Booking Strategy tips

OneGo’s tagline says it all: “Unlimited Flying on Major Airlines.” That’s right, binge flying for a set price. Like Netflix for air travelers.

If so-called basic economy fares aren’t yet a pervasive fact of travel life, they soon will be.

Earlier this summer, Delta became the first and only U.S. carrier to offer all inflight entertainment for free. It’s still the first, but no longer the only.

“JetBlue Becomes Only Airline with Free, High-Speed Wi-Fi at Every Seat.” That’s the headline of today’s news release from JetBlue.

For generations of air travelers, Boeing’s B747 jet, the four-engined behemoth with its distinctive hump, epitomized elegance in long-haul flying, harkening back to an era when travel was more refined, less exasperating. That era is long gone, and the B747 is disappearing from the skies as well.

Premium economy—upgraded coach service, typically featuring more legroom, priority airport services, and more amenities—is hot. And for good reason: At least in theory, it’s a win-win.

As travel times between major metro areas go, the flying time between Los Angeles and San Francisco is about as short as it gets: less than an hour in the air, and a bit longer gate-to-gate. Getting to the airport probably takes longer than the flight itself.

Effective today, one of the world’s largest airlines is making a surprising change to its booking policy. According to a confirmation email received this morning:

Thanks to the DOT, U.S. airlines are required to allow customers who book non-refundable tickets more than seven days in advance to either 1) hold the reservation for 24 hours before being charged for it, or 2) pay for the reservation but cancel within 24 hours and receive a refund.

Just a week after Hilton announced decidedly benign changes to its award pricing, Hyatt is doing the same.

Fly roundtrip to or from select Asian destinations for as few as 50,000 Delta miles in coach.

Good news, kids! Your parents were wrong: You can have chocolate for dinner. Well, so long as you’re flying British Airways.

Part of what has made Uber the undisputed leader in ride-share services is its no-tipping policy. As recently as a year ago, the following promise was featured front and center on the company’s website: “No cash, no tip, no hassle … When you arrive at your destination, just hop out—we’ll automatically charge the credit card on file. And there’s no need to tip.”

When experts name the “best” days to travel, they usually name the days airfares are lowest—which often aren’t optimal for most people once you factor in personal convenience and schedule constraints. There’s typically a reason why these ones are the slower travel days.

Wyndham’s Rewards program continues to impress.

Delta and United have announced plans to reduce flights to the U.K. this winter following the Brexit vote last month.

One of my least favorite things about Airbnb is not being able to “Instant Book.” When a listing’s dates are available for booking and I “Request to Book”, I don’t understand why my card is charged and there’s still a chance I might be denied a stay there. If I am denied, I then have to wait up to seven days for the money to be refunded, and have to front the money for a new place to stay. I’ve looked to other platforms numerous times because I can’t instantly book with Airbnb—and the process can be very frustrating.

Best Western isn’t known for its generous loyalty-program promotions. Its most recent offer was for a $25 gift card after two qualifying stays. Not a game-changer for most.

Do new free onboard snacks warrant a press release? JetBlue thinks they do.

Spirit Airlines is known for a lot of things, namely fees and quirky advertising, but one thing it isn’t known for is punctuality or service. According to the Department of Transportation, this past April, the most recent month for which data is available, only 73.4 percent of Spirit’s flights arrived on time—dead last among the airlines that report to the DOT. The average on-time rate for April was 84.5 percent. For 2015, the airline averaged a 69 percent on-time arrival rate. That’s bad.

Low-cost carrier Norwegian Air will introduce new direct service from Boston’s Logan International Airport to Copenhagen, Oslo, and London (Gatwick) this May, making it Boston’s largest international airline. Norwegian joins other low-cost carriers like WOW Air in targeting Boston as its gateway to Europe.