United Gives Up On Two LAX Routes To Oceania

Live And Let's Fly: "United has struggled to fill planes to the South Pacific, with flights to Auckland, New Zealand averaging a load factor of 68% and flights to Brisbane only 58%. While United will not pull out of either city, it will attempt to stop the bleeding by suspending both routes from Los Angeles and consolidating service from its other hub in California, San Francisco."

Alaska Airlines Pushing First Class Upgrades

One Mile At A Time: "Historically, Alaska hasn’t put much effort into selling first class upgrades in advance, prior to check-in. However, that appears to have changed, as Alaska is now consistently encouraging passengers to pay to upgrade to first class."

"This was only recently implemented, and as of now there are more questions than answers. It would appear that for the most part, the upgrade cost is simply the fare difference between economy class and first class. This is good news for those looking for a complimentary elite upgrade, and bad news for those looking to pay to upgrade."

Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur Expected To Open Late 2024

One Mile At A Time: "The Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur is currently expected to open in late 2024, though isn’t yet accepting reservations. The hotel will be located in Kuala Lumpur’s new Merdeka 118 building, which isn’t only the tallest skyscraper in the city, but the tallest building in all of Asia-Pacific."

Points Wire Note:

Traditionally, luxury properties in Kuala Lumpur have some great rates. I'll be curious to see how the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur compares. It certainly has the potential to be a great Hyatt Privé option for cash stays!

Best Western Summer Promo: Earn 20,000 Points

Loyalty Lobby: "Best Western Rewards members can earn a 10,000 bonus every three nights for up to 20,000 bonus points after six nights. Members will then receive an email invitation to register for an additional promotion for double or triple points."

Stays between May 20 and September 2, 2024 are eligible.

Direct link to offer

New Delta Promo Makes Elite Status Easier To Earn

Thrifty Traveler: "After a major (and majorly unpopular) overhaul nearly doubled the annual spending requirements, earning Delta Medallion Status isn't right for everyone. But a brand new promotion from Delta could make it a bit easier."

"For a limited time, booking hotels, vacation rentals, or rental cars through Delta's dedicated travel site for a trip this summer will add to your balance of Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs), the critical spending requirement you need to hit to earn or requalify for status with the Atlanta-based airline. Each $1 you spend on lodging gets you 1 MQD."

Hyatt Expanding Footprint in Latin American And Caribbean

Market Watch: "Hyatt Hotels plans to open more than 30 new hotels in the Caribbean and Latin America through 2027 as it seeks to grow its presence in holiday destinations across the region."

"With openings planned in the beach town of Miches, Dominican Republic, and on the island of St. Lucia, the company said Friday it's tapping into strong travel demand across all customer segments"

Could IHG One Rewards Changes Lead To A Devaluation?

View From The Wing: "IHG’s One Rewards loyalty program isn’t nearly as profitable as Hilton’s and Marriott’s. They’re working to change that."

"However IHG has negotiated changes to it’s “System Fund” that allow it to keep part of the revenue from points sales while owners will pay less into the program."

"At the end of the day, hotels spending less on the program and IHG taking more money out of the program, probably shouldn’t be encouraging from a member perspective."

Park Hyatt London Expected To Open Late 2024

One Mile At A Time: "The opening of this property has been delayed considerably. The current projection is that the hotel will open in late 2024, though I imagine that has the potential to slip further. While the hotel isn’t yet bookable, we do know it will be a Category 7 World of Hyatt property, meaning that a free night redemption will cost 25,000 to 35,000 points per night."

Is Using Finnair Avios At Nordic Hotels Worth It?

Frequent Miler: "This opportunity is certainly one to be described as “niche”. The short story is that Finnair has a few hotel brand partners that offer the opportunity to get outsized value for Avios by purchasing a voucher (think like a free night certificate) for a fixed amount of cash and fixed number of Avios that can then be used on a night when a participating hotel is offering redemption."

Points Wire Note:

At a value of 2 cents per point, this can be a surprisingly good use of Avios if you need a hotel stay and don't feel like paying cash. Of course, you might find that you can get more value out of your Avios by booking business and first class flights.

Bilt Rewards Adds Hilton Honors As Transfer Partner

Disclosure: I serve on an advisory board for Bilt and may earn a commission if you use the links below.

Bilt Rewards has just added Hilton Honors as a new transfer partner which means they currently have 18 partners. However, they're splitting with American Airlines in June so they'll be at 17 next month.

While I don't see much value in Hilton as a transfer partner, I do like that Bilt continues to pursue additional airline and hotel transfer partners. At this point, they have all 4 major hotel transfer partners that people in the points community consider. I'll be curious to see if the pursue Choice, Wyndham, Accor, or Leading Hotels of the World going forward.

Those who have earned Bilt Silver, Gold, or Platinum status can transfer points in increments of 1,000 points starting with 1,000 points. If you have the entry level Bilt Blue status, you need to transfer at least 2,000 points.

All Bilt members can receive 1,000 bonus Hilton points if they transfer to Hilton Honors by June 8, 2024. This doesn't move the needle for me, but it's a nice bonus if you need to top off your Hilton account to book an award stay.

Learn about the Bilt Card