Written by Kyle Stewart @ Live and Let's Fly
After years of chasing status (I still do), sometimes being a Free Agent when it comes to choosing your travel product is the most liberating of all. While I still hold elite status, on a recent trip my family used four different carriers for four different flight segments, three hotel chains over five nights and […]
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Navigating the Orlando hotel scene can be a challenge, even when presented with a limited set of parameters. I had a chance to review the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort on a recent Disney trip and was pleased with the value despite some initial challenges. Location The resort is located less than five miles from […]
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Read MoreWritten by Kyle Stewart @ Live and Let's Fly
My wife and I have been to Hong Kong more times than we can count. We love Asia’s World City and know it fairly well. Hong Kong is home to our favorite restaurant, it’s one of our favorite places to spend time, our favorite hotels, and we love connecting through Hong Kong International for its […]
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As a travel blogger I aim to be diplomatic when possible. I try to keep an open mind when it comes to situations that may seem obvious but underlying factors may be at work for which I am unaware. This post is anything but diplomatic. I am tired of the abuse of systems that are […]
The post Unpopular Utterances About Today’s State of Flying appeared first on Live and Let’s Fly.
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My wife and daughter spent the summer in Thailand as it is my busy season at work and I am nearly never at home – why shouldn’t they be at the beach instead? As a result, I have been traveling back and forth every other week for an extended weekend stay and completing some mileage/status […]
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OneJet is a new commercial airline operating small private jets based in Pittsburgh. I had the chance to fly their product and loved it but as a travel blogger, I was left with more questions than answers. I reached out to the carrier and the CEO himself made time to talk. Concept OneJet is a […]
The post Interview With OneJet CEO Matthew Maguire appeared first on Live and Let’s Fly.
Read MoreWritten by Kyle Stewart @ Live and Let's Fly
As the year comes to a close, some travelers have already re-qualified for status for the year while others find themselves coming up short. In the past, American, United and Delta have offer incentives to drive business and improve margins in the fourth quarter, but this year is different. All three appear to be chasing […]
The post United Chasing The Wrong Incremental Spending appeared first on Live and Let’s Fly.
Read MoreWritten by Kyle Stewart @ Live and Let's Fly
I’ve wanted to try the Hyatt Centric brand for some time. I liked the idea of their approach to premium design hotels and it’s something different for the chain. While limited in scope right now, some of the more exciting locations are Chicago Loop, Miami and soon Lima (so I never have to stay at […]
The post Review: Hyatt Centric The Woodlands – Houston appeared first on Live and Let’s Fly.
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OneJet is a newer scheduled commercial airline service that flies among medium-sized cities offering direct service where there is currently only connections. OneJet utilizes 7-8 seat private jets but flies from commercial terminals and offers time savings for a better flying experience than the big carriers do in first class. OneJet’s Advantage I had business […]
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During longer holidays my family tries to go deeper and travel farther when we have time on our side. Exploring the Park Hyatt brand (they always impress) we found a property in a Chinese city we had not been to before, Ningbo, China. Traditional, quiet, and service-focused – we found one of our favorite hotels […]
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Earning miles and points on everything you do should extend to your checking account if possible. For a long time I have loved debit products like the SunTrust Delta Debit card, and the BankDirect mileage-earning checking account. It offers a rare opportunity for those who have challenged credit or otherwise limited from earning through credit […]
The post Closing My BankDirect Mileage Checking Account appeared first on Live and Let’s Fly.
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Hotels, car rental companies, airlines – loyalty programs of all kind offer status to their best customers to distinguish casual guests from true loyalists. Status involves greater benefits in exchange for an increase in business. In order to create new loyalists, status requirements may be temporarily lowered or prorated to bring new elites into the fold. […]
The post Status Lite Is Bad For Everyone appeared first on Live and Let’s Fly.
Read MoreWritten by Kyle Stewart @ Live and Let's Fly
I am always on the look out for better ways to book travel. Certain markets make services like Rocketmiles a great value or later in the year where status has already been achieved. After shopping around for an upcoming trip, I stopped by Rocketmiles to shop for a hotel but didn’t book with them. That […]
The post Rocketmiles Gave Me $20 Without Booking appeared first on Live and Let’s Fly.
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Last weekend I reported about Southwest and the rumors swirling regarding their Hawaii operations. Based on information I gained from a casual conversation on a beach in Kona with a Southwest senior employee, it was clear that Denver would be in the mix. But Southwest hasn’t said so in their announcement, in fact they haven’t […]
The post Southwest Kind Of Announces Hawaii Flights appeared first on Live and Let’s Fly.
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I wrote a few weeks ago regarding Marriott’s unpublished Platinum elite status challenge. I referred a contact to the process and he didn’t have the same luck. I assumed it was a case of a misinformed phone rep (as I initially encountered myself) but we all know what happens when you assume… There Is A […]
The post Important Note on Marriott’s Unpublished Platinum Status Challenge appeared first on Live and Let’s Fly.
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I have avoided writing this post for just shy of a year because there wasn’t yet corroborating evidence or reason to believe it’s true – now there may be. Based on potentially reliable information, Southwest may focus on Denver to open their Hawaii route aspirations. What I Heard On a beach in Kona, for a […]
The post Unsubstantiated Gossip: Southwest Wants Denver-Kona appeared first on Live and Let’s Fly.
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Incentivized purchases are nothing new though no one has really cracked the travel space. Upside has been very aggressive in its quest for users and offered big incentives to consumers for their purchases but focused on business travelers. What are the implications of receiving personal incentives for booking businesss trips? What Is Upside? Upside.com was […]
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Traveling brings luggage (I chose not to say baggage) and there are as many choices for what holds your belongings as there are flights to take. How do you make the right choice? Experienced travelers hold Rimowa in high regard and I wanted to try the brand for myself. For the avoidance of doubt, Rimowa is not […]
The post Review: Rimowa Topas Silver Luggage Collection appeared first on Live and Let’s Fly.
Read MoreWritten by Kyle Stewart @ Live and Let's Fly
From one of my very first posts as a travel blogger, Le Méridien has held a special place in our heart. That being said, we rarely get the chance to try the brand so when I was away for business in Charlotte, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Unfortunately, the Le Méridien Bangkok and are […]
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Read MoreWritten by Kyle Stewart @ Live and Let's Fly
I‘ve held the Citi Advantage Executive Credit Card since the day it was announced. In fact my wife and I were in Mexico applying on separate computers at the same time and it was the first premium card for each of us. But it’s time to downgrade the product and here are the reasons why. […]
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