Matt at Live and Let’s Fly wrote a piece a few days ago calling doors in business class suites “(a)n n unnecessary gimmick”. His main argument is that such doors are (1) thin and flimsy, (2) not tall enough to provide a meaningful amount of privacy, (3) poor in quality, and finally (4) conducive to a sense of claustrophobia. Instead,…
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The Points Guy recently published a quantitative analysis arguing that the Marriott points, even after the implementation of dynamic awards, retain its purported value of ~0.8 cent/pt. To get that conclusion, they pulled data from 50+ hotels over ~150 days. In fact, the average redemption value after the dynamic award is in place is 0.84 c/pt. They thus concluded that…
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Recently we became aware of the opening of Le Méridien in Maldives, marking the 6th Marriott property in this island nation. What sets Le Méridien apart though is that it is a Category 5 hotel. A standard award would cost you 35k Bonvoy points and even the peak-season pricing means 40k points, a true bargain considering how expensive everything is…
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One hidden gem of World of Hyatt is the ability to redeem points for a suite and get a confirmed room at the time of booking. By comparison Marriott will only begin processing the request five days prior to arrival, and IHG and Hilton do not offer such options Typically you could achieve an outsized value of points this way,…
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The ongoing coronavirus outbreak in China has certainly generated huge impact on the travel industry worldwide. We have seen airlines cancelling flights to and from China, and many hotels in China remain close. Needless to say, lots of people have to change or cancel their travel plans, affecting their ability to reach elite status this calendar year. Given this situation,…
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Follow our Instagram account (instagram.com/uscreditcardguide) for more trip reports! Doha is among the latest cities in the world to host a Park Hyatt in town. Considered as the flagship brand in Hyatt portfolio, Park Hyatt symbols a subdued sense of luxury and offers a cozy residential feeling. Opened in Dec 2019, Park Hyatt Doha provides a much-needed addition to Hyatt’s…
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[2019.12 Update] Today Marriott changed its official terms and conditions, and the 10 elite night credit for Marriott Bonvoy Events will officially end on Dec 31, 2019. A strong rumor recently surfaced among the Points & Miles community (1, 2) regarding Marriott’s intent to get rid of the ability to earn 10 Elite Qualifying Nights from your first Marriott Bonvoy Events…
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In early December American Airlines extended its “Web Special” pricing from Economy to Business and First Class. We have seen reports of some marginally discounted domestic first class award, but wonder if similar discounts will ever apply to international premium cabins—the crown jewel of mileage redemption—until now. This morning we spotted that AA has released a substantial amount of saver…
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Starting from today, you can redeem your AAdvantage Miles towards flights operated by China Southern (CZ). At the same time, you could also earn redeemable miles on all CZ-operated and -coded flight, with an earning rate outlined below. Understandably, the accrual rate is pretty bad on some heavily discounted cabin, and you should also be aware that it will NOT…
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Alaska Airlines just launched a promotion with fast track to MVP and MVP Gold. Typically you need to fly 20,000 miles and 40,000 miles on Alaska metals (and 25% more on partners) to obtain those status. Now, with this offer, you could earn: MVP status after completing 2 round trips (4 qualifying flights). MVP Gold status after completing 4 round trips (8…
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Back in May Singapore Airlines announced that it would resume world’s longest commercial flight between Singapore and Newark, NJ. The flight distance is 9,534 miles and it takes a jaw-dropping 17 hours and 50 minutes to complete the journey. This route used to be operated by an all-business-class Airbus A340, whose fuel economy was so bad that Singapore Airlines eventually cancelled the…
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DEVGRU* (correspondence author), jimmy0017 Long-term exposure to ambient noise can lead to adverse effects on human health, and aircraft cabin is a typical noisy environment. Here, we report the cabin noise level of ten mainstream airframes (other than Boeing 747) based on 48 in situ measurements. Airbus A380 is the quietest plane in the sky. With the exception of Boeing…
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Yesterday we noticed that American Express has just added Avianca LifeMiles as one of the Membership Rewards transfer partners. The transfer rate is currently 1:1. The partnership between Amex and LifeMiles undoubtedly boosted the value of Membership Rewards points, especially in terms of redeeming Star Alliance flights. Now Amex has four SA partners: Avianca LifeMiles, ANA Mileage Club, Air Canada…
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Today it was announced that American Airlines is going to raise the revenue requirements for Executive Platinum. At American, it used to be the case that you need to spend $12,000 Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQD) to earn the Executive Platinum status. Now the EQD threshold has increased to $15,000, representing a 25% hike. This move actually mirrored what United has done…
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[Update] Citi has now announced changes via TPG. The 4th night free benefit will be limited to 2 times per calendar year, and the annual fee will become $495. See the update part of Citi Prestige review for more details. Today one of our readers reported that a new point earning structure will come to Citi Prestige later this year. He…
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