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Delta Bug Fixed, Etihad's Concierge Service, AA's Flights to Cuba & More

Aug. 22, 2015
4 min read
Etihad the residence featured
Delta Bug Fixed, Etihad's Concierge Service, AA's Flights to Cuba & More
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Here's a roundup of the week's points, miles and travel industry news you may have missed:

Delta now shows blackout dates for Korean Air award travel by region.

Delta Fixes Korean Air Award Booking Bug

Delta's done a bit of work on its website to fix a bug that previously blocked access to Korean Air awards when the airline had blackout dates in any region. Blackout dates are now location-specific, just as they are when booking through Korean, and you can now see the different dates depending on which region you're searching. For example, if you're departing from North America, the blackout dates for next year are from May 13-June 30, 2016 and December 9-25, 2016.

AAdvantage Miles
Score savings with Delta's fall sale.

Save on US Fall Travel with Delta

Delta's domestic fall travel sale is running through September 3, 2015 for travel from September 10 to November 1, 2015. Fares range from $99 to $240 each way (based on a round-trip ticket purchase), with flights from MIA to LGA starting at $119 in basic economy and Savannah (SAV) to JFK starting at $109 for Main Cabin seats.

AAdvantage Miles
You can buy AAdvantage miles at a discount.

Save 35% on AAdvantage Miles

Through September 3, 2015, you can save up to 35% when you buy or gift American Airlines AAdvantage miles. The bonus is tiered as follows:

  • Buy 6,000-14,000 miles, receive a 15% discount.
  • Buy 15,000-39,000 miles, receive a 20% discount.
  • Buy 40,000-64,000 miles, receive a 25% discount.
  • Buy 65,000-89,000 miles, receive a 30% discount.
  • Buy 90,000-100,000 miles, receive a 35% discount.

Even if you max out the promotion, you'd be paying about 2.1 cents per mile, which is above my latest valuation. However, if you need to buy miles anyway to top up your account, or if you have a specific redemption in mind that you know offers better value, then this promotion can save you some money.

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Charter flights from LA to Havana on American Airlines start in December. (Photo courtesy of Bryan Ledgard via Flickr.)

American Airlines Launches Nonstop Flights from LA to Cuba

American Airlines will launch charter flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Havana (HAV) starting December 12, 2015 — its first flight to the Cuban capital from the West Coast. The airline already offers nonstop flights from Miami (MIA) and Tampa (TPA) to Havana, with a total of 23 weekly flights.

Residence by Etihad
Flights in The Residence by Etihad now comes with concierge service.

Etihad Adds Concierge Service to A380 Flights

Passengers traveling in The Residence by Etihad onboard its A380 aircraft now have more than just London Savoy-trained butlers to take care of their needs while in the sky. Etihad Airways has joined forces with Ten Group to offer a Lifestyle Concierge team who can handle everything from dining and entertainment reservations to lifestyle services. The team offers to assist passengers "immediately, 24 hours a day, at 35,000 feet."

American Airlines will no longer serve Tel Aviv from Philadelphia. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

American Airlines to Discontinue Nonstop Service Between Philadelphia and Tel Aviv

After six years of poor performance, including a loss of over $20 million in the past year alone, nonstop service between Philadelphia and Tel Aviv will no longer be offered by American Airlines. The route will be discontinued as of January 4, 2016, with no plans to resume service in the near future. Passengers who are ticketed for service along the route beyond that date will be contacted by American to make alternative travel arrangements or receive a full refund.

Abu Dhabi International Airport
You can win gold with Duty Free's new promotion at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Win Gold When Buying Duty Free in Abu Dhabi

If you happen to be flying through Abu Dhabi (AUH) from now through September 30, 2015 and spend either Dh150 ($40) on food or Dh500 ($136) on perfume and cosmetics in Duty Free, you'll have the chance to play the airport's new "Scratch & Win" promotion, with the chance to win 3.5 kg of gold.

TPG featured card

Best for businesses with high spending
TPG Editor‘s Rating
4.5 / 5
Go to review

Rewards

2 - 10X miles

Intro offer

LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles

Annual Fee

$395

Recommended Credit

740-850
Excellent

Why We Chose It

The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
  • In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
  • Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.

Cons

  • The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
  • Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
  • LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
  • Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
  • Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
  • Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
  • Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
  • Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
  • This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Apply for Capital One Venture X Business
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for businesses with high spending
TPG Editor‘s Rating
4.5 / 5
Go to review

Rewards Rate

2X miles2 miles per dollar on every purchase
5X miles5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
10X miles10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • Intro Offer

    LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles
  • Annual Fee

    $395
  • Recommended Credit

    740-850
    Excellent

Why We Chose It

The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
  • In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
  • Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.

Cons

  • The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
  • Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
  • LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
  • Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
  • Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
  • Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
  • Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
  • Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
  • This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month