Posts

A simultaneous dual engine failure on modern twin engine commercial airliners is one of the rarest events in aviation. Rare or not, that’s exactly what happened to ANA flight NH985 when it touched down at Osaka Itami (ITM) on Jan. 17.The pilots completed the touchdown and were rolling down the runway when they realized that both Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines had shutdown when the pilots activated the thrust reversers to slow the aircraft upon landing....

American Airlines Business Extra is a great way for businesses and employees to “double-dip” from AA flights. Travelers get the mileage earning they would otherwise get, and the business gets points that can be redeemed for free flights, flight upgrades, club membership, elite status and more.Unlike other airline business programs, AA only requires two travelers for a business to be eligible and there’s no minimum spending requirement. The earning structure is simple, and periodically there are lucrative bonuses....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Citi is a TPG advertising partnerDuring my recent credit card app-o-rama, I applied for both the CitiBusiness AAdvantage card and the Citi Executive AAdvantage World Mastercard through Citi’s main 30,000 mile link (but later found this Flyertalk thread which promoted a 50,000-mile sign-up bonus, but apparently does not work). Well, I learned my lesson because though I got approved for the 50,000 miles on the CitiBusiness card, the offer I was giving on the Citi Executive card was only 30,000 miles....

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....

Delta Air Lines is running a trial that will give you a new way to use your SkyMiles.Passengers departing from Columbus, Ohio (CMH) and Greensboro, North Carolina (GSO) can now pay their checked bag fees with SkyMiles.Sign up for the free daily TPG newsletter for more travel tips.Delta currently charges $30 for most passengers in the main cabin to check a bag. The fee is waived for travelers with Medallion status, or those with a Delta co-branded credit card....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.For today’s Destination of the Week, TPG contributor Sharon McDonnell takes us to Macau, a former Portuguese colony near Hong Kong, that has become the Las Vegas of Asia.Headquarters of the Government of Macau.WHAT TO DOA surreal potpourri of China, Las Vegas and Portugal - glitzy, flashy, and the world’s most profitable gaming destination, crammed with every Western fashion brand you can think of and skyscrapers galore – Macau often seems like capitalism on steroids....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite MastercardTPG reader Liam tweeted me to ask about when AAdvantage elite benefits become available:@thepointsguy – “Can I book AA award travel as a Platinum elite member, then use privileges to cancel and reinstate miles when I become Executive Platinum?“Over the years, the airlines have eroded elite status by doing things like making lower-tier elites wait until check-in to get premium seats, or selling first class upgrades to whoever will pay instead of giving them to elite members....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Cara sent me a message on Facebook to ask about earning the Southwest Companion Pass:“Do I need to have 110,000 Rapid Rewards points in my account to qualify for the Companion Pass, or do they still count even if I redeem them.“The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most valuable travel rewards out there, and I often get questions like this from readers who are anxious about spoiling their chances to earn it....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Swiss is known for consistently offering a solid in-flight experience with comfortable seats, good food and friendly service — another TPG contributor had even gone so far as to name Swiss’ first-class experience one of the best in the sky. With all the hype, I was curious to see what it’s like for those flying back in economy....

Flying taxis are closer and closer to being a reality, and that begs the question: Where will they take off and land?According to Uber, its future vehicles will be able to operate like a traditional helicopter. At first, Uber wanted to convert existing structures into places where future air taxis could take off and land, but it has now revealed plans to build its own Skyports at its third annual Elevate conference in Washington DC....

IHG Rewards Club members will soon have the option to redeem points for stays at Six Senses Hotels & Resorts. First reported by The Shutterwhale, IHG has begun the process of adding Six Senses properties to the hotel group’s booking engine. Already, a few Six Senses properties have been loaded into IHG’s booking engine though, Six Senses continues to operate independently.International Hotels Group (IHG) acquired the luxury hotel and resort chain Six Senses in February 2019 for $300 million....

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.Airbus and JetBlue announced Thursday that the New York-based low-cost carrier is continuing to expand its sizable Airbus fleet.JetBlue converted 13 existing orders for A321neos to the XLR variant, and exercised an option for 10 additional A220-300s. The XLR is the longest-range single-aisle airplane available today....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier used to be a bit player on the international stage, but with a growing fleet and membership in the SkyTeam alliance along with heavy hitters like Delta and Air France-KLM, it’s an increasingly visible presence around the world — and a viable means of collecting and spending Delta’s SkyMiles.When the TPG team was looking for ways to get to Dubai last November to cover the air show there, Saudia’s business class presented itself as an interesting alternative to an expensive nonstop from JFK on Emirates and to one-stop itineraries on European carriers....

On this week’s “Talking Points,” senior product manager Drew Macomber details what you can expect from our much-anticipated mobile app. Drew is a true points-and-miles enthusiast himself, and he and his team of developers are implementing tools to help you take your points further. His five years as a nomad may help inform your travel strategy, too, so you never miss a lucrative redemption again.Based in Austin, Texas, TPG’s product team has been developing the app for the past year with the goal of providing travelers with the right resources to optimize their points-and-miles strategy....

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.Have you donated to our Prizeo campaign yet? The one supporting the non-profit Rainbow Railroad? The one offering entrants the chance to win the Trip of a Lifetime planned by The Points Guy, using up to 1 million Chase Ultimate Rewards points?...

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.For the next Award Redemption of the Week, I want to share a story from TPG reader Paige, who transferred points to book a long-haul United award:Last year I heard about the Chase Sapphire Reserve while it was still offering 100,000 bonus points. The thought of taking on a credit card when I had student loans was unnerving, but I wanted to start earning points for everyday spending instead of just using a debit card....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.At the beginning of the month, Amex gave its flagship Platinum Card a major redesign. The issuer added some perks to the card, such as a $200 annual Uber credit and the ability to earn 5x points on hotels when you book through amextravel.com. Plus, the card increased its welcome bonus from 40,000 points to 60,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months in addition to increasing the annual fee from $450 to $550....

The coronavirus pandemic is leading to lots of interesting flights across the world. We’re seeing airlines fly their longest flights ever to countries they’ve never flown to before to repatriate citizens stranded abroad.Here in America, airlines are responding to the near-zero demand for travel by greatly reducing flight schedules. Some, like Alaska, are even redrawing their route maps to include “tag” flights that help the carrier consolidate its routes.But while passenger flights may be significantly scaled back, cargo operations are busier than ever....

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.Tom Stuker, the world’s most frequent flyer, has flown more than 20,000,000 miles on United Airlines alone — a figure I’m now even less likely to ever approach. Tom’s a flying machine, though, and naturally that means he’s come up with some pretty solid tips to help improve his travel experience — and now yours....

Phoenix may have landed the top spot in our list of this year’s best airports, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the country’s most attractive. Come next year, that title could very well go to Washington’s new Paine Field (PAE) terminal, which will begin welcoming passengers when Alaska Airlines launches service on Feb. 11, 2019.While PAE is hardly first to mind when passengers consider travel to or from the Seattle area, it’s certainly familiar to Boeing employees — and enthusiasts alike....