Educational Posts on Loyalty Programs

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” Those words from the venerable John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States, must have recently resonated with United Airlines.

If you fly to Asia with any frequency, and you care about service and quality, you’ll probably want to build a relationship with Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flag carrier. It ranks among the most luxurious airlines in the world. In addition to receiving a five-star Skytrax rating, it has been recognized as the World’s Best Airline more times than any other carrier.

TAP Portugal flies to 88 destinations in 38 countries, including New York and Miami in the United States. The airline has received several awards over the years for its excellent service, including the World’s Best Airline from Condé Nast Traveller magazine. Because it’s a Star Alliance member, its frequent flyer program, Victoria, can get you almost anywhere.

A travel report from Expedia and Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) predicts that plane ticket prices will continue to decline over the next year. Popular destinations, including Europe and Latin America, will likely see price drops of 4 to 6 percent.

In the first half of 2015, ticket prices dropped an average of 2 percent across Europe and North America, and about 7 percent in Asia-Pacific.

The report, Travel Check-Up: Air Travel Trends 2015, looked at global travel trends, ticket prices, consumer demand and the potential to save through travel packages. It was released in early June and is available here.

Top 10 Travel Bargains

The report predicts the top 10 routes that will be the best deals in air travel during the remainder of 2015. Analysis of pricing trends suggests that these routes will have the biggest percentage drops in average ticket prices:

• Malaysia to Australia
• Italy to Portugal
• Brazil to the United States
• Spain to Thailand
• Germany to Portugal
• Japan to France
• United States to Dubai
• Mexico to France
• Malaysia to Thailand
• Sweden to Spain

Packages Offer the Greatest Savings

One of the report’s biggest takeaways is that package deals offer the biggest savings. ARC and Expedia found that, on average, consumers saved up to $648 across all destinations when booking plane tickets and hotel rooms together instead of separately. The data was gathered on bundled air and hotel package prices for June through September 2015.

Trip Length Is Shortest From the United States

The report also studied how long people stayed when they traveled to various locations. Flights originating in the U.S. led to the shortest stays. In June and July, people tended to stay longer when they flew from North America to Asia-Pacific.

Travelers originating in Asia-Pacific and heading to Europe in August had the longest average stays. The report’s authors surmised that this could be because the Chinese yuan is gaining strength against the U.S. dollar, causing a surge in outbound travel from China.

About the Agencies Behind the Report

ARC provides services and products to the U.S. travel industry and has information on more than 9 billion passenger flights, providing a detailed view of air travel. Expedia encompasses Expedia.com, an online travel agency with localized sites in 31 countries, and also Hotels.com and discount travel sites Hotwire, Travelocity and CarRentals.com.

There are a few promos offering big bonuses in the six-digit range this summer. Here’s an overview of how to get those massive miles, and some ideas for spending your earnings. What would you do with that many miles?

Aeroflot, Russia’s flag carrier and largest airline, flies between Moscow and four U.S. cities: New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Miami. It also has an extensive network of routes in Europe and Asia, making the airline a convenient choice for connecting flights beyond Moscow.

You may not be familiar with it, but Malaysia Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world. It’s a member of the oneworld alliance, and flies to 60 destinations in 28 countries. Unfortunately, its four U.S. routes were recently eliminated because of financial issues and restructuring.

You probably have a short list of favorite airlines for free award flights. That’s all well and good, but it pays to have a cursory knowledge of a lot of different programs. That way, when the time is right, you’ll be ready to take advantage of terrific deals that will help you travel the globe. If you don’t know about Flying Blue and its monthly Promo Awards, which offer up to 50 percent off award flights, you need to read this article.

Thanks to partnerships between airlines and charities, you have the opportunity to reap reward miles for your generosity. Call it aviation altruism, if you will.

Air New Zealand is a global airline based in Auckland. It flies to four cities in the United States: Honolulu, Los Angeles, Houston and San Francisco.

Saudia, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, is the third-largest airline in the Middle East. Its main hub is Jeddah, with secondary hubs in Riyadh, Dammam, Medina  and Abha. The airline flies to 80 countries, including destinations in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. In the U.S., it flies to Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando and Washington, D.C.

If you’re looking for a great travel rewards credit card and aren’t sure which one offers the best perks, keep reading. Three American Express cards are adding a suite of new services and benefits for cardholders, including double reward points, trip planning, luggage fee reimbursement, and more. These are in addition to the great rewards already offered by American Express, making the cards even more valuable for the casual or frequent traveler.

Spring break has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities to be rewarded for travel to sunny southern destinations. If you’re ready for a relaxing beach vacation, or looking for an excuse to explore the cities of South America, you can earn major bonus miles.

Aeromexico is Mexico’s largest airline, with 14 non-stop routes between Mexico City and the United States. Its extensive network also makes it easy for U.S. travelers to fly to Central and South America with one connection in Mexico City.

Aerolineas Argentinas, the country’s flag carrier, is the largest airline in Argentina, flying to 24 cities in 14 countries. The airline also has an extensive domestic network connecting Buenos Aires to 35 cities. From its hub in Buenos Aires, it flies to two U.S. destinations: Miami and New York.

When you want a good seat at a restaurant, schmooze with the maître d’. When you want a great seat at a concert, it helps to know the performer. When you want a seat on a plane, however, no amount of schmoozing or name dropping works. Moreover, no amount of points or miles can get you on a flight without available award seats.

Whether you’re in the mood for native bratwurst and sauerkraut, or Oktoberfest just isn’t coming soon enough, it might be time for a trip to Germany. There are many ways to earn bonus miles while you’re there, so you’ll be that much closer to your next excursion by the time you get home. So don your lederhosen and say danke schön for bonus miles.

Etihad Airways is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. It flies to over 120 destinations around the world, and it’s growing rapidly. In 2014, the airline carried almost 15 million passengers, which is roughly a 22 percent increase from the year before.

China Airlines, Taiwan’s flag carrier, began operating charter flights in 1959 with fewer than 40 employees. Today’s China Airlines, which employs about 11,000 people and serves more than 100 destinations across Asia, Europe, North America and Australia, has come a long way from its humble beginnings. It flies to 10 cities in the continental U.S.: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Seattle. China Airlines also serves Anchorage, Honolulu and Guam.

You’re probably already planning your annual summer vacation. Have you considered going someplace you can’t drive to? It might be time to think outside the box and visit a far-flung destination.