In Case You Missed It – A Recap Of The Week (25 February 2018)

in case you missed it

TravelingForMiles.com may receive commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on TravelingForMiles.com are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. TravelingForMiles.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers.

Some links to products and travel providers on this website will earn Traveling For Miles a commission which helps contribute to the running of the site – I’m very grateful to anyone who uses these links but their use is entirely optional. The compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site and does not impact reviews that are published.


Summaries and links for all the posts which appeared on Traveling For Miles this week. Includes news of Qatar Airways latest QSuite equipped aircraft, a contrarian look at Marriott’s recent hotel category changes, a review of the oneworld Business Class lounge in Los Angeles, news that Emirates is significantly improving service to Houston, a review of the Andaz West Hollywood, details of Cathay pacific’s latest route and more.

Click on the headlines to read more

Monday

Emirates Will Fly To Auckland Via Bali From June 2018

a white airplane flying in the sky

Emirates has announced plans to start a new service between Dubai and Auckland which will stop off in Bali along the way. Thanks to ‘Fifth Freedom’ rules travelers will be able to fly solely between Auckland and Bali or Bali and Dubai if they so choose.

Contrarian View: Marriott’s Hotel Category Changes Are Not That Bad

Last week I analysed the changes Marriott announced that it would be making to its hotel categories from March 6th onwards. I concluded that the changes are clearly a net negative but I also said that I didn’t think they were quite as bad as some are making them out to be. I’ve now had time to take another look at the changes that are coming and I think I’ve found another way of looking at them.

Buy United Miles, Get A Bonus & A Chance To Win 1,000,000 Miles

a palm trees on a beach

United’s MileagePlus program is back with yet another mileage sale but this time the promotion offers a little bit more than normal. The last MileagePlus sale offered me a bonus of up to 60% (others may have been targeted for better bonuses) while the latest sale is offering a bonus of up to 75%. On top of this there’s a chance to win 1,000,000 miles in a sweepstake plus $9,800 to help cover any taxes incurred should you be the lucky winner.

Tuesday

Rewarding High Revenue Passengers Isn’t Always The Clever Thing To Do

As numerous airlines appear to be moving their loyalty programs in the direction of primarily rewarding high-spenders, I take a contrarian view and say that rewarding those who spend a lot with an airline isn’t necessarily the sensible or clever thing to do.

Review: Andaz West Hollywood King Suite

a chair in a room with a large window

A review of the Andaz West Hollywood (Andaz WeHo) following a six night stay in a King Suite over New Year. Everything is covered in this review from the King Suite itself and the service offered by the staff to the gym, the roof deck pool and even the breakfast, dinner and drinks menus offered by the Andaz.

United Announces First 737 MAX 9 Routes & Adds A Bit Of Nonsense For Good Measure

United Airlines has announced the first routes on which we’ll see the airline try out its new Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft and, with the announcement, the airline’s PR team couldn’t resist adding in a small bit of nonsense in the hope that no one will them out on it.

Wednesday

Qatar Airways Confirms First A350-1000 Route (And Hints At Others)

two airplanes in the sky

Qatar Airways was the launch customer for the Airbus A350-900 in July 2015 and now, a little over two and a half years later, the airline is the launch customer for the Airbus A350-1000 which was delivered yesterday.

Review: Oneworld Lounge LAX Tom Bradley International Terminal

A review of the Oneworld Business Class lounge at LAX’s Tom Bradley International terminal (TBIT). As the major business Class lounge in Los Angeles for passengers of British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas and JAL (amongst others) this is a lounge that really needs to offer a good product for passengers…but does it?

Hilton Is Adding 5 New Boutique-Style Properties In The US/Costa Rica In 2018

a hotel in the night

The Curio Collection is already slated to get 3 new European properties in March of this year and North America isn’t being left behind as a further five US/Costa Rica properties have already opened or are set to open in 2018.

Thursday

Good Qatar Airways Business Class Fares From Scandinavia To Asia

a seat with a pillow and a computer on the back of it

Qatar Airways is currently offering some good Business Class fares between Scandinavia and Asia but, unlike most Qatar Airways Business Class sales we see, the fares I’m seeing are only to a limited number of cities and for a comparatively small booking window.

News: Emirates Improves Houston Service Significantly, New Ritz-Carlton In The Caribbean & More

A roundup of some of the latest airline and hotel news announced recently. Includes details of a new Ritz-Carlton resort coming to the Caribbean, news that Emirates will restart its A380 service between Dubai and Houston, information on how you can check-in a case of wine for free on Alaska Airlines & details of when the Malaysia Airlines lounges in Kuala Lumpur will reopen.

Cathay Pacific Will Launch Service To Cape Town This Year

a city with a green lawn and mountains

Cathay pacific has announced that it will launch a non-stop service between Hong Kong and Cape Town using its Airbus A350 aircraft. The service will operate from November 2018 through to February 2019 on a 3x/week schedule.

Friday

Qantas Will Completely Renovate Its Sydney Business Class Lounge

Qantas has announced that it will renovate the Qantas Business Class lounge in Sydney’s international terminal staring in the third quarter of 2018. The project will be carried out in phases to keep the lounge open for travelers and the works are expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

Perth Will Be Singapore Airlines’ Second 787-10 Destination From 7 May 2018

a large airplane flying in the sky

Singapore Airlines has confirmed that the second destination it will serve with its new 787-10 Dreamliner will be Perth in Western Australia. The airline will be the first in the world to offer the stretch Dreamliner when it add it to the Singapore – Osaka route from 3 May 2018 and Perth won’t be far behind as Singapore Airlines sends its new aircraft to Western Australia from 7 May 2018.