Only $950.00 more is needed before midnight Pacific Daylight Time tonight to reach the goal of $6,000.00 worth of donations to the Jason Dahl scholarship fund. Will FlyerTalk members come through with this challenge? Everyone who donates will be entered into a drawing for you and a friend to...

“What happens when your travel life, your social life and your SPG life collide?” asks FlyerTalk member Starwood Lurker IV — an official company representative also known as Christopher Carman, who is a social media specialist for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. The answer is called SPG Social, “the Facebook-connected experience that brings you, your friends and what’s trending in travel together to help you explore, plan and enjoy every journey” which will...

There are many reasons why I loath to check baggage — and this article highlights one of those reasons. As the result of a probe over the past year investigating greater than 100 reports of luggage theft, police in Italy reportedly arrested 19 baggage handlers working for Alitalia at Aeroporto Internazionale Leonardo da Vinci di Fiumicino in Rome — and this video recorded by one of the hidden cameras supposedly catches some of the workers “red-handed”...

Say what you will about Spirit Airlines — but they are profitable, outperforming the airline index on the stock market with a return on capital and a growth rate both at 28 percent, as well as an adjusted net income per share increase of 36.4 percent. Their adjusted net income for the first quarter 2013 was $32.8 million, or $0.45 per diluted share, and they had $483.5 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents as of March 13, 2013. FlyerTalk members in the United MileagePlus (Consolidated) forum have taken notice about how the profits of Spirit Airlines are soaring, saying that...

Hot dog! If you are a member of Klout and have a score of 55 or greater, you are on a roll as you get to relish a free day in an Admirals Club, the network of airport lounges of American Airlines — and you will be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win the top prize, which is...

One of the most important perks of elite status in a frequent flier loyalty program is that free upgrade from the economy class cabin to a premium class cabin, which in some cases has become more elusive…but are free upgrades an endangered benefit which may eventually become a thing of the past — doomed to be replaced by upgrade auctions via the Internet? Over the past couple of years, a variety of commercial airlines have switched either partially or completely to an upgrade auction model...

If you enjoy communicating with FlyerTalk members in real time via FlyerTalk, there is good news for you: although it had been unavailable for a while, the FlyerTalk Chat functionality is back — and it is better than ever. You can access the FlyerTalk Chat functionality by...

If you plan on being a passenger on Augsburg Airways today, Tuesday, May 7, 2013, a strike by the pilots of this airline which operates regional flights for Lufthansa is currently in effect through 22:00 tonight. At this time, 65 flights have already been canceled as a result of this strike. Other flights may be affected as well. An official statement has been released by Lufthansa, which reports the latest travel information as follows...

Technology can be its own dichotomy when it pertains to identity theft, as it can both reduce and increase the risk of it happening to you. It is a huge game where the stakes are high: when someone steals your identity through a number of different methods, that person can use your information to purchase just about anything they want — and simultaneously render your life miserable for years to come as you attempt to regain your identity. Identity theft is on the increase. For example...