In May, the Belarusian government made headlines around the world for forcing a Ryanair plane from Greece to Lithuania to divert to Belarus. While a bomb threat was called for for the flight, in reality there seems to be a different motive. Specifically, there was an outspoken critic of the Belarusian dictator on board the plane, who was accidentally arrested during this diversion. This is known as a state sponsored hijacking and Belarus faces all sorts of sanctions as a result of this incident and the national airline has been banned from flying to many countries. The government’s defense was downright bizarre, blamed for … Hamas. Well, there is now an interesting update regarding one of the main characters in this story. Oleg Galegov was the air traffic controller who diverted the Ryanair jet to Minsk, and he and his wife are missing. They have apparently not been seen by anyone (or at least anyone willing to share where they are) since last month, their phones have been disconnected, and their social media accounts have been deleted. That goes without saying Galegov probably has a lot of knowledge about the incident. Presumably he was not the mastermind behind this conspiracy, but followed orders from others. It is unclear whether he knew the motivation behind it or simply blindly followed orders (and the bomb threat was passed off as real for him). Regardless, I think his knowledge of the distraction would come in handy for investigators.While the air traffic controller was living in Belarus, he was originally from Georgia. So it is unclear whether he decided to flee or was somehow taken into custody by the Belarusian government to ensure he did not share his knowledge of the incident. The authorities kept silent about what happened Galegow. Hopefully he’s fine and we’ll get a positive update at some point.Bottom lineThe air traffic controller, who instructed a Ryanair plane to divert to Minsk because of a fake bomb threat, is said to have been missing for some time. He presumably has quite a bit of information, so it is not certain whether he decided to flee Belarus (knowing that he was a key witness to the events) or if something else happened. Via https://globalconnekt.com/air-traffic-controller-behind-belarusian-diversion-is-missing/
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For the past few days, I’ve been researching a fascinating trick for upgrading Emirates flights (and no, it’s not nice to get dressed up and say it’s your honeymoon), and I even got it firsthand on an Emirates -Flight tested. Okay, in fairness I failed, but that’s not because it wasn’t working, it’s for other reasons (more details below). I would argue that this is the best opportunity in the aviation industry to secure last seat availability for international first class. The basics for an easy upgrade to Emirates First ClassEmirates first class award seats can sometimes be hard to come by, especially when multiple people are traveling. Fortunately, the availability of business class awards is much easier to find in many markets. This is where the trick comes in:
That’s right, as long as an Emirates seat in first class is available on the day of departure, you can upgrade to it for a reasonable number of miles, even if you have an award ticket in business class (this principle applies to an upgrade from Economy to Business class). The best way to upgrade Emirates flightsI’ve written in the past about how to upgrade Emirates flights with miles. You can usually upgrade to a class of service and only if your ticket is issued directly by Emirates (a partner ticket would not qualify). The catch is that I wrote about it in a situation where a confirmable upgrade seat was available at the time of booking. Airlines pre-allocate a subset of seats for awards and upgrades, so the process is simple enough if those seats can be confirmed. But what if they have to be put on the waiting list? I tested this on an Emirates flight I took from Athens to Newark yesterday (not to be confused with the Emirates First Class Review I published yesterday which was for a flight in June). When it came time to book, the flight from Athens to Newark that I wanted to take had Business Flex award tickets (62,500 miles each way) but no First Flex award tickets (85,000 miles each way). So I decided to book business class and worked on securing an upgrade. The problem is that Emirates publishes very little on its website about the upgrade process. So it really took a lot of trial and error and asking a few friends to find out what the system was. How many miles do you need to upgrade Emirates flights?Emirates Skywards has a mileage calculator on their website that allows you to search for a specific route and find out how many miles you need for an upgrade, award ticket, etc. I entered a simple Athens to Newark itinerary and here the result was under the business class column: As you can see:
Note that upgrade costs may vary depending on the type of ticket booked. For example, if you booked a Business Reward for a return flight between Athens and Newark on Saver Level (instead of Flex Plus), you would only pay 90,000 miles for the return journey, but then an upgrade would be 78,000 miles for the one way – and the return journey (so you pay fewer miles in advance, but more miles for the upgrade). I suspect most people will be using this for Flex Plus tickets, in which case the first example is more relevant. What makes Emirates unique here is that you can upgrade a mileage ticket just as you can upgrade a cash ticket. This is because Emirates uses the same type of fare package (as Flex Plus) for award tickets and cash tickets. Booking a one-way business class award ticket and upgrading to First Class with the last seat availability would cost a total of 92,500 Skywards Miles. That is only marginally more than the 85,000 Skywards Miles that would be required for a purely one-way first class award, which is accompanied by significant capacity restrictions. Put Emirates upgrades on the waiting list with automatic upgrade functionalityAfter booking, I decided to try my luck with Emirates’ automatic upgrade feature. I signed up for my reservation and clicked the “Upgrade with Miles” button. This confirmed that my flight was eligible for an automatic upgrade with 30,000 Skywards Miles, but also that there was no immediately verifiable upgrade availability. Emirates’ automatic upgrade system is essentially like waiting for an upgrade. The catch is:
There is a notification system. So when you request your automatic upgrade, you can include your phone number so that you can be notified when your upgrade is canceled. When an award or upgrade seat becomes available, your automatic upgrade will also be canceled. Additionally, in theory, revenue management can sometimes delete automatic upgrades from waiting lists, but that’s far from a safe bet. I’ve heard that some people are lucky with this, but I definitely haven’t. I was informed 48 hours before departure that my upgrade had not been approved and my request was canceled. Upgrade Emirates flights with miles at check-inEmirates allows upgrades with the last seat available upon check-in. Unfortunately, this only works at the airport and not via online check-in. When you arrive at the check-in counter, simply let the agent know you want to upgrade with Skywards Miles and they can do it for you. So how did that work for me? As mentioned above, I flew with Emirates from Athens to Newark yesterday. I arrived at the airport a good three hours before departure (just before the check-in counter opened) and looked online and saw that three of the eight first-class seats were still for sale. In fact, a few minutes later, when it was my turn to check in, I looked again and saw that first class was sold out. Grrr:
I kept an eye on the availability of First Class and all eight First Class seats remained occupied, so there were no no shows. In a way, I’m happy to experience Emirates’ long haul business class because … wow. I’ll leave it at that for now, apart from the fact that an upgrade to Emirates First Class is very, very, very worthwhile. You can even upgrade on board an Emirates flightThe upgrade option does not end at the airport. Even after boarding the flight, the crew can process a mileage upgrade directly if there are still places available. When I got on board I told the crew that if there were any spots left in first class I would like to upgrade to one and they said they would let me know (again, at this point I was just doing this scientific reasons and to see what kind of reaction I would get and if this worked in real life as I expected). The two potential catches with upgradesI am convinced of the information above, although I should add a few caveats:
Bottom lineWhile most airlines offer miles to upgrade, I would argue that the Emirates Skywards upgrade program is one of the most lucrative. You can request an upgrade in advance and if it cannot be confirmed immediately it can be placed on the waiting list up to 48 hours before departure, then it will be canceled. If that fails, the real trick to securing an upgrade is to re-submit the request on the day of departure, either at the airport or on board. Not only can you upgrade award tickets (which very few airlines allow), but you can even get last seat availability (which most non-US airlines don’t allow). This is a great trick considering that Emirates Awards availability in Business Class is often easy to find, while Emirates Awards availability in First Class is difficult to find even with the cabin wide open. With this strategy you can also use miles to get the last seat in an Emirates first-class cabin. Assuming there are award seats in business class, getting the last seat in first class from Newark to Athens or New York to Milan for 92,500 Skywards Miles is a pretty great deal if you ask me. Anyone planning to take advantage of this great Emirates upgrade strategy? Or does anyone have experience with upgrades on the day of departure at Emirates? Via https://globalconnekt.com/the-trick-to-upgrading-emirates-flights-with-miles/ One of my favorite things about Air Canada Aeroplan is the program’s focus on adding partners. Aeroplan has more airline partners than any other airline frequent flyer program. Several partners have been added in the past few months, including Etihad, Azul, Vistara, Air Serbia, Virgin Australia and Air Dolomiti. Aeroplan has now added another new partner, the 41st airline partner of the program – Eurowings Discover is a partner of Air Canada Aeroplan from today (July 27, 2021). This has the potential to be extremely useful, especially since the new Aeroplan program was launched in late 2020. This gives members access to more award tickets with no airline surcharges and stopovers for just 5,000 additional miles each way. Air Canada & Eurowings Discover details about the partnershipA new partnership with the loyalty program has been launched between Air Canada and Eurowings Discover, offering Aeroplan members the opportunity to collect and redeem miles. I wanted to take a look at the opportunities that arise and also talk about Eurowings Discover as it is a new airline. What is Eurowings Discover?Eurowings Discover is the new long-haul vacation airline of the Lufthansa Group that has just started operations. The airline will offer long-haul flights from Frankfurt and Munich using a fleet of A330s with three service classes, including flat beds in business class and free full boarding in all cabins. Eurowings Discover will primarily serve destinations in North America, Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean. For example, the airline will fly to Cancun, Fort Myers, Kilimanjaro, Las Vegas, Punta Cana and Salt Lake City. Eurowings Discover operates separately from Eurowings, Lufthansa’s short-haul low-cost airline. Eurowings is also a partner airline of Aeroplan. Redeem Aeroplan miles with Eurowings DiscoverIt is now possible to redeem Air Canada Aeroplan miles on all Eurowings Discover flights. A couple of things to consider:
As a context, you can see the Aeroplan award table for trips between North America and the Atlantic region: As you can see, most routes between North America and Germany would cost 40,000 miles in economy class and 70,000 miles in business class (one way). Air Canada Aeroplan is a transfer partner of Amex Membership Rewards and Capital One. So if you have transferable points this is a great program to book. In addition, Aeroplan will become a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards from the end of 2021. Earn Aeroplan miles with Eurowings DiscoverWith this new partnership, Aeroplan members can earn miles on all Eurowings Discover flights. Miles are earned based on the distance flown:
Here is the mileage accrual table: Bottom lineAir Canada Aeroplan has accepted Eurowings Discover as a new airline partner. This is a pretty cool development as Eurowings Discover will serve some routes that are otherwise not served. Being able to book these flights in an easy-to-collect currency without paying fuel surcharges and having access to layovers is pretty awesome. Is anyone interested in the partnership between Aeroplan & Eurowings Discover? Via https://globalconnekt.com/air-canada-aeroplan-eurowings-discover-partnership/ I often write about flights of the fifth freedom, but usually don’t go into detail about why they exist, what their meaning is, etc. While Avgeeks and longtime readers are likely to know what these are, I thought it would be useful to have a consolidated post on these very cool types of flights (note that some of these routes have been suspended due to the coronavirus but at least operated before the pandemic and will hopefully resume when the borders reopen). Fifth Freedom Flight FundamentalsIn the context of commercial aviation, a fifth freedom flight is a flight in which an airline from one country flies between two other countries, with the right to carry passengers between them. This type of flight is not allowed in all cases, but must be part of an air transport agreement between countries (or part of a larger air transport agreement). I’ll cover more routes below, but to give just one example, Emirates offers a flight from Dubai to Milan to New York, so the flight between Milan and New York would be a fifth freedom flight. Why? Because an airline from the United Arab Emirates operates a flight between Italy and the United States, and the airline can even sell tickets for trips between New York and Milan. If an airline simply stops in another country to refuel, or if the airline does not have the right to pick up or drop off passengers in one country, then that would not count as a fifth freedom flight. Why airlines operate fifth freedom flights freedomThere are a few reasons airlines can choose to operate Fifth Freedom routes. One reason is that a destination can practically not be reached non-stop, so a stopover on the way is necessary:
Another reason is that a Fifth Freedom market is considered lucrative even if there are no operational constraints:
One final main reason is that an airline wants to fly to a specific destination, but there isn’t enough demand to fly directly there:
Why Passengers Should Care About Fifth Freedom FlightsThere are three main reasons passengers should be interested in fifth freedom flights. First of all, as Avgeek it is definitely fun to fly between other countries with an “exotic” airline, be it with Singapore Airlines from New York to Frankfurt, Gulf Air from Hong Kong to Bangkok or Ethiopian Airlines from Buenos Aires to São Paulo. Next, flights to the fifth freedom are cheaper in many cases. Airlines operating Fifth Freedom flights are often forced to offer more aggressive pricing as they may not have the pricing power of an airline based in that country in terms of frequencies, brand awareness, etc. For example, you may find that Ethiopian Airlines’ fares are much lower between Hong Kong and Bangkok than, for example, Cathay Pacific. Finally, fifth freedom flights can in many cases offer a significantly better passenger experience, as these flights are often operated by long-haul aircraft. Singapore Airlines, for example, flies between Copenhagen and Rome, so you can enjoy the airline’s excellent A350 Business Class on this short route. It looks a bit better on this route than Scandinavian Airlines’ business class equivalent (SAS Plus), doesn’t it? Another example: Who wouldn’t want to fly Emirates First Class between Newark and Athens? It is certainly better than anything any American airline has on the market! Controversy with flights to the fifth freedomHistorically, flights to the fifth freedom have not been undisputed:
For example, we have long seen airlines in the United States oppose Emirates’ flights between Europe and the United States, and it took a few years for Emirates to get approval from the Mexican government to launch a flight between Mexico City and the United States Barcelona received get. Are fifth freedom flights becoming obsolete?Great question. ? From my point of view, fifth freedom flights are less necessary than before and are now mainly performed for other reasons. Airlines now operate Fifth Freedom flights largely on demand rather than operational requirements (of course there are exceptions). For example, Cathay Pacific operated a fifth freedom flight between New York and Vancouver for decades. This route was originally launched at a time when Cathay Pacific only flew between Hong Kong and New York via Vancouver due to the range of the aircraft. Eventually the airline also launched nonstop flights between Hong Kong and New York, but by that point the airline was so well established in the New York to Vancouver market that it remained (unfortunately the route was recently closed and had apparently lost money for a while). So while the operational needs for these types of flights are largely limited, airlines are increasingly seeing business cases to operate these routes, insofar as governments permit. Fifth freedom flights from the USAWhat fifth freedom flights can you take to and from the US? From my head, here are the available ones available (again, some of them may be exposed due to the coronavirus):
Bottom lineA fifth freedom flight is when an airline based in one country operates a flight between two other countries. Personally, I love fifth freedom flights, as they can often depict a lot, offer an outstanding experience and even give you a little flair. I’ve done tons of fifth freedom flights over the years and always seek them out when possible. Have you flown any fifth freedom routes yet? What are your favorites Via https://globalconnekt.com/what-are-fifth-freedom-flights/ It’s never fun to leave a place as beautiful as Greece. Well, unless you’re lucky enough to be flying Emirates first class, enjoying what’s easily one of the most comfortable and fun ways to cross the Atlantic. Booking Emirates first class with Skywards milesEmirates operates an awesome fifth freedom flight between Athens and Newark, which sure is a fun way to travel between the United States and Greece. We took our trip to Greece very early in the season, and as a result return flights to the United States were still wide open. We had no trouble finding two Emirates first class award seats from Athens to Newark for a date that would be convenient for us. Nowadays the best way to redeem miles for Emirates first class is directly through the Skywards program (Emirates has restricted first class awards to many partner programs). We had sent my mom and her partner home in Emirates first class a couple of days earlier, and Ford and I returned from Athens to Newark in Emirates first class as well. Our tickets cost 85,000 Skywards miles per person, and taxes and fees were around $100 per ticket. That’s an extremely reasonable award cost for such a fantastic product. Also keep in mind that Emirates Skywards miles are easy to come by, thanks to the program partnering with all major transferable points programs. This includes Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou, Capital One, and Brex. Emirates first class reviewI’ll keep this review somewhat brief, given that I’ve reviewed Emirates first class many times before, including A380 first class, new 777 first class, and old 777 first class. Rather I’ll primarily focus on what service is like on this transatlantic flight, and also how Emirates first class service is holding up in the coronavirus era. We got to Athens International Airport at around 3:30PM for our 5:35PM flight to Newark. Emirates’ check-in counter was deserted, and within a few minutes we were issued our boarding passes to Newark. Immigration and security was quick, and we easily found the Goldair Lounge, which is Emirates’ contract lounge in Athens (it’s also accessible by Priority Pass members). The lounge is okay, but certainly not up to the standard of lounges that Emirates directly operates. Fortunately the lounge was quiet, though I’ve been in this lounge other times without a single available seat. Our flight was scheduled to board at 4:50PM (45 minutes before departure) from gate A12, which was just a short walk from the lounge. Unfortunately both Ford and I got “SSSS” on our boarding passes, so we were subjected to additional security screening at the gate. I was amused to see six security personnel at the gate, given that there were just 18 passengers on the flight (this was my emptiest long haul flight ever). Sure enough, boarding started exactly on-time, and as we boarded we had a fantastic view of the plane. While I love Emirates’ livery, unfortunately we were on A6-ECE, one of the older planes in the fleet, at nearly 14 years old. For whatever reason, Emirates seems to love operating older 777s on this route. Emirates EK209 We boarded through the second set of doors, where we were greeted by a crew member and immediately escorted to our seat. Oh Emirates first class, it has been too long! Emirates’ 777 first class cabin has just eight suites, spread across two rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. While the window seats are great if traveling alone, Emirates is always more fun with a companion, so we selected the center seats in the second row. While I prefer flying Emirates’ A380 first class to flying Emirates’ old 777 first class (because the former has a bar and shower), I do appreciate the more intimate first class cabin on the 777. I simply adore Emirates’ interiors. Would I ever want my home decorated this way? Heck no. But there’s something about the bling that’s oh-so-fun in moderation. These cabins have endless gadgets, from a tablet for controlling seat and entertainment functions, to a minibar, to a snack basket, to a stationary kit. It felt like business as usual on Emirates — one of the only signs of the pandemic was a face mask and hand sanitizer. Once we were settled in, the crew introduced themselves to us — working Ford’s aisle was the purser, who was Irish-American, and working my aisle was a Korean first class flight attendant. Both of the ladies working the cabin were awesome — the purser was hilarious, while the first class flight attendant was extremely professional. Once settled in, the typical Emirates first class goodies were distributed. This included a BVLGARI amenity kit… Pajamas, allegedly moisturizing… And slippers. We were also offered pre-departure drinks, and you can guess what we ordered. Refills were plentiful as well. A few minutes before departure, Arabic coffee and dates were served. As you’d expect, boarding was extremely fast, given that there were just 18 passengers. However, we didn’t depart right away, as the plane still needed to be refueled, and cargo was also still being loaded. About 10 minutes before our scheduled departure time the captain announced our flight time of 10hr17min. We had a quick taxi to the runway, and were airborne ahead of schedule — while the window seats on both sides of us were open, we chose to stay in the middle seats for takeoff, and just enjoyed the nose camera. The seatbelt sign was turned off a few minutes after takeoff, and I couldn’t help but take a quick walk through the plane. There was one other passenger in first class (in seat 1A). The three business class passengers were all in the forward mini-cabin, leaving the larger rear cabin empty. Economy was really where passengers had the most space to spread out, as there were just 12 seats taken. I almost felt sorry for the crew, as they seemed rather bored — when you factor in the pilots (who hopefully weren’t bored!), there were roughly as many crew as passengers. Once back at our seats we got ready to enjoy lunch, and we at least made sure the crew in first class wasn’t bored for the next few hours. Emirates has a dine on demand menu, which read as follows: Then the drink list read as follows: Lastly the wine list read as follows: To kick off the meal we had some more Dom Perignon, accompanied my warm mixed nuts. A few minutes later we were offered some canapés, allegedly chosen in partnership with Dom Perignon. This included confit duck with curried pineapple, parmesan and truffle arancino, and a poached prawn and guacamole tartlet. At this point we had enough champagne, so decided to mix up our drinks. I have a bad habit when it comes to ordering my favorite cocktail outside the US, since 90% of the time it doesn’t come out how I hope, yet I keep ordering in hopes of it being good. Specifically, I like dirty and dry martinis. Ideally it would just have vodka and olive juice, yet it’s only in the US where ordering a “very dirty martini” gets me the type of drink I’m looking for. Even when I explain what I’m looking for abroad at nice restaurants, it just never comes out right. I decided to try my luck on Emirates. I asked the purser for a dirty martini, and described what I was hoping for. Much to my surprise, she made the drink perfectly. Well done! Next up it was time for some more substantial food. Emirates’ first class meal service has more or less returned back to normal, though one minor difference was that the bread came wrapped (though I promptly unwrapped it). Both Ford and I started with caviar, natch. This came with chives, grated egg, sour cream, lemon, melba toast, and blinis. I then ordered the Greek mezze, which was massive. It included fava bean mousse, beetroot dip, tzatziki, taramsalata, octopus salad, dolmades, chicken tiropitaki, and courgette keftede. Ford decided to order the spring pea soup with mint cream. Then he had the smoked beef with thyme creme fraiche and vegetable salad with mustard. Around this time we decided to switch it up to one of the red wines — I love how Emirates serves red wine with a little carafe. For the main course I had the cod with lobster sauce, served with basmati rice, roasted fennel, and buttered edamame. Ford ordered the roasted chicken with grilled citrus demi-glace, grilled asparagus, peppers, parsnips, and sautéed potatoes. At this point we were absolutely stuffed, and had no room for dessert. The meal was amazing, and we enjoyed every dish. On top of that, the service was flawless, and customized perfectly. We wanted to enjoy a leisurely meal, and they paced each course around us. By the time the meal was done we were passing the UK, and had around 6hr30min remaining to Newark. We asked to have our beds made, which the crew promptly took care of. The cabin was also dimmed all the way, and the “stars” were visible on the ceiling. I fell asleep in no time, and woke up about two hours before landing. As you can see, we spent this entire flight just barely escaping darkness. There was a small snack setup in the forward galley, though I wasn’t at all hungry, and couldn’t bring myself to eat anything (that’s probably both due to how much we ate during the first meal, and also that it was the middle of the night in Greece, so we naturally weren’t hungry). At this point I connected to Emirates’ OnAir Wi-Fi, and got some work done. Internet is free for first class passengers, and can be accessed using your Skywards number. While OnAir isn’t fast, it’s fairly usable on the 777 (I’ve found it to be much worse on the A380). About 30 minutes before landing the captain made his pre-landing announcement, and a few minutes later we began our descent. The sunset views were beautiful as we were approaching, and it finally got dark shortly after we landed (at around 9PM). We had one checked bag, which we had to wait about 15 minutes for. From there we walked across the street to the Marriott Newark Airport, where we’d be spending the night (the timing of this flight isn’t ideal if you’re connecting beyond Newark, but it’s a small price to pay for such a great experience). Bottom lineWhat a treat that Emirates operates a fifth freedom flight between Athens and Newark, and that we were able to book it in first class with Skywards miles. Emirates’ first class product is phenomenal, and easily one of my favorites in the world. We had a great crew, excellent food and drinks, and a lot of fun. There’s no denying that coronavirus has made flying a lot less fun, given how airlines have cut back service. Being able to once again enjoy international first class as it was pre-coronavirus was fun on a totally different level! Thanks for following along on this trip report, and stay tuned, as I’ll shortly be starting my next one. Via https://globalconnekt.com/review-emirates-777-first-class-athens-to-newark/
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I would argue that the two best business credit cards for everyday use are the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (review) and the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (review). In this post, I wanted to make a comparison to help anyone who can decide which card is a better fit. Let’s compare different aspects of the cards, from annual fees to welcome bonuses to eligibility, return on spending and perks. Comparison of annual feesHave both the Blue Business Plus Card and the Ink Business Unlimited Card no annual fees (Prices & fees) which is great. It amazes me again and again how often the best cards for everyday use cost nothing. winner: This is an area where both cards match. Compare welcome bonusesThe Blue Business Plus Card currently offers a welcome bonus of 15,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $ 3,000 in the first three months. This may not sound like much, but it is an improvement as the card didn’t offer any bonus at all before. Remember, this is a card that you get for the running value it offers, not the bonus (although the current bonus is the icing on the cake). The Ink Business Unlimited Card now offers a welcome bonus of 75,000 points after spending $ 7,500 in three months which is the best bonus we’ve seen on the card. In conjunction with a card that earns Ultimate Rewards points, the points collected on this card can be converted into Ultimate Rewards points, which I estimate at 1.7 cents each. To me, the welcome bonus is worth up to $ 1,275, which in my opinion is the best welcome bonus on a card with no annual fee. winner: The Ink Business Unlimited wins in this respect by a large margin. Comparison of eligibilityDifferent card issuers have different policies when it comes to card approvals. The Blue Business Plus Card welcome bonus is “once in a lifetime”. The good news is that applying for the card doesn’t count towards Chase’s 5/24 rule, which means receiving that card won’t affect your ability to get a Chase card approved. Additionally, I find it anecdotal that American Express business cards are some of the easiest to approve. Meanwhile, the Ink Business Unlimited Card is subject to the 5/24 rule, and anecdotally, Chase business cards are among the more difficult ones to require approval. winner: In my experience, the Blue Business Plus is much easier to approve. Comparison of the return on spendingThis is one area where both cards shine. The Blue Business Plus Card offers 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $ 50,000 spent each calendar year. After that, the card receives one point for every dollar spent. I consider this to be the single most rewarding card for the first $ 50,000 in annual spend as I estimate the return on investment is 3.4%. The catch is, you can’t get those double points for the first $ 50,000 you spend, and after that the card just gets average. The Ink Business Unlimited Card now offers 1.5x points per dollar spent with no limits. If you only have the Ink Unlimited, you can redeem the points for one cent each. However, if you have the card in conjunction with a card that earns Ultimate Rewards points, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (verification), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (verification) or Ink Business Preferred (verification), points can be redeemed become. 1.25-1.5 cents of the travel expenses and can be transferred to the Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel partners. For example, if you have it in conjunction with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can redeem points for every 1.5 cents for the cost of a travel purchase, meaning you get a 2.25% return. You can get even better with some of Chase’s travel transfer partners. winner: It really depends. Assuming you rate points like me, the Blue Business Plus will do better if you spend $ 50,000 or less per year in no bonus categories. However, if you’re spending a lot more, Ink Unlimited is probably a better option. Or, since they are no annual fee cards, you can get the best of both worlds, and you can put $ 50,000 annually on the Blue Business Plus and the remaining expenses on the Ink Business Unlimited (this is the approach I use track). Compare discountsThese are both cards with no annual fee that are incredibly worthwhile, so there aren’t that many perks on top of that. I would like to point out that the Blue Business Plus Card gives you access to the Amex Offers programs, which allow you to save money and collect bonus points for all types of purchases. In many cases, this program saves me hundreds of dollars a year on some cards. In the meantime, the Ink Business Unlimited Card offers primary full insurance for car rentals, which is pretty rare for a card with no annual fee. There is also the Chase Offers program which could come in handy, but not as valuable as Amex Offers in my experience. Bottom lineBoth the Blue Business Plus Card and the Ink Business Unlimited Card are incredible business cards. I have the Blue Business Plus and the Ink Business Unlimited and I use both very well. In my view, Blue Business Plus is pretty easy to get approved and the best business card for the first $ 50,000 spent each calendar year. The card also accumulates Membership Rewards points directly so you don’t need to have it in conjunction with another card to maximize points (you can even use it as a hub card to keep Membership Rewards points when closing other accounts ). Then the Ink Business Unlimited is the best business card for everyday use with no limits, provided you have it in conjunction with one of the cards that collect Ultimate Rewards points. The card has an incredible welcome bonus that is much better than that of the Blue Business Plus. So if you can get it, there is huge potential here. Where do you stand – do you prefer Blue Business Plus or Ink Business Unlimited? The following links lead you to the tariffs and fees for the American Express cards mentioned. These include: The Blue Business® Plus credit card from American Express (prices & fees). Via https://globalconnekt.com/amex-blue-business-plus-vs-chase-ink-business-unlimited/ Since most airlines have greatly reduced their in-flight service, I think it is worth paying tribute to an airline for their investment in soft products. Emirates unparalleled wine investmentIn 2014, Emirates Airline announced that it would invest $ 500 million in its wine program. While there are several top airlines offering exceptional wine in premium staterooms (especially first class champagne), Emirates’ investment in wine is on a whole different level. The Dubai-based airline made long-term investments in its wine program to source the best vintages for up to a decade before consumption. In many cases, the airline invests in wines before they are bottled and launched. The airline even has its own wine cellar in France, which held over a million bottles of wine in 2014, many of which haven’t even hit the market. The exaggerated “surprise wines” from EmiratesEmirates is known in premium travel circles for consistently serving Dom Perignon champagne in first class, which is of course very nice. But that’s the standard too, so no surprise. What I personally find most fascinating about Emirates’ wine selection is the element of “surprise and delight” both in the air and on the ground. The selection of red and white wines from Emirates for first-class passengers varies greatly, at least in terms of selling price. Sometimes the airline has $ 20 bottles of wine on offer, and sometimes the airline has $ 400 bottles of wine on offer. The airline doesn’t make a big deal of it, and you really don’t know about this huge price variance unless you’re a wine expert or do some research. FlyerTalk member Chongl reports that he was recently in the Emirates First Class Lounge in Dubai and in 2001 just saw the Château Mouton Rothschild standing there. Not only is this wine ridiculously hard to find, but when you do find it you are usually paying over $ 500 a bottle. It’s the casual elegance with which Emirates goes about it that I love so much. You can really go wine hunting in an Emirates lounge and maybe find a couple of bottles for $ 20 and a couple of bottles for $ 500. It all depends on the day and the place you are looking. Now let me acknowledge that I’m not a great wine snob. When I do a wine tasting, I swallow – I don’t swirl for 30 seconds, look at the color, rinse it in my mouth, spit it out, and then comment like I know what I’m talking about. Rather, I am going into it from two perspectives:
For wine snobs, or even just those who have some time to kill while connecting, stroll the Emirates first class lounge in Dubai and watch the wines (whether you know it or google it) – think about it like an Easter egg hunt for adults. In addition, you can check the wine selection on board online before your flight so that you can decide in advance which wines to drink. Bottom lineEmirates has invested more in wine than any other airline in the world (if only they had invested that money in their lackluster business-class 777 product instead, but I’m digressing). When most people hear this, they probably think of the Dom Pérignon champagne the airline is famous for, but it goes way beyond that. Perhaps what is most fascinating is how the airline seems to randomly serve up bottles of wine worth over $ 500 for no real rhyme or reason. This is often done in the first class lounges in Dubai, although we sometimes see some amazing wines changing through the boarding pass as well. However, these are usually less infrequent vintages when you consider how high the consumption would be across Emirates’ entire first-class network. Does anyone find Emirates’ wine investment as intriguing as I do? Via https://globalconnekt.com/no-moaning-emirates-incredible-wines/
A few weeks ago I wrote about how a Delta passenger was accused of trading his special needs daughter. Well, now a frontier driver has been accused of trafficking in human beings with her sister. Frontier Airlines human trafficking incidentLast Tuesday (July 20, 2021) a woman and her sister traveled from Denver to Dallas on Frontier Airlines. 21-year-old Lakeyjanay Bailey (who is black) was out with her four-year-old adoptive sister Olivia (who is white). The flight appeared perfectly normal to the sisters until they landed at DFW, where they were picked up by law enforcement agencies. According to the incident report, Frontier Airlines allegedly ordered police to investigate a passenger over human trafficking concerns as a woman born in 2001 was traveling with a woman born in 2017. After being confronted, officers asked the younger sister if she knew about the 21-year-old’s relationship with her, along with a number of other questions. The officers then spoke to the girls’ mother and a social worker to confirm certain information. The police followed the sisters to baggage claim before speaking to the person who was collecting them. Bailey believes this is race related and that if a white adult traveled with a black child, things would have been different. She is now considering suing Frontier Airlines. What Frontier Airlines has to sayFrontier Airlines issued the following statement regarding the incident:
My opinion on this incidentThis really sucks. I think it’s extremely obvious that race was the cause of this incident – if a white 21 year old was traveling with a young white kid, no one would blink. What sets this incident apart from the Delta incident involving a father and daughter is that in this case, it was not the crew who initially raised concerns about human trafficking, but a different passenger. Airline crews are theoretically trained to spot signs of human trafficking, if not well – in reality, they only take a short course at best. Should the airline be even more lenient if it is another passenger reporting the incident rather than a crew member? Should the crew have confronted and talked to the sisters instead of just calling the police? If the crew dismissed the incident and did not report, and it was found that child trafficking was ongoing, would the airline be held liable? Look, I get the problem – human trafficking is a problem. The problem, however, is that people often blame others for this because they appear “different”. Rarely are white families who have no special needs accused of trafficking in human beings. This is usually accused of rather heterogeneous families. Some people don’t seem to realize that “different” is not the same as “suspicious”. There will no doubt be those who say, “Well, Better Safe Than Forbearance”. I think that’s easy to say for us whites who are not naturally considered “suspicious”. For example, if a dark-skinned person is removed from an airplane for being “suspicious” for speaking Arabic, does that also fall under the “Better Safe Than Forbearance” category? I would say no … Bottom lineA 21-year-old black woman was traveling on Frontier Airlines with her four-year-old adoptive sister and was accused of human trafficking. Apparently a passenger brought this to the attention of the crew and then the crew decided to have the police pick up the flight. What a humbling experience for both siblings. Unfortunately, it is not the first such story either … What do you think of this incident? (Top of the hat, your mileage may vary) Via https://globalconnekt.com/cross-border-commuters-charged-with-trafficking-in-human-beings-with-her-sister/
Just over a week ago, President Joe Biden met with Chancellor Angela Merkel and was asked during a press conference about the lifting of US travel bans. The United States has various travel bans preventing non-Americans from entering the country if they have been in certain countries in the past 14 days. There are currently travel bans against Brazil, China, India, the Schengen area, South Africa and Great Britain, among others. In response to the question, Biden stated that discussions were “now underway” and that he expected “to be able to answer what is likely to happen within the next few days.” It was stated that Biden was waiting to hear what to do from his coronavirus team. Well there is an update now – it is reported that the USA will retain their existing travel restrictions at this time due to the delta variant.
This is not good news for many. Personally, I wouldn’t read too much into it now:
Personally, I don’t follow the logic of the Biden administration:
As I’ve said many times before, the problem is that travel goes beyond casual tourism. There are families and close friends who have been kept apart for a long time and there is no end in sight. Bottom lineFor the time being, the US will not lift its current travel restrictions with reference to the Delta variant. Personally, I would not be discouraged by this – the directive could change in the coming weeks or months, so I do not necessarily take this to mean that the current restrictions will necessarily persist for so long. Due to the low infection rates in the US, Americans have recently been allowed to travel to most European countries. However, given the accelerating pace of the cases, I would expect the United States to fall off the EU’s “green list” again soon. What do you think of the US not lifting foreign travel bans? (Hat tip to view from the wing)
Via https://globalconnekt.com/confirmed-us-wont-lift-travel-bans-for-now/ Travelers to French Polynesia will now have to pay a “health surveillance fee” and the amount will vary depending on whether or not you have been vaccinated. That’s remarkable because I don’t think we’ve seen anything like it before. French Polynesia Health Monitoring FeeAs of July 20, 2021, French Polynesia introduced a new fee for incoming travelers. Specifically, a “health monitoring fee” has been added, which is to be paid before the start of the journey when obtaining an electronic travel authorization. It is interesting that the fee depends on whether you are vaccinated or not:
Some people are excluded from this fee, including children under the age of six, students residing in French Polynesia, returnees from medical evacuations, flight crews and medical professionals. What is included in this fee? As described, this is intended to cover “part of the cost” related to coronavirus health measures on the islands. The fee includes handling administrative and sanitary inquiries, ETIS procedures, rapid antigen tests on arrival, and tracking passengers disembarking in French Polynesia. This fee structure is logical, but a moot pointThe staggered charge for arriving passengers in French Polynesia makes a lot of sense to me:
That being said, this price difference is largely a moot point for now. French Polynesia currently only receives vaccinated travelers for tourist purposes. Unvaccinated travelers are only allowed to enter French Polynesia for “compelling reasons”, including health, work or family. I would imagine that makes up a small percentage of the incoming international travelers. Bottom lineFrench Polynesia has introduced a new health surveillance fee for travelers that covers things like quick antigen tests on arrival, among other things. It is interesting that the fee for unvaccinated people is higher than for vaccinated people. For now, the difference in fees doesn’t matter much as French Polynesia is only open to vaccinated visitors and if you are not vaccinated you will need a “compelling reason” to visit. So I would have to imagine that the vast majority of arriving travelers are vaccinated. What do you think of the French Polynesia tiered health fee? (Hat tip to YHBU) Via https://globalconnekt.com/french-polynesia-adds-health-fee-based-on-vaccination/ |
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March 2022
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