Alaska Airlines to join OneWorld Alliance

In case you missed the news (and major news at that in the airline industry), Alaska Airlines has announced their intention to more closely partner with American Airlines and will join the OneWorld Alliance in 2021.

To say this is significant news is an understatement.

You can read the official announcement here.

Alaska has one of the only remaining frequent flyer programs that is based on actual flying miles.  Details are likely still forthcoming about other changes; I hope they consider keeping the current model in place.

I'm also curious what this new alignment will mean for Alaska's other program partners (Emirates, Singapore, etc).

Top places to stay in the world - CN

These types of articles are a bit subjective, though I enjoy reading them because they typically include a number of new locations that I wouldn't mind thinking about visiting at some point in the future.

21 Most Romantic Places to Stay in the World (updated)

One location to highlight: ION Adventure Luxury Hotel in Selfoss, Iceland

Another: Lion Sands River Lodge in Sabi Sand, South Africa

Semester resumes

The spring semester is here and we're back to busy preparing for summer construction. This also is a typically slow time of the year for travel for me.  As we ramp up work supporting campus classrooms, my schedule typically keeps me in the area until later spring when I'll have a number of meetings (ELI, Ivy+, etc). 

No complaints about being home!

To MA and back

Just returned from visiting committee meetings at Harvard where our group was working with teams on a potential classroom initiative similar to what we have at Princeton.  Looking forward to seeing where leaders go with next steps!

Cards in my wallet right now (2020)

Happy New Year!

I'm expecting a fairly stable card cache for 2020 though it wouldn't be unexpected to jump on a deal if presented.  The last few card offers I've seen for Marriott and Hilton have significant bonuses.


Cards in my Wallet:

Chase Sapphire Reserve - one of the best earning cards with 3x points for travel and 3x for dining

Chase Freedom - Quarterly bonus categories give 5x points and pairs with Sapphire

Chase World of Hyatt - 4x Hyatt points per stay make this one of the best for hotel stays

Chase IHG Rewards Club Select (no longer available) - Platinum Elite status plus free night every cardmember year

Chase United Mileage Plus Select (no longer available) - 3x miles on United purchases plus EQM, 2x gas/grocery/dining + Star Alliance purchases

Chase Biz Plus (replaced with Business Preferred) - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x on gas station and hotel

Chase Biz Cash - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x points on gas stations and restaurants

Citibank Premier - 3x points on travel including gas stations; 2x on dining/entertainment

Citibank AA Biz Platinum - 2x American Airlines miles on purchases plus free checked bag and priority boarding; 2x on gas stations

Citibank AA Mileup - 2x American Airlines miles on flights plus 2x miles for grocery purchases

Citibank Double Cash - New card - 2% cash back on all purchases, though the new transfer option to Citi ThankYou Points makes this card strong for all non-category spend

American Express Hilton card - 7x Hilton points on stays, 5x points restaurant/gas/grocery, 3x all other purchases

Discover It card - 5x points/cash on quarterly bonus categories, link to Amazon.com purchases

Bank of American Alaska Airlines card - 3x miles on Alaska purchases, $99 companion fare

Barclays American Airlines Aviator Red - New Card - 2x points on AA, free checked bag, wifi credit, and $99 companion certificate

Many of these are no annual fee cards though I still value certain cards for the benefits compared to the yearly fee.