The very first frequent flyer program credit card was the Continental TravelBank Gold MasterCard from Marine Midland Bank (now HSBC), introduced in 1986. Even for a geek about this stuff like me it's easy to forget that Continental's program became ...

Should You Get the United Explorer or United Club Card? and more...  In This Issue...  Should You Get the United Explorer or United Club Card?  Tipping in an American Express Centurion Lounge  Marriott and Starwood Announce Changes for 2018  Two Kinds of Flyers and Two Airline Whoppers  The President of American Airlines Doesn’t Understand the Economics of Basic Economy Fares  British Airways Scolding Flight Attendants For Running Naked In Hotels  Start From Scratch, Get 2 Business Class Tickets Wherever You Want in 4 Months  More Recent Articles Should You Get the United Explorer or United Club Card? The very first frequent flyer program credit card was the Continental TravelBank Gold MasterCard from Marine Midland Bank (now HSBC), introduced in 1986. Even for a geek about this stuff like me it's easy to forget that Continental's program became Onepass because it was one program for Continental and Eastern Airlines, both part of Frank Lorenzo's airline empire which began with Texas International. Continue reading Should You Get the United Explorer or United Club Card?...          • Email to a friend •   Tipping in an American Express Centurion Lounge My own take is that if you've got cash in your pocket then $5 for a 15 minute spa treatment is appropriate, and a buck or two per drink unless the bartender is going out of their way for you and doing something special. If you think my approach to tipping generally is wrong, you should feel free to tip more, but American Express says you're not expected to. Continue reading Tipping in an American Express Centurion Lounge...          • Email to a friend •   Marriott and Starwood Announce Changes for 2018 Since it's been two years since Marriott bid to acquire Marriott so it's easy to forget that the merger only closed 14 months ago. They were never going to be fully integrated in 2018. The most optimistic assessments suggested a minimum of 18 months' work. And there are two major constraints. Continue reading Marriott and Starwood Announce Changes for 2018...          • Email to a friend •   Two Kinds of Flyers and Two Airline Whoppers A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips. Continue reading Two Kinds of Flyers and Two Airline Whoppers...          • Email to a friend •   The President of American Airlines Doesn’t Understand the Economics of Basic Economy Fares The Associated Press's David Koenig asks American Airlines President Robert Isom about Basic Economy. There's a bit of hand waving in his answer, and a claim that is demonstrably false. Continue reading The President of American Airlines Doesn’t Understand the Economics of Basic Economy Fares...          • Email to a friend •   British Airways Scolding Flight Attendants For Running Naked In Hotels Airlines sometimes have a hard time keeping the behavior of their crew in line while traveling in -- and out of -- uniform on overseas trips. One airline had to warn pilots to stop filming when flight attendants had sex onboard. Air India had to warn flight crews to stop stealing from hotel buffets. Continue reading British Airways Scolding Flight Attendants For Running Naked In Hotels...          • Email to a friend •   Start From Scratch, Get 2 Business Class Tickets Wherever You Want in 4 Months I gave a talk in Phoenix recently to a high powered group of entrepreneurs. We talked about travel and frequent flyer programs, arbitrage, and choosing the right credit card. And I realized when question time came that I sometimes assume too much. A gentleman sitting in the middle of the audience asks, 'so if we're just getting started and my wife and I wanted to book a trip using points from credit cards, how can we do that as quickly and easily as possible?' Continue reading Start From Scratch, Get 2 Business Class Tickets Wherever You Want in 4 Months...          • Email to a friend •   More Recent Articles Delta Pretty Much Tells China Southern to Kiss Off From SkyTeam (and Will Cathay Pacific Join Star?) American Wants $371 Extra for a (Middle) Seat Assignment. And That's Just Dumb. Amazing Fare: Australia and New Zealand From $376 Roundtrip From Many US Cities       Click here to safely unsubscribe from "View from the Wing." Click here to view mailing archives, here to change your preferences, or here to subscribe • Privacy Email subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz, LLC, 365 Boston Post Rd, Suite 123, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA.