New transcon biz class + United mistake + Seattle + Cruise for miles + Marriott expiring

DOT excuses United on fare errors. A couple of weeks ago we reported on the controversy that erupted after United Airlines refused to honor some ridiculously low transatlantic air fares that many people booked through its website — if they switched their country of origin to Denmark. Although we disagreed with them, many observers felt that United should be held accountable for its mistake and should let those lucky travelers keep their bargain purchases. But now the U.S. Department of Transportation has weighed in, ruling that United didn’t have to honor the fares because to find them, consumers had to “manipulate the search process” by switching home countries to take advantage of a currency conversion glitch.

New Air Canada transcon biz class. March 1 is the launch date for a new Air Canada product it calls Business Class-Transcontinental, to be offered on widebody flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles to Toronto, as well as on intra-Canada service linking Calgary-Toronto, Vancouver-Toronto and Vancouver-Montreal. The airline said it will bring the comforts of its international business cabin to the transcon routes, including seats that recline fully flat, large pillows and duvets, noise-canceling headsets, priority check-in and boarding, Maple Leaf Lounge access and more. It will be on 787s, 777s, 767s and A330s.

United at ATL. A United spokesperson confirmed to TravelSkills that a new United Club is indeed underway at Atlanta’s T-gates concourse adjacent to the main terminal, although she could not comment on the exact location. It’s expected to open “this fall.” Additionally, nearly all United operations have moved to the much more convenient T-gates from Concourse D.  From ATL, United offers nonstops to Newark, Washington Dulles, Chicago, Denver, Houston and San Francisco. This TravelSkills post of United’s newest club at SFO should give you an idea of what the ATL and other planned renovations will look like.

Delta grows at Seattle. Delta’s next round of expansion at Seattle will come on December 19, when it plans to add new daily service to Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island — a route already served by Alaska Airlines. On the same date, Delta will add a second daily flight from SEA to Palm Springs and will begin daily seasonal service from SEA to Tucson, up from the current weekly flight. Starting in May 2015, meanwhile, Delta said it will extend its seasonal SEA-Fairbanks and SEA-Juneau service to year-round daily flights.

Cruise with MileagePlus miles. Got a ton of United miles burning a hole in your pocket? The airline said last week that MileagePlus members can now book cruise vacations through its loyalty program and pay with miles. The ships of some two dozen cruise lines are available, United said, with itineraries worldwide. Sample prices: We saw a seven-night western Caribbean sailing on Princess cruises at 70,471 miles for an ocean-view cabin or 129,294 miles for a suite (mileage prices are per person based on two in a cabin). A new web page has been created at https://cruises.mileageplus.com/ where members can search all the cruises available. Not enough program credit? You can also combine miles and money to buy cruises, United said.

HOTELS

1,000 Easy (?) Hilton Points. Last week you read about how to earn 1,000 Hilton HHonors points for simply changing your password, but the promo was put on hold due to a technical glitch. Well, it seems the glitch is still hampering the bonus, but a spokesperson assures TravelSkills that it will indeed come back. So stay tuned.

Marriott gets tough on expiring points. According to the View from the Wing blog, Marriott is telling Marriott Rewards members that effective in February 2016, it will start enforcing a clause in its program rules that says all of a member’s points will expire without any qualifying activity in the program within 24 months.

Popularity contest: Here are the most read TravelSkills posts this past week, in descending order of popularity. Did you read them all?

1. Why you should change the cards you carry
2. Bloodbath for airlines a boon for travelers
3. West Coast – New York LaGuardia flights on horizon?
4. How to enjoy dining alone
5. Does Virgin America need lie-flat seats to compete?

And our most popular post of all time? See it here.

Did you miss yesterday’s issue of our Weekend Edition? No probs! Here ya go: 

Southwest growth spurt + Better food? + Wi-fi on Delta + Hilton double + Whatever!

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