Observation Deck

Here Are My Favorite Travel Podcasts (And A Few More)

July 30, 2018By Edward Pizzarello4 Comments

Here are some of my favorite travel podcasts, and a few others I can’t stop listening to.

Pizza On A Podcast! Hanging Out On The Observation Deck

July 20, 2017By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

I always have a ton of fun talking travel. That’s why I was happy when the Observation Deck folks let me ramble for 30 minutes about a range of subjects. Listen in!

Hyatt Brings Back One Of My Favorite Promotions, 10% Back On All Point Redemptions!

Hyatt is running one of my favorite promos again this summer. They’ve been pretty consistent with this one. It’s easy, and rewarding. All you need is to hold either of the two Hyatt credit cards and register as well. Do that now. It’s that simple to earn 10% back on all Point redemptions. Hyatt will give all co-branded credit cardholders a 10% rebate on pretty much all points you redeem between July 1st and September 2nd, 2019. That’s: Award rooms Points & cash reservations Room upgrades Dining and spa reservations Exhale classes […]

Hotels Believe Customers Appreciate Resort Fees? Really?

A top voice in the hotel industry thinks hotel guests appreciate resort fees. I have yet to meet a hotel guest that agrees with that sentiment. What’s your opinion?

United Takes A Bite Out Of Me And New Award Flights To Tokyo

Boy, it was a rough week for me on the miles and points front! United Airlines decided to take 165K miles from my account. When I called to point out that it was a mistake, United took 15K more miles. It’s still a developing situation, but you can hear more about it on this week’s episode of the Miles to Go podcast. You’ll also learn about a promotion MasterCard is running with Airbnb that can save you $25 on a tour or experience on your next vacation. And, we dive […]

American Airlines Gifting Status To Members (Targeted)

Did you get targeted for American Airlines’ most recent status gift and status match opportunity?

QUICK! Purchase Hyatt Points At The Cheapest Price Today

You’ll need to be quick, but the Hyatt points on sale today via Daily Getaways are a great deal. The larger packages are enough for a long weekend or short vacation.

I Flew Frontier, Saved $400 And Didn’t Die. My Frontier Airlines Review

Those low-cost carriers always have very appetizing fare sales. Who wouldn’t want to pay $20 to fly somewhere? But, what does $20 really buy you? I found out exactly what Frontier does (and doesn’t) offer customers on my first flight with them recently.

How To Use New Metro Silver Line To Get Between Dulles and Reagan National Airports

People talk about how bad the traffic is in places like Los Angeles with plenty of adjectives. And, it is quite bad. But, the traffic in DC is what I refer to as “stealthy bad”. It doesn’t get the same press that LA traffic does, but a trip that normally takes an hour can easily turn into a 3-hour ordeal. With visiting dignitaries, protests and construction as variables, weather can also wreak havoc on a system that consistently backs up during rush hour. For those of us that live in […]

A Summary Of United Airlines Global Services Benefits

As travel has gotten more stressful the benefits of elite status are even more valuable. In some cases, what used to be free for everyone is now only free for those customers that fly most frequently. I value my American Airlines Executive Platinum status more highly than any status I’ve earned, including 1K service with United Airlines. However, Global Services is another matter. For those not aware, Global Services is an invitation-only status level that United bestows on their best customers. What defines a best customer? Well, United doesn’t list […]

Update: American Airlines Variable Choice Plus Pricing A Feature, Not A Bug

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the original announcement that American Airlines was creating bundled pricing that included change fees at a lower apparent cost. Things got a little better when American also announced they were expanding the timeframe you could request a same day change to your flight. And, then things started to get a bit screwy. It started with just one flight I couldn’t get to price right with Choice Plus as an add-on. But, then I did a bit more digging and found out […]

Is Foursquare Dead?

Venture Beat doesn’t think so, and I’m not 100% sure they’re wrong. But, before I discuss the article, a little background on why someone allergic to social media like me became a Foursquare nut. A few years ago, a company called TopGuest came up with this concept where you could earn airline miles and hotel points for checking in at various places on Foursquare. I can’t say I thought it was a terribly good business model, but they convinced a bunch of hotel chains to hand out miles for this. […]

Hotel CEO In Hot Water, Airline Saves The Day, Resort Fees Are GOOD Things?, & More! - Your Mileage May Vary - June 16, 2019:
[…] We are not fans of hotels charging resort fees. How and [...]

Edward Pizzarello - June 15, 2019:
Tony, that's the big rub. You can't figure out what the price [...]

Edward Pizzarello - June 15, 2019:
Christian, where this can really be a pet peeve is markets where [...]

Edward Pizzarello - June 15, 2019:
Charlie, agree it's a non sequitur.

Edward Pizzarello - June 15, 2019:
Jay, ultimately I think occupancy across the industry is too high right [...]