Frequent Miler
Bilt Rent Day for September: 40%-100% Virgin transfer bonus & ongoing Virgin Voyages status match
Update 9/1/25: Reminder that this deal is valid 9/1/25 only from 12:01am Eastern to 11:59pm Pacific time. Bilt has announced details of its next Rent Day campaign and it’s another potentially good one, but it has a twist that isn’t entirely positive. They’re offering a 40%-100% transfer bonus to Virgin Red,...
The Bulkhead Seat
Hotel Review: Hyatt Place Cincinnati/Blue Ash
Last week, I had to host a dinner near Blue Ash, OH (a suburb of Cincinnati). The closest Hyatt property was the Hyatt Place Cincinnati/Blue Ash and I ended up spending most of a night there. This is an odd hotel. Furniture was stacked up in the lobby, the woman...
Nerd Ka Travel
Spirit Airlines Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Again, Aims for Long-Term Restructuring
Spirit Airlines has entered bankruptcy protection for the second time in recent years as the company works to address financial and operational challenges. On August 29, 2025, Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., the parent of Spirit Airlines, announced that it has filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Flat Top Sheets on Beds: This is Actually a Debate?!?
Note: This article pertaining to Flat Top Sheets on Beds: This is Actually a Debate?!? was originally published on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 at 8:03 in the evening and has been updated. Flat top sheets on beds — whether at home or in a hotel room — has apparently stirred up...
Also on BoardingArea
Frequent Miler
Bilt Rent Day for September: 40%-100% Virgin transfer bonus & ongoing Virgin Voyages status match
Update 9/1/25: Reminder that this deal is valid 9/1/25 only from 12:01am Eastern to 11:59pm Pacific time. Bilt has announced details of its next Rent Day campaign and it’s another potentially good one, but it has a twist that isn’t entirely positive. They’re offering a 40%-100% transfer bonus to Virgin Red,...
The Bulkhead Seat
Hotel Review: Hyatt Place Cincinnati/Blue Ash
Last week, I had to host a dinner near Blue Ash, OH (a suburb of Cincinnati). The closest Hyatt property was the Hyatt Place Cincinnati/Blue Ash and I ended up spending most of a night there. This is an odd hotel. Furniture was stacked up in the lobby, the woman...
Nerd Ka Travel
Spirit Airlines Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Again, Aims for Long-Term Restructuring
Spirit Airlines has entered bankruptcy protection for the second time in recent years as the company works to address financial and operational challenges. On August 29, 2025, Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., the parent of Spirit Airlines, announced that it has filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Flat Top Sheets on Beds: This is Actually a Debate?!?
Note: This article pertaining to Flat Top Sheets on Beds: This is Actually a Debate?!? was originally published on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 at 8:03 in the evening and has been updated. Flat top sheets on beds — whether at home or in a hotel room — has apparently stirred up...
Points With a Crew
How much to tip a hotel maid? (POLL)
Do you tip hotel maids?  I am not a frequent hotel traveler, but whether or not you tip a hotel maid is a question that many frequent travelers wonder.  Asking the question of how much to tip a hotel maid is one with very strong opinions from all sides! Side note: I...
Your Mileage May Vary
How One Motel 6 Charges Almost $500/Night & Regularly Sells Out
If you’re of a certain age, you probably remember the radio commercials for Motel 6. They were full of folksy music (a tune composed by Tom Faulkner, performed by him on guitar and Milo Deering on fiddle) and Tom Bodett ending the spot with “I’m Tom Bodett for Motel 6,...
Economondo
Air Canada Review: My Bargain Transatlantic Flight from Frankfurt to Montréal
Background and Booking Whilst a plethora of relatively cheap transatlantic flights from the UK to North America exist compared to say a decade ago, regular passengers between the UK and Canada will likely be aware that the cheapest way of hopping across the pond involves first heading to Paris and then...
No Work All Travel
Looking at Three Non-Traditional Benefits of Priority Pass
I have been a Priority Pass member for a number of years, owing to a couple of credit cards. In that time, I have visited countless airport lounges — and a few restaurants — around the world, mostly through Priority Pass membership. Click here to skip down to the main topic It’s...
View from the Wing
Leak: American Airlines Delayed A321XLR Should Finally Debut JFK–LAX At Christmas
The inaugural American Airlines Airbus A321XLR flight is likely to be between New York JFK and Los Angeles in the second half of December. That’s according to aviation watchdog JonNYC, who reports expecting American to run a transcon with the plane as early as “Holidays 2025.” I can now...
Economy Class & Beyond
Airplane Art – Jet2 Boeing 737-800 taxiing out at Birmingham Airport
It’s Sunday again, so it must be time for some more Airplane Art. This week, we have a Jet2 Boeing 737-800 taxiing out at Birmingham Airport, as nothing beats a Jet2 Holiday. Jet2 operates a fleet of 97 Boeing 737-800s in its fleet. The airline also operates Airbus A321, Airbus A321neo, Airbus A330-200...
Your Mileage May Vary
Hotel Designers, Please Stop Doing This
Hotel designers have a tough job. Either you’re trying to make a cookie-cutter hotel room seem interesting and inviting, or you have to shoehorn a design into a hotel that has a seemingly infinite number of different room configurations. You’re also trying to maximize the functionality of the room within...
One Mile at a Time
Cathay Pacific Now Offers High Speed Wi-Fi On 100% Of Its Fleet
While nothing earth shattering, Cathay Pacific has reached a pretty noteworthy milestone this month, which remains surprisingly rare among airlines…Cathay Pacific’s inflight entertainment milestoneAs of August 2025, Cathay Pacific offers Wi-Fi and seat back entertainment on 100% of its fleet. This includes all Airbus A350s, A330s, and A321neos, as well...
Frequent Miler
GHA Discovery (hotel program) status match from many hotel/airline/cruise programs
View from the Wing recently reported on what might be an interesting status match opportunity, albeit one that is not free: GHA Discovery (loyalty program of brands like NH Collection, Kempinski, Viceroy, SAii, and many more) is offering a paid status match through statusmatch.com that offers half the cost back...
Live and Let’s Fly
The Value Of Points: Hotel Employees Have No Clue What They Are Worth!
A Bad Hampton Inn Stay Gets Worse Let me just give you a little glimpse into an interaction I had at a Hampton Inn where I stayed for two nights. The first night did not go well.  I had access to a two room suite.  In the bedroom, the headboard of...
One Mile at a Time
Huge: Chase Sapphire Reserve Business Card 200K Bonus Points Offer
Link: Apply now for the Sapphire Reserve for BusinessSM Several weeks ago, we saw the introduction of the Sapphire Reserve for BusinessSM, which is Chase’s new premium business card. While the card has a steep annual fee, it also has strong perks, plus a massive welcome bonus. Given that the product is new...
Eye of the Flyer
Check Your Delta Air Lines Itineraries: Some Big Schedule Changes Hit This Weekend
Another fairly significant “Schedule Change Saturday” arrived for some Delta Air Lines passengers this weekend. What Can Happen During a Schedule Change? Here is what might change during Schedule Change Saturdays: Flight departure days  Though, this is fairly uncommon Flight departure and arrival times Aircraft Seat assignments That great seat you picked might not be there anymore I know people...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
VH Belmondo Durrës Hotel & Beach in Albania. Not Recommended. Hotel Review.
My first night in Albania was spent at the VH Belmondo Durres Hotel & Beach in Durrës, which is now known as the VH Eurostar Durres Hotel & Beach. Despite all the research I did — including viewing photographs and location — the stay was not worth the very low...
View from the Wing
Hotel Exploits Loophole To Gut Marriott’s ‘Ultimate Guarantee’: Elite Guest Turned Away, No Compensation
When you make a reservation at a hotel, you expect to have a room. But that doesn’t always happen. Hotels will overbook, knowing that some guests won’t show up. But sometimes everyone shows up! They have more guests than rooms and they have to ‘walk’ someone....
Your Mileage May Vary
Plane Passenger Was Awful & This Guy Did What We All Dream Of
There are lots of unofficial rules when it comes to flying, not just for passengers but for airports and airlines, as well. Here are a bunch of them. One thing we didn’t include on that list is the issue of taking your shoes and socks off on a plane. That was...
PointsMath
13+ Current IHG Promotions [Sep’25] [Save, Earn or Redeem Promotion]
IHG is one of the biggest hotel chains in the world. Although it has a limited presence in India, you can still benefit from IHG Promotions internationally. New Members: Earn 3K Bonus Points on 1st Stay Become an IHG member by 31 March 2026 Promotion: Earn 3K Bonus Points after completing a stay within 21...
Frequent Miler
American Airlines 787 Flagship Preferred Suite Review
Separately, I reviewed American Airlines’ new Flagship Suite. These are AA’s terrific new business class seats. But AA has a slightly nicer option on the same flights: Flagship Preferred Suites. These are the business class suites that are in the first row of each of the two business class sections....
Points With a Crew
19 Tech and Travel Deals at Amazon For Labor Day Weekend
I was browsing around Amazon this morning looking for deals, and I found a few deals on some travel gear as well as a few other things. Of course, it’s always a bit hit or miss to decide what things are actually on sale rather than just “deals”. As always,...
ATX Jetsetter
Emirates Adds Dom Perignon Rosé Vintage 2009 in First Class
Its no secret that Emirates has one of the best First Class products in the sky, especially the company’s new “gamechanger” First Class. The soft product and onboard offerings are also top notch and now, there’s a new development in what is being poured on board. Emirates is now pouring Dom...
Your Mileage May Vary
The Trick to Finding Lower Airfares Near You
Nothing about booking airfare is straightforward. The way airlines figure out how much to charge to get you from city A to city B drives me crazy. Idiosyncrasies in the pricing system have led to passengers booking hidden-city tickets with the help of websites like Skiplagged. While that method to...
Points With a Crew
How much to tip a hotel maid? (POLL)
Do you tip hotel maids?  I am not a frequent hotel traveler, but whether or not you tip a hotel maid is a question that many frequent travelers wonder.  Asking the question of how much to tip a hotel maid is one with very strong opinions from all sides! Side note: I...
Your Mileage May Vary
How One Motel 6 Charges Almost $500/Night & Regularly Sells Out
If you’re of a certain age, you probably remember the radio commercials for Motel 6. They were full of folksy music (a tune composed by Tom Faulkner, performed by him on guitar and Milo Deering on fiddle) and Tom Bodett ending the spot with “I’m Tom Bodett for Motel 6,...
No Work All Travel
Looking at Three Non-Traditional Benefits of Priority Pass
I have been a Priority Pass member for a number of years, owing to a couple of credit cards. In that time, I have visited countless airport lounges — and a few restaurants — around the world, mostly through Priority Pass membership. Click here to skip down to the main topic It’s...
View from the Wing
Leak: American Airlines Delayed A321XLR Should Finally Debut JFK–LAX At Christmas
The inaugural American Airlines Airbus A321XLR flight is likely to be between New York JFK and Los Angeles in the second half of December. That’s according to aviation watchdog JonNYC, who reports expecting American to run a transcon with the plane as early as “Holidays 2025.” I can now...
Your Mileage May Vary
Hotel Designers, Please Stop Doing This
Hotel designers have a tough job. Either you’re trying to make a cookie-cutter hotel room seem interesting and inviting, or you have to shoehorn a design into a hotel that has a seemingly infinite number of different room configurations. You’re also trying to maximize the functionality of the room within...
One Mile at a Time
Cathay Pacific Now Offers High Speed Wi-Fi On 100% Of Its Fleet
While nothing earth shattering, Cathay Pacific has reached a pretty noteworthy milestone this month, which remains surprisingly rare among airlines…Cathay Pacific’s inflight entertainment milestoneAs of August 2025, Cathay Pacific offers Wi-Fi and seat back entertainment on 100% of its fleet. This includes all Airbus A350s, A330s, and A321neos, as well...
Frequent Miler
GHA Discovery (hotel program) status match from many hotel/airline/cruise programs
View from the Wing recently reported on what might be an interesting status match opportunity, albeit one that is not free: GHA Discovery (loyalty program of brands like NH Collection, Kempinski, Viceroy, SAii, and many more) is offering a paid status match through statusmatch.com that offers half the cost back...
Live and Let’s Fly
The Value Of Points: Hotel Employees Have No Clue What They Are Worth!
A Bad Hampton Inn Stay Gets Worse Let me just give you a little glimpse into an interaction I had at a Hampton Inn where I stayed for two nights. The first night did not go well.  I had access to a two room suite.  In the bedroom, the headboard of...