Posts

When can we start traveling again? That’s the question many of our readers are asking us in emails and messages on social media.The short answer is: We don’t know for sure, but probably at some point this year. The clues, mostly from airlines, point to the fall of 2020 as the time when they expect demand to resume in earnest.The elite-status extensions from the major U.S. carriers indicate clearly that they consider this year to be a wash: most people, airlines reckon, will not fly enough to requalify for the elite levels they currently hold....

On Jan. 25, the longest government shutdown in the history of the nation came to an end. But for those people and places affected, the recovery has just begun.Officials at Death Valley National Park posted a time-lapse video to the park’s Facebook page to underline just how much work must be done to restore the parkland. The clip shows park rangers cleaning a restroom for two hours, removing trash and human filth from the facility to reopen the park to visitors....

Over the course of 96 hours last week, my new RV sprung a roof leak, my son fell off a campground playground breaking his arm and my brand new 2020 Ram 1500 truck was hit while it was parked in my campsite. By the time I got home, my opinion of the trip was “I can’t wait to go camping again”. What exactly happened and what did I learn from my chaotic week?...

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Ramsey wrote in to ask:“My work requires me to travel internationally several times a year, but because I work for a university, my employer books us in economy class. From your blog, I collectively have over 500,000 miles/points on American, US Airways, United, Amex Membership Rewards, and Chase Ultimate Rewards and would love to use these points to upgrade to business class....

Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader Robert, who booked a hotel stay on the wrong dates in pursuit of elite status:In 2018, I had racked up 28 qualifying nights at participating Hyatt hotels, and had already earned Discoverist status. I knew if I completed two additional nights that I would be bumped up to Explorist. It was mid-December and I didn’t anticipate any further travel, but I thought I could book a stay over New Year’s to get the last two nights I needed....

American Airlines has changed the timeline on its new rules for fees on award bookings. The terms on the AA site have been quietly updated, showing that the airline has delayed the implementation of its new award-fee structure by a month.Previously, American had announced that travelers could make free award-ticket changes and redeposits of their miles at least 60 days in advance, for award travel booked after June 1. That date now shifts forward by a month....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.The Amex Offers program is one of the best ways to get outsized value out of your American Express cards, and it can really help pay for the annual fees on premium cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express.We’ve seen a number of rewarding Amex Offers this week, including bonus points on Air Canada flights and discounts on stays at luxury Conrad and Waldorf Astoria properties....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Amsterdam prides itself as the bicycle capital of the world — they even outnumber the amount of people – which explains the city’s decision to enact a motor scooter ban in 2019.Talks of this change have been in the works since July 2018....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Alexander, who used points to save on an overpriced flight home from Europe. Here’s what he had to say:My fiancée and I had our sights set on going to Spain for our honeymoon this August. We’re based in Chicago, and American Airlines has non-stop Dreamliner service to Barcelona, so we both signed up for the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard when it had a 60,000-mile sign-up bonus....

Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport (BER) has finally opened after nearly a decade of delays. Named after former West Germany Chancellor Willy Brandt, the new airport, which began construction in 2006 was plagued by financial problems, bureaucratic delays and construction flaws.The project went 4 billion Euros over budget and faces growing uncertainty, with the global pandemic greatly reducing demand for travel. However, with two of Berlin’s three existing airports closing and nearly 300 million Euros in government aid, there is hope that the new facility will weather the pandemic....

Well, that’s one way to remove snow from an airport. Spotted earlier this week by Instagram user Abigail Ladd, several workers at Denver International Airport (DEN) had their video of them building a snowman together go viral.https://www.instagram.com/p/B5V-6AfFuba/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_video_watch_againIn the video, three workers wearing high-visibility vests collaborate to build the perfect Frosty in front of a Frontier Airlines jet (which makes sense, as the low-budget carrier is headquartered in Denver). Though he’s missing his corncob pipe and button nose, he’s as cute as ever thanks to the loving attention of this trio....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Frontier Airlines is having a sale in honor of its 21st birthday, with one-way flights starting at $21. This deal includes routes from Atlanta, GA; Chicago- O’Hare, IL; Denver, CO; Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX; Philadelphia, PA and more for select dates beginning in August. The promotion runs today through 11:59pm tonight, June 30, 2015.Frontier is celebrating 21 years with $21 fares....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.For anyone with a stash of Delta SkyMiles, the last few weeks haven’t been too bad. Delta’s been running deals on award flights including itineraries to Europe for just 22,000 SkyMiles round-trip. The airline has now added Tokyo as another discounted destination. There are only a handful of routes advertised by Delta, but it appears to cover many more departure cities than just the one’s listed:Although Delta doesn’t publish an award chart, it’s highly unlikely to see rates to Japan for lower than 70,000 miles round-trip....

Many airlines around the world have introduced their own versions of basic economy, tacking on extra fees for services and amenities that used to be free. And now, the same airline that introduced staffed bars and shower suites to commercial aviation is bringing the à la carte airfare model to business class.As reported by One Mile at a Time, Emirates has begun selling an unbundled business-class fare on select flights. Dubbed “Special,” the new fare type excludes advance seat selection, chauffeur service and lounge access (unless you get it as a part of your elite status)....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.When I flew from Madrid (MAD) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) via Istanbul (IST) on Turkish Airlines, I planned a long layover so I’d have a chance to try out the free city tour the carrier offers to international transit passengers. Then, I flew the IST-KUL leg in economy aboard the A330-300. Here’s what it was like.BookingAt the time, I was searching for two cheap one-way economy fares from Madrid to Southeast Asia for myself and my travel companion, as I was planning to use American Airlines AAdvantage miles to book two economy, one-way award tickets from Bangkok (BKK) to Madrid via Doha (DOH) on Qatar Airways for our return trip....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Earning airline miles using the traditional method (actually flying) is just one option for growing your account balance. While it’s increasingly harder to earn miles from flying, airlines make it relatively easy to accrue miles without flying — whether through top credit card offers or by utilizing shopping portals and dining rewards programs. If these methods leave you short of your travel goals, you can also purchase miles directly from an airline....

Hawaiian Airlines plans to launch a new flight to Tokyo Haneda airport next March, saying the flight will open up new connecting opportunities into Japan for passengers.The carrier’s new flight between its Honolulu (HNL) base and Haneda (HND) is possible with a new daytime frequency, the equivalent of one daily flight, that it was tentatively awarded by the US Department of Transportation in May. The exact timing of the flight cannot be set until the regulator finalizes the award....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Starwood’s “Birth Year” promotion is unique in the hotel industry, giving you an opportunity to save on reservations based on when you were born. Today, TPG Contributor Mitch Berman cuts through the fine print and shows you how to save hundreds of dollars on a stay.Starwood’s Birth Year Promotion is one of the most appealing offers in the hotel industry....

Lufthansa is backtracking after announcing the introduction of a weird, one-off and very cramped premium-class section on its flights from Frankfurt to Pune, India. Starting early next year, it’s bringing back lie-flat beds in biz class, ending operations with an Airbus A319 featuring a makeshift “business class,” jerry-rigged from a standard 3-3 coach class.Lufthansa used to fly to Pune on a Boeing 737-700 operated by Swiss luxury-charter operator Privatair, with only 20 flat beds in biz and 66 seats in economy....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG Contributor Eric Goldner just got back from an epic three-day adventure that earned him AA Platinum status. Here’s how he did it.A few weekends ago, I embarked on a mileage run that would take me from coast to coast, down to Miami and over to Panama for a grand total of $942.85. I was on a mission: to earn American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum status through January, 2018, and a bunch of redeemable miles, before the AA program changes go into effect on August 1....