be asked whether you’d like to buy additional frequent flyer miles … usually some multiple of the number of miles you’ll be flying. This may go under the moniker, mileage maximizer. Since the offer is based on what you’re […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/11/09/one-world-deals-travel-youll-never-believe-whos-buying-maybe-even/

AAdvantage Status Buy Up Offer Returning This Year?

With just under two months left in the year, it's a good time to start looking at your elite qualifying activity and finalize your status goals for the year. Are you at 40 elite qualifying nights with Hyatt or Starwood? It might be a good time to decide whether you want to go for Diamond or Platinum status, respectively.

Are you at 80,000 elite qualifying miles for the year with American, United, or US Airways? It might be worth thinking about whether you'll achieve top tier status with your current travel plans or not. If you won't, it might be worth considering whether or not a couple of mileage runs would make sense for you.

While it's not something we usually see from hotels, it's pretty normal for airlines to offer an opportunity to "buy up" to status at the end of the year. It's rarely cheap and almost always comes with a lot of fine print, but if you're desperate enough it is worth considering.

The post AAdvantage Status Buy Up Offer Returning This Year? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/11/09/aadvantage-status-buy-offer-returning-year/

How to: travel to Socotra Island

David Page brings you expert accounts of traveling to what might be one of the strangest, least-known specks of land on Earth.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/trips/how-to-travel-to-socotra-island-yemen/

New Singapore KrisFlyer Lounge Open In Hong Kong

Early last year I reviewed the Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge in Hong Kong. Keep in mind that Hong Kong is one of Singapore Airlines' biggest outstations, between their frequent flights to Hong Kong, and their service to San Francisco.

This lounge left me rather disappointed:

-- It's a massive lounge, but doesn't have any shower facilities

-- There was no dedicated first class section, which seemed a bit odd given just how big the lounge was

-- The food selection was fine for a business class lounge, I suppose, though wasn't what you'd expect as a first class passenger

-- The lounge felt like a cave, since it had no windows

The post New Singapore KrisFlyer Lounge Open In Hong Kong appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/11/09/new-singapore-krisflyer-lounge-open-hong-kong/

Airline Change Fees Blamed for Spread of Ebola

Christopher Elliott suggests that airline change fee policies could contribute to an Ebola outbreak. No, really. The idea is that a passenger with Ebola might choose to fly because they can’t cancel without penalty. They’ll risk infecting others over their $200 airline change fee. He suggests the government needs to do something. nless Ebola is […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/11/09/airline-change-fees-blamed-spread-ebola/

WDS 2014 Speaker: Dee Williams on Being a Super Hero

On Tuesday, we’ll release the first round of tickets for WDS 2015, a global gathering like no other! But first, we’re rolling out a different speaker video every day. Dee Williams, owner of Portland Alternative Dwellings and builder of big tiny houses, spoke to us about showing up in our lives differently and paying attention.…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/dee-williams-on-being-a-super-hero/

The Namib Desert Reclaiming a Building at the Kolmanskop Ghost Town, Namibia

from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog http://everything-everywhere.com/2014/11/08/namib-desert-reclaiming-building-kolmanskop-ghost-town-namibia/

Could shortsighted airline refund policies lead to an outbreak?

from Elliott http://elliott.org/the-navigator/shortsighted-airline-refund-policies-lead-outbreak/

Scarlett on the Path

Glenorchy Cafe If you do ever head out to Glenorchy, be sure to eat at the rather generically named “Glenorchy Cafe” — it’s super tasty! We go there every time… and there is some very evil desserts there too that are not to be missed! Daily Photo – Scarlett on the Path Here's Scarlett posing […]



from Stuck in Customs http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2014/11/09/scarlett-on-the-path/

Discover the news that shapes this site – here’s how

from Elliott http://elliott.org/blog/discover-news-shapes-blog-heres/

Travel Tip of the Week: Avoid Amateur Day at All Costs

Baseball Hall of Famer Wee Willie Keeler is possibly best known for his advice to batters, “hit ‘em where they ain’t.” If he wasn’t one of the best hitters of all time, and likely the creator of the hit and run — and of course if he had been active a hundred years later — […]

The post Travel Tip of the Week: Avoid Amateur Day at All Costs appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/11/08/travel-tip-week-avoid-amateur-day-costs/

Weekly Review: November 8, 2014

Good afternoon from sunny Tampa!

After a quick trip to Frankfurt I am visiting my parents in Florida, where the weather is significantly better. ;)

Next week I leave on my dad's big birthday trip, so there will be lots of fun updates from the road.

I apologize for the lack of trip report updates this week, as it has been an absolutely crazy week. Sub-48 hour trips to Germany generally don't help in the "gotta catch up on writing" department.

That being said, I promise to get the "A380 Addiction" trip report done before I embark on the big trip!

The post Weekly Review: November 8, 2014 appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/11/08/weekly-review-november-8-2014/

You Can Get a First Class Upgrade Almost Every Time, Even If You Don’t Have Top Elite Status

Earlier this week I requalified for American’s 100,000 mile flyer status, Executive Platinum. As a top tier elite I usually get my first class upgrade, even on tough routes and flights. Although even as an Executive Platinum I know that there are still tough upgrades out there. For instance, I’ve been number 14 on the […]

The post You Can Get a First Class Upgrade Almost Every Time, Even If You Don’t Have Top Elite Status appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/11/08/can-fly-front-almost-every-time-first-class-upgrade/

On Berlin Wall Anniversary, Somber Notes Amid Revelry

Most Germans are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the wall’s opening, but for relatives of those killed trying to cross the barrier it is a time of sadness.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/404a14c6/sc/8/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C110C0A90Cworld0Con0Eberlin0Ewall0Eanniversary0Esomber0Enotes0Eamid0Erevelry0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm