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

a calendar with a picture of a building and a city

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Summaries and links for all the posts which appeared on Traveling For Miles this week. Includes a good Business Class fare between the US and India, a review of the Qatar Airways A330 Business Class product, a look inside a Finnair Business Class lounge in Helsinki, news that efficient travel between Heathrow and London is about to get cheaper, how to get up to 20% off Priority pass membership, a first look at the new Qantas lounge in Perth and a lot more.

Click on the headlines to read more

Monday

Crossrail’s Elizabeth Line Will Make Efficient Travel From Heathrow Into London Cheaper

London is not a cheap city to visit and getting a taxi from Heathrow to the center of London can often leave you wondering if you should remortgage your home or sell an organ to raise the fare. There’s aways the option of the London underground but that’s not exactly speedy and while the Heathrow Express train service is certainly quick it’s certainly not cheap. Perhaps Crossrail will be the answer.

Review: Finnair Business Class Lounge Helsinki (Non-Schengen Area)

Finnair Business Class Lounge Helsinki (Non-Schengen Area)

A review of the Finnair Business Class lounge in the non-Schengen area of Helsinki airport. With a few hours to kill before my onward flight I had plenty of time to check out the Business Class lounge’s facilities, seating and dining options…so how did it rate?

Chase Unveils Two New Airline Credit Cards….And I Really Don’t Like Either

I’m an unabashed fan of Chase and a large number of the credit cards the bank issues but I’m struggling to see the point of the Chase Iberia Visa credit card or the Chase Aer Lingus credit card announced by the bank towards the end of last week.

Tuesday

DEAL: Priority Pass Spring Promotion – Up To 20% Off Membership

a bar with chairs in a room

Priority Pass has launched its spring promotion which runs from 14 to 31 March 2018. This year the promotion is offering up to 20% off annual Priority Pass memberships so, if you don’t have membership through a credit card, this may be worth looking into.

American Airlines Adds Lie-Flat Seats To LAX – Philadelphia Route

In its latest schedule update American Airlines has scheduled an Airbus A330 to operate on the Philadelphia – Los Angeles route from 24 March 2018 (LAX-PHL service starts on 25 March).

Alaska Airlines Upgrades Its First Class Menu & Will Upgrade Onboard Amenities Too

a bowl of noodles and vegetables

I the last ten days we’ve heard United announce some changes to its domestic buy onboard menu, we’ve heard Delta saying that it’s improving its international Main Cabin meals (and Delta One meals on one route) and we’ve heard American Airlines say that it’s going to try to be more like JAL on its transpacific routes. Now it’s Alaska’s turn to tell us about its menu upgrades.

Up To 25% Off Qantas Explorer Fares When Booking US – Australia Flights (Ends 26 March)

Qantas Explorer is a way of saving on airfare if you plan to visit Australia and, while you’re there, take a number of domestic flights on Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar. Between now and 26 march Qantas is offering up to 25% off Qantas Explore fares when combined with a Qantas or AA transpacific flight.

Wednesday

Qatar Airway Introduces Oryx Kids Club – A New Loyalty Program For Kids

a group of people in clothing

Qatar Airways’ loyalty/rewards program is called “Privilege Club” but, to be a member, a traveler has to be at least 12 years of age. Now, however, in what appears to be an attempt to fill the age gap leading up to when a child can join the Privilege Club, Qatar Airways has introduced a new loyalty program for kids – the Oryx Kids Club

Cleveland Gets A Priority Pass Restaurant/Bar (It’s Part Of The Network Already)

Bar Symon on Concourse C at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has joined Priority Pass as of 17 March 2018. There’s something beautifully poetic about a bar joining Priority Pass on St Patrick’s day but that’s really what happened last weekend. Ok, so the venue isn’t just a bar (it’s a restaurant too) but the name “Bar Symon” does seem to indicate where the establishment’s expertise lies.

Review: Qatar Airways A330 Business Class Day Flight (HEL-DOH)

a seat on a plane

A review of the Qatar Airways A330 Business class cabin and service as experienced on a daytime flight between Helsinki and Doha Hammad International airport. With the Qatar Airways A330 Business Class cabin offering some of the oldest Business Class seats in the airline’s wide-body fleet just how good or bad is the offering?

Iberia Announces New Airbus A350 Schedule To New York (And London)

The first routes for the Iberia Airbus A350 have now been scheduled so we now know when the aircraft will appear on the Madrid – New York route and what short-haul flights it will be performing in Europe before its long-haul launch. Here’s what you need to know about the Iberia A350.

Thursday

British Airways Is Changing The Way It Files Short-Haul Fares From 4 April – Could This Be Good News?

a plane at an airport

British Airways has sent a note out to travel industry professionals reminding them that the way the airline presents and files its short-haul fares will be changing from 4 April 2018. Normally how an airline presents its fares to the travel industry isn’t really of importance or interest to regular travelers but, in this instance, there may be more to this than just a few name and presentation changes.

Delta Adds Service Between Boston & Las Vegas

Back in August 2016 Delta announced a number of new services out of Boston, in September of the same year it added flights to Dublin, as of 1 April this year the airline will offer Delta One service between Boston and LAX and now Delta has said that it will offer flights to Las Vegas out of Beantown.

How To Transfer Points From Chase Ultimate Rewards To Airlines

a group of logos on a white background

This is a quick and easy step-by-step guide showing how you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to various airline loyalty programs – it’s very basic and underlines just how easy the Ultimate rewards program is to use.

You Can Now Get A 30% Discount When You Buy Choice Privileges Points

Choice Privileges Rewards has launched its latest promotion in which members can get a discount of up to 30% when they purchase points by mid-April. While I’ve been able to make the most of Choice points sales in the past I’ve usually found that only very specific promotions offer great value….so how does this one look?

Friday

Up To 33% Off Radisson Weekend Stays Through 31 August 2018

a advertisement for a hotel

Radisson has launched yet another promotion and this time it’s aimed at travelers looking to stay in Europe, the Middle East or Africa between now and 31 August 2018. As is getting more common with Radisson, the rules aren’t as straightforward as one might hope so make sure you read the T&Cs before booking.

American Airlines Is Selling Miles Again And This Time They’re Worth A Closer Look

American Airlines is back again with one of its very frequent miles sales. The past few sales have been poor (to say the least) but, while I usually advise against buying AAdvantage Miles, this time around I can definitely see where buying miles in this promotion may work for some.

Fare Alert: Qatar Airways Business Class USA – India (From $2,851 RT)

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

I don’t normally post fare alerts for one specific fare on one specific route but I thought I’d make an exception in this case as it’s a pretty good deal. Qatar Airways is currently running a USA – India promotion from all the US cities it serves and while most fares are nothing to get excited about, one really stands out.

Qantas Unveils Its New International Transit Lounge In Perth

a room with a large round table and chairs

With the launch of Qantas’ new Perth – London route less than 24 hours away the airline has now revealed what passengers can expect in the new Qantas Perth International Transit Lounge – here’s a first look at what the lounge offers.