Hello from Israel! I’ve been here since Monday and have had an incredible time. This is a very different type of trip than I usually take. While my travels usually have me on a plane every other day, we’ve been spending 10 hours a day exploring the country with a guide. I guess that’s what happens when my mom plans things. 😉 That has been tough in terms of work as I haven’t been getting much sleep, but has most definitely been worth it, as Israel has been incredible. More on that soon.
On the points & travel front, this week we learned the details of Emirates’ new first class, Singapore KrisFlyer announced a partner award chart devaluation, Aer Lingus announced a new flight to Seattle, and much more.
With that out of the way, here’s a recap of this week on the blog:
Featured Stories
How To Use Miles For The World’s 10 Best First Class Products
Recently Ben shared his ranking of the 10 Best First Class Products, based on his experiences flying pretty much every commercial first class out there. Unlike the fancy rankings you see elsewhere, with questionable methodologies that seem directly correlated to airline sponsorship, we pay for all our own flights, and do our best to stay anonymous.
So while there are certainly still biases (Ben over-values tarmac transfers, and I have a fetish for caviar spoons), everything here is based on actual experiences, not infographics from marketing departments.
Oops: I Really Ticked Off Our “Tour Guide” In Jerusalem
Today we decided to do some independent sightseeing. We had some specific sights we wanted to see, so this morning we got in a taxi to our first destination. The driver spoke great English and was friendly, and sort of poo-pooed the places my mom wanted to go, but at least he made some good suggestions. He convinced my mom that he should be our “tour guide” for the day.
He would charge a reasonable(ish) amount, and would drive us to all the places we wanted to go and explain things along the way. He was incredibly knowledgable, at first came across as a nice guy, and had a nice car, so we figured why not. After all, having someone always waiting for us is better than having to hail a different taxi every time.
Full Details: Emirates’ Stunning New First Class Suite
Emirates’ new 777 first class suites have floor to ceiling sliding doors with design features that are inspired by the Mercedes Benz S-Class.
The collaboration includes Mercedes-inspired soft leather seating, high-tech control panels, and mood lighting. Each suite offers up to 40 square feet of personal space, and the cabin is in a 1-1-1 configuration, compared to the previous 1-2-1 configuration (meaning that there there will be just six first class suites, rather than the current eight).
TIPS: Earning Miles & Promos
Amazing Deal: $1,000 La Compagnie Business Class Fares Between New York & Paris
Earn 5,000 Miles For Joining Alaska Mileage Plan And Taking A Flight (CA Residents Only)
Buy Hyatt Points With Up To A 40% Bonus
Awesome: Earn 300 Stars For Adding $20 To Your Starbucks Account
You Can Now Earn IHG Points For OpenTable Reservations
Hyatt Is Offering Double Points Through The End Of The Year
Earn 2K Bonus Amex Points For $100 Of Spend With Staples
Buy British Airways Avios With A 50% Bonus
Earn 5K Bonus Amex Points For $250 Of Spend With Alaska
TRICKS: Redeeming Miles
UGH: Delta Is Adding Surcharges To More Award Tickets
How To Use Miles For The World’s 10 Best First Class Products
Singapore KrisFlyer Devaluing Star Alliance Award Chart As Of December 7, 2017
Two Days Only: JetBlue Is Offering 20% Off Flights
Ultimate Rewards Adds Aer Lingus & Iberia As Transfer Partners
TRAVEL With Ben (Lucky)
Oops: I Really Ticked Off Our “Tour Guide” In Jerusalem
My Experience With Security & Immigration Flying EL AL To Israel
Flying With Porter, North America’s Most Civilized Airline
REVIEWS & Trip Reports
Review: Asiana Business Class A321 Seoul To Chengdu
A La Carte Dining Comparison: American Flagship First Dining Vs. United Polaris Lounge
Review: United Polaris Lounge Chicago O’Hare Airport
EL AL 787 Business Class In 10 Pictures
NEWS & Updates
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX Joins Priority Pass (With A Major Catch)
Delta One Service Is Expanding To Three More Transcon Routes
British Airways Is Introducing Zoned Boarding
Aer Lingus Is Adding Flights To Seattle In May 2018
Rumor: United To Add Flights To Tahiti In 2018
Video: The Sassiest Southwest Safety Demonstration You’ll Ever See
Delta Is Adding SkyClub Access Restrictions As Of January 1, 2019
All Cathay Pacific Planes Will Feature Wifi By 2020
Alitalia Is Adding Flights To Johannesburg & Nairobi In 2018
No, The SPG Program Isn’t Ending On [Insert Date Here]
American Airlines & Gulf Air Partnership Ending April 30, 2018
American’s New Miami Flagship Lounge Opens November 21, 2017
Alaska Airlines Is Canceling Flights To Cuba
Aer Lingus Has No Plans To Join Oneworld After All
Obnoxious Vlogger Sets Up Pop-Up Shop In Emirates A380 Shower Suite
Emirates Is Eliminating First Class On Some 777s
EgyptAir Signs Letter Of Intent For 12-24 CSeries Aircraft
Delta Backtracks, Honors Business Class Mistake Fares After All
The American App Now Allows Same Day Flight Changes & Standby
American Is Adding Flights Between Dallas & Iceland In 2018
Insane: Air France Crew Detained In Argentina For Not Upgrading Politician’s Daughter
FlyDubai Introduces Flat Beds In Business Class
Thai Airways Eying Bangkok To Seattle Flights In 2018
Etihad Commemorates Louvre Abu Dhabi Opening With Incredible A380 Fly-By
Full Details: Emirates’ Stunning New First Class Suite
Emirates Continues To Have A Terrible Business Class Seat, And They Can Get Away With It
Emirates Orders 40 Boeing 787-10 Planes
I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!
Really Bob? And you're point is? If it's humor it misses the mark.
lucky, very important to watch this now that you're in Israel, (should have posted it before you came, oh well)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76tgKHOfsg0
@Ben
We should make fans meeting in Israel :)
You need to issue a correction and withdraw your Delta surcharges article.
Just go look at Gary's blog...