Happy weekend! What a week it has been, eh? The weather is getting cold here in Berlin, but at least it has been sunny, for those relatively few hours of daylight. Who am I kidding, though, I spent most of the week glued to the TV. Thanks to John King and the “magic wall” for teaching me more about the geography of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, than I ever needed to know.
On the points & travel front, this week it was announced that Hi Fly is retiring its only A380 and that Thai Airways is retiring its 747s, several European countries went back into lockdown, Berlin Brandenburg Airport finally opened, and Delta operated its last 777 flight.
With that out of the way, here’s a recap of this week on the blog:
Featured Stories
FINALLY: New Berlin Brandenburg Airport Opens
Well, it has finally happened. If there’s one good thing to come out of 2020, it’s Berlin’s long-awaited new airport opening.
12 Best Credit Card Offers November 2020
Every month I make a post with what I consider to be the best credit card offers at the time, with a particular focus on the best travel credit cards.
While many people may not be traveling now, that doesn’t mean that you can’t start racking up rewards towards future adventures. That way you’ll be able to plan your dream trip when the time is right.
While there are several excellent long-standing credit card offers, the specifics of the top offers are constantly changing (be it the annual fee, minimum spending requirement, or even amount of the welcome bonus).
How To Waitlist United MileagePlus Awards
Here’s a trick that can save you a lot of miles, but it also requires a bit of effort.
Airline award space is heavily capacity controlled, but there’s a trick that can sometimes help you get around that — specifically, waitlisting awards. It’s probably easiest to explain this concept in the form of an example.
TIPS: Earning Miles & Promos
Amex Platinum Cell Phone & Streaming Credits Guide
Fairmont Will Sell Gift Cards With 20% Bonus
New Airline Shopping Portal Bonuses Offer Up To 8,500 Bonus Points
12 Best Credit Card Offers November 2020
9 Reasons To Get The IHG Premier Card
Marriott Credit Card Promo: Earn Up To 10x Points
Intriguing Finnair Promo To Buy Points & Status
Up To 15% Cash Back (Or 15x Amex Points) With Rakuten
WOW: Marriott Platinum Status With Credit Card Bonus
Best-Ever: $40 Bonus For New Rakuten Members
Maldives Hotel Offers Unlimited 2021 Stays For $30,000
Excellent Amex Gold Card 60K Bonus!
Alaska Airlines’ Incredible Offer To Convert Wallet Funds Into Miles
Easy Way To Maximize Rakuten New Member Bonus
Wow: Chase Sapphire Preferred 80K Bonus (Ends November 8)
TRICKS: Redeeming Miles
How To Waitlist United MileagePlus Awards
Emirates Eliminating Partner First Class Awards
Redeem Citi ThankYou Points For Gift Cards: An Interesting Opportunity
REVIEWS & Trip Reports
Review: Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf, Germany
NEWS & Updates
UK Bans All Leisure Travel With Latest Lockdown
New York Adds Double Testing & Quarantine Requirement For Travelers
American’s Next 777-300ER Destination Is… Orlando
Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9s Are Finally Flying
Facebook Group Charters A380 For Flight To Nowhere
FINALLY: New Berlin Brandenburg Airport Opens
Sad: Delta Operates Final Boeing 777 Flight
Uh Oh: Interjet Cancels Flights Because It Can’t Pay For Fuel
Which Amex Centurion Lounges Have Reopened?
Sad: Hi Fly Retiring World’s First Secondhand A380
Singapore Airlines Opens External Training Academy
Thai Airways’ Very Different Flight To Nowhere: Chant Buddhist Mantras Over 99 Holy Sites
FlyDubai Launching Flights To Tel Aviv, Israel
Thai Airways Selling Entire Boeing 747 Fleet
United Airlines Faces Age Discrimination Lawsuit Over Youth Discount
Buy Up To American Airlines Elite Status For 2021
Cool: Airbaltic’s CEO Becomes A220 Captain
Emirates Doesn’t Have Many A380 Pilots Left
Ryanair Trolls US Presidential Election On Twitter
Singapore Airlines Retiring 26 Planes, Including Some A380s
Hyatt Place’s Complicated Breakfast Changes
Kuwait Airways’ New Business Class Seats
MOM Air: Iceland’s New Joke Of An Airline
I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!
Amtrak and United partnership is ending. Been around since Continental.
Hearty congrats to President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris!