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Judge Says Selling Frequent Flyer Miles Is Illegal
by Tim Winship
Should frequent flyer program members be free to sell their airline miles? Ruling on a lawsuit filed by Alaska Airlines, a judge said No.
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$49 O/W Southwest Ski Sale*
Southwest's latest sale features ski destinations Denver, Reno/Tahoe, and Salt Lake City. Unfortunately for Southwest, AirTran, Delta, and US Airways, among others avalanche on its offer with, oftentimes, lower prices.
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$51 O/W Seattle Winter Fares on Southwest*
In time for the 2010 Winter Olympics, Southwest's latest sale features travel to Seattle. Promotional fares start at $51 one-way but we found that on most routes AirTran, American, JetBlue, among others, offer savings of about $100.
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Early Birds Will Get the Best Family Vacation Deals Next Year
by Sarah Pascarella, SmarterTravel.com Staff
Not sure if a vacation is within your budget for next year? A host of possibilities are available on the cheap, and you may be pleasantly surprised with what's affordable in early 2010.
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$99 O/W Ft. Lauderdale Intro Fares on Virgin America*
Virgin America's introductory sale offers nonstop flights between Ft. Lauderdale and a handful of western U.S. cities including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Seattle. AirTran, American, Continental, and others compete.
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Red Lion Promotion Offers Less Than Meets the Eye
by Tim Winship
Earn 25,000 frequent flyer miles (which might or might not be enough for a free ticket) after staying six nights with Red Lion hotels at a premium room rate. Deal or no deal?
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How to Save on Airfare Even After You've Booked
by Carl Unger, SmarterTravel.com Staff
Booking doesn't necessarily mean you're done shopping. There are a handful of little-known tricks that give you a chance to save money even after you've purchased a ticket.
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Eight Ways to Save on Holiday Travel
by Christine Sarkis, SmarterTravel.com Staff
Tick, tock. Tick, tock. It's already time to start thinking about holiday travel. Senior Editor Christine Sarkis weighs in with eight expert ways to make your tricky travel decisions a bit easier this year.
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Thanksgiving Vacations Starting at $323 Per Person
by The Deal Detective, SmarterTravel.com Staff
This week, our Deal Detective uncovers something we can all be thankful for: low prices on a tropical Thanksgiving getaway.
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The Top Five Award Destinations for September
by Tim Winship
This month's best bets for award travel include Albuquerque, Denver, Canada, Mexico, and London.
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Top Five Bargain Destinations for Fall 2009
by Christine Sarkis, SmarterTravel.com Staff
Bargains aren't going into hibernation this fall, and neither should you. Find great deals on tropical jaunts, fall foliage adventures, and European outings.
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Can I Inherit Frequent Flyer Miles?
by Ed Perkins
Ed Perkins tackles the tricky task of transferring miles after a program member passes away. And as is so often the case, there is no short or quick or easy way to do it.
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Grounded Frequent Flyers Have a New Mantra: Buy Now, Fly Later
by Tim Winship
Although airlines have been stingy with flight bonuses, opportunities to rack up scores of frequent flyer miles for non-flight transactions abound.
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The Top Five Frequent Flyer Deals for August 2009
by Tim Winship
This month, we feature frequent traveler promotions from Continental, Delta, JetBlue, United, and seven hotel chains.
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The Top Five Award Destinations for August
by Tim Winship
This month's best bets for award travel include Colorado Springs, Corpus Christi, Nashville, Mexico, and London.
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Wi-Fi: The Next Big Thing in Air Travel
by Ed Perkins
Settle into your seat, check your email, update your Facebook account, or watch a silly YouTube video. Whatever it is you do online, it can now be had while inflight.
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Combine Cash and Priority Club Points for Hotel Nights
by Tim Winship
Priority Club Rewards' new Points and Cash feature lets members combine points with cash for award nights at any of more than 4,200 hotels in the InterContinental Hotels family.
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Dine Out for Double Miles
by Tim Winship
Six airlines are offering 10 frequent flyer miles for every dollar spent at more than 10,000 restaurants. Having a leisurely lunch sure beats flying a thousand miles.
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What's the Real Cost of Your Airplane Ticket?
by Sarah Pascarella, SmarterTravel.com Staff
We pit low-fee airlines against high-fee legacy lines to see who has the cheapest total fares. The results may surprise you.
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Concerned About Swine Flu? Read This First!
by Sarah Pascarella, SmarterTravel.com Staff
If you're traveling in the near future, you may be concerned about the recent news regarding swine flu. Read this feature to get your travel questions answered.
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Swine Flu Travel Information
by Ed Perkins
You've heard plenty on how to prevent the spread of flu but how do you avert rebooking fees for your Mexico trip? Ed Perkins tells you how.
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Alaska Airlines Adds First-Checked-Bag Fee
by Carl Unger, SmarterTravel.com Staff
Alaska became the latest airline to add a first-checked-bag fee, leaving only JetBlue and Southwest among the major U.S. airlines that don't.
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Airline Quality: Performance Up, Product Down
by Ed Perkins
Airlines were scored in mishandled baggage, on-time arrivals, bumping, and consumer complaints. Find out where your favorite airline falls in the quality rating list.
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Airline Fees: The Next Generation
by Carl Unger, SmarterTravel.com Staff
If 2008 was the Year of the Fee, what does that make 2009? We take a look at the major developments so far, examine how flyers have been affected, and let you know what's in store. Plus: Get our newly updated Ultimate Guide to Airline Fees.
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Airline Capacity Cuts Can't Keep up With Falling Traffic
by Carl Unger, SmarterTravel.com Staff
Demand is dropping faster than airlines can cut capacity, as American and Southwest found out this past month. No matter what the airlines do, it seems people simply aren't flying.
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Top Five Frequent Flyer Award Destinations for February
by Tim Winship
The annual falloff in travel during the winter has resulted in a welcome increase in award availability, making this is an especially good time to cash in miles.
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The Top Five Miles and Points Deals for January 2009
by Tim Winship
Begin the new year with more miles and points. We have offers from American, Delta, Best Western, Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental, Marriott, Starwood, Midwest, and Northwest.
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The Financial Risks of Buying a Nonrefundable Ticket
by Ed Perkins
If you have to cancel a trip, you're on the hook for a fee that can easily represent more than half the price of the ticket. And at worst, you could be out the entire ticket price.
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How to Avoid Travel Insurance 'Gotchas'
by Ed Perkins
Travel insurance is a bulky issue with many loopholes and red tape. Read Ed Perkins' article so you don't get snagged in the "gotcha" game.
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Five Big Changes Coming to Air Travel in 2009
by Jessica Labrencis, SmarterTravel.com Staff
Big changes in the world of air travel are coming in 2009. From merger mania to airport security adjustments, here's what's on our shortlist of important changes in the year ahead.
