Posts

Following the tragic Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crash on Sunday, airline crew members and passengers around the world are expressing safety concerns about the aircraft involved: the Boeing 737 MAX 8.The Ethiopian crash, in which 157 people died, is the second fatal accident involving a MAX 8 in just five months. October’s Lion Air flight 610 crash was also operated by a MAX 8. Due to the deadly crashes involving the aircraft just months apart, multiple airlines around the world have grounded the MAX 8s in their fleets....

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ned Russell (@airbus777) on Feb 24, 2019 at 3:17pm PST View this post on Instagram View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ned Russell (@airbus777) on Feb 24, 2019 at 3:17pm PST

Between Donald Trump’s tweets and Hillary Clinton’s emails, the 24-hour news cycle has been working overtime in what has to be the strangest election season in US history. And while today may be the big decision day, some hotels in Washington, D.C. are already looking forward to another important date on the calendar: Inauguration Day.Regardless of who wins, luxury properties in the nation’s capital are aiming to give guests their own presidential parties and personal victories with some pretty extravagant packages the weekend of January 20....

Between her quick wit and boundless energy, it’s amazing to think Betty White is celebrating her 97th birthday on Jan. 17. But the television icon is more popular than ever, and shows few signs of slowing down.While she has the longest television career of any woman — with credits first appearing in 1939 and continuing through 2018 — she’s arguably most famous for her role as Rose Nylund on the celebrated sitcom, “The Golden Girls....

TPG Executive Editorial Director Scott Mayerowitz was in Chicago last week for United Airlines’ annual media day. As he waited for his flight at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), he snapped the photo, below.Photo by Scott Mayerowitz / The Points GuyAs mentioned in the “Coming Soon” sign above, local engineering and design firm Epstein has been tapped by the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), which manages O’Hare and Chicago Midway Airport (MDW), to oversee the construction of new and upgraded tunnels, originally constructed in 1977....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Frontier Airlines’ $15 flights are back again, with a ton of different flight options across the country. The sale will run until the end of today (September 10) with travel dates available between October 1 and October 14. The absolute lowest prices available are $15, though a number of routes are available at slightly higher price points, such as $29 and $39....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend that you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency, such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend that you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency, such as Orbitz, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz’s courtesy cancellation if you’re unable to travel....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency, such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Update 12/21/16: This promo has been extended through January 31, 2017, so you still have a few weeks to earn.Earlier this year, Hilton launched its summer promotion, which it ended up extending through the end of the year. With the Double Up promotion, Honors members who register will receive 2x points on every hotel stay. And now, with the success that the chain has had with that promotion, it’s extending it to include an added bonus for booking stays through the Hilton Honors app....

Just a few months removed from a Marriott/SPG loyalty program migration that didn’t go smoothly and still has members frustrated, Hilton Honors is planning a reservation and loyalty platform migration this week. While the exact timing is unclear, numerous systems will be “offline starting October 30, and depending on your time zone, extend into October 31,” according to a Hilton representative.During this outage, Hilton guests won’t be able to book, amend or cancel reservations — including redemption reservations — through the Hilton website, app, call centers or at hotels....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Hyatt Residence Clubs are timeshare-style properties in locations across the US such as Aspen, Carmel and Sedona. While you can redeem Gold Passport points for free nights at these hotels, previously Hyatt grouped them under a separate award chart — one that apparently hadn’t been updated for more than 10 years. Now, however, the hotel chain’s eliminated that separate chart and added its Residence Clubs to the standard free night award chart, which you use to find the nightly award rate for all properties in the Hyatt portfolio....

We’re partnering with Capital One on our Purposeful Travel Hub. If you have unique ways you like to give back when you travel or just love exploring new places with family and friends, we want to hear about it. Share your most treasured travel moments and purposeful travel tips with us using #MeaningfulMoments.It only took 34 minutes for the little Aérospatiale 72 to fly from Oahu to Lanai — the smallest inhabited island in the Hawaiian archipelago....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here: Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite MastercardTPG reader Patrick sent me a message on Facebook to ask about lounges:“I have a seven-hour layover in Philadelphia before an international flight. Is a day pass to the Admirals Club worth the extra $50?”Airport lounges are a mixed bag, especially for domestic travelers. The best US lounges offer a taste of jet-setting luxury, featuring amenities like beds and showers, gourmet dining and even spa treatments....

In a bid to encourage customers to try Omni Hotels & Resorts, Omni Select Guest has announced a shortcut to Platinum Level status good through December 2021.In order to qualify, you must sign up for the Select Guest program at selectguest.com and use enrollment code OMPUP20. Opt in to the promotion via the welcome email you’ll receive after enrollment and book any two-night stay (must be a direct booking; excludes associate or family rates) to be completed by August 31, 2020, at any Omni hotel or resort or any Global Hotel Alliance partner hotels....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.I’ve already written about the flights to and from Tokyo, as well as the amazing experiences (and meals!) I had while I was there. Now it’s time to take you inside the Park Hyatt that I called home during my trip to Japan.As soon as I got off my super chic Friendly Airport Limo Bus, I was greeted by a hostess who welcomed me and escorted me to the elevators....

Akbar al Baker is known as the most outspoken leader in the airline industry. From controversial statements about women in top aviation jobs (for which he has apologized) to geopolitical meditations on the risk of war, a chat with the chief executive of Qatar Airways is unlikely to ever be boring. Thursday in New York, al Baker did not disappoint the dozen journalists who had gathered at the Peninsula Hotel for a lunch meeting, announcing that he is on the brink of leaving the Oneworld alliance because American Airlines, in Qatar’s view, is not playing fair....

Not all hotels within the same brand are created equally. Some properties are clear standouts above the rest, and without a doubt, the new Hyatt Regency Lake Washingon at Seattle’s Southport is one of the hotels that is a notch or two above what you might envision when you think of a Hyatt Regency. Don’t get me wrong, there’s generally nothing wrong with a Hyatt Regency type of property, but they don’t typically feel quite as refined as this new property located in a part of Seattle that was new to me, but is apparently pretty up and coming....

Following a decision from Hawaiian officials earlier this year to pass a first-of-its-kind law to ban the sale of certain over-the-counter sunscreens deemed harmful to coral reefs, the Pacific island nation of Palau, which leans heavily on the tourism and fishing industries to support its population of 21,000, will soon follow suit.Palau’s president, Tommy Remengesau Jr., has signed legislation that would put into place a similar law, banning all “reef-toxic” products by 2020, in the hopes of protecting the country’s coral reefs....

United Airlines is swapping Hong Kong for more flights to Japan from its Guam hub this fall.The Chicago-based Star Alliance carrier will end service to Hong Kong (HKG) from Guam (GUM) with on Oct. 27, United spokesman Jonathan Guerin says. The Boeing 737-700 aircraft currently flown on that route will be used to boost capacity on routes to secondary Japanese markets, he adds, declining to name any specific cities.The move is part of United’s continuous review of its network and not related to the addition of a second daily flight to Hong Kong from San Francisco (SFO) that begins the same day, says Guerin....