Loyalty shake-ups, new lounges and fee hikes. Oh my!
by Colin Hogan, Senior editor
This week, there’s a lot going on with air travel. Whether you’re flying today, tomorrow or even a year from now, we want to be sure you’ve got all the information you need for a great trip.
United’s big shake-up
Tomorrow is an important day for United Airlines flyers, with the airline rolling out its big shake-up of the MileagePlus program. The changes include some great news for United credit card holders (and less-than-great news for everybody else).
More lounges coming
Sure, airport lounges are overcrowded. But this might help: American Express’ Centurion Lounge network just announced new locations at these two airports (and the sprucing up of a third location). Spoiler alert: If you like this new Amex lounge concept, you’re going to be happy.
If you’re flying soon, know that airport security lines are still a mixed bag. Transportation Security Administration checkpoints have improved at some airports, but not everywhere, so it’s still important to plan ahead. If you have some flexibility in where you fly, we’d still recommend going through these airports. And using this $99 service (where available) isn’t the worst idea if you want to protect yourself against waits.
A canary in the coal mine?
Finally, the upward trend for oil prices continues, which means that award ticket surcharges and cash fares are on the rise (but there are things you can do to minimize the impact). This U.S. airline just confirmed it is hiking its checked-bag fee to cope with increased fuel costs, and if history is any indication, we may see others follow suit. So it may make sense to lock in some future travel now.
Pro tip: There are services that can help you track purchased airfare and get a credit or refund if the price drops.
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