View From The Wing: "The Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that consumers can’t sue loyalty programs for acting in bad faith or unfair dealing – only for violating their own program terms. That’s because loyalty programs were seen as a rebating on airfare, because the Airline Deregulation Act precludes states from involving itself in airline schedules and pricing, and because common law claims of implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing were deemed state-level claims."
"That left only the Department of Transportation policing loyalty programs, and according to the DOT Inspector General the agency has improperly ignored complaints about frequent flyer programs."
"It should, however, recognize that frequent flyer programs are the most successful marketing innovation in history, have tremendous value (and saved American Airlines and perhaps United from bankruptcy during the pandemic, and saved airlines during the Great Recession too), and approach with caution."
Points Wire Note:
While there's no imminent threat to your points and miles, I think it's important to stay aware of potential moves like this. I've often found that folks who aren't familiar with loyalty programs go for oversimplified solutions to things they don't like about said programs. That being said, it's certainly worth the DOT getting feedback from experts in the field who can provide ideas for balanced solutions to ensure programs are both profitable and fair to consumers.
Award Wallet: "Generally speaking, the pricing is a mixed bag. Award tickets to and from the United States — like on most Delta partner airlines — don't make sense to book unless it's a last-resort situation. Each U.S. gateway features similar pricing, give or take a few thousand miles depending on the class of travel. Business class awards are the most steep, coming in at 320,000 SkyMiles each direction."
Points Wire Note:
Business class award award rates with Delta SkyMiles rates are atrocious on itineraries that start or end in North America. If you want to get decent value for an aspirational award ticket, use your SkyMiles for flights that start and end outside North America. For example, a one-way business class ticket on El Al between Tel Aviv and Bangkok is 70,000 SkyMiles. Not bad for 11 hours.
You can get a 30% bonus when you transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors. The standard transfer rate to Hilton is 1:2, so this makes it 1:2.6. Hilton points are worth about 0.5 cents per point.
Must transfer by December 31, 2023.
Points Wire Note:
It's not worth it, especially if you use points and miles for business and first class flights. When you need Hilton points, you'll often be better off buying them during a 100% bonus promo.
Ending soon: You can get a $500 Southwest gift card for $430 at Costco. Each member can purchase up to 5. Must purchase by December 25, 2023. However, the terms note "while supplies last" so the deal could end early.
Great news for anyone wanting to try Emirates business for first class on their Airbus A380!
Emirates is bringing the A380 back to its fifth freedom route New York-JFK to Milan starting March 31, 2024. The return of the A380 means a much better business class experience compared to Emirates' Boeing 777. Plus, you can enjoy the inflight bar at the rear of the business class cabin on an A380.
For first class passengers, it means you'll be able to take a shower in the sky.
Points Wire Note:
This is your best bang for you buck/points if you want to fly Emirates business or first class. Unlike flights to Dubai (or connecting in Dubai), the fifth-freedom routes have reasonable award rates and don't include steep surcharges which make the taxes/fees rough.
Many people who booked Flying Blue business class award tickets to Europe for 1,500 to 13,500 miles one-way were frustrated to find out that their tickets had been canceled. Even more frustrating was the fact that many had transferred points from Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, and/or Citi to book.
In a rare move, Flying Blue has agreed to reverse these transfers as first reported by Kyle Potter. The Head of Flying Blue, Ben Lipsey, confirmed this on FlyerTalk but you'll need to contact Flying Blue to do so. The U.S. contact number is +1-800-375-8723.
Reports indicate that phone agents may not have received word about this yet, so don't be surprised if you need to call back in a week.
One Mile At A Time: "Unfortunately in recent months, it seems like actually redeeming partner miles for travel in Etihad premium cabins has become more challenging. At the time, I couldn’t figure out any rhyme or reason to when space was bookable with partner programs, and when it wasn’t. It looks like some trends are emerging, in the form of a possible new 60-day rule."
"American AAdvantage seems to have access to Etihad GuestSeat availability for first class and business class, but only within 60 days of departure."
Points Wire Note:
Air Canada Aeroplan continues to only see economy award space on Etihad.
If you're into points and miles, there's no reason not to have TSA PreCheck if you're eligible since a variety of credit cards will cover the cost of the application. Ideally, you'll actually get Global Entry which also provides TSA PreCheck access.
The kicker is that the airline you're flying also has to partner TSA PreCheck so it's great to see four new eligible airlines:
With the addition of these airlines, TSA PreCheck now covers 94 airlines at more than 200 U.S. airports.
IHG One Rewards' promo for January 2024 is now open for registration.
You can earn double points on all stays and 2,000 bonus points if you stay at two or more brands. The double points offer isn't capped, but you can only earn the 2,000 bonus points once. Points can take up to six weeks to post.
Points Wire Note:
I would register now just in case you stay at an IHG property in January 2024. While I wouldn't call this the most exciting hotel promo I've seen, there's no point passing up bonus points.
One Mile At A Time: "In 2019, Air Canada Aeroplan and Oman Air launched a partnership. Unfortunately for the past many months, Aeroplan hasn’t had access to Oman Air award availability."
"There’s a positive update on that front — Oman Air awards are once again bookable through Aeroplan. You’ll find the availability directly on Air Canada’s website, and there’s space in all three cabins, including first and business class."
"I’m curious to see what happens with the Air Canada Aeroplan partnership when Oman Air joins oneworld. There’s nothing that precludes the airline from working with Air Canada and also working with oneworld airlines, though that’s not to say that this will necessarily happen."
Points Wire Note:
Aeroplan points are easy to earn as you can transfers Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Chase Ultimate Rewards. If you have the Aeroplan Credit Card, you can get a 10% bonus when transferring Ultimate Rewards points.
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