Chris McGinnis reported last week that United Airlines will remain in Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport through at least the end of January 2014. According to his sources, the renovation of the E concourse (American’s old gates from 60-67) has been delayed for several factors, pushing the expected completion back from its intended…
Virgin America Extends Status Match Program, Adds Southwest Airlines
Virgin America today extended its status match program for elite frequent fliers with American and United – and added Southwest Airlines. It’s a match/challenge combo, actually, where you’ll be matched outright until June 30, 2013 and offered the ability to extend your status through the end of 2013. This extension is for new applicants as…
Love It or Hate It, Airlines and Travel Writers Do April Fools Right
There’s just no escaping April Fools’ Day, especially if you’re engaged in monitoring social media all day. And while I’m not an enormous fan of it, there are some good ones today in the airline and travel world. Here are my favorites: Exclusive: Memo Details New United Airlines ‘Super Elite’ Level by Christopher Elliott: Did…
United Airlines Temporarily Closes Philadelphia Club
No, this isn’t an April Fools joke. In case you missed it from UA Insider on MilePoint or Flyertalk, United announced on Saturday that the United Club in Philadelphia is closed temporarily: Hi Everyone, I wanted to give you a heads up that we have temporarily closed the United Club at PHL, due to ventilation…
How an Airline Cleverly Spreads a Little Easter Cheer
I think this was a very clever and festive idea for an airline last Easter. Check out how Scandinavian Airlines surprised some travelers waiting for their luggage on the baggage carousel. Happy Easter weekend everyone!
Mileage Run Opportunity: $166.40 Nets 5,818 United PQMs PHX-BUF r/t
Here’s a stellar mileage run opportunity on United coming in at only 2.86 cents-per-mile. [Edited 5:00 p.m. PDT: And like that, this fare is gone! It lasted only hours today.] The $118 base roundtrip fare between Phoenix and Buffalo was filed today by United and likely won’t last long. It works in both directions, of…
The Cost and Allure of Airline Amenity Kits
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know I’m an avid collector of amenity kits and have an ongoing series reviewing them. They’re a fun item to collect and I love seeing each new generation an airline debuts, wondering if they’ve spruced it up or cheapened it down. Earlier this month, The Business…
Help a Reader: Where Should I Spend My 100-150K Miles Annually?
I received the following question from Peter and he (and I) would love additional feedback beyond what I provided. First, his question: I fly 200K – 250K for business (mostly China) and try to divide it between UA and AA to keep my top tier status with both. I will turn 40 soon and don’t want…
Vintage Airline Seat Map: United Airlines ‘Reno Commuter’ Boeing 727-100
Back in the 1970s, United Airlines operated “Reno Commuter†flights predominantly between Reno and Elko, Nevada, with further flying to Ely and Salt Lake City. Here is the Boeing 727-100 operated on the route for this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps. This single-class aircraft seated 112 passengers and offered a luxurious 36 inches of…
Hilton HHonors Reveals Second Quarter 2013 Bonus Point Promotion
In case you haven’t already read about it, Hilton HHonors has unveiled its second quarter 2013 bonus point promotion. The “Daily Grand†promotion runs from April 1 to June 30, 2013 and provides 1,000 bonus points for every weeknight of a stay, and 2,000 points for every weekend night. A weekend night is defined as…