Tagged With "Frequent-flier"
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Re: Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
If this standard were adopted, it might be the single greatest improvement in quality of travel in economy class. 17 inches is alright if no one is beside you, a rarity today. On an Transocean flight, it make sleeping very difficult indeed. I'm glad to see Airbus take this proconsumer stand.
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Re: Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
Airbus has taken a major step in passenger comfort with the introduction of the new Airbus 380, their new double-deck airliner. Just as a large cruise ship will sail choppy seas in much greater comfort due to its size and sophistication, the new 380 is so much more smooth, quiet and comfortable up in the skies. Sure seat sizes and configuration will vary between operators but certainly the overall 'environment experience' is so much nicer
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Re: Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
Interesting point, Mac. Large planes with bright decor somehow seem to me roomier, even if the seat is the same size. I think there's a balance between physical comfort and "feel" that airlines may not always recognize. On the other hand, I've been on 777s that had so little division of space that my mental image was sitting in a huge concert hall...and felt a bit uncomfortable from that!
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Re: Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
I've never flown an A380, Mac. They still haven't caught on in North America, where Boeing clearly dominates the market. One thing that I've wonder about is with all those people to board (somewhere over 500), is the process of getting on and off the plane very slow or have they figured out how to make this move along with reasonable efficiency?
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Re: Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
It seems as if the terminals that they use have many more access ramps (fingers) to spread the loading and unloading, plus, of course, the terminal also needs to have sufficient immigration desks and baggage facilities. So far our experiences have been good but I can imagine just how it could foul up!
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Re: Up, Up and Away: Airline miles cards with big bonuses
I LOVE my airline credit card, but it's great to have all this information in one place to see if I could do better. Probably not without some whopping fees, but whopping bonuses, too. Thank you sir, for showing us all these choices!
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Re: Up, Up and Away: Airline miles cards with big bonuses
I have a Delta American Express Platinum card that has served us well. The fee is higher than the gold card, but we can check two bags free, priority boarding, and a free companion pass yearly. We fly two or three times a year and the value of the waived baggage fee and the companion pass far exceed the $150 annual fee. The card also accrues one mile for each dollar spent and lately has offered cash back incentives. For example: spend $15 at Panera's using the card and receive $5 credit on...
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Re: Emirates Adds a 3rd US Frequent Flier Partner
There are a lot of possibilities with these airlines to both have budget flights and earn lots of miles. The combined route maps must be interesting.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
Wow ! That is a good deal. I need to drill down through those redeem mileage programs and see what I can learn. Thanks for this valuable lesson.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
Thanks for pointing this out! By the way, it is also possible to take a free stopover on the international end. For example, a couple of years ago, we flew from NYC to Copenhagen (the routing) but with a week stopover in Stockholm along the way. We've used that kind of routing a number of times. Adding to your point about Britain: Many of AA's European cities are actually served by their closely-tied partners, British Air and Iberia. With a little persistence, you can find flights that don't...
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
So, PHeymont, when you stopped for the week in Stockholm which airline was it and what fees were you charged for the stopover? You mention Madrid. Presumably that was a different trip, so same questions on that one. Also, can these stopovers be scheduled on the AA website or must you speak to an AAdvantage customer service person and pay the ($25?) fee?
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
Originally Posted by PortMoresby: .... can these stopovers be scheduled on the AA website or must you speak to an AAdvantage customer service person and pay the ($25?) fee? I scheduled my flights using the website. When you go to the AAdvantage booking site there are three choices: round-trip, one-way and multi-city. When you choose your flights you see boxes showing the number of miles per leg. The leg between Dallas and San Francisco showed no miles. There was also some kind of comment to...
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
Similar to WorkerBee's experience, I've done these bookings using the Multi-City function, which allows you to specify a date for each segment. It didn't require assistance. Actually I've never had to pay a fee for help when booking something that could not be done on line, but who knows these days. I've done these stopover trips a number of times (NY-Budapest/open jaw/Prague-London w/stopover and then back to NY, etc.) The AAdvantage desk agents, by the way, are some of their best and can...
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
All potentially very useful information. Many thanks, Gurus.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
All things to be watched closely, by the way; by January the new AA will start rolling out updated program rules and procedures for what will be a merged program. We'll need to watch closely to see what changes!
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
WorkerBee, how long will you be in Spain, and when? We're going for 8 days (not counting the travel days) in February. We'll be in Seville, Cordoba and Granada. Gumbo fans would love to hear how your trip is going and to see pictures along the way!
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
I will be there about a month, from February 12 to March 12. I will be in Madrid for a few days after I arrive and then off to Girona and environs for a few weeks. I may wander into southeast France for a few days as well before I return to Madrid for a couple of days before I fly out.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
I envy your trip! We'll overlap in time, but not in place. If you do add France to the itinerary, you might want to look into the new TGV service from Barcelona to Paris that starts this month. I'm not sure of its route as it leaves Spain, but it might go where you want to!
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
Originally Posted by PHeymont: I envy your trip! We'll overlap in time, but not in place. If you do add France to the itinerary, you might want to look into the new TGV service from Barcelona to Paris that starts this month. I'm not sure of its route as it leaves Spain, but it might go where you want to! For some time the AVE has run from Madrid to Figueres which is north of Barcelona and Girona. The TGV has been running from Figueres to Paris for some time as well. I'm told that it takes...
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
It required 40,000 miles for a round-trip economy ticket. All were in-seat miles and all were from a few years ago.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
Now I know why your handle is WorkerBee. Persistence and hard work get the job done! Well Done!
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
Originally Posted by WorkerBee: It required 40,000 miles for a round-trip economy ticket. All were in-seat miles and all were from a few years ago. That's one of the things I like about AA...aside from the one-way awards. When everyone else was 50K to Europe, they were 40K offpeak and 60 peak. Now everyone else is 60K peak, and AA still has the winter bargains. Hope it lasts!
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
Wonderful piece of planning WorkerBee ! Missing off London to avoid the $18 Departure Tax for Spain seems a bit severe. I presume your return journey is more direct.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
$ 18 ? I am puzzled by this. When I have taken flights from London to the US, the tax has been more like $ 150 - $ 200. It was worth it to spend time in London, of course. Still, it was not a small amount.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
The UK departure tax is "Banded" into distances and economy / regular / 1st class. London - Spain is only a short distance.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
Well, but if Spain is the destination, passing up UK makes sense. On the other hand, APD leads to calculations such as Flying NYC-LON-Continental Europe: No problem; as long as your time in UK is less than 24 hours, you are a transit passenger and don't pay APD. Flying Continential Europe-LON-NYC: Not so good; you pay the APD on the trans-Atlantic leg, and that's high. The other issue with this is not APD at all; flying to the Continent through Madrid or Barcelona tends to be cheaper because...
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
Garry RF and PHeymont - Thank you very much for the information. In this case, APD is not incurred - Flying NYC-LON-Continental Europe: No problem; as long as your time in UK is less than 24 hours, you are a transit passenger and don't pay APD. In this case, there is an APD, even if the transit is less than 24 hours ? - Flying Continential Europe-LON-NYC: Not so good; you pay the APD on the trans-Atlantic leg, and that's high. Concerning the third item, this explains why Worker Bee had a...
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
I'm not sure on your question about WB's trip, because it depends on routing. From NY, AA most often uses their own seats for the ocean hop, but does use some BA seats from Newark. Other cities...not sure how many BA seats used in that direction. And sometimes it's a matter of class. For instance, last year flying home from Paris, there were AA seats in business class available non-stop, but economy was only available on BA Orly-London-Newark.
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Re: Tips on Getting FF Seats.
That's good advice in her column! I've often had success calling back when I didn't get the "right" answer the first time helps...and the night shift often has the most experienced agents. Other useful tips, aside from being the most pleasant if sadly disappointed customer they've had all day: Plan early, book early. If you really want to fly to Paris in late July on the cheapest FF tickets, your best bet is late August: the airlines generally open seats 330 days ahead, and if you can be...
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More Frequent Flier changes in the air
The world of award travel and elite perks continues to shake and shift. Delta, which like United, has switched for next year to awarding flight miles based not on distance but on price paid for ticket—a move that hurts many frequent...
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Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
Airbus, the big European planebuilder has urged airlines to go with 18"-wide seats, up from the standard 17" in use now. Their studies indicate that the extra width makes a BIG difference in passengers' ability to sleep on long flights (which are...
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Emirates Adds a 3rd US Frequent Flier Partner
Emirates Airways, which serves over 130 cities on 6 continents from its hub in Dubai, has added another U.S. frequent-flyer partner: Virgin America, which flies from 7 of Emirates' 8 U.S. cities. Emirates already has links with JetBlue and Alaska. The...
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New Target for Thieves: Frequent-flier miles
If you believed all the whining about how this airline's or that airline's loyalty programs were no longer worth anything...a ring of thieves didn't, and have turned frequent flier accounts into new targets for thefts. Both American and United...
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AA-USAir loyalty merger...and a maybe last chance
American Airlines will merge its two loyalty programs "within 30 days" according to e-mails sent yesterday to all members of the USAir Dividend Miles program, which will be folded into the AAdvantage program. All existing miles will transfer; for some...
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Can SAS's 3-drink cap stop drunk-flying?
After 3 stiff drinks, SAS wants you to stick to the soft stuff... Photo: Xianxing / Wikimedia SAS, the big Scandinavian carrier, is trying a 3-drink limit for alcoholic beverages on its flights in an attempt to curb...
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Alaska and Icelandair shake (cold) hands
Two specialists in cold homelands, Alaska Airways and Icelandair, have signed a deal for code-shares and for reciprocal mileage earning in their loyalty programs. The upshot should be increased availability for Americans visiting Iceland, and more...
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AAdvantage members, bite your nails: change is coming
After a couple of years in which both United and Delta have switched to frequent flier systems based on dollars spent on fares rather than miles flown, American could be joining the parade...but we'll have to wait and see. American is planning changes...
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Big change ahead for American's AAdvantage?
AAdvantage as we know it: Taking off, or flying away? Over the past two years, most U.S. airlines, including Delta and United, have shifted their frequent-flyer loyalty programs from points-per-mile-flown to points-per-dollar-spent. American,...
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I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !
I am traveling Spring 2014 from the US to Spain. I wanted to use my American Airlines frequent flier (AAdvantage) miles to best advantage, so to speak. I learned that it is possible to incorporate free domestic layovers into my journey. As I have family in Dallas, that intrigued me. AA's website showed available flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Madrid (MAD) that connect through Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, New York or Miami. AAdvantage rules require that the layover stops must be on...
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Qatar Airways Joins OneWorld and AAdvantage
http://www.frequentflier.com/blog/american-and-qatar-are-now-frequent-flyer-partners/
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Federal Judge: No-Fly rules won't fly
A Federal District Court judge in Oregon has ruled that the TSA's no-fly list is unconstitutional because there is no way for a citizen who believes he or she was put on the list in error to get off. She ordered the government to come up with...
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United Follows Delta in Loyalty Program Changes
United Airlines is making the same sort of shift Delta previously announced; starting early next year MileagePlus points for flights will be awarded based on the price of tickets rather than the distance flown. Passengers will get anywhere from 5 to...
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Gov't study: Airline loyalty programs fair but confusing
A Department of Transportation study has found that airline loyalty programs are working fairly well, but could use some further study and help.
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YOU CAN'T FUEL ME! BA fliers sue over high surcharges
British Airways is known for the steepest "fuel surchages," especially on award tickets--but a group of frequent fliers has sued, pointing out that the fees seem to bear no relation to fuel costs at all. A senior judge in the U. S. District...
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USAir Frequent Flyer Mile-Share Bonus: Up to 100%
Buying frequent flyer miles is usually not a great deal, since the airlines sell them at a premium and charge a fee for the transaction (usually only makes sense if you need that last couple of thousand to claim an award). But, through Dec. 6, USAir...
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Tips on Getting FF Seats.
I've always liked Wendy Perrin's column in Conde' Nast Traveler magazine. Often she discusses things from a point of view with a bigger budget than my own, but today's newsletter points us to her tips on how to help get the airline award seats...
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Up, Up and Away: Airline miles cards with big bonuses
Up, up and away—quickly! That’s the goal for many frequent fliers, and a current round of cards for various airlines is offering some big bonuses to meet that goal…some of them enough for a round-trip to Europe in one shot. Right...
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Delta Skymiles: Big Changes Ahead...Very Big
If that sounds a bit complicated, here's the deal. When you earn "miles" using a credit card, it's 1 or 2 miles per dollar, but most frequent flier programs give you a "mile" for each mile flown. Delta, starting in 2015, will become the first major...
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AA/USAir: Start the Miles and Lounge Sharing
Now the frequent flier part of the AA/USAir merger begins. AA announced yesterday that members in both its AAdvantage and Dividend Miles programs can earn miles in either program on all AA or USAir flights. In addition, elite members of either program...
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Take your seat...while you still have one!
Aircraft designers are always busy trying to figure out the best way to get the most passengers in without actually provoking revolt or suffocation...and the past few days bring fearsome news on that front. Included in the roundup are dead-serious proposals to stack seats in the main cabin, to sell passenger space in the hold below the cabin, and even to squeeze business-class seats into a 12-across configuration. Not even the rich, it seems, are immune to the trend. The stacked-seat idea...