Back in January, American and Iberia announced new routes and expanded service between Europe and Miami, and yesterday American launched their new non-stop service between MIA and Barcelona.  To promote the new route, they’re offering 5,000 to 20,000 bonus AAdvantage miles:

Airline: American Airlines

Award: Bonus Miles

Bonus Code: AABCN

Dates: Travel between April 3, 2012 and May 31, 2012.

Offer: Earn up to 20,000 AAdvantage bonus miles for every eligible round-trip (or half the bonus for one-way travel) you fly on our new nonstop service between Miami and Barcelona, Spain from April 3, 2012 through May 31, 2012. See the chart below for details:

Bonus Miles for Round-Trip Travel between Miami and Barcelona

Business Class – 20,000 Miles
(fares booked in J, D, I, or R)

Full-Fare Economy – 10,000 Miles
(fares booked in Y, B or H)

Discount Economy – 5,000 Miles
(fares booked in K, L, M, N, O, Q, S or V)

Note: Service operates five times a week until June 14 when it will operate daily.

Registration is required befor you travel.  Go here for complete details.

Reader Giveaway

Friday, I announced a reader giveaway with the winner receiving a pair of the slippers that American Airlines offers in international First and Business class. I had planned to share the results Monday, but completely forgot.

Anyway, congratulations to Mary Beth!

Photo: Bonus Time
Credit: Henry Faber on Flickr

Admirals Club 3,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles Offer

If you’re thinking about purchasing a new Admirals Club membership, here’s an offer that was posted by LRD on FlyerTalk:

You are invited to become an Admirals Club member.  Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, you can enjoy an oasis of peace – away from all the airport hustle. It’s easy to become a member, just register for the promotion…using with promotion code QPD11.   Then purchase your new annual Admirals Club membership by…by December 31, 2011 to earn 3,000 AAdvantage miles.

According to the offer page at AA.com:

This offer is valid only for the recipients of the AAdvantage November Quarterly Print Mailing Newsletter.

Last year I purchased a new Admirals Club membership using a similar bonus miles promotion code that was posted in the Admirals Club discounts master thread at FlyerTalk.   That offer, like this one, was a targeted promotion and even though I had never received the offer, I still received the bonus miles when I used the promo code.  Your results may vary, so be aware that you might not receive the miles if you didn’t receive this offer.

Go here for full details.

Qantas Club Bonus Qantas Frequent Flyer Points Offer

Here’s an offer I learned about from an article by John Walton at Australian Business Traveller:

Join Qantas Club and earn a bonus 40,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points

Treat yourself this Christmas with the ultimate travel perk- Qantas Club membership. Become a new member between now and 31 December 2011 and you will receive a bonus 40,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points!

By joining The Qantas Club, you’ll be welcome to relax, dine, freshen up or even catch up on work before you fly at more than 25 international and domestic departure lounges around Australia Plus enjoy instant access to our extensive Qantas lounge network around the world when travelling on an eligible flight#.

Enjoy exclusive membership privileges such as a chip enabled membership card allowing you to access Faster, Smarter Check-in at selected domestic airports, premium check-in and special luggage allowances.

From the terms and conditions:

The offer is open to Australian residents only (for tax purposes). You must be a member of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program to earn points.

Go here for full details.

I know that American Airlines does a lot to support members of our military, and that they have a long history of doing so, but something that I didn’t realize was that so many of their employees have a connection to one of the military services:

Today, more than 60 percent of American’s pilots and approximately 10 percent of all American Airlines and American Eagle employees are active military service members or veterans.

So it’s not surprising that American is the official airline partner to the USO or that through Veterans Day they’re offering bonus miles when you give to the organization:

In recognition of your generosity, and in honor of all those who serve, through Veterans Day, Nov. 11th, AAdvantage members will be rewarded 15 miles instead of 10 for each dollar donated through American’s Miles In Support of All Who Serve campaign, which supports USO programs and services to support the morale, welfare, social and entertainment needs of troops and their families, free of charge.

With the holidays coming up, the USO will be soon be busy shipping thousands of care packages to troops stationed around the world.  

But they do more than ship care packages, they also do good work year round with programs like United Through Reading though which service men and women can record a DVD of themselves reading a book for their family.

So if the bonus miles don’t make you want to donate money, then maybe this video of a soldier reading a book to his 2 year old will:

Anyway, go here to learn more or take make a donation.

I learned of this offer from the always informative JonNYC, moderator of the American Airlines section of  the man behind Traveling Better Forums:  AAdvantage members with Gold, Platinum, or Executive Platinum status can earn 500 AAdvantage miles by checking their bags.

EARN AADVANTAGE BONUS MILES FOR CHECKING BAGGAGE

Special Offer For AAdvantage Elite Status Members

Through November 22, 2011, American Airlines will offer AAdvantage elite status members the opportunity to earn a minimum of 500 AAdvantage bonus miles for checking bags on flights departing Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).

Earning the bonus miles is easy – simply visit a BOS Self-Service Check-In machine on the day of your departure and follow the normal steps to check-in with bags. Check at least one bag under your own name to earn the bonus miles, which will automatically post to your AAdvantage account five business days after you have completed the travel associated with your itinerary. As a reminder, all AAdvantage elite status members are entitled to check two bags free of charge (within current size and weight limits) in addition to earning the bonus miles with this special offer.

According the the FAQ section on the offer page:

Q. Where is the bonus mile offer available?
A. The offer is only available on American Airlines and American Eagle marketed and operated flights departing Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and only via Self-Service Check-In machines. This offer does not apply to travel on codeshare flights which are operated by another airline.

The terms of this offer state that there is a maximum of one bonus per person, per eligible flight, regardless of the total number of bags checked per person. According to JonNYC: 

The idea is to see if we can motivate elite members to check bags, which they can do for free — in order to reduce congestion at the gate and on the plane.

I think this is a great idea, I’d really like to see them roll this out system wide.   Would you check your bag for 500 AAdvantage miles?

Go here for complete details.

Television Commercia “Best Western’s Virgin Atlantic Parody”
Credit: Best Western Great Britain on YouTube

Best Western has just brought out a new summer promotion that begins this weekend: starting June 19 through August 14, 2011 you’ll earn 750 Bonus AAdvantage Miles with each stay:

Between June 19 and August 14, 2011, REGISTER for the summer promotion prior to your first stay and earn 750 AAdvantage bonus miles on your first stay and for each stay thereafter during the promotion period.

New Members registered for the promotion who have chosen American AAdvantage Miles as their earning preference and complete a qualified stay during the Promotion Period will earn an additional 250 AAdvantage bonus miles.

Buy a Best Western Travel Card to pay for your stay and earn 500 AAdvantage bonus miles for every $50 Travel Card purchase.

Registration required before you stay using promotion code:  AMERSUM11.   Go here to sign up or for complete details.

It’s finally the weekend. If you’re looking for something to do other than work or plan your vacation, head over the the joint American Airlines and British Airways Cure the Wanderlust promo site and vote to help select the winner. No bonus miles for voting, but at least you’ll look busy if the boss walks by. Enjoy your weekend.

“Best Western, Nanaimo Harbour, BC” Photo credit: Doug Hay on Flickr

Wow, Best Western just finished one great promotion and now their offering another: Earn 500 AAdvantage Bonus Miles for every $50 you spend when you purchase a Best Western Travel Card.

Get away this summer with and pocket some extra AAdvantage miles when you purchase the Best Western Travel Card. The Travel Card works just like cash and can be redeemed for hotel charges at 4,000 Best Western hotels worldwide.

To get this offer, just join Best Western’s free frequent guest program, Best Western Rewards, and select American Airlines as your earning preference. As a member that has selected to earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles, not only will you will earn AAdvantage miles for every Best Western stay, you’ll earn 500 AAdvantage miles for every $50 Travel Card purchased through August 31, 2011.

Actually, I used to think of Best Western as a budget hotel, and while they’re often less expensive than some of their competitors, some of their properties in the U.S., like the Seaport Inn in NYC, and properties in France, and Italy have made it into the Michelin Guide, so if you’re looking to earn 10 AAdvantage Miles per dollar spent, you should seriously think about this offer. You’ll still earn 250 AAdvantage Miles with each stay, even when you pay with your Best Western Travel Card.

According to the terms of this offer, there is “No limit to the amount of Travel Cards that may be purchased and the amount of AAdvantage bonus miles awarded during the promotion period”. So I’m thinking that I may just cash in the my IRA and rather than living off the golf course when I retire, I’ll just buy a Best Western Travel Card and live at a Best Western hotel.

Term and conditions, here. Sign up for this offer here.

Screenshot of the American Airlines disaster relieve page. Photo credit: aadvantagegeek on Flickr

AAdvantage 30th Anniversary Deal of the Day update: Earn Triple AAdvantage Miles when you Stay at Days Inn hotels between May 24 and July 31, 2011.  Go here for details and don’t forget to submit your name in the daily drawing for 30,000 AAdvantage Miles.

Back home now after a few days on the road.  The weather delayed my return, but after everything that’s happened in Joplin, MO and other cities damaged by this latest outbreak of storms, a delayed or canceled flight seems like hardly an inconvenience.

Here’s a photo of the backside of the storm system that eventually moved through Joplin.

Not sure that the photo accurately conveys how large those clouds were. I’m from a part of the country where large storms that produce tornados are fairly common, and normally I wouldn’t have taken a photo, but these clouds were so large that I pulled into a parking lot to take this photo and send it to my brother. I told him in the text message that I sent with the photo, that the horizon looked liked some scene from the 1980′s miniseries The Day After.

American Airlines is supporting the American Red Cross by offering AAdvantage members up to 500 AAdvantage Miles when they make a donation to the American Red Cross:

If you would like to join us in supporting the disaster victims by making a cash donation, American will reward your generosity with an AAdvantage bonus mile offer. Through June 30, 2011, AAdvantage members can earn a one-time award of 250 bonus miles for a minimum $50 donation, or 500 bonus miles for a donation of $100 or more to the American Red Cross.

Go here to learn more or to make a donation.

“Budapest by night” Photo credit: Nadia on Flickr

I’ve never been to Budapest, but it’s on the short list of vacation places that I’m considering this year. I have a friend that spent two weeks in Hungary last year, a week of which was spent in Budapest. She’s traveled to many places and many cities, and came back with all these wonderful stories about that city, and has encouraged me to make the trip. The Dollar to Forint exchange rate is decently favorable, and American has fare for less than $600 for late Spring and early Summer travel…if only JFK was my home airport!

Anyway, here are the details:

Airline: American Airlines

Bonus Code: NYBUD

Dates: Travel between April 5, 2011, through June 30, 2011.

Offer: Beginning April 5, 2011, American Airlines will offer daily nonstop service from New York (JFK) to Budapest, Hungary. This is in addition to our nine daily flights from JFK to the UK and Europe.

EARN UP TO 15,000 AADVANTAGE BONUS MILES.
To celebrate the new flight, we are offering AAdvantage bonus miles. And, this bonus is unlimited, so you can earn it each time you travel during the promotional period. See the chart below for details:

Round-trip Travel Between New York (JFK) and Budapest, Hungary

In case you’re curious, round-trip travel between JFK and Budapest normally earns 8,742 base AAdvantage Miles. Registration is required before you travel. Go here to register or for more information.