Tim Winship travel tips

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

Beginning today, many visitors to Disney theme parks will pay more for the privilege of posing for selfies with Mickey & Co. But some will pay less. And others will pay a so-called regular rate, that is actually a price increase. Yes, it’s complicated.

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

Are you a current or prospective Hilton loyalist? If so, a credit card linked to Hilton’s HHonors program is a no-brainer. And, for a limited time, one of the HHonors no-annual-fee cards comes bundled with a particularly generous sign-up bonus.

Enter the Eight O’Clock Coffee “Chill in Italy” sweepstakes by July 13, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a seven-day trip for two to Italy, including air and hotel accommodations. (Winner may elect to receive a check for $4,000 in lieu of the trip.)

In the news release touting its new promotion, Wyndham calls it “the richest offer of the year.” That doesn’t bode well for members of Wyndham’s Rewards program.

Lagging the likes of Hilton, Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, Starwood, Omni, Drury, and Nordic Choice hotels, InterContinental will become the latest and one of the last major hotel groups to eliminate adult content from its in-room on-demand TV offerings.

Somebody had to be first. And when it comes to the relaunch of scheduled flights between the U.S. and Cuba, following the normalization of relations between the two countries after more than 50 years, it appears that JetBlue is set to snag those bragging rights.

U.S. commuters wasted 8 billion hours sitting in traffic last year.

For travelers to, from, or through Los Angeles International Airport, it may seem as though the airport, the world’s seventh busiest, is in a semi-permanent state of modernization and remodeling, with all the construction, traffic, and delays that entails. A pretty picture it ain’t.

Headed Down Under? Delta has announced a new bonus-mile promotion for Australia flights. But it’s not the only option.

Enter the Williams-Sonoma “Trip to Spain” sweepstakes by August 19, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a six-night trip to Spain for two, including air, accommodations, meals at two Michelin-starred restaurants, a cooking lesson, winery visits, and city tours.

What’s better than an Uber ride? A cheaper Uber ride, naturally!

Predictably, the U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory following yesterday’s terrorist attacks in Brussels.

Yesterday’s crash landing of Emirates flight EK521 in Dubai generated a flood of images of panicked travelers, loaded down with their carry-on bags, fleeing the burning B777-300. The headline of Bloomberg’s coverage of the incident said it all: “Crashing, Burning Planes Don’t Stop Passengers From Grabbing Their Luggage.”

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

Marriott has just published its list of award-price changes for 2016. As Marriott Rewards members have come to expect from these annual pronouncements, the news amounts to yet another decrease in the value of their points.

Spirit Airlines waived fees.

With almost 1,400 hotels in operation or under development, the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group isn’t the largest of the hotel chains. But with six brands in more than 100 countries, it’s big enough to accommodate the needs of most travelers. That makes its Club Carlson loyalty program a contender.

Airlines for America, the trade group representing the interests of U.S. airlines, is predicting that 15.6 million travelers will fly during the Labor Day weekend (Wednesday, August 31 – Tuesday, September 6). That’s a 4 percent increase over last year’s 15 million Labor Day flyers.

I’m not a fan of flash sales. If a company discounts its product or otherwise adds value to a purchase, then it should allow sufficient time for the offer to be widely communicated, considered, and acted on. “Snooze you lose” has always struck me as disrespectful and a bit nasty.