Happy Sunday to all of our travel friends, both near and far! Here are some articles we’ve read from other bloggers (and other sources) that we think you may like, as well, so we’re passing them along.
- In October 2007, Singapore Airlines flew the first commercial flight of an A380 from Singapore to Sydney. Just 10 years later, the airline retired that aircraft after a flight from London to Singapore. Matthew from Live and Lets Fly reports that you can purchase a commemorative luggage tag made from the fuselage of that plane, which was turned into scrap metal. I’m sad to see A380’s start to go away after such a short lifespan, so this would be a memento from the beginning (and the end) of an era. It’s not as ambitious as Lufthansa when they upcycled one of their planes into household furniture, but to see planes turned into anything productive is a nice outcome.
- Bethany on Miles to Memories writes about a change to the credits you get through AMEX Fine Hotels and Resorts and Chase Luxury and Hotel and Resort Collection that makes the hotel credit only good to use at the spa. This will kill the use of many who were able to credit meals and reduce their costs during a Las Vegas trip. We almost used the FHR credit to book at the Delano as it would significantly lower the cost of our trip, and I’m sad I’ll never get to stay at one of the nicer hotels at a discount.
- Lucky wrote on One Mile at a Time about Uber’s new “tattletale” feature, which lets you report your driver for unsafe practices (like texting while driving). We’ve written about several Uber scams such as:
- Taking a longer route to get to the destination, which made for a higher bill
- Saying they’re too tired to drive and asking you to cancel (if you cancel, they get a kickback)
- Vomit fraud
- The driver telling the company that they picked you up and dropped you off further than they actually did
- The most despicable scam yet
- What could happen if you fall asleep in your Uber
This new feature makes it easier to report a driver who isn’t living up to the standards you’d expect, and I’m a fan of that. I still don’t think this would make Sharon any more comfortable to use a ride-share company when I’m not with her (Note from Sharon: Nope.).
- Greg wrote on FrequentMiler about Marriott 50K free night certificates and what they’re worth. While his calculations are based on a set number of dates and properties, it will give you an idea of what you should be able to get for your certificates. Of course, the value of a free night is dependent on what you’d book otherwise, as that’s all a free night should be worth to you.
- On The Gate, Brian writes about the only major airport that will check your coat is you’re flying off to a warmer climate during the winter. While this might be a valuable service, it’s nothing compared to the coolest airport ever.
- Travel Update gives some tips on how to ace your call to a bank when looking for a retention offer. I wish I had these tips when I spent a year making retention calls for all of our cards.
- Sharon wrote about how an airline almost didn’t let her sit in an exit row because they didn’t realize she wasn’t a child (because of her height). This post on Rene’s Points takes the topic even further, asking if those sitting in the exit row should be required to go through additional training before being allowed to sit there.
- Gilbert from God Save the Points gives a great breakdown of what you should expect when flying across the Atlantic Ocean in a premium economy seat. We thought the seat on Virgin Atlantic was great for a daytime flight, it’s wasn’t great for sleeping as we might as well have been sitting in economy.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
