In Case You Missed It – A Recap Of The Week (1 April 2018)

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Summaries and links for all the posts which appeared on Traveling For Miles this week. Includes news of big changes coming to British Airways Avios, details of a Chase promotion you should be avoiding, a look at the Air New Zealand Dreamliner which will operate between Auckland and Chicago later this year, a possible ay for US travelers to save on Priority Pass membership, a look at which aircraft you should definitely avoid if you’re booking Virgin Atlantic Economy Class and more.

Click on the headlines to read more

Monday

Delta and Virgin Atlantic Increase Service Across The Atlantic (And Delta Improves Business Class Too)

Delta and Virgin Atlantic have just started flying some of the summer season schedules across the Atlantic and, as the airlines are very keen to stress, they’re increasing the number of seats on offer and, in Delta’s case, making some much needed improvement to the Business Class seats on offer on some routes.

Is This A Way For US Based Flyers To Save On Priority Pass Membership?

a bar with chairs in a room

Priority Pass is running its Spring Promotion right now and its offering travelers up to 20% off the full annual fee. Taking a look at the prices that are being offered on the US and UK Priority Pass websites I couldn’t help but notice that flyers in the US appear to be paying more than their counterparts across the Pond.

The Chase/Marriott/United Promotion Most Should Be Avoiding

Chase is running a promotion in conjunction with Marriott and United Airlines which may tempt some people but I’m here to tell you that it’s not really a great promotion at all. On the face of things the promotion may seem perfectly ok but when you look closely at the value on offer (and the value most would be giving up if they took part) the promotion really isn’t one that most should be participating in.

Tuesday

British Airways Avios Changes On The Way…..But To Whom Will They Matter?

a plane at an airport

On Monday morning Head For Points ran a post quoting an interview Alex Cruz (BA’s CEO) had with the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. In the interview Cruz gave the SCMP an insight into how he sees the airline’s loyalty program evolving and what we changes we can expect to start seeing later this year (or possibly in 2019). The changes Alex Cruz is describing are not in the slightest bit surprising but how they’re perceived will depend on what group of flyer someone falls into and how the implementation actually works.

Air Tahiti Nui 787 Dreamliner – Here’s What You Need To Know

a blue and white airplane flying in the sky

A look at the new Air Tahiti Nui 787 Dreamliner that is set to come into service from November 2018. This is the aircraft that will be taking over from the A340s on the LA to Tahiti route (the gateway to Bora Bora) as well as on Air Tahiti Nui’s routes to Tokyo and Auckland.

Lufthansa Is The Latest Airline To Introduce Biometric Boarding To LAX

Around two weeks ago British Airways announced that its biometric gate trials have gone so well in Los Angeles that it has rolled them out to Orlando and New York as well…and now Lufthansa is joining in at Los Angeles International Airport too.

Wednesday

Traveling Virgin Atlantic Economy Class? Avoid These Aircraft!

a plane parked at an airport

If you’re flying Virgin Atlantic Economy Class in 2018 you should do everything you can to avoid flying in the airline’s leased Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The Economy Class cabins in these A330s are not the same as you’ll find on other Virgin Atlantic aircraft and they promise nothing but a truly uncomfortable flight.

American Adds New Routes (And Quietly Cuts Routes Too)

American Airlines has announced an impressive looking set of new routes between the US and Central/South America set to start in late 2018/early 2019. What the airline failed to mention in its press release was that the new routes would be coming at the expense of service currently offered on other routes to South America.

DEAL: $50 Off Two Or More Hotel Nights With Citi ThankYou (Book By 30 April)

Citi is currently running a promotion offering ThankYou card holders $50 off a hotel booking of 2 nights or longer. There don’t seem to be any major strings attached to this promotion so, if you have a hotel stay you’re  looking to book, this could be an easy $50 saving.

10,000 Shell Gas Stations Now Accept Chase Pay

a blue and red logo

If you’re looking for a way to make sure you make the most of your second quarter Chase Freedom bonus categories then Chase may have just helped you out.

Singapore Airlines New Regional 787-10 Business & Economy Class Cabins

Singapore Airlines has just taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner and the airline has now revealed the cabins passengers can expect to find onboard. The 787-10 aircraft are configured with 337 seats across two classes (no First Class or Premium economy on this aircraft) and will operate on Singapore Airlines flights of up to 8 hours.

Thursday

Speculation: Cathay Pacific Will Downgrade Economy Class In The Next Year

In a recent interview with Bloomberg TV the Cathay Pacific CEO, Rupert Hogg, gave a little insight into what Cathay Pacific is doing to get its financials back on a steady footing. While what Hogg said was thin on detail his repeated statements that Cathay Pacific needs to find new sources of revenue may be a warning to Economy Class passengers.

Almost Confirmed: Big Changes To The Chase IHG Rewards Card

a close-up of a credit cardThe IHG Rewards credit card has long been one of the very best deals you can get in the miles & points world. As a card that offers a free night at any IHG hotel in the world in exchange for an annual fee of just $49 it has been selling itself for years. But the card looks to be on its way out and the opportunities to sign up for it as fast disappearing.

Friday

IHG Signs Up A New Crowne Plaza In Qatar

IHG has announced that it has signed an agreement to convert the M Doha Hotel into the Crowne Plaza Doha West bay by the end of August 2018. With the property in its current guise fairing reasonably well on TripAdvisor this could be a nice addition to the IHG portfolio for those visiting the Middle East.

New Air New Zealand Route To Chicago – Here’s What You Need To Know

a row of white seats in an airplane

Air New Zealand is the latest airline to announce that it will be launching an ultra haul flight using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner as the airline schedules service between Auckland and Chicago. Ultra long-haul routes are now slowly becoming more common but the aircraft that operate them vary significantly and it’s worth taking a closer look at what Air New Zealand offers before you think about trying this route out.

Starwood Promotion: Get 40% Off Every 2nd Night (Americas)

Starwood is running a promotion which is offering 40% off every second night at stays in various properties throughout the Americas. There doesn’t appear to be an end date for this promotion in the terms and conditions so it could be around  for some time or disappear as quickly as it appeared.
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