American Airlines is targeting Delta’s elites, AmEx is starting to displease some longtime fans, and British Airways is playing Scrooge with its partner awards. This Week’s Saturday Selection is a weekly roundup of interesting information from around the interwebs (links to each article are embedded in the title).
American Airlines is the latest airline to try to poach Delta’s elite class.
Delta Elites, have you noticed that other airline in the corner of the room? The one with the wandering gaze and coming eyes? It’s American Airlines and they would be happy to get your elite number. Since Delta Air Lines spent a fortune on its elite program earlier this fall, airline after airline has rallied around a swarm of disgruntled Delta loyalists, hoping to find someone who loves them as much as Delta used to. I started looking for a program. It was no secret that Alaska Airlines and JetBlue Airways were the first (and most obvious) suitors, and that they were looking to: and get off OPP (Properties of other programs). Delta Air Lines has now apologized for everything it said and partially reversed its most sweeping changes, but United Airlines and American Airlines have both reported a surge in applications for elite status matches to their programs. are doing. AA is too sophisticated to emulate the brazen tactics of Alaska Airlines and JetBlue Airways, but it has quietly released its own tactics. status challenge Delta’s (and United’s) elite tiers range from Diamond Medallions to the highest level of Executive Platinum status. At least Delta’s elites can rest in the knowledge that there are plenty of planes in the sky and someone wants you.
British Airways plays Scrooge with partners
British Airways (BA) has always been a bit of a scrooge, thanks to its industry-leading practice of charging exorbitant fees and “fuel surcharges” on many international award tickets, and in some cases charging round-trip costs. It can be said that it is. “Award ticket” travel of $1,500 or more. Fortunately, these charges may be alleviated by booking certain partners, one of whom Greg has written about here. Unfortunately, as airlines have completely discontinued Ebenezer and started restricting many of their award seats to their own Executive Club members and partners who share Avios as their award currency, finding BA seats on these partner airlines has become more difficult. is becoming increasingly difficult (Iberia, Aer) Lingus and Qatar). Restricting saver-level seats to your own tribe isn’t a rule among airlines, but it’s also not unheard of. Singapore has been doing that for years. one mile at a time Those who wrote about this change also discovered that some of these limited seats will start appearing on partner sites again as departure approaches. I think even Scrooge feels hopeless sometimes.
Man charged $500 to return rental car one day early
Recently, renting a car has become a bit risky.During the pandemic, rental car companies Sold most of the car inventory, which makes sense given that demand for cars is plummeting. When travel recovers, demand began to exceed supply And there were many people who made reservations and arrived at rental car facilities only to be told that there were no cars available. This created a fortunately short-lived phenomenon of people renting moving trucks in desperation. Also for the honeymoon. Therefore, Hearts Police arrest unsuspecting customers I didn’t do anything wrong other than returning the car on time (I forget if it was a felony or a misdemeanor). Finally, people who probably should have been arrested started stealing rental cars as part of a viral TikTok act.kia challenge” On a cold night in Columbus, Ohio, when I left the event and found out that my car wasn’t waiting for me, you too could really join in on the convivial atmosphere.
As a Pasadena man recently learned last month, it’s like braving a minefield to get through a rental car unscathed. An unsuspecting Mark traveled to Switzerland in a car from international non-imprisonment company Budget. Unfortunately he returned it a day early.He did not expect a refund but was shocked to learn that he was actually charged Add $500 Mr. Budget gave me the privilege of returning the car one day earlier than scheduled. I’ve seen this kind of detailed provision in contracts over the years, but I’ve never personally been forced into it. His NBC station, linked above, contacted the car company and was able to get the man’s Benjamin car back, but it would be good to double check the final bill before leaving to catch that plane. It’s a lesson.
Are you starting to feel uncomfortable with American Express?
If you’re reading this, you’re probably interested in points and miles. And if you’re into points and miles, American Express has probably gotten quite a bit of attention over the past few years. As the mastermind of his parade of permanent points, Amex offers non-stop spectacular Welcome His offers (such as the Business His Platinum offer of 190,000 points) and how quickly you can get your membership rewards. We have been competing to see who can shower us with it. The “Language for Life” offer has enabled some of us to obtain several Business Platinum Cards and Business Gold Cards. In contrast to its plethora of luxury services, AmEx has become a bit sullen in recent months, raising minimum spend and annual fees, as well as introducing an infuriating “family rule” that excludes receiving welcome bonuses. is added. on a particular card if you previously had another card in that “family”. The points parade hasn’t stopped yet, but some floats may have leaking tires. This tense situation is creating Benji comes to Miles to Memories It’s just a little uncomfortable.
Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or check out the podcast on your favorite podcast platform.