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
At the time of this post, there are some great fares from the US to Europe. Some of these dates are even over the high summer months of travel. The best part (for me) is that some of the fares are valid departing Seattle. Seattle (and elsewhere in the Pacific … Read more
Virgin America Mileage Run Up until recently, Virgin America allowed for VERY creative routing for travel between Portland, OR (PDX) and Los Angeles (LAX). Depending on the dates, you could fly from PDX-LAX with stops in San Francisco, Florida, New York, Boston, and/or DC for under $100. Virgin America has … Read more
What is it with me and hotels in Chicago? Back in September Virgin Hotels ran a contest called “Chamber Games” where you had to watch a webcam and then tweet when you saw the video that corresponded with a clue given out on Twitter. I was notified on September 28 … Read more
Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore Airlines has a nice network of their KrisFlyer lounges around the world like the one I visited in Sydney. When departing from Singapore flying in Singapore Airlines First Class or Suites Class, you have access to exclusive Singapore Airlines The Private Room located in Terminal … Read more