Mid-Year 2022 Travel Check

The coronavirus is still lingering in 2022 and airlines have continued to make adjustments to schedules and flights.  Summer fares were very expensive - only recently has a small shift occurred for fall travel where prices are starting to drop and become more reasonable again.  The effects of inflation are also present and I'm curious how this may influence prices over time.  I continue to have the opportunity to fly each week and hope that the experience remains consistent. 

American

I do not have status on American given limited flying in the past year with the exception of trips back home.  I'll keep accruing miles for another longer trip to the Maldives or NZ.  The addition of loyalty points has complicated earning so I've used my AA card for some purchases as another channel. 

United

United is my first choice for travel and I've already requalified for 1K next year.  Upgrades out of SFO are not easy though I had some success early in the year.  I'll continue to look for deals given my current work and flight schedule. 

Hyatt

I've enjoyed having Globalist throughout the year for stays and work.  I've already requalified for next year and expect to continue to leverage low rates where I find them.    

Hilton

Last year I successfully qualified for Diamond status and was able to use it as a great rate alternative when needed.  I'm on track to requalify and will likely complete that in the coming weeks.  

Have changes in travel affected your points and earning plans?  

Labor Day Trip 2022: Switzerland

And we're off!  Well, almost...

I'm writing this from somewhere over CO as I make the trek to Newark and then onward to Zurich.  It's a gorgeous day to fly with no travel delays expected (though of course that could change in a flash at Newark).  I'm ready for the short break - with projects in the queue the last few weeks, school year start, and Penn State start, it's been busy.  

Unfortunately it doesn't appear my pluspoints upgrades will be confirmed on this trip - hopefully I'll have better success in November.

Hyatt Fall/Winter Promotion - Bonus Journeys

Hyatt has just recently announced the fall/winter promotion - Bonus Journeys.  

More info can be found here: https://world.hyatt.com/content/gp/en/offers/bonus-journeys.html

Register for Bonus Journeys to earn double points on qualifying stays of 2+ nights at 1,100+ hotels worldwide—including participating MGM Resort destinations, Small Luxury Hotels of the World hotels and Lindblad Expeditions. Plus, all qualifying nights count double at 65+ participating Inclusive Collection resorts across Cancun, Curaçao, St. Martin and more.​ ​

Register by November 15, 2022, and then complete your stays between September 15 and December 20, 2022.​

Travel to Canada

For a time over the past years US citizens were not allowed to visit Canada - the changes due to Covid were significant and rules were established that prevented non-essential travel across the northern border.  This affected leisure travel as well as commercial traffic related to commodities (including lumber).

Many countries eased restrictions earlier this year, and a quick review of current guidelines show that travel to Canada is once again possible for US citizens, the caveat being you should be fully vaccinated to avoid any additional requirements including quarantine for 14 days and isolation for 10 days.

Any travelers also need to create an ArriveCAN account to provide proof of vaccination and travel plans.

More information on current expectations can be found here.

Using PlusPoints for Partner flights

I always thought that PlusPoints were a United-only feature - learned something new today!  PlusPoints can also be used on select United partners per segment:

Star Alliance partners

You’ll be able to use PlusPoints for upgrade requests on eligible flights operated by Copa, Lufthansa, and ANA. Each upgrade request on a partner airline will be priced at 40 PlusPoints per flight segment. All PlusPoints upgrade requests on partner airlines will be deducted at the time the PlusPoints upgrade request is placed.

The following Copa fare classes are eligible for PlusPoints upgrades: A, B, E, H, K, L, M, O, Q, S, T, U, V, W, and Y. The following Lufthansa fare classes are eligible for PlusPoints upgrades: B, C, D, E, G, H, J, M, Q, U and Y. U.S. government fares are not eligible for upgrades on Lufthansa-operated flights. The following ANA fare classes are eligible for PlusPoints upgrades: B, C, D, E, G, J, M, U and Y. PlusPoints cannot be used to upgrade from Economy to Premium Economy on Lufthansa or ANA-operated flights.

Good to know this for future flight choices!  More info: link