Tech Tips

$50 off at Westin and In-Flight Tech Tips. Best of the Rest For September 8, 2015

September 8, 2015By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

A quick spin around the world of travel. Here’s a few things I find interesting and you may as well.

Travel Will Speed Up The Recovery For Our Family (And Maybe Yours, Too)

We won’t be the first family to step back on a plane. But, it won’t be long after it’s safe to travel. It’ll be just the medicine we need. I can’t wait.

Big Move: Hilton Extending Elite Status And Adds Flexibility To All Reservations

Hilton is the first of the big hotel chains to make a move, and in a big way. They’ve announced changes to their elite status program and reservation flexibility that are very positive for customers. Is it enough for them to steal business from their competitors? We’re months away from having that answer.

United Airlines Is Flying 84% Of Their Seats Empty Today

United Airlines has a load factor of only 16% today with 40,000 passengers booked worldwide. This is according to a source at United with knowledge of the daily operations. There are tons of airlines who have grounded significant portions of their fleet due to the current crisis surrounding coronavirus. Some friends of mine are tracking cancelations around the world and you can view their work here. United currently appears to have 68% of their fleet of 786 airplanes grounded right now, spurred by lack of demand due to COVID-19. United […]

We Shouldn’t Need This: Marriott Adds Ability To See All Fees When You Search

Resort fees, facility fees, destination fees, urban fees and many more. Hotels across the globe charge these fees on top of room rates as a way to earn extra money per room while hoping to avoid customers noticing until after they book a room. As opposed to airline tickets, where they’ve been required for a number of years to show the full cost of a ticket, hotels are not currently bound by such legislation in the US. Marriott seems to be the first major hotel chain to offer a way […]

Big Annual Fees! What Should You With That Expense Travel Credit Card In Your Wallet?

If you’ve got a credit card with a big annual fee in your wallet and perks that you can’t use, is it better to hold onto it or cancel the card?

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. […]

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