Aegean Quietly Devalues Its Award Chart

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.In another unfortunate turn of events, Aegean is the latest company to devalue its award program, quietly updating its chart and failing to announce it to customers. As first reported on Flyertalk, several changes have been made between the old and new chart....

June 4, 2022 · 2 min · 298 words · Anthony Murach

Amex Is Opening A Centurion Lounge At London Heathrow

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.While American Express continues to open up locations at a steady rate around the US, there’s currently only one true Centurion Lounge overseas, at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG).Now, almost two years after Amex first announced it’d be opening up in Hong Kong, the issuer’s back to announce its second international location, at London Heathrow (LHR). The UK’s first Amex lounge will be located after security in Terminal 3, and is slated to open up sometime in 2019....

June 4, 2022 · 3 min · 433 words · Harry Johnson

Changing An Aadvantage Award Flight Reader Mistake Story

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.One of the things I love most about being The Points Guy is getting to hear stories from readers about all the positive ways award travel has affected their lives. That being said, while I love hearing about your successes, I think there’s also a lot we can learn by sharing our mistakes, and I’m calling on readers to send in your most egregious and woeful travel failures....

June 4, 2022 · 5 min · 865 words · Gerald Settle

Cross Country Comfort United 757 200 First Class From Newark To Seattle

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.After a quick weekend in New York City, I decided to splurge on a first-class return flight to Seattle on United. The airline was operating Boeing 757s on the route for several months this year, and — on that plane — first class meant lie-flat seats. I was hoping that United would keep the 757 on this route, since I call Seattle home and I’m a loyal UA flyer, but, alas, it stopped using the aircraft on this route in late April and instead is using a mix of Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s — which are both significantly less comfortable for the cross-country trek....

June 4, 2022 · 7 min · 1361 words · Rosalind Foster

Dating While Traveling How To Have Fun And Stay Safe

Are you a single traveler? TPG Contributor J. Keith van Straaten is, too. From the newest dating apps to old-fashioned fix-ups, here are his best tips for having fun — and staying safe — while traveling.If it weren’t for dating on vacation, my parents never would have met. I’ve continued the family tradition of meeting fellow singles when I travel, and though I haven’t found my soulmate on the road (yet!...

June 4, 2022 · 8 min · 1507 words · Marta Harrington

Deal Alert Nonstop Flights To Greece Italy From 389 Round Trip

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....

June 4, 2022 · 3 min · 481 words · Jonathan Kluge

Deal Alert Us Cities To Scandinavia From 314 Round Trip

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....

June 4, 2022 · 3 min · 472 words · Bradley Kellogg

Exciting New Airline Routes For July 2017 And Beyond

Airlines around the world launch and announce dozens of new flight routes and service changes every month. Today, I’ll share just a few of the latest flights that will take to the skies this month or in the near future. Keep in mind that exact flight details (like schedules and aircraft, among other things) may change based on your travel dates.NEW ROUTES LAUNCHED IN JULY 2017Norwegian has begun taking delivery of its new 737 MAX 8s, which will be used on some transatlantic routes....

June 4, 2022 · 11 min · 2327 words · Michael Lupien

Flying Embraer S Super Posh Quiet 10 Million Private Jet

For many wealthy individuals, being able to add a private jet to the collection is the ultimate sign of success. It can also be a practical business tool, and — for those on a bit of a budget — “fractional ownership” through a company like NetJets is an option, too.As much as they may like to have one, not everyone needs a Gulfstream, such as the $45-million G500 I got to check out in 2018....

June 4, 2022 · 3 min · 606 words · Alexander Menz

Here S What Marriott Plans To Do With Starwood Preferred Guest

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.This week, the Starwood merger/acquisition saga continued when Marriott responded to Anbang’s bid with a higher offer of its own. To recap everything that’s happened to date, check out these posts below:May 1, 2015 — Rumors of IHG preparing a bid to acquire StarwoodOctober 28, 2015 — Starwood CEO Adam Aron mentions the possibility of a sale during an earnings callNovember 16, 2015 — Marriott announces its intention to acquire StarwoodNovember 20, 2015 — Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson addresses questions about Marriott and SPGJanuary 22, 2016 — TPG chatted SPG with Marriott’s Vice President of LoyaltyFebruary 24, 2016 — TPG shares plans to attend a Marriott loyalty forum in Los AngelesMarch 14, 2016 — Starwood and Marriott acknowledge Anbang’s bidMarch 18, 2016 — Starwood accepts Anbang’s bidMarch 18, 2016 — Starwood CEO Tom Mangas addresses the latest acquisition newsMarch 21, 2016 - Marriott Outbids Anbang with Latest Offer for StarwoodWhile Anbang is expected to respond with its own boosted bid, Marriott is moving forward with business as usual — the company held a conference call for investors yesterday, during which executives detailed some of the chain’s post-merger plans....

June 4, 2022 · 3 min · 476 words · Nora Gofton

How Pilots And Controllers Communicate Digitally

“It’s good to talk," so we were told by a 1990s advertising campaign by a telecoms company. Talking constitutes a large part of our communication with each other, but in a digital age, nonverbal communication its making up for an ever-increasing proportion of how we interact with each other. This is particularly true for pilots and Air Traffic Control (ATC).The majority of interactions between pilots and ATC is still conducted by voice....

June 4, 2022 · 9 min · 1898 words · Ignacio Williams

Maximizing Airline Business Frequent Flyer Programs

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.One of Sunday’s Reader Questions, about whether you actually need to have a business to apply for a business credit card, got me thinking about frequent flyer programs for businesses.I always talk about what you can do with your individual miles and accounts, and even how couples and families can maximize their joint mileage, but there’s not a ton of information out there on the business mileage accounts several airlines offer that allow small businesses to earn points on the itineraries their employees travel (while employees still earn the miles themselves)....

June 4, 2022 · 5 min · 967 words · Kerry Pilkington

Maximizing Delta S Award Routing Rules

Delta was the first US legacy carrier to shift to a revenue based frequent flyer program back in 2015, including the introduction (and then increase) of spending thresholds for elite status. The airline followed that by eliminating round-the-world awards and instituting major award-chart devaluations. Then even further devaluations, plus more devaluations and price hikes. All of this was partly enabled by its 2015 decision to stop publishing award charts altogether.Over the course of a couple years, it has became more complex and more expensive than ever to book Delta awards....

June 4, 2022 · 9 min · 1742 words · Keith Rosado

Mind The Gap American Airlines 777 200 Business With B E Aerospace Super Diamond Seats

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.When you fly business class on American Airlines’ 777-200, you have to cross your fingers hoping you’ll get the B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seats and not the rocking Zodiac seats. Even if you know which tail numbers have which seats, AA oftentimes swaps which versions of the 777-200 aircraft it assigns to a route, so you may experience multiple highs and lows in short succession....

June 4, 2022 · 12 min · 2418 words · William Martin

Qatar Airways Is Now Enrolled In Tsa Precheck

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.For travelers with TSA PreCheck, some good news. Qatar Airways announced on Wednesday that it has joined the program. For those already enrolled in the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) program, this means you can access TSA PreCheck when flying from any of Qatar’s 10 US-based gateways....

June 4, 2022 · 2 min · 218 words · Mark Willert

Review Cathay Pacific 777 300Er First Class New York Hong Kong

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here: Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard, Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite MastercardEarlier this month, TPG Editor-in-Chief Zach Honig took his family on a trip to Asia, including stops in Hong Kong, Bali and Tokyo. Here’s a review of the first leg of his trip, from New York to Hong Kong in Cathay Pacific First Class.I travel quite a bit, but most trips are with my incredibly patient and flexible girlfriend, so for this rare family adventure I wanted to plan something extraordinary, yet simple....

June 4, 2022 · 14 min · 2979 words · Travis Mccall

Skip The Line At Disney World Tpg Launches New Community And More

Each Saturday, we round up the top miles, points and travel news that you might have missed on TPG this week. Here’s what you need to know:How to skip the line at Disney World’s newest attraction(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)Star Wars fans, you’ll be able to enjoy the newest attraction without sweating through one of the longest lines we’ve ever seen.The government is changing rules for emotional support animals(Photo by nadisja / Getty Images)This legislation is important for people who truly need them....

June 4, 2022 · 2 min · 336 words · Anne Rodgers

Subscription Rental Car You Can Now Swap Hertz Vehicles Twice A Month For 999

If you’ve dreamed of renting a car, falling in love and never returning it, listen up — Hertz My Car is a new all-inclusive monthly subscription to rental cars. On the heels of a disappointing loyalty program devaluation, Hertz’s new car subscription service is launching first in Atlanta and Austin, with monthly pricing starting at $999.Subscribers to Hertz My Car have the flexibility to choose from two subscription tiers. Tier One ($999 monthly, plus taxes) includes full-size sedans, small SUVs and trucks, while Tier Two ($1,399 monthly, plus taxes) offers luxury sedans, regular SUVs and large trucks....

June 4, 2022 · 3 min · 590 words · Chun Huot

Talking Points Episode 3 Chatting With Virgin Group Founder Richard Branson

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.On the third episode of Talking Points, TPG sits down Virgin Group founder, philanthropist and “doctor of yes” Richard Branson to find out what you can expect from Virgin in the coming months, like Virgin Fest and Virgin Voyages....

June 4, 2022 · 1 min · 109 words · Tim Washington

The 787 Dreamliner What Are The Differences Between A 8 9 And 10

To the casual observer, the only difference between the 787-8, -9 and -10 is just the name. They all have two engines, all have the same number of wheels and all have the same number of cabin doors. However, look a little closer and there are some significant differences. Some obvious to you, the passenger, and others only which we, your pilots, know about.Why the Different Types?Built for a purposeRight from the very start of the 787 development program, Boeing had planned three variants of the 787 — the -3 (yes, you read that correctly), the -8 and the -9....

June 4, 2022 · 11 min · 2310 words · Alex Wright