Welcome to The Travel Brief, your weekly trade round-up of UK business travel and travel loyalty news as well as the latest reviews and features from the Head for Points team. If you are not a .....

Welcome to The Travel Brief, your weekly trade round-up of UK business travel and travel loyalty news as well .....

18 Nov 202418 November 2024 by Rob Burgess

This is our review of Great Western Railway’s Night Riviera Sleeper train service from London Paddington to Devon and Cornwall. In my case, it was to Plymouth. Regular readers may remember my .....

This is our review of Great Western Railway’s Night Riviera Sleeper train service from London Paddington .....

12 Apr 202512 April 2025 by Conny Urban • 52 comments

Yesterday we explained how you can now redeem Avios on JetBlue, both for transatlantic flights from the UK and Europe to New York and Boston, and for US domestic flights. At present there are no .....

Yesterday we explained how you can now redeem Avios on JetBlue, both for transatlantic flights from the UK and .....

16 Nov 202316 November 2023 by Rob Burgess • 20 comments

If you work in the loyalty industry, I’d like to invite you to register for the one-day ‘Loyalty Summit’ conference. It is taking place at the recently opened Hyatt Regency London .....

If you work in the loyalty industry, I’d like to invite you to register for the one-day ‘Loyalty .....

11 Sep 202311 September 2023 by Rob Burgess • 21 comments

Back in March 2022, Qatar Airways officially adopted Avios as its frequent flyer currency. Qmiles are no more. If you think ‘so what?’ because you could already book Qatar Airways .....

Back in March 2022, Qatar Airways officially adopted Avios as its frequent flyer currency. Qmiles .....

22 Jun 202322 June 2023 by Rob Burgess • 44 comments

With separate Avios loyalty schemes across the IAG airlines – British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub and Vueling Club – plus Qatar Airways and soon Finnair too, .....

With separate Avios loyalty schemes across the IAG airlines – British Airways Executive Club, Iberia .....

23 Oct 202323 October 2023 by Rob Burgess • 29 comments

What is a hotel mattress run, and how do you do one? I thought I would take a look at the concept of ‘mattress runs’ today.  A ‘mattress run’ involves booking a .....

What is a hotel mattress run, and how do you do one? I thought I would take a look at the concept of .....

9 Dec 20249 December 2024 by Rob Burgess • 61 comments

A regular question I get asked by readers is how The American Express Business Platinum Card differs from (personal) The Platinum Card. We have a similar articles on how The Platinum Card differs from .....

A regular question I get asked by readers is how The American Express Business Platinum Card differs from .....

22 Apr 202522 April 2025 by Rob Burgess • 40 comments

Weird things are happening at Etihad Guest. For an airline which is easily the weakest of the Middle East ‘Big Three’, taking an axe to its loyalty programme was a bizarre move. Yet, .....

Weird things are happening at Etihad Guest. For an airline which is easily the weakest of the Middle East .....

28 May 202528 May 2025 by Rob Burgess • 98 comments

With no notice to members, Hilton Honors has increased reward pricing at some of its top hotels and resorts. These are primarily hotels under the Conrad and Waldorf Astoria banners. Hilton Honors .....

With no notice to members, Hilton Honors has increased reward pricing at some of its top hotels and resorts. .....

12 Mar 202212 March 2022 by Rob Burgess

You probably haven’t given much thought to the history of the plastic in your wallet, but after American Express told us that today was 60 years since it launched its first Sterling card in the .....

You probably haven’t given much thought to the history of the plastic in your wallet, but after American .....

10 Sep 202310 September 2023 by Rhys Jones • 55 comments

Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways for the last 27 years, has announced his resignation. His last day at the airline will be 5th November. He will be replaced by Mohammed Al-Meer. Al-Meer is .....

Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways for the last 27 years, has announced his resignation. His last day at the .....

24 Oct 202324 October 2023 by Rob Burgess • 76 comments

Virgin Atlantic’s move to dynamic reward pricing – where every seat, on every flight, is now bookable on Virgin Points as long as you have up to 700,000 points to spare – posed a .....

Virgin Atlantic’s move to dynamic reward pricing – where every seat, on every flight, is now .....

15 Nov 202415 November 2024 by Rob Burgess • 19 comments

I’m in Poland at the moment, so I’m catching up with the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club changes at roughly the same time as the rest of you. Rhys has been doing the heavy lifting in the .....

I’m in Poland at the moment, so I’m catching up with the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club changes at .....

2 Oct 20242 October 2024 by Rob Burgess • 96 comments