JetBlue TrueBlue Lowers Award Minimum To 3,500 Points

JetBlue has a revenue based frequent flyer program, which is quite different than the chart based programs I'm most fond of.

Redeeming TrueBlue points is pretty straightforward. Each point gets you ~1.4 cents towards the cost of a ticket. The exact "cent per point" value varies a bit, but it is generally in that range. Interestingly the value is actually better when redeeming for their Mint Class, as each point gets you ~1.7 cents towards the cost of a ticket.

Anyway, for a long time the caveat has been that you had to redeem a minimum of 5,000 points per redemption. At a value of 1.4 cents per point, that means you could redeem a TrueBlue point for a minim of a $70 ticket. Or more accurately, you could redeem points for a cheaper ticket, though it would still cost you 5,000 points.

The post JetBlue TrueBlue Lowers Award Minimum To 3,500 Points appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/15/jetblue-trueblue-lowers-award-minimum-3500-points/

Sensory isolation helmets: Is this next for plane passengers?

Airbus patent proposes using special headsets to control the sights, sounds and smells to reduce in-flight boredom and stress.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/15/travel/airbus-virtual-reality-helmets/index.html

Campaign Spotlight: Richmond, Va., Makes a Bold Appeal for L.G.B.T. Tourists

A regional tourism organization has begun a campaign in which the city comes out of its closet.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/3e7cc7d8/sc/8/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C0A90C150Cbusiness0Cmedia0Crichmond0Eva0Emakes0Ea0Ebold0Eappeal0Efor0Elgbt0Etourists0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

How the IRS is Getting in the Way of Making Travel More Comfortable

The taxation of frequent flyer miles isn’t the only time travel butts heads with the IRS. Taxes on your tickets isn’t the only other place, either. It turns out that Anchorage airport is being hamstrung by the tax code (HT: Julie D.) It’s striking that the Anchorage airport got audited. The airport has $500 million […]

The post How the IRS is Getting in the Way of Making Travel More Comfortable appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/15/irs-getting-way-making-travel-comfortable/

Disappeared in Kathmandu

I decided to write about Nepal’s disappeared because many years ago, in Bolivia, after Che’s death, I “disappeared.”



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/disappeared-kathmandu/

A Family Affair: The Best Soul Food in Harlem

Amidst recent efforts to revitalize Harlem, there is a thread beyond history that holds the community together: food. Several longstanding neighborhood eateries continue to serve up some of the best soul food in Manhattan, along with a side of family and civic engagement—Harlem’s firmest foundations.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/09/15/a-family-affair-the-best-soul-food-in-harlem/

Startup pitch: Transparency and reviews hook into FishingBooker fishing charter OTA

With sailing charters and “Airbnb for boats” comprising the latest wave of the sharing economy, it seems that watersports and activities are ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/startup-pitch-transparency-reviews-hook-fishingbooker-fishing-charter-ota/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=startup-pitch-transparency-reviews-hook-fishingbooker-fishing-charter-ota

How to piss off a tour guide

Give us driving advice. In an average season, a guide doing overland tours can drive 25,000 miles. That's roughly the entire circumference of the Earth.



from Matador NetworkMatador Network http://matadornetwork.com/life/piss-tour-guide/

Register For 5% Cash Back On Shopping

Today, Monday, September 15th, is the first day to activate your 5% cash back bonus on the Chase Freedom® for the October through December period.

Keep in mind while it's the first day to register, you can continue to earn the 5% bonus on the third quarter categories through September 30, 2014, and won't start earning the 5% bonus on the fourth quarter categories until October 1st.

The post Register For 5% Cash Back On Shopping appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/09/15/register-5-cash-back-shopping/

Marriott Wants to Push You to Tip Housekeeping

Travel Update reports that Marriott wants you to tip housekeeping. [A]s many as 1,000 hotels in the Marriott system – Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, Residence Inn, JW Marriott – are going to leave a special tip-reminder envelope for guests to encourage them to leave money for the housekeeper. ..Envelopes that contain the name of the person (usually […]

The post Marriott Wants to Push You to Tip Housekeeping appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/09/15/marriott-wants-nudge-tip-housekeeping/

Hurricane Odile flogs tourists with rain in Mexico's Baja California

Hurricane Odile made landfall at the southernmost tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula late Sunday. Its gales whipped torrents of rain ashore, chasing visitors in popular tourist destinations into closed quarters.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/15/world/americas/hurricane-odile/index.html

5 overlooked world treasures

Even veteran travelers haven't always seen all the world's treasures. Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler and Global Heritage Fund head Vince Michael picked these five hidden gems especially for CNN.com.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/15/travel/lonely-planet-founder-hidden-gems/index.html

Famous hotel's 30-year-old secret

One of America' most famous hotels kept a unique secret for three decades. CNN's Richard Quest visits the Greenbrier.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/international/2014/09/12/spc-business-traveller-art-hotels-b.cnn.html

Curse continues! Giant rabbit goes up in flames

Artist Florentijn Hofman's larger-than-life Moon Rabbit installation burns to the ground in Taiwan.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/15/travel/giant-rabbit-burns/index.html

Making wine in a warzone

Step inside the surreal world of wine-making in the Golan Heights. While richly-colored grapes ripen in the sun, a few fields away civil war rages.

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/14/business/golan-heights-making-wine/index.html