Earlier this week, United announced it would begin service to Iceland starting next May. The new route creates a great opportunity for an Iceland stopover on your way to Europe or back if using United miles. Last year, United...
So Much for Flying Air Berlin…
I am on a business trip to Europe to this week and had planned to travel on Air Berlin from Los Angeles to Dusseldorf yesterday. Unfortunately, the carrier’s bankruptcy complicated my plans. Although this trip has been scheduled for...
Next Trip: Aerolineas Argentinas, Air Europa, and Alitalia!
Some trips I book months in advance, some trips I book the day before. This is one of those trips that I have been looking forward to for months. While it may not be reasonably possible to review every...
Why British Airways Redemptions on AA Rarely Make Sense
View from the Wing’s expose on AA fuel surcharges is damning, but even with properly charged taxes/fees it just rarely makes sense to use your American miles for British Airways longhaul economy class flights. Rule #1 in booking award...
21 Hours in Saudia First Class…
Hello from Dubai, where it is a moderate 102ºF today. Yesterday, I wrote about the travails of transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Korean Air Skypass. Today, I want to talk about what I booked. I was really...
Caution: Chase Strictly Limits Korean Air SkyPass Transfers
Word of warning: Chase points can only be transferred to Korean Air SkyPass once every 24 hours. I learned the hard way. I’m not traveling home tomorrow on Turkish Airlines…or Kuwait Airways. No, I think I’ve got something even...
American Airlines Introduces the “Anti-Matthew Rule” on Award Tickets
My heart sank yesterday when I saw that American Airlines is restricting the number of segments permitted on award travel. The new one-way limits include: Domestic USA + Canada: Three [3] segments Other destinations (including Puerto Rico + US...
Reader Question: Where to Transfer 224K AMEX Points?
Reader Sam e-mailed me for advice on what to do with 224K American Express Membership Rewards points. I have decided to cancel my American Express Platinum Card as $550 is too steep for me. The only thing I liked...
Here’s Why United’s Award Booking Rules are Just Stupid
I run Award Expert, a boutique travel consulting agency that specializes in the effective use of miles and points. Consequently, my team and I are well-acquainted with the nuances of every loyalty program worth talking about. Not surprisingly, we deal with United...
Why It Matters: 24hr Free Cancellation on AA Award Tickets
American Airlines now lets you refund your award ticket up to 24 hours after purchase, as long as travel is more than two days away. Both United and Delta allow complimentary changes and cancellations within 24 hours, so AA...
Bad News: Iberia Awards Now Bookable Online with AA Miles
Bad news or good news: it all depends on how you look at it. American Airlines now lets you book awards on oneworld partner Iberia online. That’s great news for those who never knew Iberia existed, but bad news for...
Virgin Atlantic Fuel Surcharges on Delta: Don’t Be a Fool
Last night we saw multiple reports of Delta adding massive fuel surcharges to Virgin Atlantic Upper Class redemptions. This morning the fuel surcharges are gone. Search for Virgin Atlantic award space on delta.com and you’ll see that the fuel...
Two Secret Ways to Get to Australia Using Your AA Miles
Getting to Australia using American Airlines miles is no easy task. But two relatively obscure partners increase your odds of finding a way there for a reasonable price. When searching for award space using your AA miles you must look beyond...
The Worst Aeroplan Redemption I’ve Ever Made
Rule #1 of using miles and points: be pragmatic. Sometimes a redemption appears horrible on paper but still makes great sense. I’m in Vienna, Austria for the weekend and the trip came about at the last possible moment. I was in...
Delta Closes SkyMiles Loophole
10 days ago Delta devalued its SkyMiles loyalty program further by raising the price of partner awards without notice. But it left an odd loophole that could be used to book awards at the old price. That loophole is now...
New Tricks for Booking Air Tahiti Nui Award Space with AA
A couple weeks ago I wrote about the inability of American Airlines agents to confirm award space on Air Tahiti Nui. This wasn’t just a couple bad agents, but a recurring problem experienced over dozens of calls and days....
Loophole: How to Beat Delta’s Latest Devaluation
True to form, Delta unleashed a massive Skymiles devaluation today without any notice. But you can get around it. For now, at least… Delta describes today’s change as nothing out of the ordinary– This change is part of Delta’s regular...
Be Vigilant Against This Unnecessary AA Fee
What is one AA fee that continues to be secretly inserted into many reservations? Although telephone booking fees for partner award tickets that cannot be booked online are (in theory) a thing of the past on AA, agents are...
AA Unable to Confirm Air Tahiti Nui Award Space
Just a heads up, Award Expert has been unable to confirm any award space on Air Tahiti Nui using AA miles for the last two weeks. Air Tahiti Nui is one of my favorite ways to get from the...
Introduction: Adventures on SkyTeam
I’ve flown most Star Alliance and oneworld carriers, but very few on SkyTeam. When Garuda Indonesia offered 90%-off first class award redemptions, I sensed an opportunity not only to try SkyTeam’s premier first class product, but also sample additional...
