Chat thread – Tuesday 21st November

[NorthernLass]

Flight search query!

How do I find out where I can fly to directly from a specific airport? I don’t want to search on specific dates as of course not all services go every day. Is there a tool where I could search, for example, for every destination served by PHX on a direct flight, for the month of March?

[strickers]

NorthernLass wrote:

Flight search query!

How do I find out where I can fly to directly from a specific airport? I don’t want to search on specific dates as of course not all services go every day. Is there a tool where I could search, for example, for every destination served by PHX on a direct flight, for the month of March?

Try flightconnections dot com.

[NorthernLass]

Brilliant, thank you!

[Aston100]

JDB wrote:

Aston100 wrote:

How do Amex verify that a hotel you’ve booked / stayed at is within the participating list?
Example, the current Melia offer on some Amex cards. The participation list is very small but includes a few countries, but not every Melia property within those few countries.

From the merchant ID of the specific hotel.

Super Secret Stuff wrote:

Aston100 wrote:

How do Amex verify that a hotel you’ve booked / stayed at is within the participating list?
Example, the current Melia offer on some Amex cards. The participation list is very small but includes a few countries, but not every Melia property within those few countries.

It’s to do with which the merchant that shows up on your statement. I.e the company that owns the hotel and is operating it takes the payment (chains don’t usually own the properties).

So it’s not verification per say, just basic logic if it shows up as X Y & Z Ltd, means they stayed at either X Y or Z

Thanks both.
Sounds watertight.

[AndyGWP]

NorthernLass wrote:

Flight search query!

How do I find out where I can fly to directly from a specific airport? I don’t want to search on specific dates as of course not all services go every day. Is there a tool where I could search, for example, for every destination served by PHX on a direct flight, for the month of March?

I think Google also does the job:
https://www.google.com/travel/explore

[Lady London]

Michael C wrote:

Is the Gatwick North Premium Security Lane @GBP 5 pp worth it for
a December Saturday 0700h?! Just realised haven’t used LGW for several years…

Not always. I wouldn’t unless going through at a busy time.

Although you can reserve lounge with Priority Pass for around £6, which includes Fast Track

[Lady London]

davedent wrote:

JDB wrote:

davedent wrote:

Morning – some advice please.
I booked a basic room at the Kimpton Paris and successfully used a confirmable suite upgrade voucher to upgrade to a king suite with balcony. I received an email confirming the upgrade and the upgrade showed online. The room has now been downgraded to a basic room by the hotel. Despite having contacted IHG and the hotel they both seem to be unwilling/ unable to sort the situation. This is clearly a breach of contract but what do I do ? Grateful for any help.

While it may be a breach of contract, the difficulty is enforcing it, so as a practical matter it comes down to negotiation and a bit of guile. I don’t know the terms or ins and outs of the upgrade voucher, but probably you will need to escalate at IHG (write to the CEO’s office) on the basis that they can’t allow hotels within the IHG system to go rogue, thereby damaging the whole premise of their loyalty scheme.

Just updated the tier point run thread 🙂

I hope you will make a point of cancelling the booking if the suite you’d had confirmed is not provided.

Otherwise IHG and the hotel will just continue this behaviour.

The other alternative is to say that you need a suite for this particular booking and since Kimpton wants to cancel the suite after they confirmed it, hotel needs to walk you to a suite at the InterContinental Opera instead at no extra cost (and say no other proposition in Paris is acceptable if they try). IC is probably worse on suites provision but raising the request might make IHG/Kimpton work harder.

[smblcklck]

Good afternoon from a blissfully quiet T5B galleries awaiting BA11 for SIN this evening. Another trip in J that would never have happened without the help of HfP.

I have to say refresh has exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations, it’s really quite pleasant.

[Niall]

Aston100 wrote:

JDB wrote:

Aston100 wrote:

How do Amex verify that a hotel you’ve booked / stayed at is within the participating list?
Example, the current Melia offer on some Amex cards. The participation list is very small but includes a few countries, but not every Melia property within those few countries.

From the merchant ID of the specific hotel.

Super Secret Stuff wrote:

Aston100 wrote:

How do Amex verify that a hotel you’ve booked / stayed at is within the participating list?
Example, the current Melia offer on some Amex cards. The participation list is very small but includes a few countries, but not every Melia property within those few countries.

It’s to do with which the merchant that shows up on your statement. I.e the company that owns the hotel and is operating it takes the payment (chains don’t usually own the properties).

So it’s not verification per say, just basic logic if it shows up as X Y & Z Ltd, means they stayed at either X Y or Z

Thanks both.
Sounds watertight.

Haha. I had an offer on Amex fail to credit before at Gran Melia Sancti Petri, I think potentially because paid at the RedLevel reception and not main reception. Was surprisingly difficult and slow to get Amex to fix. A different form of the same address on the hotel invoice vs Amex list and lack of common sense on their part meant I really had to work to convince them that there weren’t two Melia Sancti Petri hotels in the same small area… but eventually it was sorted. Do keep all receipts though! Amex asked me quite a lot!

[davedent]

Lady London wrote:

davedent wrote:

JDB wrote:

davedent wrote:

Morning – some advice please.
I booked a basic room at the Kimpton Paris and successfully used a confirmable suite upgrade voucher to upgrade to a king suite with balcony. I received an email confirming the upgrade and the upgrade showed online. The room has now been downgraded to a basic room by the hotel. Despite having contacted IHG and the hotel they both seem to be unwilling/ unable to sort the situation. This is clearly a breach of contract but what do I do ? Grateful for any help.

While it may be a breach of contract, the difficulty is enforcing it, so as a practical matter it comes down to negotiation and a bit of guile. I don’t know the terms or ins and outs of the upgrade voucher, but probably you will need to escalate at IHG (write to the CEO’s office) on the basis that they can’t allow hotels within the IHG system to go rogue, thereby damaging the whole premise of their loyalty scheme.

Just updated the tier point run thread 🙂

I hope you will make a point of cancelling the booking if the suite you’d had confirmed is not provided.

Otherwise IHG and the hotel will just continue this behaviour.

The other alternative is to say that you need a suite for this particular booking and since Kimpton wants to cancel the suite after they confirmed it, hotel needs to walk you to a suite at the InterContinental Opera instead at no extra cost (and say no other proposition in Paris is acceptable if they try). IC is probably worse on suites provision but raising the request might make IHG/Kimpton work harder.

After I emailed everyone in IHG something odd happened the suite magically reappeared and I got all my points back very odd.

[Guernsey Globetrotter]

davedent wrote:

After I emailed everyone in IHG something odd happened the suite magically reappeared and I got all my points back very odd.

Great result @davedent ! Was it the Ambassador contact route that you went? I (and others on here) have found them to be super responsive with issues recently…

[davefl]

@davedent That’s the magic of the Ambassador team. Had two issues solved, even though one of them was at an Express, where they moved a non-ref booking for me

[NorthernLass]

@davedent, glad to hear it, make sure you take a screen shot now!

[SBIre]

NorthernLass wrote:

Flight search query!

How do I find out where I can fly to directly from a specific airport? I don’t want to search on specific dates as of course not all services go every day. Is there a tool where I could search, for example, for every destination served by PHX on a direct flight, for the month of March?

The wikipedia article for each airport is usually my starting place – it often has some useful info on seasonal or announced routes

[davedent]

NorthernLass wrote:

@davedent, glad to hear it, make sure you take a screen shot now!

I always had a confirmation email to effect that I was booked into a suite it was just downgraded online.
I emailed ambassador , CEO , Manager for Paris and manger for the Kimpton.

[conshee123]

SBIre wrote:

NorthernLass wrote:

Flight search query!

How do I find out where I can fly to directly from a specific airport? I don’t want to search on specific dates as of course not all services go every day. Is there a tool where I could search, for example, for every destination served by PHX on a direct flight, for the month of March?

The wikipedia article for each airport is usually my starting place – it often has some useful info on seasonal or announced routes

I thought it was just me that did this!

[Aston100]

After I emailed everyone in IHG something odd happened the suite magically reappeared and I got all my points back very odd.

A free suite?
That’s a result.

[BigRW]

Qatar Black Friday. I’ve had a look and nothing looks particularly interesting. Anything I’m missing? Pointers welcomed.

[Aston100]

BigRW wrote:

Qatar Black Friday. I’ve had a look and nothing looks particularly interesting. Anything I’m missing? Pointers welcomed.

Qatar Airways are the perennial winners of the Aston100 award for misleading advertisements by a major airline.

Take anything they claim with a pinch of salt.
Better still, delete their emails without opening.

[Super Secret Stuff]

Just had an email about a Black Friday offer gor 40% off reward flights from London city, Avios only no cash discount on taxes. Says there’s more offers tomorrow too…

[Aston100]

Super Secret Stuff wrote:

Just had an email about a Black Friday offer gor 40% off reward flights from London city, Avios only no cash discount on taxes. Says there’s more offers tomorrow too…

Dublin for 11100 Avios plus a pound. Return. Economy.
If thats with checked luggage, its not bad.

And yes, some of us take checked luggage on holiday as we’d like to carry more than one change of underpants.

[davefl]

Aston100 wrote:

Super Secret Stuff wrote:

Just had an email about a Black Friday offer gor 40% off reward flights from London city, Avios only no cash discount on taxes. Says there’s more offers tomorrow too…

Dublin for 11100 Avios plus a pound. Return. Economy.
If thats with checked luggage, its not bad.

And yes, some of us take checked luggage on holiday as we’d like to carry more than one change of underpants.

Some of us have to travel with checked luggage for anything over a few days due to the stupid liquid rules, and yes more than one pair of underwear as well.

[Andrew.]

Just had a notification from Airtime of a 3% Rebate at John Lewis.

[davefl]

conshee123 wrote:

SBIre wrote:

NorthernLass wrote:

Flight search query!

How do I find out where I can fly to directly from a specific airport? I don’t want to search on specific dates as of course not all services go every day. Is there a tool where I could search, for example, for every destination served by PHX on a direct flight, for the month of March?

The wikipedia article for each airport is usually my starting place – it often has some useful info on seasonal or announced routes

I thought it was just me that did this!

Me too, it’s a good resource when combined with google flights to see what days the flights actually operate.

[BJ]

Aston100 wrote:

Super Secret Stuff wrote:

Just had an email about a Black Friday offer gor 40% off reward flights from London city, Avios only no cash discount on taxes. Says there’s more offers tomorrow too…

Dublin for 11100 Avios plus a pound. Return. Economy.
If thats with checked luggage, its not bad.

And yes, some of us take checked luggage on holiday as we’d like to carry more than one change of underpants.

Try a thong or two @Aston.