American AAdvantage Now Waiving Most Phone Ticketing Fees

Here's some great news! American is making some positive changes to their AAdvantage award ticketing fees, as follows:

-- Effective February 3, 2015, the Reservations Ticketing Service Charge will be waived for award bookings that cannot be booked on aa.com.

-- Effective February 16, 2015, a Reservations Ticketing Service Charge of $30.00 for domestic itineraries and $40.00 for international itineraries will be applied by AA Reservations when ticketing award bookings that can be booked on aa.com.

So basically American is finally waiving their phone ticketing fees for award tickets which can't be booked through their website. Meanwhile in a couple of weeks they'll be raising their ticketing fees by $5 per ticket for awards which can be booked online (which shouldn't be a big deal, since I don't think anyone anyone savvy enough to read a blog will literally choose to throw $25 out the window). ;)

The post American AAdvantage Now Waiving Most Phone Ticketing Fees appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/02/04/american-aadvantage-now-waiving-phone-ticketing-fees/

TransAsia Flight GE 235 Crashes Near Taipei, At Least 12 Killed

The plane, an ATR-72 turboprop with 58 people on board, was flying from Taipei Songshan Airport to Kinmen island off the Chinese coast.



from Travel Feedly http://www.ibtimes.com/transasia-flight-ge-235-58-board-crashes-keelung-river-near-taipei-least-12-dead-1804696

8 World Heritage Sites you can skip

Yeah...just head to the pub instead.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/trips/8-world-heritage-sites-definitely-skip/

What Does Hyatt Platinum Status Really Get You Anymore?

Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond status is my favorite top tier hotel status, along with Starwood Platinum. I mean, I'm staying in the below room thanks to my status as I write this, so what's not to love? ;)

The way I see it, there are two downsides to the Gold Passport program on the elite status front:

-- There aren't any marginal benefits for over-qualifying for Diamond status, unlike with Starwood (which offers additional points and Your24 after 75 nights, and Ambassador after 100 nights -- not that I value either of those perks immensely, but it's something)

-- Their only other elite tier is Platinum, which is really more like elite status-light... and that's even more so the case as of this month

The post What Does Hyatt Platinum Status Really Get You Anymore? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/02/03/hyatt-platinum-really-get-anymore/

6 reasons introverts should always travel solo

"Every day is a chance to change who I am, and to forget that people know me as the quiet one. Because there is no one who really knows me, and there’s no pressure to be anything other than what I’m feeling at that moment."



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/6-reasons-introverts-always-travel-solo/

Most airport workers don't receive daily security screening

from CNN.com - Travel http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/02/us/airport-security-investigation/index.html

Update: What Travelers Need to Know About Measles

After an outbreak of measles at Disneyland in California, doctors emphasize the importance of immunization.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/4301e9c2/sc/14/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A150C0A20C0A30Ctravel0Cwhat0Etravelers0Eneed0Eto0Eknow0Eabout0Emeasles0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

In Transit Blog: ‘Fifty Shades’ of a Stay

Two Kimpton hotels in New York are offering a “Fifty Shades of Grey” promotion for the Valentine’s Day season.





from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/4301e9c7/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A150C0A20C0A30Cfifty0Eshades0Eof0Ea0Estay0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

Closing a $1.4M round, Tiqets aims to boost ancillary sales for travel firms

Tiqets, a ticketing technology platform for museums, entertainment, and other local attractions, says it has received $1 million in seed funding from ...



from Tnooz http://www.tnooz.com/article/tiqets-attractions-ticketing-platform-raises-1m/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tiqets-attractions-ticketing-platform-raises-1m

HURRY, IT’S BACK: US Airways Business Class Award Space to Europe (Use American Miles With No Fuel Surcharges)

A couple of weeks ago, immediately after US Airways transitioned to using American’s fare class codes, the floodgates opened on US Airways international awards in business class. Then over the weekend things opened back up for summer travel — not the floodgates of the first wave, where whole cabins were practically available for redemption on […]

The post HURRY, IT’S BACK: US Airways Business Class Award Space to Europe (Use American Miles With No Fuel Surcharges) appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/02/03/hurry-back-us-airways-business-class-award-space-europe-use-american-miles-no-fuel-surcharges/

Adventure 101: Kitesurfing in Turks and Caicos

Kitesurfing is guaranteed to help your spirit soar. “[It] feels like what I imagine it must be like flying around heaven,” says Brendon Held of "inMotion Kitesurfing" magazine. When it comes to giving the sport a whirl, few places rival the Turks and Caicos. This dreamy collection of Caribbean islands north of Hispaniola and east of Cuba dazzles with miles of warm, shallow turquoise water and sand so fine it feels like fairy dust. Factor in locals who exude a relaxed, friendly vibe, and you have all the ingredients for a perfect tropical adventure.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2015/02/03/adventure-101-kitesurfing-in-turks-and-caicos/

8 reasons to look at Ciudad del Este

Bootleggers, human smugglers, problem priests, and purported extremist funders? Something's gone wrong in the Paraguayan city of Ciudad del Este.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/pulse/8-reasons-we-should-all-pay-more-attention-to-this-place/

Would You Refinance Your Mortgage for 100,000 Miles?

If you’re considering a mortgage refinance anyway, Capital One is now offering an extra incentive for its Venture and Venture One Cardholders. The deal is this: refinance your mortgage or purchase a new home with Capital One and earn 100,000 bonus miles worth $1,000 in travel. You must be a Venture or Venture One cardholder […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2015/02/would-you-refinance-your-mortgage-for-100000-miles.html

Is This An Acceptable Email From A Hotel After A Stay?

Am I the only one that gets kind of annoyed by the hotels that send you an email after your stay asking you to complete a survey?

I've come to accept it, but I find it quite frustrating. In order to unsubscribe from those emails you have to unsubscribe from all marketing emails, which I don't want to do. I wish it were possible to just unsubscribe from post-stay surveys.

Anyway, while the above is just a minor annoyance, here's something that actually pisses me off. A couple of weeks back I stayed at The Airport Hotel, which is the airside hotel at Hamad International Airport. It's super convenient, and I enjoyed my stay.

The post Is This An Acceptable Email From A Hotel After A Stay? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/02/03/is-this-an-acceptable-email-from-a-hotel-after-a-stay/

My Favorite Part of the Qatar Airways A380 Flight Was the First Class Lavatories

On my recent Round-the-World trip I was fortunate to be able to fly two 7-hour flights in First Class on Qatar Airways new A380 service from Doha to Paris and back again. It was such a great experience through and through. I still get excited about traveling—sometimes very excited. I’m not completely a grump. But…



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/qatar-airways-a380-lavatories/