POINT.ME is a new award search tool that lays the foundation for an award travel metasearch that can truly make our lives easier and our miles and points more valuable. POINT.ME, A Promising New Award Search Tool The new...
Is Now The Time To Buy Aeroplan Miles? (80% Bonus)
Aeroplan miles are on sale (again), this time with an 80% bonus if you buy at least 60,000 miles. That works out to about 1.3 cents each. Is now the time to buy miles? Aeroplan Miles On Sale –...
Latest Flying Blue Devaluation Is Just Another Day In A Post-Award Chart World
Without the transparency of award charts, prices rise overnight or destinations magically move to different regions, all without notice. That’s what happened to Israel, a long-term Flying Blue sweet spot, over the weekend. Flying Blue Devaluation: Israel Sweet Spot...
Delta Air Lines Saver Award Space: The Unicorn
I’ve been looking at the calendar trying to plan travel for the next several months and am struck by the total lack of reasonably-priced award space on Delta Air Lines for the next year. Want to book Delta premium...
Southwest Airlines Devalues, Expect Others To Follow
Airlines will devalue this year…because they can get away with it. We’ve already seen it with United and Delta. Now we’ve seen it with Southwest Airlines. Expect more. Spend your miles now. Southwest Airlines Devalues Without Notice…Others Will Too...
British Airways’ No-Notice Devaluation On Short Haul Awards
British Airways has raised pricing on its short- and mid-haul awards without notice. As usual, the problem is not with the devaluation, but with the lack of communication surrounding it. British Airways Increases Shorthaul Flight Pricing By 750 Avios...
United Airlines Now Charges Flat Rate For Infant Award Tickets
In a very positive development, particularly in light of my recent struggles with American Airlines, United Airlines will now charge a reasonable flat rate for international infant award tickets depending upon region and cabin of service. Flat Rate Pricing...
Infant Award Tickets: Avianca LifeMiles Vs. Air Canada Aeroplan
Time is money and the bottom line is this: adding an infant to award tickets from Avianca LifeMiles is truly a pain. That’s why I am happy to pay more miles for an identical ticket on Air Canada Aeroplan....
50% Off British Airways Award Tickets: A Compelling Redemption?
With international borders still heavily restricted and coronavirus cases ticking up in Europe, it isn’t clear whether my family will be heading to Germany for Christmas this year. But the prospect of traveling, at least one way, on British...
Premium Award Seats Better For Balance Sheets
Airlines are happy to award more miles to customers who spend more money. But they sometimes forget that releasing premium award seats (business and first class) is better for the balance sheet too. If you are considering booking travel or signing up...
Unpopular: Variably-Priced Awards Are Better For Most
By November of 2019, the three largest airlines in the world (American, Delta and United) will all have variably-priced award flights in one form or another. Frequent flyers lament them, but for most travellers, it’s good news. If you...
Booked: A Wild Trip Home From Yerevan
How would you get back from Yerevan to Los Angeles? I’m making five stops using three tickets. The sane person would take Aeroflot via Moscow or Austrian via Vienna. But I’m a travel blogger…and I’m cheap. Everything came together...
How Delta And Alitalia Saved The Day After Air France Delay
Delta and Alitalia really saved the day after an Air France delay my clients in jeopardy of missing an important family event. My Award Expert clients were flying from Washington to Tel Aviv via Paris on Air France in...
Sometimes The Best Use Of Miles Is For The Cheap Seats
121Pilot, a commercial airline pilot and frequent contributor to Live and Let’s Fly, offers his thoughts on why economy class redemptions can make so much sense. As an airline pilot I have access to free travel on the airline...
ANA A380 Business + First Class Award Space Available
ANA is finally releasing some saver award space to Star Alliance partners for its new A380 service between Honolulu and Tokyo Narita. It was always only a matter for time. From the start, the airline said that it would,...
Negative Iberia Avios Account Didn’t Affect My Trip
Last year I participated in Iberia’s excellent Avios promotion which awarded me 90,000 Avios for purchasing 10 one-way tickets. Iberia’s technology failed and issued me a negative balance. I wondered at the time how that might affect my redemption...
Avianca Award Changes Model Pricing Variability
Avianca announced positive changes to their award chart for domestic United States awards with some variability, It is a perfect model for how US airlines, like American, can avoid throwing out award charts but still adding value to both...
And Now I Love Flying Blue Even More Than Before…
On Wednesday I argued that Flying Blue, the loyalty program of Air France/KLM, may provide a model for an acceptable dynamic-priced award program. I’ve got a new data point to bolster my argument. I’m in Italy on business this...
Air France Flying Blue: A Dynamic “Devaluation” That Works
For the optimists out there, consider that the Air France Flying Blue program may offer a positive example for U.S. airline loyalty programs moving to a dynamic pricing model. Last year, Flying Blue, the loyalty program of Air France-KLM,...
FYI: Air India Award Space Currently Not Bookable With United Miles
If you’re trying to book an Air India flight using your United miles, you cannot…at least for the time being. United Airlines has had some issues with its Star Alliance partner award inventory lately. For several weeks, bookings with...
