I had a feeling it was too good to be true… Earlier this week I wrote about Flying Blue no longer collecting fuel surcharges on Air Europa flights. Well, the fuel surcharges are back. Suddenly, taxes/fees that were $100...
British Airways Officially Acknowledges AA Award Booking Issue
For several weeks, it has been difficult (though not impossible) to book award flights on American Airlines using the British Airways Executive Club website. While the problem is not fixed, at least British Airways has acknowledged it. Lately, AA...
Flying Blue Drops Fuel Surcharges on Valuable SkyTeam Partner
Big news if you like using your miles to travel to Europe in business class and don’t like paying high surcharges: Flying Blue is currently not collecting fuel surcharges on Air Europa flights. Airline award space, particularly in premium...
An Abortive Argument Against An Arrogant American Airlines’ Agent
I don’t know when I am going to practice what I preach, but I could not help but to argue with an AA reservation agent on Saturday. As always, it was to my own detriment. Here’s the story. An...
United Saver Award Sale to Outdoor Destinations
Ever wanted to visit a beautiful National Park in the USA with your miles? United Airlines is offering a 20-25% discount on select mountain and outdoor destinations this week for travel in June. For bookings made through May 21st,...
Glitch? Odd Award Pricing From Delta
On Delta, adding an extra flight to your award ticket may reduce the overall price. This concept is not new: “hidden city ticketing” has been exploited for years (see skiplagged.com, for example). I’ve been booking award tickets on a...
I’m Giving Malaysia Airlines First Class Another Shot
I had to laugh when I read Lucky’s plan for his next trip. I had just checked in for the same flight hours before reading it. There’s no better way to get from Southeast Asia to Japan. I’m talking...
A Boring But Brilliant Award Redemption
Sometimes the best use of your miles is not for a luxurious longhaul first class flight but a short domestic flight in economy class. An Award Expert client needed to travel from Chicago to Birmingham this weekend. Dates were...
Booking a 50K Lufthansa First Class Award with Asiana
A first class Lufthansa award ticket between North America and Europe is only 50,000 Asiana Club miles, an excellent value. But be warned, booking is not a straightforward process. Asiana Club is a Starwood Preferred Guest transfer partner, meaning...
Why I’m Flying Los Angeles to Rome via Munich, Zurich, AND Frankfurt
You know you’re an airline junkie when you fly from Los Angeles to Rome deliberately via Munich, Zurich, AND Frankfurt. I’m traveling through Italy later this week and next on business. This is no vacation–I’ll be spending most days...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: March 25, 2018
Spring began in Los Angeles this week with one more rainstorm, a fitting end to a rather meager winter. I’m still here, further extending my record of time in the last decade I have not stepped onto an airplane....
My Thought Process In Building A Multi-City Award Trip
We receive many interesting requests at Award Expert, my award booking service, including some that require a bit of creativity. Let me tell you about a recent trip. The client lived in Philadelphia. His destination: Beijing. He wanted to...
Delta: Legitimate Fraud Protection or SkyMiles Devaluation?
Delta SkyMiles international award tickets now carry a draconian new restriction: they must booked at least three days in advance if they do not start or end in the U.S. or Canada. Is this a legitimate fraud protection or...
Mea Culpa: A350 Delta One Suites for 60K Miles
“To err is human; to forgive, divine” – Alexander Pope (1709) I must admit I got a tad annoyed yesterday. I scheduled a post entitled How to Book A350 Delta One Suites for Cheap(er) Using Miles for yesterday morning and went...
20% Off Award Flights to Hawaii on United Airlines
United Airlines is running a 20% off flash sale on saver award flights to Hawaii. If you’re a United Premier member or a United-branded credit card holder, a pre-sale has already began and you can book space today. If...
How to Book A350 Delta One Suites for Cheap(er) Using Miles
While searching for routes to get an Award Expert client home from China earlier this morning, I was surprised to find that Delta’s flagship A350 suites were available at a very reasonable price for next-day travel. Delta operates or will...
Reminder: Your Alitalia Miles Expire on March 31st (and How to Extend Them)
Just a friendly reminder that if you are still sitting on Alitalia MilleMiglia miles from last year, you have until March 31, 2018 to burn them. In some loyalty programs, your miles expire due to inactivity. In others, your account expires...
Aeroplan Still Can’t Book LOT Polish Awards
While Aeroplan has solved its hold time issues, it remains uniquely unable to book a handful of Star Alliance partner airlines. Add LOT Polish to that list. Last December, Dominik from Traveling the World wrote about the issue. Sadly, three months have...
Why Latest United Airlines Promo May Not Make Sense for You
United Airlines is running an attractive promotion on award redemptions to four incredible destinations. But before you jump on the bandwagon, make sure you practice due diligence. Now through March 2, 2018 you can save 20% on economy class...
Let’s Give Alaska Airlines Credit for Listening
Yesterday I was rather blunt in saying that I had lost my trust in the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program. But after partially rolling back its latest no-notice devaluation, I’m happy to shower Alaska Airlines with praise. First, Alaska...
