New British Airways Benefit

British Airways will offer members $75 off flights in exchange for 7,500 miles.  I don't like this offer for three reasons.  First, I expected the discount to be in British Pounds rather than US Dollars.  Second, a penny per point is a lousy point value, cash back cards offer twice that value in cash.  Third, 7,500 miles is a free one way flight up to 1150 miles long. British Airways miles are a great value for short point to point trips. 

I'l Keep Saving For A Trip On The 787

Star Alliance Cut Round The World Ticket Prices

The Star Alliance Round the World booking tool is one of the best day dream distractions on the internet.  I haven't booked a ticket yet, but now I am tempted because Star Alliance just lowered the fare prices and added a new short business class route. The ticket requires circling the globe and making 3 to 15 stops.  There are some tricks to maximizing value, like starting your trip at a major US gateway (positioning flights in the US are cheap) and you just have to start and end in the same country to save distance (start in LA and end in New York).  Also the Cook Islands are hardly out of the way when going from LA to New Zealand.

SWISS AVRO100 in Star Alliance Colors

I did book the Star Alliance Europe Airpass a few years ago and bounced around the continent for two weeks,  It is priced per segment, so I avoided connections and kept the costs very low.  It's a flat rate based on segment length, an outstanding value verses buying the flights at market rates.

Looking For A Cheap United Fare

United's new status requirements include a spend and mileage (or segments) requirement.  The spend requirement is 10c per mile, too expensive to buy status outright, so I thought cheap fare flying would be over for me.  Work trips have been my only flights so far this year and they are averaging 16c a mile, so I want to balance out the ratio with a few cheap flights.  Unfortunately flights aren't that cheap out of Denver right now, so I'm grounded for the moment.  I'll keep searching and it will keep the miles and points game fun too. 

I'm Willing to Fly Regional Jets or Props if the Fare Is Low

EBACE 2014

The European Business Aviation Convention & Exposition (EBACE) is next week, but I am unable to attend.  I thoroughly enjoyed the conference last year and have few photos from it that I haven't used yet.  Enjoy a fun Friday picture of a Gulfstream IV used by PPG; the jet wasn't part of the conference, just one of the many private aircraft at GVA.

PPG's Gulfstream IV N827GA at GVA

Antonov 124 at IAH

I spotted an Antonov 124 (I think) in Houston.  A rare sighting for me, so I thought I should share.

Antonov 124

Budapest Airshow & WIZZ AIR Flyover

The Budapest airshow goes right down the Danube in the center of town and WIZZ AIR's A320 did a cool low lever fly by.  Enjoy some pictures and video from WIZZ AIR.

Photo from WIZZ AIR

Photo from WIZZ AIR

Photo from WIZZ AIR

Photo from WIZZ AIR

Photo from WIZZ AIR

And a video:

Spirit Airlines Educates Potential Customers

Spirit Airlines just launched an outstanding marketing campaign focused on educating potential customers about how flying Spirit is different than other carriers.  The campaign called Spirit101 is a response to their industry leading (though still rather small) complaint count.  Spirit explains the unbundled fare idea to better set expectations for first time Spirit customers.  Only a cramped seat and a small personal item are included in the ticket price, so customers need to expect fees for optional extras.  Setting this expectation well in advance will change customers' mindsets and should reduce complaints while providing an experience that meets expectations.  Enjoy the video below and learn something about Spirit Airlines too.