American Airlines and GOL are terminating their partnership, effective Aug. 13, 2012. Award tickets on GOL must be booked by Aug. 12, 2012 for travel through Aug. 12, 2013. Once booked, changes to the GOL flights will not be allowed. …
Hyatt Gold Passport members can no longer convert points into miles or earn miles for hotel stays with Aeroplan, Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines and US Airways. …
Alaska Airlines will start a new daily nonstop transcontinental route between Seattle and Philadelphia on June 11, 2012 and on July 16, the airline will begin daily nonstops between Seattle and Fort Lauderdale, with the eastbound leg being a redeye. On July 16, the airline will end its nonstop service between Seattle and Miami. …
American Airlines CEO Tom Horton has hinted that if the AMR parent company successfully completes the Chapter 11 process, the airline might potentially be a consolidator, and not taken over by another airline. “I don’t think we need to combine with anybody, but I think there will be ample opportunities to.” He predicts that future consolidation in the industry could involve Alaska Airlines, JetBlue and maybe US Airways being acquired by larger companies. He also said that American plans to increase daily departures by 20 percent over the next five years in key markets (Dallas/Ft. Worth, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York) and to increase international routes. …
Air Canada says the launch of a new low-cost carrier is a “top priority” but the airline is also considering a joint-venture with another carrier, possibly Star Alliance partner, Air China. …
InterContinental Hotel Group plans to add two new brands before the end of 2012. One brand will be located in China, focusing on upscale travelers, while the other will be based in the U.S. for midscale travelers. The one in the U.S. is called EVEN Hotels. No word yet on the other name. …
Avis and United Airlines have a new multi-year agreement that allows United customers to book Avis car rentals through the United website or be transferred directly to Avis when calling the airline. MileagePlus members will also receive money-saving offers and can spend miles for Avis rentals as well as have the ability to earn miles with rentals. …
With news of the new tool from PointsPay (www.pointspay.com) that lets Etihad Guest members spend their miles like cash, comes the fear from some frequent flyers that this is just the beginning of the IRS taking another look at frequent flyer miles as taxable income. …
Frontier Airlines will add four new nonstop routes from Colorado Springs in May: Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA), Phoenix (PHX) and Portland (PDX) and EarlyReturns members will earn double miles on these new routes through June 30, 2012. Pre-registration is required at http://www.frontierairlines.com/memberoffers . …
Club Bing, an outlet that many frequent flyers used to earn extra miles is shutting down as of May 31, 2012. …
Spirit Airlines will begin nonstop service from Denver to Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas beginning May 3, 2012. …
As of April 1, 2012, Choice Privileges members can earn 250 Aeromexico Club Premier miles (400 km) per qualifying stay. Members can also redeem 5,000 points for 1,000 Club Premier miles (1,600 Club Premier km).
