travel hacking

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Death of the Mistake Fare

The United States Department of Transportation quietly announced a ruling Friday that in essence kills the “mistake fare” as we know it. The full. three-page document can be viewed here:  New DOT Enforcement Policy Regarding Mistaken Fares. In April of 2011, the Department of Transportation issued a very consumer-frienly policy that prohibits airlines from increasing…

a green sign with a clover on it
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Revisited: Booking a Transatlantic Flight on Aer Lingus with British Airways Avios

The cheapest way from the USA to Europe is by using British Airways Avios for a flight on Aer Lingus from Boston to either Dublin or Shannon. At 12,500 Avios for economy or 25,000 Avios for business, this redemption is one of the best mileage values out there!

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Vegas Baby! For BAcon!

I’m writing this post from about 35,000 feet on a US Airways flight somewhere in between Washington’s Reagan National Airport and Phoenix en route to Las Vegas!  I’m heading out to the desert with my girlfriend in tow for this weekend’s Boarding Area blogger Conference… better known as BAcon!    The primary reason for the…

an airplane wing and a body of water
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24 Hours in Anchorage

I’m posting this after completing a short, weekend trip to Anchorage, Alaska as part of a mileage run to hit the American Airlines Executive Platinum Status Challenge. Anchorage is a great place to spend a day, and obviously a fantastic hopping off point to explore more of Alaska, including Denali, the Kenai Peninsula, or even…

a map of the north america
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Meeting the AA Executive Platinum Status Challenge… In One Month!

I previously wrote about the details of the Executive Platinum Status Challenge with American Airlines for which I recently signed up.  Well, I didn’t just blindly agree to the challenge — earning 25,000 elite qualifying points (EQP) in three months is no small feat, after all! Before I even asked for the challenge, I carefully…

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Elite Status Challenges with American Airlines

Airlines – particularly legacy US carriers — value their elite passengers.  These passengers are widely viewed by the airlines to be some of their most profitable passengers, and as such, those passengers are extended numerous perks such as priority boarding, free checked bags, and first class upgrades.  For quite some time, most airlines offer published and…

a seat in an airplane
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Review: United Global First Class Sydney to San Francisco

A review of our flight back to the States from Sydney to San Francisco in United Global First Class on the B747-400. United Global First is an extremely comfortable way to cross the Pacific, though the seat privacy and catering lags in comparison to first-rate international carriers.