Alan 
How to Transfer World of Hyatt Points With the transition from Hyatt Gold Passport to World of Hyatt, the process for transferring points from one account to another became a bit easier. Here is how to transfer World of Hyatt points from one member account to another. Transferring Hyatt points … Read more
Alaska Airlines Visa Companion Fare Today Alaska Airlines is announcing a new benefit to their Bank of America partner Visa card for customers signing up for the card in May and June. The Alaska Airlines Visa Companion Fare, which is usually $99 plus taxes, will be lowered to $0 plus taxes. … Read more
Travel to Europe with Alaska Airlines Miles I am a fan of Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan program. It helps that I live in Seattle (Alaska’s base). 95% of my domestic flights are on Alaska. Many other miles folks agree that Alaska is one of (if not the) best airline loyalty program. With … Read more
Samsung Rewards with Samsung Pay Update: Be careful when redeeming Samsung Rewards points for a Reward card. I exchanged 10,000 Samsung Rewards points for a $50 prepaid Visa card on November 9, 2017. They added the $50 to a card that expired on December 31, 2017. That gave me less … Read more
As Alaska Airlines is bringing Virgin America into the fold; there are bound to be growing pains. For example, Alaska’s on-time arrivals have dropped significantly since the merger. I am not sure about cause and effect, but delays are on the rise. This week Alaska announced additional routes out of Dallas … Read more
Imagine you rent a hotel room for the night in New York. The hotel is privately owned but the land it is on is being leased from the city. You made your reservation 4 months ago and you check in. You are assigned room 216 and you go there, unpack … Read more
Cheapoair Cancelation Fee of $50/$75 I just had a costly mistake that I want to warn you all about. All airlines operating to/from the USA have a grace period that allows you to cancel your flight within 24 hours of booking for no charge. The rules do not apply to travel … Read more
Delta 360 Status I had never heard of Delta 360 status until yesterday. I am not a frequent Delta flyer, so I am not too surprised. Apparently it is a top tier, invitation only status unadvertised by Delta. Not unlike United Global Services or American Concierge Key. A friend on … Read more
Dear Trump Airlines I have seen a lot of talk about Sir Richard Branson’s letter to Virgin America, lamenting the demise of the airline as it was purchased by Alaska Airlines. As I read through his letter, it reminded me of a letter I read 25 years ago from another … Read more
File this one under: “Didn’t see it coming”. Today Alaska Airlines announced Condor, a Frankfurt based airline, as their newest partner. Condor is owned by Thomas Cook Group, a British travel company. The earning structure when crediting Condor flights to Alaska Mileage Plan is surprisingly generous. Condor doesn’t have their … Read more
Alaska Airlines signaled they were serious about expansion when they purchased Virgin America back in December 2016. For the time being, Virgin America is sticking around. While not as flashy, Alaska has continued to show it’s commitment to dominance on the West Coast with subsequent announcements of new routes from … Read more
Virgin America Loft LAX Virgin America has a total of one airport lounge, the Virgin America Loft in LAX at Terminal 3. And soon it will be no more. Delta plans to take over Terminal 3 at LAX and Virgin America will be moving to Terminal 6 with their new … Read more
Hyatt House Anaheim Resort I find Hyatt’s two “Modern Essential” brands; Hyatt Place and Hyatt House, to be mostly cookie cutter. The rooms are all the same, the breakfasts are uniform and the staff are reliable. I’ve stayed at a number of both types of properties and rarely write about … Read more
Gift cards are an essential tool for many people that are serious about travel. For some, it is a way to lower the cost of travel by purchasing discounted gift cards for hotels, restaurants, or airlines. As an example, I recently purchased a $200 Hyatt gift card to trigger an Amex … Read more
In the world of travel, customer service is hugely important. When your flight is delayed or you have an issue checking into a hotel; customers need help immediately. With the rise in social media use, Twitter has become a front line for customer service. And expectations are high; waiting an … Read more