Review: Air Europa Club Business 737 Amsterdam to Madrid

Our flight to Madrid from Amsterdam was delayed by nearly two hours due to industrial strikes in France, which seem to be about as reliable a source of delay in Europe as snow is to O'Hare or fog is to SFO.

At the end of the jetway just before the boarding door was a selection of newspapers and magazines, so I grabbed an International New York Times and headed into the business class cabin, which, as you undoubtedly know by now from Ben's numerous intra-Europe trip reports, is really just a row of three standard economy seats with a blocked middle seat. In this case, the blocked middle seat served as an armrest and drink holder, and the seats themselves were leather, and perfectly comfortable.

The post Review: Air Europa Club Business 737 Amsterdam to Madrid appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/04/17/review-air-europa-club-business-737-amsterdam-to-madrid/

The last male northern white Rhino

All for a horn that has no medicinal qualities whatsoever; studies in Switzerland, the UK, and China have all confirmed it.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/last-male-white-rhino-left-earth/

How to Find Award Space for Family Travel

It’s not always easy saving up points for a whole family to travel together, let alone finding award availability. I’ve been doing this for about four years now and can attest to its difficulty. When I redeemed my first award, it was for four people traveling to the Middle East and then Europe during high […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2015/04/how-to-find-award-space-for-family-travel.html

Drone footage of Oahu's North Shore

Ready for summer? Check out this ultra HD drone footage of the whales, surfers, and sunbathers of Oahu's North Shore to get excited for it.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/drone-footage-oahus-north-shore-will-get-stoked-summer/

OnTravel Interview in San Clemente, California

Last week I was in San Diego when I drove up to San Clemente with my friend Shannon O’Donnell to meet with Paul Lasley and Elizabeth Harryman. We met for dinner at South of Nick’s, a local Mexican restaurant and then did an impromptu interview outside the restaurant on the street. Podcast: Play in new [...]



from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog http://everything-everywhere.com/2015/04/17/ontravel-interview-in-san-clemente-california/

Double-crossed by Delta – but what to do about it?

from Elliott http://elliott.org/from-the-trenches/double-crossed-by-delta-but-what-to-do/

In Transit: A ‘Star Wars’-Themed Plane Will Take to the Skies this Fall

All Nippon Airways announced it will launch an R2-D2-themed Boeing 787 this fall as a promotion for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the latest in the famous franchise.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/457fdf7d/sc/27/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A150C0A40C180Ctravel0Ca0Estar0Ewars0Ethemed0Eall0Enippon0Eairways0Eplane0Ewill0Etake0Eto0Ethe0Eskies0Ethis0Efall0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Easy Ways to Pay It Forward With Points and Miles

This past week, I had the ability to help out a friend get home to visit a sick family member. My friend is going to China to see his father and has 18 hours of flying each way ahead of him. I used a pair of American Airlines systemwide upgrade certificates so he could travel […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2015/04/easy-ways-to-pay-it-forward-with-points-and-miles.html

Going abroad for the American Dream

"My American Dream is certainly not typical. But watching the sun set behind the gentle peaks of the Bukk Mountains yesterday, I envisioned our little piece of paradise."



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/left-us-seek-american-dream-hungary/

American AAdvantage Posting 10% Award Redemption Rebates Split Between Citbank and Barclays

American has credit cards now issued by both Citibank and Barclays, and both come with 10% rebates on award redemptions. What happens when you redeem an award -- and you have both cards? Here's what happened to me yesterday.

Continue reading American AAdvantage Posting 10% Award Redemption Rebates Split Between Citbank and Barclays...

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/04/17/american-aadvantage-posting-10-award-redemption-rebates-split-between-citbank-and-barclays/

Could Starwood Merge With IHG Or Wyndham?

In mid-February Starwood's CEO, Frits van Paasschen, suddenly resigned. This was a bit of a surprising move, given that Starwood didn't have a permanent CEO replacement ready to go.

This was probably related to the fact that Starwood's stock hasn't been performing as well as some investors had hoped. This seems to be linked to Starwood growing at a fairly slow rate, in particular in the limited service hotel sector.

There's no arguing that Starwood is way behind when it comes to limited service hotels, especially when you look at the offerings of Hilton and Marriott. As a customer that's something I'm fine with, ultimately, since limited service properties aren't really something I'm after. But of course shareholders are going to have a different take, since it's also a sector where there's a lot of growth potential.

The post Could Starwood Merge With IHG Or Wyndham? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/04/17/could-starwood-merge-with-ihg-or-wyndham/

You're a local in Oneonta when...

You avoid that hill on Cherry Street at all costs:



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/12-ways-know-youre-local-oneonta-ny/

United Clubs Leaving Priority Pass As Of May 15, 2015

Priority Pass is the most extensive independent lounge membership program in the world, and has over 700 partner lounges. Rather than buying access to lounges individually (either in the form of a day pass or a yearly membership for a specific club), you can buy a whole year of access to all their partner lounges for a set amount.

Of the "three" remaining legacy US airlines, United is the only one which still participates in Priority Pass. Unfortunately we've just found out that United Clubs will be leaving the Priority Pass network as of May 15, 2015.

So as of May 15, 2015, a Priority Pass membership will no longer get you into United Clubs. This includes all 49 United Clubs in 34 airports.

The post United Clubs Leaving Priority Pass As Of May 15, 2015 appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/04/17/united-clubs-leaving-priority-pass-as-of-may-15-2015/

How to humiliate yourself in Spain

Gym clothes outside of the gym? In Spain?! Oh no you didn't!



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/10-ways-totally-humiliate-spain/

10 of America's classic record stores

Like phone booths and typewriters, record stores are a vanishing breed -- another victim of the digital age. But many of the remaining record stores are succeeding -- even thriving -- by catering to a passionate core of customers and collectors.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/17/travel/classic-record-stores-feat/index.html