...constantly searching to find the best travel deals and places to visit. A never-ending quest for adventure!

Monday, August 21, 2017

A Redo Planned for This Weekend...

I'm excited about my trip coming up this weekend where I will by flying back to Wisconsin and spending time with my grandparents.  I've tried this excursion once before - my previous trip planned over the July 4th holiday time was interrupted and ultimately cancelled when United claimed that weather was impacting all regional jet operations from Newark.  Actually, to be clear, the customer service agent noted that the problem was also related to a "schedule reduction".  How an airline is able to get away with reducing the schedule during a holiday weekend is still a mystery to me.  Anyway.

So far the weather looks perfect for Friday and I am scheduled to fly once again on the regional jet operation to Milwaukee from Newark late-day.  I hedged my bets on the way home and am flying through O'hare...no need to tempt fate this time.  I'll take the larger plane.

Thursday, August 17, 2017

American (AA) Adjusting Flights from JFK to PHL

I'm always on the lookout for changes relating to the destinations at the top of my list (Zurich, Rome, etc) and it appears that American will be implementing some adjustments to their transatlantic route network from the Northeast.  From Airways:

American Airlines will soon add several transatlantic routes from its Philadelphia hub while making large cuts to its international network at New York’s JFK. Today, American announced routes from Philadelphia to Budapest (BUD) and Prague (PRG).

As Philadelphia sees transatlantic growth, American will be making serious cuts to its JFK hub. American will cut one of two daily flights to Paris (CDG), cease service to Manchester, and move its Zurich route to Philadelphia. These cuts signify American betting on Philadelphia over JFK and surrendering the international New York market to Delta.
In addition to these routes, American will add additional service to Venice (VCE) from Chicago with the 787 Dreamliner. This route will also start on May 4th, 2018. All three routes will be seasonal and last until October 27th, 2018. The airline already serves Venice from Philadelphia.
It's great to see a transition away from JFK which in my opinion is a difficult departure experience.  Having a Zurich option return to PHL along with Budapest and Prague is a great change and opens up several new redemption possibilities.  I was bummed when the seasonal Zurich option was cancelled in 2016 - close competition with United from Newark may help lower prices.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Chase Freedom Quarter Bonus through September

Don't forget!

If you have a Chase Freedom card, this quarter's bonus is for movie theatres and restaurants - normal dining may afford you some fast accumulation of Ultimate Rewards points by combining with another Chase UR card (such as the Sapphire Preferred or Reserve).

Another tip: registering and using your Freedom card at Mileage Plus Dining locations (or others) will add another bonus mile opportunity to the quarter. VIP members earn an additional 5 miles per dollar!