Airfare Deals tips

In a setback to United’s new management team, led by Oscar Munoz, the airline’s mechanics today voted to reject the company’s “final offer” for a new wage and benefits package and to authorize a strike.

Today, two storied travel brands that are destined for the scrap heap announced a marketing partnership that only serves to make their imminent demise that much sadder.

According to the just-released Airline Quality Rating study, Virgin America is the country’s best airline. Of the 13 airlines ranked in the study, Alaska Airlines was rated fifth.

What’s the most expensive airport in America? Here’s a hint: It’s not exactly in the continental U.S. If you guessed Guam then high five!

To all appearances, the hot-button issue of inflight phone calls has been settled. If you’ve flown on a U.S. carrier lately, you’ve almost certainly heard no one yakking on a cellphone or other mobile device while airborne, and you might well assume that there’s an outright ban on inflight calling.

Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) have a novel proposal to alleviate the expected congestion at airport security checkpoints this summer. In a letter sent this week to executives at 12 U.S. airlines, the senators called on the carriers to “suspend bag fees for the summer”:

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

Flying to Europe between now and July 31? Good. Flying on a first-, business-, or full coach-fare ticket? Even better. Because, bonus miles.

American Airlines’ AAdvantage program is 35 years old this month, and to promote that milestone, the airline is giving away miles:

Delta has taken a big step toward its goal of cutting down on delayed bags: Launching the industry’s first bag tracking feature on its app.

Enter the Clos Du Bois “Spring in Sonoma” sweepstakes by April 26, 2016, for a chance to win one of the two grand prizes: trips for two to Sonoma, including air, three nights’ hotel, and $700 spending money.

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

Until yesterday, American Airlines customers dismayed at the airline’s August 1 pivot to a spend-based mileage program had a fallback option: Earn miles for their American flights in Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan program, which still awards miles the old-fashioned way, according to the distance flown.

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

Could Spirit, the airline everybody loves to hate, become a bit less hateful? If the company’s new CEO has his way, it will do just that.

In its latest effort to capture the hearts, minds, and expense accounts of the travel universe’s most privileged 1 percent, American is raising the bar for airport lounges.

Enter the United Airlines “Billion Mile Giveaway” sweepstakes by September 30, 2016, for a chance to win one of 100 grand prizes of 1 million United MileagePlus miles, plus $750 to cover taxes, each. Runner-up prizes include smaller numbers of miles. In total, 1 billion miles will be given away.

“Boutique-style flying experience for those who want to enjoy business class at a smart price.” That’s the basic value proposition of La Compagnie, a French airline that operates all-business-class flights from Newark to London/Luton and Paris/DeGaulle. Although at least four lines have flopped with an all-business-class product, La Compagnie seems to be making a go of it.

Enter the Liberty Richter “Kitchens of India” sweepstakes by June 15, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a six-day trip for two to New Delhi, India, including air, transfers, and hotel.

For most of us, premium economy is just the scenery we walk past on the way to our coach seat. But of all the upper class seating options, premium economy is the most accessible and perhaps the easiest to justify purchasing, especially on long-haul transoceanic flights.

The pending FAA reauthorization bill has served as a kind of magnifying lens on several weighty issues facing travel suppliers and their customers.