Revival of ‘Ghost Airport’ Stirs Hope in Spain

Ryanair will begin flights in September to Castellón four years after construction of what came to symbolize the country’s excessive spending.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/446b196b/sc/8/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A150C0A30C160Cbusiness0Cinternational0Crevival0Eof0Eghost0Eairport0Estirs0Ehope0Ein0Espain0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

What Does An “Experience Specialist” At An Airport Hotel Do?

I really do appreciate that hotels are doing more than ever to invest in the guest experience.

As far as the major hotel chains go, Starwood is really make an effort to customize the stay experience for elite members, at least on a corporate level (the challenge is that it's always up to the individual hotel to execute, and that can be challenging at times).

Sometimes corporate's vision is well executed, and sometimes it's not.

For example, if I arrive at a hotel and there's a welcome amenity waiting for me, that delights me (of course that's assuming I didn't select it as my "welcome gift," if applicable). Who doesn't like some drinks and snacks waiting for them when they arrive at their room? That's genuinely a "surprise and delight" move, and a great way to make a guest's stay memorable.

The post What Does An “Experience Specialist” At An Airport Hotel Do? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/03/15/what-does-an-experience-specialist-at-an-airport-hotel-do/

United’s New Look at LAX Revealed and Richard Branson Boycotts the Maldives (Where He Didn’t Go Anyway)

News and notes from around the interweb: Sketches of the new United terminal and club at LAX An angry badger put the Radisson Blu Stockholm on lockdown (HT: Alan H.) Amex has a website showing how much points are worth for a variety of their redemption options. The points are still worth the most transferring […]

The post United’s New Look at LAX Revealed and Richard Branson Boycotts the Maldives (Where He Didn’t Go Anyway) appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/03/15/uniteds-new-look-at-lax-revealed-and-richard-branson-boycotts-the-maldives-where-he-didnt-go-anyway/

Orbitz will now refund the money you spent when it canceled your hotel reservation in Jamaica

from Elliott http://elliott.org/from-the-trenches/orbitz-will-now-refund-the-money-you-spent-when-it-canceled-your-hotel-reservation-in-jamaica/

Is The BA Visa Still Worth Acquiring?

Reader Paul emailed me the following question (among other things):

"In light of the upcoming Executive Club devaluation, should I still apply for the British Airways Visa Signature® Card?"

For anyone not familiar with the British Airways Visa Signature® Card, it offers 50,000 Avios after spending $2,000 within three months. While the annual fee is $95, it's waived for the first year.

Interestingly the application specifically states that the bonus offer is available to you as long as you have not received a new cardmember bonus for this product in the past 24 months. I had the card a few years back, so it seems I'd actually be able to re-apply and get the bonus.

The post Is The BA Visa Still Worth Acquiring? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/03/15/is-the-ba-visa-still-worth-acquiring/

How to Earn 5x on Restaurant Spending for 3 Months

I receive compensation for many links on this blog. You don’t have to use these links, but I am grateful to you if you do. American Express, Citibank, Chase, and other banks are advertising partners of this site. I do not write about all credit cards that are available — instead focusing on miles, points, […]

The post How to Earn 5x on Restaurant Spending for 3 Months appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/03/15/how-to-earn-5x-on-restaurant-spending-for-3-months/

25% Discount On Etihad Guest Award Redemptions

While the Etihad Guest frequent flyer program isn't the most rewarding out there in terms of elite benefits, they deserve credit for having really reasonable redemption rates.

In most cases their redemption rates are roughly comparable to what American AAdvantage charges, which are among the best in the industry. Beyond that, Etihad Guest don't impose fuel surcharges on most award tickets.

Etihad Guest is offering a 25% discount on award tickets at the moment:

The post 25% Discount On Etihad Guest Award Redemptions appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/03/15/25-discount-on-etihad-guest-award-redemptions/

20 eco cities around the world

Did your city make the list?



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/pulse/11-cities-helping-reduce-climate-change/

How to Get American Airlines Lounge Membership for Just $100/Year

Back in December I wrote how to get American Admirals Club access free for one year. That strategy still works. Here’s how to get American club access for a net cost of $100, plus get a whole lot of additional benefits as well. (Admirals Club membership normally costs $400 – $500.) Here’s American’s new airport […]

The post How to Get American Airlines Lounge Membership for Just $100/Year appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/03/15/how-to-get-american-airlines-lounge-membership-for-just-100year/

In Transit Blog: JetBlue Mint to Travel to Caribbean in High-Flying Style

JetBlue‘s special Mint service will be available between J.F.K. and Aruba and Barbados, starting in November.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/446991f5/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A150C0A30C150Cjetblue0Emint0Eto0Etravel0Eto0Ecaribbean0Ein0Ehigh0Eflying0Estyle0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Register To Earn 5x Points At Restaurants And More

One of the most valuable no annual fee credit cards is the Chase Freedom®, thanks to the fact that it offers 5% cash back in select rotating quarterly categories.

The quarterly 5% cash back bonus categories for 2015 look as follows:

-- January through March: grocery stores, movie theaters, and Starbucks

-- April through June: restaurants, Bed Bath & Beyond, H&M, and overstock.com

-- July through September: gas stations and more

-- October through December: Amazon and more

The post Register To Earn 5x Points At Restaurants And More appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/03/15/register-to-earn-5x-points-at-restaurants-and-more/

How Starwood Determines How Many Points You’ll Pay for Your Award

LIH Prem asks about how a hotel’s room rate affects the number of points you have to pay to redeem for it in the Starwood Preferred Guest system. Understand that each hotel program is different, and Marriott for instance reimburses hotels an amount that depends on the number of room nights redeemed at the property […]

The post How Starwood Determines How Many Points You’ll Pay for Your Award appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/03/15/how-starwood-determines-how-many-points-youll-pay-for-your-award/

Kenya's version of The Office [vid]

"The Samaritans is hilarious and off-color but more importantly, it pushes dialogue on what is and isn't working in international aid."



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/tv/kenyas-version-office-rips-ngos-hilarious/

Which Purchases Count as Travel on Chase Sapphire Preferred?

TPG reader Nik tweeted me to ask: @thepointsguy—”I’m taking my Chase Sapphire Preferred card to Japan in April. Does the whole trip count as travel for double points since it’s overseas?” Nik, heading to Japan in April will be a great trip. I was just there recently and had a wonderful time, and so will...



from The Points Guy http://thepointsguy.com/2015/03/which-purchases-count-as-travel-on-chase-sapphire-preferred/

Review: Etihad Airways First Class 777-300ER London To Abu Dhabi

I boarded through door 2L, and was escorted by one of the business class crew to my seat, 1K.

This flight was operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, which features eight first class suites, spread across two rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. While the product has been around for years, it's still gorgeous and among the better seats out there, in my opinion. I especially love the understated finishes, unlike the cabins of one of their UAE rivals. ;)

I had selected seat 1K, which is the first window seat on the right side.

Etihad's first class seats are lovely -- they're spacious and fully enclosed, and comfortable for sitting, lounging, and sleeping. Ideally they'd be a bit wider for sleeping, but all things considered it's a great seat.

The post Review: Etihad Airways First Class 777-300ER London To Abu Dhabi appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/03/15/review-etihad-airways-first-class-777-300er-london-to-abu-dhabi/