News and Deals: May 9, ...

InterContinental Hotels looks for Olympics boost ‎Reuters InterContinental (IHG.L), the world’s biggest hotelier, is looking for a further boost from London’s Olympic Games this summer, it said on Wednesday, after reporting a 5 percent rise in first-quarter profits thanks...

One-Way Codeshares and ...

Yesterday I wrote about the possibilities for JetBlue to bring partners into Terminal 5 at JFK , but there was one other nugget in the earnings call that caught my eye. This one comes from Robin Hayes, JetBlue’s EVP and Chief Commercial Officer. He talked about why the airline...

Will JetBlue Be Welcomi...

It’s earnings season, and that means it’s time for a slew of long analyst calls to talk about the events of the last quarter. I don’t listen to them myself, because I’d never get any work done if I did. Instead, I just read PlaneBusiness to get the details on what...

Cranky on the Web (Apri...

Airlines charging extra for everything is good for consumers, report says (poll) – Cleveland Plain Dealer This article looked at a study showing that fees are good or travelers. I was asked to comment and of course I agree. In the Trenches: Preparing for Vacation – Intuit...

Topic of the Week: Delt...

When I posted my trip report last week and mentioned that Delta damaged our stroller , a commenter requested that I report back. Well, we received notification from Delta on Wednesday that a check was in the mail to cover the stroller. While we did have to submit all the receipts and do...

Delta’s Oil Refinery ...

With fuel being an airline’s biggest expense, we all know that the airline and oil industries are tied together. But that tie got even closer this week when Delta announced that it would buy an oil refinery to start making its own fuel, or at least some of it. Now, I don’t...

Loyalty Programs Change...

Loyalty programs keep travelers coming back, granting more perks and benefits the more they use a service provider. But what happens as the world of travel evolves and companies merge to gain efficiency and price advantage or just to stay in business? In some cases, the customer comes...

Want to Earn More Miles...

I’ve received a lot of expressions of support from readers over the years wishing that they could do more to help support Cranky financially. Until today, the main way you could help was by using Cranky Concierge , and that’s not changing. But there are many of you who...

Why I’ve Switched to ...

Like many folks (ie, in this list of affiliate links …er best cards for travelers…I Kid!) I’ve used the Starwood Preferred Amex as my everyday card. Effectively 1.25 points per dollar and lots of flexibility on transfers (plus some other stuff that’s not really...

Why Do Airlines Switch ...

It’s time for another installment of Ask Cranky. This question is a great one, and I could have sworn I wrote about it before. But my intensive (read: 10 second) search didn’t turn up anything. Even if I have, it’s worth addressing again. I often take UA 732 from SEA to...