Travel&Vacation

The passing of 2008 isn’t likely to be mourned by anyone with an interest in either providing or consuming travel services. Airlines and hotels saw traveler numbers dwindle, along with their profits. The suffering went well beyond paper losses, destabilizing the industry overall and jeopardizing the very existence of a number of carriers. Last year’s casualties included Aloha, Big Sky, Skybus, ATA, Silverjet, and Eos. Frontier and Sun Country are operating under protection of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. And those liquidations and bankruptcy filings took place earlier in the year, before the current global financial meltdown had pushed demand for travel off a cliff. Consumers bore their share of the industry’s misfortune. As profits plunged, the airlines imposed fees galore, and further
(Read the full post about ‘A Silver Lining to Travel Turndown: More Loyalty Points’…)

Bonus points? Cash back? JetBlue’s latest promotion has both. To earn 20 bonus TrueBlue points plus a $50 voucher for a future JetBlue ticket, book a round-trip JetBlue flight by September 18 and complete travel by November 15. The $50 voucher is redeemable for travel on JetBlue between December 1, 2007, and February 13, 2008. This is a good deal if the JetBlue ticket price is competitive. But do compare other airlines’ prices: JetBlue isn’t always the price leader they’d like consumers to think they are.

Through November 30, members of United’s Mileage Plus program can earn up to 25 percent more miles when exchanging hotel points for Mileage Plus miles. Transfer the number of hotel points equivalent to between 10,000 and 19,999 miles to earn 2,500 bonus miles. Or transfer the number of hotel points equivalent to 20,000 miles or more to earn 5,000 bonus miles. The bonus can be earned when exchanging points from the following hotel programs: Choice Privileges, Hilton HHonors, Hyatt Gold Passport, Marriott Rewards, TripRewards, Priority Club Rewards, and Radisson goldpoints plus. If this promotion seems vaguely familiar, it’s probably because it mimics a permanent feature of the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program. SPG members receive a 5,000-mile bonus when redeeming 20,000 points for
(Read the full post about ‘More United miles for hotel points’…)

This time of the year is typically a slow one for frequent flyer bonus deals. Nonetheless, we’ve managed to track down a few deals worthy of your attention.

Alaska

You can now book one-way reward tickets with Alaska. This is great news for travelers who sometimes only find availability on one leg of their journey. Now you don’t have to pay for the whole ticket.

Continental

You can earn up to 1,500 bonus miles when you rent a car in Greece with Sixt. This offer is valid from June 1 through July 30.

United

Graduating from college or university this spring? As long as you join United’s free College Plus program before you finish school, you can apply for a 10,000 mile bonus. Within 12 months of graduation, send United a copy of your final transcript showing that you were a full-time
(Read the full post about ’10K bonus for students, 1,500 bonus in Greece, more’…)

First-time Netflix subscribers can earn up to 4,000 bonus miles.

The deal

Both United and Delta are offering bonus miles if you join Netflix. With United, you have the opportunity to earn up to 4,000 bonus miles. You’ll be awarded 2,000 bonus miles after your first month, and if you pay with a Mileage Plus Visa, you’ll earn an additional 2,000 bonus miles. Delta is offering 1,500 bonus miles for members opening a new account. For both airlines, bonus miles are awarded only after your first month as a paying subscriber is completed (Netflix offers a complimentary trial period). No expiration dates have been listed.

To book

For more information or to sign up for United’s promotion, visit United’s website. To see the details of the Delta deal, or to sign up, visit Delta’s website