QuiFinanza: [Translated by Google] "After long and complex negotiations lasting months, with numerous rounds of negotiations and heated discussions between the parties involved, it finally seems that an agreement has been reached for the commercial marriage between Ita Airways , the Italian national airline, and the German aeronautical giant Lufthansa."
Points Wire Note:
Expect Lufthansa to unwind ITA Airways' involvement with SkyTeam and move them to Star Alliance. That means the ability to book ITA with Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club will end, but you'll gain the ability to book with programs such as Air Canada Aeroplan and avianca lifemiles.
Thrifty Traveler: "With absolutely no warning, Virgin Atlantic just quietly raised award rates for many Delta One tickets to Europe to as much as 77,500 points by adding peak and off-peak prices. It gets worse: The airline is also adding a cash surcharge of more than $1,000 on each and every Delta business class redemption."
New Virgin Atlantic Rates On Delta - Business Class
I would expect flights from the Midwest to match the East Coast rates as Virgin Atlantic typically groups the East Coast and Midwest together.
Points Wire Note:
No-notice devaluations are among the most disrespectful ways to treat loyalty program members so this is rough. Even if you could stomach a 55% rate increase, the addition of $1,025+ surcharges is horrendous and makes this a non-starter.
Given that Delta owns 49% of Virgin Atlantic and has repeatedly shown that it hates aspirational award bookings, I can't say I'm totally surprised by this - just disappointed.
One Mile At A Time: "Emirates has today announced that it will introduce a new Boeing 777 business class as of next month. The airline has revealed more details of what we can expect, but has stopped short of actually revealing what the new product is."
TSA: "The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today the expansion of its TSA PreCheck® program with the addition of Aer Lingus, Air New Zealand, Ethiopian Airlines and Saudia. Nearly 100 airlines now participate in the program."
Loyalty Lobby: "Hyatt and Lindner made a deal back in 2022 (read more here) that this German hotelier’s properties would become World of Hyatt participating properties, including me and all hotels, as part of JdV in 2023."
"Now, Hyatt has acquired this conversion-friendly brand from Lindner and plans to launch it as its own brand, separate from JvD, and use it for various reflags in Europe."
JetBlue is offering a complimentary BLADE helicopter transfer between Manhattan and JFK or Newark (EWR) if you book a Mint (business class) flight by July 4, 2024.
Promo Details
Please note that award tickets are eligible. However, you can use Ultimate Rewards to book via the Chase travel portal or Membership Rewards via Amex Travel. The latter is only worth it if you have the Amex Business Platinum and can get a 35% rebate on the points you use.
View From The Wing: "Cathay Pacific will leave the American Airlines terminal 8 at New York JFK airport and relocate to the new terminal 6 once the first 5 gates open there, projected for “early 2026.”
"Cathay will open its own roughly 10,000 square foot lounge there, its second in the U.S. after San Francisco. The airline says this move will give customers 'a signature Cathay Pacific airport experience' suggesting that they do not have one now in the American terminal."
My friend Max Miles Points has partnered with Southwest Airlines to offer a 20% discount on flights.
Important Details
Reuters: "Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), opens new tab will add an environmental charge of up to 72 euros ($77) to its fares, the airline group said on Tuesday, joining at least one European rival in doing so as the industry battles to cover the cost of new EU rules on reducing emissions."
"Fares will go up between 1 euro and 72 euros, depending on the type of ticket, on all flights departing from European Union countries, Britain, Norway and Switzerland, the German airline group said. Some of the increases are effective from June 26 for departures starting from Jan. 1, 2025 onwards."
Points Wire Note:
The surcharge starts at $1 for short-haul economy flights and reaches $72 for long-haul first class flights. We'll see how this affects award bookings with programs that don't pass on carrier-imposed surcharges. Hopefully, they won't pass on this new cost onto customers.
Bloomberg: "Barcelona plans to enact a citywide ban on all short-term rentals to address complaints that tourism is to blame for a local housing crisis and soaring rents."
"The Mediterranean city will stop giving new licenses and won’t renew existing ones so that in 2029 no homes will have permission to be rented as tourist accommodation, Barcelona Mayor said at a press conference on Friday. There are now about 10,000 houses registered as rentals for tourists."
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