Which Airlines Are the Worst to Deal With By Phone?

When American Express runs a transfer bonus for moving points to Aeromexico, and folks start paying attention to their award charts (which can be generous even without the bonus) I shrug. The last thing I want is Aeromexico points, since that means I’m going to have to deal with the fine folks at Aeromexico Club […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/02/15/airlines-worst-deal-phone/

Which American Flights Will Be Operated By The 787?

American has finally taken delivery of their first 787, which will begin commercial service in the coming months.

On Wednesday I posted about how American announced the first 787 routes, which included the following:

-- Domestic flights between Dallas and Chicago starting May 7, 2015

-- International flights between Dallas and Beijing starting June 2, 2015

-- Flights between Dallas and Buenos Aires starting June 4, 2015

The post Which American Flights Will Be Operated By The 787? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/02/15/american-flights-will-operated-787/

How To Create Lufthansa First Class Award Availability Alerts

One of the subscription services I use to make my travel life easier is ExpertFlyer, which costs ~$100 per year.

I use it to look at fare class availability, seatmaps, published fares, minimum connection times, maximum permitted mileage between city pairs, etc.

One of the other cool features is that you can set availability alerts, whereby ExpertFlyer emails and texts you when availability opens up in the fare class you're requesting.

Unfortunately you can only set award availability alerts for a limited number of airlines, so it's not possible for airlines like Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, etc.

The post How To Create Lufthansa First Class Award Availability Alerts appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/02/15/create-lufthansa-first-class-award-availability-alerts/

What Are The Biggest Questions in Travel? Your Sunday Open Thread.

This is a Sunday Open Thread The comments are yours to do with as you wish. Share whatever is on your mind. How are you feeling about your miles and points balances? What (anything) are you wondering, or what would you like to know? I often write posts answering questions from these threads. What’s bothering […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/02/15/biggest-questions-travel-sunday-open-thread/

I Fell In Love At A Bar In Hong Kong On Valentine’s Day

Last night I landed in Hong Kong at around 9:15PM (you've gotta love a 90 minute delay due to strong headwinds), and met a few friends for drinks.

We ended up at a bar, and I'll be the first to admit I was tired and a bit buzzed, and really just wanted to sleep.

But then something walked in that caught my eye. A poodle. Perhaps the most sophisticated poodle I've ever seen.

He sat across from us on a chair, and his "godmother" (at least that's how she explained their relationship) bought him a plate of shrimp, which she proceeded to feed him with a fork! She explained that it was his "midnight snack," and that he only eats human food.

The post I Fell In Love At A Bar In Hong Kong On Valentine’s Day appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/02/15/fell-love-bar-hong-kong-valentines-day/

Scorpions on a Plane and How to Get an Expedia Make-Good

News and notes from around the interweb: It looks like people are calling and getting $200 coupons from Expedia as compensation for Expedia fabricating terms and conditions as an excuse for cancelling last week’s really great hotel deal. The fake United CEO Jeff Smisek tweets about the pending launch of the airline’s new website: Woman […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/02/15/scorpions-plane-get-expedia-make-good/

“Scholarships for Real Life” WDS Foundation Is Now an Official Non-Profit

In 2013 we announced that all profits from WDS will go toward our new foundation, featuring Scholarships for Real Life. In 2014 we announced the first grantees and $60,000 of initial awards to three individuals working on sensitive, important issues: a “kids-first” ADHD movement, LGBT empowerment, and life-skills training for youth. The process of gaining…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/scholarships-for-real-life-legit/

Conclusion To W Hotel Barcelona Theft

While it has been an exciting couple of weeks of travel for me, there's no doubt the greatest excitement came earlier in the week, when my mom and I stayed at the W Barcelona. My mom had her purse stolen at the hotel with some really creepy circumstances.

As I mentioned on Wednesday, Starwood Corporate got involved in the investigation, after I got nowhere with the hotel directly. I spoke to someone in Starwood's Consumer Affairs department again on Friday for a follow up call, so figured I'd share the results of that.

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from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/02/15/conclusion-to-w-hotel-barcelona-theft/

Etihad’s Brand New Boeing 787 First Class Cabin Report

Lost in the hoopla over the new 3-room Etihad Residence onboard their new Airbus A380 (I covered the first trip report back in December) is that Etihad has also added the Boeing 787 to its fleet, with a new first class. What’s more, unlike the Residence you can use partner airline miles to redeem for […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/02/15/etihads-brand-new-boeing-787-first-class-cabin-report/

It’s not too late – Deals still alive as of 2/15/2015

Each week we publish a number of fantastic deals on the blog and in Quick Deals. Most deals don’t last long, but some hang around for awhile.

In an effort to keep you up to date, we have gone back through each of the deals posted over the last couple of months to let you know which ones are still active.

Here are the deals still alive as of February 15, 2015.

The post It’s not too late – Deals still alive as of 2/15/2015 appeared first on The Frequent Miler.

from The Frequent Miler http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.com/2015/02/15/deals-still-alive-5/

Beware the Power of Bad Advice: A Lesson in Life and Plumbing

Holly Finch founded the LightBox Collaborative, a San Francisco-based consultancy for non-profits. Lightbox has eight “collaborators” but no employees. When I asked Holly what she should advise someone hoping to follow her path, she said: “Do it your way—but check the math.” She explained that this means you should always apply someone else’s lessons in…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/beware-the-power-of-bad-advice/

Free Hotel Day Rooms Announced!

Last week a new app and website launched to let you easily find, compare, and book hotel day use rooms. Hotels By Day solves the real problem of how difficult it is to find and reserve these. They sponsored a giveaway of 5 day rooms, three drawn at random from comments on the blog and […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/02/15/free-hotel-day-rooms-announced/

London's Ghost Tube [pics]

London's other underground -- the one you don't get to see:



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/ghost-tube-eerie-photos-londons-abandoned-underground/

You Chance to Vote for the Best Frequent Flyer Program…

Voting in the Freddie Awards is now open! Since 1988 these awards have recognized the best in loyalty. The Freddie Awards are the most coveted award for airline, hotel, and credit card loyalty programs because they’re voted on by the members who earn and redeem their currency and interact with the program all year long. […]

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from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/02/15/chance-vote-best-frequent-flyer-program/

Reader Success Story: Tenth Anniversary? Treat Yourself!

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/2015/02/reader-success-story-tenth-anniversary-treat-yourself.html