Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: September 4, 2013

A brief sampling of industry news that caught my attention today: Delta Air Lines cranked out several news releases today, including its August 2013 performance (85% of flights were on-time and PRASM was up 4%), an order for 40 Airbus aircraft (10 A330s and 30 A321s), and an announcement of chef-driven food and beverage outlets…

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Confessions of an Elite Status Junkie: Part Three

[This is my third post in a series dedicated to revealing the thoughts, behaviors and actions of an elite status junkie – namely, me. You can read the first installment here, and the second one here.] DYKWIA Begins With a Double Upgrade from Coach to First Class Having locked in United’s Premier level for two…

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Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: September 3, 2013

A brief sampling of industry news that caught my attention today: I certainly didn’t see this route coming. British Airways today announced new nonstop Austin-London service using Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Five-times weekly flights begin March 2014, with daily service commencing in May. In negative British Airways news, a passenger bought a promoted tweet after the…

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United Offers 3-Day 30-60 Percent Bonus on Purchased Miles

United Airlines today launched a new MileagePlus “People Power†purchased miles promotion (phew… that’s a lot of “Psâ€), where you can earn a 30-60 percent bonus when buying miles. The actual bonus amount depends on how many members participate via the dedicated link. Here’s how it works: Each participating member will receive a minimum 30…

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United Club ‘Enhancements’ Starting This Month: Booze, Wi-Fi

In case you missed (or didn’t receive) United’s email announcement on Friday afternoon before the long weekend, a couple of changes are coming to United Clubs this month. And as usual, they have stirred a bit of a debate in the online forums. First, here’s the announcement: The email goes on: Expanded beverage program: We’re…

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Amenity Kit Review: Delta Air Lines BusinessElite – Tumi

Delta Air Lines introduced its newest BusinessElite amenity kit in late February 2013, and the fine folks at Delta just recently sent me a couple for my collection – a very nice gesture I will pay forward by giving away the second one here on the blog. That giveaway will come later this month, so…

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Top 10 Frequently Flying Posts: August 2013

It’s the start of a new month and here’s a look back at the top 10 viewed posts here on Frequently Flying in August. You can earn up to 7,500 United Airlines MileagePlus miles buying Marriott gift cards until September 7. I began a multi-part series exploring my “addiction” to airline and hotel elite status:…

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Vintage Airline Seat Map: American Eagle Saab 340B

It’s time for a little regional airline love in this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps. Appearing below is the layout for an American Eagle Saab 340B (SF3) turboprop seen flying the skies in the early 1990s. Unlike all other Eagle aircraft flying at the time with row numbering beginning at “1,†American Airlines began…

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Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: August 29-30, 2013

A brief sampling of industry news from the past two days that caught my attention: American Airlines and US Airways won a mini-battle against the Justice Department today, as a judge ruled that a March start date for the antitrust trial as requested by the DOJ was “too far off.” The trial is expected to…

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Last Day to Register for JetBlue’s TrueBlue Mosaic Challenge is Tomorrow

August 31 is the last day to request enrollment in JetBlue’s TrueBlue Mosaic Challenge, where (once approved) TrueBlue members will have 90 days to earn 3,750 base flight points to lock in Mosaic status. The program is open to frequent fliers holding elite status with Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, Southwest, United and US Airways. To…

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