Norwegian Airlines: fare deals to Europe

Written by Corey @ Miles&PointsWhiz

Norwegian Airlines has a great deal on airfare with non stop service to Europe.To Bergen (new route) from:New York : $279To London from:Los Angeles: $297Ft Lauderdale: $297New York: $244To Oslo from:Oakland-San Franscisco: $297Orlando: $242New York: $2…

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Delta New Premium Club Offerings – Now Testing

Written by Corey @ Miles&PointsWhiz

I just received new that select Delta Sky Club locations will be testing new premium products and services from mid- February through late April.  Hoping to be a test subject, if you visit please let us know what you think.New offerings include:Mo…

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Hyatt: 100 Hyatt FREE Gold Passport bonus points

Written by Corey @ Miles&PointsWhiz

Hyatt is one of my favorite Hotel chains and I am always happy accept any denomination of free points.  For as few as 2,500 points +$50 you can redeem a free night.  You can earn Gold Passport points by transferring Chase Ink Points to Hyatt …

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jetBlue: The Cold-Turkey Sale – 20% off

Written by Corey @ Miles&PointsWhiz

jetBlue is running their “The Cold-Turkey Sale” offering a 20% discount off base airfare.

Offer Details: How to Book:

  • Promo Code: COLDTURKEY
  • 20% off* the base fare of a domestic JetBlue flight. (Base fare is everything but the gov’t taxes/fees)
  • Book by November 18, 2013 (11:59 PM PST)
  • Travel December 3 – December 18, 2013 or January 7 – February 12, 2014
  • Blackout Dates: None
  • Not valid for Friday or Sunday flights.
  • Not valid on previous bookings
How to Book:
  • Promo codes can only be redeemed online at jetblue.com/promo
  • Search an eligible flight
  • Enter promo code from www.jetblue.com/deals/the-cold-turkey-sale exactly as it appears (case sensitive)
  • You must select flights in order for discount to appear. Once selected you will see the discount amount displayed in the itinerary subtotal on the right side of the flights page
  • Only one code per reservation
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FAA now allows expanded use of Personal Electronics

Written by Corey @ Miles&PointsWhiz

Copied Press Release:

WASHINGTON– The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta today announced that the FAA has determined that airlines can safely expand passenger use of Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) during all phases of flight, and is immediately providing the airlines with implementation guidance. 
Due to differences among fleets and operations, the implementation will vary among airlines, but the agency expects many carriers will prove to the FAA that their planes allow passengers to safely use their devices in airplane mode, gate-to-gate, by the end of the year.
The FAA based its decision on input from a group of experts that included representatives from the airlines, aviation manufacturers, passengers, pilots, flight attendants, and the mobile technology industry.
Passengers will eventually be able to read e-books, play games, and watch videos on their devices during all phases of flight, with very limited exceptions. Electronic items, books and magazines, must be held or put in the seat back pocket during the actual takeoff and landing roll. Cell phones should be in airplane mode or with cellular service disabled – i.e., no signal bars displayed—and cannot be used for voice communications based on FCC regulations that prohibit any airborne calls using cell phones.    If your air carrier provides Wi-Fi service during flight, you may use those services.  You can also continue to use short-range Bluetooth accessories, like wireless keyboards.
“We believe today’s decision honors both our commitment to safety and consumer’s increasing desire to use their electronic devices during all phases of their flights,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “These guidelines reflect input from passengers, pilots, manufacturers, and flight attendants, and I look forward to seeing airlines implement these much anticipated guidelines in the near future.”     
“I commend the dedication and excellent work of all the experts who spent the past year working together to give us a solid report so we can now move forward with a safety-based decision on when passengers can use PEDs on airplanes,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.
The PED Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) concluded most commercial airplanes can tolerate radio interference signals from PEDs. In a recent report, they recommended that the FAA provide airlines with new procedures to assess if their airplanes can tolerate radio interference from PEDs. Once an airline verifies the tolerance of its fleet, it can allow passengers to use handheld, lightweight electronic devices – such as tablets, e-readers, and smartphones—at all altitudes. In rare instances of low-visibility, the crew will instruct passengers to turn off their devices during landing. The group also recommended that heavier devices should be safely stowed under seats or in overhead bins during takeoff and landing.
The FAA is streamlining the approval of expanded PED use by giving airlines updated, clearguidance. This FAA tool will help airlines assess the risks of potential PED-induced avionics problems for their airplanes and specific operations. Airlines will evaluate avionics as well as changes to stowage rules and passenger announcements. Each airline will also need to revise manuals, checklists for crewmember training materials, carry-on baggage programs and passenger briefings before expanding use of PEDs. Each airline will determine how and when they will allow passengers broader use of PEDs.
The FAA did not consider changing the regulations regarding the use of cell phones for voice communications during flight because the issue is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).  The ARC did recommend that the FAA consult with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to review its current rules. Cell phones differ from most PEDs in that they are designed to send out signals strong enough to be received at great distances
Top Things Passengers Should Know about Expanded Use of PEDs on Airplanes:
1. Make safety your first priority.
2.  Changes to PED policies will not happen immediately and will vary by airline. Check with your airline to see if and when you can use your PED.
3.  Current PED policies remain in effect until an airline completes a safety assessment, gets FAA approval, and changes its PED policy.
4. Cell phones may not be used for voice communications.
5.  Devices must be used in airplane mode or with the cellular connection disabled. You may use the WiFi connection on your device if the plane has an installed WiFi system and the airline allows its use.  You can also continue to use short-range Bluetooth accessories, like wireless keyboards.
6. Properly stow heavier devices under seats or in the overhead bins during takeoff and landing. These items could impede evacuation of an aircraft or may injure you or someone else in the event of turbulence or an accident.    
7. During the safety briefing, put down electronic devices, books and newspapers and listen to the crewmember’s instructions.
8.  It only takes a few minutes to secure items according to the crew’s instructions during takeoff and landing.
9.  In some instances of low visibility – about one percent of flights – some landing systems may not be proved PED tolerant, so you may be asked to turn off your device.
10. Always follow crew instructions and immediately turn off your device if asked.
Current FAA regulations require an aircraft operator to determine that radio frequency interference from PEDs is not a flight safety risk before the operator authorizes them for use during certain phases of flight. Even PEDs that do not intentionally transmit signals can emit unintentional radio energy. This energy may affect aircraft safety because the signals can occur at the same frequencies used by the plane’s highly sensitive communications, navigation, flight control and electronic equipment. An airline must show it can prevent potential interference that could pose a safety hazard. The PED ARC report helps the FAA to guide airlines through determining that they can safely allow widespread use of PEDs. 
The PED ARC began work in January, at the request of Administrator Huerta, to determine if it is safe to allow more widespread use of electronic devices in today’s aircraft.  The group also reviewed the public’s comments in response to an August 2012 FAA notice on current policy, guidance, and procedures that aircraft operators use when determining if passengers can use PEDs. The group did not consider the use of electronic devices for voice communications. Afact sheet on the report is now available.
The FAA is immediately giving airlines a clear path to safely expand PED use by passengers, and the Administrator will evaluate the rest of the ARC’s longer-term recommendations and respond at a later date. 
A Portable Electronic Device is any piece of lightweight, electrically-powered equipment. These devices are typically consumer electronic devices capable of communications, data processing and/or utility.  Examples range from handheld, lightweight electronic devices such as tablets, e-readers, and smartphones to small devices such as MP3 players and electronic toys.
The PED ARC report and FAA guidance materials are available on our website..
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Lufthansa: Limited time offer: 50,000 miles

Written by Corey @ Miles&PointsWhiz

The Lufthansa Premier Miles & More World MasterCard®
For a limited time the Lufthansa Premier Miles & More Mastercard has a signup offer worth discussing.  I personally applied for the card back in July on the last day of the offer.  I don’t typically line my wallet with credit cards partnering with foreign frequent flyer programs with the exception of the British Airways Visa Signature Card due to the high value to short distance flights.  There hasn’t been a whole lot of exciting offers over the past year so I had to start thinking out the box (or outside domestic airlines).

Details: 

The Lufthansa Premier Miles & More World MasterCard®

  • Earn 20,000 award miles after your first purchase or balance transfer
  • Earn an additional 30,000 award miles when you spend $5,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening
  • With 50,000 award miles you can redeem for a round-trip award flight to Hawaii, Europe or the Caribbean!
  • Cardholders receive a Companion Ticket annually
  • Enjoy 2 award miles per $1 on Miles & More integrated airline ticket purchases and 1 award mile per $1 spent everywhere else
  • No mileage expiration with monthly qualifying purchases
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • $79 annual fee

Lufthansa is a member of the Star Alliance, which enables you to use Lufthansa Miles on its partner airlines.

I recently flew First Class JFK-FRA-MUC on Lufthansa for 67,500 UA miles, cost to purchase flight without miles was over $11,000.  Click here to read more.

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Free Brunch in Brooklyn: Barboncino Neapolitan Pizza & Bar

Written by Corey @ Miles&PointsWhiz

781 Franklin Avenue – Brooklyn, NYBarboncino Neapolitan Pizza and Bar was in attendance at the Slice Out Hunger event I volunteered at last night.  They handed out post cards announcing their second anniversary by offering FREE BRUNCH on Sunday Oc…

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slice out hunger: NYC’s Biggest Pizza Party Charity Event – Today October 9th @ 6PM

Written by Corey @ Miles&PointsWhiz

Tonight is Slice Out Hunger’s annual charity event where everything revolves around Pizza.  The entire event is run by volunteers and yours truly will be one of the volunteers serving pizza tonight.  100% of proceeds go directly to Food Bank …

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American Express: Small Business Saturday only $10 credit for 2013

Written by Corey @ Miles&PointsWhiz

Small Business Saturday Promotion:For the past 3 years American Express customers were able to enroll each of their American Express cards and receive a $25 statement credit after making a purchase at a small business on “Small Business Saturday”Though…

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The View: Oktoberfest Fair Ground on September 20th, a day before it begins

Written by Corey @ Miles&PointsWhiz

Oktoberfest begins on September 21st, though I won’t be there for the opening ceremonies, I will be arriving into Munich the following morning from New York via Frankfurt. My travel itinerary can be seen here, with a breakdown of how I am flying F…

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